KMOV

What KMOV does

KMOV, branded as First Alert 4, is a local broadcast television station licensed by the FCC to serve the St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area (DMA), operating as part of Gray Television's (NYSE: GTN) Gray Local Media division. The station delivers local news, weather forecasting, sports coverage across five major franchises (Cardinals, Blues, City SC, Battlehawks, Chiefs), investigative journalism, and community programming through multiple distribution channels: over-the-air broadcast on Channel 4, cable/satellite carriage with Comcast, Charter/Spectrum, DirecTV, and Dish Network, Matrix Midwest streaming service, owned-and-operated websites, native iOS and Android applications, social media, email newsletters, and a portfolio of at least eight podcasts. Headquartered at 77 Progress Parkway in Maryland Heights, Missouri, KMOV employs 251-500 staff and brands itself around the First Alert Weather System, First Alert 4 Investigates, Drone 4 aerial journalism, and specialty segments including Surprise Squad, We the People, Great Day morning show, and community programming.

The station's technology stack combines traditional broadcast infrastructure with digital streaming capabilities, supporting region-specific weather radar and predictive modeling, multi-platform content delivery, and integration with Gray Television's broader content syndication network (Studio Four, InvestigateTV, Local News Live, Watching Your Wallet, PowerNation). Operating as part of a publicly traded broadcast conglomerate that has actively consolidated local stations, KMOV benefits from group-level back-office, ad sales, and content sharing economies while retaining local editorial control.

KMOV generates revenue through three primary streams: (1) television advertising inventory sold to local and national advertisers seeking to reach the St. Louis metro audience, (2) digital advertising across the website, mobile apps, and streaming platforms including display, video, and sponsored content, and (3) retransmission fees paid by cable and satellite providers for carriage of the broadcast signal. Content is provided free over-the-air to viewers and at no direct cost via digital channels; the economic model is entirely advertiser- and carriage-fee-supported, with no consumer subscription or paywall revenue.

Name

KMOV

Legal name

KMOV

Website

http://kmov.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

KMOV (First Alert 4) is a Gray Television-owned local broadcast station serving the St. Louis metropolitan area with news, weather, sports, and community content distributed across broadcast, digital, mobile, and streaming platforms, monetized via advertising and retransmission fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Regional/Sub-National Broadcast Networks (MPABAAAM)

Keywords

• Local broadcast television
• Television advertising
• Digital streaming news
• Local weather forecasting
• Regional sports programming

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Television Advertising: Local and national television advertising inventory sold to businesses targeting the St. Louis metropolitan area audience
2. Digital Advertising: Online advertising through website, mobile apps, and streaming platforms including display ads, video content, and sponsored content
3. Retransmission Fees: Fees paid by cable and satellite providers for carriage of the station's broadcast signal

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KMOV operates as the First Alert 4 local television station serving the St. Louis metropolitan area, producing and distributing local news, weather, sports, and community programming. Content is delivered via over-the-air broadcast on Channel 4, cable and satellite carriage, digital streaming platforms, mobile applications, and the station's website. Revenue is generated primarily through television and digital advertising sold to local and national advertisers, supplemented by retransmission fees from cable and satellite providers.

Product overview

KMOV operates First Alert 4 as a unified local media platform combining broadcast television, digital news, mobile applications, and streaming services. The core product is the First Alert 4 news station offering local news, weather, and sports content. Supporting modules include the First Alert Weather service, First Alert 4 Investigates investigative unit, Matrix Midwest regional programming network, Great Day lifestyle show, and an array of podcasts. The station also offers mobile apps for iOS and Android, plus specialty community segments like Surprise Squad, We the People, and Drone 4 aerial journalism. All content is delivered across broadcast, website, mobile apps, and social media platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Matrix Midwest: Regional sports and entertainment network covering St. Louis Cardinals baseball, Blues hockey, City SC soccer, and other regional sports content.

Products and services

• First Alert 4 News Broadcast
• Matrix Midwest Regional Sports Network
• First Alert 4 Mobile Apps
• First Alert Weather
• Great Day Morning Show
• First Alert 4 Podcasts
• First Alert 4 Investigates

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hearst Television: Owns and operates local TV stations in similar mid-to-large markets. Closely comparable local news, weather, and sports broadcast-plus-digital business model across a multi-station portfolio.
• Tegna: Major US local TV station operator with stations in similar mid-to-large markets. Comparable broadcast-plus-digital advertising and retransmission revenue model, though at portfolio scale rather than station-level.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: One of the largest US TV station groups, operating KDNL and many affiliates in comparable markets. Same broadcast advertising, retransmission, and digital revenue model across a much larger station footprint.
• Nexstar Media Group: Largest US television station operator with stations nationwide. Comparable operating model — local news, retransmission, digital — but at significantly greater scale and portfolio diversification.
• E.W. Scripps Company: Operates local broadcast television stations across the US with comparable news and digital operations. Peer through similar revenue mix (local ads, retransmission, digital) at portfolio scale.

Emerging players

• NewsNation: Nationally distributed streaming/cable news brand seeking local-market relevance. Emerging competitor for advertising share and audience attention in local news categories where KMOV has traditionally dominated.
• Diamond Sports Group (Bally Sports): Regional sports network operator that competes with Matrix Midwest for sports rights and audience attention. Comparable regional sports content distribution model though focused on linear pay-TV rather than broadcast.

Direct peers

• KTVI (Fox 2 St. Louis): St. Louis Fox affiliate and direct in-market competitor. Competes head-to-head for local news viewers, weather coverage, and advertising dollars across broadcast and digital channels.
• KSDK (5 On Your Side): St. Louis NBC affiliate and direct in-market competitor to KMOV. Operates the same local news, weather, and sports format with overlapping advertiser and audience pools in the same metropolitan area.
• KDNL (ABC 30 St. Louis): St. Louis ABC affiliate operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Directly competes in the same metro market for news, weather, and sports audiences with a comparable broadcast-plus-digital model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kmov
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kmov-tv
• Facebookfacebook.com/greatdaystlouis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KMOV