2014 KOMO-TV news helicopter crash

KOMO-TV

Company type	Television station
Industry	Broadcasting
Founded	December 11, 1953 (1953-12-11) in Seattle, Washington, United States
Headquarters	Seattle , United States
Area served	Seattle–Tacoma market
Owner	Sinclair Broadcast Group
Website	komonews.com

KOMO-TV (channel 4) is a television station based in Seattle, Washington, affiliated with the ABC. Owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, it operates in conjunction with Bellevue-licensed CW affiliate KUNS-TV (channel 51). Both stations share facilities at KOMO Plaza, located in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne district near the Space Needle. KOMO-TV’s transmitter is situated within the Queen Anne neighborhood.

The station began operations in December 1953 as the flagship outlet for Seattle-based Fisher Broadcasting, initially serving as an NBC affiliate and functioning as the television counterpart to sister radio station KOMO (1000 AM) until 2021. In 1959, after KING-TV switched its affiliation to NBC, KOMO-TV transitioned to ABC and has since consistently ranked second in local viewership behind KING-TV.

Early Years

KOMO-TV commenced broadcasting on December 11, 1953, affiliating with NBC due to KOMO radio’s long-established ties to the NBC Radio Network. It holds the distinction of being the fourth oldest station within the Seattle–Tacoma market. Remarkably, KOMO had experimented with television transmissions as early as June 1929, nearly two decades before regular broadcasts became standard.

Initially under the ownership of the Fisher family—who had shifted their business focus from flour milling and lumber to broadcasting with KOMO radio in 1926—the Fishers secured the channel 4 construction permit in June 1953 after competing against KJR radio’s ownership. William W. Warren, general manager of KOMO radio and a member of the Fisher family, supervised KOMO-TV’s launch and remained at its helm until his retirement in 1987.

In 1954, a news photographer at KOMO developed an expedited color film processing technique, enabling KOMO-TV to become one of the earliest U.S. stations to broadcast authentic color programming.

By October 1958, NBC had affiliated with King Broadcasting’s stations in Seattle and Portland; during this period, KOMO shared both ABC and NBC content with KING-TV until September 27, 1959. At that point, KING assumed exclusive NBC affiliation while KOMO became solely aligned with ABC.

Throughout the 1960s, local figure Don McCune hosted well-received shows on KOMO-TV, such as the children’s program "Captain Puget" and the regional documentary series Exploration Northwest, which showcased communities and culture across the Pacific Northwest.

Mount St. Helens Eruption – May 18, 1980

During the eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980, KOMO-TV narrowly avoided losing a staff member. Dave Crockett, who had been with the station since 1975 and had spent three weeks covering activity around the volcano daily, was rotated off assignment but left early that morning on intuition without notifying KOMO. He captured footage of the eruption including an eleven-minute sequence depicting a "journey into the dark" through ash and mudflows. This footage received global attention and was later featured in a disaster film starring Art Carney. The damaged news vehicle used remains on display at the Mount St. Helens Volcano Museum near Toutle.

From 1984 Onward

In 1984, KOMO became a pioneer by offering daily broadcasts in full stereo sound. The station applied for one of the first test licenses for high-definition television (HDTV) transmissions in 1994 and initiated digital high-definition broadcasts by 1997. By May 18, 1999, KOMO asserted it was the first U.S. station to air daily newscasts in HD; however, this claim is contested by other stations such as WFAA and WRAL-TV.

On July 2, 2009, an electrical fire at Fisher Plaza interrupted KOMO's broadcast during its late evening newscast at 11 p.m.

Sinclair Broadcast Group announced its $373.3 million acquisition of Fisher Communications—including KOMO-TV—on April 10, 2013. The transaction faced shareholder lawsuits alleging breaches of fiduciary duty and undervaluation but was ultimately approved on August 6; shareholders received $41 per share. The FCC granted its approval on the same day, with the sale closing August 8. This acquisition marked the end of KOMO-TV’s era as Seattle’s last major locally owned station.

On March 18, 2014, a tragic accident occurred when KOMO's leased news helicopter crashed near Seattle Center during takeoff from Fisher Plaza. The crash resulted in fatalities for pilot Gary Pfitzner and photographer Bill Strothman; a civilian was critically injured. The event affected station operations and inspired memorial elements incorporated into subsequent studio designs.

On September 27, 2015, KOMO debuted a newly designed studio created by Sinclair’s Devlin Design Group that incorporated Seattle-themed features along with a tribute helicopter blade honoring the crew lost in the helicopter crash.

On May 8, 2017, Sinclair announced plans to purchase Tribune Media for $3.9 billion plus $2.7 billion in debt; this deal included Fox affiliate KCPQ and MyNetworkTV affiliate KZJO in Seattle. Due to FCC regulations limiting ownership to two full-power stations per market, Sinclair intended to divest certain properties to comply but encountered regulatory challenges. By April 2018, Sinclair declared it would keep KOMO-TV and acquire KZJO while selling KCPQ and KUNS-TV; nevertheless, following FCC scrutiny over Sinclair's disclosures in July 2018 and regulatory concerns, Tribune terminated the merger on August 9.

