KFDA-TV

KFDA-TV
Amarillo, Texas
Branding	NewsChannel 10
Slogan	The Most Watched & Trusted News In The Panhandle
Channels	Digital: 10 (VHF)
Subchannels	10.1 CBS10.2 News Channel 10 Too10.3 Telemundo 10.4 MeTV; 10.5 Cozi TV; 10.6 This TV; 10.7 Oxygen
Translators	(see article)
Affiliations	CBS Television Network
Owner	Gray Television (Gray Television Licensee, LLC)
First air date	April 4, 1953
Former channel number(s)	Analog:10 (VHF, 1953-2009)Digital: 9 (VHF)
Former affiliations	ABC (secondary, 1953-1957); UPN (subchannel, to 2006)
Transmitter power	20.8 kW
Height	466 meters (1,529 ft)
Facility ID	51466
Transmitter coordinates	35°17′34″N 101°50′42″W / 35.29278°N 101.845°W / 35.29278; -101.845
Website	www.newschannel10.com

KFDA-TV NewsChannel 10 is the CBS affiliated television station in Amarillo, Texas, USA. In 2002, KFDA-TV was the first Amarillo station to simulcast in HDTV. Its transmitter is located in Amarillo. The station is broadcast throughout its coverage area across the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, eastern New Mexico and southwestern Kansas over-the-air as well as cable carriage and through a network of 19 additional UHF translators in distant locations. The station is currently owned by Gray Television with sister stations KEYU and KEYU-FM. Syndicated programming on KFDA includes: Dr. Phil, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Jeopardy!, and The Doctors

History[]

The station signed on the air on April 4, 1953 beating NBC affiliate KAMR-TV (channel 4) to the airwaves within a little over two weeks; the station was originally locally owned by KFDA, Inc. The station has been a CBS affiliate since it's inception but carried ABC programming until KVII (channel 7) signed on in 1957. In 1959, KFDA-TV was sold to The Martin Theaters Company. KFDA operated satellite stations during the 1960s and 1970s in Clovis, New Mexico and in Sayre, Oklahoma. The Clovis station was KFDW-TV (channel 12), which was a KFDA satellite from 1964 to 1976 and is currently KVIH-TV, a satellite of Amarillo's ABC affiliate, KVII-TV (channel 7). The Sayre station was KFDO-TV Channel 8 and operated as a KFDA repeater from 1966 to 1976, when it was sold to KVII and operated as satellite station KVIJ-TV until it ceased operations in 1992.

In 1971, The Martin Theaters Company of stations were sold to Cosmos Broadcasting (Orion Television). In 1986, Cosmos Broadcasting sold the station to former owners Drewry Communications Group. In 2002, KFDA-TV was the first Amarillo station to simulcast in high definition.

On August 10, 2015, Raycom Media announced that they would purchase Drewry Communications for $160 million. The sale was completed on December 1. Drewry had originally planned to sell its stations to London Broadcasting in 2008^[1]; however, by January 2009, that deal fell through.^[2]

On February 23, 2011 KFDA became the first television station in the West Texas region to upgrade its local newscasts to high definition, and also upgraded its master control facilities to allow syndicated programming to be broadcast in HD.

On August 10, 2015, Raycom Media announced they were purchasing Drewry Communications for $160 million, the sale was completed on December 1. On June 25, 2018, Gray Television announced it reached an agreement with Raycom to merge their respective broadcasting assets (consisting of Raycom's 63 existing owned-and/or-operated television stations, including KFDA-TV and KEYU as well as Lubbock sister station KCBD, and Gray's 93 television stations) under the former's corporate umbrella. The cash-and-stock merger transaction valued at $3.6 billion – in which Gray shareholders would acquire preferred stock currently held by Raycom – resulted in KFDA/KEYU gaining a new sister station in the Odessa–Midland market as Gray retained ownership of fellow CBS affiliate KOSA-TV in exchange for selling NBC affiliate KWES-TV (which was sold to Tegna Inc., along with CBS affiliate WTOL in Toledo, Ohio, to comply with FCC ownership rules prohibiting common ownership of two of the four highest-rated stations in a single market).[41][42][43][44] The sale was approved on December 20,[45] and was completed on January 2, 2019.

