KMOS-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = KMOS-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan =
station_branding =
analog = 6 (VHF)
digital = 15 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = PBS
network =
founded =
airdate = July 8, 1954 [The "Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook" says July 6, while the "Television and Cable Factbook" says July 8.]
location = Sedalia/Warrensburg, Missouri
callsign_meaning = MO (Missouri postal code)
Sedalia
former_callsigns = KDRO-TV (1954-1959)
former_channel_numbers =
owner = The University of Central Missouri
licensee =
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = independent (1954-1958)
ABC (1958-1961, as satellite of KMBC-TV)
CBS (1961-1978, as satellite of KRCG)
effective_radiated_power = 100 kW (analog)
322 kW (digital)
HAAT = 602 m (analog)
603 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 4326
coordinates = coord|38|37|36|N|92|52|6|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.kmos.org/ www.kmos.org]

KMOS-TV is a PBS member station in Sedalia, Missouri, owned and operated by the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. Although Warrensburg is part of the Kansas City media market, KMOS serves as the PBS member station for the Columbia/Jefferson City market. However, Mediacom cable also offers KETC, the St. Louis PBS member station.

KMOS-TV signed-on July 8, 1954 as KDRO-TV, owned by Milt Hinlein along with KDRO radio. The calls came from the Drolich brothers, the radio station's original owners. The station was originally an independent.

KDRO-TV went through several partial changes in ownership in the late 1950s. In July 1955, Deare Publications, publisher of the "Sedalia Democrat" newspaper, purchased 50% of KDRO-AM-TV from owner Milt Hinlein. In July 1957, Jimmy Glenn and Herb Brandes purchased 2/3rd interest in KDRO Radio. Hinlein became the sole owner of KDRO-TV as Deare Publications became the owner of the KDRO studio properties.

In November 1957, Hinlein sold one-half interest in KDRO-TV to several station employees, who took over the operation of the station. On July 20, 1958, KDRO-TV became an ABC affiliate. Sedalia was part of the Kansas City market at the time, and ABC refused to give it a network feed to protect the rights of the area's main ABC affiliate, KMBC-TV. Station engineers switched to and from KMBC-TV's signal whenever ABC network programming was on the air.

Cook Paint & Varnish, owner of KMBC-TV, bought KDRO-TV on January 28, 1959 and changed the call letters to the current KMOS-TV. It then became a full-time satellite of KMBC-TV. The station had always found the going difficult due to a limited viewer base, and becoming a full satellite of KMBC-TV ensured its survival.

In July 1961, Cook Paint sold KMBC-TV to Metropolitan Broadcasting (later called Metromedia). Metropolitan Broadcasting did not want KMOS-TV, so it sold channel 6 to the "Jefferson City News Tribune", owner of Mid-Missouri's CBS affiliate, KRCG. KMOS-TV then became a full satellite of KRCG. However, it continued to maintain a studio of its own in Sedalia and would break away from KRCG for its own evening newscast at 6 and 10 pm.

In July 1966, KMOS-TV and KRCG-TV were sold to Mid-America Television, a newly created subsidiary of Kansas City Southern Industries (the parent company of the Kansas City Southern Railroad).

KRCG operated KMOS at a fairly low power level and shied away from selling KMOS to another commercial owner, fearing that KMOS could become a full-power ABC affiliate. KRCG and NBC affiliate KOMU-TV in Columbia were the only two VHF network affiliates in the Columbia/Jefferson City market, and they wanted to keep it that way. The area would not have a full-time ABC affiliate until Columbia's KCBJ-TV (now KMIZ) signed-on in 1971.

In 1978, Kansas City Southern Industries donated KMOS to Central Missouri State University (now the University of Central Missouri), and the station was converted to a stand-alone PBS affiliate. KMOS was off the air for sixteen months from August 15, 1978 to December 22, 1979 while the university upgraded the station and relocated the studios to the campus in Warrensburg. After relinquishing KMOS, KRCG started a translator station in Sedalia, K11OJ. The KMOS transmitter has an effective radiated power of 100 kW for its channel 6 frequency, but 322 kW for its digital channel (corresponding to the bandwidth of channel fifteen), with similar height above average terrain for both transmitters (about 602 to 603 m above sea level).

In April 2003, opening ceremonies were conducted for the station's new digital broadcasting and transmitter facility in Syracuse, Missouri, located about fifty miles from Warrensburg, and includes a 2000-foot (609 m) guyed mast, the KMOS TV Tower (also called Rohn Tower). It was built 2001/2002 and was inaugurated on April 24, 2003. The KMOS TV Tower weighs 1 million pounds. It is put together by 18000 bolts.

Awards

In June 2007, KMOS-TV was awarded three Telly Awards. Jerry Adams Outdoors was awarded the Silver Telly. Sportspage and FUMC was awarded the Bronze Telly.

External links

* [http://www.kmos.org/ Official Website]
* [http://www.ucmo.edu/ University of Central Missouri]
*ASR|key=603905|number=1040329
*http://www.showmenews.com/2005/Nov/20051125News018.asp
*Structurae|id=s0007913|title=KMOS Tower
*http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b7070
*TVQ|KMOS
*BIA|KMOS|TV|TV

References