WKYT-TV

Last updated

WKYT-TV
WKYT logo 2024.svg
Channels
Branding
  • WKYT
  • The CW Lexington (on DT2)
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WYMT-TV
History
First air date
September 30, 1957
(67 years ago) (1957-09-30)
Former call signs
  • WKXP-TV (1957–1958)
  • WKYT (1958–1961)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 27 (UHF, 1957–2009)
  • Digital: 13 (VHF, 2002–2010), 36 (UHF, 2010–2019)
  • Independent (1957–1958)
  • CBS (primary 1958–1961, secondary 1961−1968)
  • ABC (1961–1968)
  • UPN (DT2, 2004–2006)
Call sign meaning
Kentucky Television
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 24914
ERP 900 kW
HAAT 296.2 m (972 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 38°2′23″N84°24′10″W / 38.03972°N 84.40278°W / 38.03972; -84.40278
Links
Public license information
Website www.wkyt.com

WKYT-TV (channel 27) is a television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW. The station is owned by Gray Television, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Winchester Road (US 60) near I-75 on the east side of Lexington. In addition to WKYT-TV, Gray owns WYMT-TV (channel 57) in Hazard, Kentucky, a separate CBS affiliate serving eastern Kentucky with its own syndicated programming inventory and local newscasts.

Contents

While the authorization to build channel 27 in Lexington was given in 1953, the original owner, radio station WLAP, opted to hold off on construction for economic reasons. When WLAP was sold in 1956, the construction permit was sold with it, and the new owners signed the station on as WKXP-TV in 1957. Originally an independent station dependent on films for much of its programming, the station affiliated with CBS in 1958 before being sold to what became Taft Broadcasting and becoming WKYT. Taft switched all of its stations to ABC affiliation in 1961, but after Taft shed WKYT-TV to Kentucky Central Life Insurance Company in 1967 and the station returned to CBS, the station eventually became a dominant force in Lexington television. In 1985, WYMT-TV was built as a complement to WKYT-TV.

Financial troubles at Kentucky Central led to its takeover by the state of Kentucky in 1993, and Kentucky Central's highly performing broadcasting properties were placed on the market. Out of nine bidders, Gray Communications Systems—today's Gray Television—narrowly won the bidding for the WKYT–WYMT pair. The station has faced renewed competition for news viewership in the market since the 2000s.

History

WLAP's UHF U-turn

The American Broadcasting Corporation (no relationship to the American Broadcasting Company, ABC), owner of Lexington radio station WLAP, applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in June 1952 for a new television station on the newly available ultra high frequency (UHF) channel 27 in Lexington. [2] [3] A second application was filed for the channel by the West–Bingham Television Company, whose principals had no radio or television experience but owned a series of local businesses. [4] [5] As a result, both of the allotted UHF television channels for Lexington each had two competing applications, which could have delayed the arrival of television to the city. [5]

The picture changed in 1953—not because of FCC action but because the owners of West–Bingham Television Company were exiting one of their local ventures. They had proposed to locate the station at the Ranch Motel on Winchester Road, but it was announced in June 1953 that they were selling the motel to a Florida couple. It was indicated that the completion of this sale would come alongside the withdrawal of their permit application. [6] The West–Bingham application was dismissed in November, [7] and the permit was granted on December 3, [3] with WLAP officials claiming they would be on the air with Lexington's first TV station within six months. [8] Within days, grading began of a site at the intersection of the Northern Belt and Liberty Road. [9]

However, on February 19, 1954, WLAP announced it had put a halt to its television construction efforts. That day, in a full-page advertisement entitled "So The People May Know", the American Broadcasting Corporation laid out its reasons to suspend construction. The issues mostly concerned UHF. The firm believed that a UHF television station would have trouble reaching the promised service area, and it cited the difficulties of UHF television operations that had surrendered construction permits or left the air, making particular mention of the difficulties of KCTY in Kansas City and WROV-TV in Roanoke, Virginia. [10] Their announcement came the same day that WVLK abandoned their application for channel 18 for similar reasons, leaving WLEX unopposed in its bid to start WLEX-TV on channel 18. [11]

At this time, even with the fine cooperation and wishful thinking of the many interested parties, we believe an acceptable AREA-WIDE UHF television service from Lexington would be an economic imposition on everyone concerned.

