ABC St. Louis affiliate switch moves network from Sinclair to Gray
ABC plans to move its St. Louis affiliation from Sinclair’s KDNL-TV to Gray Media’s KMOV-TV on Sept. 1, Deadline reported.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
ABC’s St. Louis affiliate is set for a channel shuffle: the network plans to leave Sinclair-owned KDNL-TV and move to a Gray Media outlet on Sept. 1, Deadline reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the plan.
The change would put ABC programming on KMOV-TV’s D2 digital channel, according to Deadline. Gray Media will also provide locally produced news at KMOV-TV, the report said.
KDNL-TV has carried ABC in the St. Louis market since 1995, according to Deadline. Its affiliation agreement runs out at the end of August, though ABC programming will remain on KDNL-TV until then.
Where will ABC air in St. Louis after the switch?
Deadline reported that ABC programming will air on KMOV-TV’s D2 digital channel beginning Sept. 1. A D2 digital channel is a station’s secondary digital broadcast stream, so the network would be carried through KMOV-TV’s digital channel lineup rather than the main channel.
The move shifts one of broadcast TV’s biggest network brands in St. Louis from a Sinclair station to Gray Media’s operation. Deadline said ABC, Gray Media and Sinclair had not commented on the plans.
For viewers, the key date is Sept. 1. Until then, Deadline reported, ABC will continue airing on KDNL-TV because the current affiliation remains in place through the end of August.
Why do network affiliation switches happen?
Local TV stations carry national network programming through affiliation agreements, which can expire or be replaced. When that happens, a network can move its shows and sports coverage to another local station or subchannel in the same market.
Deadline noted that affiliation changes are a regular part of the broadcast business. The report pointed to ABC’s move last year in Miami, where the network shifted from Berkshire Hathaway’s WPLG-TV to a subchannel of Sunbeam’s WSVN-TV.
The St. Louis development also landed on a busy day for network-station deals. Earlier Thursday, CBS announced that it would move affiliations away from Nexstar stations in six markets, including Albuquerque, according to Deadline.
The St. Louis switch gives Gray Media the ABC affiliation in the market while ending KDNL-TV’s long run with the network. Deadline reported that more details were still to come.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.