KPLR-TV
A Nexstar-owned CW-affiliated television station serving the St. Louis market.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KPLR-TV is a television station licensed to St. Louis, Missouri, and serving the wider St. Louis metropolitan market. The station broadcasts on channel 11 and is affiliated with The CW. It operates alongside Fox affiliate KTVI under common ownership by Nexstar Media Group, with the two stations sharing facilities in Maryland Heights. KPLR’s transmitter is located in Sappington, Missouri. The station began broadcasting on April 28, 1959, as Missouri’s first independent television station. Its call letters were associated with Harold Koplar, a St. Louis real-estate developer and hotel operator whose company ultimately obtained the channel 11 authorization after CBS abandoned plans to build a separate station on the frequency. KPLR initially operated from the Koplar-owned Chase Park Plaza Hotel and became closely identified with local ownership and St. Louis programming. For much of its early existence, KPLR was an independent station carrying films, syndicated series, cartoons, drama programs, sports, and locally produced news. Its signal was also distributed by cable systems across parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas, giving the station a broader regional profile than a typical local outlet. During the 1960s and 1970s, the station expanded its local production activities, including sports and news programming. Ted Koplar, Harold Koplar’s son, became president and chief executive in 1979 and assumed full control after his father’s death in 1985. KPLR became a charter affiliate of The WB when that network launched in January 1995. The affiliation introduced a formal network relationship while the station continued to rely on syndicated entertainment, movies, children’s programming, and local news. The station declined an opportunity to become the St. Louis ABC affiliate during the major 1990s realignment of network affiliations. It also carried selected UPN programming during off-hours between 2000 and 2002. Ownership changed substantially in the late 1990s. Koplar Communications agreed to sell KPLR to ACME Communications in 1997, ending nearly four decades of family ownership; the transaction was completed in 1998. Tribune Broadcasting acquired the station from ACME in 2003 and later combined KPLR’s operations with those of KTVI through a local marketing agreement. Tribune purchased KTVI outright in 2013, creating a legally recognized St. Louis television duopoly. KPLR became a charter affiliate of The CW in September 2006, following the shutdown of The WB and UPN and the creation of the combined network by CBS and Warner Bros. The station has generally branded around its channel identity, including periods as “CW 11,” “KPLR 11,” and “STL 11.” Since 2008, it has scheduled The CW’s evening programming at a later time than the network’s recommended Central Time schedule in order to preserve a local 7 p.m. newscast. Nexstar acquired Tribune Media in 2019, bringing KPLR and KTVI into Nexstar’s portfolio. Today, KPLR’s principal offerings are CW entertainment and sports programming, syndicated series, local news, weather, traffic, community coverage, and digital video distributed through its website and related platforms. Its positioning is that of a locally oriented network affiliate with a long-running St. Louis broadcast identity.
History
KPLR-TV signed on April 28, 1959, as the first independent television station in Missouri. The station’s origins followed a complicated licensing sequence. CBS had initially received authorization to construct a station on channel 11, but later chose to acquire an existing St. Louis station instead. As part of that transaction, CBS relinquished the channel 11 authorization, which was transferred to a group associated with Harold Koplar. After legal challenges were resolved, Koplar proceeded with construction and launched KPLR from facilities at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel. The call letters reflected the Koplar ownership, and the station remained under local family control for almost four decades. It developed a conventional independent-station schedule built around movies, syndicated sitcoms and dramas, cartoons, sports, and locally produced news. In the 1960s, Harold Koplar’s son Ted became involved in station operations, producing sports programs and helping develop regular local newscasts. Ted Koplar became president and chief executive in 1979 and took complete control after Harold Koplar died in 1985. KPLR was distributed by cable systems beyond the immediate St. Louis area, including systems in parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas. This regional reach supported its identity as an important independent outlet even after KDNL-TV launched in 1969 and became a local competitor. When Fox launched in 1986, KDNL received the St. Louis affiliation. KPLR therefore remained independent rather than becoming the market’s Fox station. The station’s programming strategy began to change as the U.S. television industry underwent major affiliation realignment in the 1990s. KPLR aired syndicated programming blocks such as Action Pack and was approached about becoming the St. Louis affiliate of ABC after KTVI was expected to move to Fox. Station management declined, and ABC ultimately affiliated with KDNL. KPLR instead became a charter WB affiliate in January 1995. The station continued to supplement WB programming with movies, syndicated series, children’s shows, and local news because The WB initially offered only a limited prime-time schedule. In 1997, Koplar Communications announced a sale to ACME Communications. ACME assumed operational responsibility under a local marketing agreement before the sale closed in March 1998. The transaction ended the station’s period of family ownership. Ted Koplar remained briefly as chief executive under a contractual arrangement but departed in 1999 after a disagreement with ACME management. KPLR adopted the “WB11” identity in 1998 and later carried selected UPN programming outside the network’s principal schedule. Tribune Broadcasting acquired KPLR from ACME in 2003. That year the station moved from its historic Chase Park Plaza location to a new facility in Maryland Heights. When CBS and Warner Bros. formed The CW from the former WB and UPN networks, Tribune secured CW affiliations for many of its stations, including KPLR. KPLR transitioned from The WB to The CW in September 2006. In 2008, KPLR entered a local marketing agreement with KTVI, then owned by Local TV. The agreement combined important management and news functions and moved KTVI’s operations to KPLR’s Maryland Heights facility. Tribune later bought KTVI outright in 2013, creating a duopoly. The shared operation allowed the stations to coordinate certain resources while preserving separate station brands and network affiliations. Tribune’s proposed sale to Sinclair Broadcast Group in 2017 raised ownership and regulatory issues because Sinclair already owned St. Louis station KDNL-TV and could not retain all three full-power stations under applicable rules. The proposed transaction was terminated after regulatory scrutiny and litigation between the companies. Nexstar subsequently agreed to acquire Tribune Media, and the transaction closed in September 2019. KPLR has since operated as part of Nexstar’s St. Louis station group alongside KTVI. KPLR’s current identity combines a long-established local channel brand with CW network programming. Its schedule includes local news, weather, traffic, syndicated entertainment, community coverage, and digital content. Since 2008, the station has generally placed CW prime-time programming at 8 p.m. Central rather than the network’s recommended 7 p.m. Central start, allowing it to air a local 7 p.m. newscast.
