KOB-TV
Encyclopedia
KOB, virtual channel
4 (digital channel 26), is an NBC
-affiliate television station based in Albuquerque, New Mexico
, owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. Its transmitter is located on Sandia Crest
, east of Albuquerque. Syndicated programming on KOB includes: Inside Edition
, The Insider
, Judge Judy
, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
.
KOB-TV started operations on November 29, 1948, after Albuquerque Journal
owner and publisher Tom Pepperday won a television license on his second try. Pepperday, who also owned KOB radio (AM 770 and FM 93.3), had previously applied for one in 1943. It is the oldest television station in New Mexico, as well as the second-oldest television station between the Mississippi River
and the West Coast
(KDYL-TV in Salt Lake City, now KTVX, also on channel 4, had signed on a month earlier). Initially KOB-TV ran programming from all four networks—NBC, ABC
, CBS
and DuMont Television Network
. However, it has always been a primary NBC affiliate owing to its radio sister's long affiliation with NBC radio.
Later, in May 1952, the KOB stations were purchased by Time Life (now Time Inc.
) and former Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) chairman Wayne Coy
. It was Time Life’s first television asset. In 1953, two new TV stations signed on within a week—KGGM-TV (channel 13, now KRQE
) signed on and took CBS, followed by KOAT which took ABC; DuMont shut down in 1956.
Stanley E. Hubbard, founder of Hubbard Broadcasting, bought KOB-AM-FM-TV from Time Life in 1957. KOB's radio cousins were sold off in 1986 and are now known as KKOB-AM-FM
, owned by Citadel Broadcasting
; many people still confuse the television and radio stations today.
In 2005, KOB-TV entered into a news partnership with KKOB-AM.
Despite the KOB radio stations having changed their call letters, KOB-TV didn't drop the "-TV" suffix until June 13, 2009, when the FCC allowed a limited opportunity for stations to change their suffixes (adding "-TV" or "-DT") or drop them in the wake of the digital transition.
Digital channels>
Channel
Programming
4.1
Main KOB-TV programming / NBC
4.2
This TV
In September 2006, KOB-TV began broadcasting NBC WeatherPlus on digital subchannel 4.2, at first inserting its Doppler weather radar during time reserved for local segments. In December 2008, WeatherPlus was replaced with KOB's own locally programmed weather station. Weekly E/I
programming required of broadcast television stations by the Federal Communications Commission
came from NASA TV
on weekend mornings.
On February 7, 2011 the subchannel began to carry programming from This TV
, a digital multicast network owned by Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting
and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
film studio, which airs movies during the afternoon and nighttime hours, some classic television series during the early morning hours and children's programming (a mixture of FCC E/I
-compliant programs, and some non-educational animated series) every morning.
:
KOBF went on air in 1972 as KIVA-TV. It operated at about half of the class maximum (158 of 316 kW) from an antenna 410 feet (125 m) above average terrain. The station had always been an NBC affiliate.
Up until March 2007, KOBF had broadcast a fifteen minute Four Corners news, weather and sports segment, "Eyewitness News 12," during KOB news broadcasts every weekday at 6 pm & 10 pm. KOBF also produced four 5-minute news cut-ins every weekday morning during the Today show from 7 am-9 am with local news and weather information. KOBF also produced a local high school sports program called "Four Corners Gameday" every Friday night during the academic school year. Communities throughout the Four Corners region came to rely and depend on KOBF for local news, weather and sports information complimenting the statewide coverage from KOB in Albuquerque.
On March 1, 2007, most of the extra news and all of the extra sports content was ended for viewers of KOBF. KOB management fired three of the four members of the news department, in addition to two technical directors and the news director, Scott Michlin, who had been with KOBF for seventeen years. A similar practice of providing local newscasts had been done at KOBR, but to a much smaller extent. Those local broadcasts also ceased on March 1, 2007. KOBF and KOBR now serve as bureaus feeding a story or two each day for the statewide newscasts on KOB from Albuquerque. Each are staffed by one news reporter/photographer.
KOB, KOBF and KOBR's broadcasts will be digital-only, effective June 12, 2009.
