KTBS-TV

KTBS-TV is a commercial television station licensed to Shreveport, Louisiana, and identified on air as KTBS 3. It serves the Shreveport–Texarkana market and the broader Ark-La-Tex region as an affiliate of the American Broadcasting Company. The station is owned by KTBS, LLC, an entity associated with the locally based Wray Properties Trust, and operates alongside CW affiliate KPXJ. Unlike most major American network affiliates, which have increasingly been absorbed into large station groups, KTBS-TV has remained locally owned by interests connected to the Wray family. The station originated in a contested effort to obtain the Federal Communications Commission authorization for Shreveport's channel 3 allocation. KTBS Inc., a local group led by members of the Wray family and associated local investors, filed for the construction permit in June 1952. A competing application came from International Broadcasting Corporation, whose interests included Shreveport radio station KWKH and connections to local newspaper ownership. The FCC ultimately favored the KTBS application, citing its local ownership, integrated management, participation in community affairs, and comparatively favorable diversification characteristics. Following additional proceedings and an unsuccessful challenge by the competing applicant, the Wray-led group received authorization to build the station. KTBS-TV began broadcasting on September 3, 1955. It initially operated as a primary NBC affiliate while carrying ABC programming on a secondary basis. The station inherited the KTBS identity from Wray-owned radio operations; the call letters referred to the Tri-State Broadcasting System, reflecting the group's radio presence in Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas. Its original facilities were established on East Kings Highway in Shreveport, a location the station has continued to use. The station's network role changed in 1961. As KCMC-TV, later KTAL-TV, expanded its coverage of the Shreveport–Texarkana area and became the market's NBC outlet, KTBS-TV moved to full-time ABC affiliation on September 3, 1961. It subsequently developed a strong position as an ABC affiliate and became one of the better-known locally owned network stations in the United States. KTBS introduced stereo broadcasting in May 1987, becoming one of the early stations in its market to do so. KTBS-TV's business scope extends beyond carriage of network programming. Its principal activities include local news, weather, sports, community features, public-service programming, syndication, digital distribution, and the production or presentation of programming for sister station KPXJ. The station has also been associated with regional fundraising and public-service initiatives, including the MDA Labor Day Telethon, blood drives, and the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway. The station's news operation is a central part of its identity. In addition to producing extensive local newscasts for KTBS-TV, the operation has supplied news programming for KPXJ and operated a bureau in Texarkana, Arkansas. Its coverage area includes northern Louisiana, southern Arkansas, and portions of East Texas. Severe-weather reporting is particularly important because the station serves a large multi-state viewing region vulnerable to tornadoes and other hazardous weather. KTBS-TV also has a significant relationship with KPXJ. Beginning in 1999, KTBS assumed operating responsibilities for channel 21 under a joint sales agreement. A proposed direct purchase in 2003 was not initially approved under FCC ownership rules, after which an entity connected to the Wray family acquired KPXJ. KTBS later completed a direct acquisition of KPXJ in 2009 after obtaining approval associated with the market's station-ownership rules and a failing-station waiver. The arrangement created the Shreveport–Texarkana market's first legally recognized television duopoly. KTBS-TV and KPXJ now share facilities and complementary programming resources while retaining distinct network affiliations.

KTBS-TV's history is rooted in the postwar expansion of American television and in the Wray family's long-standing broadcasting activities in the Shreveport area. When the FCC prepared to accept applications for new commercial television stations after lifting its moratorium on applications, KTBS Inc. filed for Shreveport's channel 3 allocation in June 1952. International Broadcasting Corporation, associated with KWKH radio and local newspaper interests, submitted a competing proposal shortly afterward. The resulting proceeding examined local ownership, management integration, media concentration, and the relationship between the competing applicant and newspaper properties. In 1955, the FCC selected the KTBS proposal. The agency considered the Wray-led group better qualified in part because it was locally based, integrated ownership with management, and demonstrated participation in community affairs. Challenges from the competing applicant were unsuccessful. The station received the KTBS-TV call letters, extending the KTBS identity already used by Wray-owned radio stations. The letters represented the Tri-State Broadcasting System, a reference to the group's operations across Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas. KTBS-TV signed on September 3, 1955, from studios on East Kings Highway in Shreveport. Its initial role was primarily NBC, reflecting the Wray radio operation's relationship with the NBC Red Network. ABC programs were carried secondarily and shared in part with KSLA-TV. This arrangement changed as the market developed. KCMC-TV, licensed to Texarkana and later renamed KTAL-TV, expanded its service toward Shreveport and secured NBC's primary affiliation. On September 3, 1961, KTBS-TV became the market's full-time ABC affiliate. It has retained that affiliation and built a durable identity around network entertainment, local journalism, weather, and community programming. The station remained under Wray-related local ownership even as consolidation transformed the American television industry. It introduced stereo broadcasting in 1987 and expanded its local production activities over subsequent decades. Its news department competed with KSLA for market leadership during parts of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The station's service area, spanning portions of Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, and surrounding communities, made regional news and severe-weather coverage important parts of its operating model. A major structural development came through the station's relationship with KPXJ. In 1999, KTBS assumed some operating functions for KPXJ under a joint sales agreement with the station's then-owner, Paxson Communications. KTBS also supplied selected local newscasts. A proposed 2003 purchase by KTBS, LLC was rejected because FCC rules restricted common ownership in a market with too few independently owned full-power stations. KPXJ was instead acquired by Minden Television Company, an entity connected to the Wray family, and was subsequently repositioned as a UPN affiliate. KTBS, LLC later sought direct ownership of KPXJ. Its 2008 filing argued that KPXJ was economically weak, citing declining revenue and low ratings, and requested a failing-station waiver. The transaction was completed in August 2009, creating the market's first legal television duopoly. The two stations share studios and production resources while maintaining separate network identities. KTBS's programming history reflects both its ABC role and its regional-service mission. The station has aired religious programming, lottery drawings, local sports features, public-service broadcasts, and charitable events. The First Word, featuring worship services from First Baptist Church of Bossier City, became a long-running Sunday program. KTBS also carried the regional version of the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon for many years and participated in blood drives and the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway. By the late 2010s, KTBS produced one of the market's largest local-news schedules and also generated substantial news output for KPXJ. Its continuing identity is that of a locally rooted ABC station combining network programming with multi-state local journalism.

