KYTX - History

History

The history of CBS in East Texas traces for the first time traces back to the sign-on of the market's first television station, KTVE (channel 32) in 1953, that station shut down due to financial problems in 1955. After KLTV debuted in October 1954, it carried some CBS programming as part of a shared primary affiliation with ABC and NBC. CBS would not have a full-time affiliate in the Tyler-Longview market until 1984, when KLMG-TV signed on the air from Longview; KLMG disaffiliated from the network in 1991 to become the market's Fox affiliate under the callsign KFXK-TV. For the 13 years that followed, area cable systems had to offer out-of-market CBS affiliates from Dallas or Shreveport with most cable systems in East Texas carrying the latter station.

The station began broadcasting in 1991 as KLSB-TV, operating as a satellite station of NBC affiliate KETK-TV. Max Media (a company partially related to Max Media Properties, former owner of KETK) purchased the station in 2003, relocating its offices to Tyler, signed an affiliation agreement with CBS, and filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission to change its callsign to KYTX. The network affiliation change took place on April 12, 2004 with the station broadcasting from the KLSB transmitter and the following day, it was officially granted the KYTX call sign by the FCC. The station relocated its transmitter facilities to new tower located south of New Summerfield on June 13, 2004.

KYTX's former KLSB callsign ended up on a low-power station broadcasting on UHF channel 53, which became the sole repeater of KETK. For the first few months as a CBS affiliate, KYTX simulcast Dallas-based local newscasts from KTVT, while it was developing its own news department. On October 18, 2007, the station was sold to London Broadcasting Company (owned by former Gaylord Entertainment Company CEO Terry London in association with Sun TX Capital Partners) for $25 million.