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|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Branding |
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| Programming | |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| KJTB-LD,KJBW-LD | |
| History | |
First air date | July 15, 1963 (61 years ago) (1963-07-15)[3] |
Former channel number(s) |
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| Independent (1963–1965) | |
Call sign meaning | Arkansas Independent Television ("AIT" also sounds like "eight") |
| Technical information[4] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 13988 |
| ERP | 1,000 kW[1] |
| HAAT | 527.4 m (1,730 ft)[1] |
| Transmitter coordinates | 35°53′22″N90°56′8″W / 35.88944°N 90.93556°W /35.88944; -90.93556 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
KAIT (channel 8) is atelevision station inJonesboro, Arkansas, United States, affiliated withABC,NBC, andThe CW Plus. It is owned byGray Media alongsideTelemundo affiliate KJTB-LD (channel 36) and KJBW-LD (channel 35). The three stations share studios on New Haven Church Road (County Road 766) north of Jonesboro; KAIT's transmitter is located inEgypt, Arkansas.
KAIT first signed on July 15, 1963, as anindependent station, a venture ofFort Smith businessman George Hernreich.[3][5] It has been affiliated with ABC since 1965.
Most television markets in the country received at least two VHF commercial channels. However, the Jonesboro market could only receiveone VHF license because it was sandwiched betweenSpringfield (channels3 and10) to the west,Memphis (channels3,5,10, and13) to the east,Cape Girardeau (channels3,6,8, and12) to the north, andLittle Rock (channels2,4,7, and11) to the south. KAIT was fortunate to receive this license, and as a result became the only television station to serve Jonesboro until KTEJ signed on the air in May 1976.
The Hernreich family sold the station to Channel Communications in 1984. That company, in turn, sold KAIT to Cosmos Broadcasting, the broadcasting arm ofSouth Carolina-based insurerLiberty Corporation, in 1986. Liberty exited the insurance business in 2000, bringing the Cosmos stations directly under the Liberty banner. Previous ownerRaycom Media obtained the station in 2005 through its purchase of Liberty.[6]
Before the digital transition, the Little Rock-area VHF stations, including KATV (channel 7) and KARK (channel 4), adequately covered parts of the KAIT viewing area. Severalcable systems in the KAIT viewing area, including Jonesboro andBlytheville, have carried KATV for decades. In compliance withsyndex andmust-carry regulations, some systems mayblack out KATV and KARK when either station airs the same program as KAIT, usually during the daytime and prime time hours, except for breaking news, weather bulletins, and regularly-scheduled newscasts. Other cable systems in parts of the KAIT viewing area that are within the Little Rock television market that also carry KATV, such as inSearcy andHeber Springs, carry both stations without restrictions.[citation needed]
KAIT has been digital-only since June 12, 2009. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition VHF channel 9 to channel 8 for post-transition operations.[7]
On June 25, 2018,Atlanta-basedGray Television announced it had reached an agreement with Raycom to merge their respective broadcasting assets (consisting of Raycom's 63 existing owned-and/or-operated television stations, including KAIT, and Gray's 93 television stations) under the former's corporate umbrella. The cash-and-stock merger transaction valued at $3.6 billion – in which Gray shareholders acquired preferred stock then held by Raycom – resulted in Gray's entry into Arkansas with KAIT.[8][9][10][11] The sale was approved on December 20,[12] and was completed on January 2, 2019.[13][14]
On October 4, 2021, KAIT announced it would upgrade its main transmitter to improve its broadcast signal, forcing many antenna viewers to rescan their channels before November 9 so that they would not lose access to the three subchannels,[15][1][16] and causing KAIT to broadcast over the K24NY-D transmitter for one week.
