KAKW-DT
KAKW-DT is a full-power Spanish-language Univision television station licensed to Killeen, Texas, and serving the Austin-area audience.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KAKW-DT is a full-power television station licensed to Killeen, Texas, and operated as the Univision outlet serving the Austin area. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 62 and is part of the TelevisaUnivision station portfolio. Its facilities and much of its local operational activity are based in Austin, while its transmitter is located in unincorporated Williamson County, approximately between Austin and Killeen. This gives the station an unusual service profile: its formal city of license is associated with the Waco–Killeen–Temple television market, but its programming, news coverage, advertising, and brand presentation are primarily oriented toward Austin and Central Texas. KAKW first went on the air on May 31, 1996. It was initially owned by White Knight Broadcasting and launched as a primary UPN affiliate with a secondary affiliation with The WB. Communications Corporation of America, which operated other Central Texas stations, supplied sales and related services under a commercial inventory agreement. In its early years, KAKW also provided an alternate UPN signal for viewers in the Austin area. The station later became a primary WB affiliate in January 2001 while continuing to carry UPN programming on a secondary basis. A major change came in October 2001, when White Knight agreed to sell KAKW to Univision for a reported $30 million. The WB challenged the transaction in court because the station's WB affiliation agreement was not scheduled to expire until 2008. Univision nevertheless assumed control on January 7, 2002, at which point KAKW dropped both its WB and UPN affiliations and became a Univision owned-and-operated station. The conversion made KAKW the first full-power Spanish-language television station serving Austin. Univision expanded the station's effective market focus to Austin, invested in a local news operation, and introduced Spanish-language newscasts aimed at Central Texas viewers. KAKW's local identity is built around Spanish-language network programming, local news, weather, traffic, and community-oriented coverage. It broadcasts weekday evening newscasts at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., with a combined five hours of locally produced news each week. The station has also participated in regional news initiatives shared by Univision-owned stations in Texas. In 2015, it joined the Noticias Texas regional morning newscast, which included local weather and traffic inserts. In 2019, KAKW began airing Noticias Texas Central, a morning program produced at sister station KWEX-DT in San Antonio; KWEX also produces the station's midday and weekend newscasts while drawing on shared reporting resources. The station is co-located with low-power Class A UniMás outlet KTFO-CD at studios on North Loop Boulevard in Austin. KTFO-CD was formerly a KAKW low-power repeater, known as KAKW-CA, until its affiliation and call-sign changes in 2009. KAKW completed the federally mandated transition from analog to digital broadcasting on June 12, 2009. Its digital signal remained on VHF channel 13 while retaining virtual channel 62. Today, KAKW functions as a local broadcast brand within Univision's Central Texas network, combining national Spanish-language programming with locally targeted journalism and advertising.
History
KAKW-DT began broadcasting on May 31, 1996, as a station licensed to Killeen, Texas. White Knight Broadcasting owned the station, while Communications Corporation of America provided sales and other operational services under a commercial inventory arrangement. KAKW initially served the Waco–Killeen–Temple market as a primary UPN affiliate and a secondary WB affiliate. It had secured the UPN affiliation before launch, and its WB carriage was connected to the earlier role of KYLE-TV in the regional television market. During its first years, KAKW also served as an alternate UPN outlet for Austin viewers. This role became less significant as other stations developed in the region. In January 2001, KAKW made The WB its primary affiliation while retaining UPN programming on a secondary basis. In October 2001, White Knight agreed to sell KAKW to Univision for a reported $30 million. The WB opposed the transaction and filed litigation, arguing that KAKW remained bound by a WB affiliation agreement that was not due to expire until January 2008. Univision assumed control on January 7, 2002. At that time, KAKW ended its WB and UPN affiliations and became a Univision owned-and-operated station. The conversion fundamentally changed the station's identity. Univision expanded KAKW's focus toward Austin and made it the first full-power Spanish-language television station serving that city. The new owner also invested in a local news department and began producing Spanish-language newscasts on weekday evenings. Although KAKW remained licensed to Killeen and associated with the Waco–Killeen–Temple market, its studios, local advertising activity, and much of its news positioning became oriented toward Austin and the broader Central Texas Hispanic audience. KAKW formerly operated a low-power Austin repeater, KAKW-CA, on channel 31. In 2009, that facility changed its affiliation to Telefutura, a predecessor brand of UniMás, and adopted the call sign KTFO-CD. KAKW and KTFO-CD continued to share studios on North Loop Boulevard in Austin. KAKW's transmitter is situated in unincorporated Williamson County, roughly halfway between Austin and Killeen. The station's news operation has developed through both local production and cooperation with other Univision-owned stations. Its regular local schedule includes weekday evening newscasts at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., totaling five hours of locally produced news each week. In 2015, KAKW became part of Noticias Texas, a regionalized morning newscast shared with Univision outlets in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. The regional program incorporates local weather and traffic coverage, including inserts during Univision's Despierta América. On March 11, 2019, KAKW began airing Noticias Texas Central, a morning program produced at KWEX-DT in San Antonio. KWEX also produces KAKW's midday and weekend newscasts, with the stations sharing reporters and other resources. This arrangement reflects the increasing use of regional production models within Univision's owned-station group while preserving local content for Central Texas viewers. KAKW ended analog broadcasting on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition to digital television. Its digital signal remained on VHF channel 13, while the station continued to use virtual channel 62. KAKW remains an active Univision station serving Austin, Killeen, and surrounding Central Texas communities.
