KSWT
Encyclopedia
KSWT is a television station
serving the Yuma
, Yuma
/El Centro
, California
market. Licensed to Yuma, it serves as a CBS
affiliate. It broadcasts locally in digital
on VHF
channel 13, and is owned by the Pappas Telecasting Companies
of Visalia, California
under the name Pappas Telecasting of Arizona.
KSWT serves an area encompassing portions of two countries, including parts of two American states, Arizona and California, and two Mexican
states, Baja California
and Sonora
. Some viewers in the Coachella Valley
whose homes face south to Imperial Valley can receive KSWT over the air, and viewers in Mexicali
and San Luis Río Colorado
have clear reception. Syndicated programming on KSWT as of 2011 includes: Entertainment Tonight
, Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray
, and The Doctors
.
(FCC) lifted the freeze on new television station applications in 1952, they allocated VHF channels 11 and 13 for broadcast television service in Yuma. Valley Telecasting quickly applied for and opened KIVA on channel 11, becoming the city's first television station in October 1953. Wrather-Alvarez Broadcasting followed with a January 1956 application to build KYAT on channel 13, but failed, and in September 1958, the construction permit was dismissed. By November 1961, more than eight years after the arrival of local television, Yuma was still a one-station town.
In November 1961, Robert Crites, owner and manager of local CBS
-affiliated radio station KBLU
, formed a partnership, called Desert Telecasting, and applied to the FCC on November 30, 1961 for a construction permit to build a station on channel 13. New England Industries had filed a competing application for the same channel nearly a month earlier, but on July 23, 1962, the FCC granted the construction permit to Desert Telecasting, and KBLU-TV came into existence, to be the market’s CBS television affiliate. It would not be an easy road to sign-on, as Bruce Merrill, owner of both KIVA and the local cable television system, was convinced that the market could not support a second local television station and fought to keep the new station from opening. Merrill opposed a KBLU-TV partnership restructure, an extension of time to construct the station, and a proposal to increase power, then, in September 1963, filed a "motion to stay" to prevent KBLU-TV from building its facilities. All of Merrill’s petitions were denied, and on the evening of December 2, 1963, one hour after receiving notice of program test authority, KBLU-TV began broadcasting.
The station expanded its coverage to El Centro in 1965 with another increase in power, and relocation of its transmitter from within the city of Yuma to a site atop Black Mountain, 28 miles (45 km) northwest of Yuma, at a much greater height above average terrain. It also opened an office and studio in El Centro to better serve the Imperial Valley. On December 7, 1966, Desert Telecasting filed an application to transfer the stations to Eller Telecasting, part of Eller Outdoor Advertising Company. Ownership of the station would pass to Karl Eller
, but the station would continue to be managed by Crites, who became president of Eller Telecasting. KBLU-TV became part of Combined Communications in 1968, when its parent, Eller Outdoor Advertising Company, merged with KTAR Broadcasting Company.
The sudden demise of KIVA in January 1970 spelled more changes for KBLU-TV, which immediately moved to acquire the NBC
affiliation, while the CBS affiliation passed to new station KECC-TV (now KECY-TV
). KBLU-TV also took over the television studio facilities formerly occupied by KIVA.
In July 1977, Combined Communications announced that it was selling both radio station KBLU and TV station KBLU-TV, but to different owners. The TV station would keep its NBC affiliation, but was to be sold to Chapman Television of Tuscaloosa, effective January 1, 1978, pending FCC approval. As FCC rules in effect at the time prohibited two stations to share call letters unless commonly-owned, and the radio station was keeping the KBLU call letters, Chapman requested the call sign KYEL-TV (for Yuma EL Centro). The call sign was found to be in use, but it was on a ship which had not been in service since 1803. The FCC approved the sale on November 1, 1977 and on January 1, 1978, KBLU-TV became KYEL-TV.
went on the air, when it took the ABC
affiliation. In September 1994, CBS affiliate KECY-TV
flipped to Fox
, and KSWT took over the CBS affiliation once again and Yuma was left without an ABC affiliate until the launch of KECY-DT2. In February 1998, KB Media sold the station to Eclipse Media, and then in September 2000, Eclipse Media sold the station to Pappas Telecasting. KSWT also included Telemundo
programming during the overnight hours in the 1990s, until local affiliate KESE-LP
began operations. KSWT aired some PAX programming during afternoons beginning in 2000, but had reverted to full-time CBS by 2004.
