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KMOV

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Matrix Midwest)

KMOV
Channels
Branding
  • First Alert 4
  • Matrix Midwest (32.1)
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
KDTL-LD
History
FoundedApril 1954
First air date
July 8, 1954 (1954-07-08)
Former call signs
  • KWK-TV (1954–1958)
  • KMOX-TV (1958–1986)
Former channel numbers
  • Analog: 4 (VHF, 1954–2009)
  • Digital: 56 (UHF, 1999–2009)
  • ABC (secondary, 1954–1957)
Call sign meaning
From "move", as in "on the move"[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
70034
ERP1,000 kW
HAAT341 m (1,119 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
38°31′47″N 90°17′58″W / 38.52972°N 90.29944°W / 38.52972; -90.29944
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.firstalert4.com

KMOV (channel 4), known as First Alert 4, is a television station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Media and broadcasts from studios on Progress Parkway in suburban Maryland Heights; KMOV's transmitter is located in Lemay, Missouri. In addition to its main channel, it offers Matrix Midwest, an over-the-air regional sports network.

Channel 4 in St. Louis was built by radio station KWK and began broadcasting on July 8, 1954, as KWK-TV. Airing programming from CBS and ABC, its construction culminated six years of legal activity—prolonged by a federal freeze on new stations—and a contested battle to bring the city its second very high frequency (VHF) station. Operating from studios in the Globe-Democrat Tower Building, KWK-TV's early history was precarious. CBS at the time was fighting to build its own station in St. Louis, which could have left KWK-TV without network programming. Even though CBS won the construction permit for channel 11 in 1957, it opted to speed up its arrival into the market by instead buying KWK-TV. When CBS took over channel 4 on March 16, 1958, the station changed call signs to KMOX-TV, after CBS-owned KMOX radio. KMOX-TV was one of the network's five owned-and-operated stations. In 1968, KMOX radio and television moved to the new Gateway Tower in downtown St. Louis.

KMOX-TV led local news in the market in the late 1950s and early 1960s but fell behind KSD-TV (channel 5, now KSDK) in the ratings. This changed beginning in 1973, when—under general manager Tom Battista—KMOX-TV revamped its newscast with younger, more attractive personalities to attract a female audience. At the same time, KMOX-TV became the first station in the world to move to entirely electronic news gathering, ceasing the then-standard and time-intensive use of film to record news footage. In 1975, it was the first local station to feature a Black weeknight anchor, Julius Hunter. The station became competitive again and, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, became the most-watched news station in St. Louis. However, a retooled KSDK with popular entertainment programs took the lead back from KMOX-TV beginning in early 1984.

After incurring debt to fend off a hostile takeover by Ted Turner, CBS sold KMOX-TV to Viacom in 1986, and the station was renamed KMOV. Viacom slimmed down the operation and increased profits, partly through increased preemptions of network programming. While KMOV was able to fend off a challenge from KTVI (channel 2), whose news operation was at that time troubled, it was never able to move past KSDK for first in the St. Louis news ratings. In 1989, KMOV initiated hourly news updates throughout the day, a concept that for a time proved popular with local TV stations across the country.

Viacom merged with Paramount in 1994, then traded KMOV to the Belo Corporation in 1997 in exchange for a station in Seattle. Under Belo, KMOV strengthened; though unable to consistently catch KSDK in the late news ratings, the station became one of the highest-rated CBS affiliates for news in a major market. A 2007 series on schools in East St. Louis, Illinois, won the station its only Peabody Award. Belo sold itself to KSDK owner Gannett, prompting KMOV to be spun off to the Meredith Corporation. After seven years of Meredith ownership, Gray acquired KMOV in 2021. It moved the station from downtown St. Louis to Maryland Heights, rebranded it as First Alert 4, and introduced Matrix Midwest. On September 1, 2026, a subchannel of KMOV will replace KDNL-TV as the St. Louis market's ABC affiliate.

KWK-TV: Construction and early years

[edit]

On February 12, 1948, Thomas Patrick, Incorporated, filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking a construction permit to build a television station on channel 9 in St. Louis.[3] The firm was the owner of St. Louis radio station KWK. In 1948, St. Louis had one operating television station—KSD-TV (channel 5, now KSDK)—and seven different applicants seeking the remaining four channels then allocated to the city. The field was deep, including the St. Louis Star-Times and its station KXOK; the St. Louis Globe-Democrat; WEW, then owned by Saint Louis University; 20th Century Fox; and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, owner of KFUO.[4] This field of applicants was forced to wait when the FCC, in October 1948, imposed a freeze on new TV station grants to sort out possible changes to television broadcast standards.[5] During the freeze, the Globe-Democrat purchased a stake in KWK and abandoned its application for channel 13. KWK then moved into the new Globe-Democrat Tower Building at 12th Avenue and Cole Street, which had space set aside for a future television operation including a studio and room for a transmitter.[6][7][8]

The freeze ended in April 1952, and St. Louis was allocated three very high frequency (VHF) channels in addition to channel 5. One, channel 9, was now reserved non-commercial educational. The other allocations were channels 4 and 11.[9] KXOK and KWK filed for channel 4,[8] along with several new entrants. The Meredith Engineering Company, a subsidiary of the Des Moines, Iowa–based Meredith Publishing Company, entered in August,[10] followed by CBS—operator of KMOX radio in St. Louis[11]—in October.[12] A fifth firm, the Missouri Valley Television Company, filed in March 1953. It was headed by Stanley E. Hubbard of St. Paul, Minnesota, owner of that city's KSTP radio and television,[13] and counted 38 St. Louis residents among its stockholders.[14] Meredith dropped its application in April 1953,[15][a] and CBS amended its application in October 1953 to specify channel 11 instead of channel 4.[11]

KWK, KXOK, and Missouri Valley Television headed toward a comparative hearing to decide who would be awarded channel 4. Arguments were scheduled to begin in the hearing on March 29, 1954,[17] though this was later postponed.[18] It never reached a hearing. On April 9, 1954, the parties reached an agreement to settle the case, granting KWK the channel and the other parties ownership options in the TV station.[14] WTVI (channel 54) of Belleville, Illinois, an ultra high frequency (UHF) station, contested the grant[19] but was unsuccessful in preventing the FCC from issuing the construction permit.[20] KWK came into the television venture with preparation and resources. It had spent six months training personnel in television, already had purchased much of the studio equipment, already had a tower, and had a transmitter on order.[21][22] The FM antenna on the Globe-Democrat Tower was removed in preparation for the tower to be extended to 480 feet (150 m) and the antenna for channel 4 to be installed.[23] WTVI and another UHF outlet, KSTM-TV (channel 36), sought court stays of the construction permit[24][25] and were denied.[26][27]

KWK-TV began broadcasting on July 8, 1954. St. Louis finally had two VHF television stations, seven years after KSD-TV went on the air, and four in total including KSTM-TV and WTVI. Its first night's telecasting included a preview of CBS programs, three films, and a newscast.[28][29][30]

