KTXA

About KTXA

KTXA is an independent television station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas, broadcasting on channel 21 and serving the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Branded as TXA 21, the station is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside CBS outlet KTVT, with the two stations sharing studio facilities on Bridge Street east of downtown Fort Worth and a transmitter in Cedar Hill, Texas. KTXA signed on the air on October 6, 1980, as an independent station, became a charter affiliate of the United Paramount Network in 1995, and returned to independent status in 2006 when UPN merged into The CW without selecting channel 21. The station's digital subchannels include MeTV, and its schedule blends syndicated court, comedy, and talk programming with local sports coverage.

Signing on in 1980

KTXA began broadcasting on October 6, 1980, founded by Grant Broadcasting, as one of three new television stations to sign on in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex within six months. Like its contemporaries, the station aired advertiser-supported commercial programming during the day and scrambled subscription television at night; KTXA's nighttime service, from ON TV, faced the most intense subscription-TV competition of any market in the United States along with a dispute over adult programming, and it closed after two years.

The station found success as a full-time independent in a booming market and was sold twice in rapid succession for large amounts. When the independent station business, the advertising market, and the regional economy cooled, it was sold again for less than half its previous value, beginning a turbulent ownership history.

The Taft, TVX, and Paramount years

Taft Broadcasting acquired the station and maintained strong programming, including Hanna-Barbera cartoons and other programs distributed by its Worldvision Enterprises unit. In February 1987, Taft sold its independent stations, including KTXA, to the TVX Broadcast Group, with the purchase finalized that April. In 1989, Paramount Pictures purchased a minority stake in TVX, and on February 28, 1991, Paramount acquired the remaining interest, renaming the company the Paramount Stations Group and bringing much-needed stability to channel 21.

KTXA adopted the on-air branding "Paramount 21" during this period and moved its operations to the Paramount Building in the West End district of downtown Dallas. Viacom acquired the stations in 1994 as part of its purchase of Paramount Pictures, setting the stage for the network affiliation era.

Charter UPN affiliate

On January 16, 1995, KTXA became a charter affiliate of the United Paramount Network, changing its branding to "UPN 21." It became a UPN owned-and-operated station when Viacom acquired a 50 percent stake in the network from Chris-Craft Industries in 1996. In the late 1990s, the station added first-run syndicated talk and reality shows while reducing sitcoms and cartoons.

Viacom's purchase of CBS in 2000 made channel 21 a sister station to its former rival KTVT, which CBS had acquired from Gaylord Broadcasting the previous year. KTXA's operations moved from the Paramount Building and were integrated with KTVT at its Bridge Street studios in Fort Worth.

Return to independence

When UPN merged into The CW in 2006, KTXA was not selected to affiliate with the new network. The station retooled its programming around primetime news and professional sports coverage, adopting the "TXA 21" branding on May 5, 2006, and returning to independent status that September. The station's slogan, "Courts, Cash, Comedy," reflects its syndicated lineup of court shows, game shows, and sitcoms.

As an independent, KTXA has served as an alternate outlet for CBS network programming whenever KTVT is unable to air it, such as during Dallas Cowboys preseason coverage, and has carried syndicated sports packages including Atlantic Coast Conference football and basketball.

Sports programming

Sports have been part of KTXA's identity since its independent years. The station has broadcast professional and collegiate sports throughout its history, taking advantage of its independent schedule to accommodate live events. Its sports coverage has included syndicated college football and basketball packages, giving Dallas-Fort Worth viewers access to games not carried by the network affiliates.

The station's ability to preempt regular programming for sports without network constraints has made it a flexible outlet for live events in one of the country's most sports-crazed markets.

Ownership and duopoly

KTXA is owned by the CBS News and Stations group, a division of Paramount Skydance, alongside CBS owned-and-operated station KTVT. The duopoly shares primary studio facilities on Bridge Street off I-30 east of downtown Fort Worth, with advertising sales offices at CBS Tower on North Central Expressway in Dallas and a transmitter in Cedar Hill.

The pairing gives CBS two full-power outlets in the nation's fifth-largest market, with KTVT carrying the CBS network lineup and KTXA providing an independent complement with syndicated and sports programming.

Digital subchannels

KTXA broadcasts MeTV on its 21.2 subchannel, having picked up the classic television network's Dallas affiliation from KTXD-TV in December 2013. The subchannel extends the station's reach with a schedule of classic series that complements the main channel's contemporary syndicated lineup.

The station completed the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television in June 2009, shutting down its analog signal on UHF channel 21 and continuing on its digital allotment.

Programming

TXA 21's schedule features syndicated court shows, talk programs, sitcoms, and reality series, including long-running staples of the independent station format. The lineup is programmed to complement KTVT's CBS schedule, offering viewers alternative entertainment choices throughout the day.

The station's primetime hours mix first-run syndicated series with movies and sports specials, maintaining the general-entertainment independent tradition in a market where most former independents have taken network affiliations.

Digital presence

KTXA's digital presence is integrated with the CBS News Texas platforms serving the Dallas-Fort Worth market, where viewers can find the station's schedule information and stream programming. The station maintains social media accounts under the TXA 21 brand, promoting its syndicated lineup and sports coverage.

As part of the CBS News and Stations group, the station's digital operations are tied to the company's broader streaming and on-demand ecosystem, giving viewers multiple ways to watch its programming beyond the broadcast signal.

Subscription television and the ON TV years

KTXA began broadcasting in January 1981 as one of three new television stations in the Metroplex in six months. All three broadcast advertiser-supported commercial programming during the day and scrambled subscription television at night; KTXA's service, from ON TV, was hamstrung by the most intense competition in any subscription television market in the United States and by a dispute over adult programming, closing after two years. The UHF channel 21 allocation had previously been occupied by KFWT, an independent station licensed to Fort Worth that signed on September 19, 1967, owned by W. C. Windson with studios at 3900 Barnett Street on Broadcast Hill. KFWT fell into financial trouble, went silent in August 1969, returned for one week, and went permanently dark on September 5, 1969, with the broadcaster declaring bankruptcy on March 27, 1970.

The TXA 21 relaunch

The Paramount Stations Group acquired KTXA and other stations in two parts between 1989 and 1991, bringing much-needed stability after the station was sold twice in rapid succession and then again for less than half its previous value. KTXA was one of several Paramount-owned stations to become a charter outlet for the United Paramount Network in 1995, and it merged its operations with KTVT in 2001 after the corporate buyout of CBS. When UPN merged into The CW in 2006, KTXA was not selected for the network, and it retooled its local programming around prime time news and professional sports coverage. The new "TXA 21" branding was introduced on May 5, 2006, with a promotional campaign called "What Could it Mean?" featuring a star-shaped logo on buildings, sidewalks, and billboards around the Metroplex. KTXA became an independent station on September 16, 2006. On December 23, 2013, it began carrying MeTV on digital subchannel 21.2, replacing former Dallas affiliate KTXD-TV and becoming the first CBS-owned station to carry a major subchannel network.