| Prescott, Arizona\Phoenix, Arizona | |
|---|---|
| Branding | AZ-TV 7 Cable 13 Me-TV Arizona (DT2) RTV 7.3 (DT3) |
| Slogan | Come on Over! |
| Channels | Digital: 7 (VHF) |
| Subchannels | See below |
| Translators | KAZT-CD 36 Phoenix (for others, see list in article) |
| Affiliations | Me-TV Retro Television Network |
| Owner | The Londen Group (KAZT, LLC) |
| First air date | September 5, 1982 |
| Call letters' meaning | AZ-TV AriZona Television |
| Former callsigns | KUSK (1982-2002) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 7 (VHF, 1982-2009) |
| Transmitter power | 3.2 kW |
| Height | 792 m |
| Facility ID | 35811 |
| Website | www.aztv.com |
KAZT-TV is an independent television station in Prescott, Arizona, broadcasting locally in digital on VHF channel 7 from its transmitter located atop Mingus Mountain northeast of Prescott. Its analog signal is simulcast across central and northern Arizona through a translator system, and its digital signal under the calls KAZT-CD is simulcast in Phoenix on channel 36.[1] It can be seen on cable systems throughout the state (excluding the Tucson and Yuma markets), as well as on the local channel packages from DirecTV and Dish Network. The station has business offices and studios in Prescott and Phoenix.
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The station was known as KNAZ from January 1980, when the original construction permit was granted, until September, at which time they took call letters KUSK, while the original KNAZ call letters ended up at a Flagstaff NBC station. KUSK signed on in 1982 and by the 1990s, was running low-budget programming that mainly targeted Prescott (the main station's city of license) and northern Arizona in general, through its main station transmitting from Mingus Mountain and a network of translators from Yuma to Payson, and from Casa Grande to Bullhead City. The station broadcast old movies in the public domain and 1950s TV shows (some of it provided by America One and American Independent Network), syndicated programming larger Phoenix stations didn't want, local talk shows, and America's Store home shopping. Before the Arizona Diamondbacks began operation in 1998, KUSK thrived on Major League Baseball, and aired San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, and San Francisco Giants games.
On December 5, 1997, following a lengthy dispute over the shares of a former shareholder, KUSK, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy to protect them from creditors while the company reorganized.[2] KUSK emerged from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in May 2000, having taken over two years to resolve what was supposed to have required two months. Almost immediately, the station was put up for sale, and on September 5, 2000, Harry Pappas agreed to buy the station under the name of Azteca Phoenix, with the intent of making the station an affiliate of Azteca America, a network in the process of organizing. Although the sale was approved by the FCC, it was never consummated, and KUSK was forced to seek another buyer. KUSK reached an agreement on November 30, 2001 to sell the station to the Londen Family Trust. The Phoenix-based Londen family were owners of a life insurance company and active in local politics, and officially took control of KUSK and its translator network on April 1, 2002.
The day after the Londen Group closed on its purchase, it relaunched the station with new call letters, KAZT-TV. It also adopted a new moniker, "AZ-TV", and a new slogan, "Arizona's Own." They also gave the station a significant technical facelift, including a studio in Phoenix, and a programming overhaul. The station transformed from a low-budget operation focused on Northern Arizona into a high-quality independent station more focused on Phoenix and a serious competitor to the Valley's long-successful independent station, KTVK. To help ensure that KAZT would be a high-quality station that would "do some good for Arizona", the Londen family put together an advisory board of notable Arizonans, including Governor Jane Dee Hull, U.S. Representative Bob Stump, prominent local auto dealer Lou Grubb, Jerry Colangelo of the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks, and Michael Bidwill of the Arizona Cardinals. Company patriarch Jack Londen later said that he'd bought the station as a 50th anniversary gift for his wife, Dodie.[3]
On February 22, 2001, the station was granted a construction permit to build its digital companion channel on UHF channel 25, and in October 2002, after receiving a grant of Special Temporary Authority (STA) to operate at roughly the same service level as its analog station, KAZT-DT came on the air. The station made its temporary operations permanent in August 2006, and on October 17, 2006, it was licensed. On May 15, 2009, the station surrendered its channel 25 license to the FCC, and the digital station started operating on channel 7.[4]
KAZT's Phoenix repeater was founded January 22, 1985, as a construction permit for station K27AN, granted to the Meredith Corporation, owners of KPHO-TV. In August 1985, before the station was ever built, Meredith sold the permit to Arizona Metro Television Ltd., who constructed the station, then sold it to KUSK, Inc. in April 1986. The same month, the station came on the air under Program Test Authority, but was not licensed until June 30, 1987. By 1993, it was an affiliate of Home Shopping Network (HSN). William H. Sauro, KUSK's president, became the licensee of the station in May 1994, and in December 1994, it changed its callsign to KHSK-LP.
