KXLT-TV
KXLT-TV is a Fox-affiliated television station serving Rochester, Minnesota, Southeast Minnesota, and Northern Iowa.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KXLT-TV is a commercial television station licensed to Rochester, Minnesota, and serving the Rochester–Austin–Mason City market. The station operates as the market’s Fox affiliate under the Fox 47 identity, with local news and promotional operations closely associated with sister station KTTC, the market’s NBC and CW Plus affiliate. KXLT and KTTC share studios on Bandel Road Northwest in Rochester, while KXLT’s main transmitter is located in Grand Meadow Township, Minnesota. The station’s signal also reaches Iowa through a translator in Mason City. KXLT began broadcasting on August 13, 1987, as a full-time satellite of KXLI, an independent station based in St. Cloud. At launch, it was one of the first new commercial television outlets in the region in decades. Its early schedule consisted largely of inexpensive syndicated programs, cartoons, and some sports, including Minnesota North Stars hockey. Because viewers in the market could already receive independent stations from Minneapolis–Saint Paul through cable, the station struggled to establish a strong position. After KXLI and KXLT ceased operations in late 1988, KXLT returned to the air in 1990 as part of the Star Television Network, a short-lived service associated with classic programming and infomercials. Following Star’s collapse in 1991, the station carried a mixture of paid programming, religious content, and Home Shopping Network programming. Paxson Communications acquired the station in 1996 and used it for the company’s inTV infomercial format before selling it in 1997. Shockley Communications then acquired KXLT and relaunched it as a Fox affiliate on January 19, 1998. The Fox relaunch gave KXLT a clearer role in the regional television market. Shockley upgraded the station to full-power operation and moved it into new Rochester studios later that year. KXLT also supported a cable-only WB service known by the unofficial call sign KWBR from 1998 until the creation of The CW in 2006. When The WB and UPN merged, KTTC launched a CW Plus service on a digital subchannel, ending the KWBR arrangement. Quincy Newspapers acquired Shockley Communications in 2001. Federal ownership restrictions prevented Quincy from immediately owning KXLT alongside KTTC, but Quincy assumed the station’s technical, production, promotional, and master-control operations through a shared-services arrangement. KXLT remained separately owned, including under SagamoreHill Broadcasting after 2005, while continuing to rely substantially on KTTC for operations and news production. Gray Media inherited the shared-services relationship through its acquisition of Quincy Media and completed an outright purchase of KXLT in 2025 after receiving regulatory approval. The station’s local news output has been produced through its relationship with KTTC. Its principal evening program, Fox 47 News at Nine, began as a half-hour newscast and uses separate branding and, generally, separate anchors from KTTC, although the stations share personnel and weather resources. KXLT introduced the weekday morning program Fox in the Morning in 2014. That program ended in September 2019, after which the station expanded its nine o’clock newscast to an hour. KXLT completed its transition to high-definition news production in 2011. It has broadcast digitally since the 2009 nationwide analog television shutdown and moved its digital transmission from channel 46 to channel 26 during the 2010s broadcast-spectrum repack.
History
KXLT-TV was established in 1987 as a satellite of KXLI, an independent station owned by Halcomm Inc. The station’s initial programming relied on syndicated shows, cartoons, and occasional sports. KXLI and KXLT encountered financial difficulties and went off the air in December 1988. They returned in 1990 under the Star Television Network, which combined classic television programming with infomercials. Star ceased operations in early 1991, after which KXLT carried paid, religious, and home-shopping programming. Paxson Communications purchased KXLT and KXLI in 1996 and placed them in the company’s inTV infomercial format. Paxson sold KXLT in 1997 as it raised capital for the Pax broadcast network. Shockley Communications became the buyer and gave the station a new identity by affiliating it with Fox on January 19, 1998. Shockley invested in facilities, increased KXLT to full-power operation, and moved the station into new Rochester studios in November of that year. From 1998 to 2006, KXLT also supported a cable-only WB outlet known informally as KWBR. The service used The WB 100+ national programming model, while KXLT handled local sales and promotion. The arrangement ended when The WB and UPN were combined into The CW. KTTC then launched The CW Plus on a digital subchannel, providing the market’s CW service through a different outlet. Quincy Newspapers bought Shockley Communications in 2001. Because FCC ownership rules restricted common ownership of KXLT and KTTC in the small Rochester–Austin–Mason City market, Quincy did not initially acquire KXLT itself. Instead, KTTC operated the station under a shared-services agreement, supplying technical support, master control, commercial production, promotions, and news production. SagamoreHill Broadcasting acquired KXLT in 2005, but the operational relationship with KTTC continued. KXLT’s news identity developed around Fox 47 News at Nine, a local prime-time newscast produced by KTTC from its Rochester facilities. The program maintained separate KXLT branding, graphics, and regular anchors, while sharing certain reporters, technical resources, and weather personnel with KTTC. A weekday morning show, Fox in the Morning, debuted in 2014 and ended in 2019. The station later expanded its nine o’clock newscast to one hour. KXLT became digital-only during the 2009 transition and upgraded its news production to high definition in 2011. Its digital facility was later moved from channel 46 to channel 26 as part of the national broadcast-spectrum repack. Gray Media assumed the KTTC operating relationship through its acquisition of Quincy Media and announced an application to purchase KXLT outright in January 2025. The transaction, valued at $490,000 according to the station’s reference history, closed on March 21, 2025. KXLT remains a Fox station serving southern Minnesota and northern Iowa.