Digital subchannels[]

Drewry Communications Group also operated independent station KZBZ on digital channel 10-2. Previously, KZBZ was UPN Amarillo, which launched to replace KCPN-LP as that network's affiliate. A digital subchannel of KVII-TV gained the affiliation for the new CW network, which merged the programming assets of both UPN and The WB, while KCPN affiliated with the News Corporation-owned MyNetworkTV.

KTMO-LP, the Telemundo affiliated station's digital signal, occupies channel 10-3.

KFDA's broadcasts became digital-only, effective June 12, 2009.^[3]

Rebroadcasters[]

KFDA is rebroadcast on the following low power stations:

Former satellite/repeater stations[]

KFDA operated satellite stations during the 1960s and 1970s in Clovis, New Mexico and in Sayre, Oklahoma.

The Clovis station was KFDW-TV Channel 12, which was a KFDA satellite from 1964 to 1976 and is currently KVIH-TV, a satellite of Amarillo's ABC affiliate, KVII-TV. The Sayre station was KFDO-TV Channel 8 and operated as a KFDA repeater from 1966 to 1976, when it was sold to KVII and operated as satellite station KVIJ-TV until it ceased operations in 1992.

News Team[]

Current on-air staff

Ali Allison - weekday mornings Early Show and NewsChannel 10's 2nd Cup & weekdays at noon
Lindsey Stiner - weeknights at 5, 6, and 10
Greg Kerr - weeknights at 5, 6, and 10
Paola Duarte-Albarran - weeknights at 5 on KFDA-DT3/KEYU
Maury Roman - weeknights at 10 on KFDA-DT3/KEYU
Sydnee Batzlaff - weekends (also weeknight reporter; see below)

First Alert Weather Team

"Doppler" Dave Oliver (AMS Seal of Approval) - "chief meteorologist" weekdays at noon & weeknights at 5
Kevin Selle - weeknights at 6 and 10
Shelden Breshears - weekday mornings Early Show and NewsChannel 10's 2nd Cup
Tanner Brammer - meteorologist; weekends
Nuvia Martinez - weeknights at 5 and 10 on KFDA-DT3/KEYU

NewsChannel 10 Sports

KJ Doyle - sports director; weeknights
Rylee Robinson - sports anchor; weekends
Alissa Spangler - sports reporter
Preston Moore - sports reporter

Reporters

Sydnee Batzlaff - general assignment reporter
Kyleah Frazier - general assignment reporter
Devyn Darmstetter - general assignment reporter
Alyssa Riggs - Early Show reporter

Former on-air staff[]

