KVCT

KVCT is a television station serving Victoria, Texas, and the surrounding Crossroads region. The station broadcasts on digital channel 19 and is primarily associated with Fox programming, while also carrying The CW Plus and a full-market simulcast of Telemundo service KVTX-LD on digital subchannels. KVCT is owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting, with Morgan Murphy Media providing operational and service support through a local marketing agreement. The station shares facilities in Victoria with Morgan Murphy-owned KAVU-TV and several low-power affiliated stations. The channel 19 allocation was assigned to Victoria in 1952, but early efforts to develop a station did not produce a broadcast outlet. A construction permit was pursued again in the 1960s by competing applicants, eventually leading to the creation of Guadalupe Valley Telecasting Company. The station signed on as KXIX on November 22, 1969. It initially carried ABC programming supplied by Corpus Christi station KIII and maintained a Victoria studio capable of local production. In 1975, a consortium known as Victoria Communications Corporation agreed to purchase KXIX. The ownership transition was completed in 1976, and the station became independent rather than continuing its previous programming relationship with KIII. Its early operation was constrained by a comparatively weak signal. In 1984, the station substantially increased effective radiated power and changed its call sign from KXIX to KVCT. The transmitter upgrade led to a legal dispute with equipment manufacturer Harris Corporation after the station alleged that the transmitter's capabilities had been misrepresented. KVCT experienced severe financial and structural difficulties near the end of the 1980s. Following financial and ownership turmoil involving Victoria's other commercial station, KAVU-TV, KVCT was foreclosed upon and its commercial operations were consolidated with KAVU. After a regulatory process concerning the ownership of both licenses, KVCT was sold in 1990 to interests associated with Jerianne Medley. The station lost its former ABC relationship and became a Christian independent station, relying heavily on FamilyNet programming and later viewer-supported telethons. It temporarily reduced its broadcast schedule and went off the air in November 1990. The station returned in December 1991 under the management of Jim Moss and Dale Hill, again as a Christian independent outlet. A rent increase and continuing financial pressure forced another shutdown in February 1994. KVCT returned later that year under a lease arrangement connected to Withers Broadcasting and became Victoria's first Fox affiliate on September 11, 1994. This affiliation gave local viewers an over-the-air source for Fox programming after the market had previously depended on Foxnet. A locally produced newscast was briefly supplied by KAVU-TV, but it ended in 1999 and was replaced by The News of Texas. Ownership and operating arrangements continued to evolve. Saga Communications acquired KAVU-TV in 1998, and control of VictoriaVision, the company holding KVCT's license at the time, passed to Dana R. Withers. KVCT was sold outright to Surtsey Productions in 1999. In 2017, Morgan Murphy Media acquired the operating assets associated with KVCT and another Surtsey station in a transaction related to its purchase of Saga's television interests. The KVCT license itself was transferred to SagamoreHill Broadcasting, while Morgan Murphy continued operating the station under a local marketing agreement. Today, KVCT functions as part of a coordinated Victoria television cluster. Its digital services extend beyond the main Fox feed: KVCT-DT2 provides a broad-market simulcast of Telemundo-affiliated KVTX-LD, while KVCT-DT3 carries The CW Plus under the longstanding Victoria's CW 10 branding. The arrangement allows services from low-power or cable-originated outlets to reach more viewers over the air across the market.

