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KCAL-TV

From Alfawiki
KCAL-TV
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryBroadcasting
FoundedAugust 25, 1948
FounderEarle C. Anthony
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
,
United States
Area served
Los Angeles metropolitan area
OwnerCBS News and Stations (Paramount Global)
ParentCBS News and Stations

KCAL-TV (channel 9) operates as an independent television station based in Los Angeles, California. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations division, which also controls West Coast flagship station KCBS-TV (channel 2). Both stations operate from shared facilities at the Radford Studio Center located within the Studio City neighborhood. The transmitter for KCAL-TV is situated on Mount Wilson.

KFI-TV Era (1948–1951)

Channel 9 began its commercial broadcasting life as KFI-TV on August 25, 1948, under the ownership of Earle C. Anthony, who also owned KFI radio (640 AM). The station’s origins trace back to an experimental license, W6XEA, granted around 1940, with a later application for KSEE call letters in 1944, though it remains uncertain if transmissions occurred under that designation.

Initially, KFI-TV aired programming for six hours weekly but commenced consistent broadcasts on October 6, 1948, delivering three and a half hours that day. Although KFI radio was affiliated with NBC, KFI-TV did not join the nascent NBC Television Network, as NBC planned to launch its own outlet, KNBH (channel 4, now known as KNBC), in January 1949. Management at KFI explored options to affiliate with other networks or establish a regional network alliance. Throughout much of its early existence, Channel 9 functioned largely as an independent station and aired programming from the DuMont between 1954 and DuMont’s shutdown in 1956.

At the 3rd Emmy Awards ceremony in January 1951, KFI-TV earned recognition for best educational program with KFI-TV University.

KHJ-TV Period (1951–1989)

Financial difficulties in 1951 compelled Anthony to sell Channel 9 to the General Tire and Rubber Company. Earlier that year, General Tire had acquired the Don Lee Broadcasting System—a prominent West Coast radio network—and subsequently rebranded the station as KHJ-TV in September 1951. Although KHJ radio was a well-known brand, KHJ-TV had no prior connection to it before this acquisition.

General Tire broadened its media portfolio by purchasing RKO Radio Pictures in 1955 and later consolidated its broadcasting and film operations under RKO General in 1959. By the mid-1960s, KHJ-TV’s lineup as an independent station included feature films, syndicated shows, children’s entertainment such as The Pancake Man, alongside local news and sports coverage. The late 1960s saw the introduction of the pioneering Tempo talk-show format featuring hosts like Stan Bohrman and Regis Philbin—an early influence on contemporary cable news programming.

During the early 1970s, KHJ-TV transitioned toward a schedule dominated by talk shows, game shows, sports broadcasts, and reruns of network dramas while gradually eliminating cartoons. It also produced local public affairs content including Camera 9 and talk programs hosted by personalities such as Meredith MacRae and Geoff Edwards; both hosts received Emmy Awards for their work. Despite these efforts, KHJ-TV consistently trailed competitor KTLA in audience ratings and market share.

Beginning in 1965, a prolonged legal dispute emerged when Fidelity Television challenged RKO General’s license renewal over concerns about programming quality and alleged reciprocal trade practices linked to General Tire’s advertising contracts. Although the FCC initially permitted RKO General to retain KHJ-TV’s license in 1972—subject to conditions tied to sister station WNAC-TV—WNAC-TV eventually lost its license due to corporate misconduct associated with General Tire. This development cast doubt over KHJ-TV’s license status as well. An appeals court mandated new hearings for both KHJ-TV and WOR-TV licenses.

These hearings extended over a five-year period during which KHJ-TV was compelled to increase public affairs programming amidst falling ratings and financial pressures. Sports broadcasts became essential for maintaining station viability.

On August 11, 1987, FCC administrative law judge Edward Kuhlmann declared RKO General unsuitable as a broadcast licensee due to dishonesty involving fraudulent billing practices and misrepresentation of audience ratings. He ordered revocation of all RKO General broadcast licenses except for WOR-TV, which had been sold to MCA Inc. GenCorp (formerly General Tire) initially contested this decision but withdrew following warnings from the FCC. The commission urged GenCorp to divest its remaining broadcast properties promptly to prevent further forfeiture of licenses without compensation.

Disney ownership (1988–1996)

During RKO’s financial difficulties, the company initially agreed in November 1985 to sell KHJ-TV to Westinghouse Broadcasting, but legal complications delayed FCC approval, prompting Westinghouse to withdraw. Subsequently, RKO arranged to sell the station to The Walt Disney Company, though this transaction also encountered over a year of legal postponements. In July 1988, the FCC authorized Disney’s $324 million purchase through a multifaceted agreement: RKO transferred the license to Fidelity Television, which then sold it to Disney for $105.4 million, while Disney acquired KHJ-TV’s non-license assets from RKO for $218.6 million. This effectively ended RKO’s involvement in broadcasting.

