KNWA-TV

KNWA-TV is a television station licensed to Rogers, Arkansas, and serving the Northwest Arkansas and Arkansas River Valley television markets. It broadcasts NBC programming and operates as part of Nexstar Media Group’s cluster of stations in the region. Its principal studios are located on West Dickson Street in downtown Fayetteville, while its main transmitter is southeast of Garfield, Arkansas. The station is also distributed through a shared digital-channel arrangement involving sister station KFTA-TV, allowing the NBC service to reach viewers across a wider geographic area. The station began broadcasting on August 23, 1989, under the call sign KFAA. It was established to improve the reach of KPOM-TV, an NBC affiliate based in Fort Smith and serving on channel 24. Northwest Arkansas was experiencing rapid population and economic growth, but KPOM’s signal coverage in the area was limited. Griffin TV, the owner of KPOM, acquired the permit for channel 51 and launched KFAA as a semi-satellite. The two stations initially carried the same NBC schedule and local news, while maintaining separate advertising and promotional elements. KFAA also developed a Rogers-based news presence and contributed Northwest Arkansas inserts to the shared newscasts. The early service struggled to gain a strong position in the full Fort Smith–Fayetteville market. Its local news operation was closed in 1992, although Griffin later judged that demographic and commercial growth had created a basis for rebuilding local coverage. A new Fayetteville facility in the renovated Campbell-Bell building supported the return of local newscasts in August 2000. The revived operation again emphasized Northwest Arkansas while remaining connected to the Fort Smith station. Nexstar assumed management of the stations in the early 2000s and completed its acquisition of the pair in 2004. The company shifted the center of operations from Fort Smith to Fayetteville and changed the call signs from KPOM-TV and KFAA to KFTA-TV and KNWA-TV. The reorientation reflected the growing importance of Northwest Arkansas within the market, but it also drew criticism from Fort Smith civic leaders and viewers who believed the Arkansas River Valley would receive less news attention. In 2006, the two services were reorganized. KFTA became a Fox affiliate, while KNWA retained NBC programming. The services continued to be carried on one another’s digital subchannels, creating market-wide distribution despite their distinct network affiliations and programming schedules. The arrangement also became relevant to federal ownership rules, because regulators treated the stations as having a legacy satellite relationship. Nexstar later added KXNW to its Northwest Arkansas station group in 2019. KNWA’s current offering combines NBC network programming, locally produced news, weather, sports, public-interest coverage, and digital content for Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas River Valley. Its regional identity is closely associated with Fayetteville, Rogers, Benton County, Fort Smith, and surrounding communities. In October 2012, KNWA and KFTA moved into a larger shared facility on West Dickson Street, supporting expanded news production and newsroom operations. The station completed its digital transition in 2009 and later moved its digital transmission facility from UHF channel 50 to channel 33 in April 2019 as part of the United States spectrum repacking process. On March 20, 2026, Nexstar announced that KNWA would be sold in connection with its proposed acquisition of Tegna, which owns competing CBS affiliate KFSM-TV. The announcement indicates a potential future change in ownership, but the referenced material does not establish that the transaction had closed. Until completion of any approved sale, KNWA remains identified with Nexstar.

