KREX-TV

KREX-TV (channel 5) is a television station in Grand Junction, Colorado, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for Colorado's Western Slope region. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group and operated alongside Fox affiliate KFQX (channel 4) and KGJT-CD (channel 27). The three stations share studios on Hillcrest Avenue in Grand Junction, where KREX-TV's transmitter is also located.

This station began broadcasting programming on May 30, 1954, as KFXJ-TV before becoming KREX-TV in 1956. Owned by Rex Howell, who had brought radio to the area by relocating KFXJ radio to Grand Junction in 1930, it was the only television station on the Western Slope for 25 years; though it aired programming from all major networks, its primary affiliation was CBS. The establishment of satellite stations KREY-TV in Montrose (1956) and KREZ-TV in Durango (1965) extended the station's reach. ABC programs moved to KJCT (channel 8) in 1979, but KREX-TV continued as a dual affiliate of CBS and NBC until KKCO (channel 11) began in 1996. Aside from a period between 1966 and 1970, Howell was the primary owner of KREX-TV until his death in 1978.

Withers Broadcasting acquired KREX-TV in 1985; it added a third satellite, KREG-TV in Glenwood Springs, in 1987 but sold off KREZ-TV in 1995. Under Withers, KREX acquired the franchise to broadcast Fox programming to the Western Slope, which became KFQX. Hoak Media bought the station in 2003. Its studios burned to the ground in a 2008 fire; after reporting for the station's website and later using facilities at Western Colorado Community College, the facility was rebuilt in 2009. Nexstar acquired the station in 2014 after most of Hoak was bought by Gray Television, owner of KKCO.

History

On March 25, 1953, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted Western Slope Broadcasting Company—owned by Rex Howell, owner of Grand Junction radio station KFXJ—a construction permit to build a new television station on channel 5.<ref name="hc">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Dail530326">Template:Cite news</ref> Howell, who had brought radio to Grand Junction when KFXJ moved from the Denver suburb of Edgewater to Grand Junction in 1930,<ref name=JWS>Template:Cite journal</ref> was getting into television earlier than he had anticipated. He told the Grand Junction Rotary Club shortly after the permit was authorized that he would rather have waited five years to build a TV station but felt it necessary to "move now".<ref name="Dail530409">Template:Cite news</ref> To house the station, KFXJ's radio studios were expanded with a new television wing.<ref name="Dail531129">Template:Cite news</ref> KFXJ-TV began broadcasting a test pattern on May 22 and regular programming on May 30, 1954.Template:R It held affiliations at its start with NBC and the DuMont Television Network.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> CBS affiliated with the station in December 1954 as part of its Extended Market Plan, which provided CBS programs to small-market stations.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Shortly after going on the air, in August 1955, Howell announced plans to build satellite stations for KFXJ-TV to expand its coverage to Montrose (Template:Convert south of Grand Junction) on channel 10 and Durango (Template:Convert south of Grand Junction) on channel 6.<ref name="Dail550817">Template:Cite news</ref> The Grand Junction KFXJ stations became KREX and KREX-TV on May 1, 1956, with the KFXJ-TV call sign moved to the new Montrose station,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which became KREY-TV on July 21, 1958.<ref name="hc-Y">Template:Cite web</ref> Later that year, KREX-TV obtained a live hookup to CBS;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> other networks were not included. To broadcast the 1958 World Series from NBC live, the station had to set up a portable microwave transmission antenna at a home in Price, Utah, that could receive the network signal from Salt Lake City so it could be beamed back to Grand Junction.<ref name="Dail840829">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1961, the station announced plans to obtain a permanent microwave link for NBC and ABC programs; by that time, KREX-TV was a primary CBS affiliate, and that network accounted for 80 percent of its national programming.<ref name="Dail610223">Template:Cite news</ref> The microwave link began use in 1966 and allowed the station to air more sports telecasts from NBC and ABC.<ref name="Dail660412">Template:Cite news</ref>

The Durango channel was not originally built by Howell and instead went on the air as a separate station, KJFL-TV. That station burned to the ground in a February 1964 fire;<ref name="Sant640221">Template:Cite news</ref> an affiliated company of KREX purchased the construction permit<ref name="Dail640424">Template:Cite news</ref> and put the station back on the air as KREZ-TV.<ref name="hc-Z">Template:Cite web</ref> The combination of KREX-TV, KREY-TV, and KREZ-TV was promoted as the XYZ network.<ref name="Dail760523">Template:Cite news</ref> Further, "Rex" and "rey" meant "king" in Latin and Spanish, respectively.<ref name="Dail840402">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1966, Howell sold KREX-TV and its satellites for $2.092 million to XYZ Television, Inc., in which an 81-percent controlling stake was held by Cincinnati-based Forestville Realty Corporation including James and William Williams.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The buyers struggled to make payments on the transaction, and in 1970 Howell reassumed managerial control over the XYZ stations.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Howell—who also served as a state senator and was known as a pilot and for his activity in the community—died in 1978.<ref name="Dail780908">Template:Cite news</ref> The Williams brothers and other out-of-state interests continued to hold minority shares in the stations.<ref name="Dail840321">Template:Cite news</ref>

