KTVQ

KTVQ is a television station serving Billings, Montana, where it operates on channel 2 as a CBS affiliate. The station is owned by The E. W. Scripps Company and forms part of the Montana Television Network, a statewide group of CBS-affiliated stations. Its studios are located on Third Avenue North in Billings, while its transmitter is situated at Sacrifice Cliff southeast of downtown. The station began broadcasting on November 9, 1953, under the call sign KOOK-TV. It was the first television station in Billings and the third television station established in Montana. The station was created by The Montana Network, which was associated with KOOK radio, and initially carried CBS, ABC, and DuMont programming. CBS has remained its principal network affiliation throughout the station's history. Ownership and network development shaped KTVQ's early identity. Joseph Sample acquired control of the KOOK radio and television properties in 1956. Under Sample's ownership, the station moved into a purpose-built radio and television center in downtown Billings in 1959. Sample subsequently acquired KXLF-TV in Butte and KRTV in Great Falls, creating the foundation for the Montana Television Network. KPAX-TV in Missoula later became part of the broader network structure. The television station adopted the KTVQ call sign on September 1, 1972, after KOOK radio was sold. The change separated the television and radio operations and allowed the station to develop the Q2 identity associated with its channel position. During the late 1960s and 1970s, KTVQ also carried selected NBC programming because of affiliation changes involving Billings competitor KULR-TV. In 1980 it became a primary CBS station, and its remaining NBC programming largely moved to KOUS-TV after that station launched. KTVQ's NBC contract ended in 1982. Local news became a major competitive focus. From 1971, Montana Television Network newscasts used a hybrid structure that combined statewide coverage produced from Great Falls with local inserts from individual stations. In Billings, this arrangement initially left KTVQ behind KULR-TV in local news ratings. Around the time Sample sold the network, production of the network newscast moved from Great Falls to Billings, and the format was redesigned to emphasize local material. The changes, together with subsequent anchor and presentation adjustments, helped KTVQ overtake KULR-TV in 1987. By the late 1990s, KTVQ had established a substantial lead in early-evening local news ratings. Sample sold the Montana Television Network to SJL Broadcasting in 1983. Evening Post Industries, through Cordillera Communications, acquired KTVQ in 1994 and later reunited it with the other MTN stations after purchasing the wider network in 1986. The E. W. Scripps Company completed its acquisition of Cordillera's broadcast properties, including KTVQ and MTN, in 2019. Today, KTVQ combines CBS network programming with locally produced newscasts, weather, sports, public-affairs coverage, investigative reporting, and community-oriented programming. Its signal is supplemented by low-power translators and network distribution arrangements across Montana. The station's public role includes covering Billings and surrounding communities while contributing to the wider Montana Television Network news operation.

KTVQ traces its history to an application filed by The Montana Network on December 13, 1952, for a construction permit to operate on channel 2 in Billings. The Federal Communications Commission granted the permit on February 4, 1953. Construction of studio and transmitter facilities began soon afterward, and programming started on November 9, 1953, as KOOK-TV. The station was the first television outlet in Billings and the third in Montana. At launch it carried CBS, ABC, and DuMont programming, although CBS became its enduring network relationship. The original station owner was connected to KOOK radio and was led by Charles L. Crist and other Montana Network interests. Joseph Sample acquired majority control of the radio and television properties in December 1956. Under Sample, the operations moved into a new downtown Billings radio and television center completed in 1959. Sample then expanded beyond Billings, acquiring KXLF-TV in Butte in 1961 and KRTV in Great Falls in 1969. These stations formed the core of the Montana Television Network, later joined by KPAX-TV in Missoula. KTVQ's call-sign change reflected the separation of the television station from KOOK radio. Sample sold the radio station in 1972, partly in anticipation of possible FCC limits on radio-television cross-ownership. The television station changed from KOOK-TV to KTVQ on September 1, 1972. The new call sign supported the Q2 identity and avoided continued duplication with the separately owned radio station. The station's programming mix changed as the Billings television market developed. KTVQ carried some NBC programs beginning in 1968, after KULR-TV adopted a primary ABC affiliation. For a period, KTVQ scheduled a mixture of CBS and NBC fare, with CBS remaining important to its identity. In 1980, KTVQ became a primary CBS affiliate. When KOUS-TV launched later that year, it assumed NBC programs not cleared by KTVQ, and KTVQ's NBC affiliation arrangement ended in 1982. News production was particularly important to the station's later success. In 1971, the Montana Television Network introduced a hybrid news model with a statewide program originating in Great Falls and local inserts produced in Billings, Butte, and later Missoula. The arrangement was operationally practical but did not initially give KTVQ a competitive advantage in Billings, where KULR-TV led the local ratings. During the transition from Sample ownership to SJL Broadcasting in the early 1980s, network news production moved to Billings. The format was reordered to foreground local inserts, and the presentation of the statewide program was revised. After further changes in lead anchors and style, KTVQ's ratings improved sharply. Arbitron and Nielsen both showed KTVQ ahead of KULR-TV across time periods in February 1987. By 1997, the station held approximately a two-to-one advantage over its main competitor for early-evening news, according to the cited historical account. Sample sold the Montana Television Network to SJL Broadcasting in 1983. Evening Post Industries acquired KTVQ through Cordillera Communications in 1994; Evening Post had acquired the rest of the Montana network in 1986, bringing the station and its network affiliates back under common ownership. In 2019, The E. W. Scripps Company completed its purchase of Cordillera's broadcast holdings. KTVQ consequently became part of Scripps' local television portfolio while remaining a Montana Television Network station. KTVQ has also served as a distribution point for regional programming. Since 1990, its newscasts were carried by KXGN-TV in Glendive as part of the MTN relationship. The station operates a digital multiplex and is supported by a broad group of low-power translators, extending coverage beyond the immediate Billings market. Its core business remains local broadcasting: producing news, weather, sports, and public-affairs content while carrying CBS and other licensed television programming.

