KTXS-TV

KTXS-TV is the ABC television affiliate for the Abilene/Sweetwater/Brownwood market. The station is licensed to Sweetwater, and broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 20 (Suddenlink cable 4 in Abilene) from a broadcasting tower near Trent, Texas.

KTXS also has a low powered repeater, KTXE-LP channel 38 in San Angelo, Texas (called "KTXE 12", reflecting its cable slot on Suddenlink channel 12 in San Angelo).

History
KTXS signed on as KPAR-TV on January 2, 1956. It was part of the West Texas Television Network, based at KDUB-TV (now KLBK-TV, channel 13) in Lubbock, and was a primary CBS affiliate with a secondary ABC affiliation. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.[1] The station's first studio was built on the east edge of Sweetwater; broadcasts from this location included a newscast at 6 pm.

Grayson Enterprises bought the West Texas Television Network stations in 1961. Grayson opened a satellite studio in Abilene in the early 1960s, and soon moved most of KPAR's operations there. This resulted in the first of many fines from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for violating "main studio" regulations. In 1966, the station moved most of its operations to a new studio in north Abilene and the call letters were changed to KTXS. The station became a sole ABC affiliate when KTAB-TV signed on in 1979 and took over as Abilene's CBS affiliate.

In the late fifties or early sixties, auxiliary studios were built at a former auto dealer building in Abilene. In 1962 or later, the Abilene studios were moved to a new shopping mall (Westgate Shopping center) on the west edge of Abilene. These were used until 1966 when the studios were moved to the highway bypass at the north edge of town, straddling the city of Abilene, the county, and a small town called Impact(founded to allow liquor in otherwise dry west Texas).

Grayson nearly lost its stations, including KTXS, four times between 1968 and 1971 due to licensing issues. In 1977, their renewals were deferred pending a hearing. Grayson was accused of fraudulent billing, program and transmitter log fabrication, main studio violations, failure to make required technical tests, etc.

The case was settled in what was then described as a "distress sale" where the stations were sold to a minority controlled group (nowadays known as a historically underutilized group) at a reduced price. The company break up actually help define the parameters of such a sale. KLBK and KTXS were sold to Prima, Inc., who was granted a permanent waiver of the main studio rule. It shut down the Sweetwater studio, but still identifies as "Sweetwater/Abilene."

In 1979, the station dropped CBS and became a full ABC affiliate after KTAB-TV signed on. In September 2006, KTXS started broadcasting the CW Television Network on digital subchannel 12.2. Bluestone Television sold KTXS to Bonten Media Group in 2007. Bonten Media also owns station WCYB in Bristol, Tennessee and manages several other stations. On December 31, 2008 KTXS began broadcasting in High Definition on Suddenlink cable. On June 12, 2009 KTXS-TV shut off their analog signal. KTXS Chief Engineer Leland Ohlhausen turned off the KTXS Analog signal.

Coverage area

 * KTXS-TV serves as the ABC affiliate for 16 counties in West Central Texas that are part of the Abilene television market area.
 * (Taylor, Nolan, Callahan, Coleman, Brown, Runnels, Stephens, Shackelford, Jones, Eastland, Fisher, Scurry, Mitchell, Haskell, Stonewall, & Knox)
 * KTXS also provides coverage for 6 other counties that are on the fringe of the actual assigned viewing market.
 * (Throckmorton Wichita Falls-Lawton DMA, Comanche Dallas-Fort Worth DMA, Tom Green San Angelo DMA, Coke San Angelo DMA, McCulloch San Angelo DMA, & Concho also assigned to the San Angelo area DMA)
 * [Throckmorton County was reassigned to the Wichita Falls/Lawton DMA from the Abilene DMA as of September 2008]

Current on-air staff
Anchors


 * George Levesque: News Director/5 PM Anchor
 * Wayne McCormick: 6 and 10 PM Anchor
 * Laura Madison: Managing Editor/5 PM Anchor
 * Mari Cockerell: Morning Anchor
 * Mike Skow: Weekend Anchor/Military Reporter
 * Jacqueline (LaCroix) Hince: Weekend Anchor/Education Reporter

Reporters


 * Brittiny Barber: Nightside Reporter
 * Jocelyn Tovar: City Reporter
 * Trishna Begam: Crime Reporter
 * Laura Labay: Weekend Reporter

Weather team


 * Mark Rowlett: Chief Meteorologist (seen weekday evenings)
 * Danielle Dozier: Meteorologist (seen weekday mornings)
 * Julie Phillips: Meteorologist (seen weekends)

