KQCW-DT

KQCW-DT is a full-power television station licensed to Muskogee, Oklahoma, and serving viewers throughout the Tulsa television market. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 19 and is affiliated with The CW. Its transmitter is located in Broken Arrow, just north of the Muskogee Turnpike, while its business, production, and operational facilities are shared with CBS affiliate KOTV-DT at the Griffin Media Center in Tulsa's Arts District. KQCW-DT is part of Griffin Media, the Oklahoma-based broadcasting company that also owns and operates KOTV-DT. The station began broadcasting on September 12, 1999, under the call sign KWBT. Branded as WB Tulsa, it became Tulsa's first full-time affiliate of The WB. The station was created after several groups seeking the channel 19 allocation combined their applications into Tulsa Channel 19 LLC during a Federal Communications Commission settlement process. A controlling interest was later acquired by Tulsa Communications LLC, and the station operated through Cascade Communications. Its launch addressed a local programming gap: Tulsa viewers had previously received limited access to WB programming, and the national superstation distribution of WB content was being reduced as the network expanded its affiliate system. In its early years, KWBT carried WB network series and syndicated programming. It initially appeared on cable channel 19 before moving to channel 12 in 2000 through an arrangement involving Rogers State University. The agreement included support for communications students in the form of scholarships and internships. Cascade later centralized master-control operations in Tucson, Arizona, a move that resulted in layoffs at the Tulsa facility. For a limited period between 2003 and 2004, KWBT also aired Jimmy Kimmel Live! after Tulsa's ABC affiliate declined to carry the program. Griffin Communications announced the acquisition of KWBT in October 2005 for $14.5 million and immediately assumed operational control through a joint sales arrangement. Griffin consolidated the station's operations with those of KOTV as its Tulsa broadcasting activities expanded. Following the announced 2006 combination of The WB and UPN, KWBT was selected as Tulsa's affiliate for the new CW network. It changed its call sign to KQCW and adopted the KQCW branding, while the former UPN affiliate KTFO became associated with MyNetworkTV. KQCW's local identity has been closely tied to programming supplied by KOTV. KOTV launched a half-hour weekday 9 p.m. newscast for the station on September 18, 2006, creating a direct competitor to the Fox affiliate KOKI-TV's late-evening newscast. The program expanded to weekends in 2007 and to a full hour on weeknights in 2013. By 2023, KQCW also carried the 6 a.m. hour of KOTV's morning program and a two-hour morning extension from 7 to 9 a.m., in addition to its one-hour 9 p.m. newscast. The station has also carried selected local sports programming. In 2006, it signed an agreement to televise games of the Tulsa Talons, an arena football team then competing in AF2. The arrangement did not perform as expected: viewership for home-game broadcasts was weak, and the Talons removed the remaining home telecasts from the schedule during the season. Griffin's Tulsa operations eventually moved toward a purpose-built facility. Construction on the Griffin Communications Media Center began in 2008, was interrupted by the Great Recession, and resumed in 2011. The 50,000-square-foot complex opened in 2013 and became the shared home of KQCW-DT and KOTV-DT. KQCW completed its transition from analog to digital broadcasting through a flash cut on February 17, 2009, selecting UHF channel 20 for its digital transmission while retaining virtual channel 19. The station has also been distributed through a KOTV digital subchannel arrangement, including carriage as KOTV's 6.2 service until March 29, 2026, according to the supplied reference material.

The channel 19 allocation serving the Tulsa region emerged from a competitive FCC application process in the mid-1990s. KM Communications, Northwest Television, and Natura Communications each sought authority to build a station in Muskogee, southeast of Tulsa. The applicants later combined their proposals into Tulsa Channel 19 LLC during an FCC settlement window, and the group received a construction permit on August 27, 1998. On March 9, 1999, Tulsa Communications LLC agreed to acquire a 51 percent controlling interest for $4.59 million; the transaction was completed on June 1 of that year. The resulting station began operations on September 12, 1999, as KWBT, using the on-air identity WB Tulsa. It was the Tulsa market's first full-time affiliate of The WB. Earlier access to WB programming had been inconsistent because local cable distribution arrangements and the WGN superstation feed did not provide a stable substitute for a local affiliate. KWBT's initial schedule combined WB series with syndicated shows, including reruns of programs that many Tulsa viewers had not previously been able to watch through a local service. KWBT initially occupied cable channel 19. In 2000, it moved to channel 12 through an agreement with Rogers State University, whose KRSC-TV had used that cable position. The arrangement included scholarships and internships for communications students. Cascade Communications, the station's operating company, subsequently moved master-control work from Tulsa to its Tucson corporate office in early 2004, leading to eight layoffs. From April 2003 through April 2004, KWBT also carried ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! after KTUL, the local ABC affiliate, chose not to air the program. A major ownership change occurred in October 2005, when Cascade announced the sale of KWBT to Griffin Communications for $14.5 million. Griffin was already the owner of Tulsa CBS affiliate KOTV. It immediately took operational control through a joint sales agreement and began integrating KWBT with KOTV's growing Tulsa operation. This relationship shaped the station's later programming, facilities, and news output. The next major turning point came from the planned merger of The WB and UPN. The networks announced the formation of The CW in January 2006, and KWBT was named the new network's Tulsa affiliate in April. The station changed its call sign to KQCW and became the market's CW outlet, while UPN affiliate KTFO affiliated with the new MyNetworkTV service. KQCW also experimented with local sports programming in 2006 by acquiring telecast rights for Tulsa Talons arena football games. The broadcasts attracted limited audiences, particularly for home games, and the team removed the remaining home telecasts during the season. KQCW's news operation was built by KOTV. On September 18, 2006, KOTV introduced a weekday 9 p.m. newscast on KQCW. The program expanded to weekends in October 2007 and became an hour-long weeknight broadcast in 2013. By 2023, the station's schedule also included the 6 a.m. hour of KOTV's morning news and a two-hour extension from 7 to 9 a.m., giving KQCW a substantial locally produced news presence alongside its CW programming. Griffin developed a new shared Tulsa facility to support its expanding operations. The company acquired downtown property and began construction in April 2008, but the Great Recession interrupted the project. Work resumed in 2011, and the 50,000-square-foot Griffin Communications Media Center opened in 2013. KQCW and KOTV share studios at the center, located in the Tulsa Arts District near North Boston Avenue and East Cameron Street. KQCW's transmitter remains in Broken Arrow on South 273rd East Avenue, near the Muskogee Turnpike. Because KQCW received an original construction permit after the FCC finalized the digital television allotment plan, it was not assigned a separate companion digital channel. The station therefore ended analog broadcasting and began digital transmission through a flash cut on February 17, 2009. Its digital signal uses UHF channel 20, while viewers continue to identify the station through virtual channel 19. The station has also been carried through KOTV's digital subchannel infrastructure, including KOTV 6.2 until March 29, 2026, according to the supplied reference material.

