KOMO-TV
FCC | |
Facility ID | 21656 |
---|---|
ERP | 915 kW |
HAAT | 259 m (850 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 47°37′55″N 122°21′14″W / 47.63194°N 122.35389°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Website | komonews |
KOMO-TV (channel 4) is a
KOMO-TV signed on in December 1953 as the
History
Beginnings
KOMO-TV began operating on December 11, 1953, as an
The station was originally owned by the Fisher family, which had its start in the
In 1954, a KOMO news photographer discovered a way to develop color film in a new process that took just a few hours instead of days. His discovery allowed KOMO-TV to become the first television station in the nation to broadcast in true color.[citation needed]
In October 1958, however, NBC signed affiliation deals with King Broadcasting Company for their radio and television properties in Seattle and Portland, Oregon.[8] In Seattle, channel 4 shared both ABC and NBC programming with KING-TV until September 27, 1959, when KING-TV took the NBC affiliation full-time. At that point, KOMO-TV became an exclusive ABC affiliate.[9][10][11]
During the 1960s, local television personality Don McCune became well known in the Seattle market for two programs seen on KOMO-TV. Thousands of children in the area knew McCune as "Captain Puget", his role while hosting a children's entertainment program. Channel 4 and McCune also produced the documentary series Exploration Northwest, which explored many of the places and people of the Pacific Northwest.
Mount St. Helens eruption, May 18, 1980
KOMO-TV nearly lost one of its staff in the
1984–present
In 1984, KOMO became the first television station to broadcast daily programming in full
In 1994, KOMO applied for the first test license for broadcasting new high-definition signals. KOMO began broadcasting a high-definition digital signal[14] in 1997; on May 18, 1999, KOMO became the first television station in the United States to broadcast its daily newscasts in high definition.[15] This statement, however, comes into conflict with a claim made by WFAA in Dallas (a sister station to KING-TV) that it is the first station in the nation to broadcast its daily news programs in high definition, on February 28, 1997.[16] It also conflicts with WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina.[citation needed]
On July 2, 2009, a large electrical fire[17] that started in an electrical vault at the Fisher Plaza complex at 11:15 p.m. that evening knocked KOMO off the air during its 11 p.m. newscast.[18][19]
On April 10, 2013, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced that it would acquire Fisher Communications for $373.3 million.[20][21] However, the deal was subjected to financial scrutiny; the law firm Levi & Korsinsky notified Fisher shareholders with accusations that Fisher's board of directors were breaching fiduciary duties by "failing to adequately shop the Company before agreeing to enter into the transaction", and Sinclair was underpaying for Fisher's stock.[22] Shortly after the announcement, a lawsuit was filed by a Fisher shareholder.[23] On August 6, the shareholders voted to approve the sale, after they approved that the shareholders would get $41 per share.[24] The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted approval of the deal on August 6,[25] and the sale was consummated on August 8.[26] Prior to the sale, KOMO-TV had been the last television station in the Seattle market to be owned by local interests, having been built by Fisher from the ground up.
On March 18, 2014, KOMO-TV's news helicopter crashed at the
On September 27, 2015, KOMO introduced a new studio for its newscasts, which was designed by Devlin Design Group—Sinclair's primary set design firm. The new design contains nods to Seattle's scenery, including tribal designs on the floor, a desk inspired by whale pods, as well as a helicopter blade—serving as a memorial to Pfitzner and Strothman.[35]
On May 8, 2017, Sinclair Broadcast Group entered into an agreement to acquire
On July 18, 2018, the FCC voted to have the Sinclair–Tribune acquisition reviewed by an administrative law judge amid "serious concerns" about Sinclair's forthrightness in its applications to sell certain conflict properties.[45][46] Three weeks later on August 9, Tribune announced it would terminate the Sinclair deal, intending to seek other mergers and acquisitions opportunities.[47]
In September 2021, radio
On September 1, 2023, the station's second subchannel began to carry The CW temporarily, replacing KSTW, after CBS News and Stations exercised its option to withdraw its affiliations with the network after Nexstar acquired a majority stake. The subchannel continued to carry programming from Comet in all other time periods.[50][51][52] On January 1, 2024, KUNS-TV discontinued its Univision affiliation (which moved to Bellingham-licensed KVOS-TV) and became the new affiliate of The CW for the Seattle market.[53]
Programming
KOMO-TV and its Portland sister station
News operation
KOMO-TV presently broadcasts 45 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with seven hours each weekday and five hours each on Saturdays and Sundays).
