KMSP-TV

KMSP-TV operates as a Fox owned-and-operated television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota. The station serves the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Greater Minnesota, and western Wisconsin under the on-air brand FOX 9. It stands as one of the four legacy VHF stations that have defined the local television landscape since the mid-20th century. The facility maintains its primary studios on Viking Drive in Eden Prairie while transmitting from the KMSP Tower in Shoreview.

The organization functions with a dual purpose within the Upper Midwest media market. It acts as the distribution hub for Fox's prime-time entertainment lineup and major sports programming, including National Football League games and Major League Baseball coverage. These broadcasts resonate deeply in a region with strong fan bases for the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Twins. Simultaneously, the station produces hyper-local news, weather, traffic, and sports content tailored specifically to residents of the Twin Cities and surrounding areas.

Local news remains central to the station's identity. KMSP airs a full slate of morning, evening, and late newscasts designed to compete directly with other major local broadcasters like WCCO, KSTP, and KARE. Its digital operations extend reach through the website fox9.com, a YouTube channel, and active social media accounts. A translator station, K35KI-D in St. James, extends the signal into the Mankato and southern Minnesota markets. [edit]

KMSP-TV serves two primary functions as a network owned-and-operated station. First, it distributes Fox's prime-time entertainment and sports programming, including NFL and Major League Baseball coverage, which resonates strongly in a Vikings- and Twins-oriented market. Second, it produces hyper-local news, weather, traffic, and sports for the Twin Cities, Greater Minnesota, and western Wisconsin. Local news is central to the station's identity, with a full slate of morning, evening, and late newscasts competing against WCCO, KSTP, and KARE. The station's digital operations extend its reach through fox9.com, YouTube, and social media platforms. [edit]

KMSP-TV signed on the air on January 9, 1955, originally launching as a primary affiliate of the American Broadcasting Company. At its inception, the Minneapolis–St. Paul market followed a strict three-network alignment: WCCO carried CBS, KSTP carried NBC, and KMSP carried ABC. Over the following decades, the station's network affiliation shifted multiple times due to realignments in the national television industry. It served as an ABC affiliate before becoming an independent station for a period. The station eventually secured its current status as a Fox affiliate following the formation of the Fox network.

A pivotal moment in its corporate history occurred in the mid-1990s when Fox purchased Chris-Craft Industries' broadcasting unit, which included KMSP. This acquisition made KMSP a Fox owned-and-operated station, a status it has maintained ever since. The call letters KMSP are traditionally associated with the Minneapolis–St. Paul region, derived from the first two letters of each city. The station now shares its physical operations with sister station WFTC, which carries MyNetworkTV and independent programming. [edit]