The channel 19 allocation in Victoria was established in 1952, but the first construction permit holder chose not to build a station after developing the community's first cable system. Further interest emerged in the late 1950s, and by 1963 two groups had applied for the channel: Guadalupe Valley Telecasting Company, led by Dwight Strahan, and the Frels family under the name Victoria Television Company. Although the Frels group initially prevailed in the application process, ownership changed before construction was completed. The permit was ultimately assigned to a reorganized Guadalupe Valley Telecasting Company, and the Frels family's interests were later sold to McKinnon Broadcasting, owner of Corpus Christi ABC affiliate KIII. KXIX began test broadcasts on November 21, 1969, and officially signed on the following day. The station carried ABC programming from KIII and operated a Victoria studio for local production, including programming produced in black and white. In 1975, Victoria Communications Corporation, a group of local investors, agreed to buy the station for $225,000. The new owners assumed control in March 1976 and ended the station's operating connection with KIII, making KXIX an independent outlet. The station faced a major technical limitation during its early years. Its original effective radiated power was only 14,800 watts, considerably weaker than that of the later-established KAVU-TV, which began broadcasting in 1982. In February 1984, KXIX increased its effective radiated power to 154,000 watts and adopted the KVCT call sign. The upgrade was intended to increase the station's coverage by approximately half, but it also generated a dispute with Harris Corporation. Victoria Communications alleged that Harris had misrepresented the characteristics of the transmitter and brought legal action seeking redress. By the late 1980s, both commercial stations in Victoria were experiencing financial problems. In 1989, First Victoria National Bank obtained KAVU-TV as part of a settlement relating to representations made to investors in that station. The bank subsequently foreclosed on KVCT and consolidated its commercial operation with KAVU-TV. KAVU and related real estate were sold to Withers Broadcasting for approximately $1.52 million, while KVCT was sold for approximately $1.5 million. Because Withers could not retain both licenses, regulatory approval required a separate buyer for KVCT. The transactions were approved after a sale agreement with Jerianne Medley, and the transfer was completed in July 1990. The reorganization stripped KVCT of its former ABC affiliation and much of its commercial infrastructure. On July 5, 1990, KVCT's sales staff and most of its news personnel reported to work at KAVU. In September, KAVU became an NBC-ABC affiliate while KVCT became an independent Christian station. KVCT rebuilt its schedule around FamilyNet and reduced its broadcast day to roughly seven hours. Unable to sustain the operation, Medley abandoned the Victoria market, and the station went dark on November 6, 1990. An effort was made to move the channel allocation to New Braunfels, but KVCT did not return to the air there. KVCT resumed broadcasting on December 21, 1991, under Jim Moss and Dale Hill. It again operated as a Christian independent, using viewer telethons and a local call-in program to support its schedule. The station remained financially fragile, and a rent increase contributed to another shutdown on February 28, 1994. A lease agreement with Withers Broadcasting brought KVCT back on the air on September 11, 1994. The station became the Victoria market's first Fox affiliate, replacing the earlier reliance on Foxnet for network programming. KAVU-TV briefly produced a local newscast for KVCT; that arrangement ended in 1999, when it was replaced by The News of Texas. Saga Communications purchased KAVU-TV from Withers in 1998. That year, control of KVCT licensee VictoriaVision passed to Dana R. Withers, and in 1999 the station was sold to Surtsey Productions. In 2017, Morgan Murphy Media acquired Saga's television stations. In a related transaction, Morgan Murphy acquired the operating assets of KVCT and another Surtsey station, while SagamoreHill Broadcasting acquired the KVCT license. Morgan Murphy continued to provide services under a local marketing agreement. KVCT now shares Victoria facilities on North Navarro Street with KAVU-TV and several Morgan Murphy-owned low-power stations. Its transmitter facilities are located west of Victoria on Farm to Market Road 236. The station's digital expansion added services beyond its Fox primary feed. KVCT-DT2 carries a full-market over-the-air simulcast of Telemundo-affiliated KVTX-LD, whose own low-power signal is concentrated around Victoria. KVCT-DT3 carries The CW Plus under the Victoria's CW 10 branding. The CW service originated as a cable-only WB Plus outlet in 1998, adopted the CW identity in 2006, and moved to KVCT's over-the-air digital platform in 2018. This transition gave viewers without cable or satellite service terrestrial access to CW programming for the first time in many years. A This TV service was also placed on a fourth digital subchannel after the CW move.

• 2018

  CW service begins over-the-air transmission

  [1]KVCTen.wikipedia.org

  KVCT-DT3 began carrying the market's CW Plus service over the air.

• 2017

  Morgan Murphy assumes operating role

  [1]KVCTen.wikipedia.org

  Morgan Murphy acquired KVCT operating assets while SagamoreHill Broadcasting became the license owner.

• 2006

  KWVB adopts CW branding

  [1]KVCTen.wikipedia.org

  The former WB service became a CW outlet after the WB and UPN networks were replaced by The CW.

• 1998

  Cable WB service launches in Victoria

  [1]KVCTen.wikipedia.org

  The market's cable-only WB Plus outlet began using the KWVB Victoria's WB 10 identity.

• 1994

  Returns as Fox affiliate

  [1]KVCTen.wikipedia.org

  KVCT resumed broadcasting and became the first Fox affiliate in the Victoria market.

• 1990

  Commercial operation consolidated with KAVU

  [1]KVCTen.wikipedia.org

  Following foreclosure and ownership restructuring, KVCT lost its ABC affiliation and operated as a Christian independent.

• 1984

  Power increase and KVCT call sign

  [1]KVCTen.wikipedia.org

  The station raised its effective radiated power and changed its call sign from KXIX to KVCT.

• 1976

  Victoria Communications Corporation assumes control

  [1]KVCTen.wikipedia.org

  A local investor consortium completed its purchase and operated the station independently of KIII.

