Shortly after taking the CBS affiliation, Max Media invested in developing a news department for the station. In the interim, during the station's first few months as a CBS affiliate, KYTX resorted to simulcasting local newscasts from the network's Dallas owned-and-operated station KTVT. KYTX debuted its local newscasts on September 12, 2004 (under the original brand of "CBS 19 Eyewitness News") with the launch of a weeknight-only 6:00 p.m. newscast. In addition to the 6:00 p.m. program, the station initially offered an hour-long 6:00 a.m. newscast on weekday mornings, and a half-hour late evening newscast at 10:00 p.m. seven nights a week. The following year, KYTX launched a half-hour 5:00 p.m. newscast (originally titled "Eye @ 5"), which was followed in 2007 by the addition of a 6:30 p.m. newscast that focused on news stories in the Longview and Kilgore areas (similar to a previously attempt at a Longview-centric local newscast that aired on KFXK during its days as a CBS affiliate). The 5:00 p.m. newscast was rebranded as "Primetime at 5" that year, while the 10:00 p.m. newscast adopted the "Ten @ 10" format in January 2008, focusing on faster delivery of news and weather in the first ten minutes of the newscast. Later in 2008, the station launched a half-hour newscast on Sunday mornings.