From the 1950s to 1979, KREX-TV was the only television station in Grand Junction and maintained affiliations with all three major networks: CBS, NBC, and ABC. The XYZ stations thus aired most of television's top programs.<ref name="Dail760523-Prog">Template:Cite news</ref> A second Grand Junction station, KJCT (channel 8), arrived on October 22, 1979.<ref name="Dail791020">Template:Cite news</ref> It was built by Pikes Peak Broadcasting, owners of KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs, and was an ABC affiliate.<ref name="Dail790722">Template:Cite news</ref> KREX-TV continued as an affiliate of CBS and NBC with a primary emphasis on CBS. In 1981, when CBS extended its national morning program Morning from 60 to 90 minutes, KREX-TV ceased carrying Today from NBC.<ref name="Dail810925">Template:Cite news</ref> KREX-TV tended to schedule selected NBC prime time programs for air in the 6 p.m. hour.<ref name="Dail820131">Template:Cite news</ref> A Mesa County–operated system of translators and the local cable system provided Denver's NBC affiliate, KCNC-TV, to Grand Junction viewers.<ref name="Dail860701">Template:Cite news</ref> During the 1988 Summer Olympics, which aired on NBC, KREX-TV temporarily dropped most CBS programs to show the Olympics.<ref name="Dail880908">Template:Cite news</ref>

Withers Broadcasting ownership

Howell's death prompted a number of inquiries as to the KREX stations from potential buyers, and under FCC rules of the time, any sale would have to separate KREX radio and television.<ref name="Dail820829">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1984, the stock of XYZ, Inc., was redistributed to separate the radio and television entities.Template:R Russell Withers of Mount Vernon, Illinois, entered into negotiations to acquire XYZ Television in 1983<ref name="Dail830921">Template:Cite news</ref> and agreed to buy the television stations in May 1985.<ref name="Dail850505">Template:Cite news</ref> Under Withers, KREX began telecasting Fox programming in Grand Junction on low-power channel 27 on September 1, 1994;<ref name="Dail940831">Template:Cite news</ref> Withers Broadcasting had obtained the primary affiliation the previous May for a planned full-service station, KJWA,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Fox began full-power telecasting in Grand Junction as KFQX (channel 4) in 2000, supplanting channel 27.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1996, Grand Junction gained a full-time NBC affiliate when KKCO began broadcasting on channel 11.<ref name="Dail960706">Template:Cite news</ref>

Under Withers, two changes were made to KREX-TV's lineup of satellite stations. The bankrupt KCWS-TV (channel 3) in Glenwood Springs, which had operated in early 1984 prior to leaving the air for financial reasons, was purchased in 1986.<ref name="Dail860730">Template:Cite news</ref> It returned to the air as KREG-TV, a satellite for the Roaring Fork Valley, in 1987.<ref name="Aspe870908">Template:Cite news</ref> KREZ-TV in Durango was sold to Lee Enterprises in 1994<ref name="Albu941010">Template:Cite news</ref> and switched to broadcasting KRQE, the CBS affiliate in Albuquerque, New Mexico.<ref name="Albu950316">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2003, Withers sold KREX-TV and its satellites to Hoak Media as part of his estate planning. The acquisition marked a return to TV station ownership for Hoak,<ref name="Dail030829">Template:Cite news</ref> the former owner of Heritage Media.<ref name="Dail031115">Template:Cite news</ref> When Hoak acquired KREX, it was in need of investment and updates. The transmitter on Black Ridge, west of Grand Junction, was operating at half power due to lightning damage and neglect; Hoak improved it to about 80 percent by December 2004.<ref name="Dail041219">Template:Cite news</ref> KREX and KFQX began digital and high definition broadcasts on November 10, 2006.<ref name="Dail061110">Template:Cite news</ref>

2008 studio fire

On the morning of January 20, 2008, the KREX studios on Hillcrest Manor were destroyed in a fire, the worst in monetary damage in Grand Junction history with damages approaching $6 million.<ref name="Dail080121-Burns">Template:Cite news</ref> A visitor from Texas, driving to church on the Sunday morning,<ref name="Dail080122">Template:Cite news</ref> pounded on the station doors and alerted the five employees inside to the developing fire.<ref name="Dail080121-Employees">Template:Cite news</ref> The station facilities lacked sprinklers and had a mazelike layout owing to multiple remodels and additions.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> While forensic investigators were not able to conclusively determine the cause of the blaze, they concluded that the heat was originally centered around a defective space heater.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

