History
KTBS began broadcasting on September 3, 1955. It was owned by the Wray family along with KTBS radio (AM 710, now KEEL) and several other radio stations in Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas. These stations were known as the Tri-State Broadcasting System—hence the station's calls. The radio stations were sold off in the late 1950s, but the Wrays have retained channel 3 to this day.
The station was originally a primary NBC affiliate, sharing ABC with KSLA-TV. In 1960, Shreveport and Texarkana were collapsed into a single television market. Texarkana's KTAL-TV took over the NBC affiliation for the enlarged market, leaving KTBS with ABC. Over the years, KTBS has been one of the strongest ABC affiliates in the country. Along with sister station KPXJ, it is one of the only locally owned and operated stations in the area.
For many years, one of the most watched Sunday programs on KTBS has been Fred L. Lowery's The First Word, broadcasts of the morning worship services at the large First Baptist Church of Bossier City. The program began in June 1983. KTBS was the home of the Louisiana Lottery drawings from its inception in 1993 to April 2009 when KTAL acquired the rights to the drawings, and, since the summer of 2012, they re-acquired the rights to the drawings and they now air on KPXJ.
As of 2012, KTBS remains one of the few television stations in the United States that continues to sign-off during the overnight hours. The station signs off on Friday nights (or early Saturday mornings) from 1:05 to 4 a.m. and on Saturday nights (or early Sunday mornings) from 1:45 to 5 a.m. But instead of a usual sign-off, its weather radar is displayed instead.
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