WKYT-TV

WKYT-TV is a television station serving Lexington, Kentucky, and the surrounding Central Kentucky region. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 27 and is affiliated with CBS on its primary service and The CW through a digital subchannel. Its studios and transmitter facilities are located on Winchester Road, near Interstate 75, on the eastern side of Lexington. WKYT is owned by Gray Media, which also owns WYMT-TV in Hazard, a separate station serving Eastern Kentucky. The station’s origins date to an unused construction authorization for UHF channel 27. Lexington radio station WLAP received approval to build the station in 1953, but postponed construction after concluding that UHF television faced significant technical and economic difficulties. Following WLAP’s sale, the permit was acquired by Community Broadcasting Company. The station began commercial operation in September 1957 as WKXP-TV, initially operating as an independent station with a schedule heavily reliant on syndicated and film programming. A sale to Radio Cincinnati, associated with Hulbert Taft’s broadcasting interests, followed soon afterward. In 1958 the station adopted the WKYT call letters and obtained a CBS affiliation. The station became part of the broader Taft Broadcasting organization in 1959. Taft moved WKYT to ABC in 1961 as part of a group affiliation strategy, but the station returned to CBS after Kentucky Central Television acquired it in 1967. That CBS affiliation has remained central to WKYT’s identity. Kentucky Central invested in facilities, transmission power, and local programming. A new studio and a high-power tower were developed near Winchester Road in the late 1960s. Under general manager Ralph Gabbard, who rose from sales management to station leadership, WKYT built a strong local-news operation and developed a close association with University of Kentucky Wildcats sports programming. The station became a long-running ratings leader in Lexington television news, particularly across the rural areas surrounding the city. In 1985, Kentucky Central acquired struggling Hazard station WKYH-TV and relaunched it as WYMT-TV. WYMT operated as a complementary CBS station with its own local news and programming, extending the group’s reach into Eastern Kentucky while giving WKYT a larger regional presence. Kentucky Central Life Insurance Company experienced severe financial problems and was taken over by Kentucky’s insurance regulator in 1993. The company’s broadcasting assets were placed on the market, and Gray Communications Systems won the bidding for WKYT and WYMT. The transaction, valued at $38 million, was completed in 1994. Gray later became Gray Television and is now Gray Media. WKYT expanded its digital services during the 2000s. In 2004, its second digital subchannel took over the Lexington UPN affiliation from a low-power station. When UPN and The WB merged, that service became a CW affiliate in 2006; WKYT began transmitting the CW service in high definition in 2007. The station has also expanded its local-news schedule, added weekend morning broadcasts and a 4 p.m. newscast, and produced news programming for Fox affiliate WDKY-TV under a commercial arrangement that ended in 2022. Today, WKYT combines CBS network programming, CW programming, local news, weather, sports, public-affairs and lifestyle content with digital distribution. It competes primarily with WLEX-TV and WTVQ-DT in the Lexington market. Its brand remains particularly associated with Kentucky news coverage, severe-weather reporting, high-school sports, University of Kentucky athletics-related programming and service to communities outside Lexington.

