History of KCTV in Timeline

KCTV is a CBS-affiliated television station located in Kansas City, Missouri. Owned by Gray Media, it operates alongside KSMO-TV, a MyNetworkTV affiliate. The stations share studio facilities in Fairway, Kansas, while KCTV's broadcast tower is situated in the Union Hill area of Kansas City, Missouri. As a local news provider and CBS affiliate, KCTV delivers news and entertainment programming to the Kansas City metropolitan area.

January 26, 1948: KCMO Broadcasting Corporation applies for TV station permit

On January 26, 1948, the KCMO Broadcasting Corporation, owner of Kansas City radio station KCMO, applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a permit to build a new television station on channel 5.

January 1953: New England Broadcasting application dismissed

In January 1953, the FCC dismissed New England Broadcasting's application for channel 5.

June 3, 1953: FCC Grants Construction Permit

On June 3, 1953, the FCC granted KCMO the construction permit for channel 5.

June 1953: KCKN Withdraws Application

At the start of June 1953, KCKN withdrew its application for channel 5.

September 27, 1953: KCMO-TV Begins Broadcasting

On September 27, 1953, KCMO-TV began broadcasting as the television adjunct of KCMO radio and was the fourth television channel to air in Kansas City.

February 1954: DuMont programs move to KCMO-TV

In February 1954, DuMont programs moved to KCMO-TV after the network bought and shut down KCTY.

January 1955: Meredith Reaches Affiliation Deal with CBS

In January 1955, Meredith reached a group affiliation deal with CBS covering its radio and television properties outside Phoenix.

September 28, 1955: KCMO-TV Joins CBS

On September 28, 1955, KCMO-TV joined CBS, and KMBC-TV joined ABC.

February 1956: Tower Replaced

After a year of construction, in February 1956, the original KCMO-FM tower was replaced by the present tower on the site. It measured 1,042 feet, and the station began broadcasting at the maximum effective radiated power of 100,000 watts.

February 1956: KCTV Begins Broadcasting From New Tower

Since February 1956, KCTV has been broadcast from a 1,042-foot (318 m) transmission tower located at its now-former studios at 31st and Grand streets in the Union Hill neighborhood, south of downtown Kansas City. This replaced a shorter tower at the same site.

1973: Tower Lights Go Dark During Energy Crisis

In 1973, the KCTV tower lights went dark for a year during the energy crisis to conserve electricity.

1978: KCMO-TV Wins Peabody Award

In 1978, KCMO-TV won a Peabody Award for the documentary "Where Have All The Flood Cars Gone?", reported by John Ferrugia.

March 1983: Texas KCTV becomes KLST

In March 1983, to allow KCMO-TV to take the KCTV callsign, the KCTV in Texas became KLST.

June 6, 1983: KCMO-TV Becomes KCTV

On June 6, 1983, KCMO-TV officially changed its call sign to KCTV, launching a promotional campaign among advertisers and the public.

1989: Tower Lights Flash Weather Forecasts

Beginning in 1989, the lights on the KCTV tower flashed in upward- or downward-moving patterns to suggest the day's weather forecast.

December 2001: Expansion of Weekday Morning Newscast

In December 2001, KCTV expanded its weekday morning newscast to 4:30 a.m.

2001: Employees Take Voluntary Retirement Packages

In 2001, veterans Stan Cramer, Anschutz, and others were among 170 company employees to take voluntary retirement packages.

March 4, 2002: Debut of Late-Afternoon Newscast

On March 4, 2002, KCTV debuted a late-afternoon newscast at 4:30 p.m.

April 2002: Regent Ducas Hired as News Director

In April 2002, Regent Ducas was hired as KCTV's news director.

October 15, 2002: KCTV Signs On Digital Signal

On October 15, 2002, KCTV signed on its digital signal.

2002: Veteran Reporters Depart

In 2002, several veteran reporters, including Reed Black and Geri Gosa, departed from KCTV.

May 2003: Aggressive Severe Weather Coverage

After a severe weather outbreak in May 2003, KCTV became aggressive in preempting regular programming for severe weather coverage, which sparked the ire of some viewers.

November 2003: KCTV Begins Broadcasting Network Programming in High Definition

In November 2003, KCTV began broadcasting network programming in high definition.

November 17, 2003: KCTV Shuts Down Sports Department

On November 17, 2003, KCTV announced that it would shut down its in-house sports department and outsource sports production to Metro Sports.

2003: KCTV Becomes Preseason TV Home of Kansas City Chiefs

From 2003 through 2019, KCTV was the preseason television home of Kansas City Chiefs football and associated coaches shows.

February 9, 2004: KCTV Terminates Sports Anchors

On February 9, 2004, KCTV terminated sports anchors William Jackson and Leif Lisec and sports reporter Neal Jones after sports production was transferred to Metro Sports.

