KLEW-TV

KLEW-TV is a television station licensed to Lewiston, Idaho, operating on channel 3 as a CBS affiliate. Its coverage area centers on the Lewis–Clark Valley and extends across parts of north-central Idaho, southeastern Washington, the Palouse region, and Wallowa County in northeastern Oregon. Although the station maintains its own identity, facilities, website, local commercial inventory, legal identifications, and locally focused weeknight newscasts, it functions operationally as a semi-satellite of KIMA-TV in Yakima, Washington. KIMA provides much of the network and syndicated programming distributed to KLEW-TV, while KLEW retains selected local responsibilities for its licensed community and immediate viewing area. The station began broadcasting on December 7, 1955, under Cascade Broadcasting. It has maintained a CBS affiliation throughout its history, although its early semi-satellite arrangement also allowed it to carry selected ABC and NBC programs. KLEW-TV originally operated from studios on Idaho Street in Lewiston before moving in 1977 to its current studio location on 17th Street. Its transmitter is located near Clarkston, Washington, a position that supports service to communities on both sides of the Idaho–Washington border. KLEW-TV has passed through several ownership groups. Filmways agreed to acquire Cascade Broadcasting in 1968, with regulatory approval following in 1969. In 1972, Filmways sold KLEW-TV, together with KIMA-TV and KEPR-TV, to NWG Broadcasting. Retlaw Enterprises acquired the stations in 1986 and operated them through its Retlaw Broadcasting division. Fisher Companies, later known as Fisher Communications, agreed to purchase the Retlaw stations in 1998, completing the transaction in July 1999. Fisher announced the sale of its broadcast properties to Sinclair Broadcast Group in 2013, and the transaction closed on August 8 of that year. KLEW-TV is part of the Spokane, Washington, designated television market, where it is one of two CBS-affiliated outlets alongside KREM, the Spokane-licensed station generally treated as the market's primary CBS affiliate. KLEW-TV is distributed to satellite subscribers across the market through Dish Network and DirecTV. Master control and certain operational functions have been based in Seattle, while the station's local presence has historically been supported by Lewiston-based staff and facilities. The station also shares a general manager with KAYU-TV, a Rincon-owned Fox affiliate in Spokane. Local programming has changed over time. KLEW-TV carries weeknight newscasts at 5, 6, and 11 p.m., weekday news inserts during CBS Mornings, and the short interview feature Northwest Morning. It also simulcasts KIMA-TV's early-morning newscasts but does not ordinarily carry its own midday, weekend, or full morning newscasts. In June 2023, Sinclair shifted production of KLEW-TV's newscasts to KBOI-TV in Boise after a transition involving KEPR-TV; reporters continued to be based in Lewiston. The station later resumed producing local newscasts from its Lewiston studio on May 5, 2026, with weather and some regional material originating from KIMA-TV. KLEW-TV's broadcast infrastructure also includes digital translators serving Juliaetta, Kamiah, and Moscow, Idaho.

KLEW-TV signed on December 7, 1955, as a Lewiston, Idaho, television station owned by Cascade Broadcasting. The station launched as a CBS affiliate and has retained that network relationship throughout its history. In its early years, its connection with KIMA-TV also resulted in the carriage of selected ABC and NBC programming. KLEW-TV's first studio facilities were located on Idaho Street in Lewiston. Ownership changed several times during the station's development. Filmways agreed to purchase Cascade Broadcasting for $3 million in 1968, and the transaction received approval the following year. Filmways subsequently sold KLEW-TV, KIMA-TV, and KEPR-TV to NWG Broadcasting for $1 million in 1972. KLEW moved its studio operations from Idaho Street to its current 17th Street location in 1977. Retlaw Enterprises acquired the three stations from NWG in 1986 for $17 million. They were operated as part of Retlaw's broadcasting division until Fisher Companies agreed to purchase them for $215 million on November 19, 1998. The Fisher transaction closed in July 1999, and the company later operated under the Fisher Communications name. Fisher announced in April 2013 that it would sell its broadcast holdings to Sinclair Broadcast Group; the acquisition was completed on August 8, 2013. Within the Sinclair-era station structure, KLEW-TV continued to operate as a semi-satellite of KIMA-TV. KIMA supplies network and syndicated programming to KLEW-TV and also supports portions of master control and other internal operations. KLEW-TV nevertheless preserves separate local branding, commercial inserts, legal identifications, a website, and local reporting. The station's transmitter is near Clarkston, Washington, while its studios remain in Lewiston. Master control and some operational work have been associated with KOMO Plaza in Seattle. KLEW-TV serves an area that includes the Lewis–Clark Valley, portions of the Palouse and north-central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and Wallowa County, Oregon. The station is assigned to the Spokane television market and competes with KREM for CBS programming in that market. Satellite distribution has included Dish Network and DirecTV throughout the market. KLEW-TV also shares a general manager with KAYU-TV in Spokane. Its local news model has been relatively focused rather than full-service. The station airs weeknight newscasts at 5, 6, and 11 p.m., weekday news inserts during CBS Mornings, and the brief Northwest Morning interview segment. It carries KIMA's early-morning newscasts but does not generally produce its own midday, weekend, or complete morning news blocks. On June 19, 2023, Sinclair moved production of KLEW-TV's newscasts to KBOI-TV in Boise, while retaining reporters in Lewiston. On May 5, 2026, the station resumed local newscast production at its Lewiston facility, with weather and regional segments supplied by KIMA-TV. Its digital and translator network includes facilities serving Juliaetta, Kamiah, and Moscow, Idaho.

