1953

• KELO-TV goes on the air as South Dakota’s first television station

1955

• Captain 11, a popular children’s show, hits the air for the first time on KELO-TV. The program goes on to be the longest running show in South Dakota history airing for 41 years.

1960

• KDLT started broadcasting from Mitchell, South Dakota as KORN-TV on channel 5, an NBC affiliate with a secondary ABC affiliation.
• KSOO-TV (now KSFY-TV) signed on as KORN’s regional partner. KSOO-TV served the eastern portion of the market, while KORN-TV served the western portion.

1961

• KUSD-TV went on the air in 1961 as a low-powered station, the first educational television station in the state. It is now the flagship station for South Dakota’s public television network.

1967

• State Legislature provides matching funds for a federal grant which enables a transmitter relocation and a major power increase for KUSD-TV and for the creation of two more stations – KBHE (late 1967) in Rapid City, and KESD (in early 1968), near Brookings.

1969

• The Federal Communications Commission ruled against the combination of KSOO-TV & KORN-TV, suggesting that they operate as competitors in the Sioux Falls-Mitchell market. So on May 12 of that year, Channel 5 affiliated with ABC and moved its tower closer to Sioux Falls, although KCAU-TV in Sioux City was well received in Sioux Falls and identified at that time as Siouxland ABC.

1970

• KTSD-TV is built near Reliance.

1971

• KDSD-TV goes up east of Aberdeen.

1973

• KPSD-TV begins outside of Faith.

1976

• KQSD-TV is erected near Lowry.

1978

• KZSD-TV is built near Martin.