{{Short description|Television station in Laredo, Texas}} {{Multiple issues| {{More citations needed|date=May 2025}} {{Copy edit|date=May 2025}} }} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox television station | callsign = KGNS-TV | city = Laredo, Texas | logo = [[File:KGNS News 2023.svg|200px]] ---- [[File:KGNS-DT2.svg|200px]] ---- [[File:KXNU-LD-CD (2018).svg|125px]] | branding = {{ubl|KGNS|ABC Laredo (8.2)|Telemundo Laredo (8.3)}} | digital = 8 ([[VHF]]) | virtual = 8 | translators = | affiliations = {{ubl|'''8.1:''' [[NBC]]|'''8.2:''' [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]|'''[[KXNU-LD|8.3]]:''' [[Telemundo]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}} | airdate = {{Start date|1956|1|4}} | location = {{ubl|[[Laredo, Texas]]|[[Nuevo Laredo]], Tamaulipas}} | country = United States–Mexico | callsign_meaning = Your Good Neighbor Station<ref name=lmt0/> | former_callsigns = KHAD-TV (1956–1958) | former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 8 (VHF, 1956–2009)|'''Digital:''' 15 ([[UHF]], 2002–2009)}} | owner = [[Gray Media]] | licensee = Gray Television Licensee, [[LLC]] | sister_stations = [[KXNU-CD]], [[KYLX-CD]] | former_affiliations = {{ubl|[[CBS]] (secondary, 1956–1973)|ABC (secondary, 1956–1984)|[[UPN]] (secondary 1998–2004; per program after 2000)|[[The CW]] (8.2, 2006–2014)}} | erp = 20 [[kW]] | haat = {{convert|312|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} | facility_id = 10061 | coordinates = {{Coord|27|40|22|N|99|39|52|W|region:US-TX_type:landmark|name=KGNS-TV}} | licensing_authority = [[FCC]] | website = {{url|kgns.tv}} }}
'''KGNS-TV''' (channel 8) is a [[television station]] in [[Laredo, Texas]], United States, affiliated with [[NBC]] and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. It is owned by [[Gray Media]] alongside two [[low-power broadcasting#Television|low-power]], [[Class A television service|Class A]] stations: dual [[CBS]]/[[CW+]] affiliate [[KYLX-CD]] (channel 13) and [[Telemundo]] affiliate [[KXNU-CD]] (channel 10). The three stations share studios on [[Loop 20]] (near [[Texas State Highway 359|SH 359]]) in Laredo and transmitter facilities on [[FM 1472]] northwest of the city.
==History== [[File:KGNS-TV Building.jpg|left|thumb|170px|KGNS former studios on Del Mar Boulevard, near the intersection of [[Interstate 35]].]] KGNS originally went on air January 4, 1956, as KHAD-TV.<ref>{{cite news |title=TV Station Slated To Go On Air Tonight |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/laredo-morning-times-tv-station-slated-t/195135474/ |access-date=April 8, 2026 |newspaper=The Laredo Times |date=January 4, 1956 |location=Laredo, Texas |page=6 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> It has been a primary NBC affiliate since its sign on, but the station initially held secondary affiliations with [[CBS]] and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]].<ref name=lmt>{{cite news|title=Station adds ABC; will drop The CW|url=http://www.lmtonline.com/front-news/article_956efc6c-f4cf-5768-89ac-059488f16ee0.html|access-date=November 13, 2015|work=Laredo Morning Times|date=July 1, 2014}}</ref> CBS programming moved to [[KVTV]] in December 1973 (it went dark in 2015) and ABC programming moved to present-day [[Univision]] affiliate [[KLDO-TV]] in December 1984, effectively making KGNS an exclusive NBC affiliate.
