KTUU-TV

KTUU-TV is an NBC affiliated television station serving Anchorage, Alaska. The station is owned by Schurz Communications of South Bend, Indiana. The station is broadcast over the air on digital channel 10; on local cable system, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Communications,_Inc. GCI] on standard cable channel 2 and high-definition cable channel 652. KTUU is also available on DIRECTV and DISH Network for the Anchorage television market.

Its over-the-air transmitter is located in Knik, Alaska.

History
KTUU is one of Alaska's first two TV stations to sign on in the state (KTVA is the other), signing on in October 1953 as KFIA. It becameKENI-TV in 1955, and then KTUU in 1981.

On September 19, 1966, channel 2 became the first station in Alaska to transmit in color (NTSC) when it aired the premiere episode of the ABC situation comedy That Girl (entitled "Don't Just Do Something, Stand There!"). The station had joint primary affiliation with NBC and ABC (with KTVA picking up some of the slack) until October 1, 1967 when it switched to ABC primary and NBC secondary, primarily because ABC had more programs on film. Channel 2 became a full-time ABC affiliate in 1970 when KHAR (now KYUR) took the NBC affiliation. The two stations switched networks in October 1971, at which time KHAR became KIMO. Channel 2 also carried a few PBS programs (particularly The Electric Company) until KAKM signed on in 1975. Until KTVF in Fairbanks switched networks from CBS to NBC in April 1996, KTUU was the only full-time NBC affiliate in Alaska.

In August 2010, KTUU became the third Schurz-owned television station (after KWCH-DT and KSCW-DT in Wichita, Kansas and WDBJ inRoanoke, Virginia) to relaunch its Web site through a new partnership with the Tribune Company's Tribune Interactive division. Previously, the Web address was operated by the local media division of World Now. The other Schurz television station Web sites, which are currently operated by Broadcast Interactive Media, will follow suit when their CMS contract with BIM runs out.

KTUU has been number one in the Anchorage, AK market for decades. The Channel 2 News team routinely wins regional and national awards. The National Press Photographers Association named KTUU the Small Market Television News Photography Station of the Year in 2006, 2008 and 2010.[3]

Former Alaska governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin (née Heath) was a fill-in weekend sports anchor for KTUU shortly after college.

Digital television
The station's digital channel has both High Definition and Standard Definition programming feeds:

Digital channels KTUU is one of only two NBC stations in Alaska to broadcast its programming in High Definition. The other is KATH in Juneau, which airs all of KTUU's newscasts. KTVF Channel 11 in Fairbanks is the only station not carrying HD programming from NBC.

Analog feed
Following the digital transition, which took place on June 12, 2009, KTUU maintains analog programming on Channel 2 under the Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act. A video is broadcast on the channel that informs viewers on how to obtain and use a digital converter box. The video alternates in English and Spanish and is played throughout the day.

Current on-air staff
 Maria Downey - weeknights at 6 p.m.Anchors


 * Sheila Balistreri - weekday mornings "Channel 2 News Morning Edition" (also producer)
 * Megan Baldino - weeknights at 5 and 10 p.m.
 * Mike Ross - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Todd Walker - weekday mornings "Channel 2 News Morning Edition"
 * Lori Tipton - weekends at 5 and 10 p.m.

Reporters


 * Ashton Goodell - general assignment reporter
 * Jason Lamb - general assignment reporter
 * Jackie Bartz - general assignment reporter
 * Christine Kim - general assignment reporter
 * Ted Land - general assignment reporter
 * Rhonda McBride-general assignment reporter
 * Rebecca Palsha - general assignment reporter

2 Weather Team


 * Jackie Purcell (AMS Seal of Approval) - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Mitch Sego (AMS Seal of Approval) - Meteorologist; weekday mornings "Channel 2 News Morning Edition"
 * Tracy Sinclare (AMS Seal of Approval) - Meteorologist; weekends at 5 and 10PM
 * Robert Forgit (AMS/NWA Seal of Approval) - Meteorologist; fill-in

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Sports Team


 * Charlie Sokaitis - Sports Anchor; weekends at 5 and 10 p.m. (also sports reporter)
 * Kevin Wells - Sports Anchor; weeknights at 10 p.m. (also sports reporter)

Former on-air staff

 * Theda Comstock hosted a morning public affairs program for many years, similar to Norma Goodman at KTVA.
 * Dan Fagan was a news reporter for many years, prior to joining KFQD as the host of a radio talk show.
 * Steve MacDonald joined the station from KTVA in 1996, replacing John Tracy as news director in 2008. He was fired in early February 2009 by still-fairly-new General Manager Susan Lucas. He was rehired about 10 days later, but relegated to an off-air role,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[4] although he occasionally fills in.
 * Sarah Heath (Sarah Palin) - Intern Sports Anchor
 * John Tracy joined the station at roughly the same time as Downey in 1985. With the Tracy-Downey anchor team, KTUU quickly became the dominant news station in the market, a title held by KIMO for most of the previous decade. He became news director in 1987 and retired from the station in 2008 when Schurz Communications bought the company.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[5]
 * John Carpenter became a sports reporter at KTUU in April of 1984. He established himself and remained a community favorite for the next 28 years largely because of his deft ability to combine sports, comedy and showmanship. For much of Carpenter's tenure, Channel 2 News featured his humor in a weekly segment called "The World According to Carp." In December of 2010, "Carp" answered his "higher calling" and left KTUU to become an associate pastor at Baxter Road Bible Church in East Anchorage.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[6]

Newscast titles

 * World News (1953–1955)
 * KENI-TV News (1955–1964)
 * The Alaska Report (1964–1968)
 * Newsnight (1968–1971)
 * Newscope (1971–1975)
 * TV-2 News (1975–1981)
 * Newservice 2 (1981–1986)
 * Channel 2 News (1986–present)

Station slogans

 * Alaska's Color Station (1960s)
 * Keep Your News on Your Scope, with Newscope! (early 1970s)
 * TV-2 News, The News People (1977–1979)
 * TV-2, Proud as a Peacock! (1979–1981; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * Channel 2, Our Pride is Showing (1981–1982; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * We're Channel 2, Just Watch Us Now (1982–1983; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * Channel 2 There, Be There (1983–1984; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * Channel 2, Let's All Be There (1984–1986; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * Come Home to Channel 2 (1986–1987; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * Come On Home To Channel 2 (1987–1988; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * Come Home To The Best, Only on Channel 2 (1988–1990; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * Alaska's 24-Hour News Channel (1990–1995)
 * Alaska's News Source (1995–present)