In September 2021, Sinclair divested its Seattle radio stations—KOMO (AM/FM), KVI (AM), and KPLZ-FM—to Lotus Communications. This sale separated KOMO-TV from its longtime radio counterparts after nearly seventy years of shared ownership. Sinclair retained rights to the KOMO call letters; Lotus rebranded its radio stations as KNWN but maintains a partnership with KOMO-TV.

On September 1, 2023, KOMO-TV's secondary subchannel began temporarily carrying The CW, replacing KSTW, following CBS News and Stations’ exit from The CW after Nexstar acquired majority control. Outside CW programming hours, this subchannel continues broadcasting Comet content. On January 1, 2024, KUNS-TV ended its Univision affiliation—which moved to Bellingham-licensed KVOS-TV—and became Seattle’s new CW affiliate.

Programming

Both KOMO-TV and its Portland counterpart KATU, established by Fisher in 1962, were unique among ABC affiliates in the contiguous United States for broadcasting Monday Night Football with a one-hour delay from 1970 until 1995. This scheduling accommodated their early evening news programs. When the Seattle Seahawks entered the NFL in 1976, these stations began airing Seahawks games live. By 1996, responding to viewer demand, both stations started showing the entire Monday Night Football lineup live. A decade later, the program transitioned to cable on ESPN, with ABC resuming simulcasts of select games starting in 2020 and NFL Wild Card playoff matchups since 2015. KOMO-TV also broadcast the Seahawks’ appearance in Super Bowl XL.

KOMO produces a lifestyle newsmagazine titled Seattle Refined, which includes advertorial segments.

News operation

Each week, KOMO-TV delivers 45 hours of locally produced newscasts, comprising seven hours on weekdays and five hours on each weekend day.

For more than three decades, KOMO has maintained a close rivalry with KING-TV for Seattle’s leading news ratings and consistently ranks as the top local newscast.

Awards

The news department at KOMO-TV frequently garners industry accolades, winning more awards annually than any other Seattle station. It earned the Edward R. Murrow Award for "Best Large Market Newscast" in both 2002 and 2008. In June 2008, KOMO secured 15 regional Emmy Awards, including prestigious awards for "Station Excellence," "Morning News," "Evening News," "Breaking News," and "Team Coverage." Anchor and reporter Molly Shen was honored twice with the Individual Achievement Award within three years, while veteran anchor Kathi Goertzen received a Silver Circle Award recognizing over 25 years of service at the station. Additional accolades include an Emmy for "Breaking News Coverage" and a 1997 Emmy for a feature on The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies.

Controversy

In March 2019, KOMO-TV broadcast Seattle is Dying, a special report focusing on Seattle’s struggles with drug addiction and homelessness through interviews with residents, business owners, and city officials. The documentary attracted criticism from other media outlets; for instance, The Seattle Times published a response emphasizing that Seattle’s crime rates are much lower compared to those in the 1980s and 1990s. Furthermore, one individual featured later claimed he was portrayed inaccurately in the report.

On-air staff

Anchors Dan Lewis, Kathi Goertzen, and meteorologist Steve Pool formed one of the longest-standing anchor teams in the nation, leading KOMO’s evening newscasts from 1987 until 2009. Their broadcast was lauded by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as the "Best First-String anchor unit in town."

Significantly, following the 1993 presidential inauguration, Lewis conducted the first White House interview with then-President Bill Clinton.

Notable current on-air staff

• Shannon O'Donnell – chief meteorologist

Distinguished former on-air personnel

• Kathi Goertzen – special assignment reporter and anchor (1980–2012)
• Keith Jackson – sportscaster and reporter (1954–1964)
• Eric Johnson – anchor (1993–2024)
• Dan Lewis – anchor (1987–2014)
• Lori Matsukawa – anchor (1980–1983)
• Steve Osunsami – reporter (1996–1997)
• Steve Pool – chief meteorologist (1977–2019)
• Bill Schonely – sportscaster (1955–1959, collaborated with Keith Jackson)
• Ken Schram – commentator and reporter (1977–2012)
• John Seigenthaler Jr. – reporter and anchor
• Jim Snyder – reporter and anchor (1994–1998)

Subchannels

The KOMO-TV broadcast signal is multiplexed as detailed below:

KOMO-TV subchannel lineup

Channel	Resolution	Aspect ratio	Identifier	Content
4.1	720p	16:9	KOMO	ABC network
4.2	480i		Comet	Comet network
4.3	Charge!		Charge! network
51.1	1080i	16:9	KUNS	The CW affiliate (KUNS-TV)

Transition from analog to digital

On June 12, 2009, KOMO-TV discontinued its analog transmission on VHF channel 4 in adherence to the federally mandated digital conversion. The station’s digital broadcast continued on UHF channel 38 while maintaining virtual channel number 4.

In that same year, KOMO-TV was among four U.S. broadcasters chosen by the Open Mobile Video Coalition to pilot the ATSC-M/H standard for mobile digital television, enhancing reception quality on mobile devices beyond the capabilities of the original ATSC format.

Coverage beyond local market

Within the Vancouver–Victoria region, most cable providers carry KOMO-TV as the ABC affiliate. Additionally, it is available through Bell Satellite TV and Shaw Direct throughout Canada. Outside its primary market, KOMO-TV can be received via Charter Spectrum in Ellensburg (part of the Yakima DMA), though certain ABC shows and syndicated content are subject to blackout restrictions due to the presence of local affiliate KAPP.