KFXB-TV
A Christian Television Network station serving Dubuque and the Eastern Iowa television market.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
KFXB-TV is a religious television station licensed to Dubuque, Iowa, in the United States. The station broadcasts on digital channel 40 and serves the Eastern Iowa television market, while its transmitter is located in extreme southwestern Grant County, Wisconsin, an area associated with the Madison television market. Its studios are on Main Street in downtown Dubuque. KFXB-TV is owned by the Christian Television Network, commonly known as CTN, and is primarily associated with religious programming rather than a conventional commercial network schedule. The station began broadcasting on June 1, 1970, under the call sign KDUB-TV. It was established by Dubuque Communications Corporation, a company controlled by Gerald J. Green, his brother Timothy Green, and their wives. Despite concerns that Dubuque might be too small to support a television station, the owners secured an ABC affiliation and launched channel 40 as the first and only television station based in Dubuque. The early station operated from facilities south of the city near Key West, Iowa, before moving into downtown premises, including space in the former Roshek's Department Store building and later its Main Street location. KDUB-TV experienced serious financial problems during its first years. The station ceased broadcasting late on September 30, 1974, after the conclusion of that evening's Monday Night Football telecast. Its equipment was repossessed in large part by RCA, one of its principal creditors. The dormant license and station assets were sold in 1976 to Lloyd Hearing Aid Corporation, which restored service on September 12 of that year. Ownership subsequently changed to Commercial Dispatch Publishing Company in 1979 and then to Dubuque TV Limited Partnership in 1985. The station also became involved in a prolonged carriage and affiliation dispute with Cedar Rapids ABC affiliate KCRG-TV concerning the treatment of duplicate programming on Dubuque cable systems. In 1995, the station ended its ABC affiliation and adopted the KFXB call sign. It became a semi-satellite of Cedar Rapids station KFXA, carrying Fox programming while retaining a local news operation for Dubuque. The arrangement reflected changes in Eastern Iowa television distribution and the financial difficulties that had affected Fox service in parts of the region. KFXB later lost its independent local news operation. In 2002, its 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts were discontinued as part of a regional news arrangement involving KFXA and KGAN, and eight Dubuque news employees were laid off. Dubuque TV Limited Partnership sold KFXB-TV to the Christian Television Network in September 2004. CTN replaced the station's commercial programming with a primarily religious schedule, while Fox programming remained on KFXA. The ownership change repositioned KFXB as a specialized religious broadcaster serving the local market. Around the same transition, the station moved from channel 4 to channel 14 on Mediacom's Dubuque cable system; it was later added to Mediacom systems serving Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. KFXB-TV has transmitted digitally since February 17, 2009. Its present identity is therefore the result of several distinct phases: an ABC affiliate under the KDUB-TV call sign, a Fox semi-satellite under KFXB, and a CTN-owned religious station.
History
KFXB-TV traces its history to Dubuque Communications Corporation, which was formed in May 1968 by Gerald J. Green, his brother Timothy Green, and their wives. The company pursued a television license despite advice that Dubuque was too small to sustain a station. The resulting station, KDUB-TV, launched on June 1, 1970, on channel 40. It became an ABC affiliate after the network agreed to serve the new outlet. KDUB was the first and only television station to be based in Dubuque. The station's early history included a regulatory controversy. In 1972, Gerald Green faced questions from the Federal Communications Commission over a $19,000 payment made to an ABC network representative. Green said he understood the payment to be a legitimate affiliation-related expense. He was ultimately exonerated, while the ABC executive was convicted of extorting payoffs. The episode became one of the most notable controversies in the station's early history. KDUB-TV encountered financial difficulties and stopped broadcasting at 11:06 p.m. on September 30, 1974. The shutdown was announced to viewers during halftime of Monday Night Football, when news director Jim Esmoil explained that the station would leave the air rather than produce its scheduled newscast. RCA, the station's largest creditor, repossessed much of its equipment. Dubuque Communications Corporation had spent approximately two years attempting to sell the operation, including negotiations with Moline Television Corporation, owner of WQAD-TV, but no transaction was completed before the shutdown. In 1976, the insolvent company sold the dormant station to Lloyd Hearing Aid Corporation of Rockford, Illinois. The new owner restored KDUB-TV to the air on September 12, 1976, again with ABC programming. Lloyd sold the station to Commercial Dispatch Publishing Company in 1979. That transaction, associated with Birney Imes Jr. and his family, placed KDUB within a broadcasting group that also included WCBI-TV, WBOY-TV, and several Mississippi radio stations. Dubuque TV Limited Partnership, led by general partner Thomas Bond, acquired the station in April 1985. During the 1980s, KDUB was involved in a carriage dispute with KCRG-TV, the ABC affiliate in Cedar Rapids. In 1981, KDUB obtained a ruling requiring the Dubuque cable company to black out KCRG when the two stations carried the same programs simultaneously. KDUB's owners rejected a 1987 offer from KCRG to buy channel 40, but later announced a proposed sale to Sage Broadcasting. KCRG challenged the transaction in 1988, alleging that KDUB and TCI Cablevision had used the blackout arrangement to restrict KCRG's access to Dubuque viewers. Although the FCC approved the sale in early 1989, the transaction was abandoned after the approval timetable allowed its cancellation. KDUB's owners later sued KCRG, alleging that the objections had caused the sale to fail. The cable blackouts ended in 1988. In 1995, KDUB entered a management agreement with Second Generation of Iowa, which was acquiring KOCR-TV in Cedar Rapids. On August 13, 1995, KDUB ended its ABC affiliation and adopted the KFXB call sign. It became a semi-satellite of KFXA, the relaunched Cedar Rapids Fox station, carrying most of the same Fox programming while maintaining a separate Dubuque news service. The arrangement followed a period in which Foxnet had supplied cable-only service to much of Eastern Iowa and KOCR had experienced financial and operational difficulties. KFXB's local news service ended in October 2002. The decision was connected to an agreement under which KFXA and KGAN would carry a regional 9 p.m. newscast. KFXB's existing 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts were discontinued, and eight news employees were laid off. In September 2004, Dubuque TV Limited Partnership sold KFXB-TV to the Christian Television Network. CTN replaced the station's commercial schedule with primarily religious programming, while Fox service continued through KFXA. The change gave KFXB a specialized religious position in the market. Cable placement also changed: on Mediacom's Dubuque system, KFXB moved from channel 4 to channel 14, and the station was added to Mediacom systems in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City in 2005. KFXB-TV completed its transition to digital-only broadcasting on February 17, 2009.