In September 2006, The CW
network launched nationwide, and KSWT added the network as a digital subchannel on 13.2. Adding the subchannel soon became a problem, as Time Warner Cable
, the dominant local cable provider, placed the CW programming on channel 740, in a costlier digital cable package. KSWT requested that the channel be placed in the basic package on channel 6, where the market's cable-only WB
affiliate, branded KWUB
, had resided. After several months of negotiations, the differences were settled, and in December 2006, KSWT 13.2 was placed on cable channel 6. In 2010, The CW moved to KECY's third digital subchannel, which inherited KSWT-DT2's cable carriage; KSWT replaced CW programming with a standard definition simulcast of its main programming.
As a CBS affiliate, KSWT airs a typical mix of network and syndicated fare, with occasional paid programming. Its only original programming is local news, and it is one of only two stations in the viewing area to air local news in English (the other is KYMA). Monday through Friday, the station features an hour-long 4 PM newscast, called "KSWT First News", followed by the half-hour network newscast. At 5:30 PM, following the network news, KSWT airs another hour-long newscast, called "KSWT Early News", and finally, at 10 PM, KSWT has a half-hour newscast called KSWT Late News. On Saturday and Sunday, only the late newscast airs. Unlike most CBS affiliates, it does not carry newscasts on weekday mornings, weekdays at noon or early evening newscasts on weekends.
KSWT's CW programming relied almost exclusively on network and syndicated fare, with paid programming overnights. It aired a block of children's programming on Saturday mornings and movies on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The subchannel aired no local programming.
As KYEL-TV:
, until the translator stations' licensee, Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation & Drainage District, shut down the stations on August 18, 2009. KSWT is available via Dish Network
.
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
serving the Yuma
Yuma, Arizona
Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....
, Yuma
Yuma
-Places:* Yuma Desert, desert in southwest U.S. and northwest MexicoUnited States* Yuma County, Arizona** Yuma, Arizona** Marine Corps Air Station Yuma** United States Army Yuma Proving Ground** Yuma Territorial Prison* Yuma County, Colorado** Yuma, Colorado...
/El Centro
El Centro, California
El Centro is a city in and county seat of Imperial County, the largest city in the Imperial Valley and the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core urban area and principal city of the El Centro metropolitan area which encompasses all of Imperial County. El Centro is also...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
market. Licensed to Yuma, it serves as a 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...
affiliate. It broadcasts locally in digital
ATSC
ATSC standards are a set of standards developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee for digital television transmission over terrestrial, cable, and satellite networks....
on 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...
channel 13, and is owned by the Pappas Telecasting Companies
Pappas Telecasting Companies
Pappas Telecasting Companies was a diversely organized broadcasting company headquartered in Visalia, California, United States. Founded in 1971, it was one of the largest privately held broadcasting companies in the country, with its stations reaching over 15% of all U.S. households and over 32%...
of Visalia, California
Visalia, California
Visalia is a Central California city situated in the heart of California’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley, approximately southeast of San Francisco and north of Los Angeles...
under the name Pappas Telecasting of Arizona.