KOBG had a permit to construct a digital station on channel 8, but these facilities were never built. As KOBG-TV 6 Silver City must end analog TV signals on June 12, KOB has applied for a low power TV (LPTV) transmitter license. Without this transmitter, KOB's over-the-air NBC broadcasts will cease in Silver City.
KOBR has been a KOB satellite since 1983, after previously operating as a free-standing local station with a primary NBC affiliation and later as a satellite of NBC affiliate KCBD-TV in Lubbock, Texas
. A separate article about KOBR-TV includes more extensive details about the history of the Roswell station.
The last letter of the satellite station callsigns stands for the city or county where the station is located. KOBG is in Grant County
.
In addition to KOB and its three satellite stations, there are dozens of low-powered repeaters that carry KOB's programming throughout New Mexico, as well as a handful in Colorado and Arizona. http://www.kobtv.com/index.cfm?viewer=storyviewer&id=15216&cat=INSIDEKOB
4. Ordinarily, KOB airs five and a half hours of local news each weekday, three hours each Saturday, and an hour each Sunday. During the school year, KOB broadcasts a weekly 15-minute sportscast, "New Mexico Gameday," dedicated to high school sports. Also, during the fall of 2006, KOB broadcasts the Lobo Coaches Show, a 30-minute sportscast dedicated to the University of New Mexico
football team.
KOB has a history of strong news talent. The station's hiring of Dick Knipfing in 1980 from KOAT-TV
, created the Albuquerque's first, big-dollar anchor, and stood out in the industry as the "anchorman
wars" moved to smaller markets. Knipfing's 1980 salary was approximately $90,000. Despite his hiring, the station was never able to overtake KOAT in the news ratings, largely due to the staying power of anchor Johnny Morris and a folksy weatherman Howard Morgan. Knipfing, now with KRQE-TV, his third time around, remains a fixture in the local TV news scene.
KOB-TV's anchor team featured Carla Aragon, who used to co-host PM Magazine
with Gary Doll for KOB-TV in the early 1980s, before she was hired away by KNBC-TV in Los Angeles
. She returned to KOB-TV in 1994 replacing Jane Metzler, and was teamed with anchor Tom Joles until she retired in December 2007. Joles followed Knipfing and Nathan Roberts in the anchor chair. The weather staff of Meteorologist Robin Marshment (formerly of KRQE-TV) and Chief Meteorologist Larry Rice, from KIRO-TV
in Seattle in 1995, were the most experienced forecast team on New Mexico TV for years. Marshment retired from broadcasting in 2007. Rice was the only forecaster in NM to win an Emmy. Rice went back to the Seattle area in 2008. Morning show weatherman Steve Stucker has been with KOB non-stop since May 1990 for the longest tenure of any present New Mexico forecaster.
Also in the 1980s, long time weekend anchor Greg Gurule, was replaced by Joe Vigil who currently holds the longest tenure for weekend anchor in New Mexico. The Cerro Grande Fire
that decimated Los Alamos
in May 2000 marked a turning point as KOB became the #1 news station in New Mexico and held that position until NBC prime time programming began to slide. The Albuquerque market continues to have no clear favorite station according to media metrics. Whichever station has the larger prime time audience at 9:45 p.m. typically wins at 10 p.m. Nicole Brady was named co-anchor of the nightly newscasts with Joles in December 2007 following the retirement of Carla Aragon. Brady's great-great-great grandfather was Sheriff William J. Brady
, shot by Billy the Kid
during the Lincoln County War in 1878.
KOB produced an hour-long nightly newscast for Albuquerque's Fox
affiliate, KASA
, from September 2000 through September 14, 2006 called "Fox 2 News at Nine". The next day, CBS affiliate KRQE
took over production of that newscast as that station's parent company, LIN TV
, began taking over KASA's operations as it purchased the station.
KOB began producing and broadcasting its newscasts in 16:9
widescreen
standard definition on September 26, 2010, and debuted new on-air graphics and a new station logo (the logo used for its newscasts is very similar to that used by WABC-TV
in New York City in its newscasts and Swedish television channel TV4 for its programming) on that date as well; the station plans to broadcast its local newscasts in high definition by 2011. Presently, KOB's studio cameras shoot in HD, but the video is downconverted to widescreen standard definition in the control room due to editing limitations.
