KMCI-TV
| ATSC 3.0 station | |
|---|---|
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| City | Lawrence, Kansas |
| Channels | |
| Branding | The Spot — Kansas City 38 |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| KSHB-TV | |
| History | |
First air date | February 1, 1988 |
Former call signs | KMCI (1988–2010) |
Former channel numbers |
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Call sign meaning | MCI = Kansas City's IATA airport code |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 42636 |
| ERP | 1,000 kW |
| HAAT | 306 m (1,004 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 38°58′42″N 94°32′1.8″W / 38.97833°N 94.533833°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
KMCI-TV (channel 38), branded The Spot – Kansas City 38, is an independent television station licensed to Lawrence, Kansas, United States, serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside NBC affiliate KSHB-TV (channel 41). The two stations share studios on Oak Street in Kansas City, Missouri; KMCI-TV's transmitter is located at the Blue River Greenway in the city's Hillcrest section.
Channel 38 went on the air on February 1, 1988, broadcasting the Home Shopping Network (HSN) from a tower near Lawrence and owned by Miller Broadcasting. After a change in HSN's format to over-the-air stations, the Millers successfully sued HSN for breach of contract and won. They signed a local marketing agreement with Scripps in 1996 to provide channel 38's programming; the station was relaunched with a family-oriented general-entertainment independent station format known as 38 Family Greats, utilizing programming in KSHB's inventory that had been discontinued when the station became an NBC affiliate. Scripps acquired the license outright in 2000 after the legalization of duopolies and renamed the station 38 The Spot in 2003, when it moved its transmitter to Kansas City. It offers morning and noon newscasts from KSHB-TV as well as local sports events. KMCI-TV is one of two ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) stations in the Kansas City market.