KDNL-TV

Contents

1969–1982	1982–1986	1986–1990	1989–1991	1991–1994


1994–1995	1995–1997	1997–2011	2011–2015	2015–present

1969–1982

Originally signed on the air on June 8, 1969 as the first UHF television station in the St. Louis market after more than a twelve year gap, and the first new station since 1959. Though its construction permit was awarded by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1966 to a group of local investors under the banner Greater Saint Louis Television Corporation, the station was signed-on under the ownership of Evans Broadcasting, a New York City-based company which acquired the permit in 1968. In March 1981, Evans Broadcasting agreed to sell the station to Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises.

1982–1991

1982–1986

KDNL-TV, along with Cox's other two independent stations KTVU in Oakland, California and WKBD-TV in Detroit, Michigan officially joined as one of the original charter Fox affiliates on October 9, 1986. The "30" logo was also used by WVIT from 1994 to 1998. The font used for the logo was originally used for properties owned by Brazilian multinational group Organizaçoes Globo.

1986–1990

In 1989, Cox sold channel 30 to St. Louis-based River City Broadcasting, a new company formed by two former KPLR-TV employees.

1989–1991

1991–1994

1994–1995

1995–1997

KDNL-TV became an ABC affiliate on August 7, 1995, swapping its Fox affiliation with longtime ABC affiliate KTVI (VHF channel 2), as part of a groupwide affiliation deal between New World Communications (which acquired KTVI from Argyle Television two years prior) and Fox. The station also expanded its local news programming at that time; its in-house news department, which launched under its Fox affiliation in January 1995 with the debut of a 9:00 p.m. newscast (though the station had run news updates as early as 1981 while an independent station), began producing a nightly 10:00 p.m. newscast upon switching to ABC and added 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. broadcasts in early 1996. Later April 11, 1996, River City announced that it would merge with the Sinclair Broadcast Group for $2.3 billion.