KTVT

KTVT, channel 11, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas, and serving the Dallas-Fort Worthdesignated market area. The station is co-owned with independent station KTXA (virtual channel 21), and the two stations share facilities in Dallas and Fort Worth. Prior to joining CBS in 1995, KTVT was the leading independent station in the Dallas-Fort Worth market.

As an independent station
Channel 11 first went on the air on September 11, 1955 as KFJZ-TV, the first independent station in Texas. It was founded by the Texas State Network and was a sister station to KFJZ radio (1270 AM, now KFLC; unrelated to the present-day KFJZ at 870 AM), and later (in 1959) KFJZ-FM (97.1 MHz., now KEGL). During the late 1950s, the station was briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.[1] In 1960, the station's original owners sold channel 11 to NAFI Telecasting Corporation (who also owned Chris-Craft Industries at the time), who changed the call letters to the current KTVT.

The Oklahoma City-based WKY Television System, a subsidiary of Oklahoma Publishing Company, purchased KTVT in 1971. Oklahoma Publishing later renamed its broadcasting arm Gaylord Broadcasting. Under Gaylord's watch, channel 11 (or "The Super Ones", as it were later referred to in continuity) became the leading independent station in the Southwest, carrying a broad range of cartoons, off-network sitcoms and westerns, drama shows, movies, and public affairs programming. KTVT was further aided in its status as it was a VHF station, whereas its future competitors were UHF stations. KTVT's main competitor in the 1970s was KXTX-TV (channel 39), which was owned by theChristian Broadcasting Network and ran a number of religious shows. While the station gained three additional competitors in the 1980s, KTVT was the only independent station that was profitable.

KTVT's popularity also spread outside of the Metroplex, as it attained superstation status along the lines of Atlanta's WTBS, Chicago'sWGN-TV, and WOR-TV in New York City. KTVT broadcast its signal via satellite to C-band users and to 400 cable systems across the country, mostly in the southwestern United States, from the late 1970s through the early 1990s. This status would later hamper Oklahoma Publishing president Edward L. Gaylord's efforts to purchase a controlling interest in the Texas Rangers baseball team, whose games were carried on KTVT from 1985 (Gaylord purchased a minority share of the team that same year) until 1995.

Channel 11 was also the flagship station of Saturday Night Wrestling, a highly-popular Dallas pro wrestling show, and aired a two-hour Saturday night wrestling program titledChampionship Sports.

Transition to CBS
In late 1993 Gaylord announced that KTVT, along with sister stations KHTV (now KIAH) in Houston, and KSTW in Tacoma, Washington, would become charter affiliates of the new WB Television Network, which was launched in January 1995. But not long after, longtime CBS affiliate KDFW (channel 4) announced it would be joining the Fox Broadcasting Company, as part of a longterm affiliation deal between Fox and KDFW's new owners, New World Communications. About to find itself without an affiliate in the Metroplex, CBS approached Gaylord, and the two parties came to an agreement—CBS picked up both KTVT and KSTW as affiliates. Upset by Gaylord's blindsided move, The WB later went to court in an effort to dissolve their arrangement; the WB later signed KXTX-TV as its Metroplex station.[2]

CBS' full schedule of programs moved from KDFW to KTVT on July 1, 1995, marking one of the largest television station shuffles in United States history (similar to the 2001 Vancouver TV realignment in British Columbia, Canada). On that same day the WB changed stations once again, moving from KXTX to KDAF (channel 33), the former Fox-owned station. Channel 11 had already been carrying some CBS shows for about a year prior to the affiliation switch; it had picked up The Price Is Right and The Bold and the Beautiful when KDFW dropped them in favor of Donahue and an expanded midday newscast.

By the time the station continued its transition from independent to network affiliate, KTVT's superstation status was a thing of the past. It expanded its news department and began acquiring local rights to more first-run syndicated programs. Gaylord sold KTVT to CBS in 1999 and a year later Viacom bought CBS, and Viacom-owned KTXA moved from its studios in Dallas to KTVT's facility in Fort Worth.[3]

On September 24, 2007 KTVT began broadcasting its newscasts in high-definition, becoming the third Dallas-Fort Worth television station to do so.

