KNDU

KNDU is a television station serving Richland, Kennewick, Pasco, and surrounding communities in southeastern Washington. Although the station is identified with Richland in its licensing and branding history, its studios are located on West Kennewick Avenue in Kennewick, and its signal serves the eastern portion of the Yakima–Tri-Cities television market. KNDU operates as a semi-satellite of KNDO, the related station serving Yakima and the western portion of the market. Both stations are owned by the Spokane-based Cowles Company and operate within the KHQ Television Group. The station began broadcasting on August 10, 1961, after its owner received authorization to construct a channel 25 station in Richland. It was conceived as a satellite of KNDO, which had launched in Yakima in 1959. The two outlets eventually became primary NBC affiliates in 1965, after initially carrying a mixture of ABC and NBC programming. They continued to share ABC programming with KIMA-TV until the arrival of KAPP and KVEW in 1970. From that point, KNDU and KNDO became exclusive NBC affiliates. KNDU’s semi-satellite structure allows the station to share much of its programming with KNDO. Network and syndicated programs are generally simulcast, and the stations share a website. KNDU nevertheless maintains a distinct local presence through separate commercial inserts, legal identifications, and studio operations in Kennewick. Local newscasts produced by KNDU are simulcast across the two-station operation, giving the group a unified news service while retaining coverage of both the Yakima Valley and the Tri-Cities. The station’s ownership has changed several times. Hugh Davis’s Columbia Empire Broadcasting Corporation was associated with the station’s early development. Davis sold the stations to Farragut Communications in 1988. Federal Enterprises acquired them in 1995, and Raycom Media obtained them when it bought Federal in 1997. Cowles Company purchased the stations from Raycom in July 1999 and continues to operate them as part of its regional television portfolio. Master control and certain internal functions are based at KHQ-TV’s facilities in downtown Spokane, while KNDU retains its Kennewick studios. Over time, the station has adjusted its schedule to balance network commitments with syndicated programming. In earlier years, KNDO and KNDU preempted portions of NBC’s late-night and overnight offerings, including Later, Friday Night Videos or Friday Night, and NBC Nightside, sometimes signing off after carrying alternative syndicated programs. The stations began carrying all three NBC offerings in 1996 after Federal Enterprises assumed control. KNDU is also distributed through digital broadcast and pay-television platforms. It became digital-only on February 17, 2009. Its digital multiplex has carried several services, including NBC Weather Plus and Universal Sports before those services were discontinued or removed. In 2010, bandwidth formerly used for Universal Sports was reassigned to SWX Right Now to improve the picture quality of that regional sports and weather service. KNDU’s identity is therefore tied not only to its NBC affiliation but also to local news, weather, regional information, and the broader Cowles broadcast network.

KNDU was developed as a channel 25 television station for the Richland area and began broadcasting on August 10, 1961. Its creation followed the launch of KNDO in Yakima in 1959. The two stations were designed to cover different parts of the same broad Central Washington market, with KNDO serving the western area and KNDU serving the Tri-Cities and the market’s eastern communities. From its beginning, KNDU functioned as a satellite of KNDO, sharing much of its schedule and infrastructure rather than operating as a fully independent station. The station’s early operating environment was shaped by the limited network choices available in the region. KNDO initially carried ABC as its primary affiliation and NBC as a secondary service, while KIMA-TV was the principal CBS outlet and also carried programming from other networks. In 1965, KNDO and KNDU became primary NBC affiliates. They still shared ABC programming with KIMA-TV for several years, but the launch of KAPP and KVEW in 1970 provided dedicated ABC service and allowed KNDU and KNDO to operate as exclusive NBC affiliates. Ownership changed repeatedly during the station’s first four decades. The stations were initially connected with Hugh Davis and Columbia Empire Broadcasting Corporation. Davis sold them to Farragut Communications in 1988. Federal Enterprises acquired the properties in 1995, and Raycom Media assumed ownership when it bought Federal in 1997. Cowles Company purchased KNDU and KNDO from Raycom in July 1999. Under Cowles, the stations became part of the KHQ Television Group, linking the Yakima–Tri-Cities operation with KHQ-TV in Spokane and other regional broadcast resources. KNDU has retained a semi-satellite relationship with KNDO. Network and syndicated programming is generally shared, while the stations use separate commercial inserts and legal identifications. KNDU maintains its own studio facilities on West Kennewick Avenue in Kennewick. Local newscasts produced by KNDU are simulcast on both stations, allowing the operation to present a unified regional news product. Master control and selected internal functions are handled from KHQ-TV’s Spokane facilities. This arrangement combines centralized technical operations with local facilities and coverage focused on the Tri-Cities. The schedule has also evolved. In earlier years, the two stations preempted much of NBC’s programming after Late Night, including Later, Friday Night Videos or Friday Night, and the NBC Nightside overnight news block. They sometimes substituted syndicated programs and signed off overnight. Beginning in 1996, shortly after Federal Enterprises took control, the stations carried all three NBC offerings. The transition to digital broadcasting was completed on February 17, 2009, when KNDU became digital-only. Its digital service has included NBC Weather Plus and Universal Sports at different times. NBC Weather Plus ended nationally in 2008, and Universal Sports was removed from the stations’ digital subchannels in September 2010. The resulting capacity was used to enhance SWX Right Now, a regional weather and sports-oriented service. KNDU’s terrestrial signal has also been supplemented by distribution through pay-television platforms; KNDU is carried on Dish Network, while the related KNDO signal is carried on DirecTV. The KNDO–KNDU operation marked KNDO’s fiftieth anniversary in 2009 with reports highlighting local businesses and organizations that had also reached fifty years of operation. Although the anniversary centered on KNDO’s 1959 launch, it also represented the shared history of the linked stations and their long-running service to Central and southeastern Washington. KNDU remains an active NBC affiliate serving the Tri-Cities within the Cowles Company’s regional television group.

