KDLT-TV

KDLT, is an NBC affiliated television station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA, serving Eastern South Dakota and Southwestern Minnesota. It broadcasts on ATSC channel 47, which redirects to former NTSC channel 46 via PSIP. It also operates a full-powered satellite station--KDLV in Mitchell, South Dakota (digital channel 26/PSIP 5). KDLT's 2,000 feet (610 m) tower is located near Rowena.

History
In 1960, KDLT started broadcasting from Mitchell, South Dakota as KORN-TV on channel 5, an NBC affiliate. The station's original call letters were intended to honor the famous MitchellCorn Palace. Just months later, however, it switched to ABC.

In 1972, the station changed its calls to KXON-TV. In 1982, KXON changed its call letters to KDLT when it was purchased by Dakotaland Broadcasting. Dakotaland Broadcasting eventually sold KDLT to Heritage Broadcasting in the mid-1980s. In 1982, KDLT and KSFY-TV switched affiliations, with KSFY getting ABC and KDLT getting NBC. At the time of the switch KSFY had three full-power transmitters to KDLT's one and ABC was the #1 network with NBC in third, making it logical for the more popular network to align with the more dominant station. The next year NBC and ABC ratings flip-flopped leaving KDLT once again affiliated with the more popular network. The station eventually moved its main studio to Sioux Falls in the mid to late 1980s.

On September 8, 1998 KDLT moved its city of license to Sioux Falls and began broadcasting on channel 46 from a new tower in Rowena, where most of the other Sioux Falls stations have their towers. This was largely because the channel 5 tower was too far away from Sioux Falls to adequately cover it with a digital signal. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules required a station's digital signal to cover at least 80 percent of its analog footprint. Channel 5 in Mitchell survives as a full-power satellite, KDLV. Due to the way the changeover was structured legally, the FCC considers KDLV to be the same station as the old KDLT.

On February 1, 2009, KDLT ceased analog transmissions, and began broadcasting only in digital. KDLV flash-cut to digital on the same day.

Newscasts
Monday -Friday


 * KDLT News Today - 6-7 AM
 * KDLT News at 5
 * KDLT News at 6
 * KDLT News at 10

Weekends


 * KDLT News at 5 (Sundays only)
 * KDLT News at 6 (Saturdays only)
 * KDLT News at 10

Current on-air staff
Anchors:[1]


 * Tom Hanson: KDLT News at 6 and 10
 * Jennifer Hudspeth: KDLT News at 5, 6 and 10
 * Paul Heinert: KDLT News at 5 (News Director)
 * Phil Mcllrath: KDLT Today (6-7 a.m.)
 * Jill Johnson: Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and Weekends at 10 p.m.

Weather team:


 * Cody Matz: Chief Meteorologist
 * Kelly Smith: Morning Meteorologist
 * Angela Schilling: Weekend Meteorologist

Sports:


 * Mark Ovenden: Sports Director
 * Kolbe Nelson: Weekend Sports

Reporters:


 * Krystle Kacner: Reporter
 * Jenna Mann: Reporter
 * Melissa Payne: Reporter
 * Phil McIlrath: Reporter

Past on-air staff

 * Liz Collin: Former Morning News Anchor on KDLT, now reporter at WCCO-TV In Minneapolis
 * Erik Zarnitz: Former Morning Meteorologist on KDLT, now meteorologist on WLWT-TV in Cincinnati, OH
 * Keith Monahan: Former Chief Meteorologist on KDLT, now Chief Meteorologist on KIAH in Houston, Texas
 * Travis Morgan: Former Weekend Sports Anchor on KDLT, now Sports Anchor on KMEG-TV in Sioux City, Iowa
 * Melissa McCrady: Former Reporter on KDLT and General Assignment Reporter on WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, WI, now Traffic Reporter on WLUK-TV in Green Bay, WI
 * Ted Koppy: Former News Anchor on KDLT, now News Anchor on WTNH-TV in Hartford, CT
 * Jaime McCutcheon: Former Reporter on KDLT, now Anchor/Reporter on WOWT-TV in Omaha, NE
 * Paul Aker: Former Cops and Courts Reporter on KDLT, now Reports on KING-TV in Seattle, WA
 * Krista Canfield: Former Reporter on KDLT, now PR Manager at LinkedIn in Mountain View, CA
 * Kent Boughton: Former Sports Director/Weather Director on KXON, now Chief Forecaster on KHGI-TV in Kearney, NE
 * Nate Welch: Former News and Sports Reporter/Anchor, Now at Farmers Union Insurance in Sioux Falls, SD

Newscast titles

 * Metro News (?–1982)
 * News Center 5 (1982–1983)
 * Action News (1983–?)
 * Action 5 News (?–1987)
 * Sioux First News (1987–1990)
 * KDLT News (1990–1996 & 1999–2020)
 * News 5 (1996–1999)
 * Dakota News Now (2020–present)

Station slogans

 * Channel 5 There, Be There (1983-1984; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * Channel 5, Let's All Be There (1984-1986; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * Come Home to Channel 5 (1986-1987; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * KDLT, The Place To Be (1990-1992; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * The Stars are Back on KDLT (1993-1994; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * We Know What Matters 
 * Working for You 
 * It's About Award Winning Journalism (2004–present)

Rebroadcasters
The programming of KDLT is also rebroadcast on the following translator stations:


 * K27HJ Pierre
 * K33GX Springfield
 * K33HC Aberdeen
 * K35GR Badger
 * K40FZ Brookings
 * K42FI Watertown
 * K44GG Murdo
 * K47IC Milbank

Transmitter antenna replacement
The station's television transmitter antenna replacement was featured on the National Geographic Channel television show World's Toughest Fixes.[2]