KPHO-TV

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KPHO-TV
Phoenix, Arizona
Branding	CBS 5
Slogan	Live, Late Breaking, Investigative
Channels	Analog: 5 (VHF) Digital: 17 (UHF)
Affiliations	CBS
Owner	Meredith Corporation
First air date	December 4, 1949
Call letters’ meaning	PHOenix
Former affiliations	Primary: CBS (1949-1955) independent (1955-1995) Secondary: NBC (1949-1953) ABC (1949-1953) DuMont (1949-1955)
Transmitter Power	100 kW (analog) 1000 kW (digital)
Height	539 m (analog) 507 m (digital)
Facility ID	41223
Transmitter Coordinates	33°20′3.3″N, 112°3′43.1″W
Website	www.kpho.com

KPHO-TV ("CBS 5") is the CBS affiliate television station in Phoenix, Arizona. Its transmitter is located on South Mountain in Phoenix. It can be seen on Channel 5 in Phoenix and operates several translators throughout Northern Arizona. It is currently owned by Meredith Corporation.

[edit] History

KPHO is Arizona's oldest television station. It signed on December 4, 1949. As the only television station in Phoenix during the first three-and-a-half years of operation, it carried programming from all four networks of the time: CBS (primary affiliation), NBC, ABC and the now-defunct DuMont Television Network. [1] NBC disappeared from KPHO's schedule when KTYL-TV (now KPNX) signed on April 23, 1953, followed by ABC when KOOL-TV (now KSAZ-TV) signed on a few months later, on October 24. KPHO remained a dual CBS-DuMont affiliate until February 28, 1955, when CBS moved its affiliation to KOOL-TV after KTVK signed on and took the ABC affiliation from KOOL. KPHO became an independent station when DuMont ceased network operations in 1956.

The station was originally owned by a group of entrepreneurs -- one of whom, John Mullins, would later launch KBTV (now KUSA-TV) in Denver, Colorado. Meredith Broadcasting purchased the station in 1952.

Over the years, it ran cartoons, off-network sitcoms, old movies, a 9 p.m. newscast, and drama shows. It also produced a children's show called Wallace & Ladmo, which aired weekday mornings from 7-9 a.m. until the early 1980s, and 7-8 a.m. until 1989 (when it was decided by the stars of the show that it would end). During the 1970s, KPHO became a regional superstation available on cable in much of Arizona and New Mexico, as well as parts of California, Utah and Nevada

KPHO was the sole independent station in Phoenix until 1979, when KNXV signed on channel 15 with general entertainment during the day and Subscription TV at night. (KNXV became a full-time general entertainment station by 1983.)

Even though KPHO was the leading independent station in the market, the new Fox network opted to affiliate with KNXV after it was purchased by Scripps-Howard, which promised to upgrade the station's syndicated programming and launch a newscast. This made KNXV a very strong competitor against KPHO (even though KNXV never started a newscast for the duration of its Fox affiliation).

The CBS affiliation returned to KPHO in 1994, when a massive shift in network affiliations occurred in the market in the wake of KSAZ (formerly KTSP) taking the Fox affiliation. Initially, KPHO continued to run a number of sitcoms during local time, but the station gradually added more newscasts and talk/reality shows, with the sitcoms being phased out and moved to KTVK, KUTP, and KASW.

Today, KPHO is a typical CBS affiliate, clearing the entire CBS schedule and running a decent amount of local news and the typical syndicated fare. But instead of the 5:30 timeslot like most CBS counterparts, KPHO airs CBS Evening News at 6 p.m. instead. In June 2006, the station's website was redesigned (along with those of four of Meredith Corporation's other stations). The old website was operated by the Local Media Network division of World Now. Now Internet Broadcasting operates the site.

[edit] Digital Television

This is KPHO's HDTV logo. This service operates on digital channel 17 (virtual channel 5.1)

The station's digital channel:

Digital channels

[edit] Post-analog shutdown

After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009 ^[1], KPHO will remain on its current pre-transition channel number, 17. ^[2] However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display KPHO's virtual channel as 5.

