KAIT: Difference between revisions

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| callsign = KAIT
| callsign = KAIT
| logo = KAIT 2023.svg
| logo = KAIT 2023.svg
| logo_alt = A blue K next to a red pentagon shape containing a white numeral 8
| logo_size = 200px
| logo_size = 200px
| image = KAIT-DT3 2024.svg
| image = KAIT-DT3 2024.svg
| image_size = 160px
| image_size = 160px
| image_alt = The CW network logo in orange with the label "K8" placed above it, right-aligned, in dark green
| location = [[Jonesboro, Arkansas]]
| location = [[Jonesboro, Arkansas]]
| country = United States
| country = US
| city =
| branding = {{ubl|KAIT; K8; ''K8 News''|CW K8 (8.3)}}
| branding = {{ubl|KAIT; K8; ''K8 News''|CW K8 (8.3)<ref name="kaitdt3">{{Cite web|url=https://i.ytimg.com/vi/H1dzh8o0RK8/maxresdefault.jpg|title=The Official Logo Of KAIT CW 8.3}}</ref>}}
| digital = 27 ([[UHF]])
| digital = 27 ([[UHF]]){{r|kaitchanges}}
| virtual = 8
| virtual = 8
| subchannels =  
| subchannels =  
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| licensee = Gray Television Licensee, [[LLC]]
| licensee = Gray Television Licensee, [[LLC]]
| founded =  
| founded =  
| airdate = {{start date and age|1963|7|15|p=y}}{{r|poindexter}}
| airdate = {{start date and age|1963|7|15|p=y}}
| last_airdate =  
| last_airdate =  
| callsign_meaning = Arkansas Independent Television ("AIT" also sounds like "eight")
| callsign_meaning =
| sister_stations = [[KJTB-LD]], [[KJBW-LD]]
| sister_stations = [[KJTB-LD]], [[KJBW-LD]]
| former_callsigns =  
| former_callsigns = KAIT-TV (1963–2003)
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 8 ([[VHF]], 1963–2009)|'''Digital:''' 9 (VHF, 2001–2009), 8 (VHF, 2009–2021)}}
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 8 ([[VHF]], 1963–2009)|'''Digital:''' 9 (VHF, 2001–2009), 8 (VHF, 2009–2021)}}
| former_affiliations = [[Independent station|Independent]] (1963–1965)
| former_affiliations = [[Independent station|Independent]] (1963–1965)
| erp = 1,000 kW{{r|kaitchanges}}
| erp = 1,000 kW
| haat = {{convert|527.4|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}{{r|kaitchanges}}
| haat = {{convert|527.4|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}{{r|kaitchanges}}
| facility_id = 13988
| facility_id = 13988
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| website = {{url|https://www.kait8.com/}}
| website = {{url|https://www.kait8.com/}}
}}
}}
[[File:Rick Crawford being interviewed by Diana Davis on KAIT-TV.jpg|thumb|Congressman [[Rick Crawford (politician)|Rick Crawford]] being interviewed by Diana Davis on KAIT in 2016.]]
'''KAIT''' (channel 8) is a [[television station]] in [[Jonesboro, Arkansas]], United States, affiliated with [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[NBC]], and [[The CW Plus]]. It is owned by [[Gray Media]] alongside [[Telemundo]] affiliate KJTB-LD (channel 36) and KJBW-LD (channel 35). The three stations share studios on New Haven Church Road ([[Craighead County, Arkansas|County Road]] 766) north of Jonesboro; KAIT's transmitter is located in [[Egypt, Arkansas]].
'''KAIT''' (channel 8) is a [[television station]] in [[Jonesboro, Arkansas]], United States, affiliated with [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[NBC]], and [[The CW Plus]]. It is owned by [[Gray Media]] alongside [[Telemundo]] affiliate KJTB-LD (channel 36) and KJBW-LD (channel 35). The three stations share studios on New Haven Church Road ([[Craighead County, Arkansas|County Road]] 766) north of Jonesboro; KAIT's transmitter is located in [[Egypt, Arkansas]].
KAIT began broadcasting in 1963 as an [[independent station]] before becoming an ABC affiliate in 1965. It was built by George Hernreich, a [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]] businessman. Hernreich paid bribes to an ABC representative in 1969, resulting in a years-long legal challenge that almost saw KAIT lose its [[broadcast license]]. After the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) reversed an earlier decision to revoke the KAIT license, the station was sold to Channel Communications in 1984, Cosmos Broadcasting in 1986, and [[Raycom Media]] in 2005. Under Raycom, KAIT added subchannels affiliated with NBC and The CW. Raycom merged with [[Gray Television]] in 2019. The station has traditionally dominated the Jonesboro [[media market]] in revenue and ratings, though its coverage area and viewership extends beyond the defined media market.