— American Broadcasting Corporation [10]

WKXP-TV: Construction

Two years later, the sale of WLAP to Community Broadcasting Company—one of the largest sales in Kentucky broadcasting history to that time—included the unused WLAP-TV construction permit. [12] [13] The new owners of WLAP announced they would build out the unused construction permit by September 1 and changed the call sign to WKXP-TV. [3] [14] Program tests began September 23, with commercial operation beginning on September 30. [15] The station would not have any network affiliation at launch and was heavily dependent on a Warner Bros. film package to fill out its broadcast day. [16] [17] : 259  Studios were in a Quonset hut on New Circle Road NE. [17] : 250 

Only months after signing on, however, Community Broadcasting Company explored a sale. On February 8, 1958, it was reported that a deal to sell the station to WVLK for $275,000 and rename it WVLK-TV was imminent; WLAP and WVLK would also swap studio facilities in the move. [18] However, within two weeks, and after WVLK had offered to buy the radio and television stations instead of just WKXP-TV, talks broke down and were suspended. [19]

Meanwhile, separate out-of-state buyers expressed interest in WLAP and WKXP-TV. [20] Radio Cincinnati, Inc., a company of Hulbert Taft which owned WKRC radio and television in Cincinnati, negotiated to purchase the TV station, [21] bringing WKXP-TV into a fold that included radio and television operations in Ohio, Tennessee, and Alabama. [22] Sales for WLAP and WKXP-TV were formally announced on March 17; [23] Taft announced plans to broadcast some of WKRC-TV's programs over WKXP-TV. [24] Meanwhile, Community secured CBS affiliation for WKXP-TV, giving it its first network hookup after six months on the air. [25] The new owners initially announced that the call letters would be changed to WTAF. [26]

The Taft years

The FCC authorized the sale to the Taft group on May 14, 1958, and on June 2, the call letters were changed to WKYT. [3] [lower-alpha 1] [lower-alpha 2] The new ownership continued operating WKYT as a CBS affiliate [28] and began an expansion of the station's studios. [29] The various Taft broadcasting properties were consolidated under a new company, Taft Broadcasting, in 1959. [30]

In 1961, WKYT-TV switched network affiliations from CBS to ABC as part of a group affiliation agreement that also saw WKRC-TV and WBRC-TV in Birmingham, Alabama, convert to ABC; Taft cited good relations with the network at its existing ABC affiliate, WTVN-TV in Columbus, Ohio. [31] Among the station's programs was a Saturday dance show hosted by Nick Clooney, brother of singer Rosemary Clooney and father of actor George Clooney; Nick Clooney also did weekend news anchoring work, leading to a lengthy career as a news anchor across the United States. [17] : 260 

Kentucky Central ownership

Kentucky Central Television, a subsidiary of the Kentucky Central Life Insurance Company, reached an agreement to acquire WKYT-TV in 1967 for $2.5 million. The deal was noteworthy because Kentucky Central had a pending application for what would have been Lexington's third station on channel 62, but it faced competition from another local group known as WBLG-TV Inc.; the purchase cleared the way for the construction of that station (now WTVQ-DT, channel 36). [32] Kentucky Central CEO Garvice Kincaid had also been part of the WVLK group that had earlier attempted to purchase WKXP-TV in 1958. [17] : 250  In its annual report, Taft noted that Lexington "represented by far the smallest market ... and in the opinion of management is also afforded less opportunity for growth and development than the possible acquisition of new property". [33]

Upon taking control, Kentucky Central began its own series of improvements. In 1968, the station returned to CBS and made plans for its current studio on Winchester Road. Later that year, WKYT was approved to build a new 1,000-foot (300 m) tower adjacent to the new studio. The facility featured the most powerful UHF transmitter in the Commonwealth, operating at 2.3 million watts. [34] The new building was occupied in October 1969. [17] : 295  However, the most significant change in the early years under Kentucky Central was in management. Ralph Gabbard was named sales manager of WKYT-TV in 1970 and general manager in 1974. [35] Gabbard would be cited as a cornerstone in turning around a struggling station into a market leader. He placed a high bid for the rights to telecast Kentucky Wildcats athletics replays and coaches' shows; the expensive bid attracted criticism as a money-loser but cemented the Wildcats as part of the station's identity. [36]

In 1985, Kentucky Central expanded its CBS service in the Lexington market by purchasing WKYH-TV, a small NBC affiliate in Hazard with failing equipment, and relaunching it as a semi-satellite of WKYT-TV, WYMT-TV, from new facilities. The general manager of competitor WTVQ derided the purchase as part of an "empire plan" that would give WKYT a competitive advantage. [37] The revamped station provided a far better signal as well as local news coverage for eastern Kentucky. [38] It also served to capture an audience partly served by stations in West Virginia, not Kentucky. [39]

Gray ownership

WKYT logo from 2012 to 2024. WKYT 2012 Logo.png
WKYT logo from 2012 to 2024.