KSWT serves an area encompassing portions of two countries, including parts of two American states, Arizona and California, and two Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
states, Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
and Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
. Some viewers in the Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
whose homes face south to Imperial Valley can receive KSWT over the air, and viewers in Mexicali
Mexicali
Mexicali is the capital of the State of Baja California, seat of the Municipality of Mexicali, and 2nd largest city in Baja California. The City of Mexicali has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the population of the entire metropolitan area reaches 936,826.The city...
and San Luis Río Colorado
San Luis Río Colorado
San Luis Río Colorado is a city and its surrounding municipality lying in the northwestern corner of the state of Sonora, Mexico.- Location :...
have clear reception. Syndicated programming on KSWT as of 2011 includes: Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
, Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray (TV series)
Rachael Ray, also known as The Rachael Ray Show, is a talk show starring Rachael Ray that debuted in syndication in the United States and Canada on September 18, 2006....
, and The Doctors
The Doctors
The Doctors is a soap opera which aired on NBC Daytime from April 1, 1963, to December 31, 1982. There were 5280 episodes produced, with the 5000th episode airing in November 1981...
.
KBLU-TV
When the Federal Communications CommissionFederal 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) lifted the freeze on new television station applications in 1952, they allocated VHF channels 11 and 13 for broadcast television service in Yuma. Valley Telecasting quickly applied for and opened KIVA on channel 11, becoming the city's first television station in October 1953. Wrather-Alvarez Broadcasting followed with a January 1956 application to build KYAT on channel 13, but failed, and in September 1958, the construction permit was dismissed. By November 1961, more than eight years after the arrival of local television, Yuma was still a one-station town.
In November 1961, Robert Crites, owner and manager of local 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...
-affiliated radio station KBLU
KBLU
KBLU is an American commercial radio station in Yuma, Arizona. It airs a news/talk format which includes syndicated programs such as Dr. Laura, and Coast to Coast AM from Premiere Radio Networks.-History:...
, formed a partnership, called Desert Telecasting, and applied to the FCC on November 30, 1961 for a construction permit to build a station on channel 13. New England Industries had filed a competing application for the same channel nearly a month earlier, but on July 23, 1962, the FCC granted the construction permit to Desert Telecasting, and KBLU-TV came into existence, to be the market’s CBS television affiliate. It would not be an easy road to sign-on, as Bruce Merrill, owner of both KIVA and the local cable television system, was convinced that the market could not support a second local television station and fought to keep the new station from opening. Merrill opposed a KBLU-TV partnership restructure, an extension of time to construct the station, and a proposal to increase power, then, in September 1963, filed a "motion to stay" to prevent KBLU-TV from building its facilities. All of Merrill’s petitions were denied, and on the evening of December 2, 1963, one hour after receiving notice of program test authority, KBLU-TV began broadcasting.
The station expanded its coverage to El Centro in 1965 with another increase in power, and relocation of its transmitter from within the city of Yuma to a site atop Black Mountain, 28 miles (45 km) northwest of Yuma, at a much greater height above average terrain. It also opened an office and studio in El Centro to better serve the Imperial Valley. On December 7, 1966, Desert Telecasting filed an application to transfer the stations to Eller Telecasting, part of Eller Outdoor Advertising Company. Ownership of the station would pass to Karl Eller
Karl Eller
Karl Eller is an Arizona business leader and nationally recognized entrepreneur.Eller grew up in Tucson, Arizona. He played football collegiately at the University of Arizona where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity....
, but the station would continue to be managed by Crites, who became president of Eller Telecasting. KBLU-TV became part of Combined Communications in 1968, when its parent, Eller Outdoor Advertising Company, merged with KTAR Broadcasting Company.
The sudden demise of KIVA in January 1970 spelled more changes for KBLU-TV, which immediately moved to acquire the 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...
affiliation, while the CBS affiliation passed to new station KECC-TV (now KECY-TV
KECY-TV
KECY-TV is the primary Fox and secondary MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for El Centro, California and Yuma, Arizona. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter between the two cities in the Chocolate Mountains in Imperial County, California. Owned...
). KBLU-TV also took over the television studio facilities formerly occupied by KIVA.
