KHBS

---

title: "KHBS" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1971-establishments-in-arkansas", "american-broadcasting-company-affiliates", "the-cw-affiliates", "hearst-television", "metv-affiliates", "story-television-affiliates", "television-channels-and-stations-established-in-1971", "television-stations-in-northwest-arkansas"] description: "Television station in Fort Smith, Arkansas" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KHBS" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Television station in Fort Smith, Arkansas ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox television station dual"]

Field	Value
name1	KHBS
city1	Fort Smith, Arkansas
logo	KHBS2022logo.png
logo_size	150px
image	KHBS-DT2 2024.svg
image_size	140px
branding
digital1	21 (UHF)
virtual1	40
affiliations
country	United States
airdate1
callsign_meaning1	Hernreich Broadcasting Stations (founding owner)
former_callsigns1	KFPW-TV (1971–1983)
former_channel_numbers1	Analog: 40 (UHF, 1971–2009)
owner	Hearst Television
licensee	Arkansas Hearst Television Inc.
former_affiliations1	CBS (1971–1978)
erp1	325 kW
haat1	602 m
facility_id1	60353
coordinates1
licensing_authority	FCC
website
name2	KHOG-TV
city2	Fayetteville, Arkansas
digital2	15 (UHF)
virtual2	29
airdate2
callsign_meaning2	Hog (mascot for the University of Arkansas)
former_callsigns2	KTVP (1977–1987)
former_channel_numbers2	Analog: 29 (UHF, 1977–2009)
former_affiliations2	CBS (1977–1978)
erp2	180 kW
haat2	266 m
facility_id2	60354
coordinates2
::

| name1 = KHBS | city1 = Fort Smith, Arkansas | logo = KHBS2022logo.png | logo_size = 150px | image = KHBS-DT2 2024.svg | image_size = 140px | branding = | digital1 = 21 (UHF) | virtual1 = 40 | affiliations = | country = United States | airdate1 = | callsign_meaning1 = Hernreich Broadcasting Stations (founding owner) | former_callsigns1 = KFPW-TV (1971–1983) | former_channel_numbers1 = Analog: 40 (UHF, 1971–2009) | owner = Hearst Television | licensee = Arkansas Hearst Television Inc. | sister_stations = | former_affiliations1 = CBS (1971–1978) | erp1 = 325 kW | haat1 = 602 m | facility_id1 = 60353 | coordinates1 = | licensing_authority = FCC | website = | name2 = KHOG-TV | city2 = Fayetteville, Arkansas | digital2 = 15 (UHF) | virtual2 = 29 | airdate2 = | callsign_meaning2 = Hog (mascot for the University of Arkansas) | former_callsigns2 = KTVP (1977–1987) | former_channel_numbers2 = Analog: 29 (UHF, 1977–2009) | former_affiliations2 = CBS (1977–1978) | erp2 = 180 kW | haat2 = 266 m | facility_id2 = 60354 | coordinates2 = KHBS (channel 40) in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and KHOG-TV (channel 29) in Fayetteville, Arkansas, together known as "40/29", are television stations serving as the ABC and CW Plus affiliates for the Arkansas River Valley and Northwest Arkansas. Owned by Hearst Television, the two stations maintain studios on Ajax Avenue in Rogers. KHBS's transmitter is located on Cavanal Hill in northwestern Le Flore County, Oklahoma (northwest of Poteau), while KHOG-TV's transmitter is located near Ed Edwards Road in rural northeastern Washington County, Arkansas, just southeast of the Fayetteville city limits.

Channel 40 in Fort Smith began broadcasting on July 28, 1971, as KFPW-TV, the city's second TV station. It was built by George T. Hernreich; initially airing second-choice programming from all of the Big Three networks, it became a primary CBS affiliate in 1973 and a sole ABC affiliate in 1978. In 1977, KFPW-TV's programming began to be rebroadcast in Fayetteville by KTVP on channel 29, the former KGTO-TV (channel 36) with new facilities and equipment. This expanded 40/29's reach to Northwest Arkansas, a market where it would later find a substantial viewership base. The stations changed call signs to KHBS and KHOG-TV in 1983 and 1987, respectively.

Hernreich family members owned 40/29 until 1996, when it was acquired by Argyle Television, which merged into Hearst in 1998. It has remained competitive in news ratings with KFSM-TV, whose traditional viewership base is in the Arkansas River Valley.

History

George T. Hernreich trading as KFPW Broadcasting Company, owner of Fort Smith radio station KFPW (1230 AM), applied to build a station on channel 24 on March 15, 1967. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated his application and a second from a consortium known as Broadcasters Unlimited for comparative hearing on March 11, 1968, after which Hernreich amended his application to specify channel 40. The FCC granted Hernreich a construction permit on May 28, 1969.

KFPW-TV began airing limited programming on July 28, 1971, from studios on Albert Pike in Fort Smith. It was the first time that the Fort Smith market had two competing stations in more than 15 years. It aired programs from all three major networks: ABC, CBS, and NBC. At the time, Fort Smith's other TV station, KFSM-TV (channel 5), did likewise: KFPW-TV aired ten ABC prime-time programs, eight from CBS, and five from NBC in the fall 1971 television season. This arrangement ended in 1973, when KFPW-TV obtained first call rights to CBS programming, which was supplemented by ABC.