Channel 51 was allocated to Rogers, Arkansas, in 1984. MCC Communications, controlled by John McCutcheon, obtained the construction permit in 1985 but had difficulty financing an independent station. In February 1986, Griffin TV agreed to acquire the permit and operate the station as a semi-satellite of KPOM-TV, the Fort Smith NBC affiliate. The proposal was opposed by KSNF-TV of Joplin, Missouri, over signal-overlap and coverage concerns, but the Federal Communications Commission approved the transfer in December 1988. KFAA began broadcasting on August 23, 1989. It initially shared NBC programming and much of its local news operation with KPOM-TV, while using separate advertising and promotional material. Griffin expanded the Rogers presence with a local bureau and a dual-city news format, including anchors or contributors serving both Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas. The station’s market performance remained weak overall, although it performed relatively better in Benton County after that county became part of the Fort Smith–Fayetteville market in 1989. Griffin attempted to sell KPOM and KFAA in the early 1990s. A proposed transfer to Northwest Arkansas Broadcasting raised ownership objections because of the prospective buyers’ relationship to the Hernreich family, which was associated with KHBS/KHOG. The application was withdrawn in 1993 without FCC action. Meanwhile, the stations’ news operation was closed effective June 12, 1992, with 22 employees dismissed. The stations continued broadcasting network and syndicated programming without a full local-news department. By the end of the 1990s, Griffin believed that Northwest Arkansas’s growth justified renewed investment. It leased space in the former Campbell-Bell department store in downtown Fayetteville and rebuilt a local news operation. Newscasts returned on August 3, 2000. The operation included personnel with experience at rival station KHBS/KHOG, including sportscaster Mike Nail and weathercaster Steve Gibbs. Despite the relaunch, the service generally remained third in local-news ratings. After federal ownership limits were relaxed, Griffin received renewed interest in the stations. Nexstar Broadcasting Group entered negotiations in 2003 and began managing the stations under a time brokerage arrangement. Nexstar shifted the operational center from Fort Smith to Fayetteville, reflecting Northwest Arkansas’s demographic importance. In February 2004, the Fayetteville facility became the primary studio, and several Fort Smith-oriented public-affairs programs were discontinued. The stations’ call signs changed on August 13, 2004: KPOM-TV became KFTA-TV and KFAA became KNWA-TV. The move generated criticism in Fort Smith, where local officials and residents viewed it as a reduction in Arkansas River Valley coverage. In 2006, Nexstar reorganized the two services. KFTA became a full-power Fox affiliate and KNWA became the market’s NBC affiliate. Nexstar and Mission Broadcasting announced a proposed sale of KFTA, but Mission ultimately did not acquire the station. The FCC later addressed the stations’ digital-signal and ownership structure, recognizing a legacy satellite relationship that helped Nexstar maintain ownership of KXNW after acquiring that station in 2019. KFTA eventually closed its Fort Smith office in 2011 and consolidated operations in Fayetteville. KNWA and KFTA moved to a shared facility on West Dickson Street in October 2012. The approximately 12,000-square-foot studio space supported broader news production, including expanded programming on KFTA. KNWA also joined other Nexstar-owned Arkansas NBC affiliates in the statewide midday newscast Arkansas Today, contributing sports coverage from Fayetteville. The station ended regular analog broadcasts on June 12, 2009, retaining virtual channel 51 on its digital service. Its digital transmission later moved from UHF channel 50 to channel 33 on April 12, 2019, as required by the United States spectrum-reallocation process. KNWA continues to provide NBC programming and locally produced coverage for Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas River Valley. On March 20, 2026, Nexstar announced a planned sale of KNWA associated with its proposed acquisition of Tegna; the available material does not confirm completion of that transaction.

1. 2026Planned sale announced

   Nexstar announced a planned sale connected to its proposed Tegna acquisition.

   Source
2. 2019Digital channel reassignment

   The station moved its digital signal to UHF channel 33 following spectrum repacking.

   Source
3. 2012Move to West Dickson Street facility

   KNWA and KFTA consolidated in a larger shared Fayetteville studio.

   Source
4. 2009Analog transmission ends

   Regular analog broadcasting ended during the United States digital transition.

   Source
5. 2006NBC and Fox services split

   KNWA retained NBC while KFTA adopted Fox programming.

   Source
6. 2004Call sign and operational shift

   Nexstar moved the primary operation to Fayetteville and renamed KFAA as KNWA-TV.

   Source
7. 2000Local news production restored

   Newscasts returned from a Fayetteville facility on August 3.

   Source
8. 1992Local news department closed

   Griffin ended the KPOM–KFAA local-news operation.

   Source
9. 1989KFAA begins broadcasting

   The station launched on August 23 as a semi-satellite of KPOM-TV.

   Source
10. 1985Construction permit granted

    MCC Communications received the permit for channel 51.

    Source
11. 1984Channel 51 allocated to Rogers

    The FCC allocation created the basis for a new television service in Rogers, Arkansas.

    Source

A regional NBC television service focused on local news, weather, sports, and community coverage for Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas River Valley, with its operational center in Fayetteville.

• NBC network serviceNetwork television1989

  KNWA-TV’s principal programming service is the NBC schedule, including network news, daytime, entertainment, sports, and special-event programming. NBC is distributed on the station’s primary virtual channel and is also carried through the related KFTA digital-channel arrangement, helping extend the service across the broader Fort Smith–Fayetteville market.

