KMCI-TV - History

History

KMCI signed on the air on February 13, 1988 under the ownership of Miller Television, with programming from the Home Shopping Network. Beginning sometime in 1995, KMCI began carrying a minimal amount of syndicated sitcoms, cartoons and other programming, alongside the HSN programming. In the summer of 1996, Scripps Howard Broadcasting (owner of KSHB-TV) began to manage KMCI under a local marketing agreement and rebranded the station as "38 Family Greats", with a family-oriented general entertainment format from 6 a.m. to midnight, while retaining HSN programming during the overnight hours. When KSHB-TV lost the Fox affiliation to WDAF-TV and gained the NBC affiliation that was displaced by that station, KSHB sold very little of its programming to KSMO-TV or WDAF. The station had a lot of acquired programming that it did not any room to run on the schedule due to NBC programming, most of these shows were moved to KMCI. Early programs on KMCI included I Love Lucy, Leave It To Beaver, Tom and Jerry, Popeye, Happy Days and Taxi, among others. More recent shows also airing regularly on KSHB were mixed into KMCI's schedule.

HSN programming was subsequently dropped from the station in 1999. In the fall of that same year, KMCI picked up weekday afternoon and Saturday morning programming from Fox Kids, after it was dropped by then-UPN affiliate (now CW affiliate) KCWE (WDAF chose to decline Fox's children's programming lineup after affiliating with Fox in September 1994). The weekday afternoon Fox Kids block was discontinued nationwide by Fox in 2002.

The station was acquired outright by the E.W. Scripps Company in 2002, forming a legal duopoly with KSHB. That same year, KMCI dropped the name "Family Greats" and simply went under the title of its station number. Then in July 2003, the station officially became known as "38 the Spot". The station continued to run children's programming from Fox after it was relaunched under the "Fox Box" banner in September 2002 and again under the "4Kids TV" banner from January 2005 until Fox discontinued its children's programming at the end of 2008, following a dispute with 4Kids Entertainment, which subsequently began programming The CW's Saturday morning children's programming that same year (KMCI currently carries Weekend Marketplace, the infomercial block that subsequently replaced the 4Kids TV lineup as WDAF-TV also declines to carry it).

KMCI features hosts promoting the station's programming as well as local events during commercial breaks. Taunia Hottman was the first spokesperson for KMCI as "38 the Spot". Meredith Hoenes replaced Hottman after she left to join KUSA (channel 9) in Denver, Colorado from 2004 to 2008, Hoenes subsequently left to become weekday anchor and reporter for WDAF-TV. Holly Starr took over after Hoenes left in February 2008 and remained with the station until 2011, Crystle Lampitt became the new program host for KMCI in 2012.