KBAK-TV

Last updated

KBAK-TV
Channels
BrandingKBAK CBS; Eyewitness News
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
KBFX-CD
History
First air date
August 21, 1953(71 years ago) (1953-08-21)
Former call signs
KAFY-TV (1953–1954)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 29 (UHF, 1953–2009)
ABC (1974–1996)
Call sign meaning
Bakersfield
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 4148
ERP 110 kW
HAAT 1,128 m (3,701 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 35°27′10.8″N118°35′28.3″W / 35.453000°N 118.591194°W / 35.453000; -118.591194
Links
Public license information
Website bakersfieldnow.com

KBAK-TV (channel 29) is a television station in Bakersfield, California, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside low-power, Class A Fox affiliate KBFX-CD (channel 58). The two stations share studios on Westwind Drive west of Downtown Bakersfield; KBAK-TV's transmitter is located atop Breckenridge Mountain.

Contents

History

The station signed on the air on August 21, 1953, as KAFY-TV. [2] It was originally owned by Sheldon Anderson along with KAFY radio (550 AM, now 1100 AM). The station originally operated from studios located on Chester Avenue in Bakersfield. It is Bakersfield's oldest television station; KERO-TV (channel 23) followed a month later. Four months later, Anderson sold the station to the Chronicle Publishing Company of San Francisco. KAFY-TV was initially an affiliate of the Dumont television network, later becoming a primary CBS affiliate, sharing ABC programming with KERO-TV until KLYD-TV (channel 17, now KGET-TV) signed on in 1959.

In February 1954, shortly after becoming a full CBS affiliate, channel 29 changed its calls to the current KBAK-TV. [3] The Chronicle sold the station to Reeves Telecom in 1960. As a CBS and later ABC affiliate, KBAK aired all of each network's color programs in color, and went to full color in 1967. In 1974, KBAK swapped affiliations with channel 17, then known as KJTV, and became an ABC affiliate. [4] [5]

In 1964, Reeves sold KBAK to Chicago-based Harriscope Broadcasting, which also owned WSNS in Chicago (now a Telemundo O&O) and a partial stake in KRQE in Albuquerque (now owned by Nexstar Media Group). In the late 1980s, KBAK started signing off only on Fridays and Saturdays, which, as a CBS affiliate, it continued to do until May 2008, when the sign-offs on KBAK and KBFX were discontinued and were replaced by a simulcast of the Kern Weather Channel, which is also available on digital cable systems in the Bakersfield area.

In 1986, Harriscope sold KBAK to Burnham Broadcasting, which also owned KHON-TV in Honolulu and would later acquire WVUE in New Orleans, WALA-TV in Mobile, Alabama, and WLUK in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In 1995, Burnham sold most of its stations to SF Broadcasting, a joint venture between Fox and Savoy Pictures, but KBAK was not included in the sale to SF Broadcasting, and was instead spun off to Westwind Communications, a locally based company linked to former Burnham executives.

After McGraw-Hill (then-owner of KERO-TV) learned in November 1994 that its KMGH-TV in Denver would be losing its CBS affiliation to KCNC-TV, it signed a groupwide affiliation deal which called for all of its stations, including KMGH-TV and KERO-TV, to become ABC affiliates. KBAK rejoined CBS on March 4, 1996, after KERO-TV's affiliation contract with CBS expired.

On August 6, 2007, Westwind Communications announced the sale of KBAK and KBFX-CA to Fisher Communications of Seattle. [6] The deal closed on January 1, 2008. This marked a re-entry into the Central Valley for Fisher, who had previously bought and sold KJEO (now KGPE) in Fresno in the late 1990s.

In mid May 2010, KBAK became the first station in Bakersfield to begin broadcasting local newscasts in 16:9 widescreen standard definition. Then on January 16, 2011, KBAK took it one step further to become the first station in Bakersfield to launch local news in true high definition. [7] The KBFX shows were included in the upgrade to HD; however, until recently, they were presented in downconverted standard definition widescreen on KBAK-DT2 (which serves as a full-power companion to KBFX's low-power Class A digital terrestrial signal).

KBAK-TV, KBFX, and Fisher Communications' other holdings were sold to Sinclair Broadcast Group in a transaction announced on April 10, 2013. [8] [9] The deal was completed on August 8, 2013. [10] The transaction marked a re-entry into California for Sinclair since it sold off its Sacramento station KOVR to CBS at the end of April 2005.

The current announcer for KBAK and KBFX is nationally recognized voice-over artist Eric Gordon. [11]

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KBAK-TV [12]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
29.1 1080i 16:9 KBAK CBS
29.3 480i Charge! Charge!
29.4Dabl Dabl
58.2 720p FOX58 Fox (KBFX-CD)
  Simulcast of subchannels of another station

Analog-to-digital conversion

KBAK-TV discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 29, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 33, [13] using virtual channel 29.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMGH-TV</span> TV station in Denver

KMGH-TV is a television station in Denver, Colorado, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Sterling-licensed independent station KCDO-TV, channel 3. The two stations share studios on Delgany Street in Denver's River North Art District; KMGH-TV's transmitter is located atop Lookout Mountain, near Golden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCIV</span> Television station in South Carolina, United States

WCIV is a television station in Charleston, South Carolina, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV and ABC. The station is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, and maintains studios on Allbritton Boulevard along US 17/701 in Mount Pleasant and a transmitter in Awendaw, South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KGTV</span> TV station in San Diego

KGTV is a television station in San Diego, California, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. The station's studios are located on Air Way in the Riverview-Webster section of San Diego, and its transmitter is located on Mount Soledad in La Jolla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KIMA-TV</span> CBS/CW affiliate in Yakima, Washington

KIMA-TV is a television station in Yakima, Washington, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside low-power, Class A Univision affiliate KUNW-CD. The two stations share studios on Terrace Heights Boulevard in Yakima; KIMA-TV's transmitter is located on Ahtanum Ridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRTV</span> TV station in Indianapolis

WRTV is a television station in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. The station's studios are located on Meridian Street north of downtown Indianapolis, and its transmitter is located on the city's northwest side near Meridian Hills, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMPH-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Visalia, California

KMPH-TV is a television station licensed to Visalia, California, United States, serving the Fresno area as an affiliate of the Fox network. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside Sanger-licensed CW affiliate KFRE-TV. The two stations share studios on McKinley Avenue in eastern Fresno; KMPH-TV's transmitter is located on Big Baldy Mountain in northwestern Tulare County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLUK-TV</span> TV station in Green Bay, Wisconsin

WLUK-TV is a television station in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside Suring-licensed CW affiliate WCWF. The two stations share studios on Lombardi Avenue on the line between Green Bay and Ashwaubenon; WLUK-TV's transmitter is located on Scray Hill in Ledgeview.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCHS-TV</span> TV station in Charleston, West Virginia

WCHS-TV is a television station licensed to Charleston, West Virginia, United States, serving the Charleston–Huntington market as an affiliate of ABC and Fox. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to WVAH-TV under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Cunningham Broadcasting. However, Sinclair effectively owns WVAH-TV as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The two stations share studios on Piedmont Road in Charleston; WCHS-TV's transmitter is located atop Coal Mountain, south of Scott Depot, West Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KBOI-TV</span> CBS affiliate in Boise, Idaho

KBOI-TV is a television station in Boise, Idaho, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside low-power CW+ affiliate KYUU-LD. The two stations share studios on North 16th Street in downtown Boise; KBOI-TV's transmitter is located at the Bogus Basin ski area summit in unincorporated Boise County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTAT-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Charleston, South Carolina

WTAT-TV is a television station in Charleston, South Carolina, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. The station is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting, a partner company of the Sinclair Broadcast Group. However, although Sinclair effectively owns WTAT-TV, making it an effective sister to dual MyNetworkTV/ABC affiliate WCIV, WTAT-TV is operated outright by Cunningham, and is one of only two Cunningham stations not operated by Sinclair. WTAT-TV's studios are located on Arco Lane in North Charleston, and its transmitter is located in Awendaw, South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFSN-TV</span> ABC TV station in Fresno, California

KFSN-TV is a television station in Fresno, California, United States, serving as the market's ABC network outlet. It is owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, and maintains studios on G Street in downtown Fresno; its transmitter is located on Bear Mountain, near Meadow Lakes, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fisher Communications</span> Defunct American media company

