KCNC-TV
| Company type | Television station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | December 24, 1953 in Denver, Colorado, United States |
| Headquarters | Denver , United States |
Area served | Denver metropolitan area and surrounding regions |
| Owner | CBS News and Stations |
| Website | denver |
KCNC-TV (channel 4), operating under the brand name CBS Colorado, is a television station based in Denver, Colorado, serving as the region’s affiliate for CBS. Owned and operated by CBS News and Stations, its production facilities are situated on Lincoln Street in downtown Denver, while its transmitter is positioned on Lookout Mountain near Golden.
NBC affiliation (1953–1995)
The station commenced broadcasting at 6:30 p.m. on December 24, 1953, originally known as KOA-TV, delivering NBC programming to the Denver market. Established by Metropolitan TV Company, which included partial ownership by comedian Bob Hope, KOA-TV inherited the NBC affiliation from KBTV (channel 9, now KUSA) due to KOA radio’s long-established association with NBC.
In 1965, KOA-TV began airing most of NBC’s American Football League games with commentary by Curt Gowdy. However, local broadcasts of Denver Broncos home games were blacked out in compliance with NFL ticketing policies at the time; this arrangement persists today with CBS, except for a short period from 1995 to 1997 when KUSA carried the games. In 1967, KOA-TV produced the acclaimed documentary The Acid Test, LSD, hosted by news editor Bob Palmer.
Metropolitan TV sold KOA-AM-TV to General Electric in 1968 for $10 million. Later, in 1983, GE sold the KOA and KOAQ radio stations to A. H. Belo Corporation for $22 million but retained ownership of channel 4. Due to FCC regulations prohibiting different owners from using identical call letters within the same market, the station adopted the new call sign KCNC-TV ("Colorado's News Channel") on August 12, 1983.
Following GE’s acquisition of NBC in 1986, KCNC became Colorado’s inaugural network owned-and-operated station. Ownership formally transferred from GE to NBC in 1987, solidifying KCNC’s status as an O&O. By 1990, nearly all non-network airtime was dedicated to local news programming, totaling approximately 40 hours per week. Under general manager Roger Ogden’s leadership, emphasis was placed on local content rather than syndicated shows. In that year, KCNC paid $11,000 to PBS member KRMA-TV (channel 6) to broadcast election coverage featuring KCNC reporters so that channel 4 could air NBC’s Tuesday lineup uninterrupted.
By early 1995, KCNC was producing 41 hours of news weekly and preferred filling non-network time slots with local-interest programs or additional newscasts instead of syndicated material—a strategy that changed after Group W/CBS assumed control following the network affiliation switch.
Transition to CBS and subsequent ownership (1995–present)
On July 14, 1994, CBS and Westinghouse Electric Corporation reached a long-term affiliation agreement that made Westinghouse-owned stations WJZ-TV (Baltimore), KYW-TV (Philadelphia), and WBZ-TV (Boston) CBS affiliates alongside CBS’s longstanding partners KDKA-TV (Pittsburgh) and KPIX (San Francisco). Initially, CBS intended to divest its Philadelphia station WCAU to affiliate with KYW-TV but was deterred by substantial capital gains taxes. In November 1994, NBC and CBS arranged a station exchange involving KCNC-TV and KUTV in Salt Lake City as well as Miami’s channel 4 and channel 6 allocations to balance ownership interests.
KCNC-TV officially became Denver’s CBS affiliate on September 10, 1995, following a three-way affiliation reshuffle: longtime CBS affiliate KMGH-TV switched to ABC under McGraw-Hill ownership; ABC’s KUSA assumed NBC affiliation through agreements with Gannett. As part of the CBS/Westinghouse deal, CBS sold a controlling 55% stake in KCNC to Westinghouse Broadcasting. Westinghouse acquired CBS for $5.4 billion on August 1, 1995; once the merger completed on November 24, KCNC was designated a CBS owned-and-operated station. As of 2025, KCNC along with CW affiliate KWGN-TV (owned by Nexstar Media Group) remain the only major network O&Os in Denver. Meanwhile, Fox acquired KDVR, which it later sold in 2008; KDVR is now also under Nexstar ownership.
KCNC appeared in the 2007 movie Blades of Glory and has been referenced in Colorado-based series such as South Park. The station launched its inaugural digital subchannel featuring Decades on January 23, 2015. On July 24, 2018, CBS and Weigel Broadcasting announced the introduction of the Start TV subchannel scheduled for September 3, 2018.
In March 2023, KCNC adopted the "CBS Colorado" branding as part of a broader rebranding initiative across all CBS owned-and-operated stations. Its newscasts were rebranded under CBS News Colorado, aligning with its streaming news platform.