Channel 40 had been allowed to go on the air by the FCC amid an investigation into practices at Hernreich's other TV station, KAIT in Jonesboro. KAIT was being investigated in a bribery scandal involving ABC, and the FCC conditioned approval of a final broadcast license for KFPW-TV on the outcome of its Jonesboro hearing. In April 1973, FCC administrative law judge Forest L. McClenning ruled that Hernreich should lose the licenses for both stations. He found that Hernreich lacked the qualifications to be a broadcast licensee, putting his other holdings—two AM radio stations and an FM outlet in other Arkansas cities—in peril. McClenning rejected allegations from Hernreich that the payments were made on threat of losing the ABC affiliation for KAIT-TV. On appeal to the FCC in 1974, Hernreich won a license for KFPW-TV and was found to be generally qualified, but the commission on a 3-2 vote denied a license renewal for KAIT-TV; that decision was reversed five years later.

During this time, Hernreich made arrangements to buy a station in Fayetteville. In May 1973, Hernreich filed to buy KGTO-TV from Noark Investments to convert it to a satellite station of KFPW-TV. KGTO-TV went off the air that December awaiting approval of the sale. Hernreich received conditional approval to buy the station in 1975, dependent on the outcome of the other proceedings, as well as approval to build an FM station in Fort Smith in 1976. To save costs, Hernreich successfully petitioned the FCC to change KGTO-TV from channel 36 to channel 29, and the station returned to the air as KTVP on December 5, 1977, with local studios in Fayetteville's McIlroy Plaza. The Fayetteville operation later moved to quarters on Church Street.

Fort Smith received a third local TV station in 1978 when KLMN (channel 24) began. Ahead of it going on the air, Hernreich held talks with ABC and CBS for exclusive affiliation. When CBS heard of this, they decided to cut ties with KFPW–KTVP; this left the stations to sign with ABC, which Hernreich believed "would be the main vibrant force in network television for the next five years". Channel 24 then affiliated with CBS. When the Hernreichs sold their Fort Smith radio holdings in 1983, the KFPW call sign stayed with the radio station, and channel 40 changed to KHBS, reflecting its parent, Hernreich Broadcasting Stations. That same year, Hernreich completed construction on new Fayetteville studios and upgraded the channel 40 transmitter facility. In 1985, George Hernreich sold KHBS–KTVP to Sigma Broadcasting, controlled by his children Cynthia and Robert Hernreich, separating the television station from Hernreich's remaining radio interests in Hot Springs. KTVP became KHOG-TV in 1987.

Argyle Television of San Antonio, Texas, purchased KHBS–KHOG from Sigma in 1996. In August 1997, Argyle merged with the Hearst Corporation's broadcasting unit to form what was then known as Hearst-Argyle Television. After years of maintaining its operations in facilities in Fort Smith and Fayetteville, Hearst-Argyle opened a new, 12900 ft2 studio in Rogers in 2007, as growth in Northwest Arkansas and particularly Benton County outpaced the Fort Smith area.

KHBS and KHOG began broadcasting The CW as subchannels on April 28, 2008. Previously, CW programming was not available even on cable because the market lacked a local affiliate and the network denied Cox Communications permission to offer a direct network feed to subscribers. Arkansas CW was provided in high definition beginning in 2012.

News operation

, KHBS/KHOG presently broadcasts hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with five hours each weekday, three hours on Saturdays, and hours on Sundays). In addition, the station produces hours of locally produced newscasts each week for its CW-affiliated DT2 subchannel (with 1½ hours on weekdays, and one hour each on Saturdays and Sundays). The station may also simulcast long-form severe weather coverage on KHBS-DT2/KHOG-DT2 in the event that a tornado warning is issued for any county in its viewing area within northwest Arkansas and east-central Oklahoma.

On April 18, 2011, KHBS/KHOG expanded its weekday morning newscast 40/29 News Sunrise, to hours from 4:30 to 7 a.m., becoming one of the smallest stations in terms of market size to extend its morning newscast to a 4:30 a.m. start time. On September 13, 2011, the stations became the first in the Fort Smith–Fayetteville television market to begin broadcasting its newscasts in 16:9 widescreen standard definition. The station is currently broadcast in full 1080i high definition.

Arkansas CW began airing newscasts in 2012, when a 9 p.m. half-hour newscast debuted. A morning news extension debuted in 2016, followed by half-hour Saturday and Sunday early evening newscasts in 2017. A 4 p.m. newscast was added on the main channel in 2024.