In addition to CBS programming, KWK-TV offered a variety of local shows. Some came from KWK radio's disc jockeys, such as the game show Recallit and Win hosted by Tom Dailey and programs hosted by Ed Wilson and Gil Newsome. The station also offered local news, public affairs, and public service programming.[31] A high school quiz bowl show, High School Quiz, aired on TV and radio.[32] The country music program Western Jamboree debuted in early 1955.[33]

KWK-TV's affiliation with CBS was designed to be temporary. Its affiliation contract stipulated that the network could move elsewhere subject to a 60-day notice.[34] CBS programs moved from KSD-TV and WTVI to the new station. KWK-TV also aired some programs from the ABC network.[35] WTVI assumed KSTM-TV's frequency after that station went off the air and moved to St. Louis in 1955 as KTVI,[36][37] which moved to VHF channel 2 in April 1957.[38]

KMOX-TV: As a CBS owned-and-operated station

[edit]

While KWK-TV was telecasting, CBS was in the lead in the channel 11 contest. An FCC examiner favored the network in an initial decision released in September 1955.[39] In a 4–3 decision, the FCC granted CBS the channel 11 construction permit in March 1957. CBS intended to be on the air with KMOX-TV within four months from interim studios and have the new station's permanent facility, to be designed by Minoru Yamasaki, complete by the end of 1958.[40] By August 1957, CBS's proposed start date for channel 11 had been pushed back to early 1958. As a result, CBS began looking into buying KWK-TV and handing the channel 11 permit to one of the competing applicants.[41][42] The deal was confirmed in September 1957. CBS spent $4 million—$2.5 million for KWK-TV's television assets and $1.5 million for the studios owned by the Globe-Democrat—to buy channel 4. Channel 11 was assigned to 220 Television, one of the losing applicants, with two other competitors being paid $200,000 to drop out.[43] The FCC approved the KWK-TV purchase in October.[44]

CBS's simultaneous sale of the channel 11 permit and purchase of KWK-TV came under some scrutiny after the fact. A U.S. House subcommittee criticized CBS's move as "circumvention" of the FCC's applicant selection process, given that the commission had just favored CBS over 220 Television.[45] The then-president of the Globe-Democrat told a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1958 that there was concern that if CBS got channel 11 and KTVI and ABC moved to channel 2, KWK-TV might find itself without network affiliation.[46] St. Louis Amusement Company, a losing applicant in the channel 11 battle, alleged that Tex McCrary engaged in illegal ex parte communications with FCC commissioners as a representative for CBS president William S. Paley.[47]

CBS assumed control of KWK-TV on March 1, 1958, and changed its call sign to KMOX-TV on March 16.[48][49] Coinciding with the call sign change, CBS overhauled the station's programming, extending morning broadcasting and adding several CBS shows previously unseen in St. Louis to the channel 4 lineup. Among the local additions was Eye on St. Louis, a nightly public affairs program.[50] CBS announced it would build a new transmitter facility for KMOX-TV,[51] which began use in March 1959. The 1,214-foot (370 m) structure[52] in Lemay was also used to telecast channel 11, which began the following April as KPLR-TV.[53]

The 10 p.m. newscast, heretofore 15 minutes, expanded to a full half-hour in 1963.[54] However, the station slipped in the ratings after anchor Spencer Allen left the next year to head the news department at KTVI. With Allen gone, KSD-TV surpassed KMOX-TV as the news leader in St. Louis. In 1967, Leon Drew arrived from KNXT in Los Angeles to serve as KMOX-TV's new general manager. Under Drew, the station bulked up its news staff to add coverage on weekends, with new hires including Pat Fontaine—returning to the station after a stint as the weather girl on Today—and Jim Hart, the quarterback of the St. Louis Cardinals football team, for sports commentary.[55] Allen returned as editorialist, a position in which he continued until 1972.[56] In 1970, KMOX-TV added a second early evening newscast, giving it half-hours at 5 and 6 p.m. on either side of the CBS Evening News.[57]

A 20-story high-rise building with a large base
Gateway Tower housed KMOX-TV/KMOV from 1968 to 2023.

In 1966, CBS partnered with Transurban Redevelopment Corporation to build a new office building at 3rd and Market streets in downtown St. Louis containing studios for KMOX radio and television, which had been in separate locations.[58] KMOX-TV began moving into the Gateway Tower in July 1968.[59] The TV station occupied the first two floors of the facility, containing two studios (one with room for a studio audience) and a computerized control room.[60]

The Battista years: Newsroom and ENG

[edit]

In January 1972, CBS appointed Thomas Battista as general manager of KMOX-TV.[61] Under Battista, the station sought to introduce new programs. That August, KMOX-TV debuted a Saturday night talk show, Regis Philbin's Saturday Night in St. Louis. The program was created because of strong ratings for the station's all-night movies. Battista had worked at the same station as Philbin in the early 1960s in San Diego and thought Philbin could bring something fresh to the market.[62] Philbin flew to St. Louis once a month to record a month's worth of programs.[63] In 1973, a Friday night prime time half-hour was added to Philbin's Saturday night show.[64] Despite solid ratings, KMOX-TV canceled the program in 1975 due to its expense.[65]

KMOX-TV's newscasts were next in line for a change. In February 1973, the 5 p.m. newscast began to originate live from the newsroom, a format that was installed at most of the CBS owned-and-operated stations.[66] In 1973, Max Roby, a veteran anchor at KMOX, left that station in a dispute and moved to KSD-TV, then the number-one news station.[67] His replacement was 30-year-old Patrick Emory, whom Battista described as "the alternative". With Emory's selection, Battista hoped to win over female viewers with a presentation and appearance that contrasted with the older anchors on KSD and KTVI.[68] In another move, Battista hired KSD-TV's Julius Hunter to anchor the station's weekend newscasts.[69]

After Emory's installation, the trend in the market swung to KMOX-TV, which had moved into a tie for first place by February 1974 but had emerged with a significant demographic lead among women aged 18–49, a group coveted by advertisers.[70] By March 1975, KMOX-TV had the lead in ratings at 5, 6, and 10 p.m. over KSD-TV.[71] In 1975, Battista was promoted to a corporate role with the CBS stations,[72] and Emory was transferred to KNXT; within a year, CBS had sent KMOX-TV's general manager and news director, as well as weathercaster Ollie Raymond, to Los Angeles, where low ratings were a concern.[73] Emory was replaced at 5 and 10 p.m. by the older Steve Schiff; Hunter was promoted to weeknights at 6, becoming the first Black weeknight anchor in St. Louis.[74][75]

In parallel with the overhauling of the news operation came a technical change that made KMOX-TV a world-first. Beginning in late 1972, CBS began testing electronic news gathering (ENG) with miniature cameras and microwave transmission, instead of the use of film cameras, messengers, and film processing to get footage back from stories, first at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia and later at WCBS-TV in New York City.[76] ENG made its St. Louis debut on March 6, 1973.[77] KMOX-TV became the pilot station for the technology within the CBS O&O group, as well as CBS News, and the first station anywhere to fully discontinue film coverage and processing (in August 1974).[78][79] By the end of the year, the station was broadcasting five stories live each week.[80] ENG spread rapidly and, by the end of the decade, was seen to have had a significant impact on American television news.[81]

