KTRK-TV
| Company type | Owned-and-operated television station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | 1954 |
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas , United States |
Area served | Houston metropolitan area |
| Parent | ABC Owned Television Stations (The Walt Disney Company) |
KTRK-TV (channel 13) is a television station located in Houston, Texas, United States. It operates as an owned-and-operated outlet of the ABC network, managed under the ABC Owned Television Stations division. The station’s studios are situated on Bissonnet Street within Houston's Upper Kirby neighborhood, while its transmitter is positioned near Missouri City, in the northeastern part of Fort Bend County.
Initial Period
Following the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) removal of its moratorium on new TV station applications, six contenders competed for channel 13, the final VHF slot available in Houston. By June 1953, the applicants included Houston Television Company, the Houston Chronicle through KTRH Broadcasting Company, South Texas Television Company, Houston Area Television Company, W. W. Lechner, and Roy Hofheinz's TV Broadcasting Co. After Lechner and South Texas withdrew, the four remaining parties merged in January 1954 to form Houston Consolidated Television: KTRH and Houston Area Television each held a 32% stake, Houston Television Company owned 20%, and Hofheinz retained 16%. This consortium secured the construction permit.
In July 1954, construction commenced on a transmitter site located southwest of Almeda in Fort Bend County. KTRK-TV occupied the former studios of the defunct DuMont affiliate KNUZ-TV (channel 39). The FCC rejected the use of the KTRH-TV call letters because the radio station did not have controlling interest; consequently, KTRK-TV was chosen.
The station debuted on November 20, 1954, becoming Houston’s inaugural full ABC affiliate. Initially, it opposed FCC approval for KGUL-TV (channel 11) to relocate from Galveston to Houston but was unsuccessful in this challenge by 1956. The current studios on Bissonnet Street opened in November 1961; designed by Hermon Lloyd—who later designed the Astrodome—the building featured a dome enclosing two studios and was promoted as the first circular studio facility in the United States.
Among early local shows was Kitirik, a children’s program featuring a black cat mascot named after the call letters—a playful reference to channel 13’s reputation as an “unlucky” number. The program aired until 1970.
Capital Cities Era
In late 1966, Houston Consolidated Television announced it would sell KTRK-TV to Capital Cities Broadcasting Company for close to $21.3 million, representing the second-highest price ever paid for a single television station at that time. To meet ownership regulations, Capital Cities divested WPRO-TV in Providence, Rhode Island concurrently with acquiring KTRK-TV in July 1967.
Capital Cities made substantial investments in news operations and programming, and by 1978, KTRK-TV was reportedly its most lucrative station. In February 1985, it captured an impressive 47 percent share of the network audience within Houston.
ABC Ownership
Following Capital Cities’ acquisition of ABC in 1985, KTRK transitioned into an ABC owned-and-operated station—the first such O&O in Houston. Previously, ABC had owned KXYZ and KXYZ-FM (now KHMX) from 1968 until 1980. Continued investment included a significant studio expansion in 1993 that added 20,000 square feet and modernized the building’s street-facing exterior. In early 1996, Capital Cities/ABC was acquired by The Walt Disney Company, bringing KTRK under Disney’s media holdings.
News operation
During the Capital Cities ownership, KTRK intensified its commitment to local journalism. The station extended its newscasts to a 30-minute format in January 1967 and introduced the Eyewitness News branding in 1969. Initially, KTRK ranked third in viewership behind KPRC and KHOU. Dave Ward, who started as a reporter in 1966, was appointed anchor for the 7 a.m. newscast that same year and advanced to the weeknight 6 p.m. anchor role in 1968, maintaining this position until his retirement in 2017. His half-century tenure remains the longest in American television history. By 1973, KTRK climbed to second place and led Houston’s news ratings from 1973 through 1993.
KTRK earned acclaim through investigative journalist Marvin Zindler, whose 1973 report on the La Grange brothel resulted in its shutdown and inspired cultural productions such as The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Zindler joined the station at Ward's recommendation after departing from the Harris County sheriff's office. He became well-known for his consumer advocacy and the Friday night Rat and Roach Report, which concluded with his signature phrase "Slime in the Ice Machine." In 1984, Zindler became Houston’s first television figure to sign a $1 million contract and secured a lifetime agreement with Capital Cities in 1988—an unusual move for the typically conservative company. He continued working until his passing in 2007, even delivering reports from his hospital bed.
The morning show Good Morning Houston, which evolved from Dialing for Dollars, aired at 9 a.m. from 1967 until its cancellation in 1993. This program aimed to enhance morning viewership and make room for syndicated talk shows.