Notable former on-air staff

• Sharyn Alfonsi

Technical information

The KHBS transmitter is located on Cavanal Hill near Poteau, Oklahoma. The KHOG-TV transmitter is located on Robinson Mountain, southeast of Fayetteville. The stations' signals are multiplexed with three shared subchannels and two unique subchannels:

::data[format=table title="Subchannels of KHBS{{cite web|title=RabbitEars TV Query for KHBS|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KHBS#station|website=[[RabbitEars]]|access-date=August 5, 2017}}"]

Channel	Res.	Aspect	Short name	Programming	40.1	40.2	40.3	40.4	40.5
720p	16:9	KHBS-DT	ABC
ARK-CW	The CW Plus
480i	MeTV-AR	MeTV
STORY	Story Television
Nosey	Nosey
::

::data[format=table title="Subchannels of KHOG-TV{{cite web|title=RabbitEars TV Query for KHOG|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KHOG#station|website=RabbitEars|access-date=August 5, 2017}}"]

Channel	Res.	Aspect	Short name	Programming	29.1	29.2	29.3	29.4	29.5
720p	16:9	KHOG-DT	ABC
ARK-CW	The CW Plus
480i	MeTV-AR	MeTV
Ion	Ion Plus
HSN	HSN
::

Analog-to-digital conversion

Both stations ended regular programming on their analog signals, respectively on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital channel allocations post-transition are as follows:

• KHBS ended regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 40; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 21, using virtual channel 40.
• KHOG-TV ended regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 29; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 15, using virtual channel 29.

Notes

References

References

1. "History Cards for KHBS". Federal Communications Commission.
2. (April 16, 1968). "Legal". Fort Smith Times Record.
3. (July 29, 1971). "Second City TV Station Begins Tests". Times Record.
4. (August 29, 1971). "Fall Prime-Time Lineup". Southwest Times Record.
5. (September 9, 1973). "Channel 40 Plans Expanded Operation". Southwest Times Record.
6. (September 19, 1976). "Select ABC programs on 40". Southwest Times Record.
7. (August 2, 1971). "FCC-network probe alleged ABC payoff: Hearings called to examine Arkansas broadcaster's applications for licenses". Broadcasting.
8. (April 30, 1973). "FCC judge rejects Hernreich's claim of being victimized: McClenning proposes lifting licenses for involvement in payoff to network official". Broadcasting.
9. (July 22, 1974). "Hernreich loses KAIT-TV license, retains KFPW-TV's: Ark. broadcaster's renewal denied after FCC holds his payment of bribe for ABC affiliation favors beyond pale of Chairman Wiley's 'new ethic'". Broadcasting.
10. (May 14, 1979). "In Brief". Broadcasting.
11. (May 30, 1973). "Television Sale Proposal Before Federal Agency". Northwest Arkansas Times.
12. (January 11, 1974). "KGTO Is Awaiting Approval Of Sale". Northwest Arkansas Times.
13. (May 12, 1975). "Hernreich's purchase of KGTO Co. given yellow light at FCC". Broadcasting.
14. (February 16, 1976). "This time the nod goes to Hernreich". Broadcasting.
15. (April 14, 1977). "Television Broadcast Stations in Fayetteville, Arkansas, et al.". [[Federal Register]].
16. (December 6, 1977). "TV Station On Air". Northwest Arkansas Times.
17. Roberts, Stacey. (May 20, 2007). "Area TV stations shifting focus, facilities north". [[Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]].
18. (May 17, 1978). "Musical Affils In Arkansas". Variety.
19. Smith, Mike. (May 9, 1978). "Third for Fort Smith: Work begins on TV station". Southwest Times Record.
20. (February 13, 1983). "KFPW-TV gets new call letters". Times Record.
21. (January 14, 1985). "Changing Hands". Broadcasting.
22. Prichard, Kerry. (March 21, 1996). "Fort Smith's ABC affiliate sold to Texas-based firm". Times Record.
23. (March 27, 1997). "Hearst to acquire Jackson's WAPT in merger with owner, Argyle Television". Clarion-Ledger.
24. Campo, Thomas W.. (September 2, 1997). "Argyle Television and Hearst Broadcasting Group merger completed; Preliminary election results announced". BusinessWire.
25. Malone, Michael. (June 3, 2009). "Hearst Moves On Merger". Broadcasting & Cable.
26. (September 7, 2007). "40/29 readies Rogers station". Benton County Daily Record.
27. Malone, Michael. (April 9, 2008). "KHBS, KHOG Offer The CW on Digital Channel".
28. (April 8, 2008). "CW Signs Digital Affils In Arkansas".
29. (April 4, 2008). "40/29 To Add CW Network".
30. Boulden, Ben. (April 3, 2007). "Cable Goes On Without 'Veronica Mars': Cox Cannot Find Affiliate". Times Record.
31. (June 27, 2012). "The Arkansas CW leads nation in primetime audience delivery". Hearst Television.
32. (April 14, 2011). "KHBS-KHOG Expands Morning News".
33. Knox, Merrill. (August 20, 2012). "KHBS-KHOG Launch Evening Newscast on Arkansas CW-Affiliate".
34. (September 15, 2017). "Arkansas CW Launches Weekend 5 PM News".
35. Malone, Michael. (July 16, 2024). "KHBS-KHOG Fort Smith, Arkansas, Premieres 4 P.M. News in August".
36. Bonko, Larry. (May 17, 2006). "A well-conceived invention from WAVY alum". [[The Virginian-Pilot]].
37. "RabbitEars TV Query for KHBS".
38. "RabbitEars TV Query for KHOG".
39. "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds".

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