Donrey Media Group (now [[Stephens Media (newspapers)|Stephens Media Group]]) bought the station on September 1, 1958. One of its first moves under Donrey ownership was to change the station's call letters. Donrey management held a contest in which elementary and middle school students from both the United States and Mexico sides of the [[Rio Grande]] region got to choose a new callsign; the winning entry resulted in the station changing its callsign to the current KGNS-TV (standing for "Good Neighbor Station").<ref name=lmt0/>
On March 14, 1987, KGNS was purchased by Century Development Corporation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Danini |first=Carmina |title=KGNS-TV changes hands |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/laredo-morning-times-kgns-tv-changes-han/195134865/ |access-date=April 8, 2026 |newspaper=Laredo Morning Times |date=March 14, 1987 |location=Laredo, Texas |pages=1A, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/laredo-morning-times-kgns/195135048/ 18A] |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> In 1990, the station began a Spanish language newscast.<ref name=lmt1>{{cite news|last1=Garcia|first1=Robert|title=Spanish newscast no mas|url=http://www.lmtonline.com/archives/article_d62d1dc7-273f-5580-b893-f3c8266cc27b.html|access-date=November 13, 2015|work=Laredo Morning Times|date=March 1, 2002}}</ref>
By 1998, KGNS gained a secondary affiliation with the United Paramount Network ([[UPN]]) lasting at least until 2000<ref>{{cite web|title=United Paramount Network Affiliates|url=https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~aarong/from-andrew/upn/upn-stations-old.html|website=cmu.edu|publisher=Aaron Greenhouse|access-date=November 13, 2015|date=May 1, 1998}} From information on upn.com.</ref><ref name=tgf>{{cite web|title=CHANNELS LISTED IN THE SOUTH TEXAS EDITION|url=http://www.reocities.com/tvgfan/0007sx.pdf|website=TV Guide Fan|publisher=TV Guide|access-date=November 13, 2015|archive-date=November 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117020031/http://www.reocities.com/tvgfan/0007sx.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> while definitively off the station by 2004,<ref>{{cite web|title=Affiliates: Texas |url=http://www.upn.com/affiliates/texas.html |website=UPN.com |publisher=United Paramount Network |access-date=November 13, 2015 |date=December 12, 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041212005946/http://www.upn.com/affiliates/texas.html |archive-date=December 12, 2004 }}</ref> then moved to cable only as "KTXW" ([[Time Warner Cable]] channel 16).<ref>{{cite web|title=Affiliates: Texas |url=http://www.upn.com/affiliates/texas.html |website=UPN.com |publisher=United Paramount Network |access-date=November 13, 2015 |date=October 18, 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051018200809/http://www.upn.com/affiliates/texas.html |archive-date=October 18, 2005 }}</ref> In 2000, the WB affiliate in the market was cable-only KTXW,<ref name=tgf/> and its successor network, The CW was carried on the .2 subchannel, which now carries ABC.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Henson|first1=Robert|title=Weather on the Air: A History of Broadcast Meteorology|date=January 22, 2013|edition=revised|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1935704003|page=30|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5W0_AAAAQBAJ&q=KTXW+KGNS&pg=PA30|access-date=November 13, 2015}}</ref>
In April 2002, the Spanish news staff resigned from their jobs, forcing the station to initially run a sitcom, then replacing it with English-language news.<ref name=lmt1/>
In 2004, the station was purchased by [[SagamoreHill Broadcasting]].<ref name=lmt0>{{cite news|last1=Rabago III|first1=Emilio|title=Local television station sold to Georgia group|url=http://www.lmtonline.com/archives/article_a3054688-8f2c-5de0-8386-711e5b21b5a9.html|access-date=November 13, 2015|work=Laredo Morning Times|date=July 31, 2004}}</ref> The sale to SagamoreHill was approved by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] on December 1, 2005.
