KIAH

About KIAH

KIAH is a television station in Houston, Texas, broadcasting on channel 39 and serving as the market's outlet for The CW. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, which acquired the station through its 2019 purchase of Tribune Media, KIAH has been on the air for nearly six decades under the call signs KHTV, KHWB, KHCW, and KIAH, the current calls reflecting the ICAO airport code for George Bush Intercontinental Airport. A charter affiliate of The WB in 1995 and of The CW since the network's 2006 launch, the station has been known for experimentation with news formats, from the younger-skewing 39News to the anchor-less NewsFix to its current weather-and-traffic-focused programming. Branded as CW39 Houston, the station's studios are adjacent to the Westpark Tollway on Houston's southwest side, with its transmitter near Missouri City in Fort Bend County.

KHTV: Houston's first independent

The station signed on January 6, 1967, as KHTV, Houston's first general-entertainment independent station, owned by Gaylord Broadcasting through its WKY Television System division. In its early years it was known for syndicated programs, movies, sports, and religious and children's programming, and it was initially best known for its presentation of Houston Wrestling with Paul Boesch. From 1983 to 1985 the station branded itself as KHTV 39 Gold.

As an independent in a major market, channel 39 built a loyal audience with its mix of entertainment programming, establishing itself as Houston's alternative to the network affiliates for nearly three decades.

Charter WB affiliate

After the formation of The WB in 1993, channel 39 became a WB affiliate on September 20, 1995, and was sold to Tribune Broadcasting on September 18, 1995, becoming Houston's WB39. On September 20, 1999, the station changed its call letters to KHWB, for "Houston's WB," to reflect the affiliation, and WB39 News at 9 debuted in the fall of 2000.

As a Tribune-owned WB affiliate, the station thrived on the network's popular primetime lineup while developing its own local news identity with the 39News brand, a younger-demo-focused newscast.

Becoming KIAH and The CW

Following the formation of The CW from the merger of The WB and UPN, the station changed its calls to KHCW on April 27, 2006, and became Houston's CW affiliate on September 18, 2006, identifying itself as CW39. On July 15, 2008, the call letters changed to the current KIAH as part of a branding campaign emphasizing the station's local orientation.

A planned sale of the station to Sinclair Broadcast Group, announced in May 2017, fell through when Tribune terminated the deal in August 2018. Irving-based Nexstar Media Group then announced its plan to acquire Tribune's assets in December 2018; the sale was approved by the FCC in September 2019 and consummated on September 19, 2019, bringing KIAH into the nation's largest station group.

News experiments

KIAH has a long history of experimenting with news formats to compete against Houston's bigger station groups. From the younger-focused 39News brand, the station moved to the anchor-less NewsFix format, an unconventional approach that dispensed with traditional anchors in favor of a fast-paced presentation style.

On August 21, 2020, CW39 launched CW39 NO WAIT WEATHER + TRAFFIC, a locally produced four-hour all-traffic-and-weather program with headlines, which management described as the first of its kind in the nation. The station's morning program Morning Dose ended in late August 2020. Since May 11, 2020, ABC owned-and-operated station KTRK has produced a 9 p.m. newscast for KIAH, giving the station a nightly news presence.

Sports history

At various times over its 55-plus years on the air, the station has broadcast Houston Astros, Houston Rockets, and Houston Texans games, taking advantage of its independent and CW-affiliate schedule to accommodate live sports. The station's sports history reflects the value of non-Big Four affiliates as outlets for local teams.

Its sports programming complemented its entertainment lineup, giving Houston viewers an alternative home for the city's professional franchises.

Ownership

KIAH is owned by Nexstar Media Group, whose Tegna subsidiary owns CBS affiliate KHOU and KTBU in Houston. The Nexstar acquisition brought new resources to the station, including support from the company's Texas station group during major news events such as Hurricane Laura, when Nexstar sent help from stations across the state to allow channel 39 to offer expanded wall-to-wall coverage for the first time.

Chris Pruitt was named vice president and general manager of the station under Nexstar ownership, leading its operations in the nation's eighth-largest television market.

Programming

As Houston's CW affiliate, KIAH carries The CW's primetime lineup alongside syndicated hits. Its schedule has included syndicated series such as black-ish, The Goldbergs, Two and a Half Men, and Maury, along with court programming featuring Houston native Rhonda Wills on Relative Justice.

The station's daytime and early fringe hours blend syndicated entertainment with its locally produced weather, traffic, and news programming, maintaining the CW39 brand across dayparts.

Technical operations

KIAH broadcasts on digital UHF channel 34, displayed as virtual channel 39, with an effective radiated power of 1,000 kW from its Missouri City transmitter. The station operates as an ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV station, placing it at the forefront of broadcast technology in the Houston market.

The station completed the digital television transition in 2009, and its studios adjacent to the Westpark Tollway house its news and production operations.

Digital presence

KIAH's digital home is cw39.com, which offers live streaming, on-demand video, and coverage of Houston news, weather, and traffic. The station maintains mobile apps and active social media accounts under the CW39 Houston brand.

As part of Nexstar Media Group, the station's digital operations benefit from the company's scale while serving Houston with locally focused content. Its official website is https://cw39.com.

Houston's original independent

Channel 39 signed on Friday, January 6, 1967, as KHTV, an independent station established by the WKY Television System, a subsidiary of Oklahoma City-based Oklahoma Publishing Company. The station began with a slide on channel 39 announcing the new station, accompanied by an advertising campaign, and was initially best known for its presentation of Houston Wrestling with Paul Boesch. During the 1970s, the station raised its power to 5,000,000 watts and was carried on cable systems across Louisiana via microwave relay, from Baton Rouge and Lafayette to Lake Charles and Shreveport. Chicago-based Tribune Broadcasting, whose parent jointly owned The WB with Time Warner, acquired channel 39 from Gaylord Entertainment in 1995, and it became the network's Houston affiliate on September 20, 1995.

From KHWB to KIAH

The station changed its call letters to KHWB in September 1999, and "WB39 News at 9" debuted in the fall of 2000. After The WB dissolved and The CW was created in 2006, the affiliation changed and the call letters became KIAH, the ICAO airport code for George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Over its 55-plus years on the air, the station has broadcast Houston Astros, Houston Rockets, and Houston Texans games and been home to a variety of newscasts. CW39 produced the morning program "Morning Dose," which ended in late August 2020, and on August 21, 2020, launched "CW39 NO WAIT WEATHER + TRAFFIC," a locally produced four-hour all-traffic-and-weather show with headlines. The station's studios are adjacent to the Westpark Tollway on the southwest side of Houston, with its transmitter near Missouri City in Fort Bend County.