Publisher

The history of KDFI My 27 and KDFW FOX 4 begins more than 80 years ago, during the "golden age" of radio. On Oct. 30, 1926, KRLD-AM radio signed on the air for the very first time. The call letters KRLD came from an acronym from the station's joint owners: Edwin J. "K"iest and the "R"adio "L"aboratories of "D"allas. A year later, in 1927, the founders sold KRLD to the Dallas Times Herald newspaper. The same year, the station signed up to be the very first Texas affiliate on the brand-new Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) radio network. In the 1940s, in the dawn of the "television age," KRLD's owners decided to open their own TV station. KRLD-TV Channel 4 was the fourth Texas TV station granted a license to operate by the Federal Communications Commission. Channel 4 signed on the air Dec. 3, 1949. The very first telecast? Typical Texas: a football game -- SMU vs Notre Dame. We soon added news and local entertainment programs, and hooked our sails to the CBS television network. The 1950s saw televisions coming to almost every home in the country, and Lucy and Ricky Ricardo were the mainstays on evening television. The "birth" of their son, Little Ricky, was one of the very first golden moments of this new medium. Perhaps the most significant days in Channel 4 history came in November 1963. On Friday, Nov. 22, Channel 4 was broadcasting "live" John F. Kennedy's visit to Dallas. Now in the 21st century, KDFW FOX 4 and KDFI 27 are part of one of the country's largest TV station groups, FOX Television Stations, which in turn is part of the vast FOX Entertainment Group. Our parent company is News Corporation, a Fortune 500 company that is a recognized worldwide leader in industries such as broadcast and satellite television, TV and movie production, magazines, newspapers, and books. With more than six decades of tradition, the state's largest local news team, and the worldwide resources of News Corp. and FOX, the possibilities for the future are endless at KDFW FOX 4!