KPHO-TV

KPHO-TV, "CBS 5" is the CBS affiliate television station in Phoenix, Arizona. Its transmitter is located on South Mountain in Phoenix. It can be seen on Channel 5 in Phoenix and operates several translators throughout Northern Arizona. It is currently owned by Meredith Corporation, which purchased it in 1952 after three years of local ownership.

History

KPHO is Arizona's oldest television station. It signed on December 4, 1949 and was a CBS affiliate until 1955, when the CBS affiliation went to KOOL-TV (now KSAZ). KPHO also carried programming from the now-defunct DuMont Television Network [1]. KPHO became an independent station, and over the years, it ran cartoons, off-network sitcoms, old movies, a 9 p.m. newscast, and drama shows. It also produced a children's show called Wallace & Ladmo, which aired weekday mornings from 7-9 a.m. until the early 1980s, and 7-8 a.m. until 1989 (when it was cancelled). During the 1970s, KPHO became a regional superstation available on cable in much of Arizona and New Mexico, as well as parts of California, Utah and Nevada

KPHO was the sole independent station in Phoenix until 1979, when KNXV signed on channel 15 with general entertainment during the day and Subscription TV at night. (KNXV became a full-time general entertainment station by 1983.)

Even though KPHO was the leading independent station in the market, the new Fox network opted to affiliate with KNXV after it was purchased by Scripps-Howard, which promised to upgrade the station's syndicated programming and launch a newscast. This made KNXV a very strong competitior against KPHO (even though KNXV never started a newscast for the duration of its Fox affiliation).

The CBS affiliation returned to KPHO in 1994, when a massive shift in network affiliations occurred in the market in the wake of KSAZ taking the Fox affiliation. Initially, KPHO continued to run a number of sitcoms during local time, but the station gradually added more newscasts and talk/reality shows, with the sitcoms being phased out and moved to KTVK, KUTP, and KASW.

Today, KPHO is a typical CBS affiliate, clearing the entire CBS schedule and running a decent amount of local news and the typical syndicated fare. But instead of the 5:30 timeslot like most CBS counterparts, KPHO airs CBS Evening News at 6 p.m. instead.

This is KPHO's HDTV logo. This service operates on digital channel 17 (virtual channel 5.1).

In June 2006, the station's website was redesigned (along with those of four of Meredith Corporation's other stations). The old website was operated by the Local Media Network division of World Now. Now Internet Broadcasting operates the site.

MSNBC WEATHER PLUS+ Meteorologist Elise Finch worked at this station before going national.

Newscasts

Weekdays

*CBS5 News at 4:30- 4:30AM-5AM
*CBS5 Morning News- 5AM-7AM
*CBS5 News Midday- 12 Noon-12:30PM
*CBS5 News at Five- 5PM-5:30PM
*CBS5 News at 5:30- 5:30PM-6PM
*CBS5 News at 6:30- 6:30PM-7PM
*CBS5 News at Ten- 10PM-10:35PM, tape-delay rebroadcast at 11:15PM

Weekends

If serious events occur, like the 2002 Rodeo-Chediski fire, a local morning newscast will be broadcast
*CBS5 News at Five- 5PM-5:30PM
*CBS5 News at 5:30- 5:30PM-6PM
*CBS5 News at 6:30- 6:30PM-7PM
*CBS5 News at Ten- 10PM-10:35PM

Trivia

For decades, KPHO was the largest station in terms of market size to be owned by Meredith. That distinction changed in 2000 when sister station WGCL-TV in Atlanta would be purchased from Tribune Company. But WGCL is a UHF station, so this makes KPHO the owner's largest station on VHF.

KPHO is rebroadcast on the following translator stations:
* K11OB Bouse (broadcasts on channel 6)
* K11LX Bullhead City
* K55IY Camp Verde
* K07WI Cedar Creek
* K30GG Chloride
* K07WK Cibecue
* K40AD Cottonwood
* K43GU Dolan Springs
* K53DL Duncan/Clifton/Morenci
* K50HU Flagstaff
* K50DZ Fort Apache
* K59CI Globe/Miami
* K41FT Kingman
* K43GJ Lake Havasu City
* K47HE Meadview
* K09KV Prescott
* K21FU Topock/Bullhead City
* 940415CD Whiteriver (Special Temporary Authorization)

External links

*KPHO

KPHO-TV: Encyclopedia BETA

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