KEYC News Now

What KEYC News Now does

KEYC News Now is a local broadcast television station serving Mankato, North Mankato, and the surrounding South Central Minnesota and Northwest Iowa markets. Operating under the legal umbrella of its parent Gray Television Inc. (NYSE: GTN) since 2002, the station has been broadcasting since 1960 and currently employs 51-100 people at its studio facility at 1570 Lookout Drive, North Mankato. Its content covers local, state (Minnesota/Iowa), and national news, severe weather, high school and college sports (MSU Mavericks), agriculture, and community lifestyle programming, supported by a dedicated First Alert Weather meteorology team and partnership content from Gray Local Media's national network (InvestigateTV, Local News Live, Circle Country, PowerNation).

The station's product surface is organized around a core linear broadcast supplemented by modular digital offerings: KEYC+ Live (24/7 streaming), 24/7 Weather channel, North Star Sports, Kato Living (lifestyle/community), a video on-demand gallery, and original programming such as Bandwagon. Technology infrastructure spans over-the-air broadcast, cable and satellite carriage (DIRECTV, DISH), NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0), website (keyc.com), and iOS/Android mobile applications, holding an FCC broadcast license for the market. The station is FCC-licensed and subject to standard broadcast regulatory oversight including EEO reporting and public inspection file obligations.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: (1) traditional broadcast advertising sold to local businesses (local commercials, sponsored segments, program sponsorships), (2) digital advertising across keyc.com and mobile apps (display, video pre-roll, sponsored content), and (3) cable/satellite carriage fees paid by pay-TV distributors for retransmission rights. Distribution to viewers is free over-the-air, and advertising pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The station serves local viewers and community members as its primary customer segment, with downstream advertiser customers spanning SMBs and regional businesses in the Mankato market area.

Name

KEYC News Now

Legal name

Gray Television Inc.

Website

https://keyc.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

KEYC News Now is an FCC-licensed local broadcast television station serving Mankato, North Mankato, and South Central Minnesota plus Northwest Iowa, owned by Gray Television Inc. (NYSE: GTN). It delivers local news, weather, and sports via over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite carriage, streaming, and mobile apps, monetized through broadcast and digital advertising plus retransmission fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Weather & Emergency Information Channels (MPABAIAF), News Streaming Platforms (MPACAAAF)

Keywords

• Local broadcast television
• Local news station
• Weather forecasting alerts
• Regional sports coverage
• Community journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Mankato

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Broadcast Advertising: Traditional television advertising including local commercials, sponsored segments, and program sponsorships sold to local businesses and organizations in the Mankato market area.
2. Digital Advertising: Online advertising through keyc.com including display ads, video pre-roll, and sponsored content on the station's website and mobile applications.
3. Cable/Satellite Carriage Fees: Fees paid by cable and satellite providers for distribution of KEYC's programming to subscribers in the broadcast coverage area.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KEYC News Now is a local broadcast television station delivering hyperlocal news, weather, sports, and community content to viewers in Mankato, North Mankato, and the surrounding South Central Minnesota and Northwest Iowa markets. Programming is distributed via over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite carriage, the KEYC+ Live streaming service, and mobile applications, with severe weather alerting via First Alert Weather as a signature offering.

Product overview

KEYC News Now is a local television news station operating as part of Gray Local Media, broadcasting in Mankato, Minnesota. The core offering is the KEYC News Now news service covering local, state, and national news. The platform operates a modular architecture consisting of the main broadcast product supplemented by KEYC+ (livestreaming), First Alert Weather (severe weather alerts), 24/7 Weather (continuous weather channel), Kato Living (lifestyle content), and North Star Sports (sports coverage). Additional offerings include a video gallery, original programming like Bandwagon, and NextGen TV broadcast technology. The station is affiliated with Gray Local Media's national content network including InvestigateTV, Local News Live, Circle Country, and PowerNation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KEYC+: Live streaming service and mobile app offering 24/7 weather and news content
• First Alert Weather
• Kato Morning

Products and services

• KEYC News Now Broadcast

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• TEGNA Inc. Owns dozens of local broadcast stations producing local news and weather, mirroring KEYC's advertising and carriage-fee revenue structure at group scale.
• E.W. Scripps Company: Operates local television stations delivering community news and weather, a broad incumbent with the same core local-broadcast offering as KEYC.
• Nexstar Media Group: The largest owner of local U.S. television stations, operating hundreds of local news affiliates; directly comparable to KEYC's model of local broadcast news, weather, and sports monetized via advertising and retransmission.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Major operator of local TV stations and affiliates across U.S. markets with a similar local-news-plus-retransmission business model comparable to KEYC's Gray-owned station.
• Hearst Television: A large group of local network-affiliated TV stations focused on local news and weather, structurally comparable to KEYC's operation within a national portfolio.
• Allen Media Group (Local Now / Weather Channel): Owns local broadcast stations and weather-focused media assets, overlapping with KEYC's local news and dedicated weather-channel offerings.
• Cox Media Group: Operates local television and radio stations providing news and weather, sharing KEYC's local broadcast and advertising business model.

Regional players

• KTTC (Rochester, MN): A nearby southern Minnesota NBC affiliate serving an adjacent DMA with local news and weather, competing in overlapping regional territory to KEYC's Mankato market.
• KMSP / FOX 9 (Minneapolis): A larger Twin Cities broadcast station whose statewide Minnesota news coverage overlaps with and competes for the same regional audience as KEYC.

Others

• Gray Media (Gray Television): KEYC's parent company and one of the largest U.S. broadcast groups; not a competitor but the controlling operator whose portfolio defines KEYC's peer set.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KEYCNewsNow
• Facebookfacebook.com/keycnewsnow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/keyc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KEYC News Now