Evan Abramson - weekend sports anchor (now sports anchor at WAND in Champaign/Springfield/Urbana/Decatur, IL)
Vanessa Abuchaibe (meteorologist on KFDA-DT3; then weekend meteorologist at KUVN-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth; then meteorologist at KVUE in Austin)
Jessica Abuchaibe (reporter/fill-in anchor on KFDA-DT3; then noon anchor at KVII-TV; now living in Los Angeles, CA as an actress)
David Alan (Anchor; now anchor in Norfolk, VA)
Jacob Albracht (Sports director; now weekend anchor at KWCH-DT in Wichita, Kansas)
Madison Alewel (reporter, then weekend anchor, then nightly anchor also anchor for Quickcast 4 p.m.; now living back in Las Vegas, Nevada)
Molly Allen (reporter; now reporter at KTBC in Austin)
Jacob Aranda (sports anchor; now living in Tulsa, OK)
Blaire Arvin (Former weekend anchor/reporter; now in New Orleans, went from WVUE-TV to Horizon Entertainment)
Leslie Aguilar (reporter; now reporter at KRGV-TV in Brownsville/Harlingen/McAllen, Texas)
Marissa Bagg (Reporter; then reporter/fill-in anchor for KREM-TV in Spokane, WA; now at WTVJ in Miami/Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Jeff Barger (Sports Director; now living in Dallas, TX)
Christy Bertolino (reporter)
Dylan Buckingham-Former Weekend Sports Anchor Private Life Oklahoma City, OK
Laura Brewster (Reporter/Weekend Anchor; now Methodist minister in South Texas)
Ben Briscoe (Reporter)
Randy Brock (Weather anchor; now Meteorologist at KTTC-TV & KXLT-TV) in Rochester, MN)
Natali Brooks (anchor/reporter)
Angelica Brown (Reporter; now weekend anchor at KTUL in Tulsa, OK)
Adrian Campa (weekend meteorologist; now morning meteorologist at KWCH-DT in Wichita, KS)
Jeff Castle (Weather anchor; then Meteorologist at WAFF-TV in Huntsville, AL; now Chief Meteorologist at KSLA in Shreveport, LA)
Ryan Cody (reporter)
Meranda Carter-Cohn
Jason Cohn
Ralph Cooper (sports reporter then sports director)
Diana Crawford (reporter; then WAFF in Huntsville, AL; now at KPNX in Phoenix, AZ)
Ryan Cross (reporter)
Mike Currington (anchor/reporter)
Ama Daetz (Morning & Noon Anchor; now at WDIV-TV in Detroit)
Veronica Dietrich (reporter; then reporter at KAMR-TV/KCIT)
Cori Duke (reporter/weekend anchor; now crime investgative reporter/morning anchor at KJRH-TV in Tulsa, OK)
Rebekah Dulaney (reporter)
Matt Engel (sports director)
DJ Ezell (sports anchor; now sports anchor at KVII-TV)
Liz Evora (fill-in anchor for KFDA-DT3/KEYU; now reporter at InfoMas)
Wendi Finney (anchor/reporter)
Sarah Fisher (anchor/reporter; now known as Sarah Stewart)
Terry FitzPatrick (I-Team reporter and anchor; now married to South Africa's most prominent newswoman and living there after reporting for NPR around the world)
Scott Foster (News Reporter/Anchor; now living in Bel Air, MD)
Stepheny Frederiksen (reporter; then Early Show reporter; now Producer/Weekend News Anchor at KAKE in Wichita, Kansas)
Jason Friedman (sports anchor)
Melissa Gaglione (anchor/reporter)
Jake Garcia (fill-in reporter/anchor/also producer; now morning/noon anchor at KAUZ-TV in Wichita Falls, TX/Lawton, OK)
Noelle Gardner (Anchor, Health Reporter; now Morning Anchor at KLFY-TV CBS in Lafayette, LA)
Heather Geller (reporter; then morning sports reporter/morning reporter; then sports reporter at KFSM-TV in Fort Smith, Arkansas; now sports reporter at KOKI-TV in Tulsa, OK)
Kristy Gerlett (reporter)
Amanda Goodman (reporter; then morning anchor; then evening anchor)
Rachel Gollhardt (reporter; then Early Show reporter/noon anchor; then weekend anchor at WHBF-TV in Davenport, IA/Rock Island/Moline, IL; now reporter at WJAC-TV in Johnstown/Altoona/State College, PA)
Adrienne Graham (Anchor)
Eric Greene (anchor/reporter)
Emily Griffin (reporter, then weekend anchor; then morning reporter at KWCH-DT in Wichita, Kansas)
Kristen Gulifoos (reporter, when weekend anchor; now morning anchor at KBTX-TV in Bryan/College Station)
Allan Gwyn (meteorologist)
John Harris (Morning Meteorologist; now Chief Meteorologist at KAMR-TV/KCIT in Amarillo)
Neil Horn (sports director)
John Holcomb (Sports anchor; now at KOTV-DT in Tulsa)
Walt Howard (Long time anchor and news director; now retired)
Lorena Inclan (reporter/fill-in anchor for KFDA-DT3; now reporter/weekend morning anchor at WJAX-TV/WFOX-TV in Jacksonville, FL)
Jody James (meteorologist; now meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Lubbock, TX)
Lily Jang (anchor/reporter)
Lisa Jones (anchor)
Gene Kang (anchor/reporter; then KFMB-TV in San Diego, CA; now at KNBC in Los Angeles, CA)
Penny Kmitt (reporter; then Early Show reporter; now at WTKR in Norfolk, VA)
Kari King (Long time news anchor and news director; now an Executive Producer at KWTV-DT, News 9 in Oklahoma City)
Lisa Lancaster (reporter and weekend anchor 1982-1983; now media spokesperson for a Texas state agency)
Debra Lane (anchor/reporter)
Michelle Langowski (anchor/quickcast at 4 p.m. anchor; now known as Michelle Langowski Albracht)
Nikesha Leeper (reporter)
Larry Lemmons (reporter/Early show anchor; then anchor at KVII-TV; now living in Lubbock, TX)
Derik Lattig (noon anchor) Now News Producer for CBS News. Lives in DFW Texas.
Kevin Long (Sports Director/Anchor; now Sports Radio Talk Show Host at SportsFan 990, KFCD in Dallas after stints as Sports Director at KMAC in Lubbock and WAKA in Montgomery, AL)
Sarah Macias (reporter; now reporter at KWKT in Waco/Temple/Killeen, TX)
Tim Malone (reporter)
Mike Makie (reporter)
Marcy Marbut (reporter)
Robin Marsh (News anchor; now morning news anchor for KWTV-DT in Oklahoma City)
Kelly Marose (reporter)
Catherine Mathieson (reporter/fill-in anchor on sister station Telemundo 36)
Brianna Mellon (sports director; then sports anchor/reporter at WOWT-TV in Omaha, Nebraska; now sports anchor at KFSN-TV in Fresno, California)
Gizmo McCracken (Photojournalist/Sports Anchor; now working in Iowa as Program Director)
Nyzah McDonald (reporter then Early Show reporter; now reporter at KOLR in Springfield, MO)
Allisa Miller (anchor/reporter)
Megan Moore (reporter/weekend anchor)
Mack Morris (weekend meteorologist; then meteorologist at KBTX-TV in Bryan/College Station, TX)
Irma Murillo (reporter)
Jennifer Mutz (Reporter; now living back in Las Vegas, Nevada)
David Nancarrow (Sports Anchor & Reporter; now at KKTV in

