KFSN-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = KFSN-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan = Live, Local, Late Breaking
station_branding = "ABC 30" (general)
"ABC 30 Action News HD" (newscast)
analog = 30 (UHF)
digital = 9 (VHF)
affiliations = ABC
ABC-30 Weather Now (DT3)
network =
founded =
airdate = May 10, 1956
location = Fresno, California
callsign_meaning = FreSNo
former_callsigns = KFRE-TV (1956-1971)
former_channel_numbers = 12 (1956-1961)
owner = Disney/ABC
licensee = KFSN Television, LLC
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = CBS (1956-1985)
effective_radiated_power = 3720 kW (analog)
8.7 kW (digital)
HAAT = 622 m (analog)
614 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 8620|ewrv coordinates = coor dms|37|4|37.4|N|119|26|4.6|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.abc30.com/ www.abc30.com]

KFSN-TV is the ABC owned and operated television station in Fresno, California. The station transmits its analog signal on UHF channel 30, and its digital signal on VHF channel 9. Its signal covers the Central San Joaquin Valley and the mountain ranges flanking either side, including the Sierra Nevada mountains and Yosemite National Park. The station serves Fresno, Madera, Merced, Tulare, and Kings counties. The station's transmitter is located in Meadow Lakes, California.

Overview

Out of ten ABC owned stations, KFSN is the only one using a UHF channel to carry its analog signal. The station is one of the two network owned television stations in the Fresno television market. (The other is KNSO, the NBC-owned Telemundo affiliated station.)

The station's newscasts are not branded Eyewitness News, like most of its other owned stations, they are called "ABC30 Action News". Sister station WPVI in Philadelphia also uses this moniker. In late 2003, the station began pooling resources with sister stations KABC-TV in Los Angeles and KGO-TV in San Francisco to hire a full time reporter and photographer to staff a Sacramento bureau following Arnold Schwarzenegger's election to the office of Governor during the 2003 California recall election.

Like its sister stations, KFSN's syndicated programming lineup includes "The Oprah Winfrey Show", "Wheel of Fortune", and "Jeopardy!". Other syndicated programming carried by the station includes" The Rachael Ray Show" and weekend shows "Teen Kids News", "Hispanics Today", "At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper", and "The Dead Zone".

History

In the 1950s, KARM-AM and KFRE-AM competed for the channel 12 license, the sole VHF TV allocation in Fresno. KFRE won the license, and the station known today as KFSN-TV signed on the air for the first time on May 10, 1956 on channel 12 as KFRE-TV, taking the CBS affliation from KJEO-TV (channel 47).

The KFRE stations were acquired by Triangle Publications in 1959, and on February 17, 1961, KFRE-TV reluctantly moved to UHF channel 30 to make Fresno an all-UHF market under orders from the Federal Communications Commission. The move came after Central Coast-area politicians pressured the FCC to move KFRE-TV in order to level the playing field. This move opened up channel 12 for an allocation in usedby KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, and to allow for the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay Area markets to have VHF signals without interference from the Central Valley. (Fresno is still a predominantly-UHF market to this day with all 12 full power analog signals operating on UHF channels. The exceptions are a few low-power and digital outlets, including KFSN's own digital signal on VHF 9.)

Capital Cities Communications acquired the KFRE stations from Triangle in 1971; the company sold off the AM and FM radio stations and kept the TV station, changing its calls from KFRE-TV to KFSN-TV. (The KFRE calls are now used on Fresno's CW affiliate; that station is unrelated to the current KFSN-TV.) The station became an ABC O&O in September 1985 following ABC's merger with CapCities; CBS returned to KJEO (now KGPE). The merged company hadn't originally intended to keep KFSN, but only did so because it was not allowed to keep WTNH in New Haven, Connecticut.

KFSN's newscasts have used the Action News name and format made famous at sister station WPVI since the 1970s. The station has led the news ratings in the San Joaquin Valley for over 30 years. Its 5 pm newscast, "Live at Five," frequently attracts more viewers than all other local stations combined.

Digital Television

Analog-to-digital transition

Afetr the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009 http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf] , KFSN-TV will move its digital broadcasts back to its present analog channel number, 30. [http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101257376&formid=387&fac_num=8620 CDBS Print ] ] With all nine of the other ABC O&Os also moving their digital broadcasts back to their present analog channel numbers, Disney/ABC will be one of the very few companies which none of its O&O stations will need PSIP to air on a virtual channel.

High Definition

On April 23, 2007 KFSN-TV became the 6th ABC O&O station to broadcast their newscasts in HD following their sister stations KABC-TV, WPVI-TV, WABC-TV, WLS-TV and KGO-TV. They starting with the 5 P.M. newscast and branding as "ABC 30 Action News HD". In addition, ABC 30 has also changed its logo to follow the practice of its other sister stations incorporating the Circle logo.

