KSMO-TV

KSMO-TV is a broadcast television station serving the Kansas City, Missouri–Kansas metropolitan area on virtual and digital channel 62. The station is based in the Kansas City market and shares studio facilities on Shawnee Mission Parkway in Fairway, Kansas, with KCTV, the market's CBS affiliate. Its transmitter is located in Independence, Missouri. KSMO-TV operates as an independent station while carrying a secondary affiliation with MyNetworkTV, and its schedule combines syndicated entertainment, movies, sports, children's programming, locally produced material, and programming supplied by KCTV. The station began broadcasting on December 7, 1983, under the call sign KEKR-TV. Its origins lay in efforts during the late 1970s and early 1980s to use Kansas City's channel 62 allocation for subscription television. As cable television expanded and the subscription-TV business weakened, the proposed format was abandoned. Media Central of Chattanooga, Tennessee, became the principal investor and launched the station as a general-entertainment independent. Early performance was poor. The station had limited audience recognition, a weak technical operation, modest programming resources, and a reputation for management and scheduling practices that were more suitable to smaller markets. The station changed its call sign to KZKC in 1985. The first years under that identity were marked by financial strain and programming controversy. Media Central entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in 1987, while KZKC attracted national attention after airing the film Private Lessons in prime time. The Federal Communications Commission found the broadcast indecent or obscene under the standards then being applied and imposed a $2,000 fine in 1988. The penalty was later rescinded after legal developments concerning the FCC's safe-harbor rules. The episode became one of the most prominent controversies in the history of the station and of Media Central's group of independent stations. KZKC was ultimately transferred through the bankruptcy process to First American National Bank of Nashville. Act III Broadcasting managed the station during the transition, and ABRY Communications acquired it in 1990. ABRY undertook a broad reconstruction of the business, including new facilities, a stronger transmission operation, a revised program schedule, an on-air redesign, and a more aggressive promotional strategy. In April 1991, the station adopted the KSMO-TV call sign, reflecting the Kansas and Missouri market it served. The relaunch also emphasized audience participation, local identity, sports, and children's programming. The ABRY period transformed the station's market position. KSMO-TV developed a strong sports profile through rights to college basketball, Kansas City Blades hockey, and Kansas City Royals baseball. It also became an important destination for children's programming after the Fox affiliation moved from KSHB-TV to WDAF-TV in 1994 and Fox Kids programming shifted to channel 62. Between 1990 and 1995, the station's viewership reportedly tripled and its advertising revenue quadrupled. KSMO-TV joined UPN when that network launched in January 1995, later moved to The WB in 1998 after a dispute involving Sinclair Broadcast Group and UPN, and became a MyNetworkTV affiliate in 2006 after UPN and The WB were replaced by the new CW and MyNetworkTV services. Sinclair exercised an option to acquire KSMO-TV in 1995. Sinclair later sold the station to Meredith Corporation, which already owned KCTV, in a transaction completed in 2005 after Meredith had assumed operating control. The shared ownership enabled closer coordination between KSMO-TV and KCTV, including KCTV-produced newscasts and other local programming on channel 62. Gray Media acquired Meredith in 2021, bringing KSMO-TV into Gray's national television-station portfolio. Also in 2021, the station converted to ATSC 3.0, or NextGen TV, transmission. KSMO-TV remains an active local broadcast brand focused on general entertainment, network programming, sports and complementary local content for the Kansas City market.

