KRGV-TV
KRGV-TV is an ABC-affiliated television station serving the Lower Rio Grande Valley from Weslaco, Texas.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KRGV-TV is a commercial television station licensed to Weslaco, Texas, and serving the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 5 and is affiliated with the ABC television network. Its studios are located along East Expressway, the I-2/US 83 corridor, in Weslaco, while its transmitter is located near Santa Maria, Texas. The station’s core brand is built around local news, weather, community information, syndicated programming, and ABC network content, with its news operation commonly branded as Channel 5 News. KRGV began broadcasting in 1954 as a primary NBC affiliate, while also carrying selected ABC programming in a market where KGBT-TV shared the ABC relationship. Its original owner was O. L. Taylor. In 1956, Taylor sold a 50 percent interest to a Texas broadcasting company associated with Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson. The Johnsons retained their interest until 1961, when they sold the station to Kenco Enterprises. Mobile Video Tapes, Inc., a company formed by the Manship family of Baton Rouge, acquired KRGV from Kenco in 1964. The station remains associated with the Manship family’s broadcasting interests. A major turning point came on April 12, 1976, when KRGV switched from NBC to ABC. The change occurred during an ABC effort to secure stronger affiliates, and it made KRGV the first NBC affiliate to make that transition during the network’s affiliation drive. NBC programming was carried on a secondary basis by CBS affiliate KGBT-TV from 1976 until KVEO-TV began full-time NBC service in 1981. KRGV also briefly carried a secondary UPN affiliation in the mid-1990s; that programming moved to KVEO-TV in 1996. Local news has been central to KRGV’s identity and regional role. The station extended its 10 p.m. newscast by 30 minutes in 2009, creating an hour-long late-evening news block. It also expanded its morning newscast, Channel 5 News This Morning, to begin at 4:30 a.m. in 2010 and added weekend morning editions in 2011. In 2009, KRGV completed its transition to high-definition broadcasting and adopted the Channel 5 News branding. The station later redesigned its website and logo in 2012, integrating the ABC logo into the station’s visual identity. KRGV has also used its digital and multicast operations to broaden its programming. In 2017, it discontinued the First Warn Doppler Radar service on digital channel 5.4. In 2018, after its Antenna TV agreement ended, the station introduced Somos El Valle, a locally programmed independent service featuring Spanish- and English-language content. That change also enabled KRGV to return ABC late-night programs such as Nightline and Jimmy Kimmel Live! to their regular network scheduling after years of delays caused by local programming and syndicated shows. The station completed the United States digital television transition in 2009. Its analog VHF channel 5 operation ended on June 12, 2009, while its digital signal operated on VHF channel 13 and retained virtual channel 5. Under the federal SAFER Act, KRGV kept its analog signal on the air temporarily through July 12, 2009, carrying public-service announcements about the transition. KRGV remains an active regional television news and entertainment brand, with its principal public role focused on serving communities across South Texas’s Lower Rio Grande Valley.
History
KRGV-TV began broadcasting in 1954 as a television station licensed to Weslaco, Texas. It initially operated as a primary NBC affiliate and also carried ABC programming shared with KGBT-TV. O. L. Taylor was the station’s original owner. In 1956, Taylor sold half of the station to a Texas broadcasting company connected with Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson. Their company retained the interest until 1961, when the Johnsons sold the station to Kenco Enterprises. Mobile Video Tapes, Inc., formed by the Manship family of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, bought KRGV from Kenco in 1964. The station is associated with Mobile Video Tapes, which frequently conducts business under the KRGV-TV Corporation name. Its facilities are based on East Expressway in Weslaco, and its transmitter is located near Santa Maria, Texas. On April 12, 1976, KRGV made a significant affiliation change by moving from NBC to ABC. It was the first NBC affiliate to switch to ABC during a period when ABC was attempting to strengthen its affiliate lineup. KGBT-TV carried NBC programming on a secondary basis from 1976 through 1981, when KVEO-TV began full-time NBC service in the Rio Grande Valley. KRGV later carried UPN programs as a secondary affiliation beginning in 1995, but the programming moved to KVEO-TV in 1996. The station expanded its local-news presence over subsequent decades. In 2009, it lengthened the 10 p.m. newscast by 30 minutes and began broadcasting in high definition. The news operation adopted the Channel 5 News name that same year. In 2010, Channel 5 News This Morning was expanded to start at 4:30 a.m., and weekend morning editions were added in 2011. KRGV redesigned its website and logo in 2012, removing the ribbon beneath the logo and incorporating the full ABC mark. KRGV also developed multicast and digital services. It ended the First Warn Doppler Radar service on digital channel 5.4 in 2017. In January 2018, the station’s Antenna TV agreement with Tribune Broadcasting ended. KRGV used the resulting capacity for Somos El Valle, a locally programmed independent service with both Spanish- and English-language content. The new arrangement also allowed ABC late-night programs to air at their regular network times rather than being delayed by local and syndicated programming. The station’s scheduling history includes periodic delays of ABC late-night programming. For many years, syndicated programming aired after the 10 p.m. newscast, pushing Nightline and Jimmy Kimmel Live! later than their network slots. Before KRGV had high-definition recording capability, those delayed programs were also shown in standard definition. The station’s technical upgrade in 2009 enabled delayed network and syndicated programs to be recorded and broadcast in high definition. KRGV also declined to carry ABC’s uncut Veterans Day broadcast of Saving Private Ryan in November 2004, a decision shared by numerous ABC affiliates. KRGV ended regular analog broadcasting on June 12, 2009, as part of the United States full-power television digital transition. Its digital signal remained on VHF channel 13 while continuing to use virtual channel 5. In accordance with the SAFER Act, the analog signal continued temporarily through July 12 with public-service announcements explaining the transition. In November 2020, KRGV introduced a redesigned studio set, new graphics, and new music. The station remains an active ABC affiliate and a major local news source for the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
- 2020
News set and presentation are redesigned
[1]KRGV debuts a new studio set, graphics package, and music.