Disney assumed operational control on December 2, 1988, promptly overhauling KHJ-TV’s management and replacing several newscasters inherited from RKO. As part of the FCC settlement conditions, the station’s city of license temporarily changed to Norwalk but reverted to Los Angeles by October 1991.

On December 2, 1989, commemorating its first year under Disney’s ownership, the station adopted the KCAL-TV call sign and launched the "California 9" brand, aiming to shed its former obscurity despite the heritage of the KHJ calls. Disney enhanced programming by introducing a three-hour prime time newscast in March 1990 featuring seasoned anchors such as Jerry Dunphy and Pat Harvey. Children’s content was expanded with Disney animated series like DuckTales and Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, later adding The Disney Afternoon block and the popular anime Dragon Ball Z, which aired until 1997. During the early 1990s, KCAL shifted away from family sitcoms toward syndicated talk shows, reality series, courtroom programs, and newsmagazines.

On March 30, 1992, Disney agreed to transfer KCAL-TV’s license to Pinelands, Inc., parent company of former sister station WWOR-TV, in exchange for a 45% equity stake intended to facilitate original content sharing between both stations. However, this merger collapsed when Pinelands planned to sell WWOR-TV to Chris-Craft Industries. By 1995, KCAL adopted the "K-CAL 9" branding.

Young Broadcasting ownership (1996–2002)

In 1996, after The Walt Disney Company acquired Capital Cities/ABC, owner of ABC’s West Coast flagship KABC-TV (channel 7), FCC regulations prohibiting ownership of two stations within one market required Disney to retain KABC-TV and divest KCAL. Consequently, KCAL was sold to Young Broadcasting, in which Disney held an interest, for $385 million on May 14, 1996. The afternoon children’s programming block continued until 1999 when KCOP began airing a Disney-produced animated block for UPN. By the year 2000, Young Broadcasting had discontinued morning children’s shows on KCAL.

CBS ownership (2002–present)

Following significant debt accrued from acquiring KRON-TV in San Francisco in 2000—which lost its NBC affiliation in 2002 due to disputes—Young Broadcasting decided to sell KCAL. With FCC duopoly restrictions eased, CBS (then part of Viacom) acquired KCAL on February 14, 2002; the transaction finalized on June 1. KCAL’s operations merged with those of KCBS-TV and relocated from Viacom's Paramount Studios in Hollywood to CBS Columbia Square, approximately northward. The Melrose Avenue facility was later utilized by sister station KRTH and for Paramount studio tours. This acquisition reunited KCAL with former RKO General asset KRTH-FM, which CBS had purchased in 1997 before divesting its radio division to Entercom (now Audacy, Inc.) in 2017.

Industry speculation arose that UPN programming might transfer from KCOP-TV to KCAL following CBS/Viacom's acquisition; however, Fox Television Stations’ ownership of KCOP and UPN affiliates ensured UPN remained on Fox-owned stations in key markets. This leverage preserved UPN's presence on Fox stations until the network's merger with The WB into The CW Television Network in 2006. KTLA became Los Angeles’ CW affiliate due to Tribune Broadcasting affiliation agreements. KCAL continues as an independent station and is among thirteen CBS-owned independents after CBS-owned CW stations reverted to independent status in 2023.

On April 21, 2007, KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV transitioned into an all-digital facility at the CBS Studio Center in Studio City. This upgrade enabled high-definition local broadcasts and introduced a fully tapeless newsroom named after veteran newscaster Jerry Dunphy. Following this move and KCET’s relocation to Burbank, KTLA remains the sole Los Angeles broadcast station headquartered in Hollywood.

KCAL discontinued analog transmissions on VHF channel 9 at 1:10 p.m. on June 12, 2009, completing the federally mandated digital transition. Its digital broadcast shifted from UHF channel 43 back to VHF channel 9; concurrently, sister station KCBS-TV took over channel 43 after vacating channel 60 due to spectrum reallocation.

On December 4, 2019, CBS Corporation and Viacom merged again into ViacomCBS (now known as Paramount Global).

On January 5, 2023—coinciding with new morning news program launches—KCAL rebranded its news division as KCAL News, aligning closely with KCBS-TV’s newscasts. In October 2025, the news department was renamed CBS News Los Angeles, matching branding used by other CBS stations while the overall station branding reverted back to KCAL 9.

Programming

While KCAL-TV functions as an independent broadcaster, it occasionally features CBS content during extended breaking news coverage or special events that preempt regular KCBS-TV programming.

For educational and informational segments, KCAL airs the syndicated Go Time programming block.