==History==
==History==
KAIT first signed on July 15, 1963, as an [[independent station]], a venture of [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]] businessman George Hernreich.<ref name="poindexter">{{cite book|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Station-Albums/Arkansas-Airwaves-Poindexter-1974.pdf|via=World Radio History|title=Arkansas Airwaves|first=Ray|last=Poindexter|date=1974|accessdate=June 16, 2024|page=382}}</ref><ref>[https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=84388 FCC History Cards for KAIT]. [[Federal Communications Commission]].</ref> It has been affiliated with ABC since 1965.
===Construction and early years===
Though channel 8 was assigned to [[Jonesboro, Arkansas|Jonesboro]] in 1952, it went unused for a decade. Jonesboro radio station [[KBTM]] applied for channel 8 in 1954<ref name="Sun540924">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-application-for-tv-channel-8-fil/175009933/|date=September 24, 1954|page=1|title=Application For TV Channel 8 Filed By KBTM|newspaper=Jonesboro Evening Sun|location=Jonesboro, Arkansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Fri --> and was granted a [[construction permit]] for KBTM-TV in 1955,<ref name="Sun550113">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-tv-permit-is-granted-kbtm/172218689/|date=January 13, 1955|page=1|title=TV Permit Is Granted KBTM|newspaper=Jonesboro Evening Sun|location=Jonesboro, Arkansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Thu --> only to seek to transfer it the next year to the owner of [[KATV]] in [[Pine Bluff, Arkansas|Pine Bluff]].<ref name="Sun560516">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-transfer-of-tv-permit-is-asked/172218700/|date=May 16, 1956|page=1|agency=Associated Press|title=Transfer Of TV Permit Is Asked|newspaper=Jonesboro Evening Sun|location=Jonesboro, Arkansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Wed --> KATV intended to use KBTM-TV to broadcast its [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] and other programming as well as local news and other programming, which would be produced by KBTM radio staff.<ref name="Sun560720">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-tv-operation-in-city-is-planned/172218727/|date=July 20, 1956|page=1|title=TV Operation In City Is Planned By December 1st|newspaper=Jonesboro Evening Sun|location=Jonesboro, Arkansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Fri --> Construction never started, and the permit was surrendered in late October 1957.<ref>{{Cite news|work=Broadcasting|page=88|title=KBTM-TV Surrenders Ch. 8 Cp|date=November 4, 1957|id={{pq|1285764358}} }}</ref> The surrender followed the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) issuing a letter to the station asking why it should not have its permit stripped.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tv Delays Evoke FCC Action|id={{pq|1285743079}} |page=92|work=Broadcasting|date=October 21, 1957}}</ref>


Most television markets in the country received at least two VHF commercial channels. However, the Jonesboro market could only receive ''one'' VHF license because it was sandwiched between [[Springfield, Missouri|Springfield]] (channels [[KYTV (TV station)|3]] and [[KOLR|10]]) to the west, [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] (channels [[WREG-TV|3]], [[WMC-TV|5]], [[WKNO (TV)|10]], and [[WHBQ-TV|13]]) to the east, [[Cape Girardeau]] (channels [[WSIL-TV|3]], [[WPSD-TV|6]], [[WSIU-TV|8]], and [[KFVS-TV|12]]) to the north, and [[Little Rock]] (channels [[Arkansas PBS|2]], [[KARK-TV|4]], [[KATV|7]], and [[KTHV|11]]) to the south. KAIT was fortunate to receive this license, and as a result became the only television station to serve Jonesboro until KTEJ signed on the air in May 1976.
Radio station [[KXJK]] in [[Forrest City, Arkansas]], asked the FCC in May 1958 to move channel 8 there. The proposal was rebutted by George Hernreich, a [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]] businessman, who declared his intention to apply for channel 8 at Jonesboro.<ref>{{Cite news|pages=54, 58|title=Station Absorption Fought by Hernreich|work=Broadcasting|date=July 14, 1958|id={{pq|1401226677}} }}</ref> The FCC denied the KXJK move request in February 1959<ref name="Sun590204">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-tv-channel-to-stay-in-city/172218754/|date=February 4, 1959|page=3|title=TV Channel To Stay In City|newspaper=Jonesboro Evening Sun|location=Jonesboro, Arkansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Wed --> and granted Hernreich's application for channel 8 on April 8, 1960,<ref name="hc">{{Cite web|url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/api/download/attachment/41166ba6-bfa0-ddcd-1332-fb330a84c8be|title=History Cards for KAIT|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]}}</ref> after KBTM (by this time under new ownership) withdrew a competing application.<ref name="Sun600409">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-permit-issued-for-tv-station-in/172218782/|date=April 9, 1960|page=1|agency=Associated Press|title=Permit Issued For TV Station In Jonesboro|newspaper=Jonesboro Evening Sun|location=Jonesboro, Arkansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Sat -->


The Hernreich family sold the station to Channel Communications in 1984. That company, in turn, sold KAIT to Cosmos Broadcasting, the broadcasting arm of [[South Carolina]]-based insurer [[Liberty Corporation]], in 1986. Liberty exited the insurance business in 2000, bringing the Cosmos stations directly under the Liberty banner. Previous owner [[Raycom Media]] obtained the station in 2005 through its purchase of Liberty.<ref>Warner, John. (August 25, 2005). [http://www.swampfox.ws/liberty-corporation-to-merge-with-raycom-media-inc Liberty Corporation to Merge with Raycom Media, Inc.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111015116/http://www.swampfox.ws/liberty-corporation-to-merge-with-raycom-media-inc|date=November 11, 2007}}</ref>
Construction of KAIT-TV began in early 1963 at a site {{Convert|4|mi|km}} north of Jonesboro.<ref name="Sun630121">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-television-station-to-start-oper/172204311/|date=January 21, 1963|page=1|title=Television Station To Start Operation Here|newspaper=Jonesboro Evening Sun|location=Jonesboro, Arkansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Mon --> During erection of the {{convert|300|ft|m|adj=on}} tower, the large antenna crashed to the ground.<ref name="Sun630212">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-huge-antenna-falls-300-feet/172204318/|date=February 12, 1963|page=1|title=Huge Antenna Falls 300 Feet|newspaper=Jonesboro Evening Sun|location=Jonesboro, Arkansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Tue --> After weeks of test patterns and sporadic other broadcasts,<ref name="Sun630708">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-kait-slated-to-go-on-air-within/172204324/|date=July 8, 1963|page=1|title=KAIT Slated To Go On Air Within Week|newspaper=The Sun|location=Jonesboro, Arkansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Mon --> KAIT-TV began regular programming on July 15, 1963. It was an [[independent station]] reliant on movies for most of its programming, airing local features including news and a children's show.<ref name="Sun630715">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-kait-to-make-debut-on-air-this-a/175011267/|date=July 15, 1963|page=1|title=KAIT To Make Debut On Air This Afternoon|newspaper=Jonesboro Evening Sun|location=Jonesboro, Arkansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Mon -->


