KFJX
A Fox and The CW Plus television station licensed to Pittsburg, Kansas, serving the Joplin–Pittsburg market.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KFJX is a commercial television station licensed to Pittsburg, Kansas, and serving viewers in the Joplin, Missouri–Pittsburg, Kansas market. The station operates primarily under the Fox 14 identity as an affiliate of the Fox network and also carries The CW Plus on a digital subchannel branded The 4-States CW. KFJX is owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting. It works under joint sales and shared services agreements with Morgan Murphy Media, owner of CBS affiliate KOAM-TV, which is also licensed to Pittsburg. Those arrangements support programming, news production, sales, technical operations, and other station services. KFJX began broadcasting on October 18, 2003. Its launch gave the local market a full-power Fox affiliate based in the immediate Joplin–Pittsburg area. Before KFJX signed on, Fox programming available to local viewers generally came from distant stations in Kansas City, Springfield, or Tulsa, or through cable carriage of Foxnet. The station also entered a market where local television ownership structures were changing, including the development of a KODE-TV and KSNF duopoly in the early 2000s. The station has remained a Fox affiliate since its launch, making it the only commercial television station in the Joplin–Pittsburg market described as never having changed network affiliation. Its primary programming includes Fox network content, syndicated programming, local advertising, and locally relevant news. KFJX does not maintain a fully independent news operation; its principal local newscasts are produced by KOAM-TV and presented for the Fox 14 audience. The flagship local program is an evening newscast, originally launched as Fox 14 News at Nine and later renamed KOAM News at Nine on Fox 14. KFJX has also carried a morning-news simulcast or rebroadcast under the KOAM Morning News on Fox 14 brand. The station's technical history reflects the transition from analog to digital broadcasting. Because its original construction permit followed the Federal Communications Commission's 1997 digital television allotment plan, KFJX did not initially receive a separate companion digital channel. It began digital broadcasting on channel 13 in February 2009, using the former digital assignment associated with KOAM-TV. Its analog channel 14 service continued temporarily and ended on May 8, 2009, after severe thunderstorms damaged the broadcast tower and required removal of the analog antenna. KFJX's digital signal has a lower effective radiated power than KOAM-TV's signal. To improve reception and distribution, the station's high-definition primary service is also simulcast on KOAM-TV's second digital subchannel from the shared transmitter site. KFJX expanded its local-market service in August 2018 when it added The CW Plus on digital subchannel 14.2. The service replaced the market's earlier cable-only CW Plus outlet, which had used the fictional call sign KSXF. In addition to network and local programming, the station has participated in regional sports distribution. In 2024, an agreement involving Morgan Murphy Media provided for eight Oklahoma City Thunder games to be broadcast on KFJX, KOAM-TV, or KFJX digital subchannels. KFJX therefore functions as both a local Fox affiliate and a broader regional distribution platform, with its reach shaped by shared facilities, retransmission arrangements, digital multicast services, and locally produced news.
History
KFJX signed on October 18, 2003, as a full-power television station licensed to Pittsburg, Kansas. Its principal purpose was to provide the Joplin–Pittsburg market with a nearby Fox affiliate. Before its arrival, Fox programming was generally received through distant stations from Kansas City, Springfield, or Tulsa, or through cable carriage of Foxnet. The station also emerged during a period of changing local ownership structures, including the formation of a KODE-TV and KSNF duopoly after KODE-TV was acquired by Mission Broadcasting through its purchase of Quorum Broadcasting. From its launch, KFJX operated as a Fox affiliate and has retained that affiliation. The station's facilities and operational relationships have been closely connected with KOAM-TV, the market's CBS affiliate. SagamoreHill Broadcasting owns KFJX, while Morgan Murphy Media owns KOAM-TV and provides services under joint sales and shared services agreements. The stations share studios and transmitter facilities south of Pittsburg along U.S. Route 69. KFJX also maintains a secondary studio and news bureau on South Range Line Road in Joplin. KOAM produces KFJX's principal local news programming, allowing the Fox-branded station to offer local coverage without a wholly separate news department. KFJX's initial technical plan was complicated by the timing of the federal digital television allocation process. Because its original construction permit was granted after the Federal Communications Commission finalized the digital allotment plan on April 21, 1997, the station did not receive a conventional companion channel for a separate digital operation. It consequently began digital transmission on channel 13 on February 17, 2009, after receiving FCC permission to use the former digital assignment of KOAM-TV. KFJX continued analog broadcasting on channel 14 for a short period. On May 8, 2009, severe thunderstorms damaged the broadcast tower, and the antenna was removed, ending the analog service. The station's digital signal is transmitted from the shared site but has lower power than KOAM-TV's signal. KFJX's primary service is therefore also carried in high definition on KOAM-TV's second digital subchannel, providing an additional way for viewers to receive the Fox service. Satellite distribution expanded in February 2012, when KFJX and KOAM-TV were added to DirecTV's Joplin local channel lineup after previously being unavailable because the stations had not reached an agreement with the provider. KFJX launched its first regular local newscast on April 5, 2004, with a 9 p.m. program produced by KOAM. A weekend edition followed in the fall of 2005. On June 1, 2010, the weekday program expanded to one hour. KFJX later carried a morning-news rebroadcast beginning at 7 a.m.; after a temporary discontinuation, the service returned on January 28, 2019, as KOAM Morning News on Fox 14. On April 1, 2019, the evening program adopted the title KOAM News at Nine on Fox 14. The station broadened its digital offering on August 3, 2018, when it added a 720p HD feed of The CW Plus on subchannel 14.2 under the brand The 4-States CW. This service succeeded KSXF, a cable-only CW Plus outlet that used a fictional call sign. In 2024, Morgan Murphy Media reached an agreement concerning eight Oklahoma City Thunder games. The games were distributed among KFJX, KOAM-TV, and KFJX digital subchannels, adding regional sports content to the station's programming mix. KFJX remains an active Fox and CW Plus outlet serving southeastern Kansas and southwestern Missouri.