Fisher Communications, Inc. was a media company in the United States. Based in Seattle, Washington, the company primarily owned a number of radio and television stations in the Western United States. It was the last company in the Seattle area to own a local TV station before being acquired by Sinclair Broadcast Group in 2013. Prior to 2001, it was a conglomerate with businesses in broadcasting, flour milling and real estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KGET-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Bakersfield, California

KGET-TV is a television station in Bakersfield, California, United States, affiliated with NBC. Its second digital subchannel serves as an owned-and-operated station of The CW Plus. Owned by CW majority owner Nexstar Media Group, KGET-TV is sister to low-power Telemundo affiliate KKEY-LD. The two stations share studios on L Street in Downtown Bakersfield; KGET-TV's transmitter is located atop Mount Adelaide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KIDK</span> TV station in Idaho Falls, Idaho

KIDK is a television station licensed to Idaho Falls, Idaho, United States, serving the Idaho Falls–Pocatello market as an affiliate of Dabl, Fox, and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by VistaWest Media, LLC, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with the News-Press & Gazette Company (NPG), owner of ABC/CBS/CW+/Telemundo affiliate KIFI-TV, for the provision of certain services. The two stations share studios on North Yellowstone Highway/US 26 in Idaho Falls; KIDK's transmitter is located on East Butte in unincorporated northern Bingham County along the Idaho National Laboratory border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KERO-TV</span> TV station in Bakersfield, California

KERO-TV is a television station in Bakersfield, California, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. The station's studios are located on 21st Street in Downtown Bakersfield, and its transmitter is located atop Breckenridge Mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KBFX-CD</span> Fox affiliate in Bakersfield, California

KBFX-CD is a low-power, Class A television station in Bakersfield, California, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside CBS affiliate KBAK-TV. The two stations share studios on Westwind Drive west of Downtown Bakersfield; KBFX's transmitter is located atop Breckenridge Mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRCG</span> CBS affiliate in Jefferson City, Missouri

KRCG is a television station licensed to Jefferson City, Missouri, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Columbia–Jefferson City market. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station maintains studios and transmitter facilities on US 54 in the nearby town of New Bloomfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KHQA-TV</span> TV station in Hannibal, Missouri

KHQA-TV is a television station licensed to Hannibal, Missouri, United States, serving the Quincy, Illinois–Hannibal, Missouri–Keokuk, Iowa market as an affiliate of CBS and ABC. The station is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, and maintains studios on South 36th Street in Quincy; its transmitter is located northeast of the city on Cannonball Road near I-172.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KCDO-TV</span> TV station in Sterling, Colorado

KCDO-TV is an independent television station licensed to Sterling, Colorado, United States, serving the Denver area. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside ABC affiliate KMGH-TV. The two stations share studios on Delgany Street in Denver's River North Art District; KCDO-TV's transmitter is located in rural southwestern Morgan County, east of Frederick.

SF Broadcasting was an American media company that owned and operated four television stations; the company operated from its founding March 1994, four months before its purchased stations owned by Burnham Broadcasting, until its merger with Silver King Broadcasting in 1996.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for KBAK-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ FCC History Cards for KBAK-TV. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ "CALL LETTERS ASSIGNED" (PDF). Broadcasting-Telecasting : 104. February 15, 1954.
  4. ↑ "Central California Edition". Archived from the original on January 29, 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2006.
  5. ↑ "Old Tv Newscast Titles, Part One (Alaska-Louisiana)".
  6. ↑ "FisherCommunications - News". Archived from the original on January 11, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Eyewitness News 1st to air local HD programming". Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Sinclair acquiring Fisher Communications". bakersfieldnow.com. April 11, 2013. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  9. ↑ Colman, Price (April 10, 2013). "Sinclair poised to buy Fisher stations". TVnewscheck.com. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Sinclair Broadcast Group Closes On Fisher Communications Acquisition". All Access. August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  11. ↑ KBAK intends to make DTV switch Feb. 17 Archived February 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine , KBAX/KBFX, February 4, 2009
  12. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for KBAK
  13. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.