Before the digital transition, the Little Rock-area VHF stations, including KATV (channel 7) and KARK (channel 4), adequately covered parts of the KAIT viewing area. Several [[cable television|cable]] systems in the KAIT viewing area, including Jonesboro and [[Blytheville]], have carried KATV for decades. In compliance with [[syndex]] and [[must-carry]] regulations, some systems may [[Blackout (broadcasting)|black out]] KATV and KARK when either station airs the same program as KAIT, usually during the daytime and prime time hours, except for breaking news, weather bulletins, and regularly-scheduled newscasts. Other cable systems in parts of the KAIT viewing area that are within the Little Rock television market that also carry KATV, such as in [[Searcy, Arkansas|Searcy]] and [[Heber Springs]], carry both stations without restrictions.{{cn|date=September 2023}}
===ABC affiliation and FCC hearing===
The station joined ABC on October 1, 1965, enabling the station to present color network programming and lengthening its broadcast day.<ref name="Sun650909">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-kait-tv-will-join-abc-net-on-oct/172204343/|date=September 9, 1965|page=1|title=KAIT-TV Will Join ABC Net On October 1|newspaper=Jonesboro Evening Sun|location=Jonesboro, Arkansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Thu --> Network affiliation provided resources that KAIT had instead been obtaining without permission. In 1966, the FCC fined Hernreich $1,000 for rebroadcasting programs from other stations over KAIT without their permission, as well as other violations. The rebroadcasts included coverage of the [[Watts riots]] and two [[Project Gemini]] launches, as well as excerpts from [[NBC]]'s ''[[Huntley-Brinkley Report]]''.<ref>{{cite news|work=Broadcasting|title=FCC sends three to the woodshed|page=62|date=September 12, 1966|id={{pq|1014522826}} }}</ref> KAIT renewed its ABC affiliation in 1967, and Hernreich sought increases in the network compensation rate ABC paid it to air network programming. Hernreich was successful in seeking these increases after he made two bribes to Thomas G. Sullivan, a regional station relations manager for the network.<ref name="BC730430">{{Cite news|title=FCC judge rejects Hernreich's claim of being victimized: McClenning proposes lifting licenses for involvement in payoff to network official|work=Broadcasting|date=April 30, 1973|id={{pq|1285752234}} }}</ref>


KAIT has been digital-only since June 12, 2009. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition VHF channel 9 to channel 8 for post-transition operations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds |access-date=March 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 }}</ref>
In March 1970, the FCC began a private investigation into allegations of station owners bribing ABC for network affiliation after ABC accused Sullivan of accepting a bribe from [[WPTD|WKTR-TV]] serving [[Dayton, Ohio]].{{r|BC710802}} After Sullivan was fired, ABC rescinded the compensation increases.{{r|BC730430}} The inquiry implicated Hernreich and indicated that he may have paid an ABC representative. As a result, in July 1971, the FCC designated KAIT-TV's [[broadcast license]] renewal for hearing. It allowed Hernreich to start broadcasting [[KHBS|KFPW-TV]] at Fort Smith but conditioned a final license on the outcome of the hearing.<ref name="BC710802">{{cite news|title=FCC-network probe alleged ABC payoff: Hearings called to examine Arkansas broadcaster's applications for licenses|page=28|work=Broadcasting|date=August 2, 1971|id={{pq|1016850704}} }}</ref> In April 1973, FCC [[administrative law judge]] Forest L. McClenning ruled that Hernreich should lose the licenses for both stations. He found that Hernreich lacked the qualifications to be a broadcast licensee, putting his other holdings—two AM radio stations and an FM outlet in other Arkansas cities—in peril. McClenning rejected allegations from Hernreich that the payments were made on threat of losing the ABC affiliation for KAIT-TV.{{r|BC730430}} On appeal to the FCC in 1974, Hernreich won a license for KFPW-TV in Fort Smith and was found to be generally qualified, but the commission on a 3-2 vote denied a license renewal for KAIT-TV.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Hernreich loses KAIT-TV license, retains KFPW-TV's: Ark. broadcaster's renewal denied after FCC holds his payment of bribe for ABC affiliation favors beyond pale of Chairman Wiley's 'new ethic'|page=18|work=Broadcasting|date=July 22, 1974|id={{pq|1014665143}} }}</ref>


===Sale to Gray Television===
Hernreich petitioned the FCC to reconsider its split action on his television licenses, arguing that such a decision on his actions did not hold water and claiming that the profits from the Jonesboro station were necessary to run KFPW-TV in Fort Smith.<ref>{{cite news|page=20|title=Hernreich: One denial, one renewal doesn't add: Arkansas station owner says if he's qualified to run KFPW-TV he ought to be allowed to operate KAIT-TV; FCC asked to take another look|id={{pq|1016878602}}|date=August 26, 1974}}</ref> His attorneys claimed that the decision was inconsistent and failed to account for ABC's role in the bribery scandal.<ref>{{cite news|title=FCC errors claimed in Hernreich denial: KAIT-TV counsel says role of ABC in alleged bribery wasn't considered, contends inconsistencies in decision|id={{pq|1016881188}}|work=Broadcasting|page=19|date=December 23, 1974}}</ref> The FCC ultimately agreed with Hernreich and reversed its 1974 decision in 1979, allowing KAIT-TV to remain on the air.<ref>{{Cite news|page=25|title=In Brief|work=Broadcasting|id={{pq|1016899125}}|date=May 14, 1979}}</ref>
On June 25, 2018, [[Atlanta]]-based [[Gray Television]] announced it had reached an agreement with Raycom to merge their respective broadcasting assets (consisting of Raycom's 63 existing owned-and/or-operated television stations, including KAIT, and Gray's 93 television stations) under the former's corporate umbrella. The cash-and-stock merger transaction valued at $3.6 billion – in which Gray shareholders acquired preferred stock then held by Raycom – resulted in Gray's entry into Arkansas with KAIT.<ref>{{cite press release|title=GRAY AND RAYCOM TO COMBINE IN A $3.6 BILLION TRANSACTION|url=https://www.raycommedia.com/gray-and-raycom-to-combine-in-a-3-6-billion-transaction/#amnewsers|website=[[Raycom Media]]|date=June 25, 2018|access-date=June 26, 2018|archive-date=June 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625161249/https://www.raycommedia.com/gray-and-raycom-to-combine-in-a-3-6-billion-transaction/#amnewsers|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="graycom">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/114556/gray-to-buy-raycom-for-36-billion|title=Gray To Buy Raycom For $3.6 Billion|last=Miller|first=Mark K.|work=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheckMedia|date=June 25, 2018|access-date=June 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Gray Buying Raycom for $3.6B|url=https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/gray-buying-raycom-for-3-6b|author=John Eggerton|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=NewBay Media|date=June 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Gray Acquiring Raycom For $3.65B, Forming No. 3 Local TV Group|url=https://deadline.com/2018/06/grey-acquiring-raycom-for-3-65-billion-forming-no-3-local-tv-group-1202416667/|author=Dade Hayes|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|date=June 25, 2018}}</ref> The sale was approved on December 20,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Eggerton |first1=John |title=FCC OK With Gray-Raycom Merger |url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/fcc-ok-with-gray-raycom-merger |website=Broadcasting & Cable |access-date=February 9, 2022 |date=December 20, 2018}}</ref> and was completed on January 2, 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/227754/gray-closes-3-6-billion-raycom-merger/|title=Gray Closes On $3.6 Billion Raycom Merger|work=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheckMedia|date=January 2, 2019|access-date=January 3, 2019|archive-date=January 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103060110/https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/227754/gray-closes-3-6-billion-raycom-merger/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[https://gray.tv/uploads/documents/pressreleases/Press%20Release%20re%20Completion%20of%20Raycom%20Acquisition.pdf "Gray Completes Acquisition of Raycom Media and Related Transactions"], [[Gray Television]], January 2, 2019, Retrieved January 2, 2019.</ref>


