KQTV

KQTV, digital channel 7 (virtual channel 2), is the ABC-affiliated television station in St. Joseph, Missouri. Owned by the Nexstar Broadcasting Group, it is the only local commercialbroadcast television station serving the St. Joseph area; though TBN affiliate KTAJ (channel 16), which primarily serves the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, is also licensed to St. Joseph. KQTV is available in standard definition on the area's only cable provider, NPG Cablevision; though high definition programming from ABC is available on NPG Cablevision's digital cable package via the digital signal of Kansas City affiliate KMBC (channel 9).

History
KQTV was founded in 1953 as KFEQ-TV. It was owned by local businessman Barton Pitts along with KFEQ radio.

The station began as a primary CBS affiliate, and also carried programming from the DuMont Television Network. Shortly after DuMont shut down, the station picked up a secondary affiliation with ABC. It became a sole ABC affiliate in 1967. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.[2]

Pitts sold KFEQ-AM-TV to a group headed by Bing Crosby in 1955. The Bradley family bought the stations in 1957. Panax Corporation bought the stations in 1963. The calls were changed to KQTV in 1969, after the two stations were sold off to separate owners.

The station has a high turnover of broadcaster personnel going on to bigger markets. Gordie Hershiser, brother of former Cy Young Award winner Orel Hershiser, was a sportscaster at this station. He followed long time sports director John Baccala.

On August 24, 2007 KQTV marked long-time meteorologist Mike Bracciano's twentieth anniversary with the station. Current and former station personnel paid tribute to Bracciano during an hour-long broadcast originating from East Hills Mall. Among those appearing in person or via taped message were former news anchors John Bassford and Nancy Lewis and former sports director John Baccala. Lewis and Bracciano were the original hosts of the station's "Live at Five" which premiered in the early 1990s.

Since 1990 the station has periodically used the marketing slogan "KQ2: That's MY station!" Nexstar acquired the station in April 1997.

KQTV began broadcasting its digital signal at 1000 kWon channel 53. However, since the high UHF band was located on a band of UHF which was due to be removed from the broadcast spectrum, it seemed likely that KQTV would return its digital signal to channel 2. However, low-band VHF signals are more prone to interference from atmospheric conditions than higher channel numbers. For this reason, KQTV switched to channel 7 that was vacated by KMBC-TV on February 18, 2009.

Market status
St. Joseph ranks 201 out of 210 in the list of television stations in North America by media market. It serves several rural parts of northeast Kansas and northwest Missouri. However, during the analog era, it provided at least grade B coverage to much of Kansas City and Topeka. The channel 2 signal traveled a very long distance under normal conditions. Its digital signal still has considerable penetration in Kansas City and Topeka.

There are no other on-air stations within its market with the exception of TBN's KTAJ-TV on channel 16. TV signals from Kansas City, Topeka and Omaha serve portions of the St. Joseph market over-the-air and are also available on some cable systems.

KQTV tower
Its landmark lattice steel transmission tower which also opened in 1953 is 750 feet (228.6 m) high and is often compared to the 1,042 foot (317.6 m) KCTV tower in Kansas City. Both towers were built at the same time and both stations began broadcasting on September 27, 1953.

Newscast titles

 * KFEQ-TV News (1953–1962)
 * The Midland Empire Report (6 p.m. newscast)/News Final (10 p.m. newscast; 1963–1972)
 * KQTV News
 * KQ-2 Newswatch (1972–1988)
 * NewsTeam 2 (1988–1994)
 * KQ-2 News (1994–2000 and 2009–present)
 * KQ-2, Your Hometown News (2000–2009)

Station slogans

 * We're Still the One, on Channel 2 (1977–1980; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * You and Me and Channel 2 (1980–1981; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Now is the Time, Channel 2 is the Place (1981–1982; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Come Along With Channel 2 (1982–1984; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * We're With You on Channel 2 (1984–1985; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * You'll Love It on Channel 2 (1985–1986; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Together on Channel 2 (1986–1987; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Your Hometown News (2000–2009; news slogan)
 * That's My Station (2008–present; general slogan)

Current on-air staff
Anchors


 * Bridget Blevins - weeknights at 5 and 6 p.m.
 * Robert Lowrey- weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.; also reporter
 * Bob Cervera- weekday mornings "Hometown This Morning"
 * Samantha Frontera - weekday mornings, "Hometown This Morning"
 * Safiya Songhai - weekends at 10 p.m.; also reporter

Weather team


 * Mike Bracciano - Chief Meteorologist, weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
 * William Seay - Meteorologist; weekday mornings, "Hometown This Morning"

Sports team


 * Lance Snow - Sports Director
 * Matt Tritten - Sports Anchor

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">Reporters


 * Iashea Cross - general assignment reporter
 * Edward Burch - general assignment reporter
 * Luana Munoz - general assignment reporter
 * Lourin Sprenger - general assignment reporter

Former on-air staff
<p style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; ">*Lisa Benson (former reporter; now at KSHB in Kansas City)
 * Jill Jensen (former news director and anchor; now at KSHB in Kansas City)
 * Robin Swoboda (former weather anchor and "Dialing for Dollars" host; now host of "The Robin Swoboda Show" on WJW in Cleveland)
 * John Bassford (former anchor)
 * Nancy Lewis (former anchor)
 * John Baccala (former sports director)
 * Bob Cervera (former reporter and anchor)
 * Ryan Menley (former sports director)
 * Andrew Topps (former sports anchor; now at KWTV in Oklahoma City)
 * Dianne Brink (former anchor)
 * Maggie Crane (now at KMOV in St. Louis)
 * Sheba Clarke (now at YNN Rochester in Rochester, NY)
 * Jim Conlon (former weather anchor)
 * Nima Shaffe (former weather anchor; later at KKTV in Colorado Springs)
 * Kevin Kelley (former reporter and anchor)
 * Polly Parsons (former reporter and anchor)
 * Megan Taylor (former reporter and meteorologist; now at KOHD and KEZI in Oregon (Bend & Eugene))
 * Emily Rittman (former reporter; now at KSPR in Springfield, MO)