 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.On May 10, 2017, Morgan Murphy Media announced that it would acquire Saga Communications' television clusters in Joplin, Missouri, including KOAM-TV, and Victoria, Texas, including KAVU-TV.