- 2019
Nexstar ownership begins
[1]Nexstar completes its acquisition of Tribune Media and assumes ownership of KPLR.
- 2013
KTVI becomes part of the Tribune duopoly
[1]Tribune completes its purchase of KTVI, creating a legal two-station ownership combination with KPLR.
- 2008
KPLR begins shared operations with KTVI
[1]A local marketing agreement combines major aspects of the stations’ management and news operations.
- 2006
KPLR becomes a CW affiliate
[1]The station changes from The WB to The CW when the new network launches.
- 2003
Tribune acquires KPLR and relocates its studios
[1]Tribune completes the acquisition and KPLR moves to a new Maryland Heights facility.
- 1998
ACME ownership is completed
[1]The sale from Koplar Communications to ACME Communications closes, ending local family ownership.
- 1995
The WB affiliation begins
[1]KPLR becomes a charter affiliate of The WB when the network launches.
- 1979
Ted Koplar becomes president and chief executive
[1]Harold Koplar’s son assumes senior leadership of the family-owned station.
- 1959
KPLR-TV begins broadcasting
[1]The station signs on April 28 as Missouri’s first independent television station.
Products and positioning
Local television station combining CW network programming with St. Louis news, weather, syndicated entertainment, and community coverage.
Local television news
KPLR 11 local news
Local news, weather, traffic, and community reporting produced for viewers in the St. Louis market. KPLR’s news operation is coordinated in important respects with sister station KTVI, while the station maintains its own channel identity and schedule.
Network television programming · 2006
The CW programming
KPLR’s principal network offering since September 2006. The schedule includes CW entertainment and other network programming, generally placed after the station’s 7 p.m. local newscast in Central Time.
Television entertainment · 1959
Syndicated and acquired programming
Across its independent, WB, and CW eras, KPLR has supplemented network programming with syndicated sitcoms, dramas, movies, children’s programs, and other acquired entertainment content.
Brand decisions
2019
Nexstar acquires Tribune MediaM&ABackground
Tribune Media agreed to be acquired after its proposed transaction with Sinclair Broadcast Group collapsed amid regulatory and legal complications.
Action taken
Nexstar completed the acquisition of Tribune Media, including KPLR-TV.
Aftermath
KPLR became part of Nexstar’s St. Louis television operations alongside KTVI.
2008
KPLR adopts a later CW prime-time scheduleStrategyBackground
The station sought to preserve a local 7 p.m. newscast in the Central Time Zone.
Action taken
KPLR began airing CW prime-time programming at approximately 8 p.m., one hour later than the network’s recommended Central Time schedule.
Aftermath
The scheduling approach allowed the station to maintain a locally produced early-evening newscast.
2006
KPLR transitions from The WB to The CWStrategyBackground
CBS and Warner Bros. decided to replace The WB and UPN with The CW.
Action taken
KPLR adopted The CW affiliation when the network launched on September 18, 2006.
Aftermath
The station continued as the St. Louis outlet for The CW.
1995
KPLR joins The WBStrategyBackground
The newly created WB offered an affiliation opportunity for independent stations seeking a network relationship.
Action taken
KPLR became a charter WB affiliate and retained movies, syndicated series, children’s programming, and local news around the network schedule.
Aftermath
The affiliation continued until The WB ceased operations in September 2006.
1994
KPLR declines an ABC affiliation opportunityStrategyBackground
ABC sought a new St. Louis affiliate after KTVI was expected to move from ABC to Fox during the 1990s network realignment.
Action taken
KPLR management declined the offer, and ABC instead reached an agreement with KDNL-TV.
Aftermath
KPLR remained an independent station until joining The WB in 1995.
Recent events
- 2019
Nexstar completes acquisition of Tribune Media[1]
M&A
Nexstar completed its acquisition of Tribune Media, making KPLR-TV and KTVI Nexstar-owned stations.
- 2013
Tribune completes its acquisition of KTVI[1]
M&A · Regulation
Tribune’s purchase of KTVI created a legally recognized duopoly between KTVI and KPLR in the St. Louis television market.
- 2008
KPLR-TV and KTVI enter a local marketing agreement[1]
M&A
Tribune and Local TV combined management and news operations for KPLR and KTVI. KTVI subsequently moved its operations into KPLR’s Maryland Heights facility.
- 2006
KPLR-TV joins The CW[1]
Product launch
After The WB and UPN were replaced by The CW, KPLR became the St. Louis market’s CW affiliate and adopted CW-oriented branding.
- 2003
Tribune Broadcasting acquires KPLR-TV[1]
M&A
Tribune purchased KPLR from ACME Communications, with the transaction closing in March 2003. The station also moved from the Chase Park Plaza area to a purpose-built Maryland Heights facility.
- 1997
Koplar Communications agrees to sell KPLR-TV to ACME Communications[1]
M&A
The announced sale began the transition away from nearly four decades of local family ownership. ACME took over operational responsibility in October 1997, and the transaction closed in March 1998.
- 1995
KPLR-TV becomes a charter affiliate of The WB[1]
Other
KPLR joined The WB at the network’s launch, ending its long period as a fully independent station while retaining substantial syndicated and locally produced programming.
Sources2 sources
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