KYTX

KYTX

Nacogdoches/Tyler/Longview/Jacksonville, Texas
Branding KYTX CBS 19 in HD (general)
KYTX CBS 19 News in HD (newscasts)
Slogan Your Local News Leader
Channels Digital: 18 (UHF)
Virtual: 19 (PSIP)
Affiliations CBS
Me-TV (DT2)[1]
Azteca América (DT3)
Owner London Broadcasting Company (US)
(KYTX License Company, LLC)
First air date September 1, 1991
Call letters' meaning TYler, TeXas
or
EYE of East TeXas
Sister station(s) KCEB
Former callsigns KLSB-TV (1991-2004)
Former channel number(s) Analog:
19 (UHF, 1991-2009)
Former affiliations NBC (1991-2004; as satellite of KETK-TV)
UPN (DT2, Jan-Sept 2006)
Transmitter power 640 kW
Height 457 meters (1,499 ft)
Facility ID 55644
Website www.cbs19.tv

KYTX, virtual channel 19, is a television station based in Tyler, Texas, licensed to Nacogdoches. It operates on digital UHF 18. The CBS affiliate, owned by London Broadcasting Company, serves a swath of East Texas, including Tyler, Jacksonville, Lufkin and Nacogdoches. It is the sister station of CW affiliate, KCEB. It was the first East Texas station to broadcast programming, and most recently, local news in high-definition. KYTX's main offices and studio are located on Tyler's southeast side, inside a former four-screen movie theater.

Contents

History

KLSB began broadcasting in 1991 as a low-powered NBC affiliate. It was the satellite station for Tyler/Longview's NBC affiliate, KETK. Max Media (a company partially related to Max Media Properties, a one-time owner of KETK) purchased the station in 2003, relocating its offices to Tyler, signed an affiliation agreement with CBS, and applied for the new call letters. On April 12, 2004, KYTX signed on from the KLSB tower and the following day was officially granted the KYTX call sign by the FCC. The station began broadcasting from its new tower south of New Summerfield on June 13, 2004.

The move returned over-the-air CBS programming to East Texas for the first time since 1991, when Longview's KLMG-TV switched to Fox as KFXK, and only the third CBS affiliate (KTVE (channel 32) was the first in 1953 until its demise in 1955) to call Longview home. For the 13 years prior, cable systems in the area piped in either KTVT in Dallas or KSLA in Shreveport, Louisiana with most cable systems in East Texas still piping the latter.

KLSB moved to a low-powered transmitter broadcasting on channel 53 (now KETK-LP) which, technically, made KYTX a new station. For its first few months, KYTX simulcast KTVT's evening news while building its own local news department.

On October 18, 2007 the Longview News-Journal and the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported that the station had been sold for $25 million to Terry London and Sun TX Capital Partners through London Broadcasting Company, Inc. Terry London is a former CEO of Gaylord Entertainment Company. KYTX-TV CBS 19 and MYTX-18 became the platform properties for London Broadcasting Company. The stations were previously owned by Max Media of Texas LLC. [2][3]

During the week of April 17, 2010, a new station logo (see above, top right) began appearing during KYTX's newscasts, as well as on KYTX's website.

Digital television

Channel Video Aspect Programming
19.1 1080i 16:9 KYTX-DT - CBS-HD DD5.1
19.2 480i 4:3 MYTX Me-TV [4]
19.3 Azteca América

In 2004, KYTX was the first station in the Tyler-Longview market to transmit with a full power digital signal, and the first to offer HD programming. KYTX-DT went on the air in HD on UHF channel 18 (19.1) on June 12, 2004 from the new tower in Ponta, Texas. On January 1, 2006, sub-channel 19.2 was added, and UPN programming was moved from KCEB to the new UPN18. 19.2 currently airs independent MYTX.

In 2009, KYTX added Azteca América programming to channel 18.3 / 19.3, becoming the first Spanish-language television channel for the East Texas market. [5]

Despite the extension of the DTV transition deadline, KYTX joined hundreds of other stations across the country in shutting down its analog station on the original deadline of February 17, 2009. Stations nationwide stated that they had targeted this date for over two years and that broadcasting both their digital and analog signals for four extra months would cost them too much money. At 11:59 p.m. on February 17, KYTX ended its analog signal and began nightlight service on analog channel 19, advising viewers that it has ceased its analog service and advising viewers of their options.

