Started in 1971 as a simple teaching tool for local broadcast students, then emitting a weak signal from a simple analog transmitter, KSMQ has grown from a basic classroom into a fully digitized, state-of-the-art broadcast station that is a local force for the promotion and preservation of excellent, enriching local and national programming and an important supporter of community initiatives.

1971

KSMQ, Channel 15, airs its first broadcast in December, 1971 as KAVT, a training vehicle for Austin Technical Institute's Radio, Television and Electronics program. It is licensed to Austin Independent School District (ISD) 492, and will remain so for 33 years. Its humble beginnings include one TV studio, one radio classroom and one-and-a-half hours per day of programming. Staff consists of two full-time instructors, an engineer and a part-time office employee. Eighteen broadcast students are trained over a ten-month cycle.

1975

By 1975, staff increases to three engineers, three instructors, one producer and two in a programming department. The station now offers Public Broadcasting Service regional programming and instructional air time. Students-in-training increase to 35.

1981

In 1981, a new facility is built to house a more powerful transmitter reaching over 125,000 households in southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa. Staff now consists of 17 people in three departments: Programming, Engineering and Development.

The station is now on-air seven days a week with extended national programming and more than 125 hours per year produced locally. Instructional service is strengthened to better meet the educational needs of children in kindergarten through eighth grade and the broadcast course is expanded to rotate throughout the year, taking on 12 additional students in January.

KAVT-FM begins broadcasting with an immediate coverage area of 126 square miles.

1983

By the end of 1983, KAVT can broadcast at 1.25 million watts to south central/southeast Minnesota on Channel 15, and at 100 watts to the greater Austin area over stereo FM 91.3. KAVT is carried by more than 10 cable systems in the area with an average of 5,700 hours of programming per year. It provides no-cost instructional television to more than 36,000 children and college credit courses via television to over 100 college students.

The station receives greater viewer and state financial support than ever before in its history. Non-federal state matching funding increases from $20,000 per year in 1980 to $97,000 per year.

1985

KAVT changes its call letters to KSMQ, for "Southern Minnesota Quality" television, also known as Q-TV. It now broadcasts more than 18 hours per day, seven days a week, continuing its special emphasis on instructional services for K—8 educational needs.

2003

Ahead of the curve in 2003, KSMQ begins digital broadcasting on Channel 20 via its new digital transmitter in Grand Meadow, Minnesota, paving the way for High Definition TV, Multicasting and Datacasting.

2004

In 2004, KSMQ's status as a school district licensee ends, and after several months of uncertainty, in May 2005, it becomes the only public media service able to reach the region's 655,000 people. Now the region can proudly claim this cultural asset as its public square for information-sharing, entertainment and other activities that contribute to building healthy communities.

It now broadcasts to 160,000 households (more than 655,000 people) in an 80 mile radius. Local programming produced collaboratively with neighboring cities is the wave of the future for the station.

The station follows the trends of television identification and reconstitutes itself as KSMQ.

2007

A redesigned bold logo helps echo its strength and position in the regional marketplace. Building our tradition, KSMQ launches new programs including Cities on the Move and the Connection series.

2008

KSMQ expands its reach by adding video content on YouTube. The YouTube presence allows a broader audience to view KSMQ's local programming.

2010

In 2010 KSMQ expanded its regional television offerings to include the Legacy Production programs. Legacy programming is a result of funding provided by the amendment to the Minnesota Constitution, Article XI, Section 15, commonly referred to as the Legacy Amendment. KSMQ provides online videos to viewers to watch their favorite programs at anytime, online.