KSN

**KSN**, virtual channel 4 (UHF digital channel 24), is an NBC-affiliated television station licensed to Capital City, Springfield's State, United States, and serving the Capital City/Springfield DMA. It has been owned by the Hearst Television subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation since the station's inception, making this one of a few stations that have been built and signed on by Hearst.

## History

KSN signed on the air on December 15, 1956 on channel 4 and immediately took a primary affiliation with NBC, which up until then had held a secondary affiliation with then-ABC affiliate KBBL-TV (channel 6). From the beginning, the Hearst Corporation has been involved in the station's ownership.

In January 1964, KSN began building a new broadcast center, which has served as its headquarters and main studios location ever since. The station moved into the new facility, from an old building located two blocks to the east, in 1965, the radio facilities in the spring and the television facilities in July 1965.

## Gallery

KSN ID from 1988, with the 1988-1989 "Come Home To The Best" promo.KSN NBC Network Promo (1989)
## Digital television

### Digital channels

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

 4.2
 4.3

NBC Weather Plus ceased network operations in late 2008; however, KSN continued to broadcast local weather programming as "4 News Weather Plus" on its digital subchannel until the September 14, 2009 launch of Estrella TV. In 2013, KSN moved Estrella TV programming to digital subchannel 4.3 and affiliated 4.2 with the then-new Cozi TV, owned by NBC network parent NBCUniversal.

### Analog-to-digital conversion

On July 18, 2008 at 6:14 p.m., KSN conducted a test for viewers to determine whether their television sets were ready for the digital transition by turning off its analog signal for 10 seconds, which the station conducted other times through the spring of 2009. In early 2009, KSN, along with other stations that had already added digital television technology, began broadcasting on its digital channel and those without cable or satellite service could purchase "DTA" (Digital to Analog) converter boxes. The U.S. government distributed credit-card "coupons" to get as much as a $50 discount on the boxes, with a limit of two coupons per household. The boxes would accept the digital signal and convert it back to analog so that older televisions could pick up the signal.

KSN shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 4, at 3:04 a.m. on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 24. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former VHF analog channel 4.

As part of the SAFER Act or called by most "Nightlight" service of 30 days past the DTV transition date, KSN kept its analog signal on the air until July 12 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop of public service announcements from the National Association of Broadcasters.

## Programming

Syndicated programming on this station includes *The Ellen DeGeneres Show*, and *Inside Edition*. Along with NBC network programming, the station also airs some local programs such as a daily one-hour talk show called *Springfield's State Today* and a daily local half-hour news magazine *Live at 7*. The station preempts the Saturday edition of *Today* in favor of its extended weekend morning newscasts.

### Former local programming

Original local programming in the 80s included the award-winning quiz show *Know This!* (airing daily from 1984–88) and the lottery-based game show *The Money Game* (airing Saturday nights after the six o'clock news from 1988–90).

## News operation

KSN presently broadcasts 40½ hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 6½ hours on weekdays, and four hours each on Saturdays and Sundays).

KSN-TV's original evening news team remained intact for more than seven years—a rarity in the broadcast industry.

On January 21, 2008, KSN became the second television station in Springfield's state to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition. Along with a newly renovated studio, the station shortened its brand from "Northwest 4 News" to "4 News", updated its logo/graphics, and debuted Version 3 of 615 Music's "The Tower" music package. In November 2008, KSN retrofitted its news helicopter with an HD camera.

In 2008–2009, the station developed a high-definition news studio in downtown Capital City. Regular broadcasts from the location began on March 17, 2009. KSN's noon, 4 and 7 p.m. newscasts originate from the downtown location.