One of the few losses of the Battista era was rights to show St. Louis Cardinals preseason football. The rights had continuously belonged to KMOX-TV through 1973, but the team awarded the contract to KSD-TV in 1974. This was reportedly because owner Bill Bidwill objected to former Cardinal quarterback Tim Van Galder, a KMOX-TV sports commentator, being involved in the telecasts.[82]

Ratings success and decline

[edit]

In 1976, KSD-TV hired Emory, returning him to the St. Louis market from Los Angeles. At the time, KMOX-TV and KSD-TV were about even in the ratings.[83] This scenario remained the case for several years,[84] but in late 1979 KMOX-TV moved decisively ahead of KSD-TV in late news.[85] KMOX-TV had competition again a year later, this time from KTVI, a station whose newscasts had long rated third but improved beginning in the late 1970s and in the early years of Times Mirror ownership.[86] In July 1981, a KTVI newscast won its time slot—beating out KMOX-TV—for the first time.[87] But the period was regarded in hindsight as a zenith for KMOX-TV's news department. The pairing of the Jewish Schiff and the Black Hunter—promoted as "Lox and Hamhocks"[88]—made KMOX-TV news the highest-rated of any of the CBS owned-and-operated stations.[89] The station's lead was especially wide among women aged 18–49.[90]

During this time, the station introduced a new local non-news program and was involved in a national experiment by CBS. Beginning in 1977, channel 4 aired the children's series D. B.'s Delight, a quiz show featuring local sixth-grade students and a puppet named Doorbell. It was so named to reuse a sign from another program that never made it to air.[91] Two years later, KMOX-TV was used in pilots of teletext in the United States.[92] CBS used the testing to decide that the French Antiope standard was superior to that used in the United Kingdom.[93] Allan Cohen was named general manager of KMOX-TV in 1980.[94]

After years of leading the St. Louis news market, in 1984 KMOX-TV suffered steep declines as KSDK moved into first place, fueled by much-improved prime time ratings from NBC, increasing the news ratings at 10 p.m., and two popular game shows: Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. The game shows were the lead-in and lead-out to KSDK's 5 and 6 p.m. reports. In November 1984, KSDK led by four to five percentage points of audience share in all three timeslots.[95] After two straight periods of declines, KMOX-TV fired Schiff and hired Dan Gray, who had previously worked at KSDK.[96]

KMOV

[edit]

Viacom ownership

[edit]

In 1985, CBS was the target of a hostile takeover attempt by Ted Turner.[97] To fend off the attempt, the company repurchased $1 billion in shares. This incurred a new debt, and the company decided to try and divest $300 million in assets. On October 22, 1985, CBS announced that KMOX-TV was for sale, separating it from the company's St. Louis radio stations. One station broker contacted by Broadcasting predicted that the station would sell for $150 to $200 million. CBS would also benefit because the sale broke up cross-ownership, thus making the company eligible for a tax certificate if it invested sale proceeds in another media property.[98][b] On December 6, 1985, CBS announced it was selling KMOX-TV to Viacom for $122.5 million; Viacom owned four other TV stations, all in smaller markets than St. Louis.[100] The company believed it could find cost savings in reducing parts of the operation unique to a network-owned station.[101]

The FCC approved the transaction in April 1986. It denied an objection by a group of home satellite dish owners who protested the companies' plans to encode satellite signals so home users could not view them.[102][103] A clause in the sales agreement required Viacom to change the call sign from KMOX-TV.[104] It selected KMOV (as in "move"),[1] which became the new call sign on June 18, 1986.[105] Under Viacom, the station increased its preemption of network prime time programs to 103 hours a year in 1987, the most among CBS affiliates. The move earned the station money in local advertising revenue but meant that nearly 10 percent of CBS's prime time programming went unseen.[106] These and other changes attributable to no longer being an O&O, including overhauling the station's programming lineup and reducing staff, helped Viacom double revenues and triple profits between May 1986 and September 1987.[107] In 1988, the station began airing a new local children's show, Gator Tales.[108]

Viacom also set about the task of improving the station's flagging news ratings. At the time, KTVI was in disarray and ratings decline, hamstrung by turnover and poor corporate management,[109] and KMOV targeted that station first.[110] Over the next several years, KMOV acquired the services of several KTVI personalities, starting in late 1986 with consumer reporter Ellen Jaffe[111] and anchor Larry Conners, who was teamed with Hunter on channel 4's evening newscasts;[112] in March 1987, weekend anchor Russ Mitchell moved from KTVI to KMOV.[113] In November 1986, KMOV was in second place, ahead of KTVI in all time periods but lagging KSDK which attracted as much as twice as many viewers.[114] In 1988, KMOV debuted its first-ever noon newscast,[115] and later that year, it hired former KTVI sportscaster Zip Rzeppa.[116] During this time, the station also won a Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award for a five-part report, Sauget: City of Shame, on drunk driving in Sauget, Illinois.[117]

Channel 4, under general manager Allan Cohen, seems to be always lusting after the magic bullet that will propel it into first place in the ratings. The hiring of Zip Rzeppa some five years ago was supposed to do that. The 24-hour news updates were supposed to do that. The Double Team and the St. Charles and the Illinois bureaus and the hysterical tabloid-TV sweeps series were supposed to do that, and now a new set and new graphics and gimmick piled upon gimmick and hyper-promotion are supposed to do that.

— Eric Mink, television critic, St. Louis Post-Dispatch[118]

Having put distance between itself and KTVI, KMOV moved to take on KSDK. On February 26, 1989, it began airing 35-second news updates every hour, a concept it promoted as the "24-Hour News Source". Launched in secrecy so tight some station staff were not even aware when it launched, the project included KMOV's first-ever morning news cut-ins, a return to 24-hour broadcasting, and news bureaus in St. Charles, Missouri, and Fairview Heights, Illinois.[119] The 24-hour updates were cited as a reason for KMOV posting ratings gains in its evening newscasts during 1989, narrowing the gap with KSDK,[110] which was seen to have been unprepared for its competitor's move.[120] KMOV popularized the concept, which was adopted by stations including in Pittsburgh,[110] Miami,[121] Cleveland,[122] San Francisco,[123] and Kansas City—as well as KSDK.[124] Through the early 1990s, KMOV remained in second place in St. Louis news,[125] but it suffered declines in viewership as KTVI showed improvement.[126] The station worked to add more women to its evening news, including former KMOX reporter Mary Phelan and new meteorologist Trish Brown.[127]

In June 1993, KMOV became the center of controversy when it was revealed that the station paid to fly a male prostitute from Kansas City to St. Louis as part of a report—which never aired—into sexual misconduct cases involving priests. The intention was for the prostitute to get a priest to reveal information about sexual activities of other priests in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville. The St. Louis County District Attorney announced she would order a grand jury inquiry into the matter, and Edward Joseph O'Donnell, administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, announced his intention to file an FCC complaint.[128] In response, Viacom president Francis Patrick Brady issued an apology that KMOV broadcast.[129] Charges were dropped on account of insufficient evidence,[130] but the scandal tarnished the station's image in the Catholic community and prompted the resignations of news director Gary Whitaker[131] and reporter Jeff Rainford.[132]

