KVOA

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KVOA
Image:Kvoa.jpg
Tucson, Arizona
Branding KVOA News 4
Slogan Balanced News You Can Count On
Channels Analog: 4 (VHF)

Digital: 23 (UHF)
Translators K64BV Casas Adobes
K20FO Sierra Vista
K43CN Duncan
Affiliations NBC
Owner Evening Post Publishing Company
(KVOA Communications, Inc.)
First air date September 1953[1]
Call letters’ meaning Voice
Of
Arizona
Former callsigns KVOA-TV (1953-1996)
Former affiliations Secondary:
ABC (1953-1956)
Transmitter Power 35 kW (analog)
405 kW (digital)
Height 1092 m (analog)
1123 m (digital)
Facility ID 25735
Transmitter Coordinates 32°24′56″N, 110°42′50.5″W (analog)
32°24′55.8″N, 110°42′51.9″W (digital)
Website www.kvoa.com

KVOA is a full-service television station serving Tucson, Arizona as the NBC affiliate. It broadcasts in analog on VHF channel 4 and in digital on UHF channel 23 from its transmitter on Mount Bigelow, northeast of Tucson. The station has low-power translators in Casas Adobes, Duncan / Safford and Sierra Vista, and is owned by Cordillera Communications, a subsidiary of the Evening Post Publishing Company of Charleston, South Carolina.

Contents

[edit] History

In September 1953, KVOA signed on as Tucson's second television station and NBC affiliate, eight months after KOLD-TV signed on as the CBS affiliate. It was owned by Chicago advertising executive John Louis, Sr., along with KVOA-AM 1290 (now KCUB). It was a sister station to KTAR-AM in Phoenix. In October 1953, KVOA brought Tucson its first-ever live television event: a World Series broadcast[2]. The Louis broadcasting empire eventually became known as Pacific & Southern Broadcasting, headquartered in Phoenix. In 1968, Phoenix advertising mogul Karl Eller bought Pacific & Southern and merged it with his advertising business to form Combined Communications.

Combined merged with Gannett in 1979, but the merged company could not keep KVOA because Gannett already owned the Tucson Citizen. Channel 4 was sold to a company called Channel 4-TV.

The station was acquired by the Hobby family of Houston, publishers of the Houston Post, in 1982. When the Post was sold a year later, the Hobby family reorganized its broadcasting interests as H&C Communications. H&C sold off its television stations in 1993, with KVOA going to the Evening Post Publishing Company.

For decades, KVOA had used the Eyewitness News moniker, and the slogan "Where The News Comes First". However in February 2006 the name shortened to News 4, with the new slogan "Coverage You Can Count On". In November 2007, KVOA changed their slogan to "Balanced News You Can Count On".

In April 2007, KVOA became the first station in Tucson to broadcast local news in HDTV.

[edit] Digital television

On June 15, 2000, KVOA was issued a construction permit to build digital station KVOA-DT on UHF channel 23. There were delays in building the new station, and on June 18, 2003, KVOA was granted Special Temporary Authority (STA) to operate the digital station at reduced power. The STA has been extended several times, and as of September 2006, KVOA-DT continues to operate under STA at reduced power.

In September 2006, KVOA's Sierra Vista translator, K20FO, was identified as a "singleton applicant" for a companion digital LPTV station on VHF channel 10, and Casas Adobes translator, K64BV, was identified as a "singleton applicant" for a companion digital LPTV station on VHF channel 4.[3] A singleton applicant is one whose application for a construction permit has no competition from nearby applications on the same or adjacent channels. As single applicants, the stations are likely to be granted construction permits.

KVOA upgraded their operations in April 2007. Changes included a new set, updated graphics and the transition to High Definition broadcasting. HD newscasts began Sunday, April 22 starting with the 10PM newscast. Southern Arizona News Network, a 24-hour news channel exclusive to local Cox Cable subscribers, premiered on June 7, 2007. KVOA is the first station in Tucson to offer news in high definition and the second in Arizona (following KPNX in Phoenix). Sister station WLEX in Lexington, KY also owned by Evening Post Publishing Company is also doing their newscast in HD.

[edit] News Department

[edit] On-Air Talent

News Anchors

  • Josh Benson - weekday mornings and noon
  • Tom McNamara - weekdays 5pm, 6pm, and 10pm
  • John Overall - weekdays 4pm
  • Lorraine Rivera - weekend evenings
  • Rebecca Taylor - weekday mornings and noon
  • Kristi Tedesco - weekdays 5pm and 10pm
  • Martha Vasquez - weekdays 4pm and 6pm


Reporters

  • Anthony Cabrera
  • David Marino
  • Lupita Murillo
  • Sandy Rathbun
  • Lorraine Rivera
  • Quinn Schuler
  • Ed Tribble
  • Tyler Wing


Weather

  • Jimmy Stewart - chief meteorologist; weekdays 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, and 10pm
  • Matt Brode - weekday mornings and noon
  • Jeff Beamish - weekends


Sports

  • Ryan Recker - sports director; weekdays 6pm and 10pm
  • Jay Campbell - sports reporter

[edit] Translators

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says September 15, while the Television and Cable Factbook says September 27.
  2. ^ stations.gif
  3. ^ Arizona LP DTV Applications

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Broadcast television in Tucson/Sierra Vista, Arizona  (Nielsen DMA #68)
v • d • e
NBC Network Affiliates in the state of Arizona

KNAZ 2 (Flagstaff) - KVOA 4 (Tucson) - KYMA 11 (Yuma) - KPNX 12 (Phoenix)
See also: ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, MyNetworkTV, PBS, Religious, Spanish, and Other stations in Arizona