Channel 62 in Kansas City was pursued by several applicants beginning in the late 1960s, but serious development accelerated in the late 1970s when unused UHF allocations were being considered for subscription television. SelecTV of Kansas City received a construction permit in 1981 after reaching an agreement with another applicant. The permittee later became Choice Channel of Kansas City, and Media Central acquired a controlling interest in 1983. As the subscription-TV model deteriorated, the proposed format was abandoned in favor of conventional independent broadcasting. KEKR-TV signed on December 7, 1983. Its early schedule relied mainly on reruns, movies, selected first-run programs and college basketball. Technical shortcomings and weak programming limited its reach. The station attracted only a small share of the market in its first year and struggled to establish a recognizable identity. It changed its call sign to KZKC in 1985, but the rebranding did not immediately solve its performance problems. A lawsuit from KCTV over the similarity of the KZKC-TV designation resulted in the station using KZKC without the suffix. The station's early history was also shaped by Media Central's financial problems. The company and most of its stations entered Chapter 11 reorganization in 1987. KZKC became particularly visible during an FCC investigation into its 1987 prime-time broadcast of Private Lessons, a film containing sexual material and frontal nudity. In 1988, the FCC imposed a $2,000 fine, described at the time as an unprecedented punishment for a television station's broadcast of obscene programming. The commission later rescinded the fine after a court decision invalidated changes to the rules governing indecent material during protected broadcast hours. Media Central's bankruptcy process delayed the station's sale. In 1990, First American National Bank received the KZKC license and contracted Act III Broadcasting to manage the operation. First American soon arranged a sale to ABRY Communications. ABRY promised major investment in the transmitter, studios, programming and presentation. The resulting overhaul included a new antenna, larger studios, a revised schedule and a market-wide campaign designed to involve viewers in programming choices. In April 1991, the station changed its call sign to KSMO-TV. The new identity used references to Kansas and Missouri and accompanied a broader effort to create a credible, locally relevant independent station. KSMO-TV emphasized sports and children's content. It acquired college basketball rights involving Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and UMKC, carried Kansas City Blades hockey, and became a significant broadcaster of Kansas City Royals baseball. The station also benefited from the movement of Fox programming to WDAF-TV in 1994; Fox Kids content moved to KSMO-TV, strengthening its position among younger viewers and families. The station's network affiliations changed as the television industry consolidated. Sinclair exercised an option to purchase KSMO-TV in 1995, and the station joined UPN that year. It left UPN in 1998 and became The WB affiliate in Kansas City. Sinclair later sold the station to Meredith, which already owned KCTV, in 2005. Meredith's operation linked KSMO-TV more closely with KCTV through shared facilities, newscasts and local programming. When UPN and The WB were replaced by new network structures in 2006, KSMO-TV joined MyNetworkTV and continued as an independent-style station outside its network programming blocks. Gray Media acquired Meredith in 2021. KSMO-TV consequently became part of Gray's station group and continued to operate alongside KCTV. That year it also adopted ATSC 3.0 transmission, marking a technical transition toward NextGen TV distribution. The station remains active as a Kansas City broadcast outlet with an entertainment-led schedule, MyNetworkTV programming, sports and local content.

• 2021

  Gray ownership and ATSC 3.0 conversion

  [1]KSMO-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Gray Media acquires Meredith, and KSMO-TV converts its transmission service to ATSC 3.0.

• 2006

  MyNetworkTV affiliation begins

  [1]KSMO-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KSMO-TV affiliates with MyNetworkTV after the restructuring of UPN and The WB.

• 2005

  Meredith ownership begins

  [1]KSMO-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Meredith acquires KSMO-TV and operates it alongside KCTV.

• 1998

  The WB affiliation begins

  [1]KSMO-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KSMO-TV replaces UPN with The WB as its network affiliation.

• 1995

  UPN affiliation begins

  [1]KSMO-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KSMO-TV joins UPN when the network launches.

• 1993

  Royals broadcasts expand

  [1]KSMO-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KSMO-TV begins carrying a substantial package of Kansas City Royals baseball games.

• 1991

  KSMO-TV relaunch

  [1]KSMO-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station changes its call sign to KSMO-TV and introduces new facilities, programming, branding and transmission infrastructure.

• 1990

  ABRY acquires the station

  [1]KSMO-TVen.wikipedia.org

  After the bankruptcy process, ABRY Communications acquires KZKC and begins planning a major operational rebuild.