For the last three decades, KOMO has competed directly with KING-TV for first place in the Seattle news ratings. KOMO continually places first among the local newscasts in the market.
Awards
KOMO-TV's news division has consistently won awards for its reporting, and averages more wins per year than any Seattle television station. The station won the
Controversy
In March 2019, KOMO-TV aired a news special entitled Seattle is Dying.[58] This special documented the ongoing drug and homelessness crisis in Seattle and included interviews with residents, business owners, a former police chief, and several homeless people. The documentary and KOMO-TV were criticized by other media following the broadcast. The Seattle Times contested the piece, publishing a rebuttal that April which countered that Seattle's crime rates are actually significantly lower than the 1980s and 1990s.[59] A subject of the documentary piece reported, when later interviewed, that he had been misrepresented.[60]
On-air staff
KOMO anchors Dan Lewis, Kathi Goertzen, and weather forecaster Steve Pool had the third-longest tenure of an anchor team in the United States, having served as KOMO's evening news team from 1987 to 2009. The station's evening newscast has long been co-anchored by Lewis and Goertzen, and was praised by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as being the "Best First-String anchor unit in town."[61]
Following the presidential inauguration ceremony in 1993, Lewis became the first reporter to interview then-President Bill Clinton, which occurred at the White House.[62]
Notable current on-air staff
- Eric Johnson - anchor
- Shannon O'Donnell – chief meteorologist
Notable former on-air staff
- Kathi Goertzen – anchor and special assignment reporter (1980–2012; died on August 13, 2012)[63]
- ABC Sports; died on January 12, 2018)[64]
- Dan Lewis – anchor (1987–2014; retired)
- Lori Matsukawa – anchor (1980–1983); left for KING-TV in 1983 as weeknight anchor; now retired
- Steve Osunsami – reporter (1996–1997)[65]
- Steve Pool – chief meteorologist (1977–2019; died November 22, 2023)
- Bill Schonely – sportscaster (1955–1959, worked alongside Keith Jackson. Bill later became "The Voice of the Trailblazers" for almost three decades and later became the team's "Ambassador"; died on January 21, 2023)[66]
- Ken Schram – reporter and commentator (1977–2012; died on May 29, 2014)[67][68]
- John Seigenthaler Jr. – anchor and reporter (married fellow KOMO anchor/reporter Kerry Brock in 1992, left the station and moved to Nashville, Tennessee; later weekend anchor of NBC Nightly News)
- Jim Snyder – anchor and reporter (1994–1998; now with KSNV)
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's signal is
Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
---|---|---|---|---|
4.1 | 720p | 16:9 |
KOMO | ABC |
4.2 | 480i | Comet | Comet | |
4.3 | Charge! | Charge! | ||
51.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KUNS | The CW (KUNS-TV) |
Analog-to-digital conversion
KOMO-TV shut down its analog signal, over
4.In 2009, KOMO-TV became one of four television stations in the country to be the first to launch
Canadian and out-of-market coverage
KOMO-TV is available to most
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KOMO-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Nine More TV Stations Take To Air" (PDF). Broadcasting - Telecasting. December 21, 1953. p. 58.
- ^ Viewers watch Puget Sound's first wide-audience TV broadcast on 25 November 1948.
- ^ Corr, O. Casey (June 5, 1994). "Into the spotlight–the Fisher family, long part of Seattle's quiet wealthy, takes a more visible road in 'hot talk' radio, Lake Union development, family fortune management". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
- ^ "FCC Grants 1 VHF, 3 UHF" (PDF). Broadcasting-Telecasting. June 15, 1953. pp. 52, 53 – via worldradiohistory.com.
- ^ "KOMO-TV announcement June 11, 1953". seatacmedia.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014.
- ^ Beers, Carole (January 16, 1999). "Obituaries: William W. Warren, 87, pioneer in Seattle TV, radio broadcasting". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ^ "KGW, KING stations affiliate with NBC."[permanent dead link] Broadcasting, October 20, 1958, pg. 74.
- ^ "Seattle partner-change in '59: KOMO-TV to ABC; KING-TV to NBC."[permanent dead link] Broadcasting, October 27, 1958, pg. 68.
- ^ "KOMO-TV joins ABC."[permanent dead link] Broadcasting, April 13, 1959, pg. 99.
- ^ "'Operation Switchover.'"[permanent dead link] Broadcasting, October 5, 1959, pg. 100.
