KMPT (TV)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Predecessor | KLPR Television, Inc. (owner) |
| Founded | November 22, 1953 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States |
| Defunct | February 2, 1955 |
| Fate | Bankruptcy and shutdown |
| Headquarters | Oklahoma City , United States |
Area served | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
Key people | Byrne Ross (founder and manager until January 26, 1954), Everett E. Cotter (trustee) |
| Products | Television broadcasting (DuMont Television Network and ABC programming) |
| Owner | KLPR Television, Inc. |
KMPT (channel 19) was a television broadcaster based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that operated from November 22, 1953, until February 2, 1955. The station was owned by KLPR Television, Inc., the same company behind KLPR radio (1140 AM). KMPT featured programming from both the DuMont Television Network and ABC. Its production facilities were situated in the Capitol Hill area of southwest Oklahoma City, while its transmitter was positioned in the northeastern part of the city.
Following KMPT’s financial collapse and subsequent shutdown, the UHF channel 19 frequency was reassigned to Equity Broadcasting Corporation. This company launched K19EA—currently known as KUOT-CD, an affiliate of Cornerstone Television—in March 1995.
History
On December 5, 1952, KLPR Television Inc., whose ownership included Byrne Ross (also proprietor of KLPR radio), R. Lewis Barton of Barton Theatres, and other local entrepreneurs, submitted an application to the FCC seeking authorization to construct a UHF television station on channel 19 in Oklahoma City. The FCC approved this application on February 11, 1953. Although initially referred to as KLPR-TV at its debut, the official call letters assigned were KMPT.
Programming on KMPT consisted of shows from the DuMont network alongside ABC’s professional football broadcasts. Under Byrne Ross’s management, the station maintained a policy against accepting advertisements from alcoholic beverage companies to avoid endorsing alcohol consumption; this stance was abandoned after Ross resigned on January 26, 1954, due to disagreements with the board. Subsequently, local media adopted the KMPT call sign for the station.
Soon after Ross’s exit, KLPR Television encountered a $27,000 lawsuit related to tower installation issues and filed for bankruptcy with liabilities surpassing $250,000. While this financial distress did not impact KLPR radio operations, it discouraged investors such as Gordon McLendon from continuing acquisition talks because of KMPT’s precarious fiscal condition. On April 27, 1954, the FCC authorized transferring control of channel 19 to trustee Everett E. Cotter. KMPT remained on air until February 2, 1955, halting broadcasts just prior to a federal court order mandating its closure. Creditors attributed the station’s downfall primarily to inadequate advertising income.
After KMPT ceased operations, Republic Television and Radio Company proposed repurposing KMPT’s transmitter for ABC affiliate KTVQ (channel 25) as part of an initiative to shift it to VHF channel 11; however, these requests were denied twice by the FCC in 1956.
In May 1957, Malco Theaters Inc. submitted an application to establish a station on channel 19. Later on, new KLPR owners filed for channel 19 in 1962; although permission was granted in 1965, alterations in UHF channel assignments resulted in the relaunched KLPR-TV (1966–1967) broadcasting on channel 14 instead.