KYTV (TV)

KYTV, virtual channel 3 (UHF digital channel 44), is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Springfield, Missouri, United States. The station is owned by Schurz Communications, and is a sister station to CW affiliate K15CZ-D (channel 15); Schurz also operates ABC affiliate KSPR (channel 33) under a shared services agreement with owner Perkin Media, LLC. All three stations share studio facilities located on West Sunshine Street in Springfield while KYTV maintains transmitter facilities located in Fordland.

History

The station first signed on the air on October 1, 1953, becoming the second television station to sign on in the Springfield market; the first was CBS affiliate KTTS-TV (channel 10, now KOLR), which signed on in March of that same year. Founded by the Cox and Duvall families, KYTV was also the first television station located west of the Mississippi River that was built specifically for television production. Channel 3 has been an NBC affiliate since its sign-on, although it also shared a secondary ABC-affiliation with KTTS until KMTC (channel 27, now MyNetworkTV affiliate KOZL-TV) signed on in 1968. On December 26, 1953, KYTV debuted a television broadcast of the show Ozark Jubilee, a live country music program which originated on radio station KWTO (560 AM); ABC began televising the program nationally on January 22, 1955, although it temporarily originated from Columbia until it moved to the Jewell Theatre on April 30 using KYTV's staff and equipment. The station's staff and facilities also played key roles in the production of two other programs that aired on ABC during the 1950s shows Talent Varieties and The Eddy Arnold Show.