1. 2019Scripps ownership begins

   Scripps completed its acquisition of Cordillera's broadcast stations, including KTVQ.

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2. 1994Cordillera Communications acquisition

   Evening Post Industries purchased KTVQ through Cordillera Communications.

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3. 1987Local news leadership achieved

   KTVQ moved ahead of KULR-TV in Billings local-news ratings.

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4. 1983Montana Television Network sold to SJL

   Joseph Sample sold the Montana Television Network to SJL Broadcasting.

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5. 1980Primary CBS affiliation established

   KTVQ became a primary CBS affiliate as NBC programming shifted toward KOUS-TV.

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6. 1972Station becomes KTVQ

   The television station adopted the KTVQ call sign on September 1 after KOOK radio was sold.

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7. 1969Montana Television Network takes shape

   Sample's acquisitions of KXLF-TV and KRTV established the principal foundation of the Montana Television Network.

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8. 1959New Billings broadcast center completed

   The station moved into a new downtown radio and television center.

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9. 1956Joseph Sample gains control

   Joseph Sample acquired majority control of the KOOK radio and television properties.

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10. 1953KOOK-TV launches

    KOOK-TV began broadcasting on November 9 as Billings' first television station and Montana's third.

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11. 1952Construction permit application filed

    The Montana Network applied to build a television station on channel 2 in Billings.

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A local broadcast television station combining CBS network programming with market-leading news, weather, sports, and community coverage for Billings and surrounding Montana communities.

• KTVQ local newsLocal television news

  Locally produced news programming focused on Billings and surrounding Montana communities. Coverage includes breaking news, politics, public safety, business, education, local events, and regional reporting, supported by the station's participation in the Montana Television Network.

• Q2 weatherBroadcast weather service

  Weather forecasts, severe-weather updates, and related digital information for Billings and nearby areas. The service is an important part of the station's local-news proposition in a geographically large and weather-sensitive market.

• CBS programmingNetwork television1953

  National CBS programs distributed through KTVQ's broadcast signal. KTVQ has maintained a CBS affiliation since its launch in 1953, apart from periods when the station also carried selected NBC programming.

• Montana Television Network newsRegional television news1971

  Regional news content shared among MTN stations across Montana. KTVQ has served as a Billings production and distribution point, particularly since the network's news operation moved from Great Falls to Billings in the 1980s.

• 2019Joined The E. W. Scripps CompanyM&A

  Scripps agreed to acquire Cordillera Communications' broadcast properties.

  What changed. Scripps completed the acquisition of the Cordillera stations, including KTVQ and the Montana Television Network.

  Aftermath. KTVQ became part of Scripps' local television portfolio while retaining its Billings identity and MTN role.

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• 1983Sold the Montana Television Network to SJL BroadcastingM&A

  After nearly three decades of ownership, Joseph Sample decided to exit the television business.

  What changed. Sample sold the Montana Television Network, including KTVQ, to SJL Broadcasting.

  Aftermath. The ownership transition coincided with a move of network news production to Billings and a redesign of the regional news format.

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• 1980Made CBS the primary affiliationStrategy

  KTVQ had carried selected NBC programs alongside CBS content after affiliation changes at competitor KULR-TV.

  What changed. KTVQ became a primary CBS affiliate and gradually stopped carrying NBC programming as KOUS-TV assumed the NBC role.

  Aftermath. The station settled into the CBS affiliation that continues to define its network position.

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• 1972Adopted the KTVQ call signStrategy

  The television station was separated from KOOK radio after the radio operation was sold and amid regulatory concerns about radio-television cross-ownership.

  What changed. The station changed its call sign from KOOK-TV to KTVQ and developed the Q2 brand.

  Aftermath. The new identity distinguished the television station from the separately owned radio outlet while reinforcing its channel 2 position.

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• 2019The E. W. Scripps Company completes Cordillera broadcast acquisition

  Scripps completed its purchase of Cordillera Communications' broadcast properties, including KTVQ and the Montana Television Network.

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• 1994KTVQ acquired by Cordillera Communications

  Evening Post Industries acquired KTVQ through its Cordillera Communications subsidiary, reuniting the station with the broader Montana Television Network ownership structure.

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• 1987KTVQ overtakes KULR-TV in local news ratings

  Following changes to Montana Television Network news production and presentation, KTVQ achieved the leading local-news position in the Billings market.

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• 1980KTVQ becomes a primary CBS affiliate

  KTVQ moved to primary CBS status as NBC programming was increasingly transferred to the newly launched KOUS-TV.

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• 1972KTVQ call sign adopted

  After KOOK radio was sold, the television station changed its call sign to KTVQ and developed the Q2 branding used in its local market.

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• 1953KOOK-TV begins broadcasting in Billings

  Channel 2 began service as KOOK-TV on November 9, becoming the first television station in Billings and the third in Montana.

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1. KTVQ
2. KTVQ official website