• 2013

  Griffin Media Center opens

  [1]KQCW-DTen.wikipedia.org

  The station moved into Griffin's new shared Tulsa media and broadcasting facility.

• 2009

  Digital flash cut

  [1]KQCW-DTen.wikipedia.org

  KQCW ended analog operations and began digital broadcasting on UHF channel 20.

• 2006

  Transition to The CW

  [1]KQCW-DTen.wikipedia.org

  KWBT became a CW affiliate and changed its call sign to KQCW.

• 2005

  Griffin acquires the station

  [1]KQCW-DTen.wikipedia.org

  Griffin Communications purchased KWBT and combined its operations with KOTV.

• 2000

  Cable channel position changes

  [1]KQCW-DTen.wikipedia.org

  The station moved from cable channel 19 to channel 12 through an arrangement involving Rogers State University.

• 1999

  KWBT launches

  [1]KQCW-DTen.wikipedia.org

  KWBT began broadcasting on September 12 as Tulsa's first full-time WB affiliate.

• 1998

  Construction permit granted

  [1]KQCW-DTen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC granted Tulsa Channel 19 LLC a construction permit after competing applicants consolidated their proposals.

Local broadcast television station combining national CW entertainment programming with locally produced news and selected community and sports content for the Tulsa market.

• Network television · 2006

  CW network programming

  KQCW's primary programming product is the schedule supplied by The CW, supplemented by syndicated entertainment and other acquired programming. The station became the Tulsa market's CW affiliate in 2006 after the planned combination of The WB and UPN.

• Local television news · 2006

  KQCW local news

  KOTV produces KQCW's principal local news programming. The service includes a 9 p.m. newscast and, by 2023, morning programming consisting of the 6 a.m. hour of KOTV's morning show and an additional two-hour block from 7 to 9 a.m.

• Sports broadcasting · 2006

  Local sports telecasts

  KQCW has carried selected local sports programming, including Tulsa Talons arena football games in 2006. The Talons arrangement was short-lived after home-game broadcasts produced weak ratings and the remaining home telecasts were removed.

• 2009

  Digital television flash cutGeneration change

  Background

  KQCW received an original construction permit after the FCC finalized the digital television allotment plan and therefore did not receive a separate companion digital channel.

  Action taken

  The station shut down its analog signal and began digital transmission on UHF channel 20 while preserving virtual channel 19.

  Aftermath

  KQCW continued operating as a digital over-the-air station using its established channel identity.

  Source

• 2006

  Station adopts The CW affiliationStrategy

  Background

  The WB and UPN announced plans to combine into The CW, requiring local affiliates to select new network relationships.

  Action taken

  KWBT accepted the CW affiliation, changed its call sign to KQCW, and shifted from the WB Tulsa identity to a CW-focused brand.

  Aftermath

  The station became The CW's Tulsa affiliate, while former UPN outlet KTFO aligned with MyNetworkTV.

  Source

• 2005

  Griffin acquires KWBTM&A

  Background

  Cascade Communications owned the WB affiliate while Griffin Communications operated KOTV, the Tulsa CBS station.

  Action taken

  Griffin announced a $14.5 million purchase of KWBT and assumed operational control through a joint sales agreement.

  Aftermath

  KWBT's activities were integrated with KOTV, eventually placing both stations in Griffin's shared Tulsa media center.

  Acquisition price. $14.5 million (2005)

  Source

1. 1KQCW-DTen.wikipedia.org