- 2018
Somos El Valle launches
[1]KRGV introduces a locally programmed independent service with Spanish- and English-language programming.
- 2017
First Warn Doppler Radar service ends
[1]The station ends the First Warn Doppler Radar service carried on digital channel 5.4.
- 2012
Website and logo redesign
[1]KRGV updates its website and logo, integrating the full ABC logo into the station’s visual identity.
- 2011
Weekend morning news launches
[1]KRGV adds Saturday and Sunday morning editions of its local news.
- 2010
Morning news expands
[1]Channel 5 News This Morning begins at 4:30 a.m.
- 2009
High-definition broadcasting begins
[1]KRGV begins HD broadcasting, adopts the Channel 5 News brand, and expands its late-evening news schedule.
- 2009
Analog transmission ends
[1]The station ends regular analog broadcasting and continues digital service on VHF channel 13 using virtual channel 5.
- 1996
UPN programming moves to KVEO-TV
[1]KRGV’s secondary UPN programming is transferred to KVEO-TV.
- 1995
UPN secondary affiliation begins
[1]KRGV adds UPN programming as a secondary affiliation.
Products and positioning
A locally focused network-affiliated television station combining regional news, weather, community information, ABC programming, and multilingual digital and multicast content for the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Local television news · 2009
Channel 5 News
KRGV’s principal local-news brand, covering regional government, public safety, education, business, weather, and community affairs across the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The brand was adopted prominently in 2009 and includes multiple daily news editions.
Morning television news
Channel 5 News This Morning
KRGV’s early-morning local news service. Its schedule was expanded in 2010 to begin at 4:30 a.m., followed by the addition of Saturday and Sunday editions in 2011.
Network television programming · 1976
ABC programming
KRGV’s network programming offering as the ABC affiliate for the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The station carries ABC entertainment, news, daytime, and late-night programming, subject to local scheduling decisions.
Digital multicast and independent television service · 2018
Somos El Valle
A locally programmed independent service introduced after KRGV’s Antenna TV agreement ended in 2018. It combines Spanish- and English-language content and expands the station’s reach among the bilingual communities of South Texas.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2020
Redesign of news set and on-air packageOtherBackground
KRGV periodically refreshes its visual presentation to maintain a contemporary local-news identity.
Action taken
The station introduced a redesigned studio set, new graphics, and new music in November 2020.
Aftermath
The update modernized the on-air presentation of Channel 5 News.
2018
Replace Antenna TV carriage with Somos El ValleStrategyBackground
KRGV’s agreement with Tribune Broadcasting for Antenna TV ended in January 2018, creating an opportunity for a locally programmed multicast service.
Action taken
The station launched Somos El Valle with Spanish- and English-language programming and adjusted its late-night schedule.
Aftermath
The new service broadened KRGV’s local and bilingual programming portfolio and allowed Nightline and Jimmy Kimmel Live! to air at their regular ABC time slots.
2009
Move to high-definition broadcastingOtherBackground
The station was upgrading its technical infrastructure while expanding and modernizing its local news operation.
Action taken
KRGV began broadcasting in HD and gained the ability to record delayed network and syndicated programs in high definition.
Aftermath
ABC late-night programs and other delayed content could be presented in HD rather than standard definition.
1976
Switch from NBC to ABCStrategyBackground
ABC was seeking stronger affiliates during a period of network affiliation competition, while KRGV was an established NBC affiliate in the Rio Grande Valley.
Action taken
KRGV changed its primary network affiliation from NBC to ABC on April 12, 1976.
Aftermath
KGBT-TV carried NBC programming on a secondary basis until KVEO-TV launched full-time NBC service in 1981. KRGV has remained an ABC affiliate.
Recent events
- 2020
KRGV redesigns its studio set and on-air presentation[1]
Product generation · Other
The station introduced a redesigned news set together with updated graphics and music.
- 2018
KRGV introduces Somos El Valle[1]
Product launch
Following the end of its Antenna TV agreement, KRGV launched the locally programmed Somos El Valle service with Spanish- and English-language content.
- 2010
KRGV expands its morning news schedule[1]
Product launch · Other
Channel 5 News This Morning was expanded to begin at 4:30 a.m., increasing the station’s early-morning local news coverage.
- 2009
KRGV launches high-definition broadcasting and Channel 5 News branding[1]
Product launch · Product generation
The station began broadcasting in high definition and adopted Channel 5 News as a prominent news brand.
- 1976
KRGV switches from NBC to ABC[1]
Other
KRGV changed its primary network affiliation from NBC to ABC, becoming part of ABC’s effort to attract stronger affiliates in regional markets.
Sources4 sources
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