KFOR-TV

KFOR-TV is an NBC-affiliated broadcast television station based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The station operates on virtual channel 4 and serves the Oklahoma City television market, with its news, weather, sports, public-affairs, and syndicated programming distributed through its over-the-air signal and digital platforms. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group and operates alongside CW affiliate KAUT-TV. The stations share facilities in Oklahoma City's McCourry Heights area, where KFOR-TV's studio operations and transmitter are located. The station began broadcasting on June 6, 1949, under the call sign WKY-TV. It was established by the Oklahoma Publishing Company as the television counterpart to WKY radio, an Oklahoma City station acquired by the company in the late 1920s. Its launch made it Oklahoma's first television station and one of the earliest stations in the United States. The station initially carried NBC programming because WKY radio had long been affiliated with the NBC Radio Network, while also showing selected programming from CBS, ABC, DuMont, and the Paramount Television Network during the early years of American television. KFOR-TV developed a reputation as a technical and programming pioneer. In its first years it used mobile production facilities for live event coverage, broadcast legislative sessions and court proceedings, and transmitted an early television tornado warning. It was also among the first independently owned network affiliates to originate local programming in color. After installing RCA color equipment, the station began local color broadcasts in 1954 and subsequently supplied color material to NBC, including coverage of the American Indian Exposition in Anadarko and a full-length color presentation of the National Square Dance convention. These activities helped establish the station as an important regional production center rather than simply a relay point for network programs. Local programming was central to the station's early identity. Its schedule included variety, children's, news, sports, and public-affairs programs created for Oklahoma audiences. The children's program The Adventures of 3-D Danny, hosted by Danny Williams, became a notable local success during the 1950s. Sports coverage included Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma A&M football, high-school athletics, wrestling, and instructional or analysis programs hosted by Sooners coach Bud Wilkinson. The station's sports output also contributed to early experiments in syndicated and network-supplied local television production. The station expanded its technical and scheduling capabilities as communications infrastructure improved. Before Oklahoma City was connected to the national coaxial cable system, network programming was commonly received on film or kinescope. A microwave connection to the national network became available in 1952, allowing WKY-TV to carry live NBC programming and begin earlier daily broadcasts. The station also moved from separate downtown and radio facilities into a combined operation on Britton Road during the early 1950s. The call sign changed from WKY-TV to KTVY in 1976 and then to KFOR-TV in 1990. Ownership subsequently moved through the corporate television groups that consolidated many American local stations, eventually bringing the station into Nexstar Media Group's portfolio. Today KFOR-TV combines the NBC network schedule with locally produced newscasts and digital journalism focused on Oklahoma City and surrounding communities. Its historical significance rests on its status as Oklahoma's first television station and on its early experimentation with live production, color broadcasting, sports coverage, public-interest programming, and severe-weather communication.

KFOR-TV traces its origins to the Oklahoma Publishing Company and the company's interest in extending its WKY radio operation into television. Edward K. Gaylord had publicly discussed the future of television before the Second World War, and the company organized public demonstrations of television equipment in Oklahoma during the late 1930s and 1940s. These exhibitions helped familiarize audiences with the new medium while the company prepared a formal application for a commercial station. The Federal Communications Commission granted the company authority to operate a station on VHF channel 4 in June 1948. The resulting station, WKY-TV, was built with production facilities in Oklahoma City's Municipal Auditorium and a substantial transmission tower. Construction was complicated by equipment delays, severe weather, and a fire that damaged the auditorium's television production area in November 1948. Test transmissions began in April 1949, followed by closed-circuit rehearsals and live-event testing. WKY-TV officially signed on June 6, 1949. It was the first television station in Oklahoma and initially broadcast only a limited evening schedule. The station carried NBC programming through its relationship with WKY radio, while also clearing selected programs from other networks. Because Oklahoma City was not yet connected to the national coaxial cable system, early network programs were delivered by film and kinescope. The station's schedule grew after Saturday and morning broadcasts were added, and a microwave connection to the national network in 1952 enabled live NBC programming. During its first decade, the station built a broad local schedule. Children's programs, variety shows, news, and sports were produced for Oklahoma viewers. Danny Williams became associated with The Adventures of 3-D Danny, while local sports coverage included Oklahoma Sooners football, Oklahoma A&M football, high-school competition, golf, softball, wrestling, and analysis programming hosted by Sooners coach Bud Wilkinson. The station also broadcast public-interest material, legislative proceedings, court coverage, and emergency weather information. Its early tornado-warning broadcasts became part of the station's identity as a service-oriented Oklahoma broadcaster. Technology was another defining part of the station's history. WKY-TV ordered color equipment from RCA before the FCC had finalized a national color standard. It demonstrated color programming in 1954 and soon originated regular local color productions. The station supplied NBC with color coverage of events in Oklahoma, including the American Indian Exposition in Anadarko and a full-length presentation of a national square-dance convention. It also transmitted a surgical procedure in color and later became an early local adopter of videotape equipment. These efforts gave the station a national reputation for experimentation among independent network affiliates. The station's facilities evolved with its programming ambitions. Radio and television operations were consolidated at a new Britton Road complex during the early 1950s, allowing shared technical resources and expanded production capacity. The company also challenged a proposed FCC reassignment that would have moved channel 4 to another frequency; the original channel allocation was ultimately retained. As Oklahoma City's television market developed, WKY-TV faced new UHF competitors and changes in network clearances. It gradually reduced its secondary affiliations, particularly after CBS and ABC gained stronger local outlets. The station retained NBC as its principal network relationship. In 1976, the call sign changed to KTVY, and in 1990 it became KFOR-TV. Later ownership consolidation placed the station within larger American television groups, and it ultimately became part of Nexstar Media Group. KFOR-TV now operates as a full-service NBC affiliate serving Oklahoma City and central Oklahoma through broadcast, local journalism, weather coverage, sports, community programming, and digital publishing.

