KCRG-TV
A Cedar Rapids, Iowa television station affiliated with ABC, MyNetworkTV, and The CW, serving viewers across Eastern Iowa.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KCRG-TV is a television station licensed to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and serving the broader Eastern Iowa market. The station broadcasts on channel 9 and is affiliated with ABC on its primary service, while also carrying MyNetworkTV and The CW through digital subchannels. Its operations include local news, weather, sports, syndicated programming, network programming, and a collection of multicast services. KCRG maintains its principal studios on Second Avenue Southeast in downtown Cedar Rapids and operates a transmitter near Walker, Iowa. The station traces its origins to efforts in the late 1940s to establish a television service associated with Cedar Rapids. The Cedar Rapids Gazette, which also owned KCRG radio, initially sought a television license but withdrew its original application after the Federal Communications Commission worked through a substantial licensing backlog. The newspaper subsequently joined other investors in forming Cedar Rapids Television Company, which received authorization to operate on channel 9. The station began broadcasting on October 15, 1953, initially using the call sign KCRI-TV. The original investors wanted to avoid making the television operation appear too closely tied to the Gazette. After roughly a year, the Gazette acquired the other interests and changed the station's call sign to KCRG-TV in 1954. For more than six decades, KCRG remained under local ownership. Gazette Communications, later renamed SourceMedia Group, operated the station from 1954 until its sale to Gray Television. In September 2015, Gray and Gazette Communications announced a transaction valued at $100 million. The transfer took place in stages and was completed on November 1, 2015. The change ended one of the longest periods of locally controlled television ownership in Iowa, while KCRG continued operating with its established Eastern Iowa identity. KCRG has developed a substantial local-news operation. It broadcasts weekday, Saturday, and Sunday newscasts and maintains a primary newsroom in Cedar Rapids together with a satellite newsroom in Dubuque. The station formerly operated additional bureaus in Iowa City and Waterloo. Its news operation has emphasized severe weather, regional events, local government, education, agriculture, and sports. KCRG also has a history of technological investment: it introduced high-definition broadcasting in 2003, completed the transition to digital-only transmission in 2009, and began airing high-definition newscasts in 2012. Its local sports coverage has included high-school championships, University of Northern Iowa athletics, the Cedar Rapids Kernels, and the Dubuque Fighting Saints. The station's digital strategy expanded substantially after the launch of KCRG 9.2 in 2008. The service evolved from a local news, weather, and feature channel into a platform for sports, programming displaced from the primary ABC signal, and MyNetworkTV. Additional digital services followed, including weather information, Live Well Network, Antenna TV, Heroes & Icons, Start TV, Circle, and The CW. The exact lineup changed as networks entered or left the market and as Gray adjusted the station's technical capacity. In 2021, The CW moved to KCRG's 9.3 service, while other multicast services were discontinued or relocated. KCRG has also maintained a recognizable local broadcasting heritage. Its former personalities include longtime meteorologist Denny Frary, sports director John Campbell, reporter Dave Franzman, and anchor Bruce Aune. The station's former staff also includes sports broadcasters Paul Burmeister and Curt Menefee, anchor Liz Mathis, and other figures who later pursued public or national media careers. In 2022 and early 2023, KCRG renovated its studio and introduced a new set. The station remains an active Gray Media property and a major local television news and programming provider in Eastern Iowa.
History
KCRG-TV began as the product of Cedar Rapids' postwar effort to obtain a television station. In the late 1940s, the Cedar Rapids Gazette, owner of KCRG radio, filed an application for a television license. The FCC was then dealing with a large backlog of applications and temporarily stopped acting on new requests. Once the backlog was cleared, the Gazette chose not to compete alone for a license. Instead, it joined with other investors to form Cedar Rapids Television Company, which received authorization for channel 9. The station began broadcasting on October 15, 1953, under the name KCRI-TV. The call sign reflected the other investors' concern that a direct KCRG identity would make the operation appear too closely associated with the Gazette. After approximately one year, the Gazette purchased the other investors' interests and renamed the station KCRG-TV in 1954. The station remained part of the Gazette's local media holdings for decades. Gazette Communications adopted the name SourceMedia Group in 2010. KCRG's long period of local ownership made it distinctive in Iowa broadcasting. After the sale of WHO-TV in Des Moines in 1996, KCRG was described as the state's only locally owned and operated television station. The station expanded its technical and news capabilities over time, including Iowa's first news helicopter, NewsCopter 9, and high-definition broadcasting beginning in January 2003. KCRG's analog service ended as part of the nationwide digital transition in June 2009, after the FCC required it to continue one analog commercial network signal beyond the originally planned February transition date. Digital multicast expansion began with KCRG 9.2 in June 2008. The service initially presented a rotating schedule of local news, weather, and features, supplemented by information graphics. It later became a home for local sports, programming preempted on the main ABC service, syndicated content, and MyNetworkTV. KCRG added a weather-oriented 9.3 service in 2011, replaced it with Live Well Network in 2013, and then carried Antenna TV beginning in 2015. In 2019, the station added Heroes & Icons and Start TV, and in 2020 it added Circle. These services reflected both changing network arrangements and Gray's broader multicast relationships. A major ownership transition occurred in 2015. Gray Television agreed to acquire KCRG-TV from Gazette Communications for $100 million. The transaction was announced in September, transferred on October 1, and was completed on November 1. Gray subsequently expanded its Iowa and regional station relationships. KCRG became a sister station to KWQC-TV after regulatory remedies connected to Media General's merger with Nexstar. Gray's 2019 acquisition of Raycom Media brought KYOU-TV under common ownership. In 2021, Gray acquired Quincy Media for $925 million; because Quincy owned KWWL in the same market, KWWL was divested to Allen Media Broadcasting while KCRG was retained. The resulting portfolio gave Gray stations in Iowa markets outside Des Moines. KCRG's news operation has combined scheduled local newscasts with continuous digital reporting and regional bureaus. It operates from Cedar Rapids and maintains a Dubuque newsroom, while earlier bureaus served Iowa City and Waterloo. The station's local sports output has covered high-school competitions, collegiate athletics, the Cedar Rapids Kernels, and the Dubuque Fighting Saints. It began using the 24 Hour News Source slogan in 1990, later retiring that branding in April 2022 alongside a graphics update. The station expanded its weekday morning newscast to begin at 4:30 a.m. in 2011 and began First at Four in 2020. It converted its news presentation to high definition in January 2012, introducing new graphics, a new set, and a large interactive touchscreen for weather and explanatory reporting. Studio renovations launched in late 2022 and culminated in the debut of a new set on January 10, 2023. KCRG-TV remains an active Gray Media station, combining ABC service, multicast networks, local news, weather, sports, and online publishing for Eastern Iowa.
