Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Saunders Guides Dallas Powerhouse Through Stiff Challenges

10/12/2019

GM of the Year, Markets 1-25: Kathy Saunders, KDFW, Dallas-Fort Worth

Gaining a ratings point in Dallas-Fort Worth is a tall order, with a batch of intensely focused stations doing battle in every daypart. But Fox-owned KDFW, under Kathy Saunders, is inching ahead against stations owned by CBS, NBC and Tegna.

KDFWs Kathy Saunders keeps the Fox-owned station community minded.

Saunders said the hot news races bring out the best at Fox 4. This market is so, so competitive, and that's a good thing, she said. It keeps us paying attention and on our toes.

Fox 4 connects with viewers thanks in large part to the extraordinary connection its talent has with viewers. Saunders, KDFW's general manager since 1997, noted how comfortably residents approach anchors at community events. The station's involvement with events in Dallas-Fort Worth, including carnival Mayfest in the spring and the Plano Balloon Festival in September, stokes that relationship. Viewers are similarly comfortable watching the anchors on TV, whether it's on morning colossus Good Day, late news or the new sports program.

I think the viewer feels very comfortable with us, Saunders said. What they need to know, they know we'll be there to tell them.

More Local Heroes: Station Group of the Year | GM of the Year, Markets 26-50 | GM of the Year, Markets 51+ | News Director of the Year | Multiplatform Broadcaster of the Year

The station cranks out close to 60 hours of news a week. KDFW took the sign-on-to-sign-off crown in November, its 1.5 rating in viewers 25-54 topping the 0.9s put up by KXAS and WFAA. It also won 7-9 a.m. news, 5 and 6 p.m., and late news, too. (KDFW airs late news at 9 p.m.)

The station has had a couple big launches of late. Late in 2018, KDFW extended Good Day by another hour. The program now goes 4-10 a.m. The show is a mix of news, anchor banter, chef segments, musical guests and whatever else turns up. News is a big part of it, but there's an easier feel, Saunders said.

Fox 4s Mike Doocy at a Toys for Tots event.

Around the same time, Fox 4 premiered the sports show Free 4 All in the 10:30 p.m. slot Sunday through Friday. The program, hosted by Mike Doocy and Samantha Gannon, regularly beats competing late-night programs.

KDFW is also a key player in Fox Television Stations' program testing strategy. It aired The Wendy Williams Show, TMZ Live and 25 Words or Less in limited runs before they went national.

Saunders has managed KDFW through some frightful challenges. In October, as many as 10 tornadoes whipped through the market. It being a Sunday, chief meteorologist Dan Henry was not scheduled to work, but turned up anyway because that's the way things go at the station. We were ready to make sure viewers knew what was going on, Saunders said.

Station leadership prepares for most any disaster, including tornadoes. But no one anticipated what happened in September 2018, when a troubled man rammed his truck into station headquarters. Michael Fry repeatedly smashed his pickup into the KDFW building around 6 a.m. that Wednesday, then exited his vehicle and began ranting.

Fry was apprehended by police. The building sustained considerable damage, but KDFW stayed on the air throughout. Saunders got the staff together for a reassuring meeting. She was very calm, very professional, very caring, news director Robin Whitmeyer said. She didn't get riled up and didn't get emotional.

Saunders was struck by how the newsroom stayed focused on breaking this big, and a bit too local, story. They really wanted to keep doing the broadcast, and they did, she said.

Jack Abernethy, Fox Television Stations CEO, said a general manager has no one in the area to lean on when trouble strikes. Things happen and you have to lead, he said. Kathy was a calming influence.

Looking Ahead

Saunders is preparing for the future by keeping the station connected to the next generation of viewers. Fox 4 has a whopping 1.5 million Facebook followers, while WFAA has 930,000, KXAS has 852,000 and KTVT has 496,000. She has pushed for a high-energy, digital approach to content delivery. If it's important enough to have on the air, it had better be on digital also, said Saunders.

Abernethy noted KDFW's extremely successful weather app, called Fox 4 WAPP.

Outside of work, Saunders enjoys golf and decorating but said she's hardly a master of either. I can't seem to get my handicap down, she said, and described herself as a frustrated interior designer.

There's nothing frustrating about her work at KDFW. Abernethy said Fox's expertly run Dallas-Fort Worth operation makes his job easy. I don't have to worry about Kathy at all, he said. General managers like her make my job irrelevant.
LINK: https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/saunders-guides-dallas-powerhou...
See more stories from bandc

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

09/10/2026

Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026

September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026 New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

23/09/2026

University of Washington's New Sundodger Studios Leverages ST 2110 to Bring Broadcast, Videoboard, and Creative Under One Roof

Four control rooms support B1G+ streams, videoboard shows, creative content, and...

