About KVCT / KAVU ABC25
In fall 1969, the station signed on the air as KXIX, an ABC affiliate. It was originally a satellite of KIII in Corpus Christi. In 1976, channel 19 was sold to local ownership and became a separate station.In 1984, the call letters were changed to KVCT. Financial problems eventually led to the station dropping the ABC affiliation and dissolving its news operation in 1990, becoming a religious station, as an affiliate of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN).
In 1994, KVCT entered into a local marketing agreement with KAVU-TV and became a Fox affiliate. Before then, the network was available on cable via either KRIV in Houston or KRRT (now CW affiliate KMYS) in San Antonio or via Foxnet. KAVU also periodically produced newscasts for the station. After an attempt in 1998, local news was not seen on KVCT until 2002, when the current newscast debuted. Saga Communications, KAVU's owner, eventually bought channel 19 outright.