Pinpoint 4 Weather (In order of rank)
Sports team (In order of rank)
Reporters (In alphabetical order)
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
4 (digital channel 26), is an NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
-affiliate television station based in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
, owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. Its transmitter is located on Sandia Crest
Sandia Mountains
The Sandia Mountains name posu gai hoo-oo, "where water slides down arroyo") are a mountain range located in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, immediately to the east of the city of Albuquerque in New Mexico in the southwestern United States. The range is largely within the Cibola National...
, east of Albuquerque. Syndicated programming on KOB includes: Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
, The Insider
The Insider (TV series)
The Insider is an American tabloid television news program covering events and celebrities. It debuted on September 13, 2004 as a spinoff of Entertainment Tonight and started as a popular segment that took viewers "behind closed doors" and gave them "inside" information...
, Judge Judy
Judge Judy
Judge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (US game show)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is an American television quiz show which offers a maximum prize of $1,000,000 for correctly answering 14 consecutive multiple-choice questions of random difficulty. Until 2010, the format required contestants to correctly answer 15 consecutive questions of increasing...
.
History
Albuquerque Journal
-History:Its earliest predecessor, the Albuquerque Daily Journal, was first published on October 14, 1880. The newspaper is owned by the Journal Publishing Company, a family-owned business headed by president/publisher T.H. Lang; it is operated by the Albuquerque Publishing Company...
owner and publisher Tom Pepperday won a television license on his second try. Pepperday, who also owned KOB radio (AM 770 and FM 93.3), had previously applied for one in 1943. It is the oldest television station in New Mexico, as well as the second-oldest television station between the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
(KDYL-TV in Salt Lake City, now KTVX, also on channel 4, had signed on a month earlier). Initially KOB-TV ran programming from all four networks—NBC, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and DuMont Television Network
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
. However, it has always been a primary NBC affiliate owing to its radio sister's long affiliation with NBC radio.
Later, in May 1952, the KOB stations were purchased by Time Life (now Time Inc.
Time Inc.
Time Inc. is a subsidiary of the media conglomerate Time Warner, the company formed by the 1990 merger of the original Time Inc. and Warner Communications. It publishes 130 magazines, most notably its namesake, Time...
) and former Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) chairman Wayne Coy
Wayne Coy
Albert Wayne Coy served as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from December 29, 1947 to February 21, 1952.-References:*-External links:...
. It was Time Life’s first television asset. In 1953, two new TV stations signed on within a week—KGGM-TV (channel 13, now KRQE
KRQE
KRQE, digital channel 13, is the CBS-affiliated television station serving the Albuquerque, New Mexico television market; the station is owned by LIN TV Corporation and is sister station to Fox affiliate KASA-TV...
) signed on and took CBS, followed by KOAT which took ABC; DuMont shut down in 1956.
Stanley E. Hubbard, founder of Hubbard Broadcasting, bought KOB-AM-FM-TV from Time Life in 1957. KOB's radio cousins were sold off in 1986 and are now known as KKOB-AM-FM
KKOB-FM
KKOB-FM, is an FM radio station based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, owned by Cumulus Media. It broadcasts on 93.3 MHz and has a Top 40 format in competition with similar-formatted rival KDLW and Rhythmic Top 40 rivals KKSS and KAGM for listeners in that market....
, owned by Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country...
; many people still confuse the television and radio stations today.
In 2005, KOB-TV entered into a news partnership with KKOB-AM.
Despite the KOB radio stations having changed their call letters, KOB-TV didn't drop the "-TV" suffix until June 13, 2009, when the FCC allowed a limited opportunity for stations to change their suffixes (adding "-TV" or "-DT") or drop them in the wake of the digital transition.
Digital television
This TV
This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies....
In September 2006, KOB-TV began broadcasting NBC WeatherPlus on digital subchannel 4.2, at first inserting its Doppler weather radar during time reserved for local segments. In December 2008, WeatherPlus was replaced with KOB's own locally programmed weather station. Weekly E/I
E/I
E/I, which stands for "educational and informative," refers to a type of children's television programming shown in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission requires that every full-service Terrestrial television station in the U.S. show at least three hours of these television...
programming required of broadcast television stations by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
came from NASA TV
NASA TV
NASA TV is the television service of the United States government agency NASA. NASA TV is broadcast by satellite with a simulcast over the Internet. Local cable television systems across the U.S. and amateur television repeaters may carry NASA TV at their discretion, as NASA-created content is...
on weekend mornings.