23/09/2026

Mountain West Conference Moves Replay Operations West, Cutting Late-Night Hours

By Andrew Cohen, SVG Coorespondant The Mountain West debuted its new Replay Operations Center at the start of this football season, bringing real-time collabor...

23/09/2026

SVG Students to Watch: Brian Short, Ball State University

The Taylorville, IL, native is pushing creative boundaries at Ball State, gaining reps across directing, technical directing, tape, and more than 100 ESPN+ broa...

23/09/2026

The Musical and the Power of Spiteful Thinking

Alexander Heller, Nevada Jose, Will Brill, and Giselle Bonilla pose with cast members at The Musical premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles...

23/09/2026

The Crow Hill Company release Children's Choir

Includes natural and processed patches The Crow Hill Company's latest sample library captures a children's choir comprising a troupe of boys perform...

23/09/2026

Kreuzberg Audio reveal Oberton

Plug-in offers six bands of saturation Kreuzberg Audio's product range includes a selection of plug-ins and virtual instruments aimed primarily at hard-...

23/09/2026

SoundBridge 3.2.0 arrives

Latest DAW update now live SoundBridge have announced that the latest update for the remote-collaboration-focused DAW is now available. The release of Sound...

23/09/2026

Koori Knockout returns home exclusively to NITV and SBS On Demand in 2026

Koori Knockout returns home exclusively to NITV and SBS On Demand in 2026 11 September, 2026 Media releases Fans can catch all the live action exclusively ...

23/09/2026

Rohde & Schwarz acquires NEOSAT and PHYTRONIC and strengthens its competencies in sovereign satellite communications

Rohde & Schwarz acquires NEOSAT and PHYTRONIC and strengthens its competencies i...

23/09/2026

NFVF SEDIBA CREATIVE ENTERPRISE PROGRAMME CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

1. ABOUT THE PROGRAMME The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites applications from experienced producers who own or manage a South African product...

23/09/2026

CALL FOR THE SEVENTH PRESIDENTIAL EMPLOYMENT STIMULUS PROGRAMME(PESP 7) FOCUSED ON THE AUDIO-VISUAL INDUSTRY IS OPEN

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce the opening...

23/09/2026

NHK Technologies Inc. Chooses Calrec for Sports Production

Download Now! To receive a short case study showcasing NHK Technologies, Inc. (NT) s audio setup, please enter the following details: -- First Name* Fir...

23/09/2026

McDonald's takes top spot as New Zealand's fast-food tastes evolve, according to Nielsen

Nielsen CMI data reveals a changing fast-food landscape, with value, convenience...

23/09/2026

AFP, Dalet To Collaborate On News Video Provenance, Authenticity

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

Spectrum News NECN Launches Across New England

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

COW Jobs: Blender on Windows - Generalist - Remote

COW Jobs: Blender on Windows - Generalist - Remote Brie Clayton September 23, 2026 0 Comments Application Users - Blender on Windows - Generalist Se...

23/09/2026

Bitfocus wins IBC2026 Best of Show Award for latest Butto...

Version 1.8 recognised for new workflow tools, boosted control panel flexibility and ease of integration into IP networks...

23/09/2026

Hiltron Reports a Successful IBC2026

Hiltron Communications reports a successful 2026 International Broadcasting Convention, held at the RAI Amsterdam. Exhibiting on stand A37 in Hall 1, Hiltron ex...

23/09/2026

LiveU Showcases AI Driven Production Alongside Resilient...

Reinforcing its long-term commitment to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) broadcast market, LiveU is presenting the Q Era at CABSAT 2026, on Stand H1-D35 ...

23/09/2026

AFP and Dalet Partner to Strengthen the Provenance and Au...

Agence France-Presse (AFP), a global news agency, and Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced a partnersh...

23/09/2026

Berklee Connect Unlocks the Power of a Global Network

Berklee Connect Unlocks the Power of a Global Network Katie Vitolins BM '04 knows firsthand what Berklee's alumni community can make possible. Now she...

23/09/2026

Study: Renewals for Streaming Shows Continue to Decline

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

Study: More Than 4 in 10 U.S. Adults Own or Are Interested in Smart Glasses

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

Television Critics Association Revises Bylaws to Address AI

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

eX Celebrates Completion of Holland Mich. FTTP Network

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

Gray Media Renews Ohio Valley Conference Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/09/2026

QuickLink StudioPro Powers Next Generation Student Media...

Westminster Schools, a K through 12 school in Atlanta, Georgia with approximately 2,000 students, has transformed its student broadcast and digital storytelling...

23/09/2026

UK Pavilion Brings Leading British Technology to CABSAT a...

The 2026 edition of CABSAT and SATExpo may have a new home and dates in the diary, but it still retains a strong presence from UK companies in the GREAT Britain...

23/09/2026

Glensound marks 60 years with new audio developments at C...

Glensound will return to CABSAT with new developments in professional monitoring and Dante interfacing, alongside its established commentary, esports and parlia...

23/09/2026

Guy Martin's Proper Jobs returns for third series

A great watch - Radio Times TV's most likeable proper bloke - Daily Telegraph 23rd September 2026, London: Guy Martin returns to free streaming service...

23/09/2026

Sky Sports to show England Mens tour of South Africa as part of Cricket South Africa rights deal

Wednesday 23 September 2026 Sky Sports to show England Men's tour of South ...

23/09/2026

Comscore Partners with datafuelX to Bring Seamless Currency Adoption Into a Comprehensive Planning and Stewardship Workflow

Comscore Partners with datafuelX to Bring Seamless Currency Adoption Into a Comp...

23/09/2026

SES Appoints Michel Scholer to Board of Directors

Luxembourg, 23 September 2026 - SES today announced the appointment of Mr. Michel Scholer, Secretary General of the Luxembourg Government and Chief of Staff to ...

23/09/2026

New RT series Ceol le Chile amplifies the multicultural voices of Ireland today

RT One and RT Player, Friday 25 September Ceol le Ch ile, a new series that follows Irish artists as they collaborate with musicians from diverse background...

23/09/2026

RT true crime podcast Unsolved reveals significant new evidence in the case of missing person Philip Cairns

Available now on RT Listen New information has come to light in the case of mi...

23/09/2026

Sakeena Fiza Helps NVIDIA Hardware Succeed at Scale

When Sakeena Fiza describes her work as a validation engineer at NVIDIA, she does so in terms more befitting a detective story than a world-class engineering la...

22/09/2026

Young Journalist Award 2026: Meet the Final 12

From Malaysia to Mexico and from DR Congo to Ukraine, this year's 12 finalists for the 2026 Thomson Foundation Young Journalist of the Year award tell extra...

22/09/2026

ESPN, Precision Lasers Light Up NHL Player Media Tour in Las Vegas

The annual preseason content-gathering event brought 36 NHL players to Las Vegas, where ESPN used 2.5 kilowatts of laser power and a motion-control camera syste...

22/09/2026

Neumann Introduces KK 104 A and KK 105 A Wireless Capsule Heads

Neumann has introduced the KK 104 A (cardioid) and KK 105 A (supercardioid) wireless capsule heads, succeeding the KK 204 and KK 205. The new capsules are compa...

22/09/2026

NFL and TMRW Sports Announce Pro Flag Showcase During Super Bowl LXI Week

The NFL and TMRW Sports have announced a new annual Pro Flag Showcase to be held during Super Bowl LXI week in Los Angeles. The event will feature top flag foot...

22/09/2026

Washington State University Unveils New Daktronics Video Board and Audio System at Gesa Field

Washington State University has unveiled a new end zone video display and audio ...

22/09/2026

SVG Sit-Down: Disney's Dave Johnson on ESPN's New 4K HDR Distribution Pipeline and What It Means for Super Bowl LXI and Beyond

Disney's SVP of Live Operations and Engineering details the technology behin...

22/09/2026

Cosm Promotes Mazen Alawar to SVP of Marketing, Alexis Scalice to VP of Cosm Studios

Cosm has announced two senior promotions. Mazen Alawar has been promoted to SVP,...

22/09/2026

Mississippi State University Extends Camera Relationship with KOKUSAI DENKI

Mississippi State University's University Television Center has purchased four KOKUSAI DENKI SK-UHD7000-S2 cameras since 2024, with plans to add two more, a...

22/09/2026

Net Insight Appoints Christine Kjellvard as Interim CFO

Net Insight has announced that Christine Kjellvard will assume the role of interim Chief Financial Officer on November 1, 2026. Kjellvard has previously held in...

22/09/2026

Net Insight Launches Zyntai TimeNode Access PTP Grandmaster for Edge Sites

Net Insight has announced Zyntai TimeNode Access, a compact PTP Grandmaster designed for distributed edge sites. The product carries secure, precise time across...

22/09/2026

The Weight Explores the High Cost of Freedom in the Depression Era

Sam Hazeldine, Austin Amelio, Padraic McKinley, Julia Jones, and Ethan Hawke attend the premiere of The Weight at The Ray Theatre on January 26, 2026, in Park...