KDVR

KDVR, (channel 31), is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the Denver, Colorado designated market area. The station is owned by Tribune Broadcasting, the media arm of private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners, under a local marketing agreement with Tribune-owned CW affiliate KWGN (channel 2). Its transmitter is located in Golden, Colorado. The station broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 32, using its former analog assignment of channel 31 as its virtual digital channel via PSIP.

KDVR is a more news-intensive Fox station with 38 hours a week of locally-produced newscasts, as well as first-run prime time, late night and sports programming from Fox. It also runs off-network sitcoms, talk shows, reality shows and court shows.

KDVR operates a satellite station in Fort Collins, Colorado, KFCT, which broadcasts in digital on UHF channel 21. KFCT covers Fort Collins and other areas of North Central Colorado not covered by the main KDVR signal, and is the only full-power television station operating in the area.

History
KDVR first went on the air on August 10, 1983 as the first television station in Denver to sign on since 1956, and as the first full-service UHF television station in the state of Colorado. TV Guide had listed a channel 31 in its Denver edition earlier in 1983 (as KX2AEG), but this was a translator station rebroadcasting the Spanish International Network (now Univision). KDVR began as a locally owned station, running a lineup of cartoons, old sitcoms, drama shows, movies, and religious programming, all in English. The station has never considered KX2AEG as part of its history. It was only in 1990 that Univision finally got a regular Denver affiliate of its own (KCEC).

When KWGN-TV declined to affiliate with Fox in 1986, KDVR stepped in, and became known as "Fox 31" in the late 1980s. Chase Broadcasting acquired KDVR in 1990, then merged with Renaissance Broadcasting in 1992. Renaissance then exchanged the station to Fox for that network's KDAF in Dallas-Fort Worth (which was to lose Fox programming to another station in that market) in 1995, making it a network owned-and-operated station (O&O). After becoming a Fox O&O, KDVR added first-run talk and reality shows, but still aired no news programming but KDVR airing Fox Kids Weekdays afternoons and Saturday Morning and weekday cartoon ended in December 31st 2001 and replacing FoxBox in September 2002 and replacing with TV 4Kids TV in early 2005 now Weekend Marketplace.

Fox did not intend to hold on to KDVR for long; the network intended to divest the station to Qwest Broadcasting (a company backed by Quincy Jones and Tribune Broadcasting) and move its affiliation to KWGN, which would have made KDVR the market's WB affiliate. However, this deal never came to fruition.

In 1995, CBS affiliate KMGH switched to ABC, NBC affiliate KCNC to CBS, and ABC affiliate KUSA to NBC, making KDVR the only Denver station to have never changed its affiliation.

In October 1994, KDVR opened satellite station KFCT on channel 22, which expanded its coverage area north to the Wyoming border. Before KFCT signed on, channel 22 in Fort Collins was home to an early UHF station, KNCO, that folded because UHF tuners would not be required until 1964, and the area is very mountainous, making UHF reception even more difficult.[1]

In September 2006, it launched the MyFox web-layout under the network's ownership, and the current logo debuted in January 2008. On January 18, 2009, Local TV LLC launched the current website KDVR.COM to distance itself from the MyFox branding mention, even though the same template is used with some modifications. The station's website can be accessed by both the domain names KDVR.com or MyFoxColorado.com; Since KDVR's owner Local TV, LLC operates KWGN under a local marketing agreement with Tribune, KDVR's website is operated by Tribune Interactive.

On December 22, 2007, Fox entered into an agreement to sell KDVR and seven other Fox O&O stations[2] to Oak Hill Capital Partners' Local TV LLC, adding to the nine stations they had recently acquired from The New York Times Company. The sale was finalized on July 14, 2008, with the change taking effect on-air on the 17th.

On September 17, 2008 both Local and Tribune announced that they would merge the operations of both KDVR and KWGN. Both stations will be co-located at KDVR under the management of KDVR GM Dennis Leonard. The move was done to allow both stations to combine news operations and share certain programming. The local marketing agreement went into effect on October 1, 2008.[3]

Dennis Leonard announced he was leaving the Denver stations on February 11, 2010. In March 2010, Peter Maroney has been named the new general manager for KDVR and KWGN-TV.