In February 1993, the Kentucky state insurance commissioner seized Kentucky Central Life Insurance Company as a result of financial difficulties caused by a troubled portfolio of commercial mortgages. [40] In the wake of the state takeover, Kentucky Central's broadcast portfolio—consisting of WKYT-TV, WYMT, and WVLK AM and FM—was put on the market to raise cash for the company, as the stations represented the most saleable assets of the insurer and were highly successful properties. [41] (Kentucky Central's board of directors had drafted a salvage plan, which it ran out of time to implement, by which these properties and other non-life insurance divisions were to be sold. [42] ) At the same time that inquiries were received from around the United States, Ralph Gabbard began to put together a consortium of investors to bid on WKYT and WYMT. [43] However, it was unclear if the stations would even be sold. The Kentucky insurance commissioner considered selling the entire company as a package; however, the combination of the radio and television stations was grandfathered, and under FCC rules of the time, no one buyer could purchase all four stations. [44] Names mentioned in connection with a purchase included Granite Broadcasting and Jefferson-Pilot. [44]

In all, 13 bids were received for WKYT and WYMT by July 28, 1993, along with nine for the radio stations and eight for the ailing life insurance business. [45] Gabbard's bid came in second, narrowly losing to Gray Communications Systems of Albany, Georgia; the state rejected a request by Gabbard to let him exceed Gray's offer. [46] The Gray offer was unexpected in broadcasting circles because the company had just experienced a major change in ownership with the sale of a minority stake by the Gray family to a firm headed by J. Mack Robinson. [47] The sale was protested by the estate of Garvice Kincaid, which desired to retain the stations, [48] and the $38 million sale was not consummated until September 1994. [49] After the sale, Gabbard, who was widely respected in the industry and had chaired the CBS affiliates board, became president of Gray's television division; he died on a business trip in 1996. [36]

In 2004, WKYT assumed the UPN affiliation from WBLU-LP, placing it on its second digital subchannel; the shift was modeled after that made the same year by Gray's WVLT-TV in Knoxville, Tennessee, and it upgraded UPN from an analog low-power station to digital full-power status. [50] The UPN subchannels in Lexington and Knoxville were among the first such digital multicast services; by 2008, there were 40 such subchannels in the Gray group. [51] The UPN subchannel became Lexington's affiliate of The CW upon the merger of UPN with The WB in 2006; The WB programming had only been available in Lexington on cable through WBKI-TV from the Louisville market. [52] In 2007, WKYT began broadcasting its CW subchannel in high-definition, making it among the first stations to transmit two HD channels on its multiplex. [51]

Local programming

News operation

By the mid-1970s, WKYT-TV already held the market-wide lead in news, narrowly edging out WLEX-TV. [53] However, the introduction of the market's first 60-minute early-evening newscast marked a milestone and led to the station widening its lead. [54] From the mid-1970s to the mid-2000s, it was the consistent ratings leader in Lexington television news, with ratings that at times matched WLEX and WTVQ combined. [55] [36] [56] As a result, when WLEX passed WKYT in 2004 after a multi-year rebuild of its news department, it was front-page news; however, WKYT management asserted that the combination of WKYT and WYMT still garnered more viewers. [57]

In 1995, WKYT began a production commitment with WDKY-TV, the city's Fox affiliate, to produce a 10 p.m. newscast. [58] WKYT supplied all of the talent except co-anchor Marvin Bartlett, an employee of WDKY. [59] Within two years, the newscast, which WDKY paid channel 27 to produce, made money. [60] On March 12, 2007, WDKY began airing an hour of news on weekday mornings at 7 a.m., also produced by WKYT. [61] This relationship ended in January 2022, when new WDKY owner Nexstar Media Group opted to staff its own newsroom. [62]

Even as WKYT has expanded news programming in the 2010s and early 2020s, it has increasingly contended with WLEX in news ratings while WTVQ has remained a distant third. In 2012, the station added weekend morning newscasts, [63] followed by a new 4 p.m. news hour in 2013. [64] By 2014, WLEX was winning again in the immediate Lexington area, though WKYT still had an advantage in the rural areas surrounding Lexington. [65] WKYT responded to competition with a brand refresh, including dropping its longtime 27 NewsFirst brand for WKYT News. [65]

