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ABC To Switch Affiliation In St. Louis, Moving From Sinclair Station To Gray Media Channel
ABC will move its St. Louis affiliation from Sinclair-owned KDNL-TV to Gray Media’s KMOV-TV from 1 September. The change matters because local viewers will need to find ABC programmes on KMOV’s digital subchannel, while Gray will supply locally produced news.
KDNL has carried ABC since 1995, but its affiliation agreement expires at the end of August and network programming will remain there until then. ABC programming will air on KMOV’s D2 channel; ABC, Gray and Sinclair had not commented, and the move follows a similar Miami affiliation switch last year.
In short
- ABC moves St. Louis affiliation on 1 September.
- ABC programmes shift from KDNL to KMOV’s D2 channel.
- KDNL has been ABC’s affiliate since 1995.
Explained simply
Local television stations partner with networks under agreements called affiliations to broadcast the network's programmes and produce local news. Each station holds an exclusive affiliation in its market. ABC has a specific station partner in each major city, including St. Louis.
For the past thirty years, KDNL-TV has been St. Louis's ABC affiliate, meaning it broadcasts ABC's programmes and produces local news. KDNL is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, one of the largest television station owners. When an affiliation changes hands, a different company takes over these responsibilities.
Affiliation shifts happen regularly in the broadcasting industry as networks and large station owners adjust their partnerships. For viewers, this can mean finding network programmes on a different channel, and it changes the company responsible for local news production. These ownership changes affect both how audiences access programming and the resources devoted to local journalism.