1. 2026Local newscast production returns to Lewiston

   KLEW-TV resumes producing local newscasts from its Lewiston studio, with selected weather and regional content supplied by KIMA-TV.

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2. 2023Newscast production is transferred to Boise

   Production of KLEW-TV's local newscasts moves to KBOI-TV, while Lewiston-based reporters continue covering the area.

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3. 2013Sinclair acquires Fisher broadcast properties

   Sinclair completes its acquisition of Fisher's broadcast properties on August 8.

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4. 1999Fisher acquisition closes

   The Fisher purchase of the Retlaw stations is completed in July.

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5. 1998Fisher agrees to purchase Retlaw stations

   Fisher Companies agrees to acquire the Retlaw television stations, including KLEW-TV.

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6. 1986Retlaw Enterprises acquires the station

   Retlaw Enterprises purchases KLEW-TV and the related NWG stations, operating them through Retlaw Broadcasting.

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7. 1977Station moves to 17th Street studios

   KLEW-TV relocates from its original Idaho Street studios to its current facility on 17th Street in Lewiston.

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8. 1972NWG Broadcasting acquires KLEW-TV

   Filmways sells KLEW-TV and its related KIMA-TV and KEPR-TV stations to NWG Broadcasting.

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9. 1969Filmways transaction receives approval

   The acquisition of Cascade Broadcasting by Filmways is approved.

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10. 1968Filmways agrees to acquire Cascade Broadcasting

    Filmways reaches an agreement to purchase Cascade Broadcasting for $3 million.

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11. 1955KLEW-TV begins broadcasting

    The station signs on December 7 as a Lewiston, Idaho, television station owned by Cascade Broadcasting and affiliated with CBS.

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A locally identified CBS television station serving Lewiston and the surrounding inland Pacific Northwest, combining Lewiston-based community coverage with shared programming and operational resources from affiliated stations.

• CBS network affiliationBroadcast television1955

  KLEW-TV's principal programming product is its CBS affiliation. The station distributes CBS network programming to viewers in and around Lewiston and supplements the network schedule with syndicated content and locally inserted commercial and identification material.

• Local newsTelevision news

  KLEW-TV provides locally branded weeknight newscasts at 5, 6, and 11 p.m., together with weekday news cut-ins during CBS Mornings. Its Northwest Morning segment is a short interview-oriented feature. Production has been shared among affiliated facilities at different points, while reporters remain connected to the Lewiston market.

• Digital and translator distributionBroadcast infrastructure

  KLEW-TV's signal is supplemented by translators serving Juliaetta, Kamiah, and Moscow, Idaho. These facilities extend access to the station's programming across parts of its geographically dispersed service area.

• 2026Resumption of Lewiston-based newscast productionStrategy

  After production had been consolidated at other Sinclair-associated facilities, KLEW-TV continued to maintain a local reporting presence in Lewiston.

  What changed. On May 5, 2026, KLEW-TV resumed producing local newscasts from its Lewiston studio, while weather and regional news segments originated from KIMA-TV.

  Aftermath. The arrangement restored a greater degree of local production while preserving shared regional resources.

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• 2023Consolidation of local newscast productionStrategy

  KLEW-TV operated within a shared-station structure in which KIMA-TV and other related facilities supplied programming and operational support.

  What changed. Sinclair moved production of KLEW-TV's newscasts to KBOI-TV in Boise on June 19, while retaining reporters in Lewiston. The move followed a short transition period involving changes to the local news staff.

  Aftermath. KLEW-TV continued its local news schedule with production support from outside Lewiston until local newscast production returned to the Lewiston studio in May 2026.

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• 2026KLEW-TV resumes local newscast production from Lewiston

  KLEW-TV resumed producing local newscasts from its Lewiston studio. Weather and regional news elements continued to originate from KIMA-TV.

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• 2023KLEW-TV newscast production moves to KBOI-TV

  Sinclair transferred production of KLEW-TV's newscasts to KBOI-TV in Boise. The station's reporters remained based in Lewiston, while the change followed a transition involving staffing departures and temporary production through KEPR-TV.

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• 2013Fisher Communications agrees to sell broadcast properties to Sinclair Broadcast Group

  Fisher Communications announced the sale of its television properties, including KLEW-TV, to Sinclair Broadcast Group. The transaction was completed on August 8, 2013.

  M&A
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1. KLEW-TV
2. KLEW-TV official website