KASN is a television station licensed to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, serving the Little Rock market as a CW affiliate.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KASN is a full-power television station licensed to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and serving the Little Rock television market. It broadcasts on virtual channel 38 and is affiliated with The CW. The station is owned by Mission Broadcasting and operates alongside Fox affiliate KLRT-TV under a service and local marketing arrangement with Nexstar Media Group. Nexstar owns several other Little Rock stations, including KARK-TV, KTHV and KARZ-TV, and provides certain operational, sales and management services for KASN and KLRT-TV. The station began broadcasting on June 17, 1986, under the call sign KJTM-TV. Its construction permit originated with Pine Bluff Broadcasting, but that company was unable to secure the financing needed to build the facility. Television Corp. Stations, later known as TVX Broadcast Group, acquired a controlling interest in the permit in 1985 and developed the station as the second independent station in the Little Rock market. KJTM-TV initially operated from facilities serving both Little Rock and Pine Bluff and transmitted from a tower near Redfield in Grant County. KJTM-TV gained an early competitive advantage by becoming the market’s original Fox affiliate when Fox launched its prime-time service in October 1986. The station was sold to MMC Television in 1988 and adopted the KASN call sign, derived from “Arkansas State Network,” later that year. Its Fox affiliation became the focus of a prolonged dispute with KLRT-TV. Fox programming moved to KLRT on a full-time basis in April 1990, leaving KASN without a major network affiliation. MMC subsequently pursued litigation related to the failed transaction and alleged efforts to undermine KASN; the opposing party disputed those claims. During the early 1990s, KASN’s operations became increasingly integrated with KLRT-TV. Clear Channel acquired certain non-license assets in 1991, and KASN entered into arrangements that gave Clear Channel responsibility for advertising, promotion and other station functions. Mercury Broadcasting acquired the station license in 1992, while the relationship with Clear Channel continued through a joint sales agreement and then a local marketing agreement. KASN became a charter affiliate of the United Paramount Network in January 1995. Clear Channel later acquired KASN outright after federal communications rules were changed to permit television duopolies in the same market. The station subsequently became part of Clear Channel’s television portfolio, which was sold to Newport Television in 2007. In January 2006, UPN and The WB announced plans to combine their programming into The CW. KASN was selected as the Little Rock affiliate and joined The CW when the network launched on September 18, 2006. Newport Television sold KASN and KLRT-TV to Nexstar in 2012. Because Nexstar already owned other Little Rock stations, the licenses were transferred to Mission Broadcasting while Nexstar assumed effective operational control through a local marketing agreement. In January 2013, KASN and KLRT moved from the former Clear Channel Metroplex to shared facilities in downtown Little Rock’s Victory Building. The current arrangement places KASN within a consolidated Little Rock television operation while preserving its identity as a CW station. KASN has also undergone major technical changes. It launched a digital signal in 2002, ended analog broadcasting in 2009 and moved its post-auction digital transmission from UHF channel 39 to UHF channel 34 in November 2018. Its transmitter remains near Redfield, approximately two miles west of the community in Grant County.
History
The channel 38 construction permit was granted in 1983 to Pine Bluff Broadcasting, a company formed from the combination of two applicants. The permit holder could not obtain the financing required to construct the station, so it sold an 80 percent interest to Television Corp. Stations in 1985. That company, later renamed TVX Broadcast Group, developed the facility under the KJTM-TV call sign. KJTM-TV went on the air on June 17, 1986, as an independent station. Its Redfield transmitter was intended to serve both Pine Bluff and the wider Little Rock market. Construction was delayed by shortages of tower guy wire and repeated heavy rain, but the station ultimately launched and secured the Fox affiliation when the network began programming in October 1986. It competed directly with KLRT-TV, the market’s other independent station. TVX placed KJTM-TV on the market as it shifted its focus toward larger television markets. A proposed sale to Barden Communications for $6 million collapsed in 1988. TVX then sold the station to MMC Television, also for $6 million. The new owner changed the call sign to KASN in October 1988. The call letters were associated with the phrase “Arkansas State Network.” KASN’s Fox affiliation became unstable during negotiations involving KLRT-TV. In 1989, KLRT management considered acquiring KASN’s Fox affiliation and much of its programming inventory. Fox briefly shifted to KLRT, then returned to KASN under a separate contractual arrangement when the broader transaction did not proceed. On April 28, 1990, Fox moved to KLRT permanently. MMC sued LRCA, the company associated with KLRT, in federal court, alleging conspiracy, trade-secret misappropriation, breach of contract and fraud. LRCA rejected the allegations and argued that MMC had misrepresented its conduct and concealed KASN’s financial problems. Clear Channel acquired KASN’s non-license assets in 1991 and leased them back to the license holder in a transaction intended to resolve the station’s debts. KASN’s operations moved into KLRT’s facilities. Mercury Broadcasting acquired the station in 1992 by assuming approximately $14.3 million in debt. Clear Channel then entered a joint sales agreement with KASN, later converted into a local marketing agreement in 1995. This arrangement gave Clear Channel responsibility for important sales and promotional functions. KASN became a charter UPN affiliate on January 16, 1995. Following changes to federal ownership rules, Clear Channel purchased KASN outright in 1999. The company later consolidated its Little Rock television and radio operations in the Clear Channel Metroplex, which opened in 2001. In 2003, station management challenged Nielsen’s audience measurement methodology, arguing that the Little Rock market’s Black audience had been undersampled. The Media Rating Council agreed that the sample was deficient but did not invalidate the survey. In 2006, UPN and The WB announced their merger into The CW. Clear Channel selected KASN for the new network, and the station became a CW affiliate at the network’s September 18 launch. Clear Channel sold its television portfolio to Newport Television in a transaction announced in 2007 and completed in 2008 after litigation concerning the closing of the deal. Newport’s liquidation led to Nexstar’s acquisition of KASN and KLRT-TV in 2012. Because Nexstar already owned KARK-TV and KARZ-TV in the same market, the KASN and KLRT licenses were resold to Mission Broadcasting. Nexstar nevertheless retained effective operational involvement through a local marketing agreement. In January 2013, the stations moved to the Victory Building in downtown Little Rock. The consolidation was accompanied by staff reductions across the combined operations. KASN launched its digital signal on UHF channel 39 in September 2002. It ended analog broadcasting in February 2009 and retained virtual channel 38. Following the FCC’s spectrum repacking process, the station moved its digital transmission to UHF channel 34 on November 30, 2018. It continues to transmit from the Redfield area and serve the Little Rock–Pine Bluff market as a CW outlet.