1. 2010SWX Right Now receives reassigned capacity

   Capacity formerly used for Universal Sports is redirected to SWX Right Now to improve image quality.

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2. 2009Digital transition

   KNDU becomes a digital-only station on February 17.

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3. 1999Cowles Company purchase

   Cowles Company buys KNDO and KNDU from Raycom Media in July.

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4. 1997Raycom Media assumes ownership

   Raycom Media obtains the stations through its acquisition of Federal Enterprises.

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5. 1995Federal Enterprises acquires the stations

   Federal Enterprises purchases KNDO and KNDU.

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6. 1988Stations are sold to Farragut Communications

   Hugh Davis sells the KNDO–KNDU operation to Farragut Communications.

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7. 1970Exclusive NBC service follows new ABC stations

   The launches of KAPP and KVEW remove the need for KNDU and KNDO to share ABC programming with KIMA-TV.

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8. 1965Primary NBC affiliation begins

   KNDU and KNDO become primary NBC affiliates while retaining limited shared ABC programming.

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9. 1961KNDU launches on channel 25

   KNDU begins broadcasting on August 10 as a Richland-area semi-satellite of KNDO.

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Local NBC television station serving the Tri-Cities area and the eastern portion of the Yakima–Tri-Cities market, with shared regional news operations alongside KNDO.

• KNDU local newsLocal television news

  KNDU produces local newscasts focused on the Tri-Cities and surrounding southeastern Washington communities. These broadcasts are simulcast with KNDO, creating a shared regional news service across the Yakima–Tri-Cities market while allowing KNDU to contribute coverage from its Kennewick facilities.

• NBC network programmingBroadcast television affiliation1965

  As an NBC affiliate, KNDU carries network entertainment, news, sports, and other programming supplied by NBC. The station shares the network schedule with KNDO as part of their semi-satellite operating arrangement.

• SWX Right NowDigital broadcast service2010

  SWX Right Now is a regional weather and sports-oriented service carried through the stations’ digital multiplex. In 2010, capacity previously assigned to Universal Sports was redirected to SWX Right Now to improve the service’s picture quality.

• 2009Fifty years of broadcasting coverage

  Yakima Valley · Tri-Cities

  For the fiftieth anniversary of the linked KNDO operation, the stations aired reports about local businesses and organizations that had also been operating for at least five decades.

  Outcome. The anniversary programming highlighted the stations’ historical connection with long-established local institutions.

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• 2010Reallocate digital subchannel capacityOther

  Universal Sports was no longer carried on the stations’ digital subchannels.

  What changed. The stations reassigned the capacity to SWX Right Now to improve its picture quality.

  Aftermath. SWX Right Now received additional bandwidth on the relevant digital channels.

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• 2009Complete the digital transitionStrategy

  United States full-power television stations were transitioning from analog to digital transmission.

  What changed. KNDU ended analog broadcasting and operated as a digital-only station beginning February 17.

  Aftermath. The station continued serving the market through its digital broadcast signal and multiplexed services.

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• 1996Restore full overnight NBC scheduleStrategy

  The stations had previously preempted portions of NBC’s late-night and overnight programming in favor of syndicated content and overnight sign-offs.

  What changed. KNDU and KNDO began carrying Later, Friday Night Videos or Friday Night, and NBC Nightside.

  Aftermath. The stations’ schedules more fully aligned with the NBC network lineup.

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• 1965Adopt primary NBC affiliationStrategy

  KNDU and KNDO had previously carried a mix of network services, including ABC and secondary NBC programming.

  What changed. The stations became primary NBC affiliates while continuing to share some ABC programming with KIMA-TV until dedicated ABC stations launched.

  Aftermath. After KAPP and KVEW began broadcasting in 1970, KNDU became an exclusive NBC affiliate.

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• 2010Digital bandwidth is reassigned to SWX Right Now

  After Universal Sports was removed from the digital multiplex, its capacity was allocated to SWX Right Now to improve the service’s picture quality.

  Product generation
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• 2009KNDU marks 50 years of broadcasting

  The related KNDO–KNDU operation commemorated five decades of service with reports about local businesses and organizations that had also existed for at least 50 years.

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• 2009KNDU becomes digital-only

  KNDU ended analog broadcasting and operated exclusively through digital transmission beginning February 17, 2009.

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• 1999Cowles Company acquires KNDU and KNDO

  Cowles Company purchased the two Washington stations from Raycom Media in July 1999, bringing them into the KHQ Television Group.

  M&A
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• 1965KNDU and KNDO become primary NBC affiliates

  The two related stations shifted to primary NBC status while continuing to share ABC programming with KIMA-TV until new ABC affiliates launched in 1970.

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• 1961KNDU begins broadcasting from Richland-area channel 25

  The station began programming on August 10, 1961, as a satellite of KNDO and expanded television service into the Tri-Cities area.

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1. KNDO