KBSI (channel 23) is a television station licensed to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for Southeastern Missouri, the Purchase area of Western Kentucky, Southern Illinois, and Northwest Tennessee. It is owned by Rincon Broadcasting Group alongside Paducah, Kentucky–licensed WDKA (channel 49), an independent station with MyNetworkTV; Sinclair Broadcast Group operates the two stations under a shared services agreement (SSA). KBSI and WDKA share studios on Enterprise Street in Cape Girardeau; KBSI's transmitter is located in unincorporated Cape Girardeau County north of the city.
History
The station signed on the air on September 10, 1983, as an independent station and aired an analog signal on UHF channel 23.[1] The station was originally owned by Cape Girardeau Family Television, Ltd., in turn 51 percent owned by Media Central of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Prior to the station's launch, two independent stations were broadcast in southern Illinois, and a prior attempt had been made at an independent in Paducah,[2]