On February 7, 2011 the subchannel began to carry programming from This TV
This TV
This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies....
, a digital multicast network owned by Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting
Weigel Broadcasting
Weigel Broadcasting is an American locally based television broadcasting company. The company is based in downtown Chicago, Illinois, alongside its flagship station WCIU-TV , at the apt address of 26 North Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood.- History :The company was founded by Chicago...
and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
film studio, which airs movies during the afternoon and nighttime hours, some classic television series during the early morning hours and children's programming (a mixture of FCC E/I
E/I
E/I, which stands for "educational and informative," refers to a type of children's television programming shown in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission requires that every full-service Terrestrial television station in the U.S. show at least three hours of these television...
-compliant programs, and some non-educational animated series) every morning.
Satellite stations
Three stations rebroadcast KOB's signal and insert local content for other parts of the media marketMedia market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
:
| Station | City of license City of license A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator.... |
Channels Channel (broadcasting) In broadcasting, a channel is a range of frequencies assigned by a government for the operation of a particular radio station, television station or television channel. In common usage, the term also may be used to refer to the station operating on a particular frequency.-See also:*Broadcast... (Analog Analog television Analog television is the analog transmission that involves the broadcasting of encoded analog audio and analog video signal: one in which the message conveyed by the broadcast signal is a function of deliberate variations in the amplitude and/or frequency of the signal... / Digital Digital terrestrial television Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals... ) |
First air date | Former callsigns Call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations... |
ERP Effective radiated power In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains... (Analog/ Digital) |
HAAT Height above average terrain Height above average terrain is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is actually much more important than effective radiated power in determining the range of broadcasts... (Analog/ Digital) |
Facility ID Facility ID The facility ID number or FIN is a unique positive integer assigned by the United States Federal Communications Commission to each domestic and international broadcast station in its Common Database System . Licensees are required to provide the relevant station's FIN when filing reports and... |
Transmitter Coordinates |
| KOBF | Farmington Farmington, New Mexico Farmington is a city in San Juan County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 U.S. Census the city had a total population of 45,877 people. Farmington makes up one of the four Metropolitan Statistical Areas in New Mexico. The U.S... |
12 (VHF Very high frequency Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency... ) 17 (UHF Ultra high frequency Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres... ) |
October 20, 1972 | KIVA-TV (1972–1983) | 316 kW 290 kW |
125 m 102 m |
35321 | 36°41′44"N 108°13′17"W |
| KOBR KOBR KOBR is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Roswell, New Mexico, U.S. Also serving Carlsbad, KOBR operates on VHF channel 8 as a satellite of NBC affiliate KOB in Albuquerque, which is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. Other satellite stations of KOB include KOBF in Farmington and KOBG-TV... |
Roswell Roswell, New Mexico Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also... |
8 (VHF Very high frequency Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency... ) 38 (UHF Ultra high frequency Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres... ) |
June 24, 1953 | KSWS-TV (1953–1985) | 316 kW 820 kW |
533 m 499 m |
62272 | 33°22′31.3"N 103°46′14.3"W |
| KOBG-TV | Silver City Silver City, New Mexico Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 10,545. It is the county seat of Grant County. The city is the home of Western New Mexico University.-History:... |
6 (VHF Very high frequency Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency... ) 8 (VHF Very high frequency Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency... )(application) |
2000 | 6 kW | 502 m | 85114 | 32°51′49"N 108°14′29.6"W | |
KOBF went on air in 1972 as KIVA-TV. It operated at about half of the class maximum (158 of 316 kW) from an antenna 410 feet (125 m) above average terrain. The station had always been an NBC affiliate.
Up until March 2007, KOBF had broadcast a fifteen minute Four Corners news, weather and sports segment, "Eyewitness News 12," during KOB news broadcasts every weekday at 6 pm & 10 pm. KOBF also produced four 5-minute news cut-ins every weekday morning during the Today show from 7 am-9 am with local news and weather information. KOBF also produced a local high school sports program called "Four Corners Gameday" every Friday night during the academic school year. Communities throughout the Four Corners region came to rely and depend on KOBF for local news, weather and sports information complimenting the statewide coverage from KOB in Albuquerque.