WKYT-TV’s history began with Lexington’s allocation of UHF channel 27. WLAP, a local radio station, applied to build a television outlet in 1952 and received the construction authorization in 1953. The company then suspended the project, citing doubts about the economics and reach of UHF broadcasting. When WLAP was sold in 1956, the unused permit passed to Community Broadcasting Company, which completed construction. The station began commercial operation on September 30, 1957, as WKXP-TV. It initially had no network affiliation and filled much of its schedule with film and syndicated programming. Ownership discussions soon followed. Radio Cincinnati, connected with Hulbert Taft’s broadcasting interests, acquired the television station, changed its call letters to WKYT in June 1958 and arranged a CBS affiliation. Taft consolidated its television properties under Taft Broadcasting in 1959. In 1961, Taft shifted WKYT to ABC as part of a group-wide affiliation strategy. The period also included local entertainment and news programming, including appearances by Nick Clooney. Kentucky Central Television acquired WKYT in 1967 for $2.5 million. The new owner returned the station to CBS in 1968 and invested in a new Winchester Road facility and a powerful transmission system. The station occupied the new building in 1969. Management under Ralph Gabbard was especially important to WKYT’s development. Gabbard joined as sales manager in 1970 and became general manager in 1974. He emphasized local news, aggressive sports rights acquisition and programming connected with the University of Kentucky Wildcats. By the middle of the 1970s, WKYT had established a leading position in Lexington news ratings and retained that position for many years. Kentucky Central broadened its regional footprint in 1985 by purchasing WKYH-TV in Hazard and relaunching it as WYMT-TV. The new station provided improved technical service and local news for Eastern Kentucky while complementing WKYT’s Lexington operation. WKYT also entered into local programming arrangements, including a long-running agreement to produce a 10 p.m. newscast for WDKY-TV beginning in 1995. Kentucky Central Life Insurance Company’s financial difficulties led to state regulatory intervention in 1993. Its broadcasting properties were among the company’s most valuable assets and were sold separately from the troubled insurance operations. Gray Communications Systems prevailed in the bidding for WKYT and WYMT, and the sale closed in 1994. Gabbard subsequently led Gray’s television division until his death in 1996. Digital broadcasting created new opportunities for the station. In 2004, WKYT placed UPN programming on a full-power digital subchannel. That service became affiliated with The CW after the UPN–WB combination in 2006, and WKYT upgraded the CW feed to high definition in 2007. The station later expanded local news with weekend morning broadcasts in 2012 and a 4 p.m. hour in 2013. Competition from WLEX-TV intensified, especially in Lexington proper, while WKYT continued to perform strongly in the broader rural market. The station refreshed its branding during this period, moving away from the long-used 27 NewsFirst identity toward WKYT News. WKYT remains an active CBS affiliate owned by Gray Media. Its operations include local newscasts, weather, sports, public affairs, lifestyle content, digital publishing and a CW multicast service. Its regional relationship with WYMT gives Gray a significant television presence across much of Kentucky, although the two stations maintain separate local news operations and programming inventories.

1. 20134 p.m. newscast added

   WKYT introduced a new 4 p.m. local-news hour.

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2. 2012Weekend morning news expands

   The station added weekend morning newscasts as part of a broader expansion of local programming.

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3. 2007CW service upgraded to high definition

   WKYT began transmitting both its primary and CW services in high definition.

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4. 2006CW digital service launches

   WKYT’s former UPN digital subchannel became a CW affiliate.

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5. 1994Gray ownership begins

   Gray Communications Systems completed the acquisition of WKYT and WYMT after Kentucky Central’s regulatory takeover.

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6. 1985WYMT-TV created

   A former Hazard station was rebuilt and relaunched as WYMT-TV, complementing WKYT’s regional CBS coverage.

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7. 1968Return to CBS

   Under Kentucky Central ownership, WKYT returned to CBS and began developing new facilities.

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8. 1967Kentucky Central purchase

   Kentucky Central Television acquired WKYT for $2.5 million.

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9. 1961ABC affiliation begins

   Taft transferred WKYT from CBS to ABC as part of a wider affiliation agreement.

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10. 1958Call letters and CBS affiliation change

    The station became WKYT and joined CBS under ownership associated with Taft Broadcasting.

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11. 1957WKXP-TV signs on

    Community Broadcasting Company launched commercial broadcasting on September 30 as independent station WKXP-TV.

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12. 1953Channel 27 authorization granted

    The FCC granted WLAP’s application to construct a UHF television station on channel 27 in Lexington.

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A locally focused, news-led CBS affiliate with a regional Central and Eastern Kentucky identity, supplemented by a CW digital service and community-oriented programming.

• WKYT CBS serviceBroadcast television1958

  WKYT’s primary broadcast service carries CBS network programming together with locally produced news, weather, sports and public-affairs content for Lexington and Central Kentucky.