[edit] Trivia

For decades, KPHO was the largest station in terms of market size to be owned by Meredith. That distinction changed in 2000 when sister station WGCL-TV in Atlanta would be purchased from Tribune Company. But WGCL is a UHF station, so this makes KPHO the owner's largest station on VHF.

[edit] Notable personalities

[edit] Current Anchors

• Catherine Anaya, 6:30PM & 10PM Anchor/Reporter
• Chris Coraggio, Morning & Midday Anchor
• Nicole Crites, Morning Anchor/General Assignment Reporter
• Kent Dana, 5PM, 5:30PM, 6:30PM, & 10PM Anchor/Reporter
• Diana Sullivan, Noon & 5:30PM Anchor/Reporter; Substitute Anchor
• Christina Wofford, Weekend Anchor/Reporter; former morning and noon anchor with Ted Koppy

[edit] Current Reporters

• Jason Barry, General Assignment Reporter/Substitute Anchor
• Jerry Clifton, Catalina Island Correspondent/Semi-Retired
• Scott Clifton, NewsHawk 5 Pilot/Reporter/Co-Aviation Director
• Captain Connie Sullivan, NewsHawk 5 Pilot/Reporter/Co-Aviation Director
• Jeanne Herwerth, General Assignment Reporter; Substitute Morning/Noon Anchor
• Tammy Leitner, General Assignment Reporter
• Cara Liu, General Assignment Reporter
• Morgan Loew, 5i Team Investigative Reporter
• Greg Mocker, General Assignment Reporter
• Marya Piani, General Assignment Reporter; Morning Co-Anchor; Substitute Anchor
• Donna Rossi, General Assignment Reporter; Substitute Anchor
• Marcy Valenzuela, General Assignment Reporter
• Omadelle Nelson, General Assignment Reporter
• 'Detour' Dan Beach, Time Saver Traffic and KTAR-FM Airborne-Traffic Reporter
• Peter Busch, General Assignment Reporter
• Jennifer Parks, General Assignment Reporter

[edit] Sports

• Mike Chamberlin, Weekend Sports Anchor/Sports Director/Substitute Anchor
• Gary Cruz, Weeknight Sports Anchor

[edit] Weather

• Steve Garry, Meteorologist (AMS Certified)
• Paul Horton, Morning & Midday Meteorologist and General Assignment Reporter
• Sean McLaughlin, Chief Meteorologist; Primetime Anchor at 5pm on Weekdays and at 5:30pm and 10pm on Sundays; General Assignment Reporter

[edit] Past news personalities

[edit] Station name and slogan over the years

• 5'll Getcha (late 1970s)
• 5 is the Place (early 1980s)
• First in Arizona (mid 1980s)
• TV5/News5 (late 1980s-early 1990s)
• Arizona5 (mid 1990s)
• CBS5: Welcome Home, Arizona (1990s)
• KPHO-TV5 & TV5: Be in the Know with KPHO (late 1990s)
• News5: Your Valley News Station (2002-2003)
• CBS 5 NEWS: Live, Late Breaking, Investigative (current)

[edit] Digital subchannels

On December 11, 2006, KPHO began broadcasting CBS 5 Weather Now on digital subchannel 5.2[2]. CBS 5 Weather Now is located on Cox Communications digital channel 85, Qwest Choice TV channel 64, and CableOne.

[edit] Rebroadcasters

KPHO is rebroadcast on the following translator stations:

• K11OB Bouse (broadcasts on channel 6)
• K11LX Bullhead City
• K55IY Camp Verde
• K07WI Cedar Creek
• K30GG Chloride
• K07WK Cibecue
• K40AD Cottonwood
• K43GU Dolan Springs
• K53DL Duncan/Clifton/Morenci
• K50HU Flagstaff
• K50DZ Fort Apache
• K59CI Globe/Miami
• K41FT Kingman
• K43GJ Lake Havasu City
• K47HE Meadview
• K09KV Prescott
• K21FU Topock/Bullhead City
• 940415CD Whiteriver (Special Temporary Authorization)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• KPHO
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KPHO-TV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KPHO-TV
• Program Information for KPHO at TitanTV.com
• The Official Wallace and Ladmo Website (History, Photos, Desktops)