KTVI
KTVI is a Fox-affiliated television station serving the St. Louis metropolitan area.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KTVI, branded on-air as Fox 2, is a commercial television station serving St. Louis, Missouri, and surrounding communities in eastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 2 and is affiliated with the Fox network. Its principal business is the production and distribution of local television news, weather, traffic, sports, public-affairs material, and community features, supplemented by network programming, syndicated programming, and digital content distributed through its Fox 2 website and related platforms. The station began broadcasting on August 10, 1953, as WTVI on UHF channel 54. It was initially licensed to Belleville, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, and operated primarily as a CBS affiliate with secondary ABC and DuMont affiliations. Its inaugural broadcast was a baseball game between the St. Louis Browns and Cincinnati Reds. After CBS programming moved to the newly launched KWK-TV in 1954, WTVI became primarily associated with ABC. In April 1955, the station moved to UHF channel 36, shifted its city of license to St. Louis, and adopted the KTVI call letters. It moved again in April 1957 to VHF channel 2, the position it continues to use. The channel-2 identity became a durable part of the station's local brand, surviving later changes in ownership, network affiliation, and programming strategy. KTVI spent much of its earlier history under newspaper-related ownership, including the Newhouse chain and the Times Mirror Company. Times Mirror sold the station to Argyle Television in the early 1990s, after which New World Communications acquired it. A major turning point came in 1994, when New World agreed to affiliate a group of stations with Fox. KTVI changed from ABC to Fox on August 7, 1995, in the wider realignment prompted by Fox's acquisition of National Football Conference broadcasting rights. The transition expanded the station's emphasis on local news and syndicated entertainment programming while preserving its established channel identity. News Corporation acquired New World in 1997, making KTVI a Fox-owned station. During this period, KTVI developed an early web presence and later added community-oriented digital initiatives, including sites aimed at local parents and neighborhood garage-sale users. Fox sold the station to Local TV in 2008. Local TV had an operational relationship with Tribune Broadcasting, and KTVI subsequently entered a local marketing arrangement involving nearby CW affiliate KPLR-TV. The arrangement eventually led to shared operations and a move from KTVI's long-standing west St. Louis facilities to KPLR's larger Maryland Heights complex. Tribune acquired Local TV in 2013, creating a formal KTVI-KPLR duopoly. Tribune Media later became the subject of a proposed acquisition by Sinclair Broadcast Group, but that transaction was terminated after regulatory scrutiny and litigation. Nexstar Media Group subsequently acquired Tribune Media in 2019, bringing KTVI and KPLR under Nexstar ownership. KTVI remains a local Fox affiliate, with its current identity centered on regional news, severe-weather coverage, consumer information, sports coverage, and digital publishing for the St. Louis market.
History
KTVI began broadcasting on August 10, 1953, under the call sign WTVI. Signal Hill Telecasting Corporation launched the station on UHF channel 54 with a license for Belleville, Illinois. Its opening program was a baseball game featuring the St. Louis Browns and Cincinnati Reds. The station initially served as a primary CBS outlet and also carried selected ABC and DuMont programs. When CBS programming moved to KWK-TV in 1954, WTVI became primarily affiliated with ABC. In 1955, the station moved to channel 36 and changed its city of license to St. Louis. The call sign changed from WTVI to KTVI, reflecting the station's relocation across the Mississippi River while retaining the TVI lettering. In 1957, KTVI moved to VHF channel 2. The move gave the station the channel position that became central to its long-term identity and subsequent branding. For much of the following decades, KTVI was controlled by companies connected to newspaper and media ownership groups. Newhouse owned the station for a substantial period before selling its broadcast properties to Times Mirror in 1980. Times Mirror later sold KTVI to Argyle Television in a transaction involving several stations. New World Communications acquired KTVI in the early 1990s, setting the stage for another major change. In 1994, New World entered into a broad affiliation agreement with Fox. The agreement was influenced by Fox's acquisition of the National Football Conference television package and involved stations that had historically belonged to established broadcast networks. KTVI's ABC affiliation ended on August 7, 1995, and Fox programming began. ABC programming shifted to KDNL-TV. KTVI retained its familiar channel-2 presentation and continued emphasizing local news, while replacing much of the former ABC schedule with Fox programming, syndicated talk shows, entertainment series, and other acquired content. News Corporation announced its acquisition of New World in 1996, and the transaction closed in January 1997. KTVI consequently became part of Fox's owned-station group. The station launched its first website in 1999 and gradually expanded the site from promotional material into a digital news platform. It also experimented with locally targeted online projects, including STLMoms.com and GarageSaleSTL.com. Fox sold KTVI to Local TV in a transaction completed in 2008. Local TV had a management relationship with Tribune Broadcasting, and in 2008 it entered a local marketing arrangement involving KPLR-TV, the St. Louis CW affiliate. KTVI supplied advertising, promotional, and news-related support while the stations shared selected operational resources. KTVI later moved from its long-standing west St. Louis studios to KPLR's facility in Maryland Heights, where the stations shared a larger production and operations center. Tribune acquired Local TV in 2013. The transaction gave Tribune direct ownership of KTVI and created a legal duopoly between KTVI and KPLR-TV under the broadcast ownership rules then in force. Tribune Media was later targeted by Sinclair Broadcast Group in a proposed 2017 acquisition. The transaction drew scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission and was ultimately terminated in 2018, followed by litigation between the companies. Nexstar Media Group subsequently acquired Tribune Media, completing the change in ownership in 2019. KTVI continues to operate as a Fox affiliate serving the St. Louis market, with local news and weather as its principal public-facing services and Fox2Now.com as its associated digital outlet.
- 2019
Nexstar ownership begins
[1]Nexstar completes its acquisition of Tribune Media and assumes ownership of KTVI.