By 1995, KMOV had debuted an hour-long morning newscast.[133] In 1996–1997, the station carried a package of 10 St. Louis Blues hockey games under an agreement with Prime Sports; it had previously telecast games that conflicted with St. Louis Cardinals baseball commitments by KPLR.[134]

Belo ownership

[edit]

Viacom's 1994 acquisition of Paramount Pictures placed the company's existing television stations (KMOV; WNYT in Albany; WVIT in Connecticut; WHEC-TV in Rochester, New York; and KSLA-TV in Shreveport, Louisiana) under common ownership with Paramount's broadcasting arm, the Paramount Stations Group;[135][136] the two groups were formally consolidated in December 1995.[137] With its focus shifting to the new United Paramount Network (UPN), Viacom began to eye a sale of its major network affiliates. In November 1994, it accepted a bid from Smith Broadcasting Group and Jupiter Partners for all of the stations except Shreveport. The Smith-Jupiter bid proposed a minority investor, which under FCC rules of the time would have enabled Viacom to receive a federal tax certificate.[138] However, after federal scrutiny of another tax certificate deal involving Viacom led to proposals to abolish the system altogether, Viacom reconsidered and canceled the deal.[139]

Meanwhile, in 1996, the A. H. Belo Corporation found itself needing to divest a television station in Seattle. It already owned KIRO-TV and needed to sell it to buy KING-TV as part of its purchase of the Providence Journal Company. In November 1996, Paramount proposed a straight trade of KMOV for KIRO. At the time, KIRO was affiliated with UPN, and a swap was seen as providing stations that better fit both companies.[140] Shortly after the Providence Journal purchase put KIRO on the market, Gaylord Broadcasting put Seattle-market CBS affiliate KSTW on the market. KSTW, which had taken the CBS affiliation from KIRO in 1995, had not been as successful as expected.[141] It was sold to Cox Broadcasting in January 1997,[142] but Cox faced the expensive task of trying to move KSTW's studios to Seattle from Tacoma to increase the station's value.[143] The result was a three-way swap. On February 20, 1997, Paramount, Belo, and Cox Broadcasting engaged in a three-way trade involving KMOV and the two Seattle stations, with Belo exiting Seattle by buying KMOV, Cox buying KIRO to become that city's CBS affiliate again, and Paramount acquiring KSTW.[144] Belo, which took over in June 1997,[145] was seen to be more news-oriented than Viacom had been in running the station.[146]

By the time Belo assumed ownership, KMOV was making up ratings ground on KSDK in the evening news. From May 1996 to May 1997, channel 4 had halved KSDK's 10 p.m. audience lead from twelve percentage points of audience share to five.[147] However, it was not finding any way to narrow the gap in morning news.[148] In November 1999, KMOV tied KSDK in late news for the first time in a decade,[149] and in 2003, it logged its first outright lead.[150] Even though KMOV emerged as one of the highest-rated CBS affiliates in a metered market for prime time and late news, KSDK continued to win the news races the vast majority of the time,[151] and KSDK outbilled KMOV by $15 million in 2003 alone.[152] By 2008, KMOV had the third-highest late newscast ratings of any station in the country.[153]

The improved ratings coincided with investment and expansion. Belo invested money in the news department and added another seven hours a week of local news programming by February 1998.[154] KMOV debuted a public affairs program, Imagine St. Louis, in partnership with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1999[155] and added a Saturday morning newscast in 2000.[156] In 2008, the lifestyle show Great Day St. Louis debuted in late mornings.[157] In the decade, KMOV won two major national journalism awards for the same series. Left Behind: The Failure of East St. Louis Schools received a Peabody Award[158] and a second duPont–Columbia Award.[159]

Allan Cohen retired in 2012, ending a 32-year run through three different owners.[160] In 2013, Conners was fired, ending a 25-year run with KMOV, after making social media comments incorrectly claiming that an interview with Barack Obama in 2012 led to adverse action by the Internal Revenue Service.[161][162]

Meredith ownership

[edit]

In June 2013, Belo announced it would be acquired by Gannett, owner of KSDK, in a $1.5 billion transaction. St. Louis was one of five markets where Belo's holdings either overlapped with another major Gannett TV station or a Gannett-owned newspaper. Gannett intended to provide services to these stations through joint sales and shared services agreements.[163] These stations would have been owned by Sander Media, a company founded by former Belo executive Jack Sander. Several groups filed with the FCC opposing the use of Sander in the overlap markets as circumvention of the FCC's rules of the time and noting that Gannett could coordinate with Sander in retransmission consent and other areas.[164] However, in St. Louis, the U.S. Department of Justice identified that a combination of KMOV and KSDK would end the rivalry that kept advertising rates low. It approved the transaction but ordered KMOV to be sold to an independent buyer.[165]

Gannett completed the Belo transaction on December 23, 2013, and that same day announced the sale of KMOV and two stations in Phoenix to the Meredith Corporation.[166][167] The $177 million deal for KMOV closed on February 28, 2014.[168] In 2015, the station added newscasts at 4 a.m. and 4 p.m. and moved Great Day St. Louis to 9 a.m.[169] That year, the station won another duPont–Columbia Award for The Injustice System, a documentary examining the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.[170]

Meredith attempted to make a duopoly in St. Louis when it filed to buy KPLR for $65 million in April 2018. Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of KDNL-TV, had proposed to sell KPLR as part of its acquisition of Tribune Media, which also owned KTVI. Under FCC rules of the time, it could not own all three stations. However, the deal was held up by the Department of Justice for review,[171] and Tribune moved to terminate the merger that August.[172]

Gray ownership and ABC affiliation

[edit]

On May 3, 2021, Gray Television announced its intent to purchase the Meredith Local Media division, including KMOV, for $2.7 billion. The sale was completed on December 1.[173]

After more than 50 years in Gateway Tower, KMOV began exploring a relocation to Maryland Heights, a suburb in St. Louis County, in 2022. Population had shifted away from St. Louis city, making the location less central than it had been.[174] That May, Gray acquired a three-story office building near Interstate 270. The facility, formerly home to biomedical company ERT, which offered good freeway access and a secured parking lot rather than the cumbersome mix of on-street and underground parking it had at Gateway Tower.[175][176] It was renovated to contain two studios, one for news and the other for lifestyle programs. The station began broadcasting from the facility in December 2023 and rebranded as First Alert 4 coinciding with the move.[177][178] By 2024, the station had introduced several new programs, including the afternoon show My St. Louis Live and sports program The Nightcap on 4, and was the leader in the morning news and late news ratings races.[178] As of June 2026, KMOV aired 30 hours a week of local news programming.[179]

On September 1, 2026, KMOV will begin airing ABC programming as the network's new affiliate in St. Louis, taking over from KDNL-TV.[180] ABC programming will be aired on channel 32.1, which currently airs programming from Matrix Midwest.[181]

Matrix Midwest

[edit]

In 2024, Gray launched Matrix Midwest, an over-the-air regional sports network with programming about Missouri Tigers athletics as well as other sports programming, using virtual channel 32.1.[182] The channel position had previously been used for KMOV's subchannel with MyNetworkTV programming.[183]

