KGRK, virtual and VHF digital channel 4, is an ABC-affiliated television station licensed to Driftwood. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group as part of a duopoly with The CW affiliate KCWD (channel 16).
History[]
Beginnings[]
The station signed on June 1, 1950, as K4XDW, as a DuMont affiliate. It is the second-oldest television station in the Driftwood area.
The station was originally owned by the Keith family, which had its start in the grain business in 1932 during the Great Depression. The Keiths first broadcast K4XDW for experimental purposes in 1943 during World War II until it commercially signed on in 1950.
That same year, Gary Keith founded Gary Keith Communications and licensed multiple radio stations in the Driftwood area. In 1951, K4XDW call letters were changed to KDIV to coincide the first primary ABC affiliate in the Driftwood area with DuMont as a secondary affiliate.
In 1952, DuMont programming moved to KDTV (channel 2) (now KDII), which KDIV became the first full-time ABC affiliate in the Driftwood area. In 1965, KDIV changed its call letters to KGRK.
1980-Present[]
On April 16, 1980, Gary Keith died after fighting the pancreatic cancer for three years, resulting in the Keith family purchasing Gary Keith Communications to Lee Enterprises.
In 2000, the Lee Enterprises television group, including KGRK was purchased by Emmis Communications. On January 27, 2006, Emmis sold KGRK (along with KOIN in Portland, Oregon, KHON-TV in Honolulu, Hawaii, KSNT in Topeka, Kansas and KSNW in Wichita, Kansas) to Montecito Broadcast Group for $259 million.
On July 24, 2007, Montecito announced the sale of all of its stations to New Vision Television. The sale closed on November 1, 2007. On May 7, 2012, LIN Media announced that it would acquire KGRK and the other New Vision stations for $330.4 million and the assumption of $12 million in debt. The deal was completed on October 12, 2012.
On March 21, 2014, Media General announced that it would purchase LIN Media and its stations, including KGRK, in a $1.6 billion merger. The merger was completed on December 19.
On January 27, 2016, it was announced that Nexstar Broadcasting Group would buy Media General for $4.6 billion. KGRK became part of "Nexstar Media Group" and is the company's first station in the Driftwood area.
On December 3, 2018, Nexstar announced it would acquire the assets of Chicago-based Tribune Media—which has owned CW affiliate KCWD (channel 16) since 2001—for $6.4 billion in cash and debt. The sale was approved by the FCC on September 16 and was completed on September 19, 2019.
Logos[]
.png "KGRK Logo (2013-Present).png (124 KB)"){kind=logo}