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KYW-TV

From Alfawiki
KYW-TV
Company typeTelevision station
IndustryBroadcasting
Founded1932
Headquarters
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
,
United States
Area served
Philadelphia metropolitan area
OwnerCBS News and Stations (Paramount Global)
ParentCBS Corporation (now part of Paramount Global)

KYW-TV (channel 3), operating under the brand CBS Philadelphia, is a television station located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is owned and operated directly by the CBS network through its CBS News and Stations division, alongside WPSG (channel 57), an independent station. Both stations operate from shared facilities on Hamilton Street, situated north of Center City, Philadelphia; KYW-TV's broadcast transmitter is positioned in the Roxborough neighborhood of Philadelphia.

Along with its sister station KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, KYW-TV is one of only two CBS affiliates east of the Mississippi River that use call signs beginning with the letter "K."

Early Years as W3XE (1932–1941)

Channel 3 holds the distinction of being Pennsylvania’s longest-standing television broadcaster. Its origins date back to 1932 when it launched as W3XE, an experimental station owned by the Philadelphia-based Philco Corporation, a prominent manufacturer of radios and television sets at that time. Philco’s engineering team was responsible for creating much of the station’s technical equipment, including its cameras. The station initially operated from a small studio and transmitter located within Philco’s manufacturing facility at C and East Tioga streets in North Philadelphia. By 1941, W3XE began sharing programming with W2XBS (which later became WNBT and is now known as WNBC) in New York City, marking its role as NBC’s second television affiliate and initiating a network partnership that lasted 54 years.

Transition to WPTZ (1941–1955)

On July 1, 1941, W3XE was granted a commercial broadcasting license under the new call sign WPTZ—making it the third licensed station in the U.S., the first outside New York City, and the first not owned by a network—and officially commenced operations on September 1 as Pennsylvania’s inaugural licensed TV outlet. Philco moved WPTZ’s studios to the penthouse of the Architect's Building in downtown Philadelphia while maintaining master control at their original plant. The station initially transmitted from a tower located in Wyndmoor. Operations were temporarily scaled back during World War II but resumed fully by 1945. In 1946, WPTZ was among three stations that helped launch NBC’s regular television service. After the war, it returned to the Architect's Building studios until relocating in 1947 to shared space at 1619 Walnut Street alongside KYW radio, establishing its long-term presence in Center City.

In 1953, Westinghouse Electric Corporation—owner of Philadelphia’s NBC radio affiliate KYW—acquired WPTZ for a then-record sum of $8.5 million. The WPTZ call letters are currently assigned to an NBC affiliate based in Plattsburgh, New York.

NBC Ownership and Rebranding to WRCV-TV (1955–1965)

In May 1955, Westinghouse exchanged ownership of WPTZ and KYW radio to NBC in return for Cleveland’s WNBK television station and WTAM-AM-FM radio stations plus $3 million. NBC aimed to establish ownership in Philadelphia—the largest market where it lacked a station—and after repeated refusals from Westinghouse, NBC threatened to terminate their affiliation unless the trade was completed. NBC assumed control in January 1956; subsequently, on February 13, channel 3 changed its call letters to WRCV-TV (representing RCA-Victor), while KYW radio adopted the WRCV designation.

Following an FCC market expansion in 1957 that included the Lehigh Valley as well as parts of Delaware and New Jersey, NBC enhanced channel 3’s transmission capabilities by erecting a new 1,100-foot tower in Roxborough co-owned with ABC’s WFIL-TV (now WPVI-TV). This upgrade significantly broadened the station’s coverage area and enabled broadcasts in color.

Westinghouse contested the ownership exchange shortly thereafter, accusing NBC of coercive tactics, which prompted investigations by both the FCC and Department of Justice. In September 1959, the Justice Department mandated that NBC divest its holdings of WRCV-AM-TV by the end of 1962. Early in 1960, NBC announced plans to trade these stations to RKO General for Boston properties and separately acquire San Francisco's KTVU after selling Washington's WRC stations to RKO. Meanwhile, Philco (then under Ford ownership) challenged FCC license renewals and applied to establish a new channel 3 outlet.

By late 1961, objections from KRON-TV—the San Francisco NBC affiliate—derailed NBC’s acquisition of KTVU; however, regulatory review continued regarding the proposed trade involving WRCV and Boston’s WNAC.

In August 1964, the FCC renewed NBC's licenses for WRCV-AM-TV with the stipulation that the earlier swap from 1956 be reversed. After initial challenges from RKO and Philco were withdrawn, Westinghouse ultimately regained control over the Philadelphia stations on June 19, 1965. Since KYW call letters had been reassigned to Cleveland during this period, channel 3 adopted the KYW-TV callsign upon Westinghouse's reacquisition.

