KATU

KATU has also owned and operated the local Univision-TV affiliate KUNP-LP, channel 47, since 2007. {| class="toc" id="toc" sizcache="0" sizset="0"
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Contents
[hide]*1 History
 * 2 On-air staff
 * 2.1 Current
 * 2.2 Notable former on-air staff
 * 3 News/station presentation
 * 3.1 Newscast titles
 * 3.2 Newscast slogans
 * 4 Digital television
 * 5 Translators
 * 6 Heliport
 * 7 See also
 * 8 References
 * 9 External links
 * }

[edit] History
A construction permit for Channel 2 was issued to Fisher's Blend Station, Inc., (now Fisher Communications) as early as 1958. It was assigned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) call sign KATU. However, the station did not begin broadcasting until March 15, 1962, at first as an independent station, transmitting from atop Livingston Mountain.

On January 19, 1964, this TV station moved its transmitter site 21 miles (34 km), to Portland's West Hills to improve its broadcasting coverage. Just over a month later, it took over the American Broadcasting Company affiliation in Portland away from KPTV on March 1, 1964. This made KATU the new fourth station in the Portland market in less than a decade to have affiliated with ABC full-time (after KLOR, KGW and KPTV). It is also Portland's longest-lasting ABC affiliate to date. KATU is the only one of the first five television stations in Portland to have operated out of the same studio (at 2153 N.E. Sandy Blvd.) since it went on the air, although the building had earlier been used as a laundry for many years.

KATU is also one of the few television stations in the country (not counting owned-and-operated stations) that has had the same call letters, the same owner, and the same channel number throughout its history.

In 2002, KATU-TV celebrated its 40th anniversary. To mark the occasion, it updated its on-air graphics, and added a new news set. It also aired stories from past newscasts.

In the November 2006 and February 2007 sweeps periods, KATU finished in third place overall in the local newscast ratings, behind KGW and KPTV. In 2006, KATU won two Edward R. Murrow Awards, including an investigative piece reported by Anna Song on a newborn baby that was left severely brain damaged by OHSU hospital. Song also won dual 1st place (2006) Associated Press Awards in Best Writing, and Best Investigative Reporting.

On October 11, 2007 KATU became the third Portland TV station to broadcast its daily newscasts in 16x9 widescreen. In April 2008, KATU introduced a revamped set that expanded to the entire studio, to prepare for HD in 2009. Previously, the studio was divided in half ,with one side the news set and the other the AM Northwest set. The new set was one of the most expensive projects in KATU history.[citation needed]

From December 2008 to June 11, 2009, KATU (and the other Fisher-owned stations) was not carried by Dish Network due to a transmission dispute.[1]

KATU started testing HD newscasts on Saturday August 8, 2009. The full rollout premiered during their 4pm newscast on August 17, 2009, making it the second station in the Portland market to broadcast newscasts in HD.

[edit] Current

 * Anchors
 * Carl Click - KATU News This Morning
 * Steve Dunn - KATU News @ 5, 6 and 11
 * Debora Knapp - KATU News @ 5, 6 and 11
 * Natali Marmion - KATU News This Morning
 * Anna Canzano (formerly Anna Song) - KATU News weekends (also investigative reporter)
 * Angelica Thornton - KATU News @ 4
 * Brian Wood - KATU News @ 4
 * Weather
 * Dave Salesky - KATU News @ 5, 6 and 11 chief meteorologist
 * Joe English - weekend meteorologist
 * Joe Raineri - weekend morning meteorologist
 * Rhonda Shelby - KATU News This Morning
 * Sports
 * Katy Brown - KATU News @ 6 and 11 sports director
 * Craig Birnbach - weekend sports anchor
 * Reporters
 * Shellie Bailey-Shah - investigative reporter
 * Adam Ghassemi - general assignment reporter
 * Susan Harding - general assignment reporter
 * Bob Heye - general assignment reporter
 * Valerie Hurst - general assignment reporter
 * Thom Jensen - general assignment reporter
 * Melica Johnson - general assignment reporter
 * Meghan Kalkstein - general assignment reporter
 * Anita Kissee - general assignment reporter
 * Margy Lynch - general assignment reporter
 * Dan Tilkin - general assignment reporter
 * Kerry Tomlinson - investigative reporter
 * Melanie Wingo - general assignment reporter
 * Greg Knight-Traffic Reporter

