KFOR-TV (Nebraska)
| Company type | Television broadcaster |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | May 31, 1953 in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States |
| Defunct | March 13, 1954 |
| Fate | Acquired by John Fetzer; license and equipment transferred to University of Nebraska for KUON-TV; ceased operations |
| Headquarters | Lincoln , United States |
| Products | Television broadcasting (ABC affiliate) |
| Owner | Cornbelt Broadcasting (original) |
KFOR-TV (channel 10) was a television broadcaster located in Lincoln, Nebraska, with operations spanning from May 1953 until March 1954.
History
Beginning its broadcasts on May 31, 1953, KFOR-TV followed Lincoln's inaugural station, KOLN, by three months. The station was established by Cornbelt Broadcasting, the owner of KFOR radio as well, and transmitted from newly constructed studios at the intersection of 48th and Vine streets. Its transmitter was installed on the nearby KFOR radio tower. KFOR-TV functioned as the main ABC affiliate for the Omaha-Lincoln region; nevertheless, Omaha-based stations KMTV and WOW-TV (currently WOWT), which held secondary ABC affiliations, retained precedence for high-profile ABC prime-time shows, restricting KFOR’s programming options.
In February 1954, broadcasting entrepreneur John Fetzer, who had acquired KOLN in August of the previous year, purchased KFOR-TV for $300,000. This transaction encompassed the station’s license and equipment but did not include the studio premises or the KFOR radio station. To adhere to Federal Communications Commission ownership regulations and to consolidate broadcast operations in Lincoln, Fetzer transferred KOLN from channel 12 to channel 10 (formerly KFOR’s frequency) and donated the channel 12 facilities along with the KFOR license to the University of Nebraska to establish its educational broadcaster, KUON-TV. KFOR-TV discontinued its broadcasts on March 13, 1954. Following this change, KOLN took over KFOR’s ABC affiliation until Fetzer obtained FCC authorization to separate Lincoln from the Omaha market area, after which KOLN transitioned its primary network affiliation to CBS.
The show Backyard Farmer made its debut on KFOR-TV in 1953; it later moved to KUON in 1955 and continues as a production of Nebraska Public Media.
After ceasing television operations, the former KFOR-TV studio was converted into a funeral home before being remodeled into office space now known as the Egan Building.
The call letters KFOR-TV were subsequently reassigned in 1990 to the former WKY-TV/KTVY-TV located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
External links
- "TV Comes to Town,", a brief documentary about KFOR-TV’s establishment, commissioned by its proprietors and produced by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.