KOAT-TV

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KOAT-TV
Image:KOAT.jpg
Albuquerque/Santa Fe, New Mexico
Branding KOAT 7 (general)
Action 7 News (newscasts)
Slogan Coverage You Can Count On
Channels Analog: 7 (VHF)

Digital: 21 (UHF)

Affiliations ABC
Owner Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc.
(KOAT Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc.)
First air date September 28, 1953
Call letters’ meaning COAT or KO Albuquerque Television
Former affiliations Secondary:
DuMont (1953-1955)
Transmitter Power 87.1 kW (analog)
280 kW (digital)
Height 1292 m (analog)
1243 m (digital)
Facility ID 53928
Transmitter Coordinates 35°12′53.3″N, 106°27′2.7″W (analog)
35°12′52.9″N, 106°27′3″W (digital)
Website www.koat.com

KOAT-TV is a television station in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is an ABC network affiliate and broadcasts on channel 7. Its transmitter is located on Sandia Crest, east of Albuquerque.

KOAT uses a version of the Circle 7 logo used by many other ABC stations, O&O's as well as affiliates.

Weather forecaster Howard Morgan worked at KOAT for 28 years before retiring in 1999.

Contents

[edit] History

KOAT signed on September 28, 1953, less than a week before KGGM-TV (now KRQE). It was locally owned by AM Caldwell & Walter Stiles. The station signed on as an ABC Affiliate. In 1959 KOAT was sold to Alvarado Television and in 1962 to Steinman Stations. Steinman sold KOAT to Pulitzer, the then-owner of KSD-TV (now KSDK) in St. Louis, in 1969. This made KOAT Pulitzer's first television station acquisition outside of its home city of St. Louis. In 1999, Pulitzer sold its entire broadcasting division, including KOAT, to Hearst-Argyle.

[edit] Satellite stations

These stations rebroadcast KOAT's signal and add local content for other parts of the broadcast market:

Station City of license Channels
(Analog/
Digital)
First air date Former callsigns ERP
(Analog/
Digital)
HAAT
(Analog/
Digital)
Facility ID Transmitter Coordinates
KOCT Carlsbad 6 (VHF)
19 (UHF)
August 24, 1956 KAVE-TV (1956-1987)
KVIO-TV (1987-1993)
100 kW
912 kW
365.4 m
333 m
53908 32°47′38.3″N, 104°12′30.4″W
KOFT Farmington 3 (VHF)
8 (VHF)
1 100 kW
40 kW
126 m
165.9 m
53904 36°41′48″N, 108°10′41″W (analog)
36°40′17″N, 108°13′55″W (digital)
KOVT Silver City 10 (VHF)
12 (VHF)
September 19872 KWNM-TV (1987-1992) 8.71 kW
62 kW
485 m
485 m
53911 32°51′45.7″N, 108°14′29.4″W

Notes:

  • 1. No record of analog station on air; digital station operating via Special Temporary Authorization.
  • 2. The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says KOVT signed on September 9, while the Television and Cable Factbook says it signed on September 10.

KOCT, formerly KAVE-TV and KVIO-TV, became part of the KOAT-TV operation in 1993 after previously serving as a satellite of El Paso ABC affiliate KVIA-TV Channel 7. The Carlsbad station began in 1956 as KAVE-TV, a CBS affiliate with studio and transmitter facilities on Church Street in Carlsbad. In 1966, when Roswell, New Mexico station KBIM-TV became the CBS affiliate for southeastern New Mexico, KAVE became a satellite station of then-ABC affiliate KMOM-TV Channel 9 in Monahans, Texas (now NBC affiliate KWES-TV, Midland-Odessa, Texas) and then of KVIA-TV in El Paso in 1976.

In addition, there are several low-powered repeaters that carry KOAT's programming throughout New Mexico, northeastern Arizona and southern Colorado.

[edit] News

Ordinarily, KOAT produces just over 4 hours of local news each weekday, 4 hours each Saturday, and 3 hours each Sunday. The station's newscasts, known as "Action 7 News," have led the ratings in New Mexico for over 30 years.

[edit] Notable Personalities

[edit] Current On-Air Talent

KOAT ANCHORS

  • Doug Fernandez: Weekday Evening Anchor
  • Mike Garofalo: Weekend Anchor/Reporter
  • Shelly Ribando: Weekday Evening Anchor
  • Melissa Mahan: Weekday Morning Anchor/Reporter
  • Marisa Maez: Weekday Morning Anchor
  • Natalie Swaby: Weekend Morning Anchor

KOAT REPORTERS

  • Larry Behrens: Santa Fe Bureau Reporter
  • Mitch Blacher: Target 7 Reporter
  • Leigh Checkstad: General Assignment Reporter
  • Dominic Garcia: General Assignment Reporter
  • Rod Green: General Assignment Reporter
  • Ilana Gold: General Assignment Reporter
  • Matt Grubs: General Assignment Reporter
  • Chris Ramirez: General Assignment Reporter
  • Dr. Barry Ramo: Health Reporter
  • Dave Roberts: Farmington Bureau Reporter
  • Drew Rudnick: Southeast New Mexico Bureau Reporter
  • AJ Smith: General Assignment Reporter, fill-in weather chick
  • Natalie Swaby: General Assignment Reporter
  • Melissa Vega: Target 7 Reporter

HEARST-ARGYLE WASHINGTON BUREAU

  • Sally Kidd: Washington Bureau Correspondent
  • Laurie Kinney: Washington Bureau Correspondent
  • Tracy Mitchell: Washington Bureau Correspondent

FIRST ALERT WEATHER TEAM

  • Joe Diaz (AMS/NWA Seals of Approval): Chief Meteorologist, seen weeknights
  • Byron Morton (AMS/NWA Seals of Approval): Weekend Meteorologist
  • Jason Stiff (AMS Seal of Approval): Weekday Morning Meteorologist

SPORTS ANCHORS/REPORTERS

  • Bob Brown: Sports Director/Anchor, seen weeknights
  • John Salazar: Weekend Sports Anchor

[edit] Former On-Air Talent

  • Cynthia Izaguirre: Longtime anchor/reporter (2000-2007, moved to WFAA ABC in Dallas, TX)
  • Diane Anderson: Longtime anchor/reporter (1985-2004, later moved to KRQE-TV)
  • Ed Lopez: Morning Anchor (1994-2000)
  • Nelson Martinez: Longtime anchor (1981-2002, later moved to KOB-TV)
  • Nannette Miranda: (Reporter 1996-1999), now State Capitol Correspondent for KABC-TV in Los Angeles and KGO-TV in San Francisco
  • Johnny Morris:Long Time Anchor (1969-1999)

[edit] News/Station Presentation

[edit] Newscast Titles

  • Action 7 News (1970s-present)

[edit] Station Slogans

  • New Mexico's News Leader (1980s-1990s)
  • 7 On Your Side (1990s)
  • Coverage You Can Count On (1998-present)
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[edit] External links