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WKYT-TV
WKYT-TV (channel 27) is a television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW. The station is owned by Gray Media, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Winchester Road (US 60), near I-75, on the east side of Lexington. In addition to WKYT-TV, Gray owns WYMT-TV (channel 57) in Hazard, Kentucky, a separate CBS affiliate serving eastern Kentucky with its own syndicated programming inventory and local newscasts.
While the authorization to build channel 27 in Lexington was given in 1953, the original owner, radio station WLAP, opted to hold off on construction for economic reasons. When WLAP was sold in 1956, the construction permit was sold with it, and the new owners signed the station on as WKXP-TV in 1957. Originally an independent station dependent on films for much of its programming, the station affiliated with CBS in 1958 before being sold to what became Taft Broadcasting and becoming WKYT. Taft switched all of its stations to ABC affiliation in 1961, but after Taft shed WKYT-TV to Kentucky Central Life Insurance Company in 1967 and the station returned to CBS, it eventually became a dominant force in Lexington television. In 1985, WYMT-TV was built as a complement to WKYT-TV.
Financial troubles at Kentucky Central led to its takeover by the state of Kentucky in 1993, and Kentucky Central's highly performing broadcasting properties were placed on the market. Out of nine bidders, Gray Communications Systems—today's Gray Television—narrowly won the bidding for the WKYT–WYMT pair. The station has faced renewed competition for news viewership in the market since the 2000s.
The American Broadcasting Corporation (no relationship to the American Broadcasting Company, ABC), owner of Lexington radio station WLAP, applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in June 1952 for a new television station on the newly available ultra high frequency (UHF) channel 27 in Lexington. A second application was filed for the channel by the West–Bingham Television Company, whose principals had no radio or television experience but owned a series of local businesses. As a result, both of the allotted UHF television channels for Lexington each had two competing applications, which could have delayed the arrival of television to the city.
This changed in 1953—not because of FCC action but because the owners of West–Bingham Television Company were exiting one of their local ventures. They had proposed to locate the station at the Ranch Motel on Winchester Road, but it was announced in June 1953 that they were selling the motel to a Florida couple. It was indicated that the completion of this sale would come alongside the withdrawal of their permit application. The West–Bingham application was dismissed in November, and the permit was granted on December 3, with WLAP officials claiming they would be on the air with Lexington's first TV station within six months. Within days, grading began of a site at the intersection of the Northern Belt and Liberty Road.
However, on February 19, 1954, WLAP announced it had put a halt to its television construction efforts. That day, in a full-page advertisement entitled "So The People May Know", the American Broadcasting Corporation laid out its reasons to suspend construction. The issues mostly concerned UHF. The firm believed that a UHF television station would have trouble reaching the promised service area, and it cited the difficulties of UHF television operations that had surrendered construction permits or left the air, making particular mention of the difficulties of KCTY in Kansas City and WROV-TV in Roanoke, Virginia. Their announcement came the same day that Lexington radio station WVLK abandoned their application for channel 18 for similar reasons, leaving WLEX unopposed in its bid to start WLEX-TV on channel 18.
At this time, even with the fine cooperation and wishful thinking of the many interested parties, we believe an acceptable AREA-WIDE UHF television service from Lexington would be an economic imposition on everyone concerned.
— American Broadcasting Corporation
WKYT-TV
WKYT-TV (channel 27) is a television station in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW. The station is owned by Gray Media, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Winchester Road (US 60), near I-75, on the east side of Lexington. In addition to WKYT-TV, Gray owns WYMT-TV (channel 57) in Hazard, Kentucky, a separate CBS affiliate serving eastern Kentucky with its own syndicated programming inventory and local newscasts.
While the authorization to build channel 27 in Lexington was given in 1953, the original owner, radio station WLAP, opted to hold off on construction for economic reasons. When WLAP was sold in 1956, the construction permit was sold with it, and the new owners signed the station on as WKXP-TV in 1957. Originally an independent station dependent on films for much of its programming, the station affiliated with CBS in 1958 before being sold to what became Taft Broadcasting and becoming WKYT. Taft switched all of its stations to ABC affiliation in 1961, but after Taft shed WKYT-TV to Kentucky Central Life Insurance Company in 1967 and the station returned to CBS, it eventually became a dominant force in Lexington television. In 1985, WYMT-TV was built as a complement to WKYT-TV.
Financial troubles at Kentucky Central led to its takeover by the state of Kentucky in 1993, and Kentucky Central's highly performing broadcasting properties were placed on the market. Out of nine bidders, Gray Communications Systems—today's Gray Television—narrowly won the bidding for the WKYT–WYMT pair. The station has faced renewed competition for news viewership in the market since the 2000s.
The American Broadcasting Corporation (no relationship to the American Broadcasting Company, ABC), owner of Lexington radio station WLAP, applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in June 1952 for a new television station on the newly available ultra high frequency (UHF) channel 27 in Lexington. A second application was filed for the channel by the West–Bingham Television Company, whose principals had no radio or television experience but owned a series of local businesses. As a result, both of the allotted UHF television channels for Lexington each had two competing applications, which could have delayed the arrival of television to the city.
This changed in 1953—not because of FCC action but because the owners of West–Bingham Television Company were exiting one of their local ventures. They had proposed to locate the station at the Ranch Motel on Winchester Road, but it was announced in June 1953 that they were selling the motel to a Florida couple. It was indicated that the completion of this sale would come alongside the withdrawal of their permit application. The West–Bingham application was dismissed in November, and the permit was granted on December 3, with WLAP officials claiming they would be on the air with Lexington's first TV station within six months. Within days, grading began of a site at the intersection of the Northern Belt and Liberty Road.
However, on February 19, 1954, WLAP announced it had put a halt to its television construction efforts. That day, in a full-page advertisement entitled "So The People May Know", the American Broadcasting Corporation laid out its reasons to suspend construction. The issues mostly concerned UHF. The firm believed that a UHF television station would have trouble reaching the promised service area, and it cited the difficulties of UHF television operations that had surrendered construction permits or left the air, making particular mention of the difficulties of KCTY in Kansas City and WROV-TV in Roanoke, Virginia. Their announcement came the same day that Lexington radio station WVLK abandoned their application for channel 18 for similar reasons, leaving WLEX unopposed in its bid to start WLEX-TV on channel 18.
At this time, even with the fine cooperation and wishful thinking of the many interested parties, we believe an acceptable AREA-WIDE UHF television service from Lexington would be an economic imposition on everyone concerned.
— American Broadcasting Corporation