KAKE is an ABC-affiliated television station serving Wichita and a broad central and western Kansas viewing area.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KAKE is a television station based in Wichita, Kansas, and the flagship of the KAKEland Television Network, a regional collection of full-power stations, low-power stations, translators, and a digital replacement translator. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 10 and has maintained an ABC affiliation since it first went on the air in October 1954. Its programming combines ABC network content with locally produced news, weather, sports, public-affairs material, syndicated programming, and programming distributed through its regional relay network. The station was established by KAKE Broadcasting Company, which also owned the local KAKE radio operation. Its original call sign was KAKE-TV; the television suffix was removed in 2010. The call letters are generally pronounced like the word “cake,” while the station’s broader regional identity has increasingly been expressed through the KAKEland name. Since July 2011, the KAKEland branding has emphasized the station’s role as a statewide or regional television service rather than merely a Wichita outlet. KAKE’s network reach expanded gradually. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, ABC programming was also carried in parts of western Kansas through KTVC in Ensign and KAYS-TV in Hays under the Golden K Network identity. Both stations later changed affiliations. KAKE subsequently added KUPK-TV in Garden City in 1964, and its relay footprint expanded further during the 1980s through satellite stations and translators, including KLBY in Colby. The resulting KAKEland service has enabled the station to distribute ABC programming and KAKE-produced content across communities well beyond the Wichita metropolitan area. Ownership changed several times from the late twentieth century onward. Chronicle Publishing Company acquired KAKE in 1979. After Chronicle decided to liquidate its assets in 1999, the station passed through LIN TV and Benedek Broadcasting. Benedek entered Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2002, after which Gray Television acquired most of its stations, including KAKE. Gray later sold KAKE and its associated stations to Lockwood Broadcast Group. Lockwood began operating the stations under a local marketing agreement on January 1, 2016, and completed the acquisition on February 1 of that year. News has been central to KAKE’s identity. The station historically held the top position in the Wichita–Hutchinson market for approximately three decades, although it later generally ranked second. Its local news operation produces extensive weekday and weekend programming. Major newsroom developments have included an early-morning expansion in 2011, the introduction of high-definition newscasts in July 2011, automated news production using Ross OverDrive technology, the restoration of a 4 p.m. newscast in 2013, and the addition of a Sunday morning newscast. In 2020, KAKE also began producing the 9 p.m. newscast for Fox affiliate KSAS-TV. The station has had a notable relationship with the BTK serial-killer case. In 1978, it received a letter from Dennis Rader, who sought a covert communication with law enforcement. KAKE broadcast a subliminal message during an evening newscast in an unsuccessful attempt to encourage his surrender. Rader later sent additional letters to the station in 2004 and 2005 before his arrest and conviction. This episode remains one of the most distinctive incidents in the station’s history. KAKE remains an active local broadcast brand focused on news, weather, severe-weather coverage, regional sports, community information, and ABC programming. Its principal facilities are on West Street in northwestern Wichita, while its main transmitter is in rural northwestern Sedgwick County near Colwich.
History
KAKE began broadcasting on October 19, 1954, as KAKE-TV. It was created by KAKE Broadcasting Company, which also operated a Wichita AM radio station, and it joined ABC at launch. The station’s early regional distribution efforts included relationships with western Kansas stations KTVC in Ensign and KAYS-TV in Hays. These stations carried ABC programming in portions of the region under the Golden K Network name during the late 1950s and early 1960s, but both later moved to CBS. On October 28, 1964, KAKE launched KUPK-TV on channel 13 in Garden City as a satellite serving southwestern Kansas. The station later continued to develop its regional footprint through additional satellites and translators. In 1979, ownership moved to Chronicle Publishing Company, the San Francisco-based publisher whose holdings also included KRON-TV and WOWT. Chronicle expanded the station’s relay structure, including its 1987 purchase of KLBY in Colby and its conversion into a KAKE satellite. Translator channel assignments were also reorganized during the 1980s as the federal television spectrum plan phased out several upper UHF channels. KAKE became involved in one of the most unusual episodes in its history in 1978, when serial killer Dennis Rader, later known as BTK, sent a letter to the station. Rader requested a concealed message to be sent through the media. During an evening newscast, KAKE broadcast a subliminal message intended to persuade him to surrender, but the effort did not succeed. Rader sent further communications to the station in 2004 and 2005. He was arrested and convicted after investigators connected him to the murders. Chronicle Publishing announced in 1999 that it would liquidate its assets. KAKE and its satellites were sold to LIN TV, which soon traded them and WOWT to Benedek Broadcasting in exchange for WWLP in Massachusetts. Benedek’s financial difficulties culminated in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in 2002. Gray Television acquired most of Benedek’s stations, including KAKE and WOWT. During this period, KAKE’s translator network underwent another technical reconfiguration. Several low-power repeaters changed channel assignments in August 2003, allowing continued service under the changing American digital-television spectrum environment. KAKE’s local news operation was historically strong. For roughly 30 years, the station led the Wichita–Hutchinson ratings market, although it generally occupied second place during much of the later period. In January 2011, it extended its weekday morning newscast to begin at 4:30 a.m. In July of the same year, it introduced high-definition local news, new graphics, custom news music, and a logo that highlighted KAKEland. The station also adopted automated production technology. It discontinued a 4 p.m. newscast in September 2011, restored that program in September 2013, and added a one-hour Sunday morning newscast later that month. KAKE ended the political program This Week in Kansas and the legal-advice program Lawyer on the Line in 2018. In September 2015, Gray placed KAKE and its satellites on the market while pursuing the acquisition of Schurz Communications. Gray announced in October that it would sell KAKE to Lockwood Broadcast Group in exchange for WBXX-TV in Knoxville and additional cash consideration. Lockwood took over operations under a local marketing agreement on January 1, 2016, and completed the purchase on February 1. The station continues to operate from studios on West Street in northwestern Wichita, with its main transmitter in rural northwestern Sedgwick County near Colwich. KAKE dropped the “-TV” suffix from its call sign in 2010. Since 2011, its KAKEland identity has represented an expanded regional service consisting of three full-power stations, two low-power stations, two translators, and a digital replacement translator. KAKE distributes ABC network programming and locally produced material through this network across central and western Kansas and selected neighboring counties in Colorado and Oklahoma. In 2019, the station announced that it would produce KSAS-TV’s 9 p.m. newscast beginning in January 2020, further extending its role as a regional news-production provider.
