Phoenix Broadcasting History Page

"3TV - The Place With More Stuff" was the local ABC affiliate for almost 40 years when they lost it to KNXV in 1995. They have been quite successful as an independent. Founded by former Senator & Governor Ernest W. McFarland after an unsuccessful bid to get the license for Channel 12 a few years earlier, this station was operated by his daughter and son-in-law Juliet & Del Lewis until they sold it to Belo in 1999. Was briefly the WB affiliate until KASW came on the air later in 1995. Home of the Arizona Diamondbacks as well as a few Coyotes games.

This was the first station in Arizona. Originally carried all 4 networks of the time (CBS, NBC, ABC, DuMont) but had networks taken away one by one until they became an independent in 1955 when DuMont closed up shop. In the late '40s and early '50s, ABC and DuMont were roughly equivalent to Fox in the late '80s or UPN and the WB today (low-budget part-time networks). CBS and NBC were the only ones that really mattered in that era, although DuMont was the first network to carry the NFL on a nationwide basis.

Became a CBS affiliate again in September 1994 after the Fox/New World deal forced KSAZ-TV to drop CBS. This station is still best known for the Wallace and Ladmo show, which ran from 1954-1989.

Channel 7 isn't directly viewable in the Phoenix area (their transmitter is on Mingus Mountain near Clarkdale) but they have translators all over the state except Tucson. Viewable in the valley on Ch. 30 Wickenburg, Ch. 43 Casa Grande, Ch. 49 White Tanks (NW of Litchfield Park), Ch. 55 Shaw Butte (N Phoenix), and Ch. 57 Usury Mountain (NE Mesa).

This station will become the home of the TV Azteca network for Phoenix and northern Arizona by early 2001 since Pappas Telecasting purchased the station.

The last VHF station to go on the air in Phoenix. This station is owned by ASU and is the PBS affiliate for the valley. It ID's as Phoenix even though the station is located on the ASU campus in Tempe. PBS was known as NET (National Educational Television) before 1968.

Mostly independent but carried a few hours per week of ABC programming until early 1955. KOOL-TV and KOY-TV shared time until mid-1954, after which the stations merged. Switched from ABC to CBS when KTVK went on the air with full-time ABC programming. One story that has been going around for years is that the real reason KOOL-TV grabbed CBS from KPHO is that station owner Gene Autry had a CBS network show at the time and wanted it on his own station (KOOL radio had already swapped Mutual for CBS with KOY).

Gene Autry sold the KOOL stations in 1982 to separate companies. Gulf-Western bought Channel 10 and changed the call letters to KTSP-TV.

KTSP-TV was still a CBS affiliate when Gulf-Western sold Channel 10 to New World Communications and changed the call letters from KTSP-TV to KSAZ-TV "The Spirit of Arizona." Fox purchased New World Communications in 1994 forcing Ch. 10 to drop CBS. CBS moved to KPHO in September 1994 while KSAZ was an independent until Fox could leave KNXV in December of that year.

The 2nd TV station in the valley was operated by the Harkins Theater group. They sold the station to KTAR radio in 1955.

KTAR tried to move the station to their new facility in downtown Phoenix when they bought KTYL-TV but the FCC rules stated that they had to be located in the city in which the channel was allocated to. With the ownership change the call letters were changed to KVAR.

The FCC finally allowed KVAR to move to Phoenix so they were finally able to change their call letters to KTAR-TV. They also changed their ID to "Phoenix/Mesa," which how they ID to this day. Globetrotter Communications eventually purchased the station. KTAR-TV started the "Happy-Talk News" in the valley.

Globetrotter Communications (now part of Gannett) sold KTAR radio in 1979 but let them keep the call letters they had held since 1930, changing Channel 12 to KPNX. Gannett now owns a 4-station network of NBC affiliates (KPNX plus satellites KNAZ Ch. 2 Flagstaff, KPSN Ch. 22 Payson, and KMOH Ch. 6 Kingman, plus several translators) and just recently purchased the Arizona Republic.

Originally owned by New Television Corporation, this station struggled as an independent before becoming the local outlet for the ON-TV pay-TV service. After many illegal decoders were built (although the VCRs of the time could also tune in), ON-TV died in 1985.