On March 1, 2007, most of the extra news and all of the extra sports content was ended for viewers of KOBF. KOB management fired three of the four members of the news department, in addition to two technical directors and the news director, Scott Michlin, who had been with KOBF for seventeen years. A similar practice of providing local newscasts had been done at KOBR, but to a much smaller extent. Those local broadcasts also ceased on March 1, 2007. KOBF and KOBR now serve as bureaus feeding a story or two each day for the statewide newscasts on KOB from Albuquerque. Each are staffed by one news reporter/photographer.
KOB, KOBF and KOBR's broadcasts will be digital-only, effective June 12, 2009.
KOBG had a permit to construct a digital station on channel 8, but these facilities were never built. As KOBG-TV 6 Silver City must end analog TV signals on June 12, KOB has applied for a low power TV (LPTV) transmitter license. Without this transmitter, KOB's over-the-air NBC broadcasts will cease in Silver City.
KOBR has been a KOB satellite since 1983, after previously operating as a free-standing local station with a primary NBC affiliation and later as a satellite of NBC affiliate KCBD-TV in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
. A separate article about KOBR-TV includes more extensive details about the history of the Roswell station.
The last letter of the satellite station callsigns stands for the city or county where the station is located. KOBG is in Grant County
Grant County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*84.9% White*0.9% Black*1.4% Native American*0.4% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.8% Two or more races*9.8% Other races*48.3% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
.
In addition to KOB and its three satellite stations, there are dozens of low-powered repeaters that carry KOB's programming throughout New Mexico, as well as a handful in Colorado and Arizona. http://www.kobtv.com/index.cfm?viewer=storyviewer&id=15216&cat=INSIDEKOB
News operation
KOB's newscasts identify themselves as Eyewitness NewsEyewitness News
Eyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
4. Ordinarily, KOB airs five and a half hours of local news each weekday, three hours each Saturday, and an hour each Sunday. During the school year, KOB broadcasts a weekly 15-minute sportscast, "New Mexico Gameday," dedicated to high school sports. Also, during the fall of 2006, KOB broadcasts the Lobo Coaches Show, a 30-minute sportscast dedicated to the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
football team.
KOB has a history of strong news talent. The station's hiring of Dick Knipfing in 1980 from KOAT-TV
KOAT-TV
KOAT-TV, channel 7, is an ABC network affiliated television station serving Albuquerque, New Mexico. Its transmitter is located on Sandia Crest, northeast of Albuquerque. Syndicated programming on KOAT includes: Entertainment Tonight, Ellen, The Dr...
, created the Albuquerque's first, big-dollar anchor, and stood out in the industry as the "anchorman
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
wars" moved to smaller markets. Knipfing's 1980 salary was approximately $90,000. Despite his hiring, the station was never able to overtake KOAT in the news ratings, largely due to the staying power of anchor Johnny Morris and a folksy weatherman Howard Morgan. Knipfing, now with KRQE-TV, his third time around, remains a fixture in the local TV news scene.
KOB-TV's anchor team featured Carla Aragon, who used to co-host PM Magazine
PM Magazine
PM/Evening Magazine was a television series with a news and entertainment format. It was syndicated to stations throughout the United States...
with Gary Doll for KOB-TV in the early 1980s, before she was hired away by KNBC-TV in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. She returned to KOB-TV in 1994 replacing Jane Metzler, and was teamed with anchor Tom Joles until she retired in December 2007. Joles followed Knipfing and Nathan Roberts in the anchor chair. The weather staff of Meteorologist Robin Marshment (formerly of KRQE-TV) and Chief Meteorologist Larry Rice, from KIRO-TV
KIRO-TV
KIRO-TV, virtual channel 7, is the CBS affiliate television station in Seattle, Washington. It broadcasts on digital channel 39. The station's offices and broadcasting center are located near Seattle Center in Belltown, and its transmitter is located on Queen Anne Hill...
in Seattle in 1995, were the most experienced forecast team on New Mexico TV for years. Marshment retired from broadcasting in 2007. Rice was the only forecaster in NM to win an Emmy. Rice went back to the Seattle area in 2008. Morning show weatherman Steve Stucker has been with KOB non-stop since May 1990 for the longest tenure of any present New Mexico forecaster.
