By Rudolfo Carrillo
If you grew up in New Mexico, then you probably remember KGGM-TV, a CBS affiliate station that began broadcasting on October 4, 1953. I mean, who can forget Captain Billy, or Heartsill Crib, for crissakes!
Now, after more than 70 years, that whole deal is about to become part of the past. But first, this interesting note on those vaunted days.
The Albuquerque television station, now known as KRQE, was originally owned by a legendary Albuquerque media family named Heibenstreit. The family patriarch, Anton, bought radio station KGGM—at 610 on the AM dial—in 1929. Ten years later the station became part of the CBS Network.
When it became clear TV would replace radio as America’s premier broadcast medium, Heibenstreit acquired the rights to VHF channel number 13 and CBS was part of the deal. The station reached its peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s, after struggling with viewership under the management of son Bruce in the early 1970s—but, notably, also building a state-of-the-art soundstage in 1977.
By 1980 the revamped station was making gains on its heavyweight competitor, NBC affiliate KOB-TV 4. With fresh, topical programing like 60 Minutes, Dallas, All in the Family, and MASH, CBS was at the top of its game. Locally, KGGM-TV featured some of the best television journalism in the state, courtesy of Heibenstreit’s grandkids, Andrew (known as John Andrews on set) and Linda Thorne. In 1991, the Heibenstreits sold their interest in the station to Lee Enterprises, outta Iowa, and KGGM-13, still tethered lovingly to the CBS Network, was reborn as KRQE.
And now, commencing on August 1, 2026, that sometimes tumultuous, always relevant, and usually very watchable relationship will end when the CBS Network in Burque moves to KOAT-TV, Channel 7, where it will somehow share the digs over there with the ABC Television network.. KRQE will then become (yikes!) a Fox Network affiliate.
If that sounds confusing, consider this, dear reader: While KRQE has previously carried Fox programming on a secondary digital subchannel (Fox 505), it will now become the main Fox station. Concurrently, KRQE will drop its CBS affiliation, which is moving to a new subchannel of KOAT-TV.
The change is happening because CBS has decided to run with Hearst Media in addition to Nexstar, the current owners of KRQE. In all, six different CBS affiliates will make the switch to Hearst and find new homes at places where the weather suits their clothes, one supposes.
Like the print medium, local broadcast television is reaching the point of obsolescence and the folks at the top are concerned. Nexstar’s revenue has been flat for years, I’m told. The move makes it clear that CBS is unhappy with that situation and hopes that Hearst might provide better revenue and transmission choices for some of its affiliates.
Paramount Global, the owners of the CBS Television Network, was quoted as saying, “We are pleased to have entered into several new CBS Television Network affiliation agreements, including extending our long-standing partnership with Nexstar, expanding our relationship with Hearst Television and welcoming Forum Communications Company into the CBS family. CBS has an unwavering commitment to our audience, and we are excited to continue to deliver our leading sports, news and entertainment programming to viewers across the country.”
Beginning on August 1, 2026, digital television viewers will need to ask their computerized flatscreen televisions to perform a rescan of the area’s channels to get the new station information.