Non-news programming

In addition to its local news, WKYT produces several non-news programs, including the weekly news interview program Kentucky Newsmakers and weekday lifestyle program Everyday Kentucky. [66]

Since 2003, WKYT has produced the weekly Scholastic Ball Report program during the Kentucky high school basketball season. It airs on WKYT's CW subchannel, WYMT, and WBKO in Bowling Green. [67]

On May 8, 2024, WKYT announced they will carry a 17-game schedule of Indiana Fever games during the 2024 season. [68] The telecasts, part of a deal with Tegna-owned WTHR in Indianapolis, were scheduled to air on WKYT-DT2, preempting CW network programming.

Notable former on-air staff

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WKYT-TV [71]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
27.1 1080i 16:9 WKYT-HD CBS
27.2CWKYT The CW
27.3 480i The 365 The365
27.4MeTV MeTV
27.5DABL Dabl
27.6RADAR "First Alert Weather" Radar

Analog-to-digital conversion

WKYT-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 27, on April 16, 2009. The station's digital signal initially remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 13. [72] [73] [74] However, on August 22, 2009, WKYT-DT filed a petition of rulemaking with the FCC to move to digital UHF channel 36, vacated by WTVQ's analog signal; [75] due to reception issues. [76] the FCC approved the petition on October 22. [77] The switchover to the UHF signal took place on September 1, 2010. [78]

In 2019, WKYT-TV was repacked from channel 36 to channel 21. [71]

Notes

  1. ↑ The WKYT call sign had previously belonged to a proposed station on channel 14, later 62, in Owensboro, Kentucky. [27]
  2. ↑ The suffix was added in 1961, making the call sign WKYT-TV. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTXF-TV</span> Fox television station in Philadelphia

WTXF-TV is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, serving as the market's Fox network outlet. Owned and operated by the Fox Television Stations division, the station maintains studios on Market Street in Center City and a primary transmitter on the Roxborough tower farm, with a secondary transmitter on South Mountain in Allentown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WAVE (TV)</span> NBC affiliate in Louisville, Kentucky

WAVE is a television station in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Gray Television. The station's studios are located on South Floyd Street in downtown Louisville, and its transmitter is located in Floyds Knobs, Indiana.

WHAS-TV is a television station in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with ABC. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains studios on West Chestnut Street in Downtown Louisville, and its transmitter is located in rural northeastern Floyd County, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kentucky Educational Television</span> PBS member network serving Kentucky

Kentucky Educational Television (KET) is a statewide television network serving the U.S. commonwealth of Kentucky, a member of PBS. It is operated by the Kentucky Authority for Educational Television, an agency of the Kentucky state government, which provides more than half of its annual funding. KET is the dominant public broadcaster in the commonwealth, with transmitters covering the vast majority of the state as well as parts of adjacent states; the only other PBS member in Kentucky is WKYU-TV in Bowling Green. KET is the largest PBS state network in the United States; the broadcast signals of its sixteen stations cover almost all of the state, as well as parts of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The network's offices, network center, and primary studio facilities are located at the O. Leonard Press Telecommunications Center on Cooper Drive in Lexington; KET also has production centers in Louisville and at the Kentucky State Capitol Annex in Frankfort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLEX-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Lexington, Kentucky

WLEX-TV is a television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. The station's studios are located on Russell Cave Road in Lexington, and its transmitter is located six miles (10 km) east of downtown Lexington near Hamburg Pavilion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTVQ-DT</span> ABC/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Lexington, Kentucky

WTVQ-DT is a television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with ABC and MyNetworkTV. Owned by Morris Multimedia, the station maintains studios and transmitter facilities on the outer loop of Man o' War Boulevard in the Brighton section of Fayette County, across Winchester Road from the studios of unrelated station WKYT-TV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WYMT-TV</span> CBS affiliate in Hazard, Kentucky

WYMT-TV is a television station licensed to Hazard, Kentucky, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield region. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios on Black Gold Boulevard off the KY 15 bypass in Hazard, and its transmitter is located south of the city in the Perry County community of Viper.