- 2019
Noticias Texas Central begins
[1]KAKW began airing a San Antonio-produced morning program targeted to Central Texas.
- 2015
Participation in Noticias Texas
[1]KAKW joined a regionalized morning news operation shared with Univision stations in major Texas markets.
- 2009
Digital transition and repeater rebranding
[1]KAKW ended analog broadcasting during the national digital transition. Its former low-power repeater became Telefutura affiliate KTFO-CD.
- 2002
Conversion to Univision
[1]Univision assumed control on January 7, ended the station's WB and UPN affiliations, and converted KAKW to Spanish-language Univision programming.
- 2001
The WB becomes primary affiliation
[1]KAKW made The WB its primary affiliation while continuing to carry UPN programming secondarily.
- 1996
KAKW signs on
[1]The station began broadcasting on May 31 as a primary UPN affiliate and secondary WB affiliate.
- 1995
UPN affiliation secured before launch
[1]KAKW secured a UPN affiliation before beginning operations.
Products and positioning
A Spanish-language Univision broadcast station focused on Austin and Central Texas, combining national network entertainment and news with locally relevant reporting, weather, traffic, and advertising.
Spanish-language broadcast television · 2002
Univision programming
KAKW carries the Univision network schedule for viewers in Austin and surrounding Central Texas communities. The offering includes Spanish-language entertainment, news, sports, and other network programming distributed through the station's full-power broadcast signal on virtual channel 62.
Television news · 2002
Local news
KAKW provides Spanish-language local news focused on Austin, Killeen, and Central Texas. Its schedule includes weekday evening newscasts at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., together totaling five hours of locally produced news each week.
Regional morning news · 2019
Noticias Texas Central
Noticias Texas Central is a regional morning program carried by KAKW and produced at sister station KWEX-DT in San Antonio. The broader regional news model combines shared production with local weather, traffic, and reporting elements for Central Texas audiences.
Brand decisions
2019
Noticias Texas CentralProduct launchBackground
KAKW adopted a production model supported by sister station KWEX-DT in San Antonio.
Action taken
The station began airing Noticias Texas Central and used shared production and reporting resources for additional newscasts.
Aftermath
KAKW strengthened its Central Texas morning-news offering while relying on regional production capabilities.
2015
Regional Noticias Texas morning newscastProduct launchBackground
Univision sought to coordinate morning-news production across its Texas owned-and-operated stations while retaining local relevance.
Action taken
KAKW joined Noticias Texas with Univision stations in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, including local weather and traffic cut-ins.
Aftermath
The station became part of a wider Texas regional news operation.
2002
Univision acquisition and station conversionM&ABackground
White Knight Broadcasting agreed to sell KAKW to Univision in 2001, while The WB challenged the transaction because of the station's remaining affiliation obligations.
Action taken
Univision assumed control on January 7, 2002, ended WB and UPN programming, and converted KAKW into a Univision owned-and-operated Spanish-language station.
Aftermath
The station expanded its Austin focus, became the first full-power Spanish-language television station serving Austin, and developed a local Spanish-language news department.
Reported acquisition price. $30 million (2001)
Sources2 sources
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