With KREX and KFQX out of service, CBS and Fox programming was outright unavailable to over-the-air viewers and Dish Network customers for days. Bresnan Communications, owner of the Grand Junction cable system, brought in the Denver affiliates to continue network service to customers.<ref name="Dail080123-Dish">Template:Cite news</ref> The digital equipment and transmitter, located in a former bomb shelter with Template:Convert-thick concrete walls, was saved from the fire.<ref name="Dail080128">Template:Cite news</ref> A temporary trailer was installed on site.Template:R By February 1, the transmitters were in service and broadcasting color bars and tone, in time for KREX and KFQX to telecast Fox's coverage of Super Bowl XLII and other network programs.<ref name="Dail080202">Template:Cite news</ref> Syndicated programming and commercials followed a week later, enabling the station to make money on advertising.<ref name="TVNC081211">Template:Cite news</ref>

Some newsgathering equipment was recovered from the burning building, including field cameras, tripods, and microphones.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> To restore news coverage, KJCT, KKCO, and Rocky Mountain PBS offered the use of their space.<ref name="Dail080121-New">Template:Cite news</ref> The station's reporters continued to file stories for the KREX website,<ref name="Dail080123">Template:Cite news</ref> and the news department resumed newscasts on March 3 from the Rocky Mountain PBS studio at Western Colorado Community College,<ref name="Dail080229">Template:Cite news</ref> using all-digital equipment.<ref name="Dail080304">Template:Cite news</ref> New studios were built on the original site beginning in late 2008; the site was subdivided, as the new station would be smaller and use less space than the original building.<ref name="Dail081224">Template:Cite news</ref> The move to the new studios took place in August 2009 and involved temporary outages in transmission and a three-day suspension of newscasts.<ref name="Dail090801">Template:Cite news</ref>

Sale to Nexstar

On November 20, 2013, Gray Television announced it would purchase Hoak Media and KFQX owner Parker Broadcasting in a $335 million deal. Since Gray already owned KKCO and operated KJCT (which was owned by Excalibur Broadcasting), it decided to spin off KREX and its translators, and KFQX to a third-party.<ref name=tvnc-hoakgray>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=b&c-saletoexcaliburandresale>Template:Cite news</ref> On December 19, Gray announced, in a side deal related to the Hoak acquisition, that KREX and its satellites would be sold to Nexstar Broadcasting Group, while KFQX would be sold to Mission Broadcasting, for $37.5 million.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The sale of KREX was completed on June 13, 2014,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while the KFQX sale was finalized on March 31, 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For ownership cap compliance reasons, Nexstar sold KREG to Marquee Broadcasting at the same time it merged with Media General.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

News operation

In the early days, KREX-TV news was a one-man operation. News director Bill Cleary recounted that he was the news anchor and presented the weather and sports, with the occasional aid of photos he had taken of news events.<ref name="Dail080122-History">Template:Cite news</ref> When KJCT came on the air in 1979, it provided the first local news competition to KREX. It initially was a distant second but pulled into a more competitive position, particularly for the 10 p.m. news; KREX retained viewers at 5:30 p.m., when its local newscast followed the CBS Evening News.<ref name="Dail820905">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Dail830116">Template:Cite news</ref> The XYZ network afforded opportunities for local news inserts. In the early 1960s, the network experimented with local news segments at its satellite stations, but they were delivered by local salesmen and rarely contained hard news items. The station tried again in the 1980s, introducing five-minute news segments in Montrose, Durango,<ref name="Dail821024">Template:Cite news</ref> and—after 1987—Glenwood Springs.Template:R

By the time Hoak acquired KREX in 2004, the news department had slipped to third in the ratings, behind KJCT and KKCO. The company invested in new news sets to upgrade the quality of the station's newscasts and improve ratings.Template:R By 2013, KREX was third in early evening news and second in late news.<ref name="Dail090726">Template:Cite news</ref>

Technical information

Subchannels

The KREX-TV transmitter is located at its studios on Hillcrest Drive.Template:R The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KREX-TV<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Channel	Res.	Aspect	Short name	Programming
5.1	1080i	16:9	KREX	CBS
5.2	480i	4:3	LAFF	Laff
5.3			KGJT	MyNetworkTV (KGJT-CD)
5.4			BOUNCE	Bounce TV

Translators

KREX-TV's signal is rebroadcast over the following translators in western Colorado:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• Basalt: K35IX-D
• Collbran: K24LQ-D
• Mesa: K10RB-D
• Redstone: K21OV-D
• Snowmass Village: K35PE-D
• Thomasville: K07KF-D

External links

• Template:Official website