KLTV, KETK, and KFXK did not start full power digital broadcasting until 2006. CW affiliate KCEB channel 54 did not start digital broadcasting until the June 12, 2009 transition date (that station is currently the only major network-affiliated station to transmit its main signal in 4:3 standard definition because The CW Plus does not broadcast in either widescreen or high definition).

My Texas TV

On January 1, 2006, KYTX assumed the UPN affiliation from KCEB and began carrying the UPN network signal for the Tyler/Longview market as a subchannel on channel 18.2 / 19.2 of its DTV signal.

After UPN and The WB announced their merger in January 2006, KCEB was awarded affiliation for the new CW network.

In September 2006, UPN 18 became "MYTX: My Texas TV", not to be confused with MyNetworkTV. This station launched as being an independent station for Sports, Comedy, and Entertainment. The schedule currently consists of simulcasts of its newscasts, along with the CBS programs The Price Is Right and The Young and the Restless. In addition, the reruns carried prior to the switch have been shuffled around on the schedule. The subchannel had programming added from the Retro Television Network (RTV), which was dropped on September 19, 2011 in favor of programming from Me-TV.

Anchorwoman reality show

KYTX pitched a new reality show, Anchorwoman: The TV Show, with a former international model coming to town to anchor the news in the Spring of 2007. Billboards posted in the East Texas community caused quite a controversy. The boards showed Lauren Jones in a provocative pose and two words, "She's coming" written on them. Many news outlets including Fox News and Good Morning America did stories on the filming of the reality show.

The comedy show wrapped up filming in late June 2007. During taping, KYTX removed the CBS eye from its logo and all instances of CBS identification from its signage and equipment, as the program aired on a competing network, Fox. The CBS eye returned to the logo after taping was wrapped.

The first two episodes aired back-to-back on August 22, 2007 on Fox. The network canceled the show the next day after the debut airing garnered a disappointing 2.0 household rating (1.0 in the 18 to 49 year old demographic). In the market, KYTX's competitor, KFXK, aired the program as scheduled on Fox. However, it did not sell any local ad time, opting to use this time to promote the newscasts on KFXK's sister station, KETK-TV (channel 56), as at the time, KFXK had no newscast of its own.

News operation

KYTX currently broadcasts a total of hours of local newscasts each week (with three hours on weekdays, a half-hour on Saturdays and one hour on Sundays); unlike most CBS affiliates, KYTX does not currently run a midday newscast or early evening newscasts on weekends.

On September 12, 2004, KYTX launched its news operation, originally titled CBS 19 Eyewitness News. The station started with an hour-long 6 a.m. newscast, and half-hour newscasts at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on weekdays, and a half-hour newscast at 10 p.m. on weekends; the "'Eye @ 5'" 5 p.m. newscast was added in 2005. KYTX later launched a 6:30 p.m. newscast: CBS 19 Eyewitness News: Longview/Kilgore Edition; the newscast is similar to a previously attempted Longview-centered newscast on KFXK Fox 51.

In 2007, the 5 p.m. newscast was reformatted as "'Primetime at 5'". The 10 p.m. newscast was renamed "'Ten @ 10'" in January 2008, focusing on faster delivery of news and weather in the first 10 minutes. In 2008, "'CBS 19 Sunday Morning'" was added to the line-up.

In 2009, KYTX renamed all newscasts, dropping the Eyewitness News brand in favor of KYTX CBS 19 News, closer matching its competitors, KLTV (channel 7) and KETK (channel 56). On April 23, 2009, KYTX-TV CBS 19 became the first station in the market to broadcast its local newscasts in high definition, beginning with CBS 19 News This Morning. [6]

Stormy, the Weather Dog

Stormy, a dog adopted from the Humane Society of Smith County in late 2005, served as the station's de facto mascot, "assisting" former Chief Meteorologist Doc Deason with his weekday weather forecasts. The idea was inspired by a similar mascot at Houston station KPRC-TV. Viewers named the dog in a poll, and Stormy made his first appearance on November 3, 2005. Sales of "Stormy's Dog-gone Goodwill Dog Cookies" featuring the dog benefit area humane societies and Goodwill Industries chapters. Stormy no longer appears on the newscast.

News/station presentation

Newscast titles

  • Eye @ 5 (2004-2007; 5 p.m. newscast)
  • Primetime at 5 (2007-2010; 5 p.m. newscast)
  • Ten @ 10 (2008-present; 10 p.m. newscast)

Station slogans

News team

Current on-air staff (as of July 2011)[7]

Anchors

Weather team

Sports team

Reporters

CBS19.tv

Former on-air staff

References

External links