1. 1990Call sign changes to KFOR-TV

   The station adopted its current KFOR-TV identity.

   Source
2. 1976Call sign changes to KTVY

   The station replaced the WKY-TV call sign with KTVY.

   Source
3. 1954Local color broadcasting begins

   The station introduced locally originated color broadcasts and supplied color programming to NBC.

   Source
4. 1952Live network access reaches Oklahoma City

   A microwave connection to the national network allowed WKY-TV to carry live NBC programming instead of relying primarily on film and kinescope delivery.

   Source
5. 1949Station launches as WKY-TV

   WKY-TV signed on June 6 as Oklahoma's first television station and began its NBC-affiliated broadcast history.

   Source
6. 1948FCC grants channel 4 authorization

   The Federal Communications Commission granted the Oklahoma Publishing Company authorization for a VHF television station on channel 4, using the WKY-TV call sign.

   Source

Local broadcast news and information station with an NBC network affiliation, emphasizing Oklahoma City-area journalism, severe-weather coverage, sports, and community service.

• Local television newsBroadcast programming1949

  KFOR-TV's locally produced news service covers Oklahoma City and surrounding communities, including reporting, interviews, public-affairs segments, and breaking-news updates. Its broadcast identity is closely associated with regional journalism and the practical information needs of viewers.

• Weather and severe-weather coverageBroadcast programming1949

  Weather information is a core service of the station, reflecting the importance of tornadoes and other severe weather in Oklahoma. The station's historical record includes early tornado-warning broadcasts, establishing a long-running emphasis on emergency communication.

• NBC programmingNetwork television1949

  KFOR-TV carries programming supplied by NBC, forming the principal network component of its schedule. The relationship originated with WKY radio's NBC affiliation and has remained central to the station's broadcast position.

• Local sports broadcastingSports programming1949

  The station has historically televised Oklahoma college sports, high-school athletics, wrestling, and sports-analysis programs. Early coverage included Oklahoma Sooners football and Oklahoma A&M football, while Bud Wilkinson's analysis programs became notable examples of locally produced sports television.

• KFOR.com digital newsDigital media

  KFOR.com extends the station's local-news, weather, video, and community-information output beyond the linear television schedule. It is the station's principal branded digital platform.

• 1990Adoption of the KFOR-TV identityStrategy

  The station had used the KTVY call sign since 1976 while continuing its NBC affiliation and Oklahoma City market role.

  What changed. The station changed its call sign to KFOR-TV.

  Aftermath. KFOR-TV became the continuing broadcast and digital brand of the Oklahoma City NBC affiliate.

  Source
• 1976Adoption of the KTVY call signStrategy

  The station had operated for decades under the WKY-TV identity inherited from its radio predecessor.

  What changed. The broadcaster changed its call sign to KTVY.

  Aftermath. The KTVY identity remained in use until the station adopted KFOR-TV in 1990.

  Source
• 1954Launch of local color televisionProduct launch

  Color television was still developing as a national broadcast technology, and the station sought to distinguish itself through local technical experimentation.

  What changed. WKY-TV installed RCA color equipment, demonstrated color broadcasts, and began regularly producing local programs in color.

  Aftermath. The station became an early color-broadcasting pioneer and supplied color material to NBC, including event coverage originating in Oklahoma.

  Source

• 1990KTVY becomes KFOR-TV

  The station adopted the KFOR-TV call sign that it continues to use.

  Other
  Source
• 1976WKY-TV becomes KTVY

  The Oklahoma City station changed its call sign from WKY-TV to KTVY.

  Other
  Source
• 1954WKY-TV introduces locally originated color programming

  After installing RCA color equipment, the station presented local color broadcasts and began supplying color material to NBC.

  Product generationOther
  Source
• 1949KFOR-TV begins broadcasting as Oklahoma's first television station

  The station signed on as WKY-TV on June 6, launching Oklahoma's first television service and beginning its long association with NBC programming.

  Other
  Source
• Nexstar Media Group owns KFOR-TV and KAUT-TV

  KFOR-TV operates under Nexstar Media Group ownership alongside CW affiliate KAUT-TV, with the stations sharing Oklahoma City facilities.

  M&A
  Source

1. KFOR-TV
2. KFOR-TV official website