- ^ Dave Crockett Archived May 25, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ [1] Archived November 22, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ began broadcasting a high definition digital signal
- ^ [2] Archived October 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "WFAA Fiftieth Anniversary". Archived from the original on March 11, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2007.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)[dubious ] - ^ July 2009 Fire
- ^ Electrical fire disrupts broadcasts, Web sites Archived July 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, KOMO-TV, July 3, 2009.
- Seattle Times, July 3, 2009.
- ^ "Sinclair acquiring Fisher Communications". komonews.com. April 11, 2013. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
- ^ Colman, Price (April 10, 2013). "Sinclair poised to buy Fisher stations". TVnewscheck.com. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
- ^ "SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP Notifies Investors of Claims of Breaches of Fiduciary Duty by the Board of Fisher Communications, Inc. in Connection With the Sale of the Company to Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc". Press release. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ "Fisher Communications, Inc. (FSCI) Investor Lawsuit to Stop Takeover by Sinclair Broadcast Group Announced by Shareholders Foundation". Press release. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ Fisher stockholders approve sale to Sinclair Seattle Times, August 6, 2013
- ^ "CONSENT TO TRANSFER" (PDF). licensing.fcc.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 24, 2021.
- ^ "Sinclair Broadcast Group Closes On Fisher Communications Acquisition". All Access. August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
- ^ a b "WPR14FA137 — Preliminary Accident Report". March 21, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
- ^ "Helicopters, Inc".
- ^ "2 Dead After KOMO Helicopter Crashes in Seattle". TVSpy. March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^ "2 killed in news helicopter crash at Seattle Center". KING-TV. March 18, 2014. Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^ "2 die in news helicopter crash at KOMO-TV". The Seattle Times. March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^ "2 die in news helicopter crash near Space Needle". The Seattle Times. March 18, 2014. Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^ "Pilot, KOMO-TV photographer killed in news helicopter crash". KGW. March 18, 2014. Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^ "2 killed as KOMO News helicopter crashes near Space Needle". KOMO-TV. March 18, 2014. Archived from the original on December 16, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^ "KOMO Brings Seattle Scenery Into Its Studio". TVNewsCheck. September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ Battaglio, Stephen (May 8, 2017). "Sinclair Broadcast Group to buy Tribune Media for $3.9 billion plus debt". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ Littleton, Cynthia (May 8, 2017). "Sinclair Broadcast Group Sets $3.9 Billion Deal to Acquire Tribune Media". Variety. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ Frankel, Todd (May 8, 2017). "Sinclair Broadcast to buy Tribune Media for $3.9 billion, giving it control over 215 local TV stations". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings, LLC. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ Baker, Liana; Toonkel, Jessica (May 7, 2017). "Sinclair Broadcast nears deal for Tribune Media". Reuters. Reuters. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
- ^ Jessell, Harry A.; Miller, Mark K. (May 8, 2017). "The New Sinclair: 72% Coverage + WGNA". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheck Media.
- ^ Gates, Dominic (May 9, 2017). "Current FCC rules bar Sinclair from owning both KOMO and KCPQ — but that could change". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ Jones, Scott (December 15, 2017). "DOJ Gives The OK To Sinclair, Now Look for..." FTV Live. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ "Sinclair Revises TV Spinoff Plans For Tribune Deal, Announces Deals For Several Stations". All Access. April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- ^ Hayes, Dade (May 9, 2018). "21st Century Fox Buys Seven Local TV Stations From Sinclair For $910 Million". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ Shields, Todd (July 16, 2018). "Sinclair and Tribune Fall as FCC Slams TV Station Sale Plan". Bloomberg News. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
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- News Corp.August 9, 2018.
- ^ Venta, Lance (September 28, 2021). "Lotus Closes On Purchase Of Sinclair's Seattle Radio Properties". RadioInsight. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
- ^ Lacitis, Erik (January 28, 2022). "So long, 'KOMO Country': KOMO Radio sold, gets new name". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
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- ^ TV news directors: Make it a clean sweep, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 8, 2002.
- ^ Dan Lewis interviews then-President Bill Clinton
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- ^ Goldstein, Richard (January 13, 2018). "Keith Jackson, Voice of College Football, Dies at 89". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 13, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
- ^ "ABC Reporter Steve Osunsami At UTC". Chattanoogan.com. March 5, 2002. Retrieved March 5, 2002.
- ^ "Longtime Trail Blazers broadcaster Bill Schonely dies at 93". ESPN. Associated Press. January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
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- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for KOMO
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