Matrix Midwest also airs Missouri Valley Conference basketball games.[184] The St. Louis Blues aired three regular-season games on Matrix Midwest, two of which were simulcast on KMOV–CBS, during the 2024–25 season;[185] Blues ancillary programming such as classic games and the Blues Hall of Fame induction ceremony also aired on the channel.[186]

In 2025, KMOV and Matrix Midwest aired 10 simulcasts of FanDuel Sports Network Midwest telecasts of St. Louis Cardinals baseball.[187] The team renewed the partnership in 2026, after FanDuel Sports Network folded.[188]

Notable former on-air staff

[edit]

Technical information

[edit]

KMOV's transmitter is located in Lemay, Missouri.[2] Its signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KMOV[225]
Channel Res.Tooltip Display resolution Short name Programming
4.1 1080iKMOV-HDCBS
4.2 480i1stAlrtFirst Alert Weather Now
4.3 COZI-TVCozi TV
4.4 MysteryIon Mystery
11.4 480i365BLK365BLK (KPLR-TV)
32.1 720pMATRIXMatrix Midwest
(Independent with MyNetworkTV)
→ ABC (eff. September 1, 2026)
  Broadcast on behalf of another station

KMOV began broadcasting a digital signal in October 1999 on channel 56.[226] It ceased analog broadcasts on the digital transition date of June 12, 2009.[227] Its digital signal had moved the preceding January 20 to channel 24, which was vacated at that time by the analog signal of KNLC.[228]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Meredith owned three stations and had three pending station applications when the FCC ruled that companies could only have as many applications as additional stations it could own—the limit being five—in February 1953.[16]
  2. ↑ The certificate was apparently used to buy WCIX-TV in Miami and WWJ (AM) and WJOI radio in Detroit.[99]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 Mink, Eric (May 16, 1986). "Some American Breast Beating". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 9G. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Facility Technical Data for KMOV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ "History Cards for KMOV". Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ↑ "KSD-TV Adds Network Programs and Extends Its Television Facilities". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 29, 1948. pp. 1D, 20D. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  5. ↑ Crater, Rufus (October 4, 1948). "Television Freeze: FCC Action Halted Pending Definite Policy". Broadcasting. pp. 22A, 57. ProQuest 1040475180.
  6. ↑ "St. Louis Stations Await End of FCC 'Freeze' to Expand Television Rroadcasting". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. June 16, 1949. pp. 1D, 2D. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  7. ↑ "New Quarters for KWK Dedicated at Reception". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. June 17, 1949. pp. 3A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "KXOK Again Applies For TV Channel 4, KWK Filing Monday". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. June 28, 1952. p. 3A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  9. ↑ Wilson, Harry B. (April 14, 1952). "St. Louis to Get 6 New TV Stations: Channels Also Granted to Belleville, Alton". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. p. 1A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  10. ↑ "lowa Firm Asks Permit to Build TV Station Here". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. August 9, 1952. p. 3A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Change in TV Application". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 13, 1953. p. 9A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  12. ↑ "CBS Applies for TV Permit Here". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Associated Press. October 17, 1952. pp. 1A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Application Filed for Television Channel". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. March 13, 1953. p. 6B. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  14. 1 2 "Two Applications Withdrawn: Agreement Paves Way to Give KWK Permit for TV Channel 4". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. April 10, 1954. p. 1A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  15. ↑ "For the Record". Broadcasting. April 20, 1953. p. 125. ProQuest 1285695249.
  16. ↑ "Station Limit Applied to Applications". Broadcasting. February 2, 1953. p. 9. ProQuest 1285690940.
  17. ↑ "FCC to Hear Oral Testimony Of 3 VHF TV Applicants Here". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. February 7, 1954. pp. 4-J. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  18. ↑ "FCC Postpones Hearing of Case Over Channel 4". Springfield Daily News. Associated Press. April 6, 1954. p. 16. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  19. ↑ "WTVI Attempts to Block Granting Channel 4 to KWK". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Associated Press. April 13, 1954. p. 3A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  20. ↑ "KWK Granted VHF Television Permit: Station Will Operate on Channel 4". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. April 24, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  21. ↑ "KWK-TV Speeds Work to Get on Air". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. April 25, 1954. p. 1A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Getting Ready: 'Closed Circuit' Trains Staff of KWK-TV". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. April 25, 1954. p. 11A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Working 500 Feet Above the Street". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. May 12, 1954. p. 1B. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Arguments Heard on WTVI Plea for Stay on Channel 4". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. May 14, 1954. p. 9A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  25. ↑ "KSTM-TV Intervenes in Seeking Stay of Channel 4 Permit". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. July 1, 1954. p. 3A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  26. ↑ "FCC Turns Down WTVI Protest Over Channel 4 Permit". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. June 23, 1954. p. 3A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Court Refuses to Bar KWK-TV From Operating". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. July 3, 1954. pp. 1A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  28. ↑ "KWK-TV On Air at 7 o'clock Tonight". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. July 8, 1954. p. 1A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  29. ↑ "KWK-TV Reception Reported Excellent". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. July 9, 1954. p. 1A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  30. ↑ "KWK-TV Going On Air Tonight On Channel 4". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. July 8, 1954. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  31. ↑ "KWK-TV Soon Will Launch Full Range of Local Shows". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. September 26, 1954. p. 3E. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  32. ↑ "High School Quiz to Make Debut Today on KWK-TV". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. October 30, 1954. p. 8A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  33. ↑ "Lively "Western Jamboree" Debuts Over KWK-TV". The St. Louis Argus. February 18, 1955. p. 2. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  34. ↑ "KWK-TV Reception Is Generally Good: St. Louis's Second VHF Station on Air With Dedicatory Program". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. July 9, 1954. p. 3B. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  35. ↑ Rahn, Pete (August 22, 1954). "KWK-TV Additions: Wednesday Night Boxing, 'What's My Line?' on List". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. p. 1G. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Ch. 54 WTVI (TV) Seeks Ch. 36, Once KSTM-TV's". Broadcasting. February 14, 1955. p. 72. ProQuest 1285711164.
  37. ↑ "KTVI, Channel 36 Now in Operation". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. April 10, 1955. p. 1-G. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  38. ↑ "KTVI Operating For First Time on Channel 2". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. April 15, 1957. p. 3A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  39. ↑ "CBS Favored for St. Louis Channel". Broadcasting. September 12, 1955. p. 78. ProQuest 1040456003.
  40. ↑ "Channel 11 Here Given to CBS By 4–3 FCC Vote". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 29, 1957. pp. 1A, 6A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  41. ↑ "CBS Considers Buying KWK-TV And Giving Up Channel 11 Here". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. August 22, 1957. p. 3A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  42. ↑ Deakin, James (September 15, 1957). "FCC Expected to Get Petition This Week for KWK-TV Sale". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 3A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  43. ↑ "Station KWK-TV Bought By CBS For $4,000,000". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 26, 1957. p. 20A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  44. ↑ "FCC Approves Purchase of KWK-TV By CBS". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 23, 1957. p. 20A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  45. ↑ Deakin, James (May 16, 1958). "Circumvention of FCC Charged in TV Deal Here". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. 1A, 5A. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  46. ↑ Deakin, James (May 23, 1958). "Arends Admits Talking to FCC Man About TV Case for Hodge". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. 1A, 10A. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  47. ↑ Kearns, James A. Jr. (October 16, 1958). "FCC Is Asked To Revoke 2 TV Permits Here". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 3. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  48. ↑ "CBS Takes Over Channel 4 Here; KWK-TV to Become KMOX-TV". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 1, 1958. p. 3A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  49. ↑ "CBS Television Takes Over Channel 4". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. March 1, 1958. p. 3A. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  50. ↑ "Several New Programs Added By Channel 4, Now KMOX-TV". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 16, 1958. p. TV Magazine 4. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  51. ↑ "$1,250,000 Expenditure: KMOX-TV Will Build New Transmitter and Antenna". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. March 18, 1958. p. 2. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
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  53. ↑ "Channel 11 Goes On Air Tonight". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. April 28, 1959. p. 3A. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  54. ↑ "Television Station Expands News Beat". The St. Louis Argus. August 2, 1963. p. 5-B. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  55. 1 2 "KMOX-TV Beefs Up News Staff; Hart on Sports". Variety. January 10, 1968. p. 38. ProQuest 963106234.
  56. ↑ "Allen Quits KMOX-TV As Editorial Director For U. Of Missouri Post". Variety. July 26, 1972. p. 43. ProQuest 963191721.
  57. ↑ "Now... The Big 4 News Begins at 5:00 PM". St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Advertisement). March 25, 1970. p. 10F. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  58. ↑ "Office Building Is Planned For 3rd and Market: 20-Floor Structure Would Also House Radio, TV Studios". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. February 9, 1966. pp. 1A, 6A. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  59. ↑ "D'Arcy's new office reflects spirit of St. Louis". Broadcasting. July 15, 1968. p. 26. ProQuest 1014516711.
  60. ↑ Chanco, Rouben (September 30, 1968). "KMOX Uses New Facilities to Cover Illinois News". Decatur Herald. p. 22. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  61. ↑ "WCAU's Bryant Into CBS-TV Post; French To Philly". Variety. January 19, 1972. p. 35. ProQuest 1014862836.
  62. 1 2 Thompson, Doug (September 1, 1972). "Local TV talk show". The Telegraph. p. A-6. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  63. ↑ Newsom, Thomas B. (June 24, 1973). "Regis Philbin: The Stars Shine On St. Louis On Saturday Nights". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. Pictures 2, 4, 5, 8. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  64. ↑ "Philbin's St. Loo Extra". Variety. February 7, 1973. p. 58. ProQuest 1032467907.
  65. 1 2 Archibald, Jon (May 7, 1975). "Curtains for Regis". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 10H. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  66. ↑ "Chi's WBBM-TV Latest CBS O&O To Adopt News-From-Newsroom Format". Variety. March 21, 1973. p. 66. ProQuest 963181117.
  67. ↑ "Max Roby Will Team With Condon On KSD". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. April 1, 1973. p. 26C. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  68. ↑ Archibald, John J. (August 8, 1973). "Newsroom's Pat Emory". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 3F. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  69. ↑ Archibald, John (May 30, 1975). "Channel 4 Loses Battista". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 8D. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  70. ↑ Archibald, John (April 16, 1974). "Women Take 'Four'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 6D. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  71. ↑ "KSD-TV Shakes Up News In KMOX-TV March To Top Spot". Variety. April 30, 1975. pp. 42, 52. ProQuest 1286152367.
  72. ↑ Ronberg, Gary (August 5, 1975). "Tom Battista Moves Up". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 6D. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  73. ↑ "KNXT As 'KMOX-TV West'". Variety. June 9, 1976. p. 50. ProQuest 1401286837.
  74. ↑ Archibald, John (July 28, 1975). "New KMOX-TV Anchor". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 6D. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  75. ↑ Archibald, John J. (December 25, 1977). "Inside Julius Hunter". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. Television 5, 19, 25, 38. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  76. ↑ "WCBS-TV Preems Its Mini-Cam". Variety. February 28, 1973. p. 39. ProQuest 1014883516.
  77. ↑ Archibald, John (March 8, 1973). "5½-Pound Camera Shows News 'Now'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 6D. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  78. ↑ "Portable cameras, VTR's moving TV journalism into new age of immediacy". Broadcasting. August 19, 1974. pp. 46, 48. ProQuest 1014669675.
  79. ↑ "The era of ENG has arrived in TV journalism". Broadcasting. April 14, 1975. pp. 62–63. ProQuest 1014673864.
  80. ↑ "Time, distance no worry for KMOX-TV newsmen". Broadcasting. December 23, 1974. p. 34. ProQuest 1016876167.
  81. ↑ "Fine tuning the technological explosion". Broadcasting. December 17, 1979. pp. 35–42. ProQuest 1014693238.
  82. ↑ Meyers, Jeff (February 18, 1977). "Message To Media: Speak Softly, Carry Our Games". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 5C. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  83. ↑ Christman, Bob (July 1, 1976). "Emory Joining KSD-TV As Reporter-Anchorman". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 3A. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  84. ↑ Mink, Eric (March 21, 1979). "Flap Over Ratings". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 8F. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  85. ↑ Mink, Eric (November 13, 1979). "Channel 4 Ahead At 10". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 6D. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  86. ↑ Rahn, Pete (March 31, 1982). "KMOX Roars Back In St. Loo To Regain Local News Crown; January ARB Fall A Fluke?". Variety. pp. 65, 80. ProQuest 1438339761.
  87. ↑ Rahn, Pete (September 2, 1981). "KTVI Rides High In St. Loo With First-Ever Win For News". Variety. pp. 40, 55. ProQuest 1438349271.
  88. ↑ McGuire, John M. (October 14, 2001). "Whatever happened to... Former St. Louis TV newscasters". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. EV1, EV3. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  89. ↑ Weiss, Richard H. (August 11, 1996). "The Land of Milk and Hunter". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. 1C, 12C. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  90. ↑ Mink, Eric (December 12, 1980). "Local Talent". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 12D. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  91. ↑ Schremp Hahn, Valerie (August 22, 2008). "D.B., D.B., I have a joke!". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. E2. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  92. ↑ Briscoe, David (May 19, 1979). "TV Fare: KSL Examines Teletext". The Salt Lake Tribune. Associated Press. p. B13. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  93. ↑ "CBS, Others Combine For Development Of Teletext System As Viewer Service". Variety. November 19, 1980. p. 40. ProQuest 1438318333.
  94. ↑ "KMOX-TV General Manager To Head Dallas CBS Affiliate". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. July 21, 1980. p. 3. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  95. ↑ Rahn, Pete (January 2, 1985). "KSDK Breaks A Losing Streak In St. Louis Sweeps". Variety. p. 48. ProQuest 1438418966.
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  97. ↑ "Ted Turner's bold bid for CBS". Broadcasting. April 22, 1985. pp. 31–33. ProQuest 1014720838.
  98. ↑ {{Cite news|title=CBS puts KMOX-TV on the block|work=Broadcasting|page=110|date=October 28, 1985|id=ProQuest 1014708064
  99. ↑ "In Brief". Broadcasting. December 19, 1988. p. 88. ProQuest 1016922569.
