KTSM-TV

KTSM-TV, virtual 9 and UHF digital channel 16, is an NBC-affiliated television station located in El Paso, Texas, United States. The station is owned by Nexstar Broadcasting Group. KTSM-TV maintains studio facilities located on Oregon Street (near El Paso Community College) in northwest El Paso, and its transmitter is located atop the Franklin Mountains on the El Paso city limits. On cable, the station is available on Time Warner Cable channel 10 and in high definition on digital channel 860.

History

The station first signed on the air on January 4, 1953; KTSM was the second television station to sign on in the El Paso market, behind KROD-TV (channel 4, now KDBC-TV) – which debuted in December 1952. The station's call letters – which stand for KTSM-AM's original owner Tri State Music (the meaning has since changed to "Tri State Media"), which dually references the US states of Texas and New Mexico and the Mexican state of Chihuahua – were taken from its former sister radio stations (1380 AM, now at 690 AM, and 99.9 FM), which are both now owned by Clear Channel Communications. KTSM's broadcast tower at Ranger Peak (located within the Franklin Mountains) claims to be the tallest VHF transmission tower in Texas, standing at 2,000 feet (610 m) above downtown El Paso, and 5,990 feet (1,830 m) above sea level.