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| Channels | |
| Branding |
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| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| KEYU | |
| History | |
First air date | April 4, 1953 (71 years ago) (1953-04-04) |
Former channel number(s) |
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| ABC (secondary, 1953–1957) | |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 51466 |
| ERP | 62kW |
| HAAT | 466 m (1,529 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 35°17′34″N101°50′44″W / 35.29278°N 101.84556°W /35.29278; -101.84556 |
| Translator(s) | see§ Subchannels |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
KFDA-TV (channel 10) is atelevision station inAmarillo, Texas, United States, affiliated withCBS. It is owned byGray Media alongsideBorger-licensedTelemundo affiliateKEYU (channel 31). The two stations share studios on Broadway Drive (just south of West Cherry Avenue) in northern Amarillo, where KFDA's transmitter is also located.
On July 3, 1952, the Amarillo Broadcasting Company – a consortium led by radio station owners Wendell Mayes, oil, gas and publishing interest holder C. C. Woodson, Charles B. Jordan (vice president and assistant general manager of theTexas State Network), and Gene L. Cagle (Texas State Network president and general manager) – filed an application with theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) to obtain alicense andconstruction permit to operate acommercial television station onVHF channel 10.[2] The FCC awarded the license and permit for channel 10 to the Amarillo Broadcasting Company on October 8, 1952; the group subsequently requested and received approval to assign KFDA-TV as the television station's call letters, using the base callsign that had been used by its existing radio station on KFDA (1440 AM, nowKPUR) since it signed on in March 1939.[3][4]
The station first signed on the air on April 4, 1953; it was the second television station to sign on in the Amarillo market, debuting two weeks afterNBC affiliate KGNC-TV (channel 4, nowKAMR-TV) launched as the market's first television station on March 18. Channel 10 has been an CBS television affiliate since its debut; however, it also initially carried programming fromABC, inheriting those rights through KFDA radio's longtime relationship with the television network's progenitorABC Radio, which had been affiliated with that station since 1943 (as the post-NBC-splitBlue Network).[5][6]
In January 1954, the Texas State Network (TSN) – a broadcasting consortium owned bySid W. Richardson (philanthropist and owner of, among other petroleum firms in the state, Fort Worth-based Sid W. Richardson Inc. and Richardson and Bass Oil Producers), media executive Gene L. Cagle, mineral rights firm owner R. K. Hanger, company president Charles B. Jordan and D. C. Homburg – acquired a 75% controlling stake in KFDA-AM-TV from the original stockholders for $525,000, with Jordan retaining his existing 25% interest.[6][7] KFDA disaffiliated from ABC shortly beforeKVII-TV (channel 7) signed on as an affiliate of that network on December 21, 1957, with the station remaining an exclusive CBS affiliate. In January 1958, Jordan divested his stake in KFDA-TV to TSN/Amarillo Broadcasting in exchange for full ownership of KFDA radio through his firm, the Lone Star Broadcasting Company. Despite this separation of ownership, the KFDA television and radio stations continued to share a base call sign until 1966, when the radio station changed its call letters to KPUR, in order to comply with a since-repealed FCC rule that prohibited separately owned television and radio stations that were based in the same media market from sharing the same call letters.[8][9][10]
In an effort to expand its viewing area, KFDA-TV launched a network of UHF translators to serve areas of the Texas Panhandle that were not covered by its main signal. KFDA's parent companies during the timeframe also acquired two standalone network affiliates during the mid-1960s for conversion intosatellite stations to reach areas where its primary signal was impaired by some of the rugged terrain within the Panhandle. The station was all but unviewable inClovis,Portales and surrounding areas of northeastern New Mexico as well as portions of the far eastern Texas Panhandle. Many viewers in those areas received CBS programming either via KGGM-TV (nowKRQE-TV) inAlbuquerque orKWTV inOklahoma City. On September 11, 1963, the Texas State Network purchased primary CBS and secondary ABC affiliate KICA-TV (channel 12) in Clovis from Marshall Enterprises (owned by John H. Marshall Sr., John H. Marshall Jr., Lena V. Marshall and Carolyn A. Marshall) for $350,000; the sale was approved on January 22, 1964. TSN subsequently changed the Clovis station's call letters to KFDW-TV to match its new parent station.[11][12][13][14]