- 2018
Digital channel changes to UHF 34
[1]The station completed its frequency-repack move from UHF 39 to UHF 34.
- 2013
Downtown Little Rock consolidation
[1]KASN moved with KLRT-TV into the Victory Building, joining facilities used by Nexstar’s other Little Rock stations.
- 2012
Mission Broadcasting ownership begins
[1]KASN was transferred to Mission Broadcasting as part of the restructuring of Newport Television’s Little Rock assets.
- 2009
Analog transmission ends
[1]The station shut down its analog channel 38 signal and continued as a digital broadcaster using virtual channel 38.
- 2006
The CW affiliation begins
[1]KASN joined The CW at the network’s launch following the planned UPN–WB combination.
- 2002
Digital broadcasting begins
[1]KASN signed on its digital signal on UHF channel 39.
- 1995
UPN affiliation begins
[1]KASN became one of UPN’s charter affiliates.
- 1990
Fox affiliation lost
[1]Fox moved to KLRT-TV on a permanent basis, leaving KASN without a major network affiliation.
- 1988
Station renamed KASN
[1]MMC Television completed its acquisition and changed the call sign from KJTM-TV to KASN.
- 1986
KJTM-TV launches
[1]The station began broadcasting on June 17 as an independent outlet and became a Fox affiliate later in the year.
Products and positioning
A local broadcast outlet positioned as the Little Rock market’s CW affiliate, combining national CW programming with syndicated content and a regional over-the-air television signal.
Broadcast television service · 2006
CW Arkansas
KASN’s principal service is its over-the-air broadcast of The CW network in the Little Rock–Pine Bluff market. The service carries national scripted programming, entertainment series and other CW network content, supplemented by syndicated programming and station promotions. KASN uses virtual channel 38 while transmitting its current digital signal on UHF channel 34 from the Redfield area.
Broadcast infrastructure · 2002
Digital television signal
KASN operates a full-power digital television signal intended to cover the Little Rock–Pine Bluff region. Digital broadcasting began in 2002 on UHF channel 39. After the FCC’s spectrum repacking process, the station moved its physical digital transmission to UHF channel 34 in 2018 while retaining virtual channel 38.
Controversies
1990
Litigation over Fox affiliation and failed asset transaction
After Fox moved permanently from KASN to KLRT-TV, MMC Television sued the company associated with KLRT in federal court. MMC alleged civil conspiracy, misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of contract and fraud, characterizing the failed transaction as an effort to dismantle KASN. The opposing party disputed the allegations and asserted that MMC had misrepresented its conduct and concealed financial difficulties.
Brand decisions
2018
Complete the post-auction frequency repackStrategyBackground
The FCC’s incentive-auction repack required many television stations to move to new digital transmission frequencies.
Action taken
KASN moved its physical digital signal from UHF channel 39 to UHF channel 34 while keeping virtual channel 38.
Aftermath
The station continued digital broadcasting from its Redfield-area transmitter on the reassigned frequency.
2012
Transfer KASN to Mission BroadcastingM&ABackground
Nexstar acquired Newport Television’s Little Rock stations but already owned stations in the market, creating ownership constraints under broadcast regulations.
Action taken
KASN and KLRT-TV were sold to Mission Broadcasting while Nexstar entered an agreement to provide effective operational services through a local marketing arrangement.
Aftermath
The stations became part of a consolidated four-station Little Rock operation and moved into shared downtown facilities in 2013.
2006
Select KASN as a CW affiliateProduct launchBackground
UPN and The WB announced plans to combine their programming into The CW, requiring stations in affected markets to choose a new network affiliation.
Action taken
Clear Channel affiliated KASN with The CW, and the station joined the network when it launched in September 2006.
Aftermath
KASN has continued to operate as a CW affiliate in the Little Rock market.
Sources2 sources
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