As part of KUSK's network of stations, KHSK-LP was included in the proposed sale to Harry Pappas for his Azteca Phoenix enterprise, and then was included in the sale to the Londen Group after the Pappas purchase failed to materialize. KHSK-LP initially kept its HSN affiliation, but on July 5, 2002, the Londen Group changed the station's callsign to KAZT-CA and relaunched the station as a part of AZ-TV.
After KUTP began full-power digital operations on adjacent channel 26, their permanent allocation, KAZT-CA began to experience interference to its signal. The station requested Special Temporary Authority (STA) to shut off analog transmission and begin digital transmission on the same channel (called a "flash cut"). The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted the STA on August 16, 2007, and KAZT-CA began broadcasting in digital on January 15, 2008.[1][5] On August 4, 2008, KAZT-CA applied to move its signal to channel 36, citing displacement due to continuing interference from KUTP.[6] The FCC granted the displacement application on September 10, 2009, and on December 7, KAZT-CA ended broadcasts on channel 27, commencing operations on channel 36 five days later.[7]
On weekdays, KAZT-TV airs daytime talk including The Morning Scramble (local), The Jerry Springer Show, The Steve Wilkos Show, Maury, and The Jeremy Kyle Show. Rachael Ray, a new addition in 2011 airs at 5pm followed by game shows, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire and Family Feud. Family comedies Frasier, Seinfeld, M*A*S*H, and According to Jim air between 8pm and Midnight, as well as the new reality dating show, Excused. Saturday programming also features the popular drama, Brothers & Sisters as well as Dog The Bounty Hunter. Sundays are all paid/religious programming on the station.
When they first signed on as AZ-TV, they were sports-intensive, and were the home to Arizona State University men's and women's basketball, baseball, and softball; Phoenix Mercury WNBA basketball, and Mountain West Conference football telecasts. In 2003 and 2004, they televised the Arizona Cardinals' pre-season NFL football. AZ-TV has been the broadcast television home of the National Hockey League's Phoenix Coyotes since the 2006-2007 season.[8] On Feb 17, 2010 it was announced that the station will broadcast 8 games for the Arizona Rattlers of the revived Arena Football League (2010). Currently the station does not broadcast live sports.
On October 13, 2008, KAZT-DT and KAZT-CA launched a subchannel featuring programming from Retro Television Network (RTV).[9] On June 20, 2011, KAZT added Me-TV to subchannel 7.3. On August 1, 2011, Me-TV was moved to subchannel 7.2 with RTV moving to 7.3.[10] Me-TV also airs locally in Phoenix on COX Digital Cable Channel 93.
| Channel | Format | Programming |
|---|---|---|
| 7.1 | 720p | Main KAZT programming |
| 7.2 | 480i | Me-TV [11][10] |
| 7.3 | Retro Television Network |
KAZT has a network of low-power repeaters throughout Arizona, all of which are in the Phoenix market. Two repeaters, K19CX Yuma and K65BB Wellton, formerly served the Yuma market, but were required to drop KAZT on December 4, 2006, due to syndication exclusivity issues. K19CX is owned by the Londen Group, but is a repeater of KAET.
KAZT-owned, but does not broadcast KAZT programming:
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