• WKYT CWDigital multicast television2006

  The station’s secondary digital service carries The CW and related syndicated programming for the Lexington market. It originated as a UPN service in 2004 and became a CW affiliate in 2006.

• WKYT NewsLocal news

  WKYT’s local-news operation provides regularly scheduled reporting, weather, breaking-news coverage and community stories, with a regional emphasis extending beyond Lexington into surrounding Kentucky counties.

• Kentucky NewsmakersPublic affairs

  A weekly interview and public-affairs program focused on Kentucky politics, public policy, institutions and community issues.

• Everyday KentuckyLifestyle programming

  A weekday locally produced lifestyle program covering people, events, food, services and community topics in Kentucky.

• 2022End of WDKY news-production agreementStrategy

  WKYT had produced WDKY’s 10 p.m. newscast since 1995 and its weekday morning newscast since 2007.

  What changed. After Nexstar acquired WDKY, WDKY ended the arrangement and chose to staff its own newsroom.

  Aftermath. WKYT no longer produced WDKY’s local news programming, ending a relationship that had lasted more than two decades.

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• 2012Expansion of local-news scheduleStrategy

  WKYT faced renewed competition from WLEX-TV after decades of strong news performance.

  What changed. The station added weekend morning newscasts and subsequently introduced a 4 p.m. news hour.

  Aftermath. WKYT continued to expand local coverage while refreshing its branding and competing for viewers in both Lexington and surrounding rural areas.

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• 2006Conversion of the second digital service to The CWStrategy

  The formation of The CW combined the programming operations of UPN and The WB.

  What changed. WKYT converted its secondary digital service from UPN to The CW.

  Aftermath. The station retained a second network service and upgraded the CW feed to high definition the following year.

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• 2004Launch of UPN digital subchannelProduct launch

  UPN programming had previously been available in Lexington through a low-power station, while digital multicast was becoming a new way for full-power stations to add network services.

  What changed. WKYT placed UPN programming on its second digital subchannel, giving the network a full-power digital outlet in the market.

  Aftermath. The service later became Lexington’s CW affiliate following the merger of UPN and The WB.

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• 2022WKYT ends news production for WDKY-TV

  After Nexstar acquired WDKY, the Fox affiliate chose to develop its own newsroom rather than continue the news-production relationship with WKYT.

  Leadership change
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• 2006WKYT’s second service becomes a CW affiliate

  Following the merger of UPN and The WB, WKYT’s digital subchannel became Lexington’s CW service.

  Product launch
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• 2004WKYT adds a UPN digital subchannel

  The station moved UPN programming from a low-power outlet to its second digital subchannel.

  Product launchProduct generation
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• 1994Gray acquires WKYT-TV and WYMT-TV

  Following Kentucky Central’s financial collapse and regulatory takeover, Gray Communications Systems completed its purchase of the two television stations.

  M&ABankruptcy
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• 1985WYMT-TV launches as a complementary Eastern Kentucky station

  Kentucky Central relaunched a former Hazard station as WYMT-TV, extending the group’s CBS service and local news coverage into Eastern Kentucky.

  Product launchM&A
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• 1967Kentucky Central acquires WKYT-TV

  Kentucky Central Television purchased the station, which returned to CBS after the change in ownership.

  M&AOther
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• 1961WKYT switches from CBS to ABC

  Taft moved WKYT to ABC as part of a broader group affiliation change.

  Other
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• 1958WKXP-TV becomes WKYT and joins CBS

  After its acquisition by interests associated with Taft Broadcasting, the station changed its call letters to WKYT and secured CBS affiliation.

  OtherLeadership change
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• 1957WKYT-TV begins commercial broadcasting as WKXP-TV

  The Lexington channel 27 facility began commercial operation as an independent station before obtaining a network affiliation.

  Other
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1. WKYT-TV
2. WKYT official website