History
Originally, channel 56 was to have the call letters KTRG, the initials of the original owner and license applicant. Unfortunately, that owner had to file for bankruptcy prior to launching the station. The new buyers put channel 56 on the air with the new call letters KETK, amid a few hurdles. The station started on March 9, 1987, from studios in Jacksonville, Texas, with its tower near Mt. Selman (between Jacksonville and Tyler). KETK moved to its current building in Tyler in 1993.
At one point, KETK was owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, who acquired the station as part of its purchase of most of the Max Media Properties station group in 1998. In early 1999, Sinclair sold the station to its current owner, ComCorp.
In June 2006, KETK owner ComCorp filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Rival CBS affiliate KYTX (channel 19) sparked controversy by publicly announcing the ComCorp bankruptcy on its newscasts, for an entire week. ComCorp said in a press release viewers and staff would see no changes at the station. The company emerged from bankruptcy in late 2007.
Read more about this topic: KETK-TV
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