Colorado Springs)

Kris Nation (weekend meterologist; then chief meteorologist at KMTR in Eugene, OR; now morning meteorologist at KREX-TV/KFQX in Grand Junction, CO)
David Nelson (anchor/reporter)
Mary Nelson (anchor/reporter in the 1990s)
Colleen Nelson (reporter/weekend anchor; now morning anchor at WTAJ in Altoona/Johnstown/State College, PA)
Brooke Osburn (anchor/reporter in the mid-late 1990s; then at KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City, OK)
Kayla Pace (sports anchor)
Adam Pages (weekend sports anchor; now living in Gainesville, FL)
Ashley Paredez (reporter/weekend anchor; then Early Show reporter; then weekend anchor at KTBC in Austin; now at KDFW in Dallas/Fort Worth)
Angelina Perez (reporter; then morning anchor/weeknight reporter at KAMR-TV in Amarillo)
Elise Preston (reporter; then at WREG-TV in Memphis, TN)
Kevin Puricelli (meteorologist; then meteorologist at KFDX-TV/KJTL in Wichita Falls, TX/Lawton, OK)
Nelly Ramirez (reporter)
Destiny Richards (reporter; now reporter at KXLY-TV in Spokane, Washington)
Maxine Ridling (reporter; now anchor at KTAB-TV in Abilene)
Mark Robertson-Baker (anchor; now deceased)
Laura Rojas (anchor)
Eric Ross (reporter; then KOAA-TV in Colorado Springs, CO; now investigative reporter at WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Christian Santiago (noon anchor/weeknight reporter in the mid-1990s)
Tiffany Saunders (sports director)
Imelda Saavedra (reporter/fill-in weather anchor on KFDA-DT3; then working at Dumas ISD)
Brian Schroeder (meteorologist)
Jami Seymore (multi-media journalist; now morning reporter at KRQE-TV in Albuquerque, NM)
Brent Sharky (sports director)
Suzette Shelley (weekend anchor/reporter)
Martin Shupla (reporter)
Marissa Silver (reporter)
Francis Sirois (reporter)
Molly Smith (anchor/reporter; then at KVII-TV)
Shannon Smith (reporter; now reporter at WBIR-TV in Knoxville, TN)
Steve Snyder (meteorologist)
Anthony Spencer (weekend anchor/reporter in the late 1990s)
Cassie Stafford (reporter/weekend anchor/weeknight anchor; now on-air producer at WNEP-TV in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA)
Jeff Stebbins (reporter)
Ashley Strid (Sports Anchor/Reporter)
Courtney Tate (reporter)
Samantha Thomas (Early Show meteorologist and co-anchor of NewsChannel 10's 2nd Cup; now on-air producer at The Weather Channel)
Dan True (Weather anchor during early-to-mid 1960s, best remembered for "TrueView Weather" presentation)
Cameron Venable (weekend meteorologist; now weekend morning meteorologist at KAKE in Wichita, KS)
Lluvia Vidana (meteorologist on KEYU; now morning meteorologist at KTLM in Brownsville/Harligen/McAllen, TX)
Byron Webre (Weather anchor; now Chief Meteorologist for KEYE-TV in Austin)
Barbara West (now Emmy and Edward R. Morrow award-winning anchor and medical reporter at WFTV in Orlando)
Wade West (I-Team reporter and anchor; now conducts fundraising auctions nationwide based in Orlando; was media trainer for US State Department and Department of Justice)
Stacy White (anchor)
Brian Wilson (Fox News correspondent) (then News anchor for the Fox News Channel in Washington, D.C., now news anchor at WWTN-FM in Nashville, TN)
Shel Winkley (now Chief Meteorologist at KBTX-TV Bryan/College Station)
Angie Winn (Early show anchor; now living in Lubbock, TX)
Francisco Zepeda (meteorologist for sister station Telemundo 36)
Jason Zielinski (Sports director)

