KSAS-TV
A Wichita, Kansas television station affiliated with Fox and MyNetworkTV, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KSAS-TV is a commercial television station serving Wichita, Kansas, and the broad Wichita–Hutchinson media market. Broadcasting on channel 24, the station is affiliated with the Fox network and also carries MyNetworkTV programming on a digital subchannel. Sinclair Broadcast Group owns KSAS-TV and provides services to Hutchinson-licensed KMTW through a local marketing agreement with Mercury Broadcasting Company. The stations share studios on West Street in northwestern Wichita, while KSAS-TV's transmitter is located in rural northwestern Sedgwick County near Colwich. The station began broadcasting on August 24, 1985, under the ownership of Columbia-Kansas TV Ltd., a partnership later reorganized as Channel 24 Ltd. Its launch made channel 24 the first independent television station licensed to Kansas and the first commercial station to sign on in the Wichita market since KARD-TV, now KSNW, launched in 1955. KSAS initially operated as an independent station, but became a charter Fox affiliate when the network launched on October 9, 1986. During Fox's early years, the network supplied only a limited schedule, so KSAS continued to function largely as an independent station outside of Fox programming windows. KSAS developed a regional distribution strategy as the Wichita market's large geographic footprint made broad over-the-air coverage difficult. KAAS-TV in Salina began operation in 1988 as a full-time satellite, and additional low-power and full-power relay stations were added during the 1990s and early 2000s. In 1998, the station changed its on-air identity from Fox 24 to Fox Kansas. The rebranding was intended to present KSAS and its relay stations as a regional network rather than as a single Wichita outlet. The resulting Fox Kansas group served viewers across a market spanning much of central and western Kansas. Channel 24 Ltd. encountered financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy in the late 1980s. Clear Channel Communications acquired the station in August 1990. Clear Channel later entered a local marketing arrangement connected with the creation of KMTW, then known as KSCC, a Hutchinson-licensed station that originally operated as a UPN outlet. Clear Channel's television assets, including KSAS and its relationship with KMTW, were sold to Newport Television in a transaction completed in 2008. Sinclair Broadcast Group acquired KSAS-TV and the related local marketing agreement in 2012, with the transaction closing on December 3 of that year. The station has generally relied on external news providers rather than maintaining a large independent newsroom. News content has been supplied at different times by KAKE, KSNW and KWCH. A KSNW-produced prime-time newscast began in 1997 but ended after poor ratings in 1998. KWCH resumed production of a 9 p.m. program in 2004, and that arrangement later became the subject of a short-lived legal dispute over whether the program was being recorded rather than broadcast live. KSNW took production back in 2012. Since January 2020, KAKE has produced the station's local newscasts, including Fox Kansas News at 9. KSAS-TV also became associated with the 2005 investigation of Wichita serial murderer Dennis Rader, known as the BTK Killer. Rader sent a package containing a computer disk and other materials to the station's studios. Metadata recovered from a document on the disk helped investigators identify him. In September 2021, MyNetworkTV programming moved from KMTW's primary channel to KSAS-TV's 24.2 subchannel. KSAS remains an active Fox affiliate and the flagship of the Fox Kansas relay operation.
History
KSAS-TV signed on August 24, 1985, as a new independent station on UHF channel 24. Its original ownership vehicle was Columbia-Kansas TV Ltd., which was reorganized as Channel 24 Ltd. before launch. The station's debut was significant in Wichita: it was the first independent station licensed to Kansas and the market's first commercial television launch since KARD-TV, now KSNW, began broadcasting in 1955. When Fox launched on October 9, 1986, KSAS became one of its charter affiliates. Fox initially offered relatively few hours of network programming, however, and KSAS retained the scheduling characteristics of an independent station for much of the network's first several years. Financial problems affected Channel 24 Ltd. in the late 1980s, leading to bankruptcy proceedings. Clear Channel Communications ultimately acquired the station in August 1990. The station expanded its reach through a relay structure. KAAS-TV in Salina signed on April 3, 1988, as a full-time satellite of KSAS. Low-power relays in Dodge City and Garden City were added in 1995, and another full-power satellite, KBDK in Hoisington, was added around 2000. The expansion reflected the unusual scale of the Wichita–Hutchinson market, which extends across more than 70 counties and requires multiple transmitters for effective coverage. In 1998, KSAS adopted the Fox Kansas name, following a recommendation from program director Michael Hochman. The identity was designed to make the main station and its satellites appear as one regional service. Clear Channel also became involved in the development of a Hutchinson-licensed station. In 1997 it entered a local marketing agreement with Three Feathers Communications for the proposed station that became KMTW, initially using the KSCC call sign and originally associated with UPN. The license assets were later sold to Mercury Broadcasting Company. KSAS and the KMTW relationship subsequently passed from Clear Channel to Newport Television in a transaction announced in 2007 and completed in 2008. Newport was controlled by Providence Equity Partners, and Sandy DiPasquale served as its president and chief executive officer. Sinclair Broadcast Group announced the acquisition of KSAS and the KMTW local marketing arrangement in 2012; the transaction closed on December 3. KSAS has used multiple outside news-production arrangements. In the mid-1990s, KAKE supplied short updates during Fox programming. KSNW then produced the market's first regular prime-time newscast for the station, Fox News at 9, beginning in September 1997. The program ended on December 31, 1998, after weak