On January 24, 2006, [[The WB]] and [[CBS Corporation]]-owned UPN announced that the two networks would cease broadcasting and merge into a new broadcast network called [[The CW]]. On September 18, 2006, KGNS-TV rebranded "KTXW" as The CW Laredo.<ref>{{cite news|title=CW Laredo will hit area TVs on Monday |url=http://www.lmtonline.com/front-news/article_0cd24fdb-dbdb-5dfb-af2a-1182c0da0cd2.html |access-date=November 13, 2015 |work=Laredo Morning Times |date=September 17, 2006}}</ref> With the subsequent sign-on of digital subchannel 8.2, the subchannel began broadcasting "KTXW", bringing the channel over-the-air coverage throughout the market.<ref name=lmt/> In 2010, local Spanish language news returned to the station on Telemundo affiliated subchannel 3.<ref name=lmt2>{{cite news|last1=Sanchez|first1=Mary Nell|title=Spanish newscast debuts |url=http://www.lmtonline.com/front-news/article_c8f861fd-8c15-5912-aee4-80886acfd622.html |access-date=November 13, 2015 |work=Laredo Morning Times |date=November 19, 2010 }}</ref>
In May 2013, SagamoreHill Broadcasting reached a deal to sell KGNS, along with [[KGWN-TV]] in [[Cheyenne, Wyoming]], and KSTF in [[Scottsbluff, Nebraska]], to Yellowstone Holdings, a subsidiary of Frontier Radio Management.<ref name=b&c-saletoyellowstone>{{cite news|last=Malone|first=Michael|title=Yellowstone Buys Laredo, Cheyenne Stations For $20.5 Million|url=https://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/493792-Yellowstone_Buys_Laredo_Cheyenne_Stations_For_20_5_Million.php|access-date=May 31, 2013|newspaper=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|date=May 31, 2013}}</ref><ref name=fcc-saletofrontier>{{cite web|title=Application For Consent To Assignment Of Broadcast Station Construction Permit Or License|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1556365&Service=DT&Form_id=314&Facility_id=10061|date=May 30, 2013|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|access-date=June 17, 2013}}</ref> On November 4, 2013, [[Gray Television]] announced a deal to acquire Yellowstone Holdings for $23 million.<ref name=tvnc-grayyellowstone>{{cite web|title=Gray Buying Yellowstone Stations|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/71701/gray-buying-yellowstone-stations|work=TVNewsCheck|date=November 4, 2013 |access-date=November 4, 2013}}</ref> The sale was completed on December 31.<ref>[http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1616408&Service=DT&Form_id=905&Facility_id=63166 Consummation Notice], ''CDBS Public Access'', [[Federal Communications Commission]], Retrieved January 2, 2014</ref>
On November 6, 2013, KGNS-TV reached an agreement with the ABC television network to add the ABC affiliation, originally slated to launch February 2014 on channel 8.2.<ref name="Gray to Air ABC on KGNS Subchannel">[http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/71776/gray-to-air-abc-on-kgns-subchannel Gray to Air ABC on KGNS Subchannel] ''TVNewsCheck'', November 6, 2013.</ref> The ABC affiliation began on July 1, 2014, making The CW available in Laredo exclusively on [[Time Warner Cable]] via the national feed of [[The CW Plus]]; ABC network programming had been provided on cable via [[KSAT-TV]] in [[San Antonio]] or [[KIII]] in [[Corpus Christi, Texas|Corpus Christi]] since KLDO-TV lost its ABC affiliation in 1988.<ref name=lmt/> CW programming would not be seen over the air in Laredo area until October 2015, as [[KYLX-LP]] picked up the affiliation.
On November 11, 2023, KGNS moved its operations from its studios on Del Mar Boulevard to a building located at Loop 20,<ref>[https://www.kgns.tv/2023/11/10/kgns-says-goodbye-del-mar-studios-set-broadcast-new-studios-loop-20/ KGNS+ says goodbye to Del Mar studios, set to broadcast from new studios on Loop 20] ''KGNS-TV'', November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.</ref> which was previously used by [[Entravision]]-owned [[KLDO-TV]].
==News operation== Since CBS affiliate KVTV shut down its news department in 2006, KGNS has operated the only English-language news department in the market. It currently airs three hours of newscasts every weekday and one hour per day on weekends. According to [[Nielsen Media Research]], KGNS competes closely with Spanish-language station KLDO.
