KRBK
KRBK is a Fox-affiliated television station serving the Springfield and Ozarks region of Missouri.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KRBK is a full-power television station licensed to Osage Beach, Missouri, and serving the Springfield, Missouri, television market and the wider Ozarks region. The station operates as an affiliate of the Fox network and is identified locally through the brands Fox 5 and Ozarks Fox. Its studios are located on East Division Street in Springfield, where its operations are integrated with those of Nexstar-owned KOZL-TV and KOLR-TV, a CBS affiliate managed by Nexstar through an agreement with Mission Broadcasting. KRBK began broadcasting on August 1, 2009, under the ownership of Koplar Communications. It initially carried MyNetworkTV programming and used the on-air identity KRBK-HD. The station entered a market in which MyNetworkTV service had recently disappeared after the previous affiliate, KWBM, moved to the Daystar network. KRBK's original transmitter planning created a challenging coverage profile because Osage Beach lies near the boundaries of multiple Missouri television markets. The transmitter plan was subsequently revised, with the facility moved to Eldridge in northeastern Laclede County to place the station more firmly within the Springfield market. A major turning point came in 2011. Fox announced that KRBK would replace KSFX-TV as the Springfield market's Fox affiliate, and KRBK began carrying Fox programming on September 1 of that year. At first, the station's over-the-air signal did not reach the entire market, although management stated that most households could receive the service through cable or satellite. KRBK responded by developing a distributed single-frequency transmission network using multiple transmitters and repeaters. The network was implemented in 2013 to improve coverage across the mountainous Ozarks terrain. KRBK developed its local programming gradually. Between 2010 and 2012, it carried short wraparound segments produced by the KRBK Street Team. In late 2012, it introduced brief news updates, followed in September 2013 by a full in-house news department and a weekday 9 p.m. newscast. The evening news expanded from an initial ten-minute format to a half-hour in 2015 and to a larger evening block in 2016. Additional weekday programming was introduced in 2018, including a 6:30 p.m. newscast and, after the ownership transition, a morning news and lifestyle program. The station's programming identity changed again in September 2014, when MyNetworkTV moved to KOZL-TV and KRBK adopted the Fox 5 brand. This branding referred to the station's common cable and satellite channel position in the Springfield area rather than its physical broadcast channel. In October 2018, following Nexstar's acquisition of KRBK, the station became part of a virtual triopoly with KOZL-TV and KOLR-TV. Its operations moved into the shared Springfield facilities, its transmitter was relocated to the Fordland antenna farm, and the station adopted the Ozarks Fox identity. Its news output was rebranded Ozarks Fox News, and it launched Ozarks Fox AM, a weekday morning program combining news and lifestyle content. KRBK also operates digital subchannels. MeTV was added in 2014, Ion Television was added in 2017, and the former MeTV service was replaced by Antenna TV in 2021. The station has also appeared in popular culture: its former logo was used in promotional artwork and online fictional materials associated with the 2014 film Gone Girl, whose story is set partly in the surrounding region. KRBK remains an active local broadcast outlet, combining Fox network programming, syndicated content, digital multicast services, and locally produced news for viewers in the Ozarks.
