KGTV

KGTV, digital channel 10, is the ABC television affiliate in San Diego, California. The station can be seen on Cox Communications, Time Warner Cable, and AT&T U-verse on cable channel 10 in standard definition. Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable carry its high definition signal on cable channel 710, while AT&T U-verse carries its HD signal on channel 1010. The station is also available on its customary channel 10 position (in both standard definition and in high definition) on both of DirecTV and Dish Network's local channels packages.

History
The station went on the air on September 13, 1953 as KFSD-TV, and was affiliated at the time with NBC. The call letters stood for First in San Diego; although KFSD-TV signed on four years after KFMB-TV, KFSD radio (600 AM) was the first radio station in San Diego. In 1961, the stations changed their call letters to KOGO-TV and KOGO. The broadcasting division of the Time-Life magazine company purchased the KOGO stations, which also included KOGO-FM (94.1 FM, now KMYI), in 1962 from a locally based firm, Fox, Wells & Rogers.

In 1972, McGraw-Hill purchased KOGO-TV (along with Indianapolis' WFBM-TV, now WRTV) and changed its call letters to the present KGTV, as the radio stations were sold separately. KGTV swapped affiliations with KCST-TV (channel 39, now KNSD) and joined ABC in 1977, after the network chose to disaffiliate itself from KCST.

Famous KGTV alumni include Regis Philbin, who hosted his first talk show on KGTV in the 1960s. In April 2009, KGTV rebranded itself as "ABC 10" and launched new graphics and a new logo.[citation needed]

Analog-to-digital conversion
After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion on February 17, 2009 [1], KGTV moved its digital signal from channel 25 to channel 10 following analog shutdown. [2] However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers continue to display KGTV's virtual channel as 10. Since KGTV is an ABC network affiliate, it broadcasts in 720p high definition.

Programming
Syndicated programing on KGTV includes Rachael Ray, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, The Doctors, and Inside Edition.

News operation
KGTV first began to challenge KFMB's dominance in the mid-1970s when anchormen Jack White and Harold Greene, along with popular weatherman "Captain Mike" Ambrose and sportscasters Al Coupee and Hal Clement, led The News to popularity, albeit briefly.

Even with the brief return of Greene following his stints in San Francisco and Los Angeles, the station fell back to second place behind KFMB in the early 1980s. However, management succeeded in acquiring the services of popular anchorman Michael Tuck from KFMB in 1984; the move resulted in KGTV reclaiming first place and giving the station credibility by way of Tuck's infamous nightly commentaries titled "Perspectives."

KGTV also made history by being the first station in San Diego with a female anchor team with its 11 p.m. newscast, featuring Carol LeBeau and Bree Walker. After Walker left in 1987, Kimberly Hunt would team with LeBeau and form the city's longest-running anchor duo at 15 years. During that time, LeBeau and Hunt would anchor alongside Tuck (who left for Los Angeles in 1990, only to return to San Diego on KFMB), Stephen Clark (now at WXYZ-TV in Detroit), Steve Wolford, and a returning Hal Clement (who had switched from sports to news in 1983 while at KFMB).

Eventually, KGTV would decline after Hunt left to anchor the news at KUSI-TV alongside Tuck, at one point falling to third as KNSD rose to number one at 11 p.m. The Hunt-Lebeau team reunited in early 2008, before LeBeau retired the following year. On August 30, 2008, KGTV became the third station, behind KFMB-TV and KSWB-TV, to launch local news in High Definition.

KGTV is among the few United States television stations that broadcast local news programs at 7:00 p.m. on weeknights. In May 2010, the newscast was the top rated early evening newscast in the market in the 25-54 demographic.

[edit] Newscast titles

 * KFSD-TV News (1953-1961)
 * KOGO News (1961-1965)
 * Eyewitness News (1965-1977)
 * The News (1977-1981)
 * NewsWatch 10 (1981-1984)
 * 10 News (1984-present)

[edit] Station slogans

 * We're Still the One, on Channel 10 (1977-1980; local version of ABC ad campaign)
 * You and Me and Channel 10 (1980-1981; local version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Now is the Time, Channel 10 is the Place (1981-1982; local version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Come On Along with Channel 10 (1982-1984; local version of ABC ad campaign)
 * We're With You on Channel 10 (1984-1985; local version of ABC ad campaign)
 * You'll Love it on Channel 10 (1985-1986; local version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Together on Channel 10 (1986-1987; local version of ABC ad campaign)
 * The Team That Stands for San Diego (1988-1994)
 * The Team You Count On Everyday (1994-1998)
 * TV is Good, on Channel 10 (1997-1998; local version of ABC ad campaign)
 * We Love TV, on Channel 10 (1998-1999; local version of ABC ad campaign)
 * See What Leadership Can Do for You (2000-2004)
 * San Diego's (Local) News Leader (2004-present)

[edit] Anchors

 * Steve Atkinson - weeknights at 5, 7 and 11 p.m.; also reporter
 * Hal Clement - weeknights at 6 p.m.; also reporter
 * Bill Griffith - weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.) and 11 a.m.
 * Kimberly Hunt - weeknights at 5, 7 and 11 p.m.; also reporter
 * Angele Ringo - weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
 * Carole Sullivan - weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.)

