KWCM: Appleton, Minnesota KSMN: Worthington, Minnesota |
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Branding | Pioneer Public Television |
Slogan | Proudly Serving (area town) |
Channels |
Digital: KWCM: 10 (VHF) Virtual: 10 () Digital: KSMN: 15 (UHF) Virtual: 20 () |
Subchannels | (see article) |
Translators | K20JY-D 20 Olivia K27KN-D 27 Alexandria K30AF 30 Alexandria K44AE-D 44 Willmar K49FA-D 49 Fergus Falls |
Affiliations | PBS |
Owner | West Central Minnesota Educational Television Company |
First air date |
KWCM: January 21, 1966 KSMN: March 2, 1997 |
Call letters' meaning |
KWCM: Southern MiNnesota |
Former channel number(s) |
KWCM: 10 (VHF, analog, 1966–2009) KSMN: 20 (UHF analog, 1997–2009) KWCM: 31 (UHF digital, –2009) |
Former affiliations | NET (1966–1970) |
Transmitter power |
KWCM: 200 kW (digital) |
Height |
KWCM: 290.1 m (digital) |
Facility ID |
KWCM: 71549 KSMN: 71558 |
Transmitter coordinates |
KWCM: 45°10′3″N 96°0′2″W / 45.16750°N 96.00056°W KSMN: 43°53′52″N 95°56′50″W / 43.89778°N 95.94722°W |
Website | www.pioneer.org |
KWCM:
West
Central
Minnesota
KWCM:
50 kW (digital)
KWCM:
381 m (digital)
KWCM-TV is the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member Public television station for southwest and west-central Minnesota. The station is licensed to the town of Appleton, and airs on digital channel 10, which is also its virtual channel. It operates a full-time satellite, KSMN-TV (digital channel 15, virtual channel 20) in Worthington. It is operated by the West Central Minnesota Educational Television Company.
Together, the two stations are known as Pioneer Public Television. Signals from the stations can also be received in parts of Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota. Several other translators carry the signal into other communities.
KWCM went on the air for the first time on February 7, 1966. In the early years, it repeated the signal of KTCA-TV in the Twin Cities. It adopted the Pioneer Public Television name in 1982, and added KSMN in 1997.
KSMN is available on the Sioux Falls DirecTV and Dish Network feeds, as Worthington is part of the Sioux Falls market. KWCM is currently working on making its signal available to satellite subscribers in the Twin Cities market.
KWCM and KSMN's broadcasts are now digital-only, effective 9pm June 12, 2009.
Some locally produced shows include Postcards, Prairie Sportsman, Funtime Polka, Your Legislators, Country Spires and programs produced with the University of Minnesota Morris, Prairie Yard and Garden, Academic Challenge, Echoes of Cry of the Marsh and Minnesota Rivers and Fields. Some of these shows have also been shown on the Minnesota Channel, a statewide network originated at KTCI 17 Twin Cities which carries local programs on Saturday and Sunday evenings.