  100. ↑ Sanford, Robert; Peterson, Deborah (December 7, 1985). "Viacom Buying KMOX-TV". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. 1A, 7A. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  101. ↑ "Building Viacom's broadcast group". Broadcasting. May 12, 1986. p. 103. ProQuest 1016914261.
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  104. ↑ Mink, Eric (January 15, 1986). "Nuggets From Sales Agreement". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 5F. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  105. ↑ Berger, Jerry (June 16, 1986). "Liberty Contestants Should Be Statuesque". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 1E. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  106. ↑ Auletta, Ken (1991). Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost Their Way. Random House. ISBN 0307766330.
  107. ↑ Collins, Megan (September 28, 1987). "KMOV stirs TV market; more ad time depresses rates". St. Louis Business Journal. Gale A6249197.
  108. ↑ Miller, Patricia (September 12, 1988). "Those guys at Kincaid are really characters". St. Louis Business Journal. Gale A6675204.
  109. ↑ Mink, Eric (August 11, 1986). "Fear And Loathing On Way To Airport". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 5E. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
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  112. ↑ Mink, Eric (November 25, 1986). "Channel 4 Pairs Conners And Hunter". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 7D. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  113. 1 2 Mink, Eric (March 16, 1987). "Russ Mitchell Leaving Channel 2 For 4". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 7E. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
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  118. ↑ "Excellence Begins At Top In Television". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. June 10, 1993. pp. 1G, 6G. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
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  120. ↑ Mink, Eric (June 28, 1989). "Channel 5 Revamps Newscast Elements". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 9F. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
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  122. ↑ Feran, Tim (May 22, 1990). "Channel 5 seeks ratings in hourly news updates". The Plain Dealer. p. 15-B. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
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  129. ↑ O'Neil, Tim (June 11, 1993). "KMOV Owner Apologizes During Evening Newscasts: He Says Station Committed 'Judgment Errors'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. 1A, 9A. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
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  131. ↑ Mannies, Jo (August 10, 1993). "News Head At KMOV Resigns From Post: Official Cites Rift Between Station, Catholics". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. 1B, 2B. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  132. ↑ Corrigan, Patricia (August 13, 1993). "Reporter At KMOV Leaves Job". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 7A. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  133. ↑ Berger, Jerry (May 26, 1995). "The Vision Of St. Louis". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. 1C, 8C. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  134. ↑ Caesar, Dan (August 19, 1996). "Channel 4 To Televise 10 Blues Contests". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 3C. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  135. ↑ Foisie, Geoffrey; Stern, Christopher (September 20, 1993). "Paramount, Viacom say 'I do'". Broadcasting & Cable. Vol. 123, no. 38. pp. 14–16. ProQuest 1014768882.
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  144. ↑ VandeWater, Judith (February 21, 1997). "KMOV To Get A New Owner: Media Companies Plan 3-Way Swap". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. 1A, 12A. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  145. ↑ Torpey-Kemph, Anne (June 9, 1997). "Belo completes KMOV deal". Mediaweek. p. 49. ProQuest 213628653.
  146. ↑ VandeWater, Judith (February 23, 1997). "News Hound: KMOV Owner Says It's A Long-Term Investor". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. 1E, 5E. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  147. ↑ Frohlichstein, Tripp (April 1997). "Channel 5 losing ground to Channel 4". St. Louis Journalism Review. Gale A19664897.
  148. ↑ Frohlichstein, Tripp (December 1997). "KMOV gaining on KSDK in ratings battle". St. Louis Journalism Review. Gale A20610508.
  149. ↑ Nuell, Tim (May 2000). "Hammel leaves Channel 4 at crucial time". St. Louis Journalism Review. Gale A62795230.
  150. ↑ Pennington, Gail (March 4, 2003). "The lead is just 0.1 ratings point, but KMOV is happy". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. E1, E6. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  151. ↑ Davis Hudson, Eileen (November 21, 2005). "St. Louis". Mediaweek. pp. 9–13. ProQuest 213621780.
  152. ↑ "Slow And Steady". Broadcasting & Cable. September 13, 2004. p. 19. ProQuest 225299196.
  153. ↑ Bachman, Katy (May 26, 2008). "St. Louis". Mediaweek. p. 66. ProQuest 213645365.
  154. ↑ Brodesser, Claude (February 16, 1998). "News hounds buyers, delights station execs". Mediaweek. pp. 14–16. ProQuest 213624003.
  155. ↑ Davis Hudson, Eileen (March 5, 2001). "St. Louis". Mediaweek. pp. 15–18. ProQuest 213633382.
  156. 1 2 Pennington, Gail (August 9, 2000). "Saturday morning is taking on a more adult look". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. E1, E3. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  157. ↑ Malone, Michael (October 13, 2008). "The St. Louis News". Broadcasting & Cable. ProQuest 225303062.
  158. ↑ Pennington, Gail (April 8, 2007). "KMOV wins Peabody Award for series on East St. Louis schools". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. E4. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  159. ↑ Pennington, Gail (January 20, 2008). "KMOV news receives award for series". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. F2. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  160. ↑ Malone, Michael (May 4, 2012). "KMOV's Allan Cohen Stepping Down in St. Louis". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  161. ↑ Holleman, Joe (May 15, 2013). "KMOV's Conners backs off IRS charge". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. A3. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  162. ↑ Holleman, Joe (September 15, 2013). "Conners, KMOV spar over 'no compete'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. A6. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  163. ↑ Brown, Lisa (June 14, 2013). "KSDK parent to buy owner of KMOV". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. A1, A8. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  164. ↑ "Free Press, Others Ask FCC To Deny Some Gannett/Belo Transfers". Broadcasting & Cable. July 24, 2013. Archived from the original on September 9, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  165. ↑ Johnson, Ted (December 16, 2013). "Justice Department Clears Gannett Purchase of Belo". Variety. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  166. ↑ "Gannett Completes Its Acquisition of Belo". TVNewsCheck. December 23, 2013. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  167. ↑ "Meredith Buying Three Stations From Gannett". TVNewsCheck. December 23, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  168. ↑ "Meredith Completes KMOV St. Louis Purchase". TVNewsCheck. February 28, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  169. ↑ Pennington, Gail (August 26, 2015). "Fall brings big changes to St. Louis daytime TV". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  170. ↑ Ariens, Chris (December 15, 2015). "KMOV, WBAL, WRAL Among duPont Award Winners". TVSpy. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  171. ↑ Holleman, Joe (May 24, 2018). "$65 million sale of KPLR to KMOV owners hits glitch". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. A2. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  172. ↑ Miller, Mark K. (August 9, 2018). "Tribune Kills Sinclair Merger, Files Suit". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheck Media. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  173. ↑ "Gray Television Closes on Acquisition of Meredith Corporation's Local Media Group" (Press release). Gray Television. Globe Newswire. December 1, 2021.
  174. ↑ Holleman, Joe (March 10, 2022). "KMOV plans to leave downtown, eyes the Maryland Heights area". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. A2. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  175. ↑ Holleman, Joe (June 18, 2022). "KMOV's address likely to be in Maryland Heights next year". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. A2. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  176. ↑ Lloyd, Gloria (July 15, 2022). "TV station KMOV buys studio building in Maryland Heights, will move from downtown". St. Louis Business Journal. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  177. ↑ "First Alert 4 unveils new studio". KMOV. December 4, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  178. 1 2 Malone, Michael (April 24, 2024). "Local News Close-Up: St. Louis Born and Bred". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  179. ↑ KMOV (July 10, 2026). "FCC Quarterly Issues/Program Report" (PDF). Online Public Inspection File. Federal Communications Commission.