History
KRBK signed on August 1, 2009, as a television station licensed to Osage Beach, Missouri. Koplar Communications owned the station at launch. It initially served as the Springfield-area affiliate of MyNetworkTV and used the KRBK-HD identity. The station filled a programming gap created when KWBM, the previous MyNetworkTV outlet in the region, changed affiliations and began carrying Daystar programming. The station's early technical configuration reflected the geography of the Ozarks. Its initial transmitter plan would have produced limited or rimshot coverage of Springfield and Jefferson City. The transmitter was later moved to Eldridge in northeastern Laclede County, placing the station more clearly within the Springfield market. KRBK also leased capacity on two KWBM subchannels to extend Fox and MeTV service to the southern part of the market. That arrangement eventually ended in 2020. Fox selected KRBK as its new Springfield affiliate in June 2011, after announcing the end of its relationship with KSFX-TV. KRBK began carrying Fox programming on September 1, 2011. Because the main signal did not initially reach the whole market, the station relied heavily on cable and satellite distribution while developing a technical solution for over-the-air viewers. In April 2013, it implemented a distributed single-frequency network using five engineered repeater antennas across the Ozarks. The system improved reception in a large, mountainous service area, although some communities remained dependent on cable service. KRBK expanded its local content during this period. From 2010 through 2012, its KRBK Street Team produced short entertainment, sports, and event segments. In November 2012, the station began airing brief news updates featuring wire reports and local weather. A full in-house news department followed in September 2013, when the station introduced a weekday 9 p.m. newscast. The program initially lasted ten minutes and was anchored by Janelle Brandom, with David Koeller serving as chief meteorologist. It expanded to a half-hour in 2015 and to a larger hour-long evening block in 2016. A weekday 6:30 p.m. newscast was added in March 2018. On September 8, 2014, MyNetworkTV moved from KRBK to sister station KOZL-TV. KRBK simultaneously adopted Fox 5 branding, referencing its common local channel placement rather than its broadcast channel number. The change aligned the station more closely with Fox's broader branding conventions and established the identity that preceded its later Ozarks Fox name. Nexstar Media Group announced its plan to purchase KRBK from Koplar Communications on August 2, 2018. Nexstar began operating the station under a time brokerage agreement on the previous day, and the sale was completed on November 1. The transaction created a virtual triopoly involving KRBK, Nexstar-owned KOZL-TV, and KOLR-TV, which Nexstar managed for Mission Broadcasting. In October 2018, KRBK's primary transmitter moved to the Fordland antenna farm, improving its over-the-air footprint. The station's operations were then consolidated with KOZL and KOLR on East Division Street in Springfield. The October 2018 transition also changed the station's presentation. KRBK became Ozarks Fox, its news operation became Ozarks Fox News, and it launched the weekday morning hybrid news and lifestyle program Ozarks Fox AM. The station also began carrying the 6 a.m. hour of KOLR's morning newscast and renamed its evening 6:30 p.m. program Ozarks Tonight. As of the period described in the reference material, KRBK produced more than seventeen hours of local newscasts each week, concentrated on weekdays. KRBK has maintained a digital multicast presence alongside its primary Fox service. It added MeTV in 2014 and Ion Television in 2017. On January 1, 2021, Antenna TV replaced MeTV on the station's digital service, while MeTV moved elsewhere in the market. KRBK's former logo also appeared in promotional artwork and fictional online materials connected with the 2014 film Gone Girl. The film used the station as part of its regional setting but did not employ actual KRBK staff as characters or news personnel.
- 2021
Antenna TV replaces MeTV
[1]KRBK changes its digital multicast offering from MeTV to Antenna TV.
- 2018
Nexstar acquisition completed
[1]Nexstar completes its purchase of KRBK on November 1 and integrates the station into its Springfield-area operation.
- 2018
Ozarks Fox operation launched
[1]The station relocates its transmitter and facilities and adopts the Ozarks Fox identity.
- 2014
Fox 5 identity introduced
[1]MyNetworkTV moves to KOZL-TV and KRBK adopts the Fox 5 brand.
- 2013
Distributed transmission network launches
[1]A five-transmitter single-frequency network is implemented to improve over-the-air coverage across the Ozarks.
- 2011
Fox affiliation begins
[1]KRBK replaces KSFX-TV as the Springfield area's Fox affiliate on September 1.
- 2009
KRBK signs on
[1]KRBK begins broadcasting on August 1 as a MyNetworkTV affiliate licensed to Osage Beach and serving the Springfield market.
Products and positioning
A regional Fox affiliate positioned as a local news, entertainment, and lifestyle television outlet for Springfield and the broader Ozarks market.
Broadcast television · 2011
Fox network service
KRBK's primary service carries Fox network programming for the Springfield and Ozarks television market. The affiliation began in September 2011 after the station replaced KSFX-TV. The service includes Fox entertainment, sports, news, and other network programming distributed through over-the-air broadcast as well as cable, satellite, and other television platforms.
Local news · 2018
Ozarks Fox News
KRBK's local news operation, rebranded Ozarks Fox News in October 2018, produces weekday news programming for viewers in the Ozarks. It developed from short newsbriefs introduced in 2012 and a full evening newscast launched in 2013. The operation includes evening news, weather, local reporting, and related community and lifestyle coverage.
