Gray Television has transferred its Lincoln, NE, NBC affiliation from newly purchased KHAS in Hastings, NE, to KSNB in Grand Island, NE.
KHAS GM Ulysses Carlini, Jr. said in a statement, “There is no dispute with any cable or satellite provider, who are really great partners with us. Rather, this over-the-air channel change will have minimal impact on viewers directly yet allow us to better serve Central Nebraska going forward.”
KHAS had been the NBC affiliate for Lincoln-Kearney-Hastings market since 1956. It was purchased by Excalibur Broadcasting, a sidecar of Gray, from Hoak Media in November. The station will now go dark.
“The move of KHAS’s programming and great staff to KSNB-TV allows us to serve all of Nebraska in truly unprecedented ways,” said Susan Ramsett, Gray VP and GM.
According to the Lincoln Journal-Star, over the air viewers will see NBC switch from channel 5.1 to 4.1. KSNB’s former lineup of MyTV shows will move to channel 4.2.
The station website tells viewers:
From the viewers’ perspective, this channel change should present minimal if any disruption to those who subscribe to DirecTV, Dish Network and most local cable systems. These providers have been notified of the change, and most indicate they plan to make the necessary technical adjustments without changing their current channel line-ups. Subscribers with questions should contact their local cable or satellite provider. For viewers watching these stations “over the air” via antenna, a re-scan of local signals will be required to continue receiving both channels.