KCTY (Kansas City)
| Company type | Television broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | June 6, 1953 |
| Defunct | February 28, 1954 |
| Fate | Ceased operations |
| Headquarters | Kansas City , United States |
| Products | Television broadcasting |
KCTY (channel 25) operated as a television broadcaster in Kansas City, Missouri, from June 6, 1953, until February 28, 1954. It was the second TV station established in the region after WDAF-TV and maintained an affiliation with the DuMont Television Network. Initially owned by Empire Coil Company—an early innovator in UHF broadcasting—DuMont purchased KCTY at the close of 1953 to analyze the difficulties faced by underperforming UHF stations before concluding the venture was financially unsustainable. The station's studios were housed in the downtown Pickwick Hotel, while its transmitter was situated in what is currently Overland Park, Kansas.
History
After the Federal Communications Commission lifted its freeze on new television station licenses in 1952 and opened the UHF spectrum, Kansas City received multiple UHF channel assignments alongside three commercial VHF channels. Empire Coil Company of New Rochelle, New York—recognized for establishing Portland’s KPTV (the first commercial UHF station) and Cleveland's WXEL—applied without opposition for channel 25 and secured a construction permit on January 23, 1953. KCTY planned to broadcast CBS, ABC, and DuMont content from studios located within the Pickwick Hotel and operate a transmitter in Johnson County.
The station commenced broadcasting on June 6, 1953, initially featuring movies and test patterns designed to aid dealers in calibrating UHF converters amid labor disputes impacting local stations. Due to equipment shortages, KCTY operated at reduced transmission power and depended largely on filmed programming. Empire Coil intended to replicate this UHF model in Indianapolis and Denver. Over time, network programming gradually increased.
As VHF stations solidified their network affiliations—CBS transferring to KMBC-TV/WHB-TV (channel 9) in August and ABC moving to KCMO-TV (channel 5) in September—KCTY transitioned into a primarily DuMont-affiliated station by late August. The station developed local programming including the children’s show Share the Fun, live news broadcasts, and high school football game coverage.
Despite these programming initiatives, KCTY faced significant financial difficulties; only about 52,000 local television sets were equipped for UHF reception compared to 353,000 VHF sets. Efforts by Empire Coil to find a buyer were unsuccessful, leading to consideration of shutting down operations. Instead, on December 31, 1953, KCTY was sold to DuMont for a nominal sum of $1—a record low price indicative of its poor financial condition. DuMont aimed to sustain KCTY while investigating UHF market obstacles and planned promotional campaigns to encourage UHF converter adoption and increase transmitter output power. Empire Coil recorded losses totaling $750,000 and disposed of its remaining assets to Storer Broadcasting amid declining demand for electronic equipment.
DuMont’s stewardship was short-lived; on February 12, 1954, it announced that KCTY would cease operations by the end of that month due to limited market interest—three VHF stations adequately served viewers and advertisers—and resistance within Kansas City toward adopting UHF technology and installing suitable antennas. Consequently, DuMont shifted its network programming to VHF station KCMO-TV. KCTY became one of the earliest examples of a failed UHF television station nationwide.
Following closure, DuMont offered KCTY’s facilities for sale at $95,000; although educational broadcasters showed interest in acquiring them, no transaction occurred. Commercial broadcasting on channel 25 did not resume until the mid-1960s when new applicants sought construction permits; eventually, KCIT-TV launched on channel 50 in October 1969 after adjustments to FCC channel allocations.