2004: Controversies Surrounding Investigative Reports

In 2004, KCTV faced controversies due to investigative reports conducted in partnership with Perverted Justice, similar to NBC's "To Catch a Predator," leading to legal issues and defamation complaints. The Columbia Journalism Review also criticized reporter Dave Helling for misrepresenting facts in a report about illegal fertilizer sales.

2004: Russell Kinsaul's Contract Not Renewed

In 2004, anchor Russell Kinsaul had his contract not renewed, and he was subsequently hired at KMOV in St. Louis.

October 2005: Debut of KCTV 5 News at 9:00

In October 2005, KCTV 5 News at 9:00 debuted on KSMO-TV, promising a similar experience to the 10 p.m. newscast on KCTV.

2005: Tower Lights Go Dark Due to Burned Out Bulbs

The KCTV tower lights went dark beginning in 2005, when they were turned off because most of the 1,360 light bulbs had burned out.

2007: Lawsuit Alleging Age Discrimination

In 2007, a longtime newscast director sued Meredith, charging systematic harassment and dismissal of older employees, leading to a monetary settlement.

June 12, 2009: KCTV Ends Analog Broadcasts

On June 12, 2009, KCTV ended analog broadcasts on VHF channel 5 as part of the federal mandate for full-power television stations in the United States to transition from analog to digital broadcasts. The digital signal continued to broadcast on its pre-transition UHF channel 24, using virtual channel 5.

2009: Kirk Black Promoted, Brian Totsch Takes Over

In 2009, Kirk Black left KCTV after being promoted to run WGCL-TV in Atlanta, and Brian Totsch succeeded him, moving to tone down the station's style.

2009: End of Metro Sports Agreement

In 2009, the Metro Sports arrangement ended and was supplanted by a deal with Kansas City sports radio station WHB.

2010: Launch of Morning and Noon Newscasts

By 2010, KCTV was also airing a 7 a.m. morning newscast and simulcasting a noon newscast, also aired on KCTV.

2010: KCTV Reestablishes Sports Department

In 2010, KCTV reestablished a sports department by hiring Michael Coleman as sports director.

2011: Ratings Fall

By 2011, KCTV's ratings had fallen, placing the station in third place.

2012: Debut of Better Kansas City

In 2012, KCTV debuted the talk and lifestyle program Better Kansas City, which aired weekday mornings at 9 a.m. and was produced independently from the station's news department. The program was formatted after the national Meredith-distributed lifestyle program Better.

2013: Strong Performance Outside of News

In 2013, KCTV achieved strong total-day ratings, especially in prime time, despite not winning any of the local news races.

2014: Experiment with 6:30 p.m. Newscast

In 2014, KCTV experimented with a 6:30 p.m. newscast on KSMO, but this newscast had been canceled by 2018.

2015: Karen Fuller Dismissed and Files Lawsuit

In 2015, news anchor Karen Fuller was abruptly let go and subsequently sued Meredith, alleging age discrimination specific to female anchors.

June 1, 2017: KBJO-LD Becomes CBS Affiliate

On June 1, 2017, KBJO-LD switched its primary affiliation from Telemundo to CBS, becoming a CBS affiliate in St. Joseph, Missouri, where KCTV was the CBS affiliate of record since 1967.

2017: Michael Coleman Departs

In 2017, Michael Coleman left his position as sports director at KCTV.

2018: Shift to 7 p.m. News on KSMO

By 2018, channel 62, KSMO, shifted to airing news in the 7 p.m. hour, after cancelling the 6:30 pm newscast that had started in 2014.

2018: Settlement in Karen Fuller Lawsuit

In 2018, Meredith and Karen Fuller reached a settlement in her age discrimination lawsuit before it was to go to trial in Kansas City, Kansas.

September 21, 2019: Chiefs Announce New Broadcast Partners

On September 21, 2019, the Kansas City Chiefs announced that KSHB-TV and KMCI-TV would become their official broadcast partners, replacing KCTV after 17 years.

May 3, 2021: Gray Television Announces Intent to Purchase Meredith Local Media

On May 3, 2021, Gray Television announced its intent to purchase the Meredith Local Media division, including KCTV and KSMO-TV, for $2.7 billion.

August 2021: KSMO-TV Begins Broadcasting ATSC 3.0 Signal

In August 2021, KSMO-TV, a sister station to KCTV, began broadcasting an ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) signal, making it one of Kansas City's two ATSC 3.0 stations.

September 18, 2025: New LED Lighting Installation Activated

On September 18, 2025, a new permanent lighting installation featuring 96 LED fixtures capable of dynamic displays and color-changing effects was activated on the KCTV tower.

2025: Simulcast of Kansas City Royals Games

In 2025, sister station KSMO-TV, along with other Gray-owned stations in the Kansas City Royals TV territory, will broadcast 10 Sunday games simulcast with FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City, with KCTV to air at least six of the contests.