Between 1997 and 2011, KCAL served as the Southern California outlet for the annual MDA Labor Day Telethon.

In June 1979, KHJ-TV presented "Thames on 9," a week-long prime time event showcasing programs from British ITV's Thames Television, such as Man About the House and The Benny Hill Show. From 1981 through 1985, KHJ-TV broadcasted Elvira's Movie Macabre, and between 1986 and 1989 aired the live Strawberry Festival Parade held in Garden Grove.

Sports programming

Sports have played a pivotal role in defining channel 9’s brand, maintaining its relevance even during licensing controversies.

As of 2023, KCAL holds broadcasting rights for six NHL games each season featuring the Los Angeles Kings, with production handled by Bally Sports West. The station also aired Kings games during the early 1980s and again in the mid-to-late 1990s. Beginning in 2025, KCAL+ will televise Ontario Reign contests, the Kings’ minor league affiliate. Since 2024, KCAL has been covering select matches involving Orange County SC in the USL Championship.

From 2006 to 2013, KCAL televised Los Angeles Dodgers games, airing a minimum of 50 high-definition contests annually before losing broadcast rights to the cable-exclusive regional sports network SportsNet LA in 2014.

Channel 9 is most renowned for its enduring association with the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, airing games from 1961 to 1964 and again from 1977 until 2012—marking the longest continuous station-team broadcast relationship in NBA history—coinciding with several Lakers’ peak eras. The majority of these broadcasts featured away games. In 2012, broadcast rights transitioned to Spectrum SportsNet and Spectrum Deportes, both cable-exclusive channels.

KHJ-TV was initially the television broadcaster for the Los Angeles Angels from 1961 to 1963; rights returned to KCAL in 1996 during The Walt Disney Company’s ownership period, which also included coverage of the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers shifted their over-the-air telecasts to KTLA in 2001; meanwhile, Angels broadcasts departed KCAL after the 2005 season for KCOP. Additionally, KCAL aired selected weekend games of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim NHL team from their inaugural season in 1993 through 2006 before those broadcasts moved to KDOC-TV. After the Dodgers moved to SportsNet LA at the end of 2013, KCAL concluded a local sports coverage span lasting 36 years.

KCAL also televised select Los Angeles Galaxy MLS matches until 2005 when coverage became exclusive to Fox Sports West. In 1997, KCAL introduced Final Quarter, a fifteen-minute weekday sports update that later evolved into KCAL 9 Sports News and subsequently Sports Central following CBS’s acquisition and duopoly formation with KCBS-TV; currently, it airs as a half-hour program Friday through Sunday.

Channel 9 carried preseason NFL games for the Los Angeles Chargers (then based in San Diego) from 2005 through 2016 and broadcast some Oakland Raiders preseason contests in 2006. After Los Angeles regained NFL franchises with the Rams’ return in 2016 (whose preseason coverage is handled by sister station KCBS), Chargers preseason rights were transferred to KABC-TV starting in 2017. In that same year, KCAL aired two regular-season NFL on CBS games under an NFL agreement involving Rams and Chargers broadcasts during weeks featuring Fox doubleheaders.

From its inception in 1994 until 2008, KCAL was the originating broadcaster of the annual John R. Wooden Classic college basketball event.

Newscasts

By November 2024, KCAL-TV delivers a total of hours of locally produced news programming each week, with hours on weekdays and hours during weekends. This output places the station second in the Los Angeles market, trailing KTLA’s 94 hours and 20 minutes.

KCAL has built a reputation for its comprehensive police chase coverage, frequently interrupting scheduled shows to follow these live events. In 2003, viewership surged fourfold during such chases, reaching audiences as high as 1.6 million. Between 2012 and 2020, helicopter coverage was provided by Stu Mundel; since 2021, Desmond Shaw, formerly a pilot for KNX, has been the lead helicopter reporter.

During the 1970s and 1980s, KHJ-TV aired prime time newscasts initially at 10 p.m., later shifting to 9 p.m., and eventually adding an 8 p.m. broadcast along with afternoon news segments. Prominent anchors from that era included George Putnam, Chris Harris, and Andrew Amador.

Following Disney’s acquisition, KCAL’s news division received a $30 million upgrade that tripled staff numbers and modernized equipment and facilities at Paramount Studios. Experienced journalists such as Jerry Dunphy, Pat Harvey, Larry Carroll, and Jane Velez-Mitchell were brought on board. In March 1990, Disney introduced the three-hour Prime 9 News block airing from 8 to 11 p.m., later supplementing it with a short local news segment at 6:30 p.m. Additional daytime newscasts at 2 and 3 p.m. were launched; however, the 6:30 p.m. edition was eventually discontinued.