[edit] Weather Team

 * Byron Miranda - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6, 7 and 11 p.m.
 * Kerstin Lindquist - Weather; weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.) and 11 a.m.
 * Robert Santos - Weather; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m., also fill-in
 * Pat Brown - Weather; fill-in

[edit] Sports Team

 * Ben Higgins - Sports Director; weeknights at 6 and 7, and Sunday-Thursdays at 11 p.m.
 * Steve Smith - Sports Anchor; weekends at 6, and Friday-Saturdays at 11 p.m.

[edit] Traffic

 * Phil Konstantin - Sky10 traffic reporter/photographer
 * Melanie Mendez - traffic reporter

[edit] Reporters

 * Allison Ash - general assignment reporter
 * Rachel Bianco - general assignment reporter
 * Mitch Blacher - "I-Team" investigative reporter
 * John Carroll - general assignment reporter
 * Alejandra Cerball - general assignment reporter
 * Michael Chen - general assignment reporter
 * Ariana Duarte - general assignment reporter
 * Liz Elan - general assignment reporter
 * Steve Fiorina - general assignment reporter
 * Jennifer Jensen - general assignment reporter
 * Nina Jimenez - general assignment reporter
 * Melissa Mecija - general assignment reporter
 * Bob Lawrence - general assignment reporter
 * Joe Little - general assignment reporter
 * Claudia Llausas - KZSD-LP reporter
 * Itica Milanes - general assignment reporter ; also fill-in anchor
 * Preston Phillips - general assignment reporter ; also fill-in anchor
 * Lauren Reynolds - "I-Team" investigative reporter; also fill-in anchor
 * Kevin Roy - general assignment reporter (per diem)
 * Antonio Sánchez - KZSD-LP reporter

[edit] Former on-air staff

 * Adrienne Alpert - Anchor/Reporter (1978-1997, now at KABC-TV in Los Angeles)
 * "Captain" Mike Ambrose - weather anchor (1973-2001; died in 2008 at age 69)
 * Fred Blankenship - Evening weekends and 11 p.m., (now at WSB-TV in Atlanta Ga.)
 * Geni Cavitt - Weathercaster/Reporter, "10 News Leadership Award" (2001 - 2009)
 * Herb Cawthorne - Reporter (1990-2002)
 * Phoebe Chongchua - Anchor/Reporter (1990-2000, now a speaker, fitness host and realtor [1])
 * Stephen Clark - Anchor (1989-1997, later WCBS-TV New York, now at WXYZ-TV in Detroit)
 * John Culea - Reporter/Anchor (1975-1977)
 * Kim Edwards - Reporter/digital [2]
 * Jim Estrada - Reporter/Anchor (1969-1972)
 * Bill Gaines - Anchor/Reporter (now runs his own production company, Capital Gaines Productions)
 * Gene Gleeson - Anchor (1976-1980, now at KABC-TV in Los Angeles)
 * Harold Greene - anchor/reporter (1974-1977 and 1980-1982, later at KCBS-TV in Los Angeles, has since retired.)
 * Byron Harlan - Reporter (1986-1994, now at WFLD-TV in Chicago)
 * Gary Kelly - [3]
 * Brooke Landau - Traffic reporter (2006-2008) (currently at XETV in San Diego)
 * Lee Ann Kim - Anchor (1995-2008) [4]
 * Lisa Kim - Anchor (1986-1994), now at KNTV in San Jose/San Francisco)
 * Lisa Lake - Morning Anchor (1995-2008)
 * Carol LeBeau - Anchor for 28 years (Retired on 5/20/09)
 * Marty Levin - Anchor/Reporter (1970s, now at KNSD)
 * Paul Magers (1981-1983, now at KCBS-TV in Los Angeles)
 * Mark Matthews (1987-2003, now at KGO-TV in San Francisco)
 * Susan McBride - Anchor/Reporter (1979-1987, now Susan McPeters at WQPT-TV in Moline, IL)
 * Loren Nancarrow - Weathercaster (1998-2009)
 * Kent Ninomiya - Reporter (1991 - 1993)
 * Regis Philbin - Talk show at KGTV (1961-1964, Now a talk and game show host-- Live with Regis and Kelly, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire)
 * Sarah Purcell - Talk show host (late 1970s, later co-hosted NBC's Real People)
 * James Quinones - [5]
 * Margaret Radford - Reporter (1986-1991, retired)
 * Salvador Rivera - Reporter/digital correspondent
 * Larry Roberts - Anchor/Reporter (1982-1989)
 * Danny Romero - Weathercaster (1994-1995, now at KABC-TV in Los Angeles)
 * Larry Sacknoff - Sportscaster (1978-1992) [6]
 * Vic Salazar - Reporter (1983-1984), now President/CEO Vic Salazar Communications in San Diego
 * Elsa Sevilla - reporter (now at XETV)
 * Sally Sherry - [7]
 * Billy Ray Smith - Sportscaster (1993-1997, now at XX Sports Radio)
 * Mike Smith (1982-1986, now a partner in Ad-Lib Productions)
 * Michael Tuck - Anchor (1984-1990)
 * Leonard Villareal - Reporter/Anchor (1976-2004)
 * Bree Walker - Anchor/Reporter (1980-1987)
 * Jack White - Anchor (1967-2002)
 * Melanie Wingo - Reporter (2004-2006, now at KATU in Portland)
 * Steve Wolford - Anchor (1998-2000, now at KTNV in Las Vegas)
 * Charisse Yu - Reporter

Station personnel

 * Jeff Block - Vice President & General Manager
 * Joel Davis - News Director
 * Brad McLellan - News Assignment Manager