KXAS Dallas To Build New Facility

NBC-owned KXAS Dallas (DMA 5) announced plans for construction of a state-of-the-art broadcasting and multimedia news facility to be located in The CentrePort Business Park, just south of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

The 75,000-square-foot building will combine KXAS’ facilities currently located in east Fort Worth and Dallas at the 8.1 acre site in Fort Worth. The project developer, KDC, will begin construction at the end of June with completion slated for late 2013.

“We have a long history of local broadcasting firsts and have been operating from our original east Fort Worth studios for 64 years,” said Tom Ehlmann, KXAS president and general manager. “As the North Texas area grew, we added a facility in Dallas. Now we will combine operations into one first-class operation to better serve our viewers and advertisers via television, the internet, mobile and still developing technologies.”

KXAS signed-on as WBAP on Sept. 27, 1948, as the first facility in the southwestern U.S. specifically designed for television. Amon G. Carter, Fort Worth Star-Telegram publisher, businessman and civic leader, dedicated the studios that expanded his media business into the exciting new technology of TV.

The new facility will be located at 4805 Amon Carter Boulevard in Fort Worth.

“It’s fitting that the facility will be located on a street named in honor of our founder, Amon Carter,” said Ehlmann.  “We worked closely with the City of Fort Worth to remain in Fort Worth, yet locate in a more centralized location to better serve all the communities of North Texas.”

As part of the agreement to build the new facility in Fort Worth, KXAS will convey its current 66,000-square-foot building and 26-acre site in east Fort Worth to the city.

In addition to KXAS, the new facility will house Telemundo affiliate KXTX and several other smaller businesses associated with NBCUniversal. Approximately 300 people will work at the Amon Carter Boulevard location.

Gary Collett and Matt Heidelbaugh with Cushman & Wakefield were the real estate brokers. Corgan Associates Inc. is the lead architectural firm.