KAIT-DT2 is theNBC-affiliated second digital subchannel of KAIT.Over the air, KAIT-DT2 broadcasts a720phigh definition signal (downconverted from the native1080i resolution of the NBC network, to preserve bandwidth so that KAIT-DT3 can transmit in 720p HD over-the-air) on channel 8.2; however, a direct-to-cable full 1080i high definition feed of this subchannel is available on select cable providers.[17]
KAIT began carrying NBC programming on its second digital subchannel on January 26, 2015.[18] The subchannel used to broadcast 24/7 weather coverage, and occasionally local sports coverage, starting in 2006.[19]
KAIT-DT3 is theCW-affiliated third digital subchannel of KAIT, broadcasting in 720p high definition on channel 8.3 (hence the on-air brandingKAIT CW 8.3[2]). All programming on KAIT-DT3 is received through The CW's programming feed for smaller media markets,The CW Plus, which provides a set schedule of syndicated programming acquired by The CW for broadcast during time periods outside of the network's regular programming hours; however, Gray Television handles local advertising and promotional services for the subchannel. Upon its inception, KAIT-DT3 had been broadcast in the16:9widescreenstandard definition picture format as, meanwhile, a direct-to-cable 720p high definition feed of this subchannel had been made available on select cable providers;[17] however, ever since an upgrade to KAIT'smultiplexer equipment sometime in October 2019, KAIT-DT3 has been broadcasting in HD over-the-air as well.
The subchannel used to broadcastThe Tube beginning in 2006, until the network’s shutdown on October 1, 2007. The subchannel would not rebroadcast until 11 years later.
On July 25, 2018, KAIT announced it would be bringing The CW programming (via their national CW+ service) into the Jonesboro market through a third subchannel, starting on September 1, 2018;[20][21] CW programming had previously been seen on cable systems under the unofficial call sign "KJOS" (which stood for "K-Jonesboro's WB 21"). "KJOS" seamlessly became associated with the new CW network (branded as "Jonesboro's CW 21"[22]) on September 18, 2006, after the merger of The WB andUPN into that one network.
On September 11, 2020, KAIT-DT3 started broadcastingTegna'sDaily Blast Live at noon.[23]
KAIT presently broadcasts24+1⁄2 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with4+1⁄2 hours each weekday and one hour each on Saturdays and Sundays).
In addition to reporting on local news stories, members of KAIT's reporting staff are also employed as photojournalists for the station. On October 15, 2007, beginning with the 5 p.m. newscast, KAIT's local newscasts were rebranded, replacing the formerK8 News branding withRegion 8 News, a branding the station had used during much of the 1980s. The station's longtime slogan "Good Neighbors You Can Turn To" (also "Your Good Neighbor Station") was also replaced with a new slogan ("Always Tracking. Always Watching. Always On."). On May 1, 2023, beginning with its 5 p.m. newscast, the station switched back to the nameK8 News, also switching to a new slogan ("Live. Local. Now.")
On September 16, 2011, KAIT announced that upgrade its newscasts tohigh definition, and broadcast from a new set; the following night, fellow ABC affiliate KATV in Little Rock started broadcasting its local newscasts in HD. On October 17, 2011, beginning with its 11 a.m. newscast, KAIT became the fourth station in Arkansas (the first in Jonesboro) to broadcast its local newscast in high definition.
Although not owned by the same company, KAIT frequently forms a partnership with the Jonesboro Radio Group for community projects and promotions. The three Jonesboro Radio Group stations involved in the partnership areKEGI (100.5 FM),KDXY (104.9 FM) andKJBX (106.3 FM). An audio simulcast of KAIT's 6 p.m. newscast airs weekday evenings on KJBX.
The station's signal ismultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.1 | 720p | 16:9 | KAITAB | ABC |
| 8.2 | KAITNB | NBC | ||
| 8.3 | KAITCW | The CW Plus |
For many years, KAIT also operated alow-powertranslator station, K11JW, in nearby Blytheville.[26] It is not to be confused with present-day K11JW-D inRussellville, currently serving as a translator forArkansas PBS station KAFT.[27]
KAIT's home market only comprisesCraighead,Clay,Greene,Jackson,Lawrence,Randolph, andSharp counties in Arkansas. With KAIT's 28,200watts worth of effective radiated power, KAIT's signal can extend into nearby portions of all neighboring markets (e.g. the Memphis, Little Rock,Springfield, MO, andCape Girardeau, MO–Paducah, KY markets). Even after the digital transition of 2009, KAIT's over-the-air signal can still be picked up as far south asForrest City, as far north asHendrickson, Missouri, as far west asMountain View and as far east asTiptonville, Tennessee, andCaruthersville, Missouri. Some of the northern suburbs of Memphis can also pick up at least a grade B signal.[28][29]
KAIT was dropped from New Wave Communications in Southeast Missouri, in favor of in-market ABC affiliateWSIL and NBC affiliateWPSD on December 31, 2017.[30]
Media related toKAIT at Wikimedia Commons
