KOMU-TV (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Columbia, Missouri, United States, serving the Columbia–Jefferson City market as an affiliate of NBC and The CW Plus.

It began airing an analog signal on VHF channel 8 on December 21, 1953, and carried programming from all four major networks at the time, but was a primary NBC affiliate.

The two then shared ABC until 1971 when KCBJ-TV (channel 17, now KMIZ) launched, leaving KOMU as a full-time NBC station.

From January 22 through April 23, 1955, KOMU temporarily originated a live prime time ABC network show, Ozark Jubilee.

[citation needed] On August 8, 1982,[3] ABC moved its affiliation to the station, since the network was the highest-rated at the time and wanted a stronger outlet.

In 2002, KOMU won the Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism for maintaining its longstanding policy banning political symbols on air.

The station had come under considerable government and popular pressure to allow its anchors and reporters to wear American flag lapels on air in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

[citation needed] In December 2005, the station added NBC Weather Plus to a new second digital subchannel and live streaming video on its website.

After the national service shut down on December 1, 2008, it was replaced with Universal Sports but was not added to other digital cable systems.

[6] It was announced on April 12, 2006, that "KJWB" would become part of The CW and be added as a new third digital subchannel of KOMU to offer non-cable viewers access to the new network.

"KJWB" joined The CW at the network's launch on September 18 and began to use the KOMU-DT3 call sign in an official manner.

Originally, MU School of Journalism students generally served as KOMU-TV interns providing behind-the-scenes assistance with production and direction, with some on-air reporting.

However, like other commercial outlets, the station does employ paid professional staff as managers, engineers, and sales representatives.

Due to the large number of unpaid interns, KOMU has a significantly larger news department than is the case for a small-to-medium market station.