• 1969

  KXIX begins broadcasting

  [1]KVCTen.wikipedia.org

  KXIX signed on November 22 as an ABC-related station connected to Corpus Christi affiliate KIII.

• 1952

  Channel 19 allocated to Victoria

  [1]KVCTen.wikipedia.org

  The Federal Communications Commission assigned channel 19 to Victoria, Texas, although the first permit holder did not construct a station.

A local-market broadcast television station combining a major-network Fox affiliation with additional CW Plus and Telemundo digital services for viewers in Victoria and the surrounding South Texas Crossroads region.

• Broadcast television · 1994

  KVCT Fox 19

  KVCT's primary digital television service broadcasts Fox network programming to Victoria and the surrounding Crossroads region. The service also supports local advertising and station-related programming.

• Digital television subchannel

  KVCT-DT2 Telemundo 45

  This subchannel provides a full-market over-the-air simulcast of low-power Telemundo affiliate KVTX-LD. The arrangement extends the effective reach of Telemundo programming beyond the low-power station's immediate Victoria coverage.

• Digital television subchannel · 2018

  KVCT-DT3 Victoria's CW 10

  KVCT-DT3 carries the default CW Plus schedule designed for smaller television markets. It retains the Victoria's CW 10 identity inherited from the former cable-only service that operated under the fictional KWVB designation.

• Broadcast programming

  Local news and weather programming

  KVCT has carried locally oriented news and weather content at different points in its history. A newscast produced by KAVU-TV ended in 1999 and was replaced by The News of Texas.

• 2018

  Launch over-the-air CW Plus serviceProduct launch

  Background

  Victoria's CW service had previously been available through a cable-only channel using the KWVB identity.

  Action taken

  KVCT converted its third digital subchannel into an over-the-air feed of the CW Plus service.

  Aftermath

  Viewers without cable or satellite service gained terrestrial access to CW programming, while the established Victoria's CW 10 branding was retained.

  Source

• 1994

  Adopt Fox affiliationStrategy

  Background

  KVCT had experienced two shutdowns and had operated unsuccessfully as a Christian independent.

  Action taken

  Under a lease arrangement associated with Withers Broadcasting, KVCT returned to the air as the Victoria market's first Fox affiliate.

  Aftermath

  The affiliation supplied a major-network schedule and replaced the market's previous dependence on Foxnet for Fox programming.

  Source

• 1990

  Rebuild as a Christian independent stationStrategy

  Background

  KVCT's commercial assets and personnel were consolidated with KAVU-TV during an ownership and license restructuring.

  Action taken

  After losing its ABC affiliation, KVCT rebuilt its schedule around FamilyNet and other Christian programming.

  Aftermath

  The station reduced its broadcast day and eventually went dark in November 1990 because the operation could not be financially sustained.

  Source

• 1984

  Expand transmission power and change station identityStrategy

  Background

  KVCT's predecessor operated with a relatively weak signal compared with KAVU-TV, limiting its coverage in the Victoria market.

  Action taken

  The station increased effective radiated power from 14,800 watts to 154,000 watts and changed its call sign from KXIX to KVCT.

  Aftermath

  The upgrade was intended to expand coverage by approximately 50 percent, but it was followed by a dispute with transmitter supplier Harris Corporation.

  Source

• 2018

  CW service moves from cable-only distribution to KVCT-DT3[1]KVCTen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  On August 15, 2018, the Victoria CW service began broadcasting over the air through KVCT-DT3, expanding access beyond its earlier cable-only distribution.

• 2017

  Morgan Murphy acquires KVCT operating assets while SagamoreHill holds license[1]KVCTen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  A transaction associated with Morgan Murphy Media's television acquisitions transferred KVCT's operating assets to Morgan Murphy, while the station license was sold to SagamoreHill Broadcasting under a local marketing arrangement.

• 1994

  KVCT returns as Victoria's first Fox affiliate[1]KVCTen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Other

  After a second period off the air, KVCT resumed broadcasting on September 11, 1994, under a lease arrangement and became the Victoria market's first Fox affiliate.

• 1984

  Station changes call sign to KVCT after power increase[1]KVCTen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The station expanded its effective radiated power substantially and adopted the KVCT call sign, increasing its intended coverage in the Victoria area.

• 1969

  KVCT signs on as KXIX[1]KVCTen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Channel 19 began broadcasting in Victoria on November 22, 1969, initially carrying ABC programming supplied by KIII and local studio programming.

1. 1KVCTen.wikipedia.org