WDKY-TV is a television station licensed to Danville, Kentucky, United States, serving the Lexington area as an affiliate of the Fox network. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group and maintains studios on Euclid Avenue in Lexington's Chevy Chase neighborhood and a transmitter southeast of the city off Interstate 75.

WBLU-LP is a defunct low-power television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Owned by Equity Media Holdings, the station broadcast its signal from downtown Lexington and provided coverage that did not extend far past the developed portions of the city, although the signal could be picked up in neighboring Scott and Bourbon counties. The station was active from 1999 until 2009, when it went dark due to a wide-ranging bankruptcy involving Equity.

WKMJ-TV is a PBS member television station in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is the flagship station for KET2, the second television service of Kentucky Educational Television (KET), which is owned by the Kentucky Authority for Educational Television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKPD</span> PBS member station in Paducah, Kentucky

WKPD is a PBS member television station licensed to Paducah, Kentucky, United States. Owned by the Kentucky Authority for Educational Television, the station is operated as part of the statewide Kentucky Educational Television (KET) network. WKPD's transmitter is located on Coleman Road off of KY 305 on the west side of Paducah, near the McCracken County Soccer Complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBUL-FM</span> Radio station in Lexington, Kentucky

WBUL-FM is one of four country music radio stations serving the Lexington, Kentucky radio market. The station broadcasts with an ERP of 100,000 watts, with a nearly 100-mile broadcasting radius. The station is heard as far south as London, as far east as Grayson, as far north as Cincinnati and as far west as Louisville. iHeartMedia, Inc. currently owns the station. WBUL-FM was the third station to begin broadcasting HD Radio in Lexington after WUKY and WKQQ.

WVLK is a commercial AM radio station in Lexington, Kentucky. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a news/talk format. The studios are inside Kincaid Towers on West Vine Street in downtown Lexington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKQQ</span> Radio station in Winchester–Lexington, Kentucky

WKQQ is a radio station licensed to the city of Winchester, Kentucky, serving Lexington and the greater Central Kentucky area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and airs a classic rock format.

WKLO-TV was a UHF television station in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, that operated from October 18, 1953, to April 20, 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Westrom</span> American social worker and politician (born 1952)

Susan Westrom is an American real estate agent, social worker, and politician who served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1999 to 2022.

WGBS-TV was a television station that broadcast on channel 23 in Miami, Florida, United States, from 1953 to 1957. Originally established as WFTL-TV in Fort Lauderdale, it moved south to Miami when it was purchased by Storer Broadcasting at the end of 1954 and consolidated with a construction permit Storer bought for a Miami station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wazoo Sports Network</span> Television channel

Wazoo Sports Network was a regional sports network which specialized in airing local high school, college, and minor league sports mainly in the Kentuckiana and Bluegrass regions of Kentucky and southern Indiana, The network, which started out as online-only in December 2007, became a digital subchannel network in November 2009, but ended service at the end of 2011 due to Wazoo's parent company filing for bankruptcy.

WLKT was an independent television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. The station was owned by Family Broadcasting Company, Inc., a subsidiary of Family Group Broadcasting. WLKT-TV's transmitter was located in Clark County in an area near Winchester. This station was not and is not in any way related to WLKT-FM, a Mainstream Top 40 radio station in Lexington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savannah Maddox</span> American politician