Digital television
Digital channels The station will become a charter affiliate of Tribune Broadcasting's new digital multicast channel Antenna TV upon its launch on January 1, 2011, it will be carried on digital subchannel 31.2.[4] The network, whose programming will consist of classic sitcoms from the 1950s to the 1990s during the afternoon and evening, and movies during the morning and late night hours, will debut on Local TV, LLC-owned stations in other markets as well as stations owned by Tribune Company on the same date. Interestingly, Local TV-owned KDVR was given the Antenna TV affiliation in the Denver market despite the fact that Tribune Company (parent company of Antenna TV) owns KDVR's sister station KWGN-TV.

Post-analog shutdown
On June 12, 2009, KDVR left channel 31. The station continued to broadcast on its pre-transition digital channel 32.[5] However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display its virtual channel as "31".

News operation
KDVR broadcasts a total of 38 hours of local news a week (seven hours on weekdays, and an hour-and-a-half on Saturdays and Sundays). However, as is standard with Fox stations that carry early evening weekend newscasts, KDVR's Sunday 5 p.m. newscast is subject to preemption and the Saturday 5 p.m. newscast is subject to delay due to sports coverage.

KDVR began making plans to produce a primetime newscast to compete with KWGN's 9 p.m. newcast. The station built an entirely new "news and technology center" in downtown Denver, and on July 16, 2000, Fox 31 News at 9 O'Clock premiered (KDVR was the last Fox O&O to begin airing local news). Former KUSA-TV sportscaster Ron Zappolo and former WMAQ-TV reporter and Extra host Libby Weaver joined KDVR, and have anchored the newscast since its inception. On Saturdays, KDVR also produces a 5 p.m. newscast. KDVR began airing Good Day on March 22, 2004, to compete with KWGN's News2 This Morning (known then as WB2 Morning News). Initially a 2½-hour newscast beginning at 5:30 a.m., Good Day expanded over time into a 5-hour block beginning at 5 a.m. As of 2008, the primetime newscast has done very well against its competition, while the morning newscast has lagged behind.

Under the local marketing agreement, the news operations of both KDVR and KWGN have changed to benefit both stations as best as possible. While it does hinder both stations, they each produce a morning news block from 5 to 9 a.m. This competes with KUSA/KTVD morning news block, airing from 5-7 a.m. (on KUSA) and 7-9 a.m. (on KTVD). KWGN discontinued its 5:30 p.m. news broadcast on January 12, 2009, while KDVR expanded its news broadcast to a full hour from 5 to 6 p.m. Also, before the LMA, both stations had a news block at 9 p.m. KWGN has scaled back its program to a full hour at 7 p.m. weekdays (an unusual timeslot), KDVR has continued its 9 p.m. newscast.

While KWGN has eliminated all weekend news operations, KDVR produces the same news blocks on weekends, as on weekdays. These basic news operations have ceased most news production on KWGN "2 the Deuce." While some recognizable and inexpensive on-air staff from KWGN have been grandfathered into the agreement, others have either been released from their contracts or rehired under the KDVR Local TV LLC brand. Currently, Chief Meteorologist Dave Fraser is under contract with both KWGN and KDVR.

In January 2009, Local TV LLC discontinued use of the SkyFox helicopter and released pilot/reporter Rob Marshall; as of June 2010, SkyFox is currently in storage and used on a rare basis.

On January 12, 2009, KDVR launched a 5 p.m. newscast, making KDVR the only station in Colorado to have an hour of news at 5 p.m. weeknights. On March 2, 2009 the station launched a brand new set and weather center in the middle of the newsroom for their newscasts.[citation needed] On April 22, 2009, KDVR became the last station in Denver region to launch local news in high definition.

On July 26, 2010, KDVR launched a weeknight 10 p.m. newscast called "Nightside on Fox 31"; the newscast features a different format from the other newscasts, focusing more on in-depth stories.[6] The new set Nightside uses is in the former KWGN weather studio. Nightside uses the two floors of the small set, and presented a new package of graphics to accompany the 10 O'Clock news program, The graphics are Local TV's Graphics Package not the FOX O&O Graphics used on all other newscasts.

