KBTO

KBTO
Location	Bentonville, Arkansas
Branding	ABC 4 ABC 4 Eyewitness News
Slogan	Taking Action For You
Channel(s)	Digital: 35 (UHF) Virtual: 4 (PSIP)
subchannel(s)	4.1 ABC-HD 4.2 ABC 4 Live Radar 24/7
Affiliation	ABC
First air date	April 10, 1981
Former call letters	none
Former channel number	Analog: 4 (UHF, 1981-2009)
Former Affiliation	none
Owner	Four Star Television

KBTO is an ABC affiliate that serves the Bentonville, AR area. It broadcasts on Channel 4. The station is owned and operated by Four Star Television.

Station History

KBTO signed on the air on April 10, 1981 as Bentonville's second local television station 13 years after ABN affiliate KPWR signed on the air. As owned by DeFontes Broadcasting Corporation which owns the station today. The main purpose of the station was to provide local ABC programming to viewers living in Bentonville and surrounding areas. Before KBTO signed on in 1981, viewers would have their antennas pointed to the west to receive ABC programming from Tulsa station KBAP. Prior to 1972 when KBAP became an ABC affiliate, the ABC affiliated station in Fort Smith, Arkansas and the ABC affiliated station in Joplin, Missouri both served as the default affiliates for Bentonville. When the station signed on, KBTO aired no news programming with the exception of ABC News programs. KBTO started airing 2 minute newscasts beginning in 1983, which were extended to 5 minutes the following year. It wouldn't be until 1987 when KBTO began airing newscasts in the afternoons and evenings. In 1993, KBTO began airing a 30 minute morning news program at 6:30 am titled Bentonville's Morning News, which would be extended to 1 hour in 1996. A noon newscast was also added in 1998 which coincided with the extension of the morning newscast. In 2009, KBTO added a digital subchannel, ABC 4 Live Radar 24/7, airing local weather information plus a feed of the station's doppler weather radar. KBTO has been an ABC affiliated station for over 30 years and was not affected by the 2014 fictional tv station realignment. On November 17, 2016, days after DeFontes announced that it was exiting the broadcasting business, DeFontes sold KBTO to Four Star Television for $46.65 million in stock and cash.

Gallery

KBTO Android/iOS App

KBTO's screengrab for their 6pm newscast

Website History

• www.kbto.com (1996-2007)
• www.abc4bentonville.com (2007–present)

Programming Schedule

	MON	TUE	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN
7:00 am	Good Morning America					Good Morning America Weekend Edition
7:30 am
8:00 am						Litton's Weekend Adventure	This Week with George Stephanopoulos
8:30 am
9:00 am	Live with Kelly and Ryan						Various Religious Programs
9:30 am
10:00 am	The View
10:30 am
11:00 am	ABC 4 Eyewitness News at Eleven					ABC Weekend Programming (programs vary by season)
11:30 am	Paid Programming
12:00 pm	Strahan & Sara
12:30 pm
1:00 pm	General Hospital
1:30 pm
2:00 pm	Judge Faith
2:30 pm	Judge Faith
3:00 pm	Steve
3:30 pm
4:00 pm	USA Today on TV
4:30 pm	USA Today on TV
5:00 pm	ABC 4 Eyewitness News at Five
5:30 pm	ABC World News Tonight with David Muir					ABC World News Tonight Weekend
6:00 pm	ABC 4 Eyewitness News at Six						ABC Prime Time
6:30 pm	Modern Family
7:00 pm	ABC Prime Time
7:30 pm
8:00 pm
8:30 pm
9:00 pm
9:30 pm
10:00 pm	ABC 4 Eyewitness News at Ten
10:30/10:35 pm	Jimmy Kimmel Live!					Modern Family
11:00 pm						M*A*S*H
11:30/11:37 pm	Nightline					Blue Bloods
12:00/12:07 am	Blue Bloods	Modern Family					Blue Bloods
12:30/12:37 am	Scandal	Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen					Scandal
1:00/1:07 am		Paid Programming
1:30/1:37 am	The Closer	ABC World News Now				Paid Programming	The Closer
2:00 am
2:30 am	ABC World News Now						Paid Programming
3:00 am
3:30 am
4:00 am	America This Morning
4:30 am	ABC 4 Eyewitness News Morning
5:00 am
5:30 am
6:00 am
6:30 am