FIRST ON THE BLOG: A change to TV and to TV news is in the air for Western Nebraska. Gray announced these moves several months ago and this upcoming Thursday, it all becomes real.
Starting Thursday May 5th, KDUH 4, which was long the home for ABC programming as a semi-satellite of KOTA Territory, will become a station of its own by changing its callsign to KNEP, remaining on Channel 4 and will become an NBC affiliate under NBC Nebraska Scottsbluff, a name already used by other NBC affiliates in Gray, including KNOP 2 in North Platte which goes by NBC Nebraska North Platte and KSNB 4 in Lincoln/Hastings/Grand Island which goes by simply, NBC Nebraska and is the original station that now encompasses the three-station network.
The station aired its last newscasts under KOTA Territory tonight and by Thursday, will stop airing ABC programming in place of NBC programming. Also, instead of carrying local news from Rapid City, it will start carrying its own local news for Scottsbluff and Western Nebraska and the so-called Nebraska Panhandle.
The station will air local news, 7 days a week under three weekday newscasts and one weekend newscast. The three weekday newscasts will be at 12:00 Noon, 6:00 and 10:00pm, all half-hour each. The lone weekend newscast will be at 10:00pm. In terms of competition, it will be home to the area’s ONLY local news for Scottsbluff, but if you factor in another Scottsbluff station, KSTF 10 (CBS/NBC/CW), which is a semi-satellite of KGWN 5 and therefore carries their local news under CBS NewsChannel 5, 12:00 Noon and 10:00pm will be the times they compete against each other with the 6:00pm newscast being the ONLY local newscast that KNEP 4 will compete against KSTF 10.
So Scottsbluff and Nebraska-centric news is coming for those who live in Western Nebraska and for those who want local news in their specific area. Sounds good in the area.
changingnewscasts.wordpress.com 
So Rapid City will no longer have an ABC affiliate? What will happen to KNBN-TV the current NBC affiliate in Rapid City? What will the new ABC station in Rapid City be? Will ABC programming be on KEVN, KNBN digital sub channel?
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Rapid City will still have ABC under KOTA 3. KNBN 21 remains as NBC. KEVN 7 will remain as FOX.
KNEP 4 in Scottsbluff is actually a part of the Cheyenne, WY market and they’re just getting an additional NBC affiliate, that’s all.
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I wonder if the Rapid City TV Market will get their own CBS station?
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They already do. It’s called KCLO 15, a semi-satellite of KELO 11 in Sioux Falls.
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Scottsbluff being part of Cheyenne Market would be very similar to Farmington with KOBF or Roswell with KOBR and KBIM being part of my market of Albuquerque or Manchester with WMUR being part of the Boston TV Market.
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couple notes to clarify
KNEP (formerly KDUH) is STILL ABC on -1. They added the new NBC on -2. They also replaced the NBC Casper/Cheyenne that was on KSTF’s -2 station (10-2) to the same NBC as 4-2. The NBC Scottsbluff facebook page has the info and says 4-2 & 10-2. So the setup there OTA is
4-1 KNEP ABC (satellite of KOTA)
4-2 KNEP NBC (semi-satellite of KNOP North Platte…news is local)
10-1 KSTF CBS (semi-satellte of KGWN Cheyenne)
10-2 KSTF NBC (same as 4-2)
10-3 KSTF CW+
13-1 PBS (and 13-2 & 13-3 subs)
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Yeah. I was completely unaware of that. I thought it was replacing KOTA, just like what everybody else’s been saying. Apparently, that’s not the case since they keep KOTA and putting a semi of KNOP on KNEP 4.2 and KSTF 10.2
All Scottsbluff is missing now is FOX and MyTV.
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As an engineer directly involved with all of this, KCWY-DT in Casper WY is still running the log/Programming that will play in Cheyenne KGWN 5.2, Laramie K19FX-D, Scottsbluff on KSTF 10.2 and KNEP 4.2.
The newscasts for this Nebraska Panhandle NBC come out of Scottsbluff and other Gray Owned Stations across Nebraska. Control room for the news is in Lincoln and KOLN.
Thanks,
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i could care less about the news. The local broadcasts are staffed with incapable personnel. it’s almost unbearable to try to listen to the reporters; repeating & trying to correct themselves, the mispronunciation of words & names & the video/audio not matching each other. i want the morning and evening shows on ABC channel 9. There are other channels & the newspaper if I want the news
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Why are you off the air??
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I’m sorry. May I ask who are you directing this to?
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