California Oregon Broadcasting, Inc.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Founder | Bill Smullin |
| Headquarters | Medford, Oregon , United States |
Area served | Southern Oregon and Northern California |
Key people | Patricia C. "Patsy" Smullin (President) |
| Products | Television broadcasting (KOBI, KOTI) |
| Owner | Smullin family |
KOBI (channel 5) and KOTI (channel 2) are NBC-affiliated television broadcasters licensed to Medford and Klamath Falls, Oregon, respectively. These stations serve as the primary assets of California Oregon Broadcasting, Inc., a local enterprise owned by the Smullin family. Their operations include studios based in downtown Medford and a news bureau located in Klamath Falls. KOBI’s transmission facility is situated on Kings Mountain, approximately 28 miles northwest of Medford, while KOTI’s broadcast tower stands on Stukel Mountain near Klamath Falls.
Operating as a full-time satellite station of KOBI, KOTI is only separately identified during station identifications. Together, they provide coverage to 12 predominantly rural counties spanning southern Oregon and northern California, strengthening their foothold within this broadcast market.
History
KOBI was established on August 1, 1953, by Bill Smullin, who brought two decades of experience in the television industry. Initially named KBES-TV ("Best TV"), it carried programming from all four major networks but maintained a primary affiliation with CBS for its first quarter-century.
To broaden reach within southern Oregon, Smullin secured the license for channel 2 in Klamath Falls and launched KOTI on August 12, 1956. The call sign KOTI is likely derived from the nearby Oregon Institute of Technology. At its inception, KOTI broadcast content from all three networks.
On September 21, 1964, KBES-TV rebranded as KTVM. Smullin contributed to the establishment of channel 10 in Medford (KMED-TV, now known as KTVL) by providing transmitter facilities and technical support. In 1968, KTVM upgraded to a more powerful transmitter on Kings Mountain and adopted the current call letters, KOBI.
By 1978, KOBI had transitioned to primarily airing ABC programming as ABC emerged as the leading network while continuing to feature selected CBS shows. In 1983, following KTVL's switch to CBS affiliation, KOBI incorporated NBC content into its schedule and maintained some ABC programs until the launch of KDRV.
For many years, KOBI was branded as "Channel 5M," a nod to its placement in the Oregon edition of TV Guide and its distinctive use of an Interstate 5 shield logo—a branding approach unique among television stations. This Interstate 5 theme was also adopted by sister stations KOTI and KRCR. The station underwent rebranding to "The News Channel" in 1998 and later to "NBC 5" in 2004 while preserving the I-5 shield imagery.
Bill Smullin retired in 1985, with his daughter Patricia C. "Patsy" Smullin taking over ownership and presidency, thereby continuing the family’s leadership.
In efforts to expand digital offerings, KOBI launched a DT2 subchannel featuring AccuWeather in early 2008; this was replaced by This TV in 2014 and later by Cozi TV in 2019. In May 2022, additional networks Quest and Twist were introduced to diversify programming options.
Jackpot Bingo
During the 1980s, KOBI broadcasted Jackpot Bingo, an interactive game show initially hosted by Tom Carnes. Inspired by Dialing for Dollars, the program allowed participants to win up to $5,000 playing blackout bingo, though typical prizes were around $200. In 1987, Sally Holliday succeeded Carnes as host and the top prize increased to $10,000; however, average winnings remained near $200. Despite strong ratings within its time slot, the show concluded in 1988.
Academic Challenge
The Academic Challenge quiz competition brought together 20 high schools from Southern Oregon and Northern California, vying for scholarship awards exceeding $40,000. Each team, composed of five students, responded to questions spanning multiple academic disciplines. The final two contenders shared the scholarship money, with 60% awarded to the winner and 40% to the runner-up. This contest originated at KRCR-TV in 1998 and was introduced to Southern Oregon by KOBI's general manager Bob Wise in 2005. It was broadcast on Sundays but has since been discontinued.
Southern Oregon Meth Project
Initiated in 2005, the Southern Oregon Meth Project focused on raising awareness about the risks associated with methamphetamine use. News anchor Christina Anderson led this campaign until she left in 2010. The project has since concluded.
News operation
Currently, KOBI delivers 22 hours of locally produced news each week, including four hours on weekdays and one hour during weekends. Previously, KOTI aired distinct newscasts targeting eastern regional audiences, with Lyle Ahrens serving as bureau chief until his retirement in 2020. Subsequently, KOTI transitioned into a repeater station for KOBI.
After KMVU-DT discontinued its morning (7 a.m.) and late-night (10 p.m.) newscasts in December 2023, KOBI launched a 10 p.m. newscast on its Cozi TV subchannel in January 2024. This program later returned to KMVU in June 2025.
Subchannels
The stations' broadcasts are multiplexed as follows:
| Channel | Resolution | Aspect Ratio | Callsign | Content | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOBI | KOTI | KOBI | KOTI | |||
| 5.1 | 2.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KOBI-TV | KOTI-TV | NBC |
| 5.2 | 2.2 | 480i | COZI | Cozi TV | ||
| 5.3 | 2.3 | QUEST | Quest | |||
Analog-to-digital conversion
In compliance with the federal digital transition deadline on February 17, 2009, KOBI terminated its analog transmission on VHF channel 5 and relocated its digital broadcast from UHF channel 15 back to VHF channel 5. On the same date, KOTI ended analog broadcasts on VHF channel 2 but retained its digital signal on VHF channel 13 while using virtual channel 2.
Translators
KOBI operates a UHF translator station, K32DY-D, positioned on Mt. Baldy near Phoenix, Oregon, providing service to viewers between Medford and Ashland who do not have antenna rotators.
Additional translator stations extend coverage throughout Oregon and northern California as follows:
- K07JT-D Brookings (rebroadcasts KOBI)
- K07PZ-D Cave Junction (rebroadcasts KOBI)
- K06NS-D Chiloquin (rebroadcasts KOTI)
- K36BX-D Coos Bay (rebroadcasts KOBI)
- K16LL-D Cottage Grove (rebroadcasts KOBI)
- K25EN-D Gold Beach (rebroadcasts KOBI)
- K31OQ-D Grants Pass (rebroadcasts KOBI)
- K33PM-D Grants Pass (rebroadcasts KOBI)
- K34KJ-D Harbor (rebroadcasts KOBI)
- K07NR-D Lakeview area (rebroadcasts KOTI)
- K32DY-D Medford (rebroadcasts KOBI)
- K36IB-D Midland area (rebroadcasts KOTI)
- K08AK-D Port Orford area (rebroadcasts KOBI)
- K20MK-D Roseburg (rebroadcasts KOBI)
- K13MI-D Squaw Valley area (rebroadcasts KOBI)
- K07HS-D Williams (rebroadcasts KOBI)
- K25OK-D Yoncalla (rebroadcasts KOBI)
- K34OW-D Yreka, California (rebroadcasts KOBI)