- 2025
Gray Media acquisition completed
[1]Gray Media completed its purchase of KXLT on March 21 after seeking a failing-station waiver.
- 2019
Morning program discontinued
[1]Fox in the Morning aired its final broadcast on September 27.
- 2014
Morning program launch
[1]Fox in the Morning premiered as a weekday local program produced by KTTC.
- 2011
High-definition news launch
[1]KXLT began high-definition local news production following KTTC’s production upgrade.
- 2009
Digital transition
[1]KXLT completed the transition to digital-only broadcasting after the nationwide analog shutdown.
- 2005
SagamoreHill ownership
[1]SagamoreHill Broadcasting acquired KXLT while the KTTC operating arrangement continued.
- 2001
KTTC shared-services operation begins
[1]Quincy assumed operational responsibilities for KXLT after acquiring Shockley Communications.
- 1998
Fox affiliation
[1]Shockley Communications relaunched KXLT as a Fox affiliate and upgraded its facilities.
- 1996
Paxson acquisition
[1]Paxson Communications acquired KXLT and used it for the inTV infomercial format.
- 1990
Return to air
[1]KXLT resumed service as an owned-and-operated outlet associated with the Star Television Network.
Products and positioning
A regional Fox affiliate emphasizing local news, weather, sports, and entertainment for viewers in Southeast Minnesota and Northern Iowa, with operational support from Gray Media sister station KTTC.
Local television news · 2001
Fox 47 News at Nine
KXLT’s principal local newscast, produced with operational and production support from KTTC. The program serves Southeast Minnesota and Northern Iowa viewers with local reporting, weather, and regional coverage. It maintains KXLT-specific branding, graphics, and news presentation even though the stations share facilities and some personnel.
Local television news · 2014
Fox in the Morning
A weekday morning program introduced in 2014 and produced by KTTC for KXLT. The half-hour show combined news, weather, local features, and entertainment segments. It ended on September 27, 2019, with the station later expanding its evening newscast.
Broadcast television affiliation · 1998
Fox network programming
KXLT carries programming supplied by the Fox network, supplemented by local news, syndicated content, weather coverage, and other broadcast programming. The affiliation has been the station’s central programming identity since its 1998 relaunch under Shockley Communications.
Brand decisions
2025
Acquire KXLT outrightM&ABackground
Gray Media inherited operational control of KXLT through its acquisition of Quincy Media, while KXLT remained separately owned.
Action taken
Gray announced a $490,000 purchase of the station and applied for a failing-station waiver; the transaction closed on March 21.
Aftermath
KXLT became directly owned by Gray Media alongside KTTC.
Purchase price. 490000 USD (Announced January 9, 2025; completed March 21, 2025)
2019
Replace morning show with expanded evening newsGeneration changeBackground
Fox in the Morning ended after five years on the air.
Action taken
KXLT discontinued the morning program and expanded Fox 47 News at Nine to a one-hour format in January 2020.
Aftermath
The station concentrated its local-news resources in a longer prime-time broadcast.
2014
Launch Fox in the MorningProduct launchBackground
KXLT sought to expand its local programming beyond the established prime-time newscast.
Action taken
The station launched a weekday 8 a.m. program featuring news, weather, local features, and entertainment.
Aftermath
The program continued until September 2019, after which KXLT expanded its evening newscast.
2001
Enter shared-services arrangement with KTTCStrategyBackground
Quincy Newspapers acquired Shockley Communications but could not immediately own KXLT alongside KTTC because of FCC duopoly restrictions.
Action taken
Quincy took over technical, promotional, commercial-production, master-control, and news-production functions for KXLT while ownership remained separate.
Aftermath
KXLT continued as a Fox station with substantial operational integration with KTTC for more than two decades.
1998
Adopt Fox affiliationStrategyBackground
KXLT had moved through satellite, network, infomercial, and home-shopping formats before Shockley Communications acquired it.
Action taken
Shockley relaunched the station as a Fox affiliate and invested in full-power facilities and new Rochester studios.
Aftermath
The move established KXLT as a conventional network affiliate with a durable regional brand and a later local-news operation.
Recent events
- 2025
Gray Media announces purchase of KXLT[1]
M&A
Gray Media announced plans to acquire KXLT outright after previously providing operating services through its ownership of Quincy Media.
- 2025
Gray Media completes KXLT acquisition[1]
M&A · Regulation
The station sale was completed on March 21, 2025, following an application for a failing-station waiver.
- 2019
Fox in the Morning ends and evening news later expands[1]
Product generation
KXLT ended its morning program in September 2019 and subsequently expanded Fox 47 News at Nine to an hour.
- 2014
KXLT launches Fox in the Morning[1]
Product launch
The station introduced a weekday morning program produced by KTTC and aimed at local news, weather, features, and entertainment coverage.
- 2001
KTTC begins operating KXLT under shared-services agreement[1]
M&A
After Quincy acquired Shockley, KTTC assumed substantial operational responsibilities for KXLT while ownership remained separate.
- 1998
KXLT relaunched as Fox affiliate[1]
Other
Shockley Communications relaunched KXLT as the Fox affiliate serving the regional market.
- 1990
KXLT returns as Star Television Network outlet[1]
Other
After a period off the air, KXLT resumed broadcasting with programming associated with the Star Television Network.
- 1987
KXLT signs on as KXLI satellite[1]
Other
The station began broadcasting as a full-time satellite of independent station KXLI in St. Cloud.
Sources2 sources
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