Present Personalities

Anchors
*Warren Armstrong - Weeknight 5, 6, 11 PM anchor
*Graciela Moreno - Weeknight 6, 6:30 PM anchor
*Nancy Osborne - Weeknight 5 PM anchor
*Dale Yurong - Weeknight 6:30 PM anchor
*Liz Harrison - Weeknight 11 PM anchor
*Jason Martinez - AM Live and Midday anchor
*Margot Kim - AM live anchor
*Itica Milanes - AM Live weekend anchor/reporter
*Amanda Perez - Weekend evening anchor/reporter

Weather anchors
*Doug Collins - Weekday Mornings
*Angelo Stalis - Weeknights
*Kevin Musso- Weekends ?, AMS and NWA certified

Sports
*Dan Taylor - Sports Director weeknights
*Jason Olivera - weekends

Reporters
*Laurie Penco (Has now worked at all 4 Fresno TV stations)
*Sontaya Rose
*Amanda Perez
*Corin Hoggard
*John-Thomas Kobos
*Andres Araiza - Court Reporter
*Jessica Peres - South Valley Reporter
*Sara Sandrik - North Valley Reporter
*Nannette Miranda - Sacramento State Reporter
*Tony Capozzi - Legal/Political Analyst
*Christine Park - Consumer Reporter
*Gene Haagenson - Senior Reporter

Past Personalities

* Aaron Bender - reporter
* Gerrick Brenner - reporter, now at WTVD
* Kevin Cox - anchor/reporter
* Laura Diaz - anchor 1981-83, now at KCBS-TV/KCAL-TV
* Joanne Feldman - weather anchor 2000-2002 later at WTVD 2002-2007 now at WAGA Atlanta
* Robin Fern - anchor
* Craig Fiegener -reporter, now at KCBS-TV/KCAL-TV
* Keith Garvin - reporter, now at WRC-TV in Washington
* Darla Givens - weather anchor 1991-1996, now at KXTV
* Dan Godwin - anchor/reporter now at KDFW-TV Dallas/Ft. Worth
* Lisa Gonzales - morning anchor 2002-2005, now at KOVR/KMAX
* Katie Hammer - North Valley Bureau Chief 2005-2007, now at KGO
* Craig Herrera - midday & weekend weather anchor 2002-2005 now at KNTV
* Karen Lee - anchor/reporter, now at KARE
* Ellis Levinson - consumer affairs reporter
* Deanna McQueen - South Valley Bureau Reporter 2003-2006, now at KMBC
* Kate Mistol - anchor 1998-2002, now at KTBC
* Richard Montano - sports, 2000-2004 now at WHEC
* Maureen Naylor- weekend/fill in anchor & reporter, 2005-2008 now at KTVU in Oakland/San Francisco
* Chris Nieto - sports,now at KJWL radio in Fresno
* Kent Ninomiya - reporter 1990 - 1991
* Lucy Noland - anchor/reporter 1994-1996, now at KHOU
* Ann Norteangelo - reporter 1998-2001 now at KPIX
* Clint Olivier - reporter 2005-2007 Now at KMPH-TV
* Kevin Quinn - reporter 1997-2003, now at KTRK
* Al Radka - KFRE television personality from 1956 to 1985
* Eric Rasmoussen - weekend anchor/reporter 2003-2006, now at WFTV
* Kevin Riggs - anchor/reporter 1992-1994, now at KCRA/KQCA
* Rich Rodriguez - anchor 1980-1985 and 1988-2000, now at KSEE
* Juanita Stevenson - anchor-reporter 1984-2006 now at KJWL-FM
* Cindy Suryan - anchor/reporter, now employed by Community Hospitals of Central California
* Ashlee Tate - midday/weekend weather anchor, 2005-2008..One of the hottest women ever on the Fresno airwaves
* Rudy Trevino - anchor, now at KIII - Corpus Christi
* John Wallace - anchor, 1975-1987, at KGPE 1987-2008 contract not renewed. A Fresno broadcasting legend
* Alan Wang- Reporter, Now at KGO-TV in San Francisco
* Don Postles- Anchor,now at WIVB IN Buffalo
* Anita Kissee- reporter , now at KATU in Portland
* Mark Barash- sports,now at WPXI in Pittsburgh as program director
* Carl White- sports,unknown
* Debra Steele-Reporter,midday anchor

See also

* Circle 7 logo

References

* [http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/wfilhistory.html BroadcastPioneers.com: A History of the WFIL Stations] - accessed on January 20, 2006

External links

* [http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn KFSN ABC30 Homepage]
*TVQ|KFSN-TV
*BIA|KFSN|TV|TV
*TitanTV|KFSN