KTVT , channel 11, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas, and serving the Dallas-Fort Worth designated market area. The station is co-owned with independent station KTXA (virtual channel 21), and the two stations share facilities in Dallas and Fort Worth. Prior to joining CBS in 1995, KTVT was the leading independent station in the Dallas-Fort Worth market.
History
Independent station
Channel 11 first went on the air on September 11 , 1955 as KFJZ-TV , the first independent station in Texas. It was founded by the Texas State Network and was a sister station to KFJZ radio (1270 AM), and later (in 1959) KFJZ-FM (97.1 MHz., now KEGL). During the late 1950s, the station was briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network. In 1960, the station's original owners sold channel 11 to NAFI Telecasting Corporation (who also owned Chris-Craft Industries at the time), who changed the call letters to the current KTVT .
The Oklahoma City-based WKY Television System, a subsidiary of Oklahoma Publishing Company, purchased KTVT in 1971. Oklahoma Publishing would later rename its broadcasting arm Gaylord Broadcasting. Under Gaylord's watch, channel 11 (or "The Super Ones", as they were later referred to in continuity) became the leading independent station in the Southwest, carrying a broad range of cartoons, off-network sitcoms and westerns, drama shows, movies, and public affairs programming. KTVT was further aided in its status as it was a VHF station, whereas its future competitors were UHF stations. KTVT's main competitor in the 1970s was KXTX-TV (channel 39), which was owned by the Christian Broadcasting Network and ran a number of religious shows. While the station gained three additional competitors in the 1980s, KTVT was the only independent station that was profitable. It was also the first station in Dallas to offer a primetime newscast, airing at 9:00 p.m.
KTVT's popularity also spread outside of the Metroplex, as it attained superstation status along the lines of Atlanta's WTBS (channel 17, now WPCH), Chicago's WGN-TV (channel 9), and WOR-TV (channel 9) in New York City. KTVT broadcast its signal via satellite to C-band users and to 400 cable systems across the country, mostly in the southwestern United States, from the late 1970s through the early 1990s. This status would later hamper Oklahoma Publishing president Edward L. Gaylord's efforts to purchase a controlling interest in the Texas Rangers baseball team, whose games were carried on KTVT from 1985 (Gaylord purchased a minority share of the team that same year) until 1995.
Channel 11 was also the flagship station of Saturday Night Wrestling , a highly-popular Dallas pro wrestling show, and aired a two-hour Saturday night wrestling program titled Championship Sports .
Transition to CBS
In late 1993 Gaylord announced that KTVT, along with sister stations KHTV (now KIAH, channel 39) in Houston, and KSTW (channel 11) in Tacoma, Washington, would become charter affiliates of the new WB Television Network, which was launched in January 1995. But not long after, longtime CBS affiliate KDFW (channel 4) announced it would be joining the Fox Broadcasting Company, as part of a longterm affiliation deal between Fox and KDFW's new owners, New World Communications. About to find itself without an affiliate in the Metroplex, CBS approached Gaylord, and the two parties came to an agreement -- CBS picked up both KTVT and KSTW as affiliates. Upset by Gaylord's blindsided move, The WB later went to court in an effort to dissolve their arrangement; the WB later signed KXTX-TV as its Metroplex station.
CBS' full schedule of programs moved from KDFW to KTVT on July 1 , 1995, marking one of the largest television station shuffles in United States history (similar to the 2001 Vancouver TV realignment in British Columbia, Canada). On that same day the WB changed stations once again, moving from KXTX to KDAF (channel 33), the former Fox-owned station. Channel 11 had already been carrying some CBS shows for about a year prior to the affiliation switch; it had picked up The Price Is Right and The Bold and the Beautiful when KDFW dropped them in favor of Donahue and an expanded midday newscast.
By the time the station continued its transition from independent to network affiliate, KTVT's superstation status was a thing of the past. It expanded its news department and began acquiring local rights to more first-run syndicated programs. Gaylord sold KTVT to CBS in 1999 and a year later Viacom bought CBS, and Viacom-owned KTXA moved from its studios in Dallas to KTVT's facility in Fort Worth.
On September 24 , 2007 , KTVT began broadcasting their newscasts in high-definition, becoming the third Dallas-Fort Worth television station to do so.
Digital television
On June 12 , 2009 , KTVT moved its digital broadcasts from channel 19 to channel 11. Due to widespread reception problems and a resulting loss of 57 percent of KTVT viewers, the station was granted permission via special temporary authorization by the FCC to move back to channel 19 on July 23 , 2009 . On the same day, sister station KTXA was given permission to move back to channel 18, its transition period channel. KTVT now broadcasts on channel 11 and on channel 19 and both stations use the virtual channel "11.1" causing many digital TV receivers to show channel 11.1 twice when tuning sequentially.
On September 10, 2009, the FCC issued a Report & Order , approving KTVT's move from channel 11 to channel 19. On October 21 , 2009 , they filed an application for a construction permit, stating their channel change. KTVT can then turn off channel 11 and keep channel 19 on permanently.
Programming
Currently, KTVT carries shows such as Inside Edition , Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune , all of which are distributed by corporate cousin CBS Television Distribution.
KTVT is also the 'official station' of the Dallas Cowboys, airing shows involving the team, including the head coach's weekly show, the Dallas Cowboys postgame show and specials, such as the Making of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Calendar and post-season team reviews.
News Operation
KTVT broadcasts a total of 23 hours of local news a week (four hours on weekdays, one hour on Saturdays and two hours on Sundays).
CBS 11 Notable Personalities
Current On-Air Talent
(as of March 2, 2009)
Current Anchors
- Ginger Allen - weekday mornings "CBS 11 News This Morning" (also reporter)
- Karen Borta - weeknights at 5, 6, and 10PM (also reporter)
- Doug Dunbar - weekdays at 4, weeknights at 5, 6, and 10PM (also reporter)
- Nerissa Knight - Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30, and weekends at 10PM (also reporter)
- Tracy Kornet - weekdays at 4PM (also reporter)
- Scott Sams - weekday mornings "CBS 11 News This Morning" (also reporter)
Reporters
- Rance Adams - entertainment reporter/on-air personality
- Katherine Blake - general assignment reporter
- Carol Cavazos - general assignment reporter
- Jack Fink - general assignment reporter
- Teresa Frosini - traffic reporter
- Bud Gillett - senior reporter
- Jay Gormley - general assignment reporter
- Stephanie Lucero - senior reporter
- Marianne Martinez - general assignment reporter
- J.D. Miles - general assignment reporter
- Sandie Newton - entertainment reporter
- Robbie Owens - morning reporter
- Steve Pickett - general assignment reporter
- Joel Thomas - general assignment reporter
The Investigators
- Ginger Allen - investigative reporter
- Bennett Cunningham - consumer investigative reporter
CBS 11 Storm Team
- Larry Mowry (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6, and 10PM
- Mike Burger (AMS Seal of Approval) - Meteorologist; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30, and weekends at 10PM
- Jeff Jamison (AMS Certified, NWA Seal of Approval) - Meteorologist; weekday mornings "CBS 11 News This Morning"
- Garry Seith - Meteorologist; weekdays at 4PM
Sports Team (shared with TXA 21)
- Babe Laufenberg - Sports Director; weekn
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