KATV first signed on the air on December 19, 1953, originally licensed to Pine Bluff as a CBS affiliate with a secondary ABC affiliation. KATV would later take the ABC affiliation fully in 1955 when KTHV signed on and took CBS. Channel 7 was founded by John Toole "J.T." Griffin and James C. "Jimmy" Leake (who also founded sister station KTUL-TV in Tulsa and original sister station KWTV in Oklahoma City, the company founded by the former of the two founders would later become the present-day Griffin Communications).
1962–1965
1965–present
1965–1976
KATV has used the Circle 7 logo since 1965, a logo that had traditionally been associated at the time with ABC owned-and-operated stations, and was one of the network's first affiliates to have used the logo (as designed by G. Dean Smith in 1962). KATV's use of the Circle 7 logo predates even the variant Circle 7 used by Allbritton flagship and now sister station WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C.
On November 3, 1982, Leake Industries sold KATV and KTUL to Washington, D.C.-based Allbritton Communications in an all-cash transaction for $80 million; the sale received FCC approval on February 14, 1983.
1976–1978
1978–1980
1978–1983 (secondary)
In 1978, KATV introduced the “Superseven" brand; the logo, based on the Superman shield, was used in tandem with the Circle 7 logo until 1983.
1983–1986
1986–1989
1989–1992
1992–1995
1995–1999
1999–2006
2006–2010
2010–2023
2010–2012
2012–2013
2013–2019
2019–2023
2023–present
The gold coloring was removed, resembling the Circle 7 logos of sister stations WJLA-TV and KRCR-TV.
1Owned by Tennessee Broadcasting and operated by Sinclair under an outsourcing agreement. 2Nominally owned by Cunningham Broadcasting and operated by Sinclair under an LMA. However, trusts belonging to members of Sinclair's founding Smith family control almost all of Cunningham's stock. 3Operated by Nexstar Media Group under an LMA. 4Owned by Second Generation of Iowa, Ltd., operated by Sinclair under an LMA. 5Owned by Howard Stirk Holdings, operated by Sinclair under an LMA. 6Owned by Mercury Broadcasting Company and operated by Sinclair. 7Owned by Deerfield Media and operated by Sinclair under an LMA. 8Owned by New Age Media and operated by Sinclair under an MSA. 9Owned by MPS Media, but operated by New Age Media under an LMA. 10Owned by Main Street Sports Group. 11Co-owned with Yankee Global Enterprises, The Blackstone Group, Amazon, RedBird Capital and Mubadala Investment Company. 12Co-owned with Chicago Cubs. 13Owned by Palm Television, L.P. and operated by Cunningham Broadcasting under an LMA. 14Operated by Marquee Broadcasting under an SSA. 15Owned by Rincon Broadcasting Group, but operated by Sinclair under an SSA. 16Owned by Rincon Broadcasting Group, but operated by Sinclair under an LMA. 17Owned and operated directly by Cunningham. 18Owned by Sinclair, but operated by Rincon Broadcasting Group under an SSA.