In July 1977, Combined Communications announced that it was selling both radio station KBLU and TV station KBLU-TV, but to different owners. The TV station would keep its NBC affiliation, but was to be sold to Chapman Television of Tuscaloosa, effective January 1, 1978, pending FCC approval. As FCC rules in effect at the time prohibited two stations to share call letters unless commonly-owned, and the radio station was keeping the KBLU call letters, Chapman requested the call sign KYEL-TV (for Yuma EL Centro). The call sign was found to be in use, but it was on a ship which had not been in service since 1803. The FCC approved the sale on November 1, 1977 and on January 1, 1978, KBLU-TV became KYEL-TV.
KYEL-TV/KSWT
Chapman Television did not keep the station long, selling it to Service Broadcasters, Inc. in November 1978, who, in turn, sold it to Beam Broadcasters in November 1983 (later known as Beacon Broadcasters). In September 1991, Beacon Broadcasters sold the station to KB Media, who promptly renamed the station KSWT. It remained an NBC affiliate until shortly after KYMAKYMA
KYMA-DT is an NBC-affiliated television station in Yuma, Arizona/El Centro, California, USA, broadcasting locally in digital on VHF channel 11. KYMA can be received over the air in Blythe, California in the Palo Verde Valley, and in the southeastern end of the Coachella Valley, and it transmits a...
went on the air, when it took the 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...
affiliation. In September 1994, CBS affiliate KECY-TV
KECY-TV
KECY-TV is the primary Fox and secondary MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for El Centro, California and Yuma, Arizona. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter between the two cities in the Chocolate Mountains in Imperial County, California. Owned...
flipped to 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...
, and KSWT took over the CBS affiliation once again and Yuma was left without an ABC affiliate until the launch of KECY-DT2. In February 1998, KB Media sold the station to Eclipse Media, and then in September 2000, Eclipse Media sold the station to Pappas Telecasting. KSWT also included Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
programming during the overnight hours in the 1990s, until local affiliate KESE-LP
KESE-LP
KESE-LP is the lone Telemundo affiliate serving the Yuma-El Centro TV market, located in Yuma, Arizona. It is owned and operated by Gulf-California Broadcast Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the News-Press & Gazette Company of St...
began operations. KSWT aired some PAX programming during afternoons beginning in 2000, but had reverted to full-time CBS by 2004.
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
network launched nationwide, and KSWT added the network as a digital subchannel on 13.2. Adding the subchannel soon became a problem, as Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
, the dominant local cable provider, placed the CW programming on channel 740, in a costlier digital cable package. KSWT requested that the channel be placed in the basic package on channel 6, where the market's cable-only WB
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
affiliate, branded KWUB
KWUB
KWUB was a WB affiliate on cable channel 6 in the Yuma, Arizona - El Centro, California market. Being a cable-only station, the call letters used were neither assigned nor sanctioned by the Federal Communications Commission . KWUB was carried on the Adelphia cable systems...
, had resided. After several months of negotiations, the differences were settled, and in December 2006, KSWT 13.2 was placed on cable channel 6. In 2010, The CW moved to KECY's third digital subchannel, which inherited KSWT-DT2's cable carriage; KSWT replaced CW programming with a standard definition simulcast of its main programming.
Programming
- All times MountainMountain Time ZoneThe Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time, also known as Greenwich Mean Time, during the shortest days of autumn and winter , and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time in the spring, summer, and early autumn...
Standard TimeStandard timeStandard time is the result of synchronizing clocks in different geographical locations within a time zone to the same time rather than using the local meridian as in local mean time or solar time. Historically, this helped in the process of weather forecasting and train travel. The concept...
.
As a CBS affiliate, KSWT airs a typical mix of network and syndicated fare, with occasional paid programming. Its only original programming is local news, and it is one of only two stations in the viewing area to air local news in English (the other is KYMA). Monday through Friday, the station features an hour-long 4 PM newscast, called "KSWT First News", followed by the half-hour network newscast. At 5:30 PM, following the network news, KSWT airs another hour-long newscast, called "KSWT Early News", and finally, at 10 PM, KSWT has a half-hour newscast called KSWT Late News. On Saturday and Sunday, only the late newscast airs. Unlike most CBS affiliates, it does not carry newscasts on weekday mornings, weekdays at noon or early evening newscasts on weekends.
