KCTY TV
KCTY went on the air June 9, 1953, on channel 25. Owned by Herbert Mayer's Empire Coil Company, the station had its transmitter in a rural part of Overland Park and its studio in the Pickwick Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. An affiliate of the DuMont Television Network, the company soon purchased the station. Its local programs included news, weather, and sports, some live local sporting events like Shawnee Mission High School football, and a children’s program called Share the Fun with hot Sue Bowen.
DuMont was the first station to operate a UHF (ultra high frequency) station. Most viewers at that time were able to receive VHF (very high frequency) signals between 2 and 13. Kansas City had three VHFs at the time. Few had receivers for UHF channels, those 14 and higher. The station operated until February 28, 1954. DuMont ceased programming in 1956.
Entry: KCTY TV
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: January 2014
Date Modified: April 2015
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.