• Local news and weatherBroadcast news1989

  The station produces local news, weather, sports, and community reporting focused on Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas River Valley. Coverage is centered operationally in Fayetteville and includes communities such as Rogers, Benton County, Fort Smith, and surrounding areas. The local-news service has operated in several phases since its original launch, including a hiatus during the 1990s.

• Arkansas TodayStatewide news program2012

  Arkansas Today is a statewide midday newscast carried by participating Nexstar-owned NBC affiliates in Arkansas. KNWA contributes regional reporting and sports segments from Fayetteville, linking its local newsroom to a broader state-oriented news product.

• Digital subchannel distributionTelevision distribution2006

  KNWA’s NBC service is distributed through a shared digital-channel structure with KFTA-TV. The arrangement places NBC and Fox services on virtual channels associated with both transmitters, allowing the affiliated stations to provide broader market coverage despite operating as distinct programming services.

• 2026Planned divestiture linked to Tegna acquisitionM&A

  Nexstar announced a proposed acquisition of Tegna, whose portfolio includes competing CBS affiliate KFSM-TV.

  What changed. Nexstar announced that KNWA would be sold as part of the transaction-related portfolio changes.

  Aftermath. The available reference identifies an announced sale but does not establish whether the transaction had closed or identify the future buyer.

  Source
• 2012Expand and consolidate Fayetteville production facilitiesStrategy

  The stations required additional space to support local news production after operations had been concentrated in Fayetteville.

  What changed. KNWA and KFTA moved into a shared facility on West Dickson Street in downtown Fayetteville.

  Aftermath. The move provided a larger base for newsroom operations and expanded KFTA local programming.

  Source
• 2006Separate NBC and Fox programming between KNWA and KFTAStrategy

  Nexstar sought to place Fox programming on a full-power signal while preserving NBC service on KNWA.

  What changed. KFTA became a Fox affiliate and KNWA retained NBC, with both services continuing to be distributed through shared digital subchannels.

  Aftermath. The stations operated as separate network services while maintaining a technical and regulatory relationship rooted in their earlier satellite configuration.

  Source
• 2004Reorient operations toward Northwest ArkansasStrategy

  Nexstar determined that Northwest Arkansas represented the larger and faster-growing portion of the combined Fort Smith–Fayetteville market.

  What changed. The company moved the principal operation from Fort Smith to Fayetteville, consolidated resources, and changed KFAA’s call sign to KNWA-TV.

  Aftermath. The station strengthened its Northwest Arkansas identity, but Fort Smith officials criticized the reduction in dedicated Arkansas River Valley operations.

  Source

• 2026Nexstar announces planned sale connected to Tegna acquisition

  Nexstar announced that KNWA would be sold as part of its proposed acquisition of Tegna, owner of competing CBS affiliate KFSM-TV. Closing status is not established in the referenced material.

  M&A
  Source
• 2012KNWA operations move to West Dickson Street

  KNWA and KFTA moved into a larger shared Fayetteville facility, providing additional space for newsroom and local-production activities.

  Other
  Source
• 2006KNWA and KFTA separate network services

  KFTA adopted Fox programming while KNWA retained NBC, with both services continuing to reach the market through shared digital-subchannel distribution.

  Product generation
  Source
• 2004Nexstar takes control and renames the stations

  Nexstar assumed control of the Fort Smith–Rogers stations, moved the main operation to Fayetteville, and renamed KFAA as KNWA-TV.

  M&ALeadership change
  Source
• 2000Local news returns to Northwest Arkansas

  Griffin relaunched local newscasts from a new Fayetteville facility as the market’s population and commercial potential expanded.

  Product launch
  Source
• 1992Local news operation discontinued

  The shared KPOM–KFAA news department was closed after continued weak market ratings and a stated lack of demand, eliminating 22 positions.

  Other
  Source
• 1989KNWA-TV launches as KFAA semi-satellite of KPOM-TV

  Channel 51 began broadcasting from Rogers under the KFAA call sign, extending the reach of Fort Smith NBC affiliate KPOM-TV into Northwest Arkansas.

  Product launch
  Source

1. KNWA-TV