Celebrating 20 Years Of Being CBS

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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - You know time gets by real fast the older we get. And earlier this month I forgot the 20th anniversary of the Dallas/Fort Worth market's TV network affiliation switch that affected four stations: KTVT, KDFW, KDAF, and KXTX. The date was July 1, 1995.

Here's the basic 411 on this: in the fall of 1993, KTVT and KXTX were independents, KDFW was CBS, and KDAF was FOX. In December that year, the NFL announced that the NFC rights which had been on CBS since the 1950's were now moving to FOX. This sent shockwaves around the country as FOX had only been in business as a network since October 9, 1986. Its programming was edgy and they had a couple of hits (one being The Simpsons) but for the most part was still lagging behind the BIG 3 networks. Most FOX stations in that day were on high band UHF stations (during the analog days), not like the more powerful VHF stations. But the acquisition of the NFC rights changed everything. Rupert Murdoch, the Chairman and CEO of FOX and News Corporation, was determined to be #1 and knock off the other networks. He also had another agenda: start a competitive 24-hour cable news channel to compete with CNN and to transform his own stations as strong news gathering operations, something that only a few of his original stations had.

In 1994, New World Television Group in Atlanta, controlled by Revlon Chairman Ron Perelman, purchased a number of network affiliate stations previously owned by a company run by George Gillette. They all had good news operations and ratings. Subsequently, Murdoch invested $500 million in New World for about 20% of the company. In exchange, New World agreed to switch the affiliations of their stations to FOX. Here in Dallas, KDFW was going to be the new FOX station after being CBS since 1949. KTVT, owned by Gaylord Entertainment, agreed to be the new CBS station after being an independent since 1955. KDAF, which had been FOX, would then take over the WB affiliation. KTVT was originally going to be the market's WB affiliate in 1994 but got out of that deal to be with CBS. The WB ran for a short period of time on KXTX before moving to KDAF. KXTX went back to being an independent for awhile before becoming Telemundo a few years later. KTVT was a CBS affiliate from 1995 until 1999 when it became a CBS Owned and Operated station.

On Saturday, July 1, 1995 at 10pm, the switch was official. KDFW President & General Manager David Whitaker went on the air at that time to tell viewers about what was going to happen. Many viewers thought that with the switch that local news anchors would move as well. Not so, said Whitaker. Just the network programming. The last CBS show to air on KDFW was Walker: Texas Ranger.

I still remember that day as if it were yesterday. A major change in the DFW area. But one that has remained intact for two decades.

See you next time.