| Eugene, Oregon | |
|---|---|
| Branding | KEZI 9 (general) KEZI 9 News (news) |
| Slogan | Connecting You |
| Channels | Digital: 9 (VHF) |
| Translators | K27CL-D Coos Bay/North Bend K46KS-D Roseburg (for others see article) |
| Affiliations | ABC |
| Owner | Chambers Communications Corporation (KEZI, Inc.) |
| First air date | December 19, 1960 |
| Call letters' meaning | Formerly "E-Z on the I"; no longer used or promoted[1] |
| Sister station(s) | KOHD (Bend) KDRV (Medford) KDKF (Klamath Falls) |
| Former callsigns | KEZI-TV (1960–1986) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 9 (VHF, 1960–2009) Digital: 44 (UHF, 2000–2009) |
| Former affiliations | CBS (secondary, 1960–1982)[1] |
| Transmitter power | 43.9 kW |
| Height | 533.3 m |
| Facility ID | 34406 |
| Website | kezi.com |
KEZI is a digital broadcast television station operating in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It is the ABC affiliate for Eugene and produces more than 24 hours of newscasts a week. The station is owned by Chambers Communications Corp., a Eugene-based entity, making KEZI the only locally-owned television operation in the counties it serves.
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In 1959, a group of Eugene investors formed Liberty Communications and were granted a license for Eugene's second television station. These investors included former Chevrolet dealer Julio Silva and his daughter, Carolyn S. Chambers. KEZI went on the air for the first time at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, December 19, 1960. Studios and offices were located at 2225 Coburg Road in north Eugene, and the transmitter was located atop the Coburg Hills northeast of the city. In its inaugural broadcast, KEZI boasted that it was Eugene's first full-power television station. Broadcasting at a powerful 316 kW, KEZI reached 146,000 viewers at its inception.
The station has always been an ABC affiliate, but for its first 22 years shared CBS programming with KVAL-TV. Prior to 1982, Eugene-area viewers had to subscribe to cable TV in order to receive a full-time CBS affiliate (KOIN of Portland). This was somewhat unusual for a two-station market, especially one of Eugene's size; ABC would be nowhere on the level of CBS and NBC until the 1970s. In most two-station markets at the time, ABC was relegated to secondary status. In October 1982, when KMTR signed on to take the NBC affiliation, KVAL became a full-time CBS affiliate, leaving KEZI with ABC.
In its first 24 years, Liberty grew exponentially, becoming one of the nation's largest cable system operators. In 1983, Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI) purchased Liberty's cable and television assets for $186 million.
Chambers then formed Chambers Communications. and purchased several former Liberty entities, including KEZI. Chambers Communications moved on to purchase the Medford and Klamath Falls ABC affiliates, KDRV and [KDKF. Today, Chambers owns many media-related businesses, including an Internet service provider and a multimedia production house, Chambers Productions.
On February 14, 1998 KEZI's entire operation was moved from the original Coburg Road location to the recently completed Chambers Media Center. This 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) building is now home to most Chambers Communications projects. Among the amenities at CMC are five sound stages, one of the largest such facilities on the West coast (Chambers Productions' two films, Puerto Vallarta Squeeze and The Sisters, were shot at CMC and in Eugene). KEZI also enjoys a fully digital master control and an advanced newsroom facility.
In September 2006, Chambers Communications established KOHD-TV in Bend, Oregon. KOHD is a sister station of KEZI and an ABC affiliate, with digital broadcasts on channel 51.
On December 10, 2010, KEZI announced that Chambers Communications could not reach a deal to keep its stations on Dish Network's local feeds, leaving viewers in those areas in danger of losing local ABC programming as a result. Viewers were encouraged to read a special Q&A page regarding this matter. Despite their best efforts, their previous agreement expired on December 15th and the stations were removed from the Dish Network local line-ups. Chambers and Dish finally came to an agreement to resume service and as of December 30, 2010 the stations returned on Dish Network. [2]
KEZI's broadcasts are digital-only, effective February 17, 2009.[3]
Digital channels
| Channel | Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|
| 9.1 | KEZI-HD | ABC HD |
| 9.2 | KEZI-SD | KEZI 9+ Nonstop News |
KEZI's broadcast schedule is dominated by news, local features and ABC network programming. Sports is also a prominent part of KEZI programming, with Oregon Ducks football and basketball, and ABC's extensive sports coverage. In addition to ABC network programming, KEZI airs such shows as The Insider, Judge Judy, and the syndicated version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?.
In seasons past, KEZI aired reruns of Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Taxi (which are kept in the station's 1" tape library to this day). KEZI also has a number of feature films on 1" tape it can air for lack of other programming.
KEZI's news department occasionally airs a special culled from a feature seen on news: Rick Dancer's aforementioned Guatemala trip became a one-time special in 2005.
In late 2005, KEZI pioneered high definition television (HDTV) programming in the Eugene market by airing a locally-originated Oregon Ducks football game in HDTV. KEZI coordinated the broadcast with the Oregon Sports Network and ESPN Plus. Up until that point, no other broadcast station had aired local HDTV programming in western Oregon (all HDTV broadcasts had been network). On April 26, 2010, KEZI became the first station in the Eugene market to broadcast local news in high definition.
The KEZI news department is a large operation serving most of southwestern Oregon. KEZI's sister stations KDRV Medford and KDKF Klamath Falls provide news and video for KEZI's broadcasts, and vice versa. The news department also operates bureaus in Corvallis, Roseburg, and Coos Bay. For national stories, the station primarily relies on ABC NewsOne and CNN. KEZI also carries Portland-area stories from KATU and KGW. Weather reporting is overseen by Justin Stapleton, Melissa Frey, and Megan Taylor.
KEZI prides itself on its coverage of sports. The station was the longtime flagship of the Oregon Sports Network, official TV net for University of Oregon football, basketball and other sports. KEZI's parent company, Chambers Communication, terminated its relationship with the Oregon Sports Network in 2008.[4]
In March 2010, newscasts started originating from a temporary set in the newsroom while a new set was constructed and other upgrades were made to prepare for HD. Chambers Communication's cancellation of long-form newscasts at KOHD, KEZI's sister station in Bend, Oregon, allowed KEZI to upgrade equipment.[5]
On April 26, 2010, KEZI became the first (and only) station to broadcast local news in high definition in the Eugene market.[6] By comparison, the newscasts on KVAL and KLSR-TV are in 16:9 enhanced definition widescreen while those on KMTR remain in pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition.
KEZI's Rick Dancer and Al Peterson were highlighted in the Oregon Associated Press Best Feature category for Division II in 2005.[7] KEZI won several Oregon Associated Press awards in 2010, including Overall Excellence.
Current anchors
Stormtracker 9 Weather
Sports team
Reporters
KEZI is rebroadcast on the following translators: