Logo for KBBW-TV (1973-1977)

KBBW-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Texas Big Bend. Licensed to Alpine, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 17 (or virtual channel 17.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in uptown Alpine. Owned by Bayou City Broadcasting, KBBW has sales and administrative offices in Alpine, Ft. Davis and Presidio, with a Mexican news bureau in neighboring Ojinaga, where it produces Spanish-language news.

==History==
===Early History===
The station was founded on June 4, 1973 and first hit the airwaves a few days later. Some of CBS's programming was available on Odessa-Midland's KOSA-TV (Channel 7), and El Paso's KDBC-TV (Channel 4), all of which are available on cable in most parts of the region. This is the Texas Big Bend's very own TV station. It was also the Big Bend's first VHF station.

===UAB ownership===
Channel 17 started up as a United Artists-owned station, making the first station in Texas owned by UAB since it failed to launch KUAB-TV (now KTXH) in Houston. In 1977, upon UA/Transamerica's exit from broadcasting, it sold KBBW to RKO General.

===Acquirement by Belo/Kelly/Meredith===
In February 1988, Local Media Partners LLC, a joint venture between Des Moines, Iowa-based Meredith Corporation, Sacremento, California-based Kelly Broadcasting and Dallas, Texas-based A.H. Belo  (which was later renamed Belo Corporation in 2002), acquired the station from RKO General, making Channel 17 a sister station to KQHT-TV (Channel 14) in Keokuk, Iowa, KMOI-TV (Channel 23) in Kirksville, Missouri, KHOU-TV (Channel 11) in Houston, Texas, KCPQ (Channel 13) in Tacoma, Washington, Meredith flagship KPHO-TV (Channel 5) in Phoenix, Arizona, Kelly flagship KCRA-TV (Channel 3) and Belo flagship WFAA-TV (Channel 8).

===50/50 Ownership===
Local Media Partners LLC, acquired the rest of KBBW's share in August 1998, as part of Kelly Broadcasting's exit from the television business, making it a 50/50 joint venture between Belo and Meredith. Belo later sold its remaining share to Meredith on December 9, 2013 upon its merger with Gannett two weeks later in order to satisfy FCC regulations.

===Sole ownership by Meredith===
In late 2013, Belo announced its exit from broadcasting, selling almost all of its stations to Gannett. Meredith was proud to say that Belo would sell its share of the station's ventures to Meredith Corporation.

===Bayou City era===
On September 8, 2015, Media General announced that it would acquire Meredith by June 2016. But in January 2017, it decided to divest with The Woodlands-based Bayou City Broadcasting emerging as the top suitor for channel 17.