News/station presentation[]

Newscast titles[]

Newsroom (1953–1956)
The Coca-Cola News (1956–1962)
Enco Reporter (1962–1963)
TV-10 News (1963–1966)
The Scene Today (1968–1970s)
News Scene (1970s–1974)
Eyewitness News (1974–1970s)
Big 10 News (1970s–1980)
NewsCenter 10 (1980–1985)
Channel 10 News (1985-1990)
KFDA News (1990–1995)
KFDA NewsChannel 10 (mid-1995)
NewsChannel 10 (1995–present)

Station slogans[]

The Best is Right Here on Channel 10 (1973-1974; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
See the Best...Channel 10 (1974-1975, localized version of CBS ad campaign)
Catch the Brightest Stars on Channel 10 (1975-1976; localized version of CBS campaign)
Channel 10: Turn Us On, We'll Turn You On! (1978-1979; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
Channel 10, You're Looking Good! (1979-1981; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
Amarillo's Way of Looking at the World (1980-1984)
Reach for the Stars on Channel 10 (1981-1982; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
Great Moments on Channel 10 (1982-1983; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
February Looks Great on Channel 10 (1983; localized version of CBS February ad campaign)
We've Got the Touch, You and Channel 10 (1983-1984; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
Channel 10, The February Touch (1984; localized version of CBS February ad campaign)
Channel 10, Better Every Day (1984-1987)
You and Channel 10, We've Got the Touch (1984-1985; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
We've Got the Touch on Channel 10 (1985-1986; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
Share the Spirit on Channel 10 (1986-1987; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
Channel 10 Spirit, Oh yes. (1987-1988, localized version of CBS ad campaign)
Sign of the Four State (1987-1989)
The Panhandle's Favorite News People (ca. 1989)
You Can Feel It on Channel 10 (1988-1989, localized version of CBS ad campaign)
Get Ready for Channel 10 (1989-1991; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
The Four State News Authority (1990-1997)
The Look of Texas is Channel 10 (1991-1992; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
This is CBS, on Channel 10 (1992-1994; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
The Area's Most Experienced News Team (1997-2000)
Welcome Home, The Eye of Texas (1998-1999, localized version of CBS ad campaign)
Where the News Comes First (2000-2002)
Your News Channel (2002-2007)
The Most Watched News in the Panhandle (2007-2019)
The Most Watched & Trusted News in the Panhandle (2019-present)