• 2018

  ABC schedule clearance expanded

  [1]KTBS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KTBS began carrying the complete ABC schedule after adjusting its Sunday evening local-news format.

• 2009

  KPXJ acquisition completed

  [1]KTBS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KTBS, LLC completed the acquisition of KPXJ, establishing a legal local television duopoly.

• 2003

  Proposed KPXJ purchase rejected

  [1]KTBS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC rejected KTBS's proposed direct acquisition of KPXJ because of applicable local television ownership restrictions.

• 1999

  KPXJ operating agreement

  [1]KTBS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KTBS began operating KPXJ under a joint sales agreement and supplied selected local news programming.

• 1987

  Stereo transmission begins

  [1]KTBS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station introduced stereo broadcasting in May.

• 1961

  Full-time ABC affiliation

  [1]KTBS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KTBS-TV became the exclusive full-time ABC affiliate for the Shreveport–Texarkana market.

• 1955

  Station signs on

  [1]KTBS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KTBS-TV began broadcasting on September 3 as a primary NBC affiliate with a secondary ABC affiliation.

• 1952

  Initial channel 3 application

  [1]KTBS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KTBS Inc. filed an application for the construction permit associated with Shreveport's channel 3 television allocation.

A locally owned, full-service ABC affiliate emphasizing regional news, severe-weather coverage, community involvement, and broad Ark-La-Tex service.

• Local television news

  KTBS 3 News

  KTBS-TV's principal local-news franchise covers Shreveport, Bossier City, northwest Louisiana, southern Arkansas, East Texas, and surrounding Ark-La-Tex communities. The operation includes recurring newscasts, breaking-news reports, weather coverage, and regional reporting. KTBS has also produced news programming for sister station KPXJ, allowing the combined operation to distribute local journalism across two stations.

• High-school sports programming

  Friday Football Fever

  A seasonal high-school football highlights program produced by KTBS for broadcast on KPXJ. It packages scores, game footage, interviews, and regional coverage for schools across the station's multi-state viewing area.

• Religious/community programming · 1983

  The First Word

  A long-running Sunday broadcast of worship services from First Baptist Church of Bossier City. The program has been among KTBS's notable recurring Sunday offerings and reflects the station's history of locally oriented community programming.

• Public-service programming · 1993

  Louisiana Lottery drawings

  KTBS carried televised Louisiana Lottery drawings from the lottery's launch in 1993 until 2009, later regaining the rights in 2012. The drawings have been presented on the related KTBS/KPXJ service with replay arrangements on KTBS.

• MDA Labor Day Telethon

  Ark-La-Tex region

  KTBS served for decades as the regional broadcaster for the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Labor Day Telethon and its later MDA Show of Strength format. The station's broadcasts raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the organization and continued through the final telecast period before the telethon was discontinued.

  Outcome. The telethon ended after the MDA discontinued the format; KTBS carried the final network-era broadcasts in 2013 and 2014.

  Source
• KTBS M*A*S*H B*A*S*H Blood Drive

  Shreveport and surrounding communities

  A station-associated blood-donation initiative using KTBS's local media platform to promote blood collection and community participation.

  Outcome. The reference material identifies the drive as one of KTBS's community fundraisers but does not provide a final participation or fundraising total.

  Source
• St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway

  Ark-La-Tex region

  KTBS participated as a television partner in the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway, supporting fundraising for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Its involvement was notable because KTBS was identified as the giveaway's first television broadcast partner in the United States.

  Outcome. The campaign supported St. Jude fundraising; the supplied reference does not state a cumulative result for KTBS's participation.

  Source

• 2018

  Full ABC schedule clearanceStrategy

  Background

  KTBS had preempted ABC's Sunday 5 p.m. newscast for the Sunday edition of ABC World News Tonight since the mid-1990s.

  Action taken

  The station shortened its Sunday 5 p.m. local newscast to a half-hour and began carrying the ABC program in April 2018.

  Aftermath

  KTBS began airing the complete ABC network schedule, subject to occasional preemptions for breaking news, severe weather, or station-produced specials.

  Source

• 2009

  Complete acquisition of KPXJM&A

  Background

  KTBS sought direct ownership of KPXJ after years of operating involvement. The filing characterized KPXJ as financially weak and argued that continued operation required regulatory relief from the market's ownership limitations.

  Action taken

  KTBS, LLC, through the Wray-related ownership structure, completed the purchase of KPXJ after receiving approval associated with a failing-station waiver.

  Aftermath

  The transaction created the first legal television duopoly in the Shreveport–Texarkana market, with KTBS-TV and KPXJ operating as sister stations from shared facilities.

  Source

1. 1KTBS-TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2KTBS official websitektbs.com