===Transmitter upgrades===
===Channel and Cosmos/Liberty ownership===
On October 4, 2021, KAIT announced it would upgrade its main transmitter to improve its broadcast signal, forcing many antenna viewers to rescan their channels before November 9 so that they would not lose access to the three subchannels,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Antenna Users - Tower work complete! Rescan your sets for best signal|url=https://www.kait8.com/page/antenna-users-get-ready-to-rescan|access-date=November 11, 2021|website=www.kait8.com|date=October 3, 2021 }}</ref><ref name="kaitchanges">{{cite web|url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/draftCopy.html?displayType=html&appKey=25076ff375d87a440175dcca79550bf9&id=25076ff375d87a440175dcca79550bf9&goBack=N|title=Channel Substitution/Community of License Change|work=Licensing and Management System|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|date=November 27, 2020|access-date=November 28, 2020}}</ref><ref>[https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-21-595A1.pdf "Report & Order"], Media Bureau, [[Federal Communications Commission]], May 20, 2021, Retrieved May 20, 2021.</ref> and causing KAIT to broadcast over the K24NY-D transmitter for one week.
After KAIT-TV's license was renewed, George Hernreich stepped down as chairman of Hernreich Broadcasting Stations in 1980.<ref name="Sun800104">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-hernreich-broadcasting-announces/175013437/|date=January 4, 1980|page=9|title=Hernreich Broadcasting Announces Changes|newspaper=The Jonesboro Sun|location=Jonesboro, Arkansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Fri --> In 1981, the station installed a new transmitter, increasing its coverage area. Three years later, his son Bob—citing the distance between Jonesboro and Fort Smith and an interest to pursue other business ventures—sold KAIT for $22 million to Channel Communications, Inc. of [[Nashville, Tennessee]]. Channel was a subsidiary of NASCO, Inc., a maker of licensed goods for the [[National Football League]] diversifying into the broadcasting business.<ref name="Sun840214">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-kait-television-station-sells-fo/172265822/|date=February 14, 1984|page=1|first=Bob|last=Troutt|title=KAIT Television Station Sells For $22 Million|newspaper=The Jonesboro Sun|location=Jonesboro, Arkansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Tue --> KAIT was the second of three stations Channel purchased between August 1983 and May 1984, after [[KPLC]] in [[Lake Charles, Louisiana]], but before [[WQHS-DT|WCLQ-TV]] in [[Cleveland]].<ref name="Tenn840506">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-nasco-acquires-tv-station/109339042/|date=May 6, 1984|pages=1-I, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-nasco-acquires-cleveland/109339048/ 8-I]|first=Albert|last=Cason|title=Nasco Acquires TV Station In Cleveland|newspaper=The Tennessean|location=Nashville, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Sun -->


==Subchannel history==
After two years, Channel Communications exited broadcasting. It agreed to sell KAIT and KPLC to Cosmos Broadcasting Inc., the broadcasting arm of [[South Carolina]]–based insurer [[Liberty Corporation]], for a combined $68 million.<ref name="Tenn861003">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-nasco-to-sell-3-tv-statio/60162960/|date=October 3, 1986|page=5-B|title=NASCO to sell 3 TV stations for $83 million|newspaper=The Tennessean|location=Nashville, Tennessee|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Fri --> Cosmos included KAIT and two other stations in an attempted sale to Broad Street Companies of [[New Haven, Connecticut]], in 1992;<ref name="Sun920623">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-sale-of-kait-is-reported-in-the/172204374/|date=June 23, 1992|pages=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-sale/172204370/ 2A]|title=Sale of KAIT is reported in the works|newspaper=The Jonesboro Sun|location=Jonesboro, Arkansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Tue --> the deal never closed, as Broad Street failed to finance the transaction.<ref name="Sun921030">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-kait-station-sale-will-not-be-co/172221477/|date=October 30, 1992|pages=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-kait/172221512/ 2A]|title=KAIT station sale will not be completed|newspaper=The Sun|location=Jonesboro, Arkansas|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Fri -->
===KAIT-DT2===
'''KAIT-DT2''' is the [[NBC]]-affiliated second digital subchannel of KAIT. [[terrestrial television|Over the air]], KAIT-DT2 broadcasts a [[720p]] [[high-definition television|high definition]] signal (downconverted from the native [[1080i]] resolution of the NBC network, to preserve bandwidth so that KAIT-DT3 can transmit in 720p HD over-the-air) on channel 8.2; however, a direct-to-cable full 1080i high definition feed of this subchannel is available on select cable providers.<ref name=ritterlineup>{{cite web|url=https://www.rittercommunications.com/lineup-nea-jonesboro-dma|title=Northeast Arkansas/Southeast Missouri Cable TV Channel Lineup|publisher=Ritter Communications|access-date=September 1, 2018}}</ref>