- 2013
Tribune acquires Local TV
[1]KTVI joins Tribune's station group and becomes part of the KTVI-KPLR operating structure.
- 2008
Local TV ownership begins
[1]Fox completes the sale of KTVI to Local TV.
- 1999
KTVI launches its first website
[1]The station establishes an online presence that later develops into a digital news and video platform.
- 1997
KTVI becomes Fox-owned
[1]News Corporation completes its acquisition of New World, placing KTVI within Fox Television Stations.
- 1995
Fox affiliation begins
[1]KTVI switches from ABC to Fox on August 7 as part of the New World-Fox affiliation agreement.
- 1957
KTVI moves to VHF channel 2
[1]The station shifts to channel 2, establishing the channel identity used in its subsequent branding.
- 1955
Station becomes KTVI
[1]The station moves to channel 36, relocates its city of license to St. Louis, and adopts the KTVI call sign.
- 1953
WTVI begins broadcasting
[1]The station signs on from Belleville, Illinois, on UHF channel 54 with CBS as its primary affiliation and secondary ABC and DuMont programming.
Products and positioning
A locally focused Fox affiliate combining St. Louis news, weather, traffic, sports, and community coverage with national Fox programming and digital distribution.
Television news
Local news broadcasts
KTVI's local news operation provides reporting for St. Louis and nearby communities. Its coverage typically spans breaking news, public safety, politics, education, consumer issues, local events, and regional sports. The station's Fox affiliation gives local news a particularly important role in the daily schedule, including expanded news output around network programming.
Local information
Weather and traffic coverage
Weather forecasting, severe-weather warnings, school and event information, and traffic reporting are core services for the station's broadcast and digital audiences. These services are especially prominent during Midwestern winter storms, flooding, tornado threats, and other regional weather events.
Network television · 1995
Fox network programming
As a Fox affiliate, KTVI carries national Fox programming, including the network's entertainment schedule, news-related programming, and sports coverage when available under the network schedule. The affiliation has been in place since August 1995.
Digital media · 1999
Fox2Now.com
The station's website extends its local-news operation beyond linear television through written stories, live and recorded video, weather information, traffic material, and community-oriented coverage. The site is the principal digital expression of the Fox 2 brand.
Controversies
2018
Sinclair-Tribune acquisition dispute
KTVI became involved in the corporate and regulatory dispute surrounding Sinclair Broadcast Group's proposed acquisition of Tribune Media. The transaction faced Federal Communications Commission scrutiny over the proposed handling of overlapping stations and was terminated by Tribune, which sued Sinclair for breach of contract.
Marketing campaigns
- 2008GarageSaleSTL.com
St. Louis metropolitan area
KTVI introduced a free website allowing viewers to submit garage-sale listings, with a map-based presentation designed for local users.
Outcome. The service was later discontinued.
- 2007STLMoms.com
St. Louis metropolitan area
KTVI launched STLMoms.com as a locally targeted online community for mothers in the St. Louis area, developing a station-affiliated digital offering beyond conventional broadcast news.
Outcome. The initiative demonstrated KTVI's early expansion into niche local digital publishing.
Brand decisions
2019
Nexstar acquisition of Tribune MediaM&ABackground
After the proposed Sinclair-Tribune transaction failed, Nexstar pursued Tribune Media.
Action taken
Nexstar completed the acquisition of Tribune Media, acquiring KTVI and KPLR-TV.
Aftermath
KTVI became part of Nexstar's national portfolio of local television stations while retaining its Fox affiliation and St. Louis identity.
2013
Tribune acquisition and KPLR duopolyM&ABackground
Tribune had already been providing management and operational services to Local TV stations.
Action taken
Tribune acquired Local TV and subsequently owned KTVI directly, creating a formal same-market relationship with KPLR-TV.
Aftermath
KTVI and KPLR shared facilities and selected operational functions in Maryland Heights.
2008
Sale from Fox to Local TVM&ABackground
Fox elected to sell KTVI and several other owned stations to Local TV.
Action taken
Local TV acquired KTVI in a transaction completed on July 14, 2008.
Aftermath
KTVI continued as a Fox affiliate under new ownership and entered a broader operating relationship involving Tribune and KPLR-TV.
1995
Switch from ABC to FoxStrategyBackground
New World Communications negotiated a broad Fox affiliation arrangement after Fox obtained the National Football Conference television package, making Fox materially more attractive to major-market stations.
Action taken
KTVI ended its ABC affiliation on August 7, 1995, retained its channel-2 identity, and adopted Fox programming while expanding and repositioning its local-news and syndicated-programming schedule.
Aftermath
The station has remained a Fox affiliate since the change.
- KDNL-TV — KDNL-TV became the St. Louis ABC affiliate after ABC programming left KTVI.
Recent events
- 2019
Nexstar acquires Tribune Media[1]
M&A
Nexstar's acquisition of Tribune Media placed KTVI and co-located KPLR-TV in the Nexstar station portfolio.
- 2013
Tribune acquires Local TV stations[1]
M&A
Tribune acquired Local TV, bringing KTVI under Tribune ownership and formalizing its operating relationship with KPLR-TV.
- 2008
Fox sells KTVI to Local TV[1]
M&A
KTVI was transferred from Fox ownership to Local TV as part of a broader sale of Fox stations.
- 1997
News Corporation completes acquisition of New World[1]
M&A
The acquisition placed KTVI within Fox Television Stations and made it a Fox-owned station.
- 1995
KTVI changes affiliation from ABC to Fox[1]
Other
KTVI ended its long-running ABC affiliation and became a Fox affiliate as part of the New World network-affiliation realignment.
Sources2 sources
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