- 2023
Renovated studio debuts
[1]KCRG introduces a redesigned studio during its January 10 newscast.
- 2021
The CW moves to KCRG 9.3
[1]The CW replaces Antenna TV on KCRG's third digital subchannel after Gray retains KCRG during its Quincy Media acquisition.
- 2020
Circle launches on KCRG 9.6
[1]KCRG adds Circle, a country-music-oriented television network, to a sixth digital service.
- 2019
Heroes & Icons and Start TV added
[1]KCRG adds the two Weigel Broadcasting multicast networks through a Gray-related distribution arrangement.
- 2015
Gray Television acquisition announced
[1]Gray agrees to buy KCRG-TV from Gazette Communications for $100 million.
- 2012
Local newscasts move to high definition
[1]KCRG launches an HD news presentation with updated graphics, set design, and interactive weather technology.
- 2011
MyNetworkTV joins KCRG 9.2
[1]MyNetworkTV programming begins airing on the station's second digital service.
- 2009
Digital transition completed
[1]KCRG becomes digital-only and retains channel 9 as its legal digital call-sign assignment.
- 2008
KCRG 9.2 launches
[1]The station launches a second digital subchannel carrying local news, weather, features, and later sports and MyNetworkTV.
- 2003
High-definition broadcasting begins
[1]KCRG starts broadcasting in high definition.
Products and positioning
A regional broadcast-news and entertainment station centered on local coverage, weather, sports, and community relevance in Eastern Iowa.
ABC-affiliated broadcast service · 1953
KCRG-TV 9.1
The primary channel carries ABC network programming together with KCRG's core local news, weather, public-affairs, and community programming. It is the station's principal over-the-air service for the Cedar Rapids and Eastern Iowa market.
Digital multicast service · 2008
KCRG 9.2
The second digital service developed from a local news and weather channel into a mixed schedule featuring MyNetworkTV, local and regional sports, syndicated programming, and selected ABC programming displaced from the main signal by breaking news coverage.
The CW digital multicast service · 2011
KCRG 9.3
The third digital service currently carries The CW. It previously carried a locally generated weather loop, Live Well Network, and Antenna TV before the market affiliation changed in 2021.
Television news · 1953
Local news operation
KCRG produces local newscasts, weather reports, breaking-news coverage, investigative and community stories, and sports reporting. Its operation is based in Cedar Rapids and includes a Dubuque newsroom.
Brand decisions
2021
Gray acquisition of Quincy Media and Iowa station realignmentM&ABackground
Gray announced plans to purchase Quincy Media, whose portfolio included KWWL in the Cedar Rapids market. Common ownership of KWWL and KCRG required a regulatory remedy.
Action taken
Gray retained KCRG and divested KWWL to Allen Media Broadcasting after completing the Quincy acquisition.
Aftermath
KCRG remained a Gray station and became part of a broader Iowa network that included Gray stations such as KTIV and KTTC.
Quincy Media acquisition value. $925 million (2021 acquisition announcement)
2021
Digital multicast lineup restructuringStrategyBackground
Gray's acquisition of Quincy Media changed local affiliation relationships, while KCRG's technical capacity limited the number of multicast services it could carry.
Action taken
The CW moved to KCRG 9.3, replacing Antenna TV. Other services, including Heroes & Icons, Start TV, and Circle, were removed or shifted as bandwidth was reallocated.
Aftermath
KCRG continued to provide ABC, MyNetworkTV, and The CW through its principal and multicast services.
2020
First at Four local newscastProduct launchBackground
KCRG expanded its scheduled local-news offering to provide an additional afternoon news window.
Action taken
The station launched a 4 p.m. newscast branded First at Four on April 6.
Aftermath
The newscast became part of KCRG's regular local-news schedule.
2015
Sale from Gazette Communications to Gray TelevisionM&ABackground
KCRG had been controlled by the Cedar Rapids Gazette and its successor SourceMedia Group since the station's early years. Gray Television sought to acquire the station as part of its regional broadcast expansion.
Action taken
Gray agreed to purchase KCRG-TV for $100 million. The transaction transferred operational control on October 1 and was completed on November 1, 2015.
Aftermath
KCRG became part of Gray's station portfolio and later gained sister-station relationships with other Iowa and regional broadcasters.
Purchase price. $100 million (2015 transaction announcement)
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