KAIT began carrying NBC programming on its second digital subchannel on January 26, 2015.<ref>{{cite news|title=Jonesboro Gets New Fox TV Affiliate - Talk Business & Politics|url=https://talkbusiness.net/2015/06/jonesboro-gets-new-fox-tv-affiliate/|access-date=April 19, 2018|work=Talk Business & Politics|date=June 7, 2015}}</ref> The subchannel used to broadcast 24/7 weather coverage, and occasionally local sports coverage, starting in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.astate.edu/news/television-lineup-for-asu-troy-game-includes-espn3-kait-and-katv-digital-channels|title=Television Lineup For ASU Troy Game Includes ESPN3, KAIT, and KATV Digital Channels|date=November 15, 2012}}</ref>
In January 2003, KAIT began broadcasting a digital signal.<ref name="BC030505">{{Cite news|title=One Station, Many Rivals|first=Mark|last=Miller|work=Broadcasting & Cable|date=May 5, 2003|page=13|id={{pq|225240661}} }}</ref> KAIT shut down its analog signal on June 12, 2009, and relocated its digital signal relocated from its pre-transition VHF channel 9 to channel 8 for post-transition operations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds |access-date=March 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 }}</ref>


===KAIT-DT3===
===Raycom and Gray ownership===
'''KAIT-DT3''' is the [[The CW|CW]]-affiliated third digital subchannel of KAIT, broadcasting in 720p high definition on channel 8.3 (hence the on-air branding '''KAIT CW 8.3'''<ref name="kaitdt3"/>). All programming on KAIT-DT3 is received through The CW's programming feed for smaller media markets, [[The CW Plus]], which provides a set schedule of syndicated programming acquired by The CW for broadcast during time periods outside of the network's regular programming hours; however, Gray Television handles local advertising and promotional services for the subchannel. Upon its inception, KAIT-DT3 had been broadcast in the [[16:9]] [[widescreen]] [[standard definition]] picture format as, meanwhile, a direct-to-cable 720p high definition feed of this subchannel had been made available on select cable providers;<ref name=ritterlineup/> however, ever since an upgrade to KAIT's [[Multiplex (television)|multiplexer]] equipment sometime in October 2019, KAIT-DT3 has been broadcasting in HD over-the-air as well.
Liberty exited the insurance business in 2000 and merged with [[Raycom Media]] in 2006.<ref name="Gree051207">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-greenville-news-liberty-seals-deal-w/175019827/|date=December 7, 2005|pages=9A, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-greenville-news-liberty/175019808/ 12A]|first=David|last=Dykes|title=Liberty seals deal with Raycom: Shareholders vote to support merger|newspaper=The Greenville News|location=Greenville, South Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Wed --><ref name="Stat060201">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-state-liberty-corp-shares-cease-tra/175019902/|date=February 1, 2006|page=B8|title=Liberty Corp. shares cease trading|newspaper=The State|location=Columbia, South Carolina|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=June 22, 2025}}</ref><!-- Wed --> Under Raycom, KAIT added two [[digital subchannel]]s offering additional national networks. On January 26, 2015, it launched an NBC affiliate on its 8.2 subchannel,<ref name="BC141231">{{Cite news |last=Malone |first=Michael |date=2014-12-31 |title=KAIT Jonesboro to Launch NBC As Multicast |url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/kait-jonesboro-launch-nbc-multicast-136685 |access-date=2025-06-22 |work=Broadcasting & Cable |language=en |archive-date=March 15, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250315103345/https://www.nexttv.com/news/kait-jonesboro-launch-nbc-multicast-136685 |url-status=live }}</ref> previously used to broadcast weather and occasional local sports coverage.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.astate.edu/news/television-lineup-for-asu-troy-game-includes-espn3-kait-and-katv-digital-channels|title=Television Lineup For ASU Troy Game Includes ESPN3, KAIT, and KATV Digital Channels|website=Arkansas State University|date=November 15, 2012}}</ref> KAIT, which had garnered nearly 97 percent of all television advertising revenue in Jonesboro in 2013,{{r|BC141231}} received competition later in 2015 when [[Waypoint Media]] launched in-market [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] and [[CBS]] affiliate [[KJNB-LD]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Jonesboro Gets New Fox TV Affiliate - Talk Business & Politics|url=https://talkbusiness.net/2015/06/jonesboro-gets-new-fox-tv-affiliate/|access-date=April 19, 2018|work=Talk Business & Politics|date=June 7, 2015|archive-date=April 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180420135705/https://talkbusiness.net/2015/06/jonesboro-gets-new-fox-tv-affiliate/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|work=Talk Business & Politics|url=https://talkbusiness.net/2015/07/jonesboro-market-to-get-cbs-affiliate/|first=Michael|last=Wilkey|title=Jonesboro Market To Get CBS Affiliate|date=July 31, 2015|archive-date=March 19, 2025|access-date=June 22, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250319154147/https://talkbusiness.net/2015/07/jonesboro-market-to-get-cbs-affiliate/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, KAIT added [[The CW]] on subchannel 8.3.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kait8.com/story/38731455/kait-launching-new-cw-affiliate-in-region-8|title=KAIT launching new CW affiliate in Region 8|date=July 25, 2018|website=KAIT|access-date=July 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kait8.com/2018/08/31/better-region-labor-day-weekend/|title=A Better Region 8: Labor Day Weekend includes the new CW on 8.3|date=August 30, 2018|website=KAIT|access-date=April 28, 2020}}</ref>


