Lincoln-Grand Island-Hastings-Kearney can definitely be a cursed TV market as a whole in general.
The Lincoln area can get KMTV for CBS, WOWT for NBC, KETV for ABC and the now Sinclair controlled KXVO for CW and KPTM for FOX from Omaha over the air and on cable. While Grand Island and Hastings have KLKN on cable for ABC programming in addition to longtime ABC station NTV-KHGI.
Remember KOLN sign on in 1953 as the DuMont station on channel 12 while KFOR sign on in 1953 as the ABC station on channel 10 in the then Omaha-Lincoln TV market. NTV as KHOL on channel 13 sign on December 24, 1953 as the CBS station with DuMont programming for the then Kearney-Hastings-Grand Island TV market. John Fetzer bought both KOLN and KFOR around 1954 with John Fetzer wanting KOLN to transmit on channel 10 and the CBS affiliation with KOLN being part of the now combined Lincoln-Grand Island-Hastings-Kearney with Lincoln being separated from the Omaha TV market. Fetzer donated channel 12 to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and sign on as KUON on channel 12 in December 1954.
NTV as KHOL sign on KHPL on channel 6 in Hayes Center in 1956, NTV flipped to ABC in 1961 and later sign on KHQL on channel 8 in Albion in 1964 and KHTL on channel 4 in Superior in 1965. KHAS sign on in 1956 on channel 5 in Hastings. KNOP sign on in 1958 on channel 2 in 1958 with KNOP being inside within the shadow of the Lincoln TV market til around 1964/1965 when North Platte started as a TV market of their own with KNOP as the only station in the North Platte TV market being sandwiched between the Lincoln and Denver TV markets. NTV flipped to ABC due to KOLN signing on KGIN as their satellite station on channel 11 in Grand Island to become 10/11 and for NTV to enable signing on channel 8 in Albion and channel 4 in Superior as part of the expanded Nebraska Television Network.
10/11 is the only station in the Lincoln TV market to never have the problems of being cursed more often. KHAS is cursed due to not being able to fully reach the Lincoln market. The now Gray controlled KSNB is cursed due to the fact that it is stuck being on VHF low band channel 4 for it's RF channel and likely aren't able to apply for KSNB to move to a UHF channel to air it's programming from 10/11 Central Nebraska due to the possibility of the channel repacking, channel sharing, and spectrum auction happening starting next year and being transmitted from the KTMX 104.9 York tower west and near the York/Seward County line and drivers likely see it's tower from Interstate 80 while traveling between Kearney/Grand Island and Lincoln/Omaha, 10/11 will be forced to continue to broadcast KSNB 10/11 Central Nebraska in HDTV on 10/11 DT2 digital subchannel on KOLN channel 10.2 and KGIN channel 11.2 due to the problems of KSNB being on DTV RF channel 4 and also for greater must carry protection to broadcast KSNB to a wide number of TV viewers OTA, cable, and satellite, in reality, it's easier for Time Warner Cable, Charter, Directv, Dish, and the small MSOs to carry KSNB from KOLN/KGIN DT2 subchannel mainly for the HDTV feed than attempting to pick up KSNB from KSNB DTV RF channel 4. KLKN is cursed due to having to compete with NTV-KHGI for the ABC affiliation for the Lincoln market and was cursed with most as KBGT as the independent station, shut down KLKE channel 24 from Albion in 2003 due to the high costs of fully upgrading to full power DTV and HDTV. NTV-KHGI is cursed due to spliting the then KCNA from the NTV network to become independent KBGT with KBGT later becoming KCAN with ABC programming from Sioux City based KCAU and having to compete with the now KLKN for the ABC affiliation for the Lincoln market. KSNB and KTVG are cursed due to the Pappas Telecasting bankruptcy saga turmoil with both of them going dark with KSNB in 2009 and KTVG in 2010. The Lincoln station of KFXL is cursed due to operating in low power and is at risk of doing off the air and going dark due to the high costs of upgrading KFXL including moving KFXL RF channel from 51 to 15, planning to transmit at 1000 kilowatts, the upcoming channel repacking, channel sharing, and spectrum auctions all affecting KFXL survival to continue to operate KFXL license in Lincoln. The now Sinclair controlled KPTM from Omaha also puts KFXL at risk of going off the air and going dark.
My solutions to the Lincoln TV market in general:
Have NTV and KFXL combined their operations with KLKN, it would result in KLKN from Lincoln being ABC on it's DT1 digital channel while NTV as KHGI and KWNB from Kearney and Hayes Center being FOX on it's DT1 digital channel but still be able to carry both KLKN as ABC and NTV as KHGI/KWNB as FOX in full 16:9 widescreen HDTV on both stations. KLKN would relay NTV as a FOX stations on it's DT2 digital channel while NTV as KHGI and KWNB would relay KLKN as a ABC station on it's DT2 digital channel. Live Well Network would move over to a DT3 digital channel and could get shown in 16:9 widescreen SDTV over on both KLKN and NTV as KHGI and KWNB coming from KLKN. It is mainly to compete with the now Sinclair controlled KPTM from Omaha for FOX viewers in the Lincoln area. KLKN and NTV would still continue to air separate newscasts serving the areas KLKN and NTV always covered as they have been in the past. The downside to that is that what is the best of KFXL would get folded into their senior partner station in the LMA NTV as KHGI and KWNB with while what is left of KFXL possibly being picked up by 10/11 to air on their sister station KSNB 10/11 Central Nebraska and KNOP would have to shut down their own FOX station in order for NTV to still serve the North Platte area and as the FOX station in that area with KNOP being able to fully transmit 10/11 North Platte on it's DT2 digital channel with Gray taking control of KNOP and KNPL LD 10/11 North Platte with K11TW being known as KIIT going dark to make room for NTV carrying KHGI/KWNB FOX and KLKN ABC over on KHGI CD in North Platte.
If Gray ever takes control of KHAS, I favored the idea of KHAS operating KSNB and their low power translators in Lincoln as full time satellites of KHAS to fully serve the Lincoln side to the entire Lincoln-Grand Island-Hastings-Kearney TV market.