Savannah Lee Maddox is an American politician. She is a Republican and represents District 61 containing Grant County, Gallatin County, and parts of Kenton and Boone Counties in the Kentucky House of Representatives. Maddox is viewed as one of the General Assembly's furthest-right members.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WKYT-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "WLAP Seeks Ultra High TV Channel Outlet". The Lexington Herald. June 21, 1952. p. 10. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "FCC History Cards for WKYT-TV". Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ↑ "Changing Of Local Channels May Delay TV In Lexington". Lexington Herald-Leader. July 25, 1952. p. 5. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 Leathers, Winfield (August 6, 1952). "Channel Blocks May Delay TV Station For Lexington". The Lexington Leader. p. 1, 14. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Ranch Motel Changes Hands". The Lexington Leader. June 23, 1953. p. 6. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Video Station Seems Assured: WLAP To Be Ready In 'Matter Of Months'". The Lexington Herald. November 12, 1953. p. 1, 14. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "WLAP Given Permit For TV". The Lexington Leader. December 4, 1953. p. 5. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Work Begins on Lexington's New TV Station". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. December 13, 1953. p. 5:19. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 "So The People May Know". The Lexington Leader. February 19, 1954. p. 15. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "WLAP Halts TV Plans; Holds UHF Unacceptable". The Lexington Herald. February 19, 1954. p. 1, 16. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "WLAP Is Being Sold To Community Firm". Lexington Herald-Leader. October 30, 1956. p. 1, 12. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Sale Made" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 29, 1956. p. 5. ProQuest   1285729452. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Lexington TV Station To Go on Air Sept. 1". The Courier-Journal. Associated Press. July 6, 1957. p. 3. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "This story is written because of YOU". Lexington Herald-Leader. September 29, 1957. p. 37. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "WKXP-TV Goes On Air On Monday". The Lexington Herald. September 22, 1957. p. 2. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Nash, Francis M. (1995). Towers Over Kentucky: A History of Radio and TV in the Bluegrass State (PDF). ISBN   9781879688933. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022– via World Radio History.
  18. ↑ "WKXP-TV To Be Sold To WVLK-TV For $275,000". The Lexington Herald. February 8, 1958. p. 1. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "WKXP-TV Sale Talks Are Suspended". The Lexington Herald. February 20, 1958. p. 1. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Separate Sales Of Stations Pending". The Lexington Herald. February 21, 1958. p. 8. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "Radio Cincinnati May Buy Local TV Station". The Lexington Herald. February 27, 1958. p. 1. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ "'KRC Planning To Buy Station At Lexington". The Cincinnati Enquirer. February 28, 1958. p. 40. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ "Cincinnati's WKRC-TV Buys Local Video Station WKXP". The Lexington Leader. March 17, 1958. p. 1. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "Cincinnati Firm Buys Ky. Station". The Cincinnati Post. March 17, 1958. p. 4. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ "Local TV Station To Join CBS". The Lexington Leader. March 21, 1958. p. 24. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ "Local TV Station Gets New Letters In About 60 Days". Lexington Herald-Leader. April 8, 1958. p. 17. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  27. ↑ "Renewal of TV Permit At Owensboro Asked". The Courier-Journal. Associated Press. February 13, 1958. p. 2:2. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  28. ↑ "WKXP, WLAP Sale Is Approved". The Lexington Leader. June 3, 1958. p. 11. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  29. ↑ "$56,000 Addition Is Planned By Station". The Lexington Herald. December 17, 1958. p. 31. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  30. ↑ "Taft Broadcasting Gets FCC OK". The Cincinnati Enquirer. July 2, 1959. p. 12-A. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  31. ↑ "WKYT Will Switch From CBS To ABC". The Lexington Herald. Associated Press. February 22, 1961. p. 2. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  32. ↑ "Kincaid Buys WKYT-TV". The Lexington Herald and The Lexington Leader. January 28, 1967. p. 1. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  33. ↑ Napier, Sue (June 18, 1967). "Accounts Receivable". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. 64. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  34. ↑ Galloway, Juliet (March 23, 1968). "Board Will Permit Powerful TV Tower". The Lexington Herald and The Lexington Leader . p. 12. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  35. ↑ "On The Move". The Lexington Herald. November 17, 1974. p. C-7. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  36. 1 2 3 Hewlett, Jennifer (September 11, 1996). "Ralph Gabbard: Nationally known broadcast executive rose from Kentucky teen disc jockey". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. p. A1, A4. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  37. ↑ "WKYT's bid to buy Hazard station draws fire". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. December 21, 1984. p. B1, B12. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  38. ↑ White, Susan (October 14, 1985). "Hazard has high hopes for station". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. p. C3. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  39. ↑ Prather, Paul (March 30, 1987). "Ralph Gabbard programmed for success". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. D3. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  40. ↑ Wagar, Kit (February 13, 1993). "State takes over Ky. Central: Chairman resigns; regulator promises normal operations". Lexington Herald-Leader. pp. A1, A6. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  41. ↑ Wagar, Kit; White, Susan (February 18, 1993). "Kentucky Central to sell stations: Offers expected soon on WKYT-TV, WVLK". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. A1, A6. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  42. ↑ Wagar, Kit (February 21, 1993). "Ky. Central planned asset sale even before state takeover". Lexington Herald-Leader. pp. A1, A11. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  43. ↑ "Offers for Ky. Central radio, TV stations pour in". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. February 20, 1993. pp. A1, A6. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  44. 1 2 Heath, David (March 10, 1993). "Interest grows in insurer's stations—if they're for sale". The Courier-Journal. p. B8, B7. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  45. ↑ Heath, David (July 29, 1993). "State receives eight bids for Kentucky Central Life". The Courier-Journal. p. D1, D6. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  46. ↑ Wagar, Kit (October 6, 1993). "Top bids picked for WKYT, WVLK". Lexington Herald-Leader. pp. A1, A9. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  47. ↑ Heath, David (October 8, 1993). "Big changes not expected at insurer's TV stations". The Courier-Journal. p. E1, E7. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  48. ↑ Jordan, Jim (January 15, 1994). "Three 'high quality' offers made for Kentucky Central". Lexington Herald-Leader. pp. A1, A6. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  49. ↑ Jordan, Jim (September 3, 1994). "WKYT, WYMT have new owner". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. A15. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  50. ↑ Copley, Rich (September 19, 2004). "WKYT takes over UPN affiliate: Move allows sharing of CBS programs, chance to develop new ones". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. D7. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  51. 1 2 Goetzl, David (September 26, 2008). "Gray's Multicast Strategy: Use That Real Estate". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  52. ↑ Copley, Rich (May 19, 2006). "Where to see CW". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. A2. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  53. ↑ Reed, David (April 6, 1975). "Riggins' Resignation Result Of Ratings Race?". The Lexington Herald. p. TV Spotlight 8. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  54. ↑ White, Susan (August 13, 1981). "Channel 27 adding half hour to evening news". The Lexington Leader. p. B-1, B-6 . Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  55. ↑ White, Susan (September 8, 1981). "Five o'clock shadow: Will Channel 27's news win the early race, too?". The Lexington Leader. p. C-2. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  56. ↑ Svokos, Heather (February 1, 2000). "Sweeps ratings put WKYT-TV in top news spot again". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. B5. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  57. ↑ Copley, Rich (January 29, 2005). "WLEX passes WKYT in ratings: Channel 27 had No. 1 newscast for 28 years". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. A1, A9. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  58. ↑ Crane, Nancy (October 7, 1994). "Channel 27 to produce 10 p.m. news on Channel 56". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. p. B1, B6. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  59. ↑ Pack, Todd (April 23, 1996). "Pending sale of WDKY may affect Fox 56 news". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. p. A6. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  60. ↑ McClellan, Steve (August 19, 1996). "Sinclair makes news moves" (PDF). Broadcasting. pp. 33–34. ProQuest   225349764. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  61. ↑ Sloan, Scott (May 14, 2007). "Good news met with skepticism". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. p. C1, C10. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  62. ↑ "WDKY FOX 56 announces major expansion of local news programming beginning Jan. 1, 2022" (Press release). WDKY. September 17, 2021. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  63. ↑ Knox, Merill (November 9, 2012). "WKYT Launches Weekend Morning Newscasts". TVSpy. Archived from the original on April 23, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  64. ↑ Sloan, Scott (February 5, 2013). "WKYT adds daily 4 p.m. newscast". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. C5. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  65. 1 2 Malone, Michael (September 22, 2014). "Market Eye: A Two-Horse Race in Kentucky". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  66. ↑ "WKYT-TV FCC Issues and Programs Report" (PDF). FCC Public File. September 30, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  67. ↑ Peck, Jared (September 4, 2022). "High school 'Scholastic Ball Report' kicks off 20th season". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. B6. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  68. ↑ WKYT News Staff (May 8, 2024). "WKYT to broadcast Indiana Fever's upcoming season on The CW Lexington". www.wkyt.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  69. ↑ Truman, Cheryl (December 29, 2016). "EKU alumnus Sam Champion leaves The Weather Channel". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. 8B. Retrieved November 21, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  70. ↑ "Emily Gimmel bio". WKYT-TV. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  71. 1 2 "RabbitEars listing for WKYT-TV". RabbitEars . Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  72. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  73. ↑ Sloan, Scott (April 14, 2009). "KET, WKYT go digital on Thursday". Lexington Herald-Leader . Retrieved April 14, 2009.
  74. ↑ "WKYT Goes All Digital Thursday". WKYT-TV. April 16, 2009. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  75. ↑ "Noticed of Proposed Rulemaking" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. September 14, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  76. ↑ "WKYT switches to UHF". WKYT-TV. August 24, 2010. Archived from the original on October 25, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  77. ↑ "Report and Order" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. October 22, 2009. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
  78. ↑ "WKYT-TV to Upgrade its Digital Channel September 1". WKYT-TV. August 26, 2010. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.