KBAK-TV

KBAK-TV is a CBS-affiliate television station serving Bakersfield, California, broadcasting digital-only on UHF channel 33. KBAK also operates the local Fox affiliate, KBFX-CA, from a shared facility in Bakersfield.

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Contents
[hide]*1 History
 * 2 29 Eyewitness News Team
 * 3 News/Station presentation
 * 3.1 Newscast titles
 * 3.2 Station slogans
 * 3.3 News themes
 * 4 References
 * 5 External links
 * }

[edit] History
KBAK signed on in August 1953 as KAFY-TV owned along with KAFY radio (AM 550, frequency now occupied by KUZZ). It is Bakersfield's oldest television station; KERO-TV followed a month later. It has always been a CBS affiliate, but aired selected ABC until KLYD-TV (channel 17, now KGET-TV) signed on in 1959.

Shortly after becoming a full CBS affiliate, channel 29 changed its calls to the current KBAK-TV. In 1974, KBAK swapped affiliations with channel 17, then known as KJTV, and became an ABC affiliate. As a CBS and later ABC affiliate, KBAK had aired all of its color programs in color, and went to full color in 1967.

During the 1970s and into the 1980s, KBAK was owned by Chicago-based Harriscope Broadcasting, which also owned WSNS in Chicago (now a Telemundo O&O) and a partial stake in KRQE in Albuquerque (now owned by LIN TV). In the late 1980s, KBAK started signing off only on Fridays, and Saturdays, which as a CBS affiliate it continued to do until May 2008, when the sign-offs on KBAK and KBFX were discontinued and were replaced by a simulcast of the Kern Weather Channel, which is also available on digital cable systems in the Bakersfield area.

In 1986, Harriscope sold KBAK to Burnham Broadcasting, which also owned KHON-TV in Honolulu and would later acquire WVUE in New Orleans, WALA-TV in Mobile, Alabama and WLUK in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In 1995, Burnham sold most of its stations to SF Broadcasting, a joint venture between Fox and Savoy Pictures, but KBAK was not included in the sale to SF Broadcasting, and was instead spun off to Westwind Communications, a locally-based company linked to former Burnham executives.

In 1995, McGraw-Hill cut an affiliation deal with ABC which called for all of its stations, including KERO-TV, to become ABC affiliates. Largely by default, KBAK rejoined CBS when KERO picked up ABC in March 1996.

On August 6, 2007, Westwind Communications announced the sale of KBAK and KBFX-CA to Fisher Communications of Seattle. [3] The deal closed on January 1, 2008. This marked a re-entry to the Central Valley for Fisher, who previously bought and sold KJEO (now KGPE) in Fresno in the late 1990s.

In mid-May 2010, KBAK became the first station in Bakersfield to begin broadcasting local newscasts in 16:9 widescreen standard definition.

The current announcer for KBAK CBS 29 and KBFX FOX 58 is best known nationally recognized voice over, Eric Gordon.[2]

[edit] 29 Eyewitness News Team

 * Anchors
 * John Dabkovich - 5a/6a/noon anchor
 * Leyla Santiago - 5a/6a anchor
 * Kurt Rivera - 5p/6p/11pm anchor
 * Lisa Krch - 5p/6pm anchor
 * Sabrina Rodriguez - 5/6/11pm weekend anchor
 * Weather
 * Aaron Perlman - 5a/6a/noon weathercaster
 * Miles Muzio - 5p/6p/11pm chief meteorologist
 * Anthony Bailey - 5p/6p/11pm weekend weathercaster/reporter
 * Sports
 * Greg Kerr - 5p/6p/11pm sports director
 * John Franchi - 5p/6p/11pm weekend sports
 * Reporters
 * Carol Ferguson - reporter/fill-in anchor
 * James Koh - reporter/fill-in anchor
 * Jose Gaspar - reporter/fill-in anchor

[edit] Newscast titles

 * KAFY Television Newsreel (1953–1959)
 * The Big News (1959–1966)
 * The Night Report (1966–1969)
 * The Television 29 News (1969–1973)
 * The Hal Lafoon News (1973–1974)
 * 29 TV ABC News (1974–1977)
 * The News Today (1977–1979)
 * TeleNews 29 (1979–1981)
 * NewsForce 29 (1981–1985)
 * News 29 (1985–1992)
 * 29 Eyewitness News (1992–present[update] )

[edit] Station slogans

 * 29 TV's the One (late 1970s; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * 29 is New for You (1980)
 * We're Comin' on Strong (1981)
 * Our Strength is Our People (1982)
 * See the Difference (1986)
 * The Hometown Team (1988)
 * The Southern Valley's News Leader (1990s)
 * Experience You Can Trust (1997–2003)
 * Live, Local, Latebreaking (1999–2000)
 * CBS 29 and You (2001–2003)
 * 29, The Eyewitness News Station (2003–present)
 * Investigating Stories Others Don't (2006–present)
 * Breaking News, Alerts and Investigations (2008)