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KTBC fox 7
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KLRU pbs 18
KVUE abc 24
KXAN nbc 36
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A 15-Second Guide To...
CBS 42, more commonly known as KEYE-TV, launched in 1982 as KBVO, an independent, before becoming an inaugural Fox affiliate. In 1995, Channel 42 switched networks with KTBC, becoming KEYE, a CBS affiliate. CBS bought the station in 1999; KEYE is currently being sold off to Cerebrus Capital Management, the company which also recently bought the Chrysler automobile company.
Whatever Happened To...
Kristine Kahanek has been working the radars in Dallas recently, first at WFAA 8 and now as Chief Met at KTVT CBS 11. She was named Best Meteorologist 2005 by D Magazine. (Image: cbs11tv.com)
Your site's author's first memory of KNVA's existence was flipping through the channels on our ancient dial television one Saturday night and coming across a rather snowy picture featuring what appeared to be KXAN's Live Doppler Rader, which would flip to one of their WeatherNet stations every few minutes.
From that night in 1994, my interest in the Austin TV business was born. A few months later I would learn of the Big Switch that was to come, and the rest as they say, is history.
KNVA's history started (possibly) a few days, maybe weeks, before that same night. That cycle of radar and weather station images was 54's entire cycle of programming for quite some time, apart for breaks for test patterns and going off air entirely. Throughout the rest of 1994, it was learned that KNVA was owned by Ron Oliviera and a company called 54 Broadcasting, would sign up to carry the WB Television Network when it signed onto the airwaves the following January. This came after it was speculated that 54 would try to get the CBS affiliation during the news of the switch.
KNVA, by now operating out of the studios of KXAN, boosted its power and started airing syndicated programs interspersed with weather updates. These updates featured pleasant and memorable music, the KXAN weather team, and the opening announcement "This is a KNVA 54 Weather Minute, from your Local Weather Station!"
54's dabbling into the local news business was short lived and not too memorable. The KNVA 54 5:30 Update was created with the idea of catching those who just got home from the rush hour and didn't want to wait until 6 for local news. It didn't last too long, and was cancelled after about a year and a half. Shortly thereafter in 1999 KNVA signed up to carry the struggling statewide program "The News of Texas," which supposedly did even worse, to the point where it was cancelled mid-week during the Summer of 2000, showing up on KLRU the next day.
KNVA was moderately successful from a ratings standpoint, frequently beating KEYE during the 5 and 6pm time periods, and as The WB gained a reputation for teen-enthralled dramas and serials, Channel 54 took on a more hip, urban look, eventually evolving on-screen into being called simply "Austin's WB."
Where the Switch of '95 had its main impact upon KTBC and KEYE, the Merge of '06 had a direct impact on KNVA. Early in 2006 it was revealed that The WB and rival UPN would cease operations, then fuse together to form The CW. About a month later, Fox, which would stand to lose a great many UPN affiliates' primetime schedules, and created MyNetworkTV as a result.
KNVA had a win-win situation on its hands, as it was soon learned that Austin/San-Antonio split station KBEJ, which had earned a CW affiliation, would cut off its Austin translators upon the network launch, leaving KNVA free to pick up the network as well. And as a boon, it was announced that 54 would also sign up with MyNetworkTV, airing the latter's programming immediately following the former.