KUAM-TV

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KUAM-TV
Hagåtña, Guam
Branding News 8
Slogan First On Guam; Guam's News Network
Channels Analog: 8 (VHF)

Digital: 2 (VHF)

Translators WSZE 10, Saipan, MP
Affiliations NBC
Owner Pacific Telestations, Inc.
First air date August 5, 1956
Call letters’ meaning Guam
Former affiliations NBC/CBS/ABC (1956-1987)
NBC/CBS/Fox (1987-1995)
Transmitter Power 22.9 kW (analog)
0.035 kW (digital)
Height 305 m (analog)
282 m (digital)
Facility ID 51233
Transmitter Coordinates 13°25′58″N, 144°42′45″E
Website www.kuam.com

KUAM-TV is the NBC affiliate serving Guam. The station is currently owned by Pacific Telestations, Incorporated, and is a sister station to CBS-affiliate KUAM-LP. The station also serves Saipan and the Northern Mariana Islands via translator WSZE on channel 10.

Contents

[edit] History

KUAM is Guam's first television station, having signed on the air in 1956 as a primary NBC/secondary CBS affiliation, with ABC serving as a third party/auxiliary affiliate throughout its first 31 years on the air. KUAM began its first broadcast in color in 1967 on NTSC. When Fox debuted in 1987 they also carried its lineup as well, but that same year ABC would go to then-new sign-on KTGM (Who would later pick up the Fox affiliation in 1990), while KUAM would sign-on an LPTV sister to carry the CBS lineup in 1995.

Despite being affiliated with all four networks at the time, KUAM was hindered by the fact that Guam was a day ahead of the United States and that most of the shows, especially those from the network, were sent via air and/or mail, which meant that viewers would have to wait from a period of two weeks to a month to see any of the offerings. When they were not showing any network fare they featured local in-house programming, syndicated shows and films (mostly travel or cultural) to make up the difference.

But as technology and satellite started to take off and expand KUAM began to gradually catch up with the rest of the continental United States. Today the station now follows the complete NBC schedule, but on a Tuesday through Monday pattern rather than the traditional Monday-Sunday pattern, with the exception of NBC's sports lineup, which is live in the early morning hours of Sunday (for all Saturday games and events) and Monday (for all Sunday games and events).

One of the company's proudest moments came in 2006 when its online presence, KUAM.com, received honors as that year's National Edward R. Murrow Award for having the best small market web site, a feat unprecedented for a Guam broadcasting company.

[edit] Current Weekday anchors

  • Sabrina Salas Matanane News Director / News Anchor
  • Jason Salas Interactive Media Manager / News Anchor
  • Mindy Fothergill Senior Investigative Reporter
  • Brant McCreadie Sports Director / Sports Anchor

[edit] Alumni

[edit] See also

  • KUAM-LP
  • Local 2 (Guam) -- local access cable channel operated by KUAM

[edit] External links