KARZ-TV

This article is about the Little Rock, Arkansas television station. For the Marshall, Minnesota radio station, see KARZ (FM).

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KARZ-TV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Central Arkansas. It is licensed to Little Rock. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 42 from a transmitter on Shinall Mountain near the Chenal Valley section of Little Rock. Owned by the Nexstar Broadcasting Group, the station is sister to NBC affiliate KARK-TV (channel 4). Nexstar also operates Fox affiliate KLRT-TV (channel 16) and CW affiliate KASN (channel 38) under an outsourcing agreement, owned by Mission Broadcasting. All four share studios on West Capitol Avenue in Downtown Little Rock, one block east of the Arkansas State Capitol.

Digital television

Digital channels

Channel	Aspect	Video	Programming
42.1	16:9	720p	Main KARZ-TV programming / MyNetworkTV
42.2	4:3	480i	Bounce TV

It broadcasted former sister stations KKYK on subchannel 42.2 and KHUG-LP (an LAT TV affiliate) on 42.3. This ended on February 1, 2009 when Nexstar gained control of the station. In 2008, Equity allowed Little Rock's ABC affiliate KATV to temporarily take over 42.3 after its tower collapsed. Through PSIP, it was remmaped to 7.1, KATV's usual channel number.

KARZ-TV requested to transmit in digital only, effective June 12, 2009. After it shut down its analog signal on that date, the rescheduled completion date of the nationwide analog television shutdown, KARZ-DT remained on its pre-transition digital channel number, 44, using PSIP to display its virtual channel as 42.

History

After purchasing the license from defunct station KVUT, Paxson Communications (now ION Media Networks) launched the station on December 1, 1997 as KYPX, an affiliate of InTV, a network that primarily ran infomercials; it became an affiliate of PAX when it launched in August 1998. In 2001, after Paxson sold the station to Equity Broadcasting, it swapped affiliations with new sister station KKYK and became an affiliate of The WB. The calls were initially changed to KLRA-TV but switched to KWBF. Its call letters referred both to the network and its defunct mascot, Michigan J. Frog. Additionally, a nickname for the station in its later WB-affiliate years was "The Frog". During its existence as KWBF, it was the flagship station of Little Rock-based Equity Broadcasting. KWBF was also seen on a repeater, KWBF-LP channel 47, in Sheridan. There are no longer U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) records of that station.

In January 2006 three years prior to becoming a sister station to KARK, the station made headlines when it decided to air NBC's The Book of Daniel after KARK, the local NBC affiliate, declined to do so. Because of the controversial nature of the series, the station came under fire for this and had to hire extra security after threats were made against the station.

In Fall 2006, The WB ceased broadcasting and merged with UPN into a new network called The CW. Only one WB/UPN affiliate in each market could join The CW, and KWBF was rejected in favor of KASN. Instead, it joined MyNetworkTV, another new network created by News Corp. for former WB/UPN stations that couldn't affiliate with The CW. The network launched on September 5 and the station became known on-air as "My 42". On October 7, 2008, the $4 million sale of the station to Irving, Texas-based Nexstar Broadcasting Group was announced.

On December 8, Equity filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to attempts by creditors to force the company into liquidation. Meanwhile, the FCC approved Nexstar's purchase of KWBF on December 23. The sale closed on January 30, and Nexstar took control of the station on February 1, making it part of a duopoly with KARK. At this point, the station changed its call letters to the current KARZ-TV, rebranded to "Z 42", and boosted its power. It also started airing a one hour KARK-produced newscast weeknights at 7, delaying MyNetworkTV programming to 8. Nexstar's purchase of the station was legally consummated on March 12, 2009.

On July 19, 2012, Newport Television reached a deal to sell 22 of its 27 stations to Nexstar, Sinclair Broadcast Group and Cox Media Group. KLRT-TV and KASN were among the twelve that would be sold to Nexstar. However, since Nexstar already owns KARK and KARZ, the licenses for KLRT and KASN was transferred to Mission Broadcasting to comply with FCC regulations prohibiting common ownership between two of the four largest stations in a single market. The deal was consummated on January 3, 2013. On February 2, The KLRT/KASN operations were consolidated with KARK and KARZ at KARK's downtown Little Rock studios, making this the first time where four full-power television stations in one market, carrying four of the six largest English-language networks (NBC, Fox, CW and MyNetworkTV) being controlled by one company; and all four being housed in one facility.

Programming

Syndicated programming on KARZ includes but are not limited to: The Daily Buzz, Access Hollywood, The Insider, The Office, America's Funniest Home Videos, Roseanne, The Steve Wilkos Show, Judge Alex, Justice for All with Judge Cristina Pérez, Judge Joe Brown, The King of Queens, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns, Rules of Engagement, Family Guy, American Dad!, 30 Rock It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The New Adventures of Old Christine, 'Til Death, and Cash Cab.

The MyNetworkTV primetime programming block airs weeknights from 7 to 9 p.m. on KARZ.

Newscasts and other local programming

"Arkansas Sports Nation", which airs weeknights at 10:30 p.m., is a KARK-produced sports show that highlights Arkansas sports. The Daily Buzz is sometimes shown weekday mornings from 5-7 a.m., followed by a one-hour extension of KARK's morning newscast, KARK 4 Today, from 7-8 a.m. On April 20, 2011, KARK became the third Little Rock station and the first Nexstar-owned station to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition. The KARZ shows were included in the upgrade.

KARK 4 Today on KARZ 42
(Weekdays 7 to 8 a.m.)

• Anchors:
  • Matt Mosler
  • Wendy Suares
  • Mallory Hardin
• Weather:
  • Greg Dee

Arkansas Sports Nation
(Weeknights 10:35 to 11 p.m.)

• Hosts:
  • Jason Snavely
  • Trey Mallett
  • Jay Bir

Station presentation

Station slogans

• Real Variety (2009–present; primary general slogan)
• The Best Mix of Favorites (secondary general slogan; 2009–present)
• Little Rock's News Channel (2009–present; news slogan)

External links

• ArkansasMatters.com - Official KARK/KARZ-TV Website
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• KARZ Station Profile & Public Inspection Files