The owner of KFDA-TV and its satellites changed its name from the Texas State Network to the Bass Broadcasting Company – by then, led by investor/philanthropistPerry R. Bass – in April 1965 (following TSN's sale ofKFJZ-AM-FM in Fort Worth to a company that subsequently took on the Texas State Network name).[15][16][17] The following year, in February 1966, the Bass family acquired a majority stake in the company from the Sid W. Richardson Foundation (a move that followed concerns fromCongress and theTreasury Department regarding nonprofit foundations' business interests) and Gene Cagle (who gave up his interest in Bass in exchange for acquiringKRIO inMcAllen from the company) for nearly $2.3 million.[18] On July 1 of that year, Bass Broadcasting acquired CBS affiliate KSWB (channel 8) inElk City, Oklahoma, from Southwest Broadcasting Company (owned by Lonnie J. Preston and Alice H. Preston) for $275,000, including anon-compete agreement for Southwest Broadcasting worth $50,000. The sale, along with a concurrent renewal request for the KSWB license and proposed upgrades to its transmitter facility, received FCC approval on November 17, 1965. In September 1966, KSWB was converted into a KFDA satellite under the call letters KFDO-TV (which also had itscity of license relocated to the nearby city ofSayre), to relay its programming into portions of western Oklahoma who could not adequately receive CBS programming from KWTV.[19][20][21][22][23]
The Bass family decided to exit broadcasting in the mid-1970s to focus on their oil and gas exploration interests.[24] In October 1975, Bass Broadcasting Co. sold KFDO-TV to Amarillo-based Marsh Media Ltd. – owned by entrepreneur and philanthropistStanley Marsh 3, Tom F. Marsh, Michael C. Marsh and Estelle Marsh Wattlington – for $300,000; Marsh converted KFDO into a satellite station of KVII (under the new callsKVIJ-TV), and along with it, changing the satellite's affiliation from CBS to ABC, serving areas where reception ofKOCO-TV in Oklahoma City was not sufficient. (KVIJ ceased operations on December 2, 1992, citing the fact that the majority of ABC's viewership in west-central Oklahoma came via either reception of KOCO-TV or KSWO-TV in Lawton on local cable providers in that area.)[25][26][27][28]
In May 1976, KFDA-TV was sold to the Panhandle Telecasting Company (originally known as Amarillo Telecasters, and under licensee to Midessa Television Inc.) – a partnership of Ray Herndon, majority owner ofKMID-TV inMidland, and R.H. Drewry, owner ofKSWO-TV inLawton, Oklahoma – for $2.8 million; the sale was received FCC approval 3½ months later on August 20. The sale of KFDA did not include KFDW-TV, which was instead included in a sale of Bass's remaining stations to Mel Wheeler, Inc. a few months later in a $2.2-million deal. (After subsequent sales, KFDW would become KMCC-TV, a satellite ofLubbock ABC affiliateKAMC in 1979, and KVIH-TV, a satellite of KVII, in 1986; KVIH remains a KVII satellite to this day.)[29][30] In October 1983, Drewry (through hisLawton Cablevision Inc. subsidiary) acquired majority control of KFDA for $3 million; the transaction received FCC approval on February 27, 1984.[29][24][31][32]
On July 1, 2008, Drewry Communications Group announced its intention to sell its eleven television stations (as well as sister radio propertyKTXC inLamesa) to the Dallas-based London Broadcasting Company—a company founded by Terry E. London, former CEO ofGaylord Entertainment, the previous year to acquire broadcast properties in small to mid-sized markets within Texas, beginning operations with the February 2008 purchase of CBS affiliateKYTX inTyler—for $115 million. While the deal received approval by the FCC, London Broadcasting filed a notice of non-consummation to the FCC in January 2009, after company management decided to terminate the deal due to market uncertainties resulting from theGreat Recession.[33][34][35][36]
On February 23, 2011, KFDA became the first television station in the Amarillo market (and theWest Texas region as a whole) to carrysyndicated programming and advertisements inserted during local commercial breaks (including station and network promos) inhigh definition. The station upgraded itsmaster control facilities to allow content not directly fed by CBS or produced in-house to be transmitted in HD.[37]
On August 10, 2015,Montgomery, Alabama–basedRaycom Media announced that it would purchase Drewry Communications' eight television and two radio stations (which by then included Amarillo radio station KEYU-FM (102.9, nowKVWE) for $160 million. The sale was completed on December 1; as result of the Raycom purchase, KFDA gained a new sister station in NBC affiliateKCBD in the adjacent Lubbock market (which Raycom has owned since it acquiredGreenville, South Carolina–basedLiberty Corporation's television broadcasting unit in 2006.).[38][39][40][41]
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 KFDA-TV and KEYU as well as Lubbock sister station KCBD, 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 would acquire preferred stock currently held by Raycom – resulted in KFDA/KEYU gaining a newsister station in theOdessa–Midland market as Gray retained ownership of fellow CBS affiliateKOSA-TV in exchange for selling NBC affiliateKWES-TV (which was sold toTegna Inc., along with CBS affiliateWTOL inToledo, Ohio, to comply with FCC ownership rules prohibiting common ownership of two of the four highest-rated stations in a single market).[42][43][44][45] The sale was approved on December 20,[46] and was completed on January 2, 2019.[47][48]
KFDA-TV clears the entire CBS network schedule, though the third hour of the SaturdayCBS Weekend educational block airs beforeCBS Sunday Morning instead due to the station's Saturday morning airing ofYour Home Town View, an hour-longbrokered localreal estate program produced by the station's advertising department in association withKeller Williams Realty Amarillo. The show also airs in several timeslots on KFDA-DT2 throughout the week.
