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The End of the Glendive Nielsen Market?

Thanks to translators (including K13IG in Richland County, which KXGN owned), KXGN-TV served a larger area than its DMA would have indicated, spanning from the Canadian border to the Wyoming border. In some cases, it was carried by the translator district on the same transmitters as KFBB. Even though KXGN-TV was in the smallest DMA in the country, its service area as a commercial station was a fair bit larger.
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Indeed. They promoted themselves as "the choice cut of two states" (Montana and North Dakota).

Sammi Brie said:
As to the networks offered by MVPDs:
  • The cable provider in Glendive, Mid-Rivers, stopped offering cable service in 2023. It offered Billings ABC and Fox plus KUMV for NBC.
  • YouTube TV offered Great Falls ABC and Fox.
  • Dish already offered Rapid City ABC and Fox.
The two counties would have to be reassigned to another DMA based on what people are mostly watching, and to me that suggests one of the two Montana DMAs. Great Falls is actually further than Billings, Bismarck or Rapid City, but it has a fighting chance here.
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At the distances out there, Great Falls would make as much sense as Billings. I was just thinking of Glendive-area viewers being accustomed to news and other local content from Billings.
 
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Glendive would have just as much connection to Williston as it would any other town in MT and depending on what, are going to go into ND for it before they go further into MT for it
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
Glendive would have just as much connection to Williston as it would any other town in MT and depending on what, are going to go into ND for it before they go further into MT for it
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I am just thinking of in-state news, sports, and other content, which wouldn't be a priority for stations in the Minot+ market. Nonetheless, pretty much all of northeastern Montana is also in that market.
 
IM42A said:
I am just thinking of in-state news, sports, and other content, which wouldn't be a priority for stations in the Minot+ market. Nonetheless, pretty much all of northeastern Montana is also in that market.
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When KUMV still had local news, it was watched in Eastern MT over just about anything else except KXGN closer to Glendive
 
KML0224 said:
So does this mean the Glendive DMA no longer exists? Now that the lone commercial TV station is a non-commercial station?
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I suppose that, in theory, Nielsen could have a DMA with just a PBS station, though it would be kind of pointless. If I had to guess, I'd say they're trying to decide where to put the two counties (which, as I noted above, could conceivably be split). It would have to be either Billings, Great Falls, Minot-Williston, or (and this is kind of a stretch) Rapid City.
 
IM42A said:
I suppose that, in theory, Nielsen could have a DMA with just a PBS station, though it would be kind of pointless. If I had to guess, I'd say they're trying to decide where to put the two counties (which, as I noted above, could conceivably be split). It would have to be either Billings, Great Falls, Minot-Williston, or (and this is kind of a stretch) Rapid City.
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it would go to williston or billings
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
it would go to williston or billings
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Probably, but I was just going by comments about Great Falls being on YouTube TV, as well as some Rapid City stations being available on Dish Network.

As to Dish, and I'm just guessing, the Rapid City transponders might be more practical for them, for whatever reason.

At the end of the day, though, it's probably a toss-up between Billings and Williston.
 
IM42A said:
Probably, but I was just going by comments about Great Falls being on YouTube TV, as well as some Rapid City stations being available on Dish Network.

As to Dish, and I'm just guessing, the Rapid City transponders might be more practical for them, for whatever reason.

At the end of the day, though, it's probably a toss-up between Billings and Williston.
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If Williston still had a local news cut in on the NBC Affiliate there, Glendive would head in that direction
 
It's just too bad that they couldn't have resurrected the old combined Miles City-Glendive market, which existed in the 1970s and 1980s. KYUS could have carried two of the four major networks (along with other subchannels), while KXGN could have carried the other two (ditto), and they could have had a single news department. Even if cable, translator, or MVPD service would have been needed for reception of both stations in many parts of the market, it would still be no more "imaginary" than making the counties far fringes of the Billings or Williston markets. I know Marks made a business decision that these stations were no longer commercially viable, but another broadcasting company might have. Gray goes in for this sort of thing.

And someone correct me if I'm wrong, but couldn't they have carried at least the x.1 main feed of Montana PBS on a subchannel?
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
If Williston still had a local news cut in on the NBC Affiliate there, Glendive would head in that direction
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I did not realize until just a little bit ago, that Williston was so close to the Montana state line. I was thinking that it was further to the east for some reason.

Given this, Williston does indeed make sense as the market for eastern Montana.
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
If Williston still had a local news cut in on the NBC Affiliate there, Glendive would head in that direction
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Jon Cole is still up in WIlliston doing sports reports, they always mention what the Williston market is going to see right before switching to sports on the news broadcasts (I watch on KFYR). So is he up there by himself now? I assume they must have a reporter stationed in Williston like they do in Dickinson, but they don't ever have their own section of the news broadcast anymore? Makes me wonder what will happen when Jon Cole retires, if they cut that position too, or downgrade it to have someone up there to film sports highlights but not be on air reporting.
 
NoDakObserver said:
Jon Cole is still up in WIlliston doing sports reports, they always mention what the Williston market is going to see right before switching to sports on the news broadcasts (I watch on KFYR). So is he up there by himself now? I assume they must have a reporter stationed in Williston like they do in Dickinson, but they don't ever have their own section of the news broadcast anymore? Makes me wonder what will happen when Jon Cole retires, if they cut that position too, or downgrade it to have someone up there to film sports highlights but not be on air reporting.
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Last i knew, they didnt do local cutaways but i could be wrong... its been ages since i was up there
 


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