- 2024
Oklahoma City Thunder games added
[1]Eight Thunder games were scheduled for distribution through KFJX, KOAM-TV, and related digital services.
- 2019
News branding changes
[1]The morning and evening local-news services adopted KOAM-linked Fox 14 branding.
- 2018
The 4-States CW launches
[1]The CW Plus was added in high definition on digital subchannel 14.2.
- 2012
DirecTV carriage begins
[1]KFJX and KOAM-TV joined DirecTV's local Joplin channel lineup.
- 2010
Weekday evening news expands
[1]The weekday 9 p.m. newscast was expanded to one hour.
- 2009
Digital transition
[1]KFJX began digital broadcasting on channel 13 and ended analog service after storm damage to its tower.
- 2005
Weekend newscast added
[1]The station's 9 p.m. local-news service expanded with a weekend edition.
- 2004
Local 9 p.m. newscast launches
[1]KOAM-produced local news debuted on KFJX under the Fox 14 News at Nine identity.
- 2003
KFJX signs on
[1]KFJX began broadcasting on October 18 as a Fox affiliate licensed to Pittsburg, Kansas.
Products and positioning
A locally focused Fox affiliate serving the Joplin–Pittsburg region, differentiated through shared news and operational resources with KOAM-TV, a secondary CW Plus service, and regional programming.
Fox network affiliate service · 2003
Fox 14
KFJX's main broadcast service carries Fox network programming along with syndicated shows, local advertising, station promotions, and locally targeted content for the Joplin–Pittsburg market. The service has used the Fox 14 identity since the station launched and has not changed its primary network affiliation.
Local television news · 2004
KOAM News at Nine on Fox 14
The station's principal evening newscast is produced by KOAM-TV and presented for KFJX viewers. It began in 2004 as Fox 14 News at Nine, expanded to an hour on weekdays in 2010, and adopted its current KOAM-linked branding in 2019.
Local television news · 2019
KOAM Morning News on Fox 14
This morning-news service brings KOAM's local morning programming to KFJX viewers. It returned to the station's schedule on January 28, 2019, after a period when the earlier morning rebroadcast had been discontinued.
CW Plus digital multicast service · 2018
The 4-States CW
The 4-States CW is KFJX's CW Plus service on digital subchannel 14.2. It provides CW programming and related national and syndicated content to the Joplin–Pittsburg market and replaced the earlier cable-only KSXF service.
Regional sports television · 2024
Regional Oklahoma City Thunder broadcasts
Under a 2024 agreement involving Morgan Murphy Media, eight Oklahoma City Thunder games were made available through KFJX, KOAM-TV, or KFJX digital subchannels, extending the station's programming beyond network entertainment and local news.
Brand decisions
2024
Regional sports programming agreementStrategyBackground
Morgan Murphy Media sought to distribute Oklahoma City Thunder games across its regional television services.
Action taken
Eight Thunder games were assigned for broadcast on KFJX, KOAM-TV, or KFJX digital subchannels.
Aftermath
KFJX expanded its regional programming mix with professional basketball coverage.
2018
Addition of The 4-States CWProduct launchBackground
The Joplin–Pittsburg market previously received CW Plus through the cable-only KSXF service.
Action taken
KFJX added a 720p HD CW Plus feed to digital subchannel 14.2 under the name The 4-States CW.
Aftermath
The market received a terrestrial digital CW Plus service through KFJX.
2009
Transition from analog to digital broadcastingOtherBackground
KFJX lacked a conventional companion digital channel because its construction permit followed the FCC's digital allotment plan.
Action taken
The station began digital operation on channel 13 and later ended analog channel 14 service after storm damage forced removal of the analog antenna.
Aftermath
KFJX continued as a digital Fox affiliate, with its high-definition primary feed also simulcast on KOAM-TV's second digital subchannel.
Recent events
- 2024
Regional Oklahoma City Thunder broadcasts added[1]
Product launch
An agreement involving Morgan Murphy Media provided for eight Oklahoma City Thunder games to air on KFJX, KOAM-TV, or KFJX digital subchannels.
- 2018
The 4-States CW launches on KFJX subchannel 14.2[1]
Product launch
KFJX added a high-definition CW Plus feed on digital subchannel 14.2, replacing the market's former cable-only CW Plus service.
- 2012
KFJX and KOAM added to DirecTV's Joplin local lineup[1]
Other
After an earlier period in which the stations were not carried, KFJX and KOAM-TV became available to DirecTV subscribers in the Joplin area.
- 2009
KFJX begins digital broadcasting on channel 13[1]
Other
KFJX started digital transmission on channel 13 after receiving authorization to use the former digital assignment associated with KOAM-TV.
- 2009
Storm damage ends KFJX analog service[1]
Other
Severe thunderstorms damaged the station's broadcast tower, leading to removal of the analog antenna and permanent termination of KFJX's analog channel 14 signal.
Sources2 sources
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