- 2020
KAKE begins producing KSAS-TV’s 9 p.m. news
[1]KAKE takes over production of the Fox affiliate’s prime-time newscast.
- 2016
Lockwood completes the acquisition
[1]Lockwood begins operating the stations under a local marketing agreement on January 1 and completes the purchase on February 1.
- 2015
Gray announces sale to Lockwood
[1]Gray Television announces an agreement to sell KAKE and its satellites to Lockwood Broadcast Group.
- 2011
KAKE introduces HD news and stronger KAKEland branding
[1]The station expands morning news, moves local newscasts to high definition, and refreshes its graphics, music, and logo.
- 2010
The station drops the TV suffix
[1]KAKE-TV becomes KAKE in its call-sign branding.
- 2002
Gray Television acquires KAKE after Benedek bankruptcy
[1]Following Benedek Broadcasting’s Chapter 7 bankruptcy, Gray Television acquires KAKE and other former Benedek stations.
- 1999
KAKE changes ownership through Chronicle liquidation
[1]After Chronicle announces the liquidation of its assets, KAKE is sold to LIN TV and subsequently transferred to Benedek Broadcasting.
- 1987
KLBY becomes a KAKE satellite
[1]Chronicle acquires KLBY in Colby and converts it into a satellite of KAKE.
- 1979
Chronicle Publishing acquires KAKE
[1]Ownership transfers to Chronicle Publishing Company.
- 1978
KAKE receives a BTK communication
[1]The station receives a letter from Dennis Rader and broadcasts a concealed message intended to encourage his surrender.
Products and positioning
A regional ABC television service combining Wichita-based journalism with a broad relay network serving central and western Kansas.
Television news · 1954
KAKE local newscasts
KAKE’s locally produced news operation covers Wichita, central Kansas, and the wider KAKEland viewing area. Its schedule includes weekday morning, daytime, evening, and weekend programming, with reporting on local government, courts, business, education, sports, and community events. Weather and severe-weather reporting are an important part of the service because the station operates in a region exposed to major storms.
Weather service · 1954
KAKE weather
KAKE provides broadcast and digital weather information for Wichita and its regional network. The service includes routine forecasts, radar and storm information, and severe-weather coverage distributed through the station’s television and online platforms.
Regional television network
KAKEland Television Network
KAKEland is the regional relay structure anchored by KAKE. It consists of full-power stations, low-power stations, translators, and a digital replacement translator that distribute ABC programming and KAKE-produced content across central and western Kansas and selected neighboring counties.
Television news production · 2020
KSAS-TV 9 p.m. newscast
Beginning in 2020, KAKE assumed production of the 9 p.m. newscast for Wichita Fox affiliate KSAS-TV. The arrangement expanded KAKE’s role from operating its own newsroom to producing prime-time news content for another local station.
Controversies
1978
BTK communications and subliminal broadcast
KAKE received a letter from Dennis Rader, later identified as the BTK serial killer, requesting a hidden communication with police. The station broadcast a subliminal message during an evening newscast in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade him to surrender. Rader later sent additional letters to KAKE in 2004 and 2005 before his arrest and conviction.
Brand decisions
2020
Produce KSAS-TV prime-time newsProduct launchBackground
KSAS-TV needed a new production arrangement for its 9 p.m. newscast after the previous producer, KSNW, ended its role.
Action taken
KAKE began producing the KSAS-TV 9 p.m. newscast, with Katie Taube identified as its anchor.
Aftermath
The arrangement broadened KAKE’s local news-production activities in the Wichita market.
2015
Gray agrees to sell KAKE to LockwoodM&ABackground
Gray Television was restructuring its portfolio while pursuing the acquisition of Schurz Communications, which included Wichita rival KWCH.
Action taken
Gray announced an agreement to sell KAKE and its associated stations to Lockwood Broadcast Group in exchange for WBXX-TV in Knoxville and additional cash consideration.
Aftermath
Lockwood took over operations in January 2016 and completed the acquisition in February 2016.
Additional cash consideration. 11.2 million US dollars (Announced October 2015)
2011
Adopt KAKEland as a stronger regional identityStrategyBackground
KAKE served a growing network of satellite and translator stations across Kansas, but its branding had traditionally centered on the Wichita station.
Action taken
The station emphasized the KAKEland name in its logo and local-news presentation while expanding its regional identity.
Aftermath
KAKEland became the principal brand associated with the station’s broader relay network.
2011
Move local newscasts to high definitionOtherBackground
Local television stations in the Wichita–Hutchinson market were upgrading their production and presentation systems.
Action taken
KAKE began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition and introduced new graphics, music, and automated production tools.
Aftermath
The station modernized its local-news presentation and aligned its technical operation with contemporary broadcast standards.
Recent events
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