• 1987

  Media Central enters bankruptcy reorganization

  [1]KSMO-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Media Central and most of its stations seek Chapter 11 protection amid substantial debt and operating difficulties.

• 1985

  Call sign changes to KZKC

  [1]KSMO-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station adopts the KZKC call sign during an early effort to improve its market identity.

• 1983

  KEKR-TV launches

  [1]KSMO-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Channel 62 begins broadcasting on December 7 as KEKR-TV, a general-entertainment independent station.

• 1981

  Construction permit granted

  [1]KSMO-TVen.wikipedia.org

  A construction permit for Kansas City's channel 62 is granted after an agreement involving the competing applicants.

A Kansas City independent television station positioned as a complementary local outlet to KCTV, with a broad entertainment schedule and a historic emphasis on sports, children's programming, syndicated content and network programming.

• Broadcast television station · 1983

  KSMO-TV Channel 62

  The station's primary local broadcast service for the Kansas City metropolitan area. It distributes entertainment, syndicated series, movies, sports, children's content, local programming and network programming through over-the-air and related television platforms.

• Television network affiliation · 2006

  MyNetworkTV programming

  KSMO-TV carries MyNetworkTV programming as a secondary affiliation within a broader independent-station schedule.

• Digital television transmission · 2021

  ATSC 3.0 / NextGen TV service

  The station's next-generation digital transmission service, introduced in 2021 as part of its transition to ATSC 3.0 broadcasting.

• 1988

  FCC indecency case involving Private Lessons

  The FCC investigated KZKC after it aired the film Private Lessons in prime time despite the film's sexual content and frontal nudity. The commission imposed a $2,000 fine in 1988, but later rescinded it after a court decision affected the applicable safe-harbor rules.

  Source

Read more

• 1991Your Vote Counts

  Kansas City metropolitan area

  ABRY used a viewer-participation promotion in which audiences voted on programming choices. The campaign supported the station's relaunch, new identity and effort to establish stronger local recognition.

  Outcome. The campaign accompanied the KSMO-TV rebrand and broader programming overhaul.

  Source

• 2021

  Conversion to ATSC 3.0Generation change

  Background

  Broadcasters began adopting ATSC 3.0 as a next-generation digital television standard.

  Action taken

  KSMO-TV converted its broadcast transmission to ATSC 3.0, also known as NextGen TV.

  Aftermath

  The station became part of the emerging NextGen TV infrastructure in the Kansas City market.

  Source

• 2006

  Adoption of MyNetworkTV affiliationStrategy

  Background

  The launch of the CW and MyNetworkTV followed the shutdown and realignment of UPN and The WB.

  Action taken

  KSMO-TV selected MyNetworkTV while retaining an independent-style schedule of syndicated and local programming.

  Aftermath

  The station continued operating as a complementary outlet to KCTV.

  Source

• 1998

  Move from UPN to The WBOther

  Background

  A corporate dispute between Sinclair Broadcast Group and UPN affected the station's network relationship.

  Action taken

  KSMO-TV dropped UPN and became the Kansas City affiliate of The WB.

  Aftermath

  The WB affiliation continued until the network realignment that produced MyNetworkTV and the CW in 2006.

  Source

• 1995

  Move to UPNOther

  Background

  UPN launched as a new national television network seeking local affiliates.

  Action taken

  KSMO-TV affiliated with UPN and added its programming to the station schedule.

  Aftermath

  The station later changed affiliations as network ownership and affiliation arrangements evolved.

  Source

• 1991

  Repositioning as a sports and children's stationStrategy

  Background

  ABRY inherited a station with weak audience recognition, technical shortcomings and an undistinguished programming reputation.

  Action taken

  The company invested in facilities, transmission equipment, branding and programming, while emphasizing college sports, professional sports and children's programming.

  Aftermath

  The station developed a stronger Kansas City identity and recorded substantial audience and advertising growth during the first half of the 1990s.

  Source

1. 1KSMO-TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2KCTV5 My KSMO-TVkctv5.com