The subchannel used to broadcast [[The Tube Music Network|The Tube]] beginning in 2006, until the network’s shutdown on October 1, 2007. The subchannel would not rebroadcast until 11 years later.
Raycom merged with [[Gray Television]] in a deal announced in 2018 and finalized in 2019.<ref name="graycom">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/114556/gray-to-buy-raycom-for-36-billion|title=Gray To Buy Raycom For $3.6 Billion|last=Miller|first=Mark K.|work=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheckMedia|date=June 25, 2018|access-date=June 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/227754/gray-closes-3-6-billion-raycom-merger/|title=Gray Closes On $3.6 Billion Raycom Merger|work=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheckMedia|date=January 2, 2019|access-date=January 3, 2019|archive-date=January 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103060110/https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/227754/gray-closes-3-6-billion-raycom-merger/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2021, the station moved its transmissions from the VHF to the UHF band.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Antenna Users - Tower work complete! Rescan your sets for best signal|url=https://www.kait8.com/page/antenna-users-get-ready-to-rescan|access-date=November 11, 2021|website=www.kait8.com|date=October 3, 2021 }}</ref><ref name="kaitchanges">{{cite web|url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/draftCopy.html?displayType=html&appKey=25076ff375d87a440175dcca79550bf9&id=25076ff375d87a440175dcca79550bf9&goBack=N|title=Channel Substitution/Community of License Change|work=Licensing and Management System|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|date=November 27, 2020|access-date=November 28, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-21-595A1.pdf|title=Report & Order|publisher=Media Bureau, [[Federal Communications Commission]]|date=May 20, 2021|access-date=May 20, 2021}}</ref>
 
On July 25, 2018, KAIT announced it would be bringing The CW programming (via their national CW+ service) into the Jonesboro market through a third subchannel, starting on September 1, 2018;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kait8.com/story/38731455/kait-launching-new-cw-affiliate-in-region-8|title=KAIT launching new CW affiliate in Region 8|date=July 25, 2018|website=KAIT|access-date=July 26, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kait8.com/2018/08/31/better-region-labor-day-weekend/|title=A Better Region 8: Labor Day Weekend includes the new CW on 8.3|date=August 30, 2018|website=KAIT|access-date=April 28, 2020}}</ref> CW programming had previously been seen on cable systems under the unofficial call sign "KJOS" (which stood for "K-Jonesboro's WB 21"). "KJOS" seamlessly became associated with the new CW network (branded as "Jonesboro's CW 21"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yourcwtv.com/partners/jonesboro/images/154_CW_Jonesboro_White.png|title=The Official Logo Of "KJOS" During Its Days As Jonesboro's CW 21}}</ref>) on September 18, 2006, after the merger of The WB and [[UPN]] into that one network.
 
On September 11, 2020, KAIT-DT3 started broadcasting [[Tegna Inc.|Tegna]]'s ''[[Daily Blast Live]]'' at noon.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Find DBL On Your Local Station|url=https://www.dailyblastlive.com/listings/index.html|access-date=October 13, 2021|website=Daily Blast Live}}</ref>


==News operation==
==News operation==
KAIT presently broadcasts {{frac|24|1|2}} hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with {{frac|4|1|2}} hours each weekday and one hour each on Saturdays and Sundays).
[[File:Rick Crawford being interviewed by Diana Davis on KAIT-TV.jpg|thumb|Congressman [[Rick Crawford (politician)|Rick Crawford]] being interviewed by Diana Davis on KAIT in 2016|alt=Refer to caption]]
{{As of|2025}}, KAIT broadcasts {{frac|24|1|2}} hours of locally produced newscasts each week, including a {{frac|2|1|2}}-hour morning newscast on weekdays, ''Good Morning Region 8''; weekday newscasts at 11 a.m. and 5, 6, and 10 p.m.; and two weekend newscasts daily.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://publicfiles.fcc.gov/api/manager/download/d4a9df44-1dc7-e03e-af6f-fa0c519e0fd3/0b027b24-06ba-4a92-bba0-d9a934e0b1d7.pdf|website=Public Inspection File|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|title=Quarterly List of Programming Providing Most Significant Treatment of Community Issues (First Quarter 2025)|date=March 31, 2025}}</ref>


In addition to reporting on local news stories, members of KAIT's reporting staff are also employed as photojournalists for the station. On October 15, 2007, beginning with the 5 p.m. newscast, KAIT's local newscasts were rebranded, replacing the former ''K8 News'' branding with ''Region 8 News'', a branding the station had used during much of the 1980s. The station's longtime slogan "Good Neighbors You Can Turn To" (also "Your Good Neighbor Station") was also replaced with a new slogan ("Always Tracking. Always Watching. Always On."). On May 1, 2023, beginning with its 5 p.m. newscast, the station switched back to the name ''K8 News'', also switching to a new slogan ("Live. Local. Now.")
KAIT has historically served a larger coverage area than its media market. This is because there are counties where KAIT was the most-viewed station but the stations in [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] or [[Memphis, Tennessee]], collectively had higher share, causing them to be drawn into that market.{{r|BC030505}} Within that market, however, KAIT has traditionally dominated the Memphis stations as the only local news source.<ref>{{Cite news|title=NBC Newscast in Fayetteville to Add Competition to Market|first=Lance|last=Turner|work=Arkansas Business|date=May 15, 2000|id={{pq|220375436}} }}</ref>
 
On September 16, 2011, KAIT announced that upgrade its newscasts to [[high-definition television|high definition]], and broadcast from a new set; the following night, fellow ABC affiliate KATV in Little Rock started broadcasting its local newscasts in HD. On October 17, 2011, beginning with its 11 a.m. newscast, KAIT became the fourth station in Arkansas (the first in Jonesboro) to broadcast its local newscast in high definition.
 
Although not owned by the same company, KAIT frequently forms a partnership with the Jonesboro Radio Group for community projects and promotions. The three Jonesboro Radio Group stations involved in the partnership are [[KEGI]] (100.5 FM), [[KDXY]] (104.9 FM) and [[KJBX]] (106.3 FM). An audio simulcast of KAIT's 6 p.m. newscast airs weekday evenings on KJBX.


