Information about Kdaf

KDAF
Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas
Branding	CW 33
Slogan	Get Into It, Putting Our Comminuty First
Channels	Analog: 33 (UHF) Digital: 32 (UHF)
Affiliations	CW
Owner	Tribune Company
Founded	1967
Call letters meaning	Dallas And Fort Worth
Former callsigns	KMEC-TV (1967-1968) KBFI-TV (1972-1973) KXTX-TV, KDTV (1973) KNBN-TV (1981-1984) KRLD-TV (1984-1986)
Former affiliations	Independent (1967-1986) Fox (1986-1995) WB (1995-2006)
Transmitter Power	5000 kW/520 m (analog) 780 kW/537 m (digital)
Website	www.cw33.com

KDAF, channel 33, is a CW-affiliated television station licensed to Dallas, Texas, and serving the Dallas-Fort Worth television market. The station is owned by the Tribune Company with its transmitter located on highway 67 in Cedar Hill. The station airs on cable channel 9 on cable systems in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

From June 1995 to September 2006, KDAF was affiliated with the WB Television Network. Prior to that, KDAF spent nine years as an owned-and-operated station of the Fox Broadcasting Company.

History

Channel 33 in Dallas has had several incarnations over four decades of operation. It first signed on-the-air as KMEC in October 1967, the second UHF station in the market after KFWT-TV (channel 21, now KTXA). The station aired a mix of syndicated programming and locally produced shows. KMEC signed off less than a year later. That short-lived attempt was followed by another in 1972, with channel 33 returning to the air using the call letters KBFI and a religious programming format. But, like its predecessor, KBFI signed off after only ten months on the air.

The Christian Broadcasting Network purchased channel 33's license and, on January 11, 1973, channel 33 returned to the air as KXTX-TV (for "Christ (X) for TeXas"), a station with a religious format and some general entertainment. But CBN's stay on channel 33 wouldn't be a long one: Doubleday Broadcasting wanted to get rid of their independent station, KDTV on channel 39. After an attempt to donate KDTV to non-profit interests, Doubleday instead donated the channel 39 license and assets to CBN. Then, in April 1973, CBN moved the KXTX call letters and its programming to channel 39, while Doubleday took over broadcasting channel 33 under the KDTV calls for another several months before turning the frequency off again in December. Channel 33 would remain dark for the next six and-a-half years.

In May 1980, channel 33 returned to the Dallas airwaves for a fourth time. The new station was called KNBN-TV, owned by a local firm, Hill Broadcasting. The station's call letters were derived from its on-air branding, "National Business Network". KNBN was a pioneer in airing "live" (primarily) business news and programming throughout the day; opening with The Morning Report anchored by Ian Kinsey, with reporters Joe Sullivan and Lisa Protter; closing off with Financial Final hosted by Ward Andrews. The evening hours were filled by subscription television from VUE, a program service owned by Gene Autry's Golden West Broadcasters. Again, this format turned out to be short-lived, and channel 33 revamped itself again. Within a year and-a-half, the business programming was gone, the subscription television service moved to rival UHF station KTWS (channel 27, now KDFI-TV), and KNBN-TV picked up programming from the Spanish International Network, the forerunner to today's Univision.

In late 1983, Hill Broadcasting sold KNBN to Metromedia, and on July 31, 1984, the station was renamed KRLD-TV after new sister station KRLD radio, which Metromedia later sold to comply with Federal Communications Commission rules at the time. Metromedia attempted to do the impossible: make channel 33 competitive and profitable, both at the same time. Immediately after taking over control, the station switched from Spanish to a general entertainment format. The new KRLD-TV was entering a very crowded marketplace -- its competition included KTXA, KXTX-TV, and the market's leading independent, KTVT (channel 11). Metromedia's programming investments featured the first 7:00 p.m. newscast ever attempted in the Dallas-Fort Worth market; anchors included Quin Mathews (late of WFAA-TV,) Joe Reardon, Dr. Dave Eiser, Carlton White (who later appeared as a contestant on The Price is Right) and Laurel Ornish. The news department was headed by DFW radio vet Tony deHaro and Ray Schonbak. The station programmed other first-run syndicated shows, cartoons, off-network sitcoms and news magazines. Also for four seasons starting in 1984, channel 33 was the broadcast home for Dallas Sidekicks indoor soccer club.

In 1986 Metromedia sold its group of independent stations, including KRLD-TV, to the News Corporation and the 20th Century Fox film studio. On March 6 of that year, channel 33's call letters were changed to the current KDAF, and it would become one of the cornerstones that formed the Fox television network. However, Fox closed down the station's news department shortly after assuming control. Though KDAF remained unprofitable into the early 1990s, by 1994 the station was turning modest profits. With an increase in revenues, Fox decided to reactivate channel 33's news department by launching a primetime newscast that would go head-to-head with KTVT. KDAF was well into their news plans when Fox made an announcement which put the station's immediate future in limbo.