ratings. A planned move to a larger facility and the creation of an in-house KSAS newsroom did not occur. In 2003, KSAS reached a news-sharing agreement with KWCH. The resulting Fox Kansas Eyewitness News at 9 premiered on January 19, 2004, from a secondary set at KWCH's Wichita facility and later received a Kansas Association of Broadcasters award for best large-market newscast in the state. In 2011, a dispute arose when KSAS alleged that KWCH was recording its newscast in advance while producing a competing live 9 p.m. program for KSCW. A district court order required KWCH to restore the live broadcast while the case was pending. The stations reached an agreement shortly afterward, and the arrangement ended at the close of 2011. KSNW resumed production in January 2012, using the Fox Kansas News at 9 title. In October 2019, KSNW announced that it would stop producing the program. KAKE took over on January 1, 2020, and continues to produce the station's local news output. The limited scale of the operation is partly related to KSAS's studio facilities, which have historically been too small for a full newsroom. In February 2005, KSAS became an indirect part of the investigation into Dennis Rader, the Wichita serial killer who called himself BTK. Rader sent a padded envelope to the station containing a floppy disk, a letter, a book-cover photocopy and a necklace. Metadata in a document on the disk pointed investigators toward Christ Lutheran Church in Wichita and identified the document as having been modified by a person named Dennis. The discovery contributed to Rader's identification and arrest. KSAS completed its digital transition by shutting down its analog UHF 24 signal on February 17, 2009, while retaining a digital transmission on UHF 26 and virtual channel 24. Its multicast lineup has changed over time: Antenna TV replaced TheCoolTV on 24.2 in 2012, and TBD replaced Antenna TV in 2017. On September 20, 2021, MyNetworkTV moved from KMTW's primary channel to KSAS's 24.2 subchannel. Today, KSAS operates as the flagship of the Fox Kansas relay network, with Sinclair ownership, Fox programming, MyNetworkTV on a subchannel and locally produced news supplied by KAKE.
- 2021
MyNetworkTV moves to channel 24.2
[1]MyNetworkTV shifts from KMTW to KSAS-TV's second digital subchannel.
- 2020
KAKE takes over local news production
[1]KAKE assumes production of KSAS's 9 p.m. newscast and other local news output.
- 2012
Sinclair ownership begins
[1]Sinclair's acquisition of KSAS and the KMTW local marketing agreement closes.
- 2009
Analog transmission ends
[1]KSAS shuts down its analog signal and continues on digital UHF channel 26.
- 2004
KWCH news partnership begins
[1]KWCH launches Fox Kansas Eyewitness News at 9 for KSAS.
- 1998
Fox Kansas rebranding
[1]KSAS changes its on-air identity from Fox 24 to Fox Kansas.
- 1990
Clear Channel acquisition
[1]Clear Channel acquires KSAS after Channel 24 Ltd.'s financial difficulties.
- 1988
KAAS-TV begins satellite service
[1]Salina-licensed KAAS-TV signs on as a full-time satellite of KSAS.
- 1986
Becomes a charter Fox affiliate
[1]KSAS joins Fox when the network launches.
- 1985
Channel 24 launches
[1]KSAS-TV begins broadcasting from Wichita as an independent station.
Products and positioning
A regional Fox television service built around Wichita, using relay stations and outsourced local news production to cover a geographically extensive Kansas market.
Broadcast television programming · 1986
Fox network service
KSAS-TV's principal offering is Fox programming, including network entertainment, sports, news-related specials and other scheduled national content. As a charter affiliate, the station initially supplemented a limited Fox schedule with independently acquired programming, but Fox became the core identity of the station as the network expanded.
Regional broadcast distribution · 1988
Fox Kansas regional relay network
Fox Kansas uses KSAS-TV as its flagship and relays substantially the same programming through full-power and low-power stations serving central and western Kansas. The structure addresses the unusually large geographic area of the Wichita–Hutchinson market and permits viewers outside Wichita to receive the same Fox service.
Local television news · 1997
Fox Kansas News at 9
KSAS's prime-time local newscast has been produced by different Wichita stations over its history. KAKE currently supplies the station's locally produced news, including a half-hour 9 p.m. program and additional weekend broadcasts.
Digital multicast television · 2021
MyNetworkTV on 24.2
MyNetworkTV programming occupies KSAS-TV's second digital subchannel. The service moved from KMTW to 24.2 in September 2021 as part of a broader reallocation of multicast services between the two stations.
Marketing campaigns
- 1998Fox Kansas regional rebrand
Central Kansas · Western Kansas
KSAS replaced the Fox 24 identity with Fox Kansas to position the station and its satellites as a unified regional television service.
Outcome. The Fox Kansas identity became the umbrella branding for the station's wider relay operation.
Brand decisions
2021
Transfer MyNetworkTV to digital subchannel 24.2Product launchBackground
MyNetworkTV had previously been carried by KMTW's primary channel.
Action taken
MyNetworkTV moved to KSAS-TV 24.2 on September 20, 2021, with other multicast services rearranged on KMTW.
Aftermath
KSAS retained Fox as its primary affiliation while adding MyNetworkTV as a digital-subchannel service.
2020
Move local-news production to KAKEStrategyBackground
KSAS historically relied on outsourced news production, and KSNW announced that it would discontinue producing the station's 9 p.m. newscast.
Action taken
KAKE assumed production of KSAS's local newscasts on January 1, 2020.
Aftermath
The Fox Kansas News at 9 program continued under KAKE production.
1998
Adopt a regional Fox Kansas identityStrategyBackground
KSAS served a large market through a collection of satellite and relay stations, and its management sought to present the operation as a regional network rather than only a Wichita channel.
Action taken
The station changed its branding from Fox 24 to Fox Kansas.
Aftermath
The new identity was used across the expanded relay structure serving central and western Kansas.
Sources2 sources
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