The station signed on the air on August 10, 1970 under the callsign KBMA-TV (standing for Businessmen's Assurance Company of America, which provided initial funds for the station's founding). It was owned by Wilson D. Grant and managed under Bob Wormington. From the early 1970s through the 1980s, it was available on many cable systems in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma effectively becoming a regional superstation. This included many large Midwestern cities that didn't have independent stations of their own, such as Des Moines, Omaha, Lincoln, and Wichita.
The station changed its callsign to the current KSHB-TV in September 1981, in order to reflect its new ownership by Scripps Howard Broadcasting, which acquired the station in 1977.
In 1985, KSHB launched two 15-minute news programs titled 41 Express for weeknights and Weekend News for Saturday and Sunday nights. KSHB also became the Kansas City area's original Fox affiliate starting on October 9, 1986. However, it still essentially programmed as an independent station since the Fox network only provided programming for a few nights out of the week at that time.
KSHB-TV rebranded itself as "KSHB Fox 41" in early 1992. The logo was modeled after Fox's 1987-1993 network logo. During this era, KSHB launched its first half-hour local newscast Fox 41 News at 9:00 in August 1993.
KSHB became an NBC affiliate on September 12, 1994, swapping its Fox affiliation with WDAF-TV, as part of WDAF's then-owner New World Communications' groupwide affiliation deal with Fox. Its in-house news department, launched in 1993 (though the station had run news updates as early as 1981 while an independent station), also expanded its local news programming at that time.
In 2003, KSHB changed its on-air branding to NBC Action News for both entertainment programming and newscasts (alternately referring to itself as "Your NBC Action News Station" for entertainment programming promotion); Tampa sister station WFTS-TV changed its on-air branding to ABC Action News in the same overall usage as KSHB a year earlier.
NBC Action News 10 p.m. open (2003–2008)
Breaking news open (2003–2008)
Weather open (2003–2008)
Kansas City Live open
NBC Action News logo used in newscast promo graphic (2008–2010)
NBC Action News logo used in newscast promo graphic (2008–2010)
NBC Action News open (2010–2012)
NBC Action News logo used in newscast promo graphic (2010–2012)
On February 3, 2012, KSHB changed its on-air branding back to NBC 41 (and to 41 Action News for newscasts) with minimal advance promotion, after approximately nine years of using the NBC Action News branding; the 2003-era logo was modified, adding the number "41" (and a red background behind it) on the left side, along with a resized NBC peacock logo.
Alternate logo, used primarily on KSHB's social media channels.
1KZTV is owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting, but it is programmed and operated by Scripps under a Shared Services Agreement. 2Nexstar Media Group has the option to buy back WPIX between March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2021. 3KNIN-TV and WFLX are owned by Gray Television, but are programmed and operated by Scripps under Shared Services Agreements.
Add a photo to this gallery