[edit] Notable former on-air staff
Bill O'Reilly, one of the original anchors of Inside Edition and now of Fox News, came to KATU in 1984 as an anchor and reporter. He left the station in 1986 to join ABC News, and was replaced by reporter and weekend weathercaster Jeff Gianola. At the time of O'Reilly's departure, KATU's Channel 2 News held the top spot in the Portland TV market ratings.

KATU's "Channel 2 News" was also the highest-rated news program in Portland under the anchor team of Jeff Gianola and Julie Emry. Julie Emry left in the mid-1990s for family reasons, and Gianola left in 1997.

Jack Faust hosted the weekly Town Hall public affairs show for 13 years.[citation needed] This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.==[edit] News/station presentation==

[edit] Newscast titles

 * The Big News (1962-1967)
 * Eyewitness News (1967-1973)
 * NewsScene (1973-1975)
 * Channel Two News (1975-1990)
 * Channel 2 News (1990-1998)
 * KATU 2 News (1998-present; pronounced as "K2 News")

[edit] Newscast slogans

 * Eyewitness News, In Color (1967-1970)
 * Eyewitness News: Oregon's First Television News Team (1970-1973)
 * NewsScene: Get the Whole Story (1973-1975)
 * We're Still the One, on Channel 2 (1977-1980; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * You and Me and Channel 2 (1980-1981; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Turn to the Channel Two News (1981-1984)
 * Now is the Time, Channel 2 is the Place (1981-1982; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Come on Along with Channel 2 (1982-1983; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * That Special Feeling on Channel 2 (1983-1984; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * We're With You on Channel 2 (1984-1985; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * You'll Love It on Channel 2 (1985-1986; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Together on Channel 2 (1986-1987; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Something's Happening on Channel 2 (1987-1990; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * The Spirit Of The Northwest (1990-1996 and 2003-2007)
 * On Your Side (2007-present)

[edit] Digital television
Digital channels On July 17, 2008 at 6:15 PM, KATU turned off its analog signal for 10 seconds to test if viewers' TV sets were ready for DTV. Later on KATU did similar tests to make sure its viewers were ready for the 2009 DTV switch.

KATU-DT remains on its pre-transition channel number, 43 [2] and will continue to display KATU's virtual channel as 2.

On June 12, 2009, KATU was the last station in the Portland market to carry regularly scheduled programming over its analog transmitter. During the last segment of the 11:00 p.m. newscast, anchorman Steve Dunn was in the station's master control room giving last-minute information on where to find information on the DTV transition. Then, at 11:35 p.m., he pushed the button that ended KATU's analog service.

[edit] Translators
KATU is rebroadcast on the following translator stations. Low power translator in Mitchell has been discontinued.

[edit] Heliport
KATU Heliport (FAA LID: 21OR) is a private heliport on the roof of KATU TV's building in Portland, Oregon.[3]

[edit] See also

 * Exploding whale - KATU's claim to fame as the station that aired footages of the Oregon Highway Division's attempt to dispose of a dead whale. Longtime KATU Anchor (and current KEX Morning Host) Paul Linnman is the face of the report.
 * Bumpity - A local children program produced by KATU from 1971-1985.

[edit] References

 * 1) ^ http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2008/12/dish_drops_katu_from_its_lineu.html
 * 2) ^ CDBS Print
 * 3) ^ FAA 5010 for 21OR.

[edit] External links

 * KATU Channel 2 Official website
 * Query the FCC's TV station database for KATU
 * BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KATU-TV
 * Program Information for KATU at TitanTV.com
 * Resources for this airport:
 * AirNav airport information for 21OR
 * FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
 * SkyVector aeronautical chart for 21OR