In 1990, the station began a Spanish language newscast at 5 p.m. called {{lang|es|Noticias en Español}} with news anchor Hector Lerma. On April 29, 2002, the Spanish news staff resigned from the station forcing them to run a sitcom in that time slot. KGNS eventually replaced the Spanish news broadcast with English language news on March 1 of the following year.<ref name=lmt1/> In 2010, local Spanish language news returned to the station on Telemundo affiliated subchannel 8.3. Initially, there was a Sunday morning show, {{lang|es|Telemundo Laredo...En tu Casa}}, then expanded on November 18, 2010, with a weeknight 10 p.m. show.<ref name=lmt2/>
On June 21, 2008, KGNS-TV began producing a weeknight, 9 p.m. newscast on its CW-affiliated second [[digital subchannel]] titled ''Laredo's First News at 9''. This program was the only prime time newscast in the [[Laredo–Nuevo Laredo|Laredo-Nuevo Laredo market]] until Fox affiliate [[KXOF-CA]] launched a competing 9 p.m. newscast on April 9, 2012. The half-hour newscast is anchored by Brenda Medina and Ryan Bailey. This newscast was targeted at young adults between the ages of 21 and 34 years old.<ref>[http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19794051&BRD=2290&PAG=461&dept_id=569392&rfi=6 New news show begins Monday on CW, ch. 19] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608022625/http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19794051&BRD=2290&PAG=461&dept_id=569392&rfi=6 |date=June 8, 2011 }}, ''[[Laredo Morning Times]]''</ref>
==Technical information== ===Subchannels=== The station's signal is [[multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]: {| class="wikitable" |+Subchannels of KGNS-TV<ref>{{Cite web |title=Digital TV Market Listing for KGNS-TV |url=https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KGNS-TV#station |access-date=December 29, 2023 |website=RabbitEars}}</ref> ! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]] ! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]] ! scope = "col" | Short name ! scope = "col" | Programming |- ! scope = "row" | 8.1 | [[1080i]] || KGNS-TV || [[NBC]] |- ! scope = "row" | 8.2 | rowspan="2"|[[720p]] || ABC || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |- ! scope = "row" | [[KXNU-CD|8.3]] | style="background-color: #E6FFF7;"|TELEMUN || style="background-color: #E6FFF7;"|[[Telemundo]] ([[KXNU-CD]]) |- ! scope = "row" | 8.4 | rowspan="3"|[[480i]] || || [[Ion Television|Ion]] |- ! scope = "row" | 8.5 | Justice || [[True Crime Network]] |- ! scope = "row" | 8.6 | || [[Ion Plus]] |} {{legend|#E6FFF7|Simulcast of subchannels of another station}}
===Analog-to-digital conversion=== On April 8, 2004, KGNS-TV launched its digital signal on [[UHF]] channel 15, becoming the first television station in the Laredo market to operate a digital broadcast television signal. KGNS-TV discontinued its analog signal and began broadcasting exclusively on a digital-only signal on June 12, 2009.<ref name="Analog to Digital">{{cite web|url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=March 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 }}</ref> The station vacated its pre-transition digital channel 15, and moved its digital channel allocation to its former analog VHF channel 8. KGNS-TV began broadcasting [[High-definition television|high-definition]] programming on its digital signal in October 2008.<ref>[http://www.pro8news.com/about KGNS | About Us] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820015312/http://www.pro8news.com/about |date=August 20, 2008 }}</ref>
==See also== *[[Channel 8 digital TV stations in the United States]] *[[Channel 8 virtual TV stations in the United States]]
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== *{{Official website|https://www.kgns.tv}}
{{Laredo TV}} {{Texas English TV}} {{Texas Spanish TV}} {{Gray TV}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kgns-Tv}} [[Category:American Broadcasting Company affiliates]] [[Category:Gray Media]] [[Category:Ion Plus affiliates]] [[Category:Ion Television affiliates]] [[Category:NBC affiliates]] [[Category:Telemundo affiliates]] [[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1956]] [[Category:Television stations in Laredo, Texas|GNS-TV]] [[Category:True Crime Network affiliates]]