Also in the 1980s, long time weekend anchor Greg Gurule, was replaced by Joe Vigil who currently holds the longest tenure for weekend anchor in New Mexico. The Cerro Grande Fire
Cerro Grande Fire
The Cerro Grande Fire was a disastrous forest fire in New Mexico, United States of America that occurred in May 2000. The fire started as a controlled burn, and became uncontrolled owing to high winds and drought conditions. Over 400 families in the town of Los Alamos, New Mexico lost their homes...
that decimated Los Alamos
Los Alamos
-United States:*Los Alamos, California*Los Alamos, New Mexico**Los Alamos Ranch School, boys' school**Los Alamos National Laboratory**Los Alamos County, New Mexico**Los Alamos Museum, unofficial name of the Bradbury Science Museum was a large floating dry dock...
in May 2000 marked a turning point as KOB became the #1 news station in New Mexico and held that position until NBC prime time programming began to slide. The Albuquerque market continues to have no clear favorite station according to media metrics. Whichever station has the larger prime time audience at 9:45 p.m. typically wins at 10 p.m. Nicole Brady was named co-anchor of the nightly newscasts with Joles in December 2007 following the retirement of Carla Aragon. Brady's great-great-great grandfather was Sheriff William J. Brady
William J. Brady
William J. Brady was the sheriff of Lincoln County during the Lincoln County Wars in New Mexico, United States. He was killed in an ambush, aged 48, in which Billy the Kid took part.-Early life:...
, shot by Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid
William H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier...
during the Lincoln County War in 1878.
KOB produced an hour-long nightly newscast for Albuquerque's Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate, KASA
KASA-TV
KASA-TV is the Fox network affiliate for most of New Mexico. It is licensed to the state capital, Santa Fe and broadcasts on digital channel 27 but is displayed as channel 2, its former analog channel number. It is owned by LIN TV and is a sister station to CBS affiliate KRQE. The two stations...
, from September 2000 through September 14, 2006 called "Fox 2 News at Nine". The next day, CBS affiliate KRQE
KRQE
KRQE, digital channel 13, is the CBS-affiliated television station serving the Albuquerque, New Mexico television market; the station is owned by LIN TV Corporation and is sister station to Fox affiliate KASA-TV...
took over production of that newscast as that station's parent company, LIN TV
LIN TV
LIN TV Corporation is an American holding company that operates 31 television stations.-History:LIN TV's roots trace back to the founding of its former parent, LIN Broadcasting Corporation, in 1961. LIN Broadcasting was engaged in radio, television, direct marketing, information and learning, music...
, began taking over KASA's operations as it purchased the station.
KOB began producing and broadcasting its newscasts in 16:9
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
standard definition on September 26, 2010, and debuted new on-air graphics and a new station logo (the logo used for its newscasts is very similar to that used by WABC-TV
WABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
in New York City in its newscasts and Swedish television channel TV4 for its programming) on that date as well; the station plans to broadcast its local newscasts in high definition by 2011. Presently, KOB's studio cameras shoot in HD, but the video is downconverted to widescreen standard definition in the control room due to editing limitations.
Newscast titles
- New Mexico Newsreel (1950s)
- The Big News (1960s)
- Channel 4 News (-1970)
- TV-4 Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
(1970–1984) - Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
Network(1984–1989) - News 4 New Mexico/News 4 (1989–1994)
- Channel 4 Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
(1994–1996) - (KOB) Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
4 (1996–present)
Station slogans
- K Circle B (1950s)
- New Mexico's Full Color Station (1960s)
- Channel 4 is Alive in the Air (1969–1970)
- Superstation KOB & Great Southwest Superstation (early 1980s)
- We're There 4 You (mid 1980s)
- Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
Network, New Mexico's #1 Satellite Newscast (late 1980s) - When News Happens, You'll See it Happen on News 4 (1993–1994)
- New Mexico's Most Trusted News Source (1994–1996)
- Live. Local. Latebreaking. (1996–2000)
- Working 4 You (2000–2005)
- Live, Local, Latebreaking Coverage. (2005–2009)
- All Local, All the time. (2010–present)
Newscast music
- KOB 1975 News Theme by unknown composer (1975–1977)
- Tap Root Manuscript: The African Suite by Neil Diamond (1977–1981)
- NewsCenter Theme by Michael Randall Music (1981–1983)
- Be There - NBC Affiliate Package by Rob Mounsey (1983–1984)
- KOB Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
Network Theme by unknown composer (1984-19??) - News 88 by Tuesday Productions (19??-19??)
