Channel 49 established a news department when it signed on in 1983, with the debut of "Newsline 49", a half-hour newscast that aired at 6:00 p.m. each weeknight and at 10:00 p.m. seven nights a week. By the mid-1990s, newscasts were added on weekday mornings and at 5:00 p.m. In September 1999, KTKA debuted "The Locker Room Show", a sports highlight and discussion program that initially aired Friday nights after the late-evening newscast, focusing on high school and college athletics. This was followed by October 2001 the debut of "Contacto Latino", a monthly magazine program focusing on issues pertinent to northeast Kansas' Hispanic and Latino community.