Analog-to-digital transition
On June 12, 2009, KTVT moved its digital broadcasts from channel 19 to channel 11. Due to widespread reception problems and a resulting loss of 57 percent of KTVT viewers, the station was granted permission via special temporary authorization by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to move back to channel 19 on July 23, 2009.[4] On the same day, sister station KTXA was given permission via an STA to move back to channel 18, its transition period channel. [5] The channel change went into effect on August 4, 2009. Prior to the channel change, KTXA was simulcasting KTVT's programming on 21.2. KTVT broadcasts on channel 11 and on channel 19 and both stations use the virtual channel "11.1" causing many digital TV receivers to show channel 11.1 twice when tuning sequentially.

On September 10, 2009, the FCC issued a Report & Order, approving KTVT's move from channel 11 to channel 19.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[6] On October 21, 2009, it filed a minor change application for its new allotment, for which the FCC granted a construction permit on November 19, 2009. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[7] Once construction of KTVT's maximized facilities ends, and file a License to Cover afterwards, then KTVT can terminate operations on channel 11 and operate solely on channel 19 permanently.

Programming
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">Currently, KTVT carries shows such as Inside Edition, ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeopardy! Jeopardy!] and Wheel of Fortune'', all of which are distributed by corporate cousin CBS Television Distribution, formerly King World Productions.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">KTVT is also the 'official station' of the Dallas Cowboys, airing shows involving the team, including the head coach's weekly show, the Dallas Cowboys post-game show and specials, such as the Making of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Calendar and post-season team reviews.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">KTVT is one of the few CBS affiliates in the Central Time Zone to carry The Young and the Restless at 11:30 a.m.; most prefer to air it at 11 a.m. as a lead-in to their local noon news. Others which do this are WBBM in Chicago (like KTVT, CBS owned-and-operated), WTVF in Nashville, KOLR in Springfield, MO, and WHBF in Quad Cities, IL-IA. (In the Pacific Time Zone, which follows the Central Time daytime pattern of 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Young and the Restless airs at 11:30 a.m. on CBS-owned KCBS in Los Angeles).

News operation
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">KTVT broadcasts a total of 23 hours of local news a week (four hours on weekdays, one hour on Saturdays and two hours on Sundays). In addition, the station produces two sports programs on Sunday nights after the 10 p.m. newscast, the sports wrap-up show The Score and the football highlight program Blitz: Cowboys/Desperados Report, both hosted by sports director Babe Laufenberg.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">During its years as an independent station, KTVT was the first station in Dallas to offer a primetime newscast, airing at 9 p.m. (KDFW did not launch a 9 p.m. newscast until it switched from CBS to Fox in 1995, and KDAF did not air a 9 p.m. newscast until that station regained a news department in 1999). After switching to a CBS affiliation in 1995, KTVT added morning (6 a.m.), 6 p.m., and 10 p.m. newscasts. During the first few years of its CBS affiliation, KTVT used the "11 on Eleven" title for its 10 p.m. newscast, used to emphasize that the day's top headlines and the first weather forecast would be aired in the first 11 minutes of the newscast, before the first commercial break. In 1996, the station added noon and 5 p.m. newscasts to their lineup.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">Since affiliating with CBS, the only newscasts to be dropped were the weekday noon (which debuted in 1996) and weekend morning newscasts (the latter of which were cut during budget cutbacks imposed by CBS Corporation in 2006, and as such KTVT is the only one of the Big Four stations in the market without a weekend morning newscast). On January 11, 2010 KTVT expanded its 4 p.m. newscast from a half-hour to a full hour leading into the 5 p.m. newscast.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">In 2010, KTVT switched to the new CBS O&O uniform graphics package, originally used by WCBS-TV in New York City and KCBS-TV in Los Angeles, and began using the CBS Enforcer News Music Collection by Frank Gari as its news theme.