Programming
As a station owned and operated by CBS, KCNC-TV broadcasts the complete CBS network lineup. However, it schedules the CBS Weekend News—the Saturday and Sunday editions of the CBS Evening News—30 minutes earlier than most other affiliates to accommodate its hour-long 5 p.m. newscast, which follows the Central Time Zone timing. Additionally, the station airs CBS Saturday Morning two hours ahead of most CBS outlets, aligning with the Eastern Time Zone slot.
Sports programming
In the 1998 season, CBS secured the rights to air games from the American Football Conference of the National Football League, shifting broadcasts from NBC and local channel KUSA to KCNC. This transition occurred during the Broncos’ campaign that culminated in their second straight Super Bowl championship, marking quarterback John Elway’s final playing year. KCNC also televised the Broncos’ triumph in Super Bowl 50, which was Peyton Manning’s concluding game before retiring.
During its affiliation with NBC, KCNC carried Denver Nuggets contests via NBA on NBC from 1990 until the affiliation ended in 1995.
News operation
KCNC-TV currently airs nearly 40 hours (39 hours and 55 minutes) of locally generated news programming each week, covering both weekday evenings and weekends. The station also produces the public affairs show Together with Karen Leigh, alongside sports-focused programs such as Saturday Sports Extra and AutoNation All Access.
In the early 1980s, under news director Roger Ogden, KCNC bolstered its news team by bringing in key personnel and promoted Marv Rockford to news director in 1983. The station launched a half-hour newscast called First News at 4:30 p.m. in 1982, which was eventually extended to a full hour before being discontinued in 2006 to make room for syndicated content.
A significant event occurred in 1984 when attorney and talk show personality Alan Berg, known for his progressive commentary on KOA radio and KOA-TV, was assassinated by a white supremacist group—a tragedy that inspired various films and theatrical productions.
In 2002, Walt DeHaven succeeded Marv Rockford as general manager. By 2008, KCNC had upgraded its local newscasts to high-definition broadcasts, becoming Denver’s second station to adopt this technology. The station briefly reintroduced a 4 p.m. newscast in 2011 but replaced it with syndicated shows after just three months. In 2013, KCNC debuted a "Mobile Weather Lab," a Chevrolet Suburban outfitted with advanced meteorological equipment for storm tracking during morning news segments. The weekday morning newscast was extended to two and a half hours in 2014.
On February 19, 2020, KCNC launched CBSN Denver (now known as CBS News Colorado), a streaming news platform integrated with CBS-owned stations nationwide.
Most recently, on September 12, 2022, KCNC brought back an hour-long weekday newscast at 4 p.m.
Notable former on-air staff
- Carlos Amezcua – news anchor
- Alan Berg – talk show host on KOA radio and TV
- Wendy Bergen – reporter
- David Crabtree – anchor/reporter (1991–1994)
- John Ferrugia – anchor/investigative reporter (1989–1992)
- Chris Fowler – sports reporter
- Morris Jones – midday anchor
- Philip J. LeBeau – general assignment reporter
- Tom Martino – consumer reporter (1982–1999)
- Reynelda Muse – Colorado’s first woman and first African American television news anchor
- Les Shapiro – sports anchor
Digital subchannels
KCNC-TV's broadcast signal is divided into multiple streams:
| Channel | Resolution | Aspect ratio | Identifier | Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KCNC-TV | CBS |
| 4.2 | 480i | StartTV | Start TV | |
| 4.3 | Dabl | Dabl | ||
| 4.4 | MeTV | MeTV (KREG-TV) | ||
| 4.5 | Catchy | Catchy Comedy | ||
| 4.6 | Story | Story Television |
Transition from analog to digital
On June 12, 2009, KCNC-TV discontinued its analog transmission on VHF channel 4 as part of the federally required digital television conversion in the United States. The station's digital broadcasts remained on UHF channel 35, with virtual channel designation preserved as 4.
In compliance with the SAFER Act, KCNC continued operating its analog signal until July 12, 2009, during which it aired informational public service announcements to assist viewers in adapting to digital reception.
Translator stations
- Template:FCC-LMS-Facility Akron, Colorado
- Template:FCC-LMS-Facility Akron
- Template:FCC-LMS-Facility Haxtun
- Template:FCC-LMS-Facility Holyoke, Colorado
- Template:FCC-LMS-Facility Holyoke
- Template:FCC-LMS-Facility Idalia, Colorado
- Template:FCC-LMS-Facility Pleasant Valley, Colorado
- Template:FCC-LMS-Facility Sterling, Colorado
- Template:FCC-LMS-Facility Yuma, Colorado
See also
External links
- Articles with short description
- 1953 establishments in Colorado
- Catchy Comedy affiliates
- CBS affiliates
- CBS News and Stations
- Dabl affiliates
- MeTV affiliates
- NFL primary television stations
- Peabody Award winners
- Start TV affiliates
- Story Television affiliates
- Television channels and stations established in 1953
- Television stations in Denver