KWBF (TV) - History

History

After purchasing the license from defunct station KVUT, Paxson Communications (now ION Media Networks) launched the station on December 1, 1997 as KYPX, an affiliate of InTV, a network that primarily ran infomercials; it became an affiliate of PAX when it launched in August 1998. In 2001, after Paxson sold the station to Equity Broadcasting, it swapped affiliations with new sister station KKYK and became an affiliate of The WB. The calls were initially changed to KLRA-TV but switched to KWBF. Its call letters referred both to the network and its defunct mascot, Michigan J. Frog. Additionally, a nickname for the station in its later WB-affiliate years was "The Frog". During its existence as KWBF, it was the flagship station of Little Rock-based Equity Broadcasting. KWBF was also seen on a repeater, KWBF-LP channel 47, in Sheridan. There are no longer U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) records of that station.

In January 2006 three years prior to becoming a sister station to KARK, the station made headlines when it decided to air NBC's The Book of Daniel after KARK, the local NBC affiliate, declined to do so. Because of the controversial nature of the series, the station came under fire for this and had to hire extra security after threats were made against the station.

In Fall 2006, The WB ceased broadcasting and merged with UPN into a new network called The CW. Only one WB/UPN affiliate in each market could join The CW, and KWBF was rejected in favor of KASN. Instead, it joined MyNetworkTV, another new network created by News Corp. for former WB/UPN stations that couldn't affiliate with The CW. The network launched on September 5 and the station became known on-air as "My 42". On October 7, 2008, the $4 million sale of the station to Irving, Texas-based Nexstar Broadcasting Group was announced.

On December 8, Equity filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to attempts by creditors to force the company into liquidation. Meanwhile, the FCC approved Nexstar's purchase of KWBF on December 23. The sale closed on January 30, and Nexstar took control of the station on February 1, making it part of a duopoly with KARK. At this point, the station changed its call letters to the current KARZ-TV, rebranded to "Z 42", and boosted its power. It also started airing a one hour KARK-produced newscast weeknights at 7, delaying MyNetworkTV programming to 8. Nexstar's purchase of the station was legally consummated on March 12, 2009.