KFTA-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = KFTA-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan = nowrap|It's About Time!
The Area's Only 9pm Newscast
station_branding = Fox 24
analog = 24 (UHF)
digital = 27 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = Fox
airdate = November 12, 1978
location = Fort Smith/Fayetteville, Arkansas
callsign_meaning = ForT Smith, Arkansas
former_callsigns = KLMN-TV (1978-1982)
KPOM-TV (1982-2004)
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Mission Broadcasting, Inc.
former_affiliations = CBS (1978-1980)
NBC (1980-2008, secondary from 2006)
effective_radiated_power = 2510 kW (analog)
200 kW (digital)
HAAT = 317 m (analog)
305 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 29560
coordinates = coord|35|42|36.4|N|94|8|15.3|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.nwahomepage.com/content/myfox24 Fox 24]

KFTA-TV ("Fox 24") is the Fox affiliate for the Fort Smith/Fayetteville, Arkansas television market. The station is licensed to Fort Smith and operates out of Fayetteville on the historic downtown square. The station also maintains an additional office and newsroom in north Fort Smith off of the Kelly Highway.

The station debuted on November 12, 1978 as KLMN-TV, the area's third television station. It was a CBS affiliate. In 1980, it swapped affiliations with KFSM-TV and became the area's NBC affiliate. Two years later, it changed its calls to KPOM-TV (for People On the Move). In 1989, it signed on a full-time satellite, KFAA-TV, to provide a better signal in Fayetteville. The station began a newscast in 1999. In 2005, the stations changed their calls to KFTA-TV and KNWA-TV, respectively and KNWA became the main station.

In 2006, the stations' owner, Nexstar Broadcasting, announced that KFTA would become the Fox affiliate for the area, while KNWA will become the area's sole NBC affiliate, although KFTA would continue to show NBC daytime programming until 2008. KFTA was sold to Mission Broadcasting; though it will continue to be operated by Nexstar under a local marketing agreement with KNWA-TV. The network change took place on August 28 even though Equity Broadcasting, the owner of former Fox affiliate KPBI-CA, challenged the sale of KFTA-TV with the FCC. [http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.aspx?aID=95170.54928.107293&view=all&link=perm]

With some programming exceptions, the two stations simulcast from 7 AM to 5 PM until KFTA's sale was approved. KFTA and KNWA now air separate programming schedules.

See also

* KNWA-TV
* KPBI-CA

External links

* [http://www.nwahomepage.com/content/myfox24 KFTA Fox 24]
* [http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2006/08/26/business/0826foxswitch.txt Fox Switch Planned Monday] (article dated August 26, 2006)
*TVQ|KFTA
*BIA|KFTA|TV|TV
*TitanTV|KFTA