Sports team


 * Bryan Keating: Sports Director/Anchor
 * Ron Snyder: Weekend Anchor/Reporter

Past on-air staff

 * Chrissie Mouton: 6 & 10pm anchor (2007-2010)
 * Melissa Garcia: Reporter/Telemundo Anchor (2008-2010, now a reporter at WOAI-TV in San Antonio, TX)
 * LeAnn Allison: meteorologist/chief meteorologist (mid-1990s-2002, now with KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs, CO)
 * Rick Bentley: sports anchor/reporter (early 2000s, now a police officer)
 * Kim Betton: anchor/reporter/photojournalist (now with KARK-TV in Little Rock, AR)
 * Anita Blanton: reporter (early 2000s, now morning anchor at KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City, OK)
 * Jennifer Bordelon: anchor/reporter (early 2000s, now with KLTV-TV in Tyler, TX)
 * Aaron Burtch: sports/weather anchor (now an admissions counselor at Abilene Christian University)
 * Jennifer Bray: anchor, assignments editor, and news director (1990s-2004, now an instructor at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi)
 * Paul Brown: anchor and news director (1993-2003, now with News 8 Austin in Austin, TX)
 * Nelly Carreno: anchor/reporter (early 2000s, now main weather anchor at WSNS-TV in Chicago, IL)
 * Michelle Casas: anchor/reporter (early-mid 1990s)
 * Lenore Castro: reporter (late 1990s, deceased)
 * Andy Cerota: Reporter (1994-95, now at KTRK-TV in Houston)
 * Ty Chandler: anchor/reporter (early 2000s, now with NY1 in New York city)
 * Christy Cheves: sports anchor/reporter (1996-1997, now owns an Austin-based public relations firm)
 * Keyla Concepción: anchor/reporter (early 2000s, now public information officer with the Broward County Sheriff's Office in Florida)
 * Gilbert Corsey: Reporter (2006-2008, now with WCHS-TV in Charleston, WV)
 * Mike Costa: reporter (mid 1990s)
 * Kris Davis-Jones: anchor/reporter (now an attorney in Austin, TX)
 * Hollani Davis: anchor/reporter (early 2000s-2006, now with WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, VA)
 * Jerry Eckhart: chief meteorologist
 * Nina Edwards: anchor/reporter (1990s)
 * Chad Garneau: Meteorologist (2006-2010) now at FOX 16 Little Rock, AR
 * Gabriella Gonzales: Telemundo anchor/Reporter (2005-2008)
 * Janet Gregg: (now president of Gregg Communications)
 * George Flickinger: meteorologist/chief meteorologist (late 1990s-2001, now with KJRH-TV in Tulsa, OK)
 * Lesley Floyd: sports reporter/anchor (early 2000s-2007, now Lesley McCaslin with News 8 Austin in Austin, TX)
 * Brooke Hart: anchor/reporter (early 1990s, now with NBC Newschannel in Washington, DC)
 * Reba Hollingsworth: anchor/reporter (mid 1990s-2000, now freelance reporter in Washington, DC)
 * Chance Horner: photographer/producer (late 2006-2008, now with Fox in Little Rock)
 * Bob Izzard: weather anchor (1980s, retired)
 * Nate Johnson: meteorologist/chief meteorologist (2000-2006, now with WRAL-TV in Raleigh, NC)
 * Charlie Jordan: meteorologist (late 1990s-2000, retired)
 * Steve Kersh: meteorologist/chief meteorologist (1990s, now with KVII-TV in Amarillo, TX)
 * Janet Kwak 5pm anchor/reporter (2006-2009, now reporter at WOAI-TV in San Antonio, TX)
 * Andrew LaFavers: meteorologist (2001-2007, now an instructor with Dallas Baptist University)
 * Damon Lane: meteorologist/chief meteorologist (2005-2009), now with KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City, OK
 * Mike Licquia: reporter (1990s-early 2000s, now with WCTI-TV in New Bern, NC)
 * Lacie Lowry: anchor/repoter (2005-2007, now reporter with KOTV-TV in Tulsa, OK)
 * Kyle McAlister: anchor (1989-1990 and 1991-1994, now with Aflac in Abilene, TX)
 * Sharla McBride: sports reporter (2007-2008) now weekend sports anchor at WNEP in Scranton, PA
 * Rupal Meta: reporter (1980s)
 * Harvey Mireles: reporter (mid-2000s, last seen at KVII-TV in Amarillo, TX)
 * Iain Munro: news director (2004-2007, now news director with KRQE-TV in Albuquerque, NM)
 * Melissa Newton: reporter (2001-early 2007, later moved to KOCO 5 in Oklahoma City, now reporter at CBS 11 in Dallas/Fort Worth)
 * Jimmy Parker: farm and ranch reporter (1990s-early 2000s, deceased)
 * Lauren Przybyl: anchor/reporter (early 2000s, now with KDFW-TV in Dallas, TX)
 * Kim Ponis: sports anchor/reporter (1990s)
 * Ted Price: anchor/reporter (1990s)
 * Vanessa Reyes: anchor/reporter (early 2000s, now with KFOX-TV in El Paso, TX/Las Cruces, NM)
 * Roxanne Rodriguez: anchor/reporter (early 1990s)
 * Mark Rogers: sports anchor/director (early-mid 2000s, now a recruiter at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene)
 * Paula Rowland: morning weather (1990s)
 * Elizabeth Salinas: reporter (1996-1997; now Elizabeth Salinas-Strittmatter, and an attorney in Austin, TX)
 * Jennifer Saucedo: reporter (2007-2008, now at KABB Fox 29 in San Antonio, TX)
 * Braid Sharp: anchor/reporter (early 2000s-2008, now the Development Director at Texas State Technical College in Abilene)
 * Matt Smith: farm and ranch reporter (early-mid 2000s)
 * Dean Staley: reporter (early 1990s)
 * Cam Tran weekend anchor/city reporter (2006-2009, now reporter at WMTW-TV in Portland, ME)
 * Tim Vasquez: meteorologist (1994-95, now author and designer of Digital Atmosphere weather analysis software, founder of WeatherGraphics)
 * Amy Wallis: anchor/reporter (mid 1990s-early 2000s, last seen as host of Hot On! Dallas/Ft. Worth in Dallas, TX)
 * Matt Waterwall: anchor/reporter (mid 1990s-early 2000s, now with CLTV in Chicago, IL)
 * Karen Wilkison: anchor and political reporter (1990s-mid 2000s)
 * Crystal Wolf: anchor

Newscast titles

 * Newsroom (early 1960s)
 * TV-12 News (late 1960s-early 1970s)
 * Newservice 12 (mid 1970s)
 * Action News 12 (early 1980s)
 * KTXS Action News (mid 1980s-mid 1990s)
 * KTXS News 12 (mid 1990s-present)

Station slogans

 * The News Leader (early 2000s-2008)
 * Earning Your Trust (2008-present)
 * The Station That Tracks Storms (weather slogan; 2008-present)