- 2009
Digital-only broadcasting
[1]KFXB-TV becomes a digital-only broadcaster.
- 2004
CTN acquires and repositions KFXB-TV
[1]Christian Television Network purchases the station and moves it to primarily religious programming.
- 2002
Local newscasts are discontinued
[1]KFXB closes its Dubuque news operation as part of a regional 9 p.m. news arrangement.
- 1995
The station becomes KFXB and joins Fox
[1]KDUB ends its ABC affiliation, adopts KFXB, and becomes a semi-satellite of KFXA.
- 1985
Dubuque TV Limited Partnership acquires the station
[1]Thomas Bond's partnership becomes the station's owner.
- 1981
Cable blackout ruling
[1]KDUB wins a decision requiring a Dubuque cable operator to black out duplicate KCRG programming.
- 1976
Broadcasting resumes
[1]Lloyd Hearing Aid Corporation restores KDUB-TV to service as an ABC affiliate.
- 1974
KDUB-TV leaves the air
[1]The station suspends operations after financial difficulties and creditor repossessions.
- 1972
FCC affiliation-payment controversy
[1]Gerald Green is questioned over a payment to an ABC representative; Green is exonerated and the ABC executive is convicted of extortion.
- 1970
KDUB-TV signs on
[1]Channel 40 begins broadcasting from Dubuque as an ABC affiliate.
Products and positioning
A locally licensed religious television station serving Dubuque and the broader Eastern Iowa market through CTN programming and digital broadcast distribution.
Television broadcasting · 1970
KFXB-TV digital broadcast service
KFXB-TV's core offering is its over-the-air digital television signal on channel 40. The service is licensed to Dubuque and reaches viewers across the Eastern Iowa market, with a transmitter in southwestern Grant County, Wisconsin. Since the 2004 ownership change, the station's schedule has been centered on Christian Television Network religious programming rather than commercial network entertainment.
Network-affiliated television · 1970
KDUB-TV ABC service
From its 1970 launch through 1995, the station operated under the KDUB-TV call sign and carried ABC programming. This period included the station's original local news operation and its role as Dubuque's locally based television outlet.
Network-affiliated television · 1995
KFXB Fox semi-satellite service
Between 1995 and 2004, KFXB served as a semi-satellite of KFXA and carried most of the Cedar Rapids station's Fox programming. KFXB retained a separate Dubuque news operation for part of this period, distinguishing it from a simple full-time simulcast.
Controversies
1972
ABC affiliation-payment controversy
Gerald J. Green faced an FCC inquiry concerning a $19,000 payment to an ABC network representative during the effort to secure KDUB-TV's affiliation. Green maintained that he believed the payment was a legitimate business expense. He was exonerated, while the ABC executive was found guilty of extorting payoffs.
Brand decisions
2004
Sale to Christian Television NetworkM&ABackground
Dubuque TV Limited Partnership sold the station after its period as a Fox semi-satellite.
Action taken
Christian Television Network acquired KFXB-TV and replaced its commercial schedule with primarily religious programming.
Aftermath
Fox programming remained on KFXA, while KFXB became a specialized religious station. Its Mediacom channel placement in Dubuque also changed from channel 4 to channel 14.
2002
Closure of the local news operationStrategyBackground
KFXA and KGAN agreed to launch a regional 9 p.m. newscast that would be shown on both KFXA and KFXB.
Action taken
KFXB discontinued its 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Dubuque newscasts and eliminated eight news positions.
Aftermath
The station no longer maintained its prior standalone local news operation.
1995
Switch from ABC to Fox affiliationStrategyBackground
The station was managed alongside the Cedar Rapids operation that became KFXA, while Fox distribution in parts of Eastern Iowa had previously relied on KOCR-TV and Foxnet.
Action taken
KDUB-TV ended its ABC affiliation, adopted the KFXB call sign, and became a semi-satellite of KFXA.
Aftermath
KFXB carried most KFXA programming but continued a local Dubuque news service for a time.
Recent events
- 2004
Christian Television Network acquires KFXB-TV[1]
M&A
CTN purchased the station and converted it from a Fox-oriented commercial service into a primarily religious television outlet.
- 2002
KFXB ends local Dubuque news operation[1]
Leadership change · Other
The station announced that its 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. local newscasts would end as part of a regional news arrangement involving KFXA and KGAN.
- 1974
KDUB-TV suspends operations after financial difficulties[1]
Bankruptcy · Other
KDUB-TV left the air after a Monday Night Football broadcast, following financial problems and the repossession of much of its equipment by RCA.
- 1970
KDUB-TV begins broadcasting as an ABC affiliate[1]
Other
The Dubuque station signed on channel 40 under the KDUB-TV call sign and became an ABC affiliate.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/kfxb-tv · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled