History of KETV in Timeline

KETV is an ABC-affiliated television station located in Omaha, Nebraska. Owned by Hearst Television, its studios are situated in the historic Burlington Station on 10th Street, known as 7 Burlington Station. The station's transmitter is located in north-central Omaha near North 72nd Street and Crown Point Avenue.

September 17, 1957: KETV Signs On Air

On September 17, 1957, KETV first signed on the air as Omaha's third television station, becoming an ABC affiliate. It branded itself as "Omaha World-Herald Television", associating with the Omaha World-Herald newspaper.

1976: Kiewit Sells KETV to Pulitzer Broadcasting

In 1976, Peter Kiewit sold KETV to Pulitzer Broadcasting Company due to a change in FCC regulations barring common ownership of newspapers and TV stations in the same market.

1982: Charlie Martin becomes one of The Weather Channel's first on-camera meteorologists

In 1982, then-KETV chief meteorologist, Charlie Martin took a job at The Weather Channel to become one of the cable channel's first on-camera meteorologists. Martin, who worked at KETV from the late 1970s through the early 1980s, was known on TWC as Charlie Levy.

1982: KETV Introduces Crimestoppers Segments

Since 1982, KETV has been known for its weekly Crimestoppers segments, which have contributed to the arrest and conviction of more than 1,000 wanted felons.

1984: KETV Introduces Current Logo

In 1984, KETV introduced its current Circle 7 logo, which is a variation of the widely used Circle 7 logo.

1992: KETV Aired Far and Away

In 1992, KETV aired the movie Far and Away.

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October 1996: KETV Begins Televising Newscasts From "The Newsplex"

In October 1996, KETV began televising all of its local newscasts from a "working newsroom" set known as "The Newsplex", a multimillion-dollar broadcast facility.

1998: Pulitzer Sells Broadcasting Division to Hearst-Argyle

In 1998, Pulitzer sold its entire broadcasting division, including KETV, to Hearst-Argyle Television.

2000: KETV Logo Update

In 2000, KETV's Circle 7 logo received a slight update.

2000: NewsWatch 7 Title Revised to KETV NewsWatch 7

In 2000, under its current ownership, the NewsWatch 7 title was revised to KETV NewsWatch 7.

July 4, 2003: KETV Transmitter Tower Collapses

On July 4, 2003, KETV's transmitter tower collapsed during the addition of a digital television antenna, knocking the station off the air. The station broadcast from an auxiliary tower for over a year.

2004: KETV Preempts Saving Private Ryan Special

In late 2004, KETV was among the ABC stations that preempted the special showing of Saving Private Ryan due to concerns about FCC fines related to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy. KETV aired the movie Far and Away instead.

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2004: New Transmitter Tower Erected

In late 2004, a new transmitter tower for KETV was erected near the site of the former tower, which had collapsed the previous year.

2005: KETV tape-delayed Kim Possible and Power Rangers SPD

During the 2005-06 season, KETV tape-delayed Kim Possible and Power Rangers SPD for broadcast on early Monday mornings before World News Now, due to lack of E/I content.

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February 2006: KETV Reformats Investigative Unit as "I-Team"

In February 2006, KETV reformatted its investigative unit as the NewsWatch 7 "I-Team", to bring more attention to in depth investigative stories, along with health and consumer reporting.

July 2006: KETV Launches "Weather Now" Digital Subchannel

In July 2006, KETV launched digital subchannel 7.2 as a 24-hour local weather channel called "Weather Now", an affiliate of The Local AccuWeather Channel.

November 2006: KETV Overtakes WOWT as Top-Rated News Station

In November 2006, KETV overtook long-time ratings leader WOWT to become the top-rated news station in the Omaha market.

2007: KETV Builds High Resolution Weather Radar

In 2007, KETV built the high resolution Next Generation Super Doppler 7 weather radar near the station's transmitter site.

June 12, 2009: KETV Ends Analog Programming

On June 12, 2009, KETV ended regular programming on its analog signal as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television. The station's digital signal remained on UHF channel 20, using virtual channel 7.

February 1, 2010: KETV Broadcasts Newscasts in Widescreen Standard Definition

On February 1, 2010, KETV began broadcasting its local newscasts in 16:9 widescreen standard definition, including updated graphics.

August 28, 2010: KETV Drops ABC Kids Broadcasts of Power Rangers Series

On August 28, 2010, KETV preempted ABC Kids broadcasts of the Power Rangers series, due to lack of E/I content. This was common with Hearst's other ABC stations.

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September 1, 2011: KETV Replaces "Weather Now" with MeTV

On September 1, 2011, KETV replaced its "Weather Now" digital subchannel with the classic television network MeTV.

July 9, 2012: KETV Taken Off Time Warner Cable in Lincoln

On July 9, 2012, a conflict between Hearst Television and Time Warner Cable resulted in KETV being removed from the provider's systems in the Lincoln market.

July 19, 2012: Hearst and Time Warner Cable Reach Carriage Deal

On July 19, 2012, KETV was restored to Time Warner Cable's systems in the Lincoln market after Hearst and Time Warner Cable reached a carriage deal, ending the blackout.

June 5, 2013: Hearst Television Purchases Burlington Station

On June 5, 2013, Hearst Television announced the purchase of the historic Burlington Station to be adaptively reused into a broadcasting and web media facility for KETV.

October 2015: KETV Upgrades to HD Operations

In late October 2015, KETV upgraded to full high definition operations at the new Burlington Station facilities.

October 28, 2015: KETV News Operation Moves to Burlington Station

On October 28, 2015, KETV's news operation moved into the renovated Burlington Station in downtown Omaha, with the first broadcast airing at 5 p.m. that night.

May 2016: Demolition of Original KETV Building

In May 2016, the original KETV building on 27th & Douglas Streets in downtown Omaha was demolished. The Douglas Street radar tower and dome, which had been unused for several years, were also removed.

June 14, 2018: KETV Dropped from Spectrum's Channel Lineup

On June 14, 2018, KETV was dropped from Spectrum's channel lineup in Lincoln.

September 2021: GetTV added on KETV 7.5

In September 2021, GetTV was added on KETV 7.5.

September 5, 2022: KETV Debuts 4 p.m. Newscast

On September 5, 2022, KETV debuted an hour-long 4 p.m. newscast, which replaced The Ellen DeGeneres Show and competes with WOWT's newscast in the same timeslot.

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