KSWT's CW programming relied almost exclusively on network and syndicated fare, with paid programming overnights. It aired a block of children's programming on Saturday mornings and movies on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The subchannel aired no local programming.
Current on-air staff
- Jennifer Jones- Weekday Anchor 6 and 10pm
- Mauricio Marin - Weekday Anchor 4pm and 5:30pm
- Stephanie Sanchez - Reporter
- John Patrick - Meteorologist
- Joey Norton - Meteorologist
- Ruth Castillo - Reporter
- Felicia Martinez - Weekend Anchor/Weekday Reporter
- Mari Hamill - Reporter
- Karen Castro - Reporter
Notable former on-air staff
As KBLU-TV:- Lou DobbsLou DobbsLouis Carl "Lou" Dobbs is an American journalist, radio host, television host on the Fox Business Network, and author. He anchored CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight until November 2009 when he announced on the air that he would leave the 24-hour cable news television network.He was born in Texas and lived...
Anchor/Reporter, now Anchor and Host for CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
.
As KYEL-TV:
- Fred RogginFred RogginFred Roggin is the sports anchor at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, California. He was also a sports talk radio host at KMPC in Los Angeles, and until Fall 2007 hosted a morning sports show on KLAC with Los Angeles Times sports columnist T.J. Simers and Simers' daughter, Tracy Simers...
- Sports Anchor/Reporter (1977-78); now NBC SportsNBC SportsNBC Sports is the sports division of the NBC television network. Formerly "a service of NBC News," it broadcasts a diverse array of programs, including the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NHL, MLS, Notre Dame football, the PGA Tour, the Triple Crown, and the French Open, among others...
and KNBC-TV sports anchor - Trace GallagherTrace GallagherTrace Gallagher is an American television news anchor for Fox News Channel.-Background:Born Tracy G. Gallagher, he grew up in the ski resort of Mammoth Lakes, California, where he was the quarterback for the Mammoth Huskie football team before he graduated from high school in 1979...
- Reporter (1980s); now Fox News Co-Host of "The Live Desk"
Newscast titles
- The Big News (1963-1967)
- Topline News (1967-1973)
- NewsCenter 13 (1973-1991)
- NewsChannel 13 (1991-1998)
- CBS 13 Southwest News (1998-2001)
- KSWT News (2001-2006)
- KSWT News 13 (2006-present)
Station slogans
- KYEL-TV, Proud As A Peacock! (1979-1981; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- KYEL-TV, Our Pride Is Showing (1981-1982; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- We're KYEL-TV, Just Watch Us Now (1982-83; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- KYEL-TV, Be There (1983-1984; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- KYEL-TV, Let's All Be There (1984-1986; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- Come Home to KYEL-TV (1986-1987; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- Come on Home to KYEL-TV (1987-1988; last localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- Something`s Happening on TV-13 (1988-1990; first localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- The Imperial Valley`s Watching TV-13 (1990-1992; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- If It's TV-13, It Must Be ABC (1992-1993; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- Watched By More Mexicalli and Imperial Valley, TV-13, ABC (1993-1994; last localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- The Spirit of the Southwest (1998-2001; localized version of CBS 'Welcome Home' ad campaign)
- We're Your Station! (2001-2009)
- Desert News Now (2009-present)
Rebroadcasters
Both programming streams of KSWT had been rebroadcast on stations licensed to Wellton-Mohawk, ArizonaWellton, Arizona
Wellton is a town in Yuma County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 1,862. It is part of the Yuma Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Wellton is located at ....
, until the translator stations' licensee, Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation & Drainage District, shut down the stations on August 18, 2009. KSWT is available via Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
.