===Notable former on-air staff===
===Notable former on-air staff===
* [[Rodger Bumpass]] – [[continuity announcer|announcer]], film processor, cameraman, audio technician, and technical director
* [[Rodger Bumpass]] – [[continuity announcer|announcer]], film processor, cameraman, audio technician, and technical director, 1970s<ref name="EAHC">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/rodger-bumpass-4473/|title=Rodger Bumpass (1951–)|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture|The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture]]|access-date=June 21, 2025}}</ref>
* [[Hogan Gidley]] – news/weather anchor<ref>{{Citation|last=Troy Diggs|title=KAIT - Midday Promo - 2000|date=April 25, 2007|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQSBcLspVCE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/tQSBcLspVCE |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=October 12, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* [[Hogan Gidley]] – news/weather anchor<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-10-13 |title=Arkansan joins Trump team, will work in White House as deputy press secretary |work=Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette |url-access=subscription |url=https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2017/oct/13/arkansan-joins-trump-team-20171013-1/ |access-date=2025-06-22 |first=Frank E.|last=Lockwood |language=en}}</ref>


==Technical information==
==Technical information==
Line 101: Line 95:
| KAITCW || [[The CW Plus]]
| KAITCW || [[The CW Plus]]
|}
|}
===Former translator===
For many years, KAIT also operated a [[low-power broadcasting#Television|low-power]] [[broadcast relay station#Broadcast translators|translator station]], K11JW, in nearby Blytheville.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Annuals/Archive-Television-Factbook-IDX/IDX/80s/TV-Factbook-1988-OCR-Page-1455.pdf |title=Translators Owned & Operated by Television Stations - August 1987}}</ref> It is not to be confused with present-day K11JW-D in [[Russellville, Arkansas|Russellville]], currently serving as a translator for [[Arkansas PBS]] station KAFT.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=print_station&facility_id=756266|title=Technical information for K11JW-D}}</ref>
==Out-of-market coverage==
KAIT's home market only comprises [[Craighead County, Arkansas|Craighead]], [[Clay County, Arkansas|Clay]], [[Greene County, Arkansas|Greene]], [[Jackson County, Arkansas|Jackson]], [[Lawrence County, Arkansas|Lawrence]], [[Randolph County, Arkansas|Randolph]], and [[Sharp County, Arkansas|Sharp]] counties in Arkansas. With KAIT's 28,200 [[watt]]s worth of effective radiated power, KAIT's signal can extend into nearby portions of all neighboring markets (e.g. the Memphis, Little Rock, [[Springfield, MO]], and [[Cape Girardeau, MO]]–[[Paducah, KY]] markets). Even after the digital transition of 2009, KAIT's over-the-air signal can still be picked up as far south as [[Forrest City]], as far north as [[Hendrickson, Missouri]], as far west as [[Mountain View, Arkansas|Mountain View]] and as far east as [[Tiptonville, Tennessee]], and [[Caruthersville, Missouri]]. Some of the northern suburbs of Memphis can also pick up at least a grade B signal.<ref>[http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/maps_current/Jonesboro_AR.pdf Coverage Maps for the Jonesboro, Arkansas media market]. [[Federal Communications Commission]] (2009).</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rabbitears.info/contour.php?appid=1325585|title=RabbitEars.Info|website=www.rabbitears.info}}</ref>
KAIT was dropped from New Wave Communications in Southeast Missouri, in favor of in-market ABC affiliate [[WSIL-TV|WSIL]] and NBC affiliate [[WPSD]] on December 31, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://showmetimes.com/Blogpost/v9dm/New-Wave-Communications-Programming-Changes-for-the-New-Year|title=New Wave Communications Programming Changes for the New Year|first=Show Me|last=Times|date=January 1, 2018|website=ShowMe Times}}</ref>


== See also ==
== See also ==
* [[2020 Jonesboro tornado]], an event covered extensively by KAIT
* [[2020 Jonesboro tornado]], an event covered extensively by KAIT


Latest revision as of 04:16, 22 June 2025

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherTemplate:Main otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". KAIT (channel 8) is a television station in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States, affiliated with ABC, NBC, and The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Media alongside Telemundo affiliate KJTB-LD (channel 36) and KJBW-LD (channel 35). The three stations share studios on New Haven Church Road (County Road 766) north of Jonesboro; KAIT's transmitter is located in Egypt, Arkansas.

KAIT began broadcasting in 1963 as an independent station before becoming an ABC affiliate in 1965. It was built by George Hernreich, a Fort Smith businessman. Hernreich paid bribes to an ABC representative in 1969, resulting in a years-long legal challenge that almost saw KAIT lose its broadcast license. After the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reversed an earlier decision to revoke the KAIT license, the station was sold to Channel Communications in 1984, Cosmos Broadcasting in 1986, and Raycom Media in 2005. Under Raycom, KAIT added subchannels affiliated with NBC and The CW. Raycom merged with Gray Television in 2019. The station has traditionally dominated the Jonesboro media market in revenue and ratings, though its coverage area and viewership extends beyond the defined media market.

History

Construction and early years

Though channel 8 was assigned to Jonesboro in 1952, it went unused for a decade. Jonesboro radio station KBTM applied for channel 8 in 1954[1] and was granted a construction permit for KBTM-TV in 1955,[2] only to seek to transfer it the next year to the owner of KATV in Pine Bluff.[3] KATV intended to use KBTM-TV to broadcast its ABC and other programming as well as local news and other programming, which would be produced by KBTM radio staff.[4] Construction never started, and the permit was surrendered in late October 1957.[5] The surrender followed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issuing a letter to the station asking why it should not have its permit stripped.[6]

Radio station KXJK in Forrest City, Arkansas, asked the FCC in May 1958 to move channel 8 there. The proposal was rebutted by George Hernreich, a Fort Smith businessman, who declared his intention to apply for channel 8 at Jonesboro.[7] The FCC denied the KXJK move request in February 1959[8] and granted Hernreich's application for channel 8 on April 8, 1960,[9] after KBTM (by this time under new ownership) withdrew a competing application.[10]

