Early years
The topic of channel 6 in San Angelo recurred when Sage Broadcasting of Houston began preparing an application for the station in 1979, intending to construct a full-service ABC affiliate.[13] The major shareholder in the company was Raymond Schindler, who had owned KVRL-TV/KDOG in Houston from 1971 to 1977. Sage's application came into conflict with another bidder, Morton Telecasting of Toledo, Ohio.[14] Morton was owned by John D. Overmyer, the son of TV station owner Daniel H. Overmyer.[15] The FCC granted the Sage application and dismissed that of Morton on January 15, 1982.[16]
Sage purchased land for a tower in December 1982[17] and was approved to use revenue bonds to finance construction of studios on a riverfront site at 406 S. Irving that same month.[18] During this time, three ethnic minority shareholders sued Sage, claiming their promises of stock in the company were false and designed to secure FCC approval of the company's application.[19]
Though Sage discussed ABC affiliation for the new station, it was unable to secure ABC or NBC for KIDY. Unlike SRC twelve years prior, Sage pledged to put the station on the air even without a network.[20] It missed several planned launch dates in 1983, including June 1, September 1, and October 1.[21] but started broadcasting in May 1984, with the first scheduled programs airing on May 12.[22] The lineup mostly consisted of syndicated programs, cartoons, and movies.[23] Bill Carter, who was the general manager for most of the station's first 23 years on air, called KIDY's predicament as a small-market independent "not a pretty sight" in retrospect.[24]
On June 24, 1985, KIDY began airing a local newscast at 9 p.m., having previously added several news briefs to its schedule.[25] The newscasts initially struggled with inexperienced newscasters but improved over time. Other local programs aired by the station included Today Magazine, with various local features; Angelo State Rams football; and the Grim Reminder Theater block of hosted horror movies.[26] The newscast, Action 6 News, moved to 6 p.m. at the start of 1986.[27] KIDY was a charter affiliate of Fox when it launched in October 1986.[28]
KIDY initially agreed to air NYPD Blue, controversial at the time for its content, when KTXS-TV passed on the new ABC program in 1993.[29] The decision caused a backlash from the Christian Coalition, which threatened a boycott of KIDY's advertisers; the San Angelo–area Pizza Hut franchisee moved to cancel commercials he had purchased on the station. As a result, after a month, KIDY dropped Blue.[30]
Expansion to Abilene
KIDY became the source of Fox programming in the Abilene market when it built a translator in February 1991. On that date, it was added to the major cable system in Abilene.[31] Until then, some Fox programs were aired on a secondary basis by KTXS-TV.[32] The wife of one of KIDY's owners, doing business as Star Broadcasting, then filed in 1995 to build a full-power station in Abilene on channel 15.[33] Four applications were received in total for channel 15, but because the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and subsequent amendments shifted all new commercial broadcast stations to being awarded in auctions, the four parties then were ordered to bid on the allotment. That never came to pass, as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved a settlement agreement clearing the way for the Star Broadcasting application in 1999.[34]
A final construction permit for channel 15 was issued on June 15, 2000, but the call letters KXVA had already been announced, as had been the programming plan: to move Fox to the new full-power station and convert the low-power outlet into a UPN
Bayou City, London, Tegna and Nexstar ownership
In 2008, Bayou City Broadcasting acquired Sage's remaining broadcast properties—KIDY, KXVA, and associated translators.[37] Under Bayou City, KIDY and KXVA began simulcasting the 9 p.m. newscast of KABB, the Fox affiliate in San Antonio. In 2012, Bayou City sold KIDY and KXVA to London Broadcasting Company so that company president DuJuan McCoy could refocus on markets larger than Abilene and San Angelo.[38] Under London, KIDY moved from its Irving Street location to a former bank building on Chadbourne Street. The new space was necessary to permit the expansion of KIDY–KXVA's news effort from inserts into KABB news simulcasts to separate local news programs beginning in January 2014.[39]
KIDY and KXVA were purchased by the Gannett Company in 2014.[40][41]
