KFOX-TV

KFOX-TV is a Fox affiliated television station based in El Paso, Texas. It broadcasts its digital signal on channel 15. It is owned by Cox Enterprises. Its transmitter is located in El Paso.

History
The station debuted on the air in August 1979 as KCIK-TV, a non-profit Christian programming outlet. KCIK was El Paso's first UHF television station, and was founded by the late Pete E. Meryl Warren III, who subsequently started KJLF-TV (now KTFN) channel 65 in 1991. It was sold to new owners in 1982, and switched to commercial independent programming (while still airing some religious programming). By 1987 KCIK became a Fox network affiliate, and remains so to this day.

Pete Warren and Alex Blomerth had been involved in a church outreach using a leased cable TV channel 8. In 1979 they signed on over the air channel 14 using the studios and facilities of the cable channel. The studios were in an old church building at 3100 North Stanton Street.

The station signed on from an existing tower on a peak of the Franklin Mountains north of Comanche Peak (channel 4) and Ranger Peak (channel 9) that had been built in the early seventies for a planned expansion of channel 13 (then KELP-TV now KVIA-TV) but never used. The site was very high, in fact the highest in Texas at 6,880 feet above sea level but had no road access. A tramway was installed. KELP-TV and the unbuilt KCOS (TV) were to use the new site, as were some FM stations. TV didn't use the site. The local Two way radio jobber began to use the site for radio repeaters. KCIK-TV moved to the site in 1979 using a transmitter than had been used on a channel 30 station in Puerto Rico.

 Digital televisionIn August 1996 Cox acquired what had become KFOX-TV, and turned it into a major player in the El Paso TV market. KFOX was supposed to become an affiliate of the Retro Television Network on a digital subchannel, starting in late 2008. After a delay, for unknown reasons, KFOX launched RTN on its digital subchannel on January 15, 2009.

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

Analog-to-digital conversion
On Thursday May 21, 2009, at 6:25 a.m., 12:25 p.m. and 6:25 p.m., KFOX's analog signal was shut off for 2 minutes for a DTV test. [1]

On June 12, 2009, at midnight MDT, KFOX-TV ceased analog programming, due to the mandated analog television shutdown and digital conversion. However, the station is participating in the analog nightlight service[2] on its analog channel 14, informing viewers of their options and how to make the transition. The station remained on its pre-transition channel 15. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display KFOX-TV's virtual channel as 14.[3]

News operation
In September 1997, KFOX debuted El Paso's first prime time newscast, KFOX News at Nine. Since then the station has won nearly 300 awards for journalistic excellence, including Emmy's, Edward R. Murrow's and Katie Awards. In January 2004, KFOX launched its three-hour morning newscast, The KFOX Morning News. Additionally, on October 8, 2008, KFOX launched a 6 p.m. newscast. The station is unusual among Fox stations as it has no sports department; Fox owned-and-operated station WOFL in Orlando, Florida is the only other Fox station in the country whose news operation does not include a sports department.

On May 10, 2010 KFOX became the fourth television station in El Paso to upgrade its newscast to 16:9 widescreen. Initially presented in widescreen standard definition, the newscast production was upgraded to full high definition (including live field video) in July 2010.

Newscast titles

 * FOX News (1997-1999)
 * KFOX News (1999-2008)
 * KFOX 14 News (2008-present)

Station slogans

 * See the Difference (1997-2007)
 * Coverage You Can Count On (2007-present)

Newscast music

 * Image News by Gari Media Group (1997-2014)
 * Sinclair News Package by 615 Music (2014-present)

Current on-air staff
Anchors


 * Stephanie Guadian - weekday mornings "KFOX Morning News" (6-9 a.m.)
 * Miri Marshall - weekends at 9 p.m.
 * Hema Mullur - weeknights at 6 and 9 p.m.
 * Daniel Novick - weekends at 9 p.m. Leaving on April 17, 2011 to Dallas, Texas.
 * John Purvis - weeknights at 6 and 9 p.m.
 * Bill Young - weekday mornings "KFOX Morning News" (6-9 a.m.)

KFOX Severe Weather Team


 * Sandra Diaz (AMS Seal of Approval; NWA Member) - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 6 and 9 p.m.
 * Miri Marshall - Weather Anchor; weekends at 9 p.m.
 * Brad Montgomery - Weather Anchor; weekday mornings "KFOX Morning News" (6-9 a.m.)

Reporters


 * Dena Richardson - general assignment reporter
 * Phil Anaya - Las Cruces reporter
 * Miri Marshall - general assignment reporter
 * Daniel Novick - general assignment reporter
 * Martina Valverde - general assignment

Former on-air staff

 * Israel Balderas (now at WCCB/FOX Charlotte)
 * Jenn Dombrowski
 * Arleene Barrios (now at UTEP)
 * Angeeneh Adamian
 * Elizabeth Alvarez (now at WOFL in Orlando)
 * Sidney Alvarez (now in Public Relations & Workforce Development in Pittsburgh,PA)
 * Ashanti Blaize (now at KXAS-TV in Dallas)
 * Janice Carpio (now at WOAI-TV in San Antonio)
 * Kristi Carson
 * Travis Christy (now at KRQE in Albuquerque)
 * Peter Daut (now at KDFW in Dallas)
 * Caribe Devine (now at KPNX in Phoenix)
 * Mike DiSerio
 * Molly Graves
 * Greg Inglin
 * Patricia Maese
 * Angela Manfredi
 * Joe Mazur (now at WTVD in Raleigh)
 * Mary McCahon
 * Davida Mintz
 * Sara Morris (now at WTKR in Norfolk, Virginia)
 * Chris Regnier (now at KTVI in St. Louis)
 * Elissa Rivas (now at KTRK-TV in Houston)
 * Steve Roldan (now at KSAT-TV in San Antonio)
 * Rene Romo (now at WSOC-TV in Charleston, South Carolina)
 * Audra Schroeder (now at KIRO-TV in Seattle)
 * Tyler Sieswerda (now at KVUE in Austin)
 * Chris Stipes (now at KRIV in Houston)
 * Ben Swann (now at KTSM-TV in El Paso)
 * Karlyn Tilley (now at KCNC-TV in Denver)
 * Alycia Turner
 * Tom Vacar (now at KTVU in Oakland/San Francisco)
 * Yvette Villarreal (now Yvette Martinez at WBIR-TV in Knoxville, TN)