• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Will any stations sign off at Midnight or overnight tonight?

RFCCRadioAudio

RFCCRadioAudio

The last I checked on OTA stations that still had a sign off message was I think in 2017. Are any stations scheduled to sign off right after the network New Year's specials or during overnight hours? It'd be hilarious to go straight from Happy New Year to "this concludes our broadcast day"...
 
KEYC CBS/FOX Mankato, MN (and their new NBC & CW affiliate KMNF-LD they signed on 12/1) still signs off nightly and has since 1960. Usually around 1:00am CST. They are the only stations in the Mankato DMA.
When it was just CBS & FOX in the market FOX signs off first at 1am then they show weather maps/NOAA WX radio. CBS signs off after Last Man Standing reruns so usually 1:05am. Then the OTA signal is gone. Cable/satellite gets the weather maps overnight. Yes they show the national anthem before signing off.

With KMNF-LD on board now they sign off after Lily Singh (so 1:03ish or so) is done. CW+ usually had paid programs so its just cut with no real "sign off". When KMNF was going to sign on the (at the time..he recently left) engineer said they **thought** about keeping the stations on all the time. But they decided near the official sign on date of KMNF-LD that they would sign off both stations nightly.

Stations sign on at 4:30am during the week and 5:30 on weekends. I live in the market so I can confirm it
 
Last edited:
Do true sign-offs really serve a purpose anymore? With everything on cable is there a reason to sign off. Do stations still turn off transmitters and stop broadcasting a carrier signal?
 
Don CT said:
Do true sign-offs really serve a purpose anymore?
Click to expand...
KEYC did it for so long because before they got purchased by Gray in March, United Communications (they owned KEYC and WWNY Watertown, NY) apparently used some old equipment. When KMNF was going to be a reality I asked if it would be on 24/7 and here is the reason why KEYC signs off nightly
Reasons KEYC-TV nightly signoff was preserved for so long...
1) No automation: Though there has been file-based playout for 13 years, their master control has not had automation until very recently. The operators were literally doing every switch and roll by hand. So, if they'd just punched network and walked away for the night, there'd be nothing to key in legal IDs, etc. etc. etc.

2) No transmitter auto-control logic: KEYC-TV has been using a transmitter remote control from the late '80s. Readings had to be written down by hand, and any parameters which were out of tolerance had to be adjusted manually per station protocols... the master control operators basically followed a flowchart. If no one were there, then no readings would have been taken, and no one to see or deal with any issues that might arise (not legal - and thus they never did).

The addition of KMNF has forced the station to finally spend a buck in this area. The new remote going in brings current technology to both KMNF and KEYC. It logs readings automatically, alerts engineering if parameters pass any pre-set thresholds, and can handle as much "if-then" type logic as I'm interested in programming. Therefore, with such a remote properly configured, it would be legal for the transmitters to run unattended.

3) Need for maintenance window: The UCC Mankato plant was kind of a mess when I arrived in 2015. Having that 1-5am signoff as a maintenance window was a big part of what permitted me to keep the "old junk" running, and to make changes/upgrades/etc without impacting on-air operations.

With much of the "old junk" now gone - and with the morning show causing the building to now be staffed (and equipment therefore active) around the clock anyways - the maintenance window has become both less needed, and less useful. I anticipate KEYC and KMNF both ending up with Sunday 1-4am as their only maintenance window going forward, which is more typical of TV stations today.

But at the end they decided to sign off both stations nightly

With everything on cable is there a reason to sign off.
Click to expand...
I dont get what you mean?

Do stations still turn off transmitters and stop broadcasting a carrier signal?
Click to expand...
KEYC and KMNF still do nightly (as I mentioned). You'll see the weather maps they show (for cable/sat subs as they get a direct feed) then all of a sudden "no signal" on TV and a V52 error on Tivo (which means no signal)

They still sign on with the "welcome to a new day" and info about KEYC.

Here in MN besides KEYC WDSE Duluth (PBS station) signs off at 1am nightly. KQDS (FOX Duluth) and sister station KVRR (Fargo, ND) and its satellite stations use to sign off nightly. Now they just have weather maps on overnight.
 
unclehonkey said:
With KMNF-LD on board now they sign off after Lily Singh (so 1:03ish or so) is done.
Click to expand...