On October 14, 1999, KFDA preempted an episode ofChicago Hope in whichMark Harmon's character Jack McNeil says the word "shit" while amputating a boy's leg and replaced the show with local programming. The station's then-vice president and general manager Mike Lee decided that the station would not air the episode due to the curse word and later apologized to viewers for the network's poor choice, but not for the local decision to preempt.[citation needed]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fwikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion with: further details on the history of KFDA-TV's news operation. You can help byadding to it.(August 2018) |
As of September 2017[update], KFDA-TV currently 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, KFDA-DT2 broadcasts12+1⁄2 hours of locally produced newscasts each week: a morning newscast consisting of a combined second-hour simulcast and half-hour exclusive extension of theNewsChannel 10 Early Show, and a simulcast of the hour-long 6 p.m. newscast carried on the station's main feed. These air only on weekdays. The station may also simulcast long-form severe weather coverage on "NewsChannel 10 Too" in the event that atornado warning is issued for any county within theTexas andOklahoma Panhandles as well asEastern New Mexico.
On February 23, 2011, KFDA became the first television station in the Amarillo market to upgrade production and transmission of its local newscasts to high definition.[37]
Channel 10 served as the Amarillo market's "Love Network" affiliate for theMuscular Dystrophy Association'sJerry LewisMDA Labor Day Telethon for 39 years from 1973 to 2012. Because of the station's commitments to run CBS' entertainment and sports programming, KFDA usually aired the telethon on a three-hour tape delay following its 10 p.m. newscast on the Sunday precedingLabor Day. For the same reason, when the telethon was reduced to a six-hour prime time telecast on the Sunday before Labor Day in September 2011, the broadcast was transferred over to KFDA-DT2 to allow the main feed to fulfill its CBS programming commitments. (The broadcast—by then reduced to a two-hour special—moved to ABC in September 2013, airing thereafter by association on KVII-TV until the final telecast of the retitledMDA Show of Strength in August 2014.[49])
On September 10, 2018, the station began producing a local program calledNewsChannel 10's 2nd Cup, which airs weekdays at 9 a.m.
In 2020, KFDA-DT2 began producing a local morning talk show known asThe Chat, which partnered with radio stationKGNC 710 AM which aired weekdays at 7 a.m., however the program was discontinued in 2024.
The station's digital signal ismultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KFDA | CBS |
| 10.2 | 480i | KZBZ | NewsChannel 10 Too | |
| 10.3 | KEYU | Telemundo (KEYU) | ||
| 10.4 | MeTV | MeTV | ||
| 10.5 | COZI | Cozi TV | ||
| 10.6 | Oxygen | Oxygen |
KFDA began transmitting adigital television signal onUHF channel 39 on September 1, 2002. It became the first television station in Amarillo to begin digital broadcasting operations upon sign-on of the digital channel as well as the first station in the market to simulcast programming content in high definition.[51]
The station shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 10, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United Statestransitioned from analog to digital television under federal mandate.[52][53][54] The station's digital signal moved to its pre-transition VHF channel 10.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(March 2021) |
In addition to maintainingcable carriage within this area, KFDA-TV covers a large portion of the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles, northeasternNew Mexico and far southwesternKansas through a network oftranslators that distribute its programming beyond the 75.2-mile-wide (121.0 km) range corridor of its broadcast signal (all translators transmit on virtual channel 10):
