KFXA

KFXA
CityCedar Rapids, Iowa
Channels
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerSecond Generation of Iowa, Ltd.
OperatorSinclair Broadcast Group
KGAN
History
First air date
January 10, 1988
(36 years ago)
 (1988-01-10)
Former call signs
KOCR (1988–1995)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 28 (UHF, 1988–2009)
  • Fox (1988–1994, 1995–2021)
  • Silent (1994–1995)
Call sign meaning
"Fox A" (former affiliation and KFXB-TV simulcast)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID35336
ERP1,000 kW
HAAT449 m (1,473 ft)
Transmitter coordinates42°5′25″N 92°5′14″W / 42.09028°N 92.08722°W / 42.09028; -92.08722
Links
Public license information

KFXA (channel 28) is a television station licensed to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States, serving Eastern Iowa as an affiliate of the digital multicast network Dabl. It is owned by Second Generation of Iowa, Ltd., which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of dual CBS/Fox affiliate KGAN (channel 2), for the provision of certain services. The two stations share studios at Broadcast Park on Old Marion Road Northeast (along IA 100) in Cedar Rapids; KFXA's transmitter is located in Van Horne, Iowa.

Channel 28 began broadcasting as KOCR in January 1988. The region's Fox affiliate for most of its history, the station started out on poor financial footing; its owner, Metro Program Network, was repeatedly sued for breaching various financial obligations. The station lacked the resources to build a transmitter facility adequate to broadcast beyond the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City area, which was highlighted when it allowed KGAN to broadcast the NFL on Fox in 1994 because it could not serve the entire market. In October 1994, the station's financial troubles culminated in an eviction from its studios in northeast Cedar Rapids. The station's founding owner later admitted he didn't have the resources to properly run the station.

Second Generation acquired KOCR in 1995 and returned it to air that August as KFXA. Until 2004, it was paired with KFXB-TV (channel 40), a separately owned station in Dubuque, to provide regional coverage. Second Generation also built a new transmitter facility to increase KFXA's coverage area. KGAN owner Sinclair Broadcast Group assumed most of the station's operating functions in 2002 and bought its assets, other than the license, in 2008. Under Sinclair, KGAN added morning and late evening newscasts to KFXA's programming. On January 1, 2021, "Fox 28" became a subchannel of KGAN, leaving KFXA to broadcast national digital multicast television networks.

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KFXA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.