KASW

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KASW
Phoenix, Arizona
Branding	CW6
Channels	61 (UHF) analog, 49 (UHF) digital
Translators	see Translators section below
Affiliations	The CW Television Network
Owner	Belo Corp. (KASW-TV, Inc.)
Founded	May 1, 1991
Call letters meaning	unknown
Former callsigns	KAIK (1991 to 1994)
Former affiliations	The WB (September 1995 to September 2006)
Transmitter Power	2510 kW; 531 kW (DT)
Height	541 m; 497 m (DT)
Website	www.quick6.com

KASW is a television station licensed to Phoenix, Arizona. KASW uses channel 61 for analog service, channel 49 for digital television under a special temporary authority, cable channel 6 on major Phoenix cable systems (which is used for station branding given the relatively high analog channel number), and several translators in northern and eastern Arizona. KASW's channel 61 signal broadcasts with 2,510 kW, the second-highest of any Phoenix station. The station's transmitter is located on South Mountain in Phoenix. Currently, KASW broadcasts The CW and is the second-largest CW affiliate (after Boston's WLVI) in terms of market size that is not owned by CBS Corporation or Tribune Broadcasting, both of which contributed stations at the merger announcement (previously, these stations were UPN or The WB stations, respectively). KASW is owned by Belo Corporation, in a duopoly with KTVK.

Contents 1 History 2 Programming 3 From The WB to The CW 4 Logos 5 Station names and slogans over the years 6 Translators 7 External links

[edit] History

Prior to the sign on of KASW on May 1, 1991, K61CA, a low-power, locally programmed music video channel, operated on the frequency through 1983-1984.

By 1991, preparations had been made to sign on another Phoenix independent station, KAIK. The station bore these calls into 1994 until KAIK was bought by the Brooks family in 1995 and became KASW.

When KASW signed on in its current form, a local marketing agreement was reached with MAC America Communications, the then-owner of KTVK. This agreement allowed KTVK, which had an overflowing program inventory, to move some of its programming to KASW. By the end of 1996, KTVK had moved the WB affiliation, Fox Kids, the predecessor of 4Kids TV, some locally-produced content and other syndicated programs to KASW. This changeover allowed KTVK to return to broadcasting Saturday morning newscasts, while KASW started a 30-minute 9pm newscast produced by KTVK, which ended in 1997.

When Belo bought most of MAC America's properties in 1999, the local marketing agreement with KASW was included. This move further boosting its programming quality. After duopolies were allowed in 2000 when Viacom bought Paramount and UPN, KASW was bought outright by Belo.

The station still runs Kids' WB! on Saturday mornings and 4Kids TV on Sunday mornings. These properties, in one form or another, were on KTVK when it originally picked up The WB in 1995 and were moved in September 1995 and 1996, respectively. The same situation occurs on several duopolies, where stations like KFRE and WBNX-TV pick up the 4Kids rights from a Fox affiliate (in KFRE's case, KMPH) or due to rejection by stations that were inherited from New World Communications (WBNX is a good example).

[edit] Programming

Besides airing programming from The CW, KASW broadcasts syndicated content like Scrubs, The Simpsons, Home Improvement and South Park. KASW has the rights to a variety of other programming content, such as 4Kids TV on Sunday mornings, first-run reality shows, other TV series, and a morning news/music program entitled "News Mix 6" (renamed as SixFix since the switch to CW), which allows viewers to watch music videos as news reports scroll on a marquee on the bottom of the screen. KASW aired Phoenix Coyotes NHL hockey games from the time that the team moved to Phoenix until the 2006-2007 season, when the Coyotes announced a move to the AZ-TV regional network.

[edit] From The WB to The CW

In January 2006, it was announced that UPN and The WB would cease operations. The CW, a new television network created as joint venture between UPN parent CBS Corporation and WB majority owner Warner Bros. Entertainment, will replace them from the 2006-07 television season on. On March 8, it was announced that KASW will become the CW affiliate in Phoenix[1] [2], while KUTP, the market's UPN affiliate, became an owned-and-operated station of MyNetworkTV 13 days before the launch of the CW.

KASW is only tweaking its branding to reflect its new network, keeping the 6 that represent its position on the area's dominant cable system (satellite systems map KASW to channel 61). The station was also airing its own CW "man-on-the-street" promos before the switch. Quick6.com's images and links were revamped a week before the change and feature a new Quick6 logo.

[edit] Logos

The WB logo used by KASW when branded as "WB61": used from 1995 - 2000

The KASW WB 61 logo from 2000 to 2003 featuring network mascot Michigan J. Frog: when it was WB 6/61, the same font was used, but a prominent 6 was in the place of the 61 and the 61 was small and in the upper right

The WB logo used by KASW under the "WB6" name: used from 2003 - 2006

[edit] Station names and slogans over the years

• WB61 (to 2000's)
• WB6 and 61 (for a short time)
• WB6, More fun than [random facts and jokes inserted here] (to 2006)
• CW6 (2006 onward)

[edit] Translators

• K41CV Duncan
• K34EF Kingman
• K21EA Lake Havasu City
• K34EE Prescott/Cottonwood
• K41JE Williams/Ash Fork (Construction permit granted April 2006, expires April 2009)

[edit] External links

• quick6.com
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KASW