Morning news and lifestyle · 2018
Ozarks Fox AM
Ozarks Fox AM is a weekday morning program introduced in October 2018. It combines local news and lifestyle-talk elements and was launched as a two-hour program. The program formed part of KRBK's broader integration with the shared KOLR-TV and KOZL-TV operation.
Digital multicast television · 2021
Antenna TV digital subchannel
Antenna TV is carried as a digital multicast service on KRBK. It replaced the station's MeTV subchannel on January 1, 2021, while MeTV moved to a subchannel of KSPR-LD elsewhere in the market.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Ozarks Fox launch
Springfield, Missouri · The Ozarks
Following Nexstar's acquisition and facility integration, KRBK launched the Ozarks Fox brand together with Ozarks Fox News, Ozarks Fox AM, and the Ozarks Tonight evening program.
Outcome. The campaign established the station's regional Ozarks-focused identity within Nexstar's shared Springfield operation.
- 2014Fox 5 rebrand
Springfield, Missouri · The Ozarks
KRBK introduced the Fox 5 identity when MyNetworkTV programming moved to KOZL-TV. The branding emphasized the station's common local cable and satellite position and used a logo visually aligned with Fox station branding.
Outcome. The Fox 5 identity became the station's principal public-facing brand until the 2018 transition to Ozarks Fox.
Brand decisions
2021
Replace MeTV with Antenna TVGeneration changeBackground
Nexstar adjusted its digital multicast distribution in the Springfield market.
Action taken
KRBK replaced MeTV with Antenna TV on January 1, 2021.
Aftermath
MeTV moved to KSPR-LD subchannel 33.3, while KRBK continued its digital multicast service with Antenna TV.
2018
Nexstar acquires KRBKM&ABackground
Koplar Communications agreed to sell KRBK to Nexstar Media Group. The transaction followed Nexstar's earlier operational relationship with the Springfield stations.
Action taken
Nexstar assumed operations through a time brokerage agreement and completed the acquisition on November 1, 2018.
Aftermath
KRBK joined a virtual triopoly with KOZL-TV and KOLR-TV, moved operations into shared Springfield facilities, and adopted the Ozarks Fox identity.
Reported acquisition price. $16.45 million (Announced August 2, 2018; transaction completed November 1, 2018)
2014
Move MyNetworkTV programming to KOZL-TVStrategyBackground
KRBK's programming arrangement changed after the station became the market's Fox affiliate.
Action taken
MyNetworkTV moved to KOZL-TV on September 8, while KRBK focused on Fox programming and adopted Fox 5 branding.
Aftermath
KRBK's schedule and public identity became centered on Fox rather than the programming service it carried at launch.
2011
Switch from MyNetworkTV to FoxStrategyBackground
Fox ended its affiliation with KSFX-TV and selected KRBK as its replacement outlet in the Springfield market.
Action taken
KRBK began broadcasting Fox programming on September 1, 2011.
Aftermath
The station became a Fox affiliate while continuing to address incomplete over-the-air market coverage through cable distribution and later a distributed transmission network.
Recent events
- 2021
KRBK replaces MeTV with Antenna TV[1]
Product generation
KRBK replaced its MeTV digital subchannel with Nexstar-owned Antenna TV, while MeTV moved to a subchannel of KSPR-LD.
- 2018
Nexstar announces acquisition of KRBK[1]
M&A
Nexstar announced an agreement to acquire KRBK from Koplar Communications and began operating the station through a time brokerage agreement before closing.
- 2018
KRBK joins the Ozarks Fox shared operation[1]
M&A · Leadership change
KRBK moved its operations into the shared KOZL-TV and KOLR-TV facilities, relocated its primary transmitter to Fordland, and adopted the Ozarks Fox identity.
- 2014
KRBK adopts Fox 5 branding[1]
Other
After MyNetworkTV programming moved to KOZL-TV, KRBK rebranded around its common local cable and satellite position as Fox 5.
- 2011
KRBK selected as Springfield's Fox affiliate[1]
Product launch
Fox announced that KRBK would replace KSFX-TV as the network's Springfield-area affiliate. KRBK began carrying Fox programming on September 1.
- 2009
KRBK begins broadcasting as a MyNetworkTV affiliate[1]
Product launch
KRBK signed on August 1, 2009, becoming the Ozarks market's MyNetworkTV affiliate under Koplar Communications.
Sources2 sources
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