After 2 more years as an independent, they jumped at the chance to affiliate with the new Fox network when KPHO turned it down. After Fox bought Channel 10, owner Scripps-Howard told ABC that they would switch their Detroit and Cleveland stations to CBS if they didn't get ABC for Phoenix. Became an independent for 3 weeks in December 1994, before ABC left long-time happy home KTVK and switched to Channel 15. The station has under-performed ever since.

The first digital/HDTV station in Arizona.

LPTV that had a kind of "request" programming as well as Bloomberg business news. Acutally transmitted from Usury Mountain in Mesa.

Is this the successor to K19DD? As far as I know it has never been on the air, although my data says that the transmitter was moved to South Mountain.

Local religious station with studios in Tower Plaza from 1967-1974, then moved to a new facility on E. McDowell Rd. Tried "secular" programming in the evenings in the mid-'70s including an extremely low budget newscast at 5 PM (the only one in Phoenix at the time) and Phoenix Giants baseball. Went off the air in 1976.

Trinity Broadcasting Network purchased the license of KPAZ-TV in 1977 and returned it to the air at that time as a full-time TBN relay. Carries no local programming.

Actually located on Usury Mountain in Mesa, not Phoenix. This station will have to move or go off the air when KTVK-DT starts up in 2001.

Future home of KTVK's digital signal. "24TV" doesn't sound right, though. Neither does "3.1TV" (which is how some digital sets tune the HDTV stations), although they will be the place for more digital stuff.

This LPTV tried to be a "mainstream" independent serving north Phoenix for several years. They have carried various home shopping channels since 1993. Station is better known as KDMA, although they don't use those call letters.

Will the Suns actually broadcast in HDTV this year rather than just an upconverted signal?

LPTV relayed KUSK Prescott until that programming was moved to Channel 55. Now the Home Shopping Network affiliate.

Spanish religious LPTV station that acutally transmitts from Usury Mountain in Mesa. Call letters changed on 1/14/2000.

PBS comes to HDTV by the end of this year.

Tried to make a go as a KUSK-style independent. Relocated to Phoenix on Ch. 30 when KNXV-DT came on the air. Now a Spanish-language station.

Fox's entry in digital-land.

First Spanish-language TV station in Arizona.

NBC in digital television. The valley's 5th DTV.

Daystar LPTV to be a full-powered station (KDTP-TV) later in 2000.

LPTV shopping channel, switched from English to Spanish in October 2000.

Long-time home of the Phoenix Suns. Parent company ChrisCraft/United owned half of the UPN network from its beginning in 1995 until late last year when it sold its half to Paramount parent company Viacom.

UPN (soon to be TPN, The Paramount Network since ChrisCraft/United is no longer connected with the network) is expected to be sold or will cease operations by the middle of 2001 since owner Viacom purchased CBS.

Low-powered Spanish-language station carrying the Telemundo network. Moved from channel 64 to 48 in April 2000.

This one actually transmits from White Tanks, 20 miles west of Phoenix. It serves the west side, giving KUSK valley-wide coverage. Will have to move when KASW-DT comes on.

This is a 24-hour Pax-TV relay station with very little local programming. KAJW was used only during initial testing.

Located on Shaw Butte in north Phoenix, this station came on the air to replace K27AN when it started carrying the Home Shopping Network.

Wasting our time in high-definition. Should move to Ch. 15 when analog TV ends in 2006 since this channel is being withdrawn from TV use then.

Moved from Channel 17 to 57 in 1999 when KPHO-DT came on the air. Soon to be TV Azteca when the purchase of KUSK is complete in 2001. Located on Usury Mountain, Mesa.

Long-time Juke Box Net affiliate from South Mountain recently switched to the shopping channel that had been on Channel 41.

This station has always been operated by KTVK but owned by Brooks Broadcasting from its start in late 1995 until 1999 when Belo purchased the station as well as KTVK. It is the home of the Phoenix Mercury, Arizona Rattlers and Phoenix Coyotes.

Long-time affiliate of the 2nd HSN network. Switched to translating informercial-hawking KWBF Ch. 13 in Flagstaff when HSN2 went off the air. Carried Pax programming from KWBF (later KBPX) before KPPX came on the air. Now a Spanish-language station rebroadcasting KWHY-TV 22 Los Angeles, although some local programming is planned.