KITY-TV (ABC)

KITY-TV, virtual channel 5 (UHF digital channel 26), is an ABC-affiliated television station licensed to Bango, Montana, United States. The station is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group. KITY-TV's callsign has no meaning, but it is simply referrred to as "Kitty 5" or "Kitty TV."
==History==
Channel 5 in Bango was originally the home of former DuMont television station KBGT, which signed-off the air on August 3, 1956 (three days prior to the DuMont network's shutdown).
The station signed-on the air on September 23, 1959, and aired an analog signal on VHF channel 5. Originally affiliated with the ABC network, its first sign-on took place at 1:30 PM, and usually remained on the air from 6:00 AM to 1:30 AM, when the station signed off. On June 10, 1962, when the ABC network was demonstrating color broadcasts, KITY-TV became a full-color station. On February 22, 1968, media conglomerate Panther Communications, Inc. bought KITY-TV.
On June 9, 1978, the station swapped affiliations with KBMN-TV, becoming an NBC affiliate. The reason behind this is because ABC was looking for a stronger affiliation in the Bango television market, as NBC's ratings were plummeting at the time. As with other NBC affiliates in the United States, the station syndicated cartoons in the morning, such as Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, and Popeye the Sailor Man. Also, during the station's years as an NBC affiliate, KITY-TV employess offered cat costumes for females with the station's logo imprinted on the front, cat tails, cat ears, skirts, and white fishnets.
On May 1, 2001, KITY-TV began conducting digital television broadcasts over UHF channel 26. In September 2002, due to popular demand, KITY-TV reversed the 1978 affiliation swap with KBMN-TV, again becoming an ABC affiliate.
==Slogan history==
*1979-1981 - Kitty 5, Proud as a Peacock! (localized version of NBC's 1979-81 slogan)
*1981-1982 - Kitty 5, Our Pride is Showing (localized version of NBC's 1981-82 slogan)
*1982-1983 - We're Kitty TV, Just Watch Us Now! (localized version of NBC's 1982-83 slogan)
*1983-1984 - Kitty TV, Be There (localized version of NBC's 1983-84 slogan)
*1984-1986 - Kitty 5, Let's All Be There (localized version of NBC's 1984-86 slogan)
Read more: KITY-TV (ABC)/Campaign lyrics
==Sign-off history==
Read more: KITY-TV (ABC)/Sign-off history
==Newscast title history==
*1959-1966 - The Kitty 5 Report
*1966-1973 - The Kitty 5 Newswatch
*1973-1979 - Feline 5 Newswatch
*1979-1988 - Newskitty 5
*1988-1995 - Kitty 5 Newswatch (identical to the 1966-73 newscast title)
*1995–present - Kitty 5 News (after switching back to ABC, KITY-TV kept this title, and still does so today.)
==Digital broadcasting and analog shutdown==
As mentioned above, KITY-TV began broadcasting a digital signal on May 1, 2000, over UHF channel 26.
KITY-TV terminated its analog signal at 12:30 PM, over VHF channel 5, on June 12, 2009, the official date of the federally mandated digital transition. The station's digital signal remained on pre-transition UHF channel 26. On its final analog day, a montage of classic KITY-TV station idents and promotional adverts through the station's near-50 year history was displayed, followed by a self-produced national anthem video that was usually aired when the station began signing off in full color.
==Ident history==
KITY82id.png|Just Watch Us Now ident from 1982. This also appeared in an animated sign-off sequence which alternated with the live-action sign-off sequence during the era, and continued to be used for the sign-off sequence as late as 1987.
KITY84id.png|Let's All Be There ident from 1984, promoting syndicated programs.
KITY84moviebumper.png|NBC Sunday Night at the Movies local bumper from 1984, with the KITY-TV byline on the bottom.
KITY85id.png|Let's All Be There ident from 1985. Note that this version doesn't include the Let's All Be There text.
KITY2009finalanalogimage.png|The final image that KITY-TV displayed on its analog signal before transitioning to digital broadcasting on June 12, 2009.
Category:Bango, Montana
Category:Former NBC affiliates
Category:Montana
Category:ABC network affiliates
Category:Sinclair Broadcast Group