Ratings
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">For most of the time since joining CBS, KTVT has been one of the network's weaker stations in terms of viewership. However in the February 2011 sweeps period, the station's 6 and 10 p.m. timeslots placed first in total viewers for the first time in the station's history. KTVT, however, remained weak overall among 25-to-54-year-olds, where it ran fourth at 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. and in third place at 6 p.m. The 10 p.m. newscast benefitted from the station's CBS primetime network lead-in on most weeknights, with the 10 p.m. news ranking first among 25-to-54-year-olds, as well as with total viewers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[8]

Newscast titles

 * Metroplex News at Noon/Metroplex Newsreel (1970s)
 * 11 News Magazine (1980s)
 * Newswatch Eleven (late 1980s-1995)
 * The Seven O'Clock News (1990-1992)
 * The Nine O'Clock News (1992-1995)
 * 11 News (1995-2000; after switch to CBS affiliation)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[9]
 * 11 on Eleven at Ten (1995-1998; 10 p.m. newscast)
 * CBS 11 News (2000-present)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[10]

Station slogans

 * Channel 11, The Super-Ones (1980s-1995)
 * The Eye of Texas (1995-2004; used as secondary slogan from 2002-2004)
 * Looking Out For You (1997-2000; news slogan)
 * Reporting the News (2002-2003; news slogan)
 * Coverage You Can Count On (2003-present; primary news slogan)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[11]
 * CBS 11 is Always On (2008-present; general slogan)
 * People You Can Count On (2009-present; secondary news slogan)
 * Only CBS 11 (2009-present; secondary general slogan; localized version of CBS campaign)

News team
====Current on-air staff (as of September 2, 2010)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[12] ==== <p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">Current anchors


 * Karen Borta - weeknights at 5, 6, and 10 p.m.; also reporter
 * Doug Dunbar - weeknights at 5, 6, and 10 p.m.; also reporter
 * Nerissa Knight - Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30, and weekends on "First in Prime" (7-9 p.m.; KTXA) and 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
 * Keith Garvin - weekdays at 4 p.m., and weeknights on "First in Prime" (7-9 p.m.; on KTXA)
 * Tracy Kornet - weekdays at 4 p.m., and weeknights on "First in Prime" (7-9 p.m.; on KTXA)
 * Lisa Pineiro - weekday mornings "CBS 11 News This Morning"; also reporter

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">CBS 11 Storm Team


 * Larry Mowry (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6, and 10 p.m.
 * Jeff Jamison (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and NWA Seals of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings "CBS 11 News This Morning"
 * Jeff Ray (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - meteorologist; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30, and weekends on "First in Prime" (7-9 p.m.; on KTXA) and 10 p.m.
 * Garry Seith - meteorologist; weekdays at 4 p.m., and weeknights on "First in Prime" (7-9 p.m.; on KTXA)

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">Sports Team (shared with TXA 21)


 * Babe Laufenberg - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m., also "The Score" and "Blitz: Cowboys/Desperados Report" host
 * Bill Jones - sports anchor; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30, and weekends on "First in Prime" (7-9 p.m.; on KTXA) and 10 p.m.
 * Gina Miller - sports anchor; weeknights on "First in Prime" (7-9 p.m.; on KTXA); also sports reporter
 * Steve Dennis - sports reporter
 * Derek Harper - sports reporter

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">Reporters


 * Rance Adams - entertainment reporter/on-air personality
 * Jason Allen - general assignment reporter (coming soon)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[13]
 * Katherine Blake - general assignment reporter
 * Carol Cavazos - general assignment reporter
 * Arezow Doost - general assignment reporter
 * Jack Fink - general assignment reporter
 * Teresa Frosini - traffic reporter
 * Bud Gillett - senior reporter
 * Jay Gormley - general assignment reporter
 * Selena Hernandez - general assignment reporter
 * Stephanie Lucero - senior reporter
 * Marianne Martinez - general assignment reporter
 * J.D. Miles - general assignment reporter
 * Melissa Newton - freelance general assignment reporter
 * Sandie Newton - entertainment reporter
 * Robbie Owens - morning reporter
 * Steve Pickett - general assignment reporter
 * Joel Thomas - general assignment reporter

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">The Investigators


 * Ginger Allen - investigative reporter