KFDX-TV

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KFDX-TV
Wichita Falls, Texas/Lawton, Oklahoma
Branding	KFDX 3/KFDX 3 News
Slogan	The Spirit of Texoma
Channels	3 (VHF) analog, 28 (UHF) digital
Affiliations	NBC
Owner	Nexstar Broadcasting
Founded	April 12, 1953
Website	www.kfdx.com

KFDX or KFDX 3 is the NBC affiliate located in Wichita Falls, Texas but also serves Lawton, Oklahoma. Its transmitter is located at the studio in Wichita Falls.

In addition to over-the-air reception on analog channel 3 and on digital channel 28, KFDX is also carried by more than 60 cable TV systems in Texas and Oklahoma and UHF translators at Quanah, Texas and Altus, Oklahoma.

Contents 1 History 2 Newscasts and local programming 3 Personalities 3.1 Current On-Air Talent 3.2 Former On-Air Talent 4 News/Station Presentation 4.1 Newscast Titles 4.2 Station Slogans 5 External links

[edit] History

KFDX-TV Channel 3 went on the air on April 12, 1953 as the third television station to serve the North Texas/Southern Oklahoma region. The station was originally owned by Wichitex Radio and Television under the direction of Darrell Cannan and Howard Fry, which also owned KFDX Radio, an AM station with a frequency of 990 that went on the air in 1947. In 1955, Wichitex sold the radio station to Sydney Grayson, who renamed it KSYD and the following year also purchased cross-town CBS affiliate KWFT-TV, Channel 6, and renamed it KSYD-TV (KAUZ-TV since 1963). In 1964, the former KFDX/KSYD 990 radio station was sold by Grayson and renamed KNIN, a callsign also used in recent years for a local FM station at the frequency of 92.9.

For many years the late Warren Silver, who originally joined KFDX when it signed on 1953, served as the station's chief weathercaster and announcer. Silver became the station's general manager from 1971 to 1988. After his retirement, Silver continued as a contributor to the station until his death in 2001 with weekly reports on senior citizens' issues during Newscenter 3's 6 p.m. broadcast entitled The Silver Report.

Another longtime KFDX weathercaster who appeared on Channel 3's 10 p.m. newscast from 1954 to 1971 was dubbed "Tom Crane the Weathervane." Crane was later the vice-president of a Wichita Falls bank and now operates local advertising agency Crane & Company.

Current KFDX Chief Meteorologist Skip McBride, a retired airman who has worked at KFDX since 1983, is the area's longest running weathercaster in local television still on the air today.

The late Don Alexander, leader of rock-and-roll band "Alexander & the Greats", and composer of the 1964 hit single "Hot Dang Mustang," came to KFDX in the late 1950s. For several years he hosted an afternoon children's program, "Stage Coach Three." Alexander later served as anchorman and occasional news director at KFDX from 1964 to 1980.

Nat Fleming, a local country and western band leader, hosted his own afternoon variety program "The Nat Fleming Show" on Channel 3 from its inception in 1953 until the early 1960s. Fleming was also the longtime owner of a Wichita Falls western wear store, The Cow Lot, which closed its doors in 2006. In his TV ads Fleming was most popular for the tagline "You Can Tell By Looking if It Came From The Cow Lot."

[edit] Newscasts and local programming

The long-running agriculture/public affairs program RFD-3 airs at 5:30am weekdays and 6:30 am Saturdays, and has been a staple of area television for decades. It is hosted by Joe Brown, the station's farm director and also farm editor of the Wichita Falls Times Record News.

News programming on weekdays includes KFDX 3 News Today at 6 a.m., KFDX 3 News at Noon at 12 p.m., KFDX 3 News at 5 at 5 p.m., KFDX 3 News at 6 at 6 p.m. and KFDX 3 News at 10 at 10 p.m. On weekends, KFDX 3 News is broadcast at 6 p.m. Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday and 10 p.m. both nights.

[edit] Personalities

[edit] Current On-Air Talent

KFDX 3 NEWS ANCHORS

• Joe Brown, "RFD-3" Anchor
• Gwyn Bevel, Weekday Morning, Noon Anchor
• Doug Bilyeu, Weekday Evening Anchor
• Mechell Dixon, Weekend Anchor/Reporter
• Emily Luxen, Weekday Evening Anchor

KFDX 3 NEWS REPORTERS

• Courtney Collins, General Assignment Reporter
• Ben Coker, General Assignment Reporter
• Darrell Franklin, General Assignment Reporter
• Lauren Lea, General Assignment Reporter
• Ashlea Sigman, General Assignment Reporter
• Victor Nguyen, General Assignment Reporter
• Tricia Barba, General Assignment Reporter

KFDX 3 METEOROLOGISTS

• Skip McBride (AMS Certified), Chief Meteorologist
• Matt Mahler, Weekday Morning Meteorologist
• David Morris, Weekend Meteorologist

SPORTS ANCHORS/REPORTERS

• Tobin McDuff, Sports Director/"KFDX 3 Sports Sunday" Host/Reporter
• Ricardo LeCompte, Weekend Sportscaster

[edit] Former On-Air Talent

• Warren Silver, chief meteorologist/staff announcer (1953-1971); general manager (1971-1988); feature reporter (1998-2001; deceased)
• Nat Fleming, host of The Nat Fleming Show 1953-early 1960s

• Don Alexander, anchorman/news director (1964-1980)
• Bill Warren, news anchor (1968-92)
• Cindy Bradford, news anchor (1979-90)
• Lynn Marshall, news director/anchor/reporter and staff announcer (1980-96)
• Gerry May, reporter/anchor (1986-89)
• Tres Hood, news reporter and sports anchor (1987-89, deceased)

• Tom Crane, 10PM weathercaster (1954-1971)
• Ben Strickland, weathercaster and sports anchor (1957-79)
• Danny Wright, weathercaster and staff announcer (1974-91)
• Mark Fox, staff meteorologist (1990-1993 and 1995-1998)
• Dan Dickens, staff meteorlogist

• Steve Holland, sports anchor (1968-76)
• Dick Pryor, sports director (1979-82)
• Andy Austin, sports director (1986-90)
• Bill Martin, sports director (1990-1996)

• Ken Hughes, news director/reporter (1967-82)
• Dale Terry, reporter (1957-70)
• Don Teague, news reporter

[edit] News/Station Presentation

[edit] Newscast Titles

• TV-3 News or TV-III News (1964-1976)
• News III (1976-1977)
• Newscenter 3 (1977-2006)
• KFDX 3 News (2006-present)

[edit] Station Slogans

• The Spirit of Texoma (1990s-present)

[edit] External links

• KFDX's Homepage
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KFDX