  180. ↑ Johnson, Ted (July 24, 2026). "ABC To Switch Affiliation In St. Louis, Moving From Sinclair Station To Gray Media". Deadline. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  181. ↑ "KMOV Channel 32.1 to be the new home of the ABC Television Network, expanding local news coverage in St. Louis". KMOV (Press release). July 24, 2026. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  182. ↑ "Matrix Midwest is St. Louis' only free and independent sports & entertainment network". First Alert 4. Gray Television. August 22, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  183. ↑ "MyNet, First Alert Weather Now get new channel locations Monday". KMOV. May 31, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  184. ↑ "Matrix Midwest to broadcast Missouri Valley Conference basketball games". KMOV. September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  185. ↑ "Blues partner with First Alert 4 and Matrix Midwest to broadcast 3 games over-the-air". NHL.com. January 7, 2025. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  186. ↑ "Blues to air Class of 2025 Hall of Fame induction on Matrix Midwest". St. Louis Blues. January 17, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
  187. ↑ Miller, Mark K. (March 6, 2025). "St. Louis Cardinals Partner With Gray Media, KMOV & Matrix Midwest". TV News Check. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  188. ↑ "First Alert 4 expands partnership with Cardinals for upcoming season". KMOV. February 2, 2026. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  189. ↑ "KMOX-TV Hires Wisconsin 'Voice'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 18, 1975. p. 4B. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  190. ↑ Archibald, John (August 30, 1977). "Bender Leaving Channel 4". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 6C. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  191. ↑ "KMOX-TV Dismisses Buck". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 14, 1975. p. 3A. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  192. ↑ Hart, Raymond P. (October 30, 1976). "Bob Buck sees light at end of tunnel". The Plain Dealer. p. 3-B. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  193. ↑ Berger, Jerry (May 7, 1992). "Joe Buck Will Join KMOV's Sports Staff". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. 1E. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  194. ↑ Caesar, Dan (February 12, 1993). "KMOV Cuts Length Of Dinnertime Sportscasts". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 2D. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  195. ↑ Berger, Jerry (July 16, 2003). "Plan to give priority to I-70 project benefiting Kroenke raises eyebrows". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. B2. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  196. ↑ "Talk of the Neighborhood". Waco Tribune-Herald. August 6, 2006. pp. 4C, 5C. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  197. ↑ Archibald, John (December 1, 1975). "Penny Crone Is Out". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 6D. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  198. ↑ McGuire, John M. (September 14, 1986). "Dierdorf Tackles TV". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. 1F, 13F. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  199. ↑ Mink, Eric (June 12, 1987). "Dierdorf Cuts Back On Channel 4 Ties". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 11F. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  200. ↑ Christian, Paul (March 14, 1986). "Former KSAT-TV sports anchor Fowler returns to tube while waiting for acting career". San Antonio Light. p. B7. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  201. ↑ "Curt and Dottye Bring Fun to Good Morning St. Louis!". St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Advertisement). April 14, 1959. p. 8F. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  202. ↑ Rahn, Pete (September 22, 1961). "Bishop's Wisp of Tv Fluff". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. p. 8C. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  203. ↑ Pennington, Gail (August 14, 2002). "Julius Hunter will leave Channel 4 anchor job for SLU post". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. A1, A13. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  204. ↑ Nicholson, David (May 6, 1996). "Anchor leaving lights, camera for slower action". Daily Press. pp. A1, A2. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  205. ↑ Mink, Eric (July 10, 1989). "Reagan Won't Miss All-Star Assignment". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 7D. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  206. ↑ Mink, Eric (January 15, 1992). "Russ Mitchell To Anchor For CBS". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 7F. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  207. ↑ Jones, John N. (June 21, 1958). "TV Digest". The Telegraph. p. 12. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  208. ↑ "Zip Zeros In On Life, Steps Down As Channel 4's Sports Director". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. January 6, 1995. p. 2D. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  209. ↑ Caesar, Dan (May 13, 1994). "Channel 4 Switching Vaughn To Weekend Sports Anchor". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 8D. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  210. ↑ Barker, Jacob (September 18, 2020). "KMOV lays off longtime news anchor Steve Savard". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. A9. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  211. ↑ Berger, Jerry (September 10, 2002). "TV anchorwoman from Houston is heading north to join KMOV". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. A2. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  212. ↑ Schlueter, Roger (September 22, 2007). "Coxeyville gone but not forgotten". The Belleville News-Democrat. pp. C1, C10. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  213. ↑ Murphy, Francis (May 11, 1968). "Behind The Mike". The Oregonian. p. 2:3. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  214. ↑ "TV-Radio Production Centres: In St. Louis". Variety. December 17, 1969. p. 50. ProQuest 962987247.
  215. ↑ "Who is News". Electronic Media. January 20, 2003.
  216. ↑ Archibald, John (May 31, 1978). "'If You Laugh At Chester...'". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 6F. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  217. ↑ Holleman, Joe (July 25, 2015). "KMOV to honor Robin Smith, retiring after 40 years on air". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. A2. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  218. ↑ Kuhns, Ike (October 13, 1973). "Jets' newest QB can talk. . . but can he pass?". The Star-Ledger. p. 15. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  219. ↑ McGuire, John M. (October 6, 1991). "TVG Takes Another Swing At Sportscasting". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. Magazine 6. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  220. ↑ "Bob Wilson Swings Over As Boston Bruins Voice In Rift With KMOX-TV". Variety. June 23, 1971. p. 45. ProQuest 962902061.
  221. ↑ Archibald, John J. (March 20, 1983). "Al Wiman: St. Louis' Resident Medical Reporter". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. Television 5. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  222. ↑ Pennington, Gail (October 9, 2001). "Medical reporter Al Wiman returns to air — at KSDK". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. F1, F2. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  223. ↑ Hickman, Breuse (January 13, 2005). "TV reporter, scooter delivered action news". Florida Today. p. 1E. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  224. ↑ Schlueter, Roger (April 10, 2006). "Answer Man: Polish church has a mind of its own". The Belleville News-Democrat. pp. C1, C5. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  225. ↑ "RabbitEars TV Query for KMOV". RabbitEars. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  226. ↑ Stroud, Jerri (October 28, 1999). "Digital TV is on the air here, and true HDTV is a few days away". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. A1, A12. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  227. ↑ "Digital switchover is on in TV land". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. June 12, 2009. p. A1. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  228. ↑ Barker, Tim (January 14, 2009). "KNLC and KMOV TV signals to move next week". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. C1, C2. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
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