KCAL preserves an extensive lineup of local newscasts scheduled to avoid direct competition with sister station KCBS-TV, maintaining this arrangement after their merger. The station broadcasts news at noon (competing with KTLA), at 4 p.m. (against KABC, KTLA, KNBC), and at 10 p.m. (competing with KTLA and KTTV), alongside nightly broadcasts at both 8 and 9 p.m.

The style of each newscast varies by timeslot: the 8 p.m. segment offers California-focused updates (previously known as California Report); the more serious 9 p.m. broadcast centers on political, business, and international stories (formerly Prime 9 News World Report); while the noon edition tends toward lighter fare such as food and entertainment features. The afternoon newscast at 4 p.m., which moved from KCBS-TV in 2002 to make room for Dr. Phil, was anchored by Harold Greene and Ann Martin until their retirements in 2009. The late evening newscast at 10 p.m. provides an updated summary of the day’s news and has been shortened to accommodate the sports show Sports Central.

In April 2008, budgetary reductions implemented by CBS Television Stations impacted both KCAL and KCBS-TV, resulting in layoffs including reporters Jennifer Sabih, Greg Phillips, and Jennifer Davis. Anchors Greene and Martin retired in June 2009 following contract expirations. Rick Garcia joined KCAL in April 2009 as co-anchor for the weeknight newscasts at 8 and 10 p.m., initially alongside Pat Harvey; currently Garcia co-anchors with Sharon Tay after Harvey transitioned to KCBS-TV’s evening broadcasts.

NewsCentral era

On September 19, 2009, KCBS and KCAL merged their news operations under the unified NewsCentral brand, emphasizing expanded community reporting that included outlying regions. This format incorporated local headlines from the Los Angeles Newspaper Group and MediaNews Group displayed on a ticker, encouraged viewer contributions through a "street team," and featured reporters and vehicles branded with both stations’ logos simultaneously. The duopoly claimed to offer more local news coverage than any other U.S. station, deploying reporters throughout Ventura County, the Inland Empire, and Orange County, supported by two helicopters subcontracted from Angel City Air. Actor Ed Asner served as the newscast’s introducer. CBS clarified this initiative was not a reaction to competitors pooling resources.

On December 10, 2009, Steve Mauldin succeeded Patrick McClenahan as president and general manager of the KCBS-KCAL duopoly. Shortly thereafter, the stations discontinued use of the NewsCentral brand and reverted to their original news identities as "CBS2" and "KCAL9." Although some graphics and logos from NewsCentral lingered briefly on air, on-air personnel ceased referencing the brand altogether.

Recent developments

On January 14, 2012, KCAL introduced weekend morning newscasts airing for two hours starting at 7 a.m. on both Saturdays and Sundays. This launch represented the station’s initial foray into morning news programming, despite being the sole local outlet without weekday morning broadcasts at that time.

On December 10, 2014, KCAL declared it would discontinue its 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. newscasts to accommodate syndicated programs Judge Mathis and The People's Court. As a result, the 4 p.m. newscast was shortened from sixty minutes to thirty minutes, with Inside Edition shifting to the 4:30 p.m. slot.

By September 11, 2017, KCAL restored the full hour duration to its 4 p.m. newscast.

On July 12, 2022, KCAL announced plans to debut a weekday morning news block lasting seven hours, airing from 4 a.m. through 11 a.m., thereby replacing KCBS’s morning schedule and introducing its first weekday morning news program. The new show, titled KCAL News Mornings, premiered on January 5, 2023. Simultaneously, KCBS replaced its morning newscast with the live Eastern edition of CBS Mornings, followed by a simulcast of KCAL’s 6 a.m. hour. Both stations unified their local newscasts under the KCAL News brand, with KCAL adopting the "KCAL Los Angeles" on-air identity to emphasize its commitment to local news coverage.

On October 13, 2025, the news operations of KCBS and KCAL were consolidated under the CBS LA brand umbrella, prompting KCAL to revert to using the "KCAL 9" branding on-air.

Distinguished former staff


Subchannels

KCAL-TV broadcasts multiple subchannels as follows:

KCAL-TV Subchannel Lineup[2]
Channel Resolution Aspect Ratio Identifier Content
9.1 1080i 16:9 KCAL-DT Primary KCAL-TV programming
9.2 480i Nest The Nest
9.3 Comet Comet
9.4 HSN HSN
9.5 QVC QVC
9.6 720p KCAL+ KCAL+/MeTV Toons

Translator stations

  • K21MH-D – located in Daggett, California
  • K29NN-D – serving Lucerne Valley
  • K32OX-D – serving Lucerne Valley
  • K32EM-D – located in Morongo Valley
  • K21IN-D – serving Ridgecrest, California
  • K17GJ-D – located in Twentynine Palms
  • K16LB-D – serving Yucca Valley

External links

  1. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named rei
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