Throughout the 1970s and ’80s, KTRK’s dominance at 6 and 10 p.m. was driven by Ward and co-anchor Jan Carson, alongside Zindler, sports director Bob Allen, and meteorologist Ed Brandon. The station introduced its 5 p.m. newscast Live at Five in April 1977, which also achieved top ratings; by September 1982, the evening newscast expanded to a full hour at 6 p.m. Carson departed in 1979 and was succeeded by Shara Fryer before Gina Gaston assumed the role during Tropical Storm Allison coverage in 2006. KTRK encountered increasing rivalry from NBC affiliate KPRC-TV amid NBC’s prime time surge, as well as from KHOU, Fox-owned KRIV, and independent stations KHTV (now CW affiliate KIAH) and KNWS-TV (currently MeTV’s KYAZ). However, these latter stations eventually discontinued their news operations due to insufficient ratings.
On October 7, 2002, Tim Heller replaced Ed Brandon as chief meteorologist for critical weather segments; Brandon retired in 2007 after a distinguished 35-year career. In August of that year, KTRK became Houston’s second station to deliver local newscasts in high definition.
Sports director Bob Allen retired in January 2013 after serving for 38 years; Greg Bailey took over earlier that year. Allen later joined KHOU until his death in 2016. Tim Heller stepped down as chief meteorologist in January 2019 and was succeeded by Travis Herzog.
KTRK broadened its news schedule by launching a 4 p.m. newscast in late summer of 2001. On August 17, 2009, it became the first Houston station to air weekday morning news beginning at 4:30 a.m., with competitors following suit later that year. In August 2013, the one-hour 6 p.m. broadcast was divided into two half-hour segments; following Ward’s retirement in 2017, Live at Five anchor Art Rascon took over the evening slot at 6 p.m., while weekend late news expanded to an hour starting January 2014. On September 10, 2018, KTRK pioneered Texas’ first-ever broadcast of a newscast at 3 p.m.
In August 2019, Wendy Granato advanced from news director to general manager—becoming the first woman to oversee both KTRK’s newsroom and entire station operations.
In May 2020, KTRK began producing an hour-long nightly newscast at 9 p.m. for Nexstar-owned CW affiliate KIAH through a collaborative partnership agreement.
Sports programming
Since the Houston Texans' formation in 2002, KTRK has served as the team's official television broadcaster, airing all preseason matchups not covered by national networks. The station also develops three Texans-themed shows broadcast across the state:
- Texans Extra Points, a Saturday night preview at 10:30 p.m. during the football season;
- Texans 360, a weekly highlights and news summary airing Saturdays at 11 p.m.;
- Houston Texans Inside the Game, a Sunday recap at 10:35 p.m. hosted by KTRK sports director Greg Bailey alongside Spencer Tillman.
Moreover, KTRK holds the local broadcast rights for the Houston Marathon.
Current team
- Gina Gaston – news anchor
- Elita Loresca – weather specialist
Past team
- Troy Dungan – meteorologist (1964–1976)
- Van Hackett – reporter and anchor (1980–1987)
- Art Rascon – anchor (1998–2022)
- Jacob Rascon – anchor and reporter (2022–2024)
- Dan Rather – sports broadcaster (late 1950s)
- Steven Romo – anchor (2016–2021)
- Jim Rosenfield – reporter and anchor (1983–1989)
- Dave Ward – anchor and reporter (1966–2017)
- Marvin Zindler – consumer reporter for Action 13 (1973–2007)
Technical details and digital subchannels
The transmitter for KTRK-TV is positioned near Missouri City, located in the northeastern part of Fort Bend County. The station's multiplexed digital signal includes:
| Channel | Resolution | Aspect Ratio | Identifier | Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.1 | 720p | 16:9 | KTRK-HD | ABC |
| 13.2 | LOCLish | 16:9 | Localish | Localish |
| 13.3 | 480i | 16:9 | KTRK-D3 | Charge! |
| 13.4 | 480i | 16:9 | QVC | QVC |
| 20.4 | 480i | 16:9 | BUZZR | Buzzr (KTXH) |
Transition from analog to digital
In adherence to the federally mandated digital transition, KTRK-TV discontinued its analog transmission on VHF channel 13 on June 12, 2009. Post-transition, its digital broadcast shifted from UHF channel 32 back to VHF channel 13, consistent with ABC owned-and-operated stations' practice of utilizing former analog frequencies for digital signals. The previous digital channel position is now occupied by KPXB-TV.
Initially, KTRK's digital subchannels offered extended news and weather programming but have since transitioned to their current affiliations: Live Well Network debuted on channel 13.2 in 2009 before being replaced by Localish in 2020; Laff was added to channel 13.3 in 2015. Following Live Well Network’s cessation of original content in 2015, ABC Owned Television Stations rebranded it as Localish in 2020.