I just find it funny that a new station, signed on last month, is signing off every night like it was 1981. A novelty that I wish other stations would take on in this day and age, but with infomercials making $$$ and syndicated reruns to be aired and cleared, those days are just about over.

The KGWC/KGWR/KGWL CBS cluster still signs off nightly in Wyoming. 2:07AM weeknights, 2:30AM early Sunday morning and get this...midnight on early Monday mornings. KFNE (Fox) also signs off every night.
 
crainbebo said:
I just find it funny that a new station, signed on last month, is signing off every night like it was 1981. A novelty that I wish other stations would take on in this day and age, but with infomercials making $$$ and syndicated reruns to be aired and cleared, those days are just about over.
Click to expand...

KEYC & KMNF-LD are sister stations (and the only stations in the Mankato DMA) so if one signs off why not both? KMNF was actually an old translator of KEYC (on RF38) until the end of 2017 when United Communications couldnt reach an agreement with the owner of the tower. They got a displacement channel (13) and moved it to the KEYC tower, fired it up for 9 days near the end of 2018 to keep the license active, then went silent. They got a new displacement channel of 7 (7 is omni directional, 13 was directional). Once Gray bought United, their goal was to do here in Mankato like they do in other small short markets. Turn the translator into a low powered station and put networks on them. They did it elsewhere. They just did it in Presque Isle, Maine too. They use to be CBS, FOX and CW. Now the low powered station is carrying NBC.

This only affects the OTA viewers (and cable systems that get the signal OTA). Like I say cable and sat subs get weather maps overnight.

KEYC FOX shows an infomercial or two on Saturdays. CBS its been a long time since they have put a infomercial on there. Even when there are no sports on CBS KEYC doesn't show infomercials. They'll show weekend syndicated programming (that in some cases gets bumped from FOX due to sports).
 
Last edited:
Kelly A said:
So, you would stay up late and watch a sign-off to hear the National Anthem? Seriously?
Click to expand...

Since I don't get home from work until Eric Clapton says so (you know...After Midnight) :D with the station signing off at 1:07 its not a big deal. I'm usually up for a while after I get home from work to "wind down" :) Its not like I purposely stay up to watch the anthem. hell thats what Tivo is for ;)

They also play the anthem before each newscast on Memorial Day, July 4th, Labour Day, Veteran's Day and maybe Presidents day (I forget).
 
Last edited:
No one signs off anymore where I live only one that did was WXMI Fox17 I think in the 80's & 90's it was 1AM or 1:30AM then it was 3:30AM until 5AM I believe as I would record a show at 3AM in the early 2000's If I didn't turn it would hear the test pattern. WOTV early Sat & Sun will air the weather maps for 2 hours or 9 minutes do paid programming at 6AM both day. WXSP used the weather maps before Nexstar decided to repeat some shows at 4AM & 5AM and they will put paid programming on the hours they can't fill on the weekends where they will air Pawn Stars at 5AM, 6AM & 7AM inbetween put paid programming on and tonight it will go Forensic Files at 2AM & 3AM then paid programming. Fox17 will air paid programming early Sun from 2AM to 4AM and an hour early Mon 2AM to 3AM as Tribune didn't fill anything once Persons Of Interest left Syndie in Sep.
 
I'm still perplexed why anyone would actually be enthused by any station signing off. Must just be a trip down memory lane back to the 'good ol' days.

One of my former business partners actually sold the sign off as a sponsored event: The spot copy/sign-off went something like this: "The upcoming peace and quiet on this station is brought to you by the King Coil Mattress Company in ________________, Washington." "King Coil hopes you get a good night of rest, especially if you're sleeping on one of our mattresses."
 
Happened to be looking at some old Saturday TV listings in th Star Tribune out of Minneapolis and in the 1989's at some point WCCO,KMSP, ANS WTCN(KARE) today all signed off on Friday and Saturday nights at around 2-3 AM and came back on the air at 6AM. They were on the air longer during the week.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.
Back
Top Bottom