Newscast titles

 * Fox 31 News (2000–present)
 * Good Day Colorado (morning newscast; 2004–present)
 * Nightside on Fox 31 News (late evening newscast; 2010–present)

Station slogans

 * Colorado's Channel 31 (1983–1987)
 * Fox 31, Colorado's Choice (1987–1995)
 * Fox 31, Denver's Most Watched Primetime Newscast (2000–2003)
 * Colorado's Most Watched 9 O'Clock News. (2001–2010)
 * Clear. Credible. Complete. (2003–2009)
 * Colorado's #1 news website MYFOXCOLORADO.COM (2006–2008)
 * Where News Never Stops (2009–present)

Current on-air staff (as of August 2010)[7]
+ denotes personnel from KWGN Anchors Fox 31 Storm Force Chief Meteorologist Dave Fraser also does weather forecasts for KWGN's weeknight 7 p.m. newscast. Sports Team Reporters
 * Mike Headrick - weekday mornings "Good Day Colorado" (5-10 a.m.)
 * Melody Mendez - weekday mornings "Good Day Colorado" (5-10 a.m.)
 * Deborah Takahara - Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5, and weekends at 9 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
 * Libby Weaver - weeknights at 5, 9 and 10 p.m.
 * Ron Zappolo - weeknights at 5, 9 and 10 p.m.
 * Eli Stokels - fill in anchor
 * Dave Fraser (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and NWA Seals of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 9 and 10 p.m. +
 * Jennifer Broome - meteorologist; weekday mornings; "Good Day Colorado"
 * Nick Carter - meteorologist; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5, and weekends at 9 p.m.
 * Chris Tomer (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and NWA Seals of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings "Good Day Colorado"
 * Richard Ortner Meteorologist weekends
 * Daryl Orr - weather producer, storm tracker and photographer ( at KMGH as of 11/10/2015)
 * Chris Tanaka - sports director; weeknights at 5, 9 and 10 p.m.
 * Josina Anderson - sports anchor; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5, and weekends at 9 p.m.
 * Zubin Mehenti - sports reporter; also KWGN 7 p.m. sports anchor +
 * Jon Bowman - general assignment reporter
 * Ken Clark - "Good Day Colorado" traffic anchor
 * Shaul Turner - "Good Day Colorado" reporter
 * Dan Daru - "Good Day Colorado" feature reporter +
 * Julie Hayden - investigative reporter
 * Heidi Hemmat - investigative reporter
 * Tom Martino - consumer advocate and host of "MartinoTV" (9 a.m. on KDVR)
 * Greg Nieto - general assignment reporter +
 * Chris Parente - morning entertainment reporter; also co-host of "Everyday" (10am on KWGN) +
 * Kim Posey - general assignment reporter
 * John Romero - general assignment reporter
 * Nina Sparano - technology reporter; also fill-in anchor
 * Tammy Vigil - general assignment reporter

Former on-air staff

 * Charlie Brennan - investigative reporter (2007–2009; released from the station by Local TV, LLC)
 * Pam Davis - "Good Day" anchor (2004–2005)
 * Stacey Donaldson - weekend meteorologist (2002–2004), morning meteorologist (2004–2006)
 * Chris Dunn - chief meteorologist; Released by Local TV, LLC (2004–2009; now chief meteorologist at KPHO in Phoenix)
 * Karen Eden - weekend meteorologist/weekday reporter (2000–2005)
 * Justin Farmer - "Good Day" anchor (2004–2005; later at WFAA in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas (2005–2008); now anchor at WSB-TV in Atlanta, GA)
 * Eric Goodman - sports director; Released by Local TV, LLC (2005–2009) Now on radio
 * Bob Goosmann - chief meteorologist (2000–2004; now at KDAF-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas)
 * Craig Herrera - Fox 31 weather producer (2000–2002; later moved to KFSN (2002–2005); now at KNTV in San Jose/San Francisco/Oakland, CA)
 * Jeremy Hubbard - anchor/reporter (2004–2007); now with ABC News
 * Phil Keating - weekend anchor (now with Fox News Channel)
 * Steve Kelley - "Good Day" anchor (2005–2008); Released By Local TV, LLC
 * Charles Leaf - investigative reporter (2005–2006; now at WNYW in New York City)
 * Rob Marshall - SkyFox pilot/reporter; Released by Local TV, LLC (2000–2009; location unknown
 * Ty Ray - weekend sports anchor (2000–2005; now at KVOS-TV in Bellingham, Washington)
 * Crystal Egger - Meteorologist 2007-2009); Now at The Weather Channel in Atlanta, GA
 * Robert Thompson - reporter (2000–2004; now the spokesperson for the Red Cross Mile High chapter)
 * David Treadwell - sports director (2000–2005)
 * Leland Vittert - reporter Now with Fox News Channel in Jeruselem
 * Peggy Bunker - reporter released from contract by Local TV, LLC, now with ABC News.
 * Erin Little - Meteorologist released from contract by Local TV, LLC now at KMBC-TV in Kansas City, Missouri