Construction of KAIT-TV began in early 1963 at a site Template:Convert north of Jonesboro.[11] During erection of the Template:Convert tower, the large antenna crashed to the ground.[12] After weeks of test patterns and sporadic other broadcasts,[13] KAIT-TV began regular programming on July 15, 1963. It was an independent station reliant on movies for most of its programming, airing local features including news and a children's show.[14]

ABC affiliation and FCC hearing

The station joined ABC on October 1, 1965, enabling the station to present color network programming and lengthening its broadcast day.[15] Network affiliation provided resources that KAIT had instead been obtaining without permission. In 1966, the FCC fined Hernreich $1,000 for rebroadcasting programs from other stations over KAIT without their permission, as well as other violations. The rebroadcasts included coverage of the Watts riots and two Project Gemini launches, as well as excerpts from NBC's Huntley-Brinkley Report.[16] KAIT renewed its ABC affiliation in 1967, and Hernreich sought increases in the network compensation rate ABC paid it to air network programming. Hernreich was successful in seeking these increases after he made two bribes to Thomas G. Sullivan, a regional station relations manager for the network.[17]

In March 1970, the FCC began a private investigation into allegations of station owners bribing ABC for network affiliation after ABC accused Sullivan of accepting a bribe from WKTR-TV serving Dayton, Ohio.Template:R After Sullivan was fired, ABC rescinded the compensation increases.Template:R The inquiry implicated Hernreich and indicated that he may have paid an ABC representative. As a result, in July 1971, the FCC designated KAIT-TV's broadcast license renewal for hearing. It allowed Hernreich to start broadcasting KFPW-TV at Fort Smith but conditioned a final license on the outcome of the hearing.[18] In April 1973, FCC administrative law judge Forest L. McClenning ruled that Hernreich should lose the licenses for both stations. He found that Hernreich lacked the qualifications to be a broadcast licensee, putting his other holdings—two AM radio stations and an FM outlet in other Arkansas cities—in peril. McClenning rejected allegations from Hernreich that the payments were made on threat of losing the ABC affiliation for KAIT-TV.Template:R On appeal to the FCC in 1974, Hernreich won a license for KFPW-TV in Fort Smith and was found to be generally qualified, but the commission on a 3-2 vote denied a license renewal for KAIT-TV.[19]

Hernreich petitioned the FCC to reconsider its split action on his television licenses, arguing that such a decision on his actions did not hold water and claiming that the profits from the Jonesboro station were necessary to run KFPW-TV in Fort Smith.[20] His attorneys claimed that the decision was inconsistent and failed to account for ABC's role in the bribery scandal.[21] The FCC ultimately agreed with Hernreich and reversed its 1974 decision in 1979, allowing KAIT-TV to remain on the air.[22]

Channel and Cosmos/Liberty ownership

After KAIT-TV's license was renewed, George Hernreich stepped down as chairman of Hernreich Broadcasting Stations in 1980.[23] In 1981, the station installed a new transmitter, increasing its coverage area. Three years later, his son Bob—citing the distance between Jonesboro and Fort Smith and an interest to pursue other business ventures—sold KAIT for $22 million to Channel Communications, Inc. of Nashville, Tennessee. Channel was a subsidiary of NASCO, Inc., a maker of licensed goods for the National Football League diversifying into the broadcasting business.[24] KAIT was the second of three stations Channel purchased between August 1983 and May 1984, after KPLC in Lake Charles, Louisiana, but before WCLQ-TV in Cleveland.[25]

After two years, Channel Communications exited broadcasting. It agreed to sell KAIT and KPLC to Cosmos Broadcasting Inc., the broadcasting arm of South Carolina–based insurer Liberty Corporation, for a combined $68 million.[26] Cosmos included KAIT and two other stations in an attempted sale to Broad Street Companies of New Haven, Connecticut, in 1992;[27] the deal never closed, as Broad Street failed to finance the transaction.[28]

In January 2003, KAIT began broadcasting a digital signal.[29] KAIT shut down its analog signal on June 12, 2009, and relocated its digital signal relocated from its pre-transition VHF channel 9 to channel 8 for post-transition operations.[30]

Raycom and Gray ownership

Liberty exited the insurance business in 2000 and merged with Raycom Media in 2006.[31][32] Under Raycom, KAIT added two digital subchannels offering additional national networks. On January 26, 2015, it launched an NBC affiliate on its 8.2 subchannel,[33] previously used to broadcast weather and occasional local sports coverage.[34] KAIT, which had garnered nearly 97 percent of all television advertising revenue in Jonesboro in 2013,Template:R received competition later in 2015 when Waypoint Media launched in-market Fox and CBS affiliate KJNB-LD.[35][36] In 2018, KAIT added The CW on subchannel 8.3.[37][38]

Raycom merged with Gray Television in a deal announced in 2018 and finalized in 2019.[39][40] In 2021, the station moved its transmissions from the VHF to the UHF band.[41][42][43]

News operation

Refer to caption
Congressman Rick Crawford being interviewed by Diana Davis on KAIT in 2016

Template:As of, KAIT broadcasts <templatestyles src="Fraction/styles.css" />24+1⁄2 hours of locally produced newscasts each week, including a <templatestyles src="Fraction/styles.css" />2+1⁄2-hour morning newscast on weekdays, Good Morning Region 8; weekday newscasts at 11 a.m. and 5, 6, and 10 p.m.; and two weekend newscasts daily.[44]

KAIT has historically served a larger coverage area than its media market. This is because there are counties where KAIT was the most-viewed station but the stations in Little Rock or Memphis, Tennessee, collectively had higher share, causing them to be drawn into that market.Template:R Within that market, however, KAIT has traditionally dominated the Memphis stations as the only local news source.[45]

Notable former on-air staff

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KAIT[48]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
8.1 720p 16:9 KAITAB ABC
8.2 KAITNB NBC
8.3 KAITCW The CW Plus

See also

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Commons category-inline

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Template:Jonesboro TV Template:TV Stations Arkansas Template:Gray TV Template:Authority control

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  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  44. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  47. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  48. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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