In December 1993 Fox made a group deal with New World Communications to move its network affiliation in several markets, including Dallas-Fort Worth, to stations New World either owned outright or were currently purchasing. In Dallas, then-CBS affiliate KDFW-TV (channel 4, which ironically had also once used the KRLD-TV calls) was being sold by Argyle Television to New World, and was included in the New World-Fox deal. At once, Fox placed KDAF on the selling block, and plans for the newscast were shelved indefinitely. Fox network programming moved from KDAF to KDFW on July 1, 1995 (with the exception of Fox Kids programming, which moved to KDFI in September 1997). Two days later (on July 3 1995), Fox finalized a sale of channel 33 to Renaissance Broadcasting, and KDAF took over the market's WB affiliation from KXTX-TV. Renaissance sold all of its stations, including KDAF, to Tribune Broadcasting in 1997.

Digital Television

The station's digital channel is multiplexed: Digital channels

Channel	Programming
32.1	Main KDAF programming
32.2	Currently simulcasting 33.1; formerly The Tube

KDAF has aired a 24-hour music network called The Tube on digital channel 33.2, but it has ceased operations on October 1, 2007. So KDAF is currently simulcasting its primary signal on its secondary channel until they can find new programming.

Newscast

Tribune restored news on KDAF in 1999 by launching a weekday 9 p.m. newscast, and within a year it was expanded to seven nights a week. However, the ratings for the newscast have rarely been competitive, ranking far behind KDFW's 9 p.m. newscast.

Personalities

Current On-Air Talent

Anchors

• Terri Chappell - weeknights
• Tom Crespo - weeknights
• Jim Grimes - weekends
• Dawn Tongish - weekends

Reporters

• Barry Carpenter
• Norris Deajon
• Sandra Hernandez
• Michael Rey

Weather

• Fred Barnhill - weekends
• Bob Goosmann - chief meteorologist/weeknights

Sports

• Dave Crome - weekend anchor
• Bob Irzyk - sports director/weeknight anchor
• Desmond Purnell - sports reporter

Station Presentation

Station Slogans

• Watch your Frog (2002-2005)
• Putting Our Community First (2003-present; Used for its promotion)
• We Play Favorites (2005-2006; also briefly used as slogan for Nick at Nite during 2006)
• The Future Home of the New CW33 (2006)
• Free To Be Together (2006-2007)
• Get Into It (2007-present)

Former logo

KDAF WB 33 logo.

References

• Shannon, Mike (January, 2004). Dallas–Fort Worth TV Station History. ''The History of Dallas-Fort Worth Radio and Television.

External links

• KDAF home page
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KDAF

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Broadcast television in the Dallas / Fort Worth market (Nielsen DMA #5)

Local television stations KDTN 2 (DS) - KDFW 4 (FOX, 4 Warn Weather Radar on DT2) - KXAS 5 (NBC, WX Plus on DT2) - WFAA 8 (ABC, Xpress 8.2 on DT2, DFW Airport Towercam on DT3) - KTVT 11 (CBS) - KERA 13 (PBS) - KTXA 21 (Ind) - KNAV 22 (Genesis) - KUVN 23 (UNI) - K25FW 25 (HSN) - KODF 26 / KLEG 44 (AZA) - KDFI 27 (MNTV) - KHPK 28 (Genesis) - KMPX 29 (Ind) - K31GL 31 (Ind) - KDAF 33 (The CW, The Tube on DT2) - KJJM 34 (LAT TV) - KVFW 38 (Religious) - KXTX 39 (TEL) - KTAQ 47 (Religious) - KSTR 49 (TFU) - KATA 50 (Multimedios) - KFWD 52 (Ind) - KSEX 57 (Ind) - KDTX 58 (TBN, The Church Channel on DT2, JCTV on DT3, TBN Enlace USA on DT4, Smile of a Child on DT5) - KPXD 68 (ION, qubo on DT2, ION Life on DT3, Worship on DT4)

Local digital television channels KLDT 54 (Gems TV)

Local Cable Television Channels FSN Southwest - TXCN

Tribune Company

Corporate Directors: Jeffrey Chandler | Dennis Fitzsimons | Roger Goodan | Enrique Hernandez | Betsy Holden | Robert S. Morrison | Patrick Mullen | William Osborn | Christopher Reyes | William Stinehart | Dudley Taft | Kathryn Turner | Miles White

Television Assets: CLTV | Comcast SportsNet Chicago | Superstation WGN | Tribune Broadcasting | Tribune Entertainment | Tribune Studios Television Stations: KCPQ | KDAF | KHWB | KPLR | KSWB | KTLA | KTWB | KTXL | KWBP | KWGN | WATL | WBDC | WBZL | WEWB | WGN | WGNO | WLVI | WNOL | WPHL | WPIX | WPMT | WTIC | WTTV | WTXX | WXIN | WXMI Radio Stations: WGN Newspapers: AM New York | Baltimore Sun | Chicago Tribune | Hartford Courant | Los Angeles Times | Newsday Misc. Assets: Chicago Cubs | Tribune Publishing

Annual Revenue: $5.73 billion USD (2% FY 2005) | Employees: 23,200 | Stock Symbol: NYSE: TRB | Website: www.tribune.com