- KOB 1993 News Theme by unknown composer (19??-1994)
- Palmer News Package by Shelly Palmer Company (1994–1996)
- Third Coast by Stephen Arnold Music (1996–2003)
- News Matrix by Stephen Arnold Music (2003–present)
- Evolution by Stephen Arnold Music (2005–present)
Current on-air staff
Anchors (In alphabetical order)- Antoinette Antonio - weekday mornings Eyewitness News 4 Today and noon
- Nicole Brady - weeknights at 5, 6, and 10 p.m.
- Tom Joles - weeknights at 5, 6, 6:30 and 10 p.m.
- Irene Estrada - "Good Day New Mexico" host
- Cristina Rodda - Saturday mornings Eyewitness News 4 Today; also weeknight reporter
- Joe Vigil - Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
Pinpoint 4 Weather (In order of rank)
- Jason Stiff (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
Certified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast Meteorologist is a rating for meteorologists given by the American Meteorological Society.The Certified Broadcast Meteorologist program was established to raise the professional standard in broadcast meteorology and encourage a broader range of scientific understanding,...
Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6, 6:30 and 10 p.m. - Steve Stucker - weather and news anchor; weekday mornings Eyewitness News 4 Today and noon
- Shar Spalding (AMS Seal of Approval; NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
member) - meteorologist; Saturday mornings, Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m., also fill-in
Sports team (In order of rank)
- J.P. Murrieta - sports director; weekdays at noon, and weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
- Lee Faria - sports anchor; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m.
- Orlando Sanchez - sports reporter and producer
Reporters (In alphabetical order)
- Joe Bartels - Roswell Bureau chief
- Mike Daniels - general assignment reporter
- Stuart Dyson - political reporter
- Eddie Garcia - general assignment reporter
- Liz Lastra - Farmington Bureau chief
- Gadi Schwartz - Santa Fe Bureau chief
- Marissa Torres - general assignment reporter
Trivia
- Many "Today in History" websites (http://www.vaxxine.com/mgdsite/history/1028.ehthttp://www.electricscotland.com/history/today/1028.htmhttp://www.allheadlinenews.com/cgi-bin/today/today_hs.pl?view=&tmnum=10&day=28) say KOB-TV ceased transmission on October 28, 1986 - the same day the KOB radio stations changed callsigns to KKOB. KOB did not stop broadcasting on that date.
- Reporters Jeremy Jojola and Jessica Kartalija (now with WJZ-TVWJZ-TVWJZ-TV, channel 13, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Baltimore, Maryland. WJZ-TV's studios and offices are located on Television Hill in the Woodberry section of Baltimore, adjacent to the transmission tower it shares with four other Baltimore...
in Baltimore) were both in the 2007 movie Transformers which was filmed partly in New Mexico.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418279/fullcredits#cast - Meteorologist Larry Rice received a film credit as Weather Guru for on location forecasts for the 2007 Academy Award Winning Film 'No Country For Old Men' filmed in New Mexico in 2006.
- Reporter Austin Reed was seen in Sony Pictures 2007 Untraceable film starring Diane Lane. He played a News Reporter.
- Anchor Marla Tellez (now at KNTVKNTVKNTV, channel 11, is the NBC owned-and-operated television station in the Bay Area market. It is licensed to San Jose, with its transmitter located on San Bruno Mountain, just south of San Francisco. It shares facilities in San Jose with NBC Universal sister station KSTS and CNBC's Silicon...
) and reporter Jeff Mahr appear in the opening scenes of the third season premiere of the television program Breaking BadBreaking BadBreaking Bad is an American television drama series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White , a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with advanced lung cancer at the beginning of the series...
. They appear as themselves reporting on a fictional mid-air collision of two commercial airliners over Albuquerque. Archived KOB footage of an apartment building burning in Downtown Albuquerque is shown to appear as damage from the collision.