During the Westinghouse Era (1965–1995)

On June 16, 1994, Baltimore's sister station WJZ-TV lost its affiliation with ABC following a network agreement with the E. W. Scripps Company that transitioned three Scripps-owned stations to ABC, including Baltimore's NBC affiliate, WMAR-TV. This arrangement, prompted by a Fox-New World Communications affiliation deal, disrupted Westinghouse’s nearly five-decade loyalty to ABC. In response, Group W accelerated efforts to secure new network partnerships and ultimately consented to switch KYW-TV, WBZ-TV, and WJZ-TV to CBS—joining existing CBS-owned stations KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh and KPIX-TV in San Francisco. Initially, CBS was reluctant to affiliate with KYW-TV due to its third-place market ranking compared to the stronger performance of CBS-owned WCAU-TV versus ABC-owned WPVI-TV. Nevertheless, after Westinghouse offered CBS a minority ownership interest in KYW-TV, CBS agreed to the affiliation change and listed channel 10 for sale. NBC emerged as the winning bidder for channel 10, outbidding New World Communications and Fox.

As a Station Owned by CBS (1995–Present)

While WJZ-TV and WBZ-TV transitioned to CBS in January 1995, Philadelphia’s switch was postponed because of possible tax consequences from an outright sale of channel 10. To navigate this complexity, CBS, NBC, and Group W orchestrated a multifaceted ownership and affiliation exchange in late 1994: NBC traded Denver’s KCNC-TV and Salt Lake City’s KUTV to CBS in exchange for WCAU; subsequently, CBS transferred KCNC and KUTV control to Group W in return for a minority stake in KYW-TV. Additionally, NBC’s WTVJ and CBS’s WFOR-TV swapped their Miami facilities. This arrangement officially commenced at 1 a.m. on September 10, 1995. The last NBC broadcast on KYW-TV was a rerun of Saturday Night Live on September 9 before the station officially affiliated with CBS. Later that year, Westinghouse acquired CBS, turning KYW-TV into a CBS owned-and-operated station—making Philadelphia the largest market impacted by these affiliation changes.

In 2000, Viacom acquired the merged company, bringing KYW-TV under common ownership with Philadelphia’s UPN outlet WPSG. Subsequently, WPSG relocated its operations to the KYW Building on Independence Mall. After Viacom separated its cable networks and Paramount Pictures division into a new Viacom entity in 2006, CBS Corporation retained ownership of over-the-air broadcasting assets including KYW-AM-TV and WPSG.

On April 2, 2007, both KYW-TV and WPSG moved into a new broadcasting facility at 1555 Hamilton Street near Center City Philadelphia. This location supports high-definition news production and represents the station’s fourth studio since its inception.

KYW-TV parted ways with its radio counterpart in November 2017 when CBS Radio merged with Entercom (now Audacy).

On December 4, 2019, CBS Corporation and Viacom reunited under ViacomCBS (currently known as Paramount Global), consolidating their media holdings within one corporate entity.

Logos

Between 1965 and 2003, KYW-TV featured a unique "Stylized 3" emblem, designed in the typeface introduced by Group W during Westinghouse Broadcasting’s corporate rebranding in 1963. This logo was the longest-standing symbol in Philadelphia television history until WPVI-TV's "6" surpassed its tenure in 2006. The most notable modification occurred in February 1998, when the CBS Eye was added preceding the "3". This logo was retired following KYW-TV’s transition to the CBS 3 brand.

Historical program preemptions and schedule changes

Although KYW-TV was NBC’s largest affiliate, it frequently preempted numerous NBC shows for over thirty years after 1965, opting instead to air local or syndicated content produced by Westinghouse’s own production division. Programs such as The Mike Douglas Show, The David Frost Show, and Evening Magazine were favored. These preemptions primarily targeted lower-rated daytime game shows, soap operas, and reruns during prime time, averaging about two hours daily. In the fall of 1980, KYW-TV even discontinued NBC’s entire morning block following Today. NBC arranged for independent stations like WPHL-TV and WTAF-TV/WTXF-TV to broadcast these displaced programs; much of this preempted content was shown on WMGM-TV, Atlantic City’s NBC affiliate until 2014. NBC expressed dissatisfaction over lost advertising revenue in the nation’s fourth-largest media market.

KYW-TV used these preemptions strategically to elevate local advertising rates amid strong viewership during the 1960s and 1970s. However, by 1980, it had become Philadelphia’s lowest-rated network affiliate and maintained this position even as NBC’s national ratings rose sharply by 1985. The station persisted with heavy preemptions, causing friction with NBC; notably, in 1986 it chose not to air NFL games to avoid competing with WCAU’s broadcast of Philadelphia Eagles matches, instead showing the movie The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings.

After Westinghouse's agreement with CBS, KYW-TV pledged to broadcast CBS's full schedule without preemptions except for urgent news or severe weather events. When CBS programming is locally preempted, it may be shifted to sister station WPSG.

Sports coverage

Channel 3 has a longstanding tradition of airing Philadelphia-area sports through its affiliations with NBC and CBS. From 1948 through 1989, select Philadelphia Phillies games—including their 1980 World Series championship—were televised under NBC's Major League Baseball contract. Following NBC’s acquisition of AFC broadcast rights in 1970, the station aired Philadelphia Eagles home games against AFC opponents until 1995 and resumed this coverage when CBS regained the AFC package in 1998. Additionally, from 1990 to 1995, Channel 3 broadcast Philadelphia 76ers games via NBC's NBA contract.

News operation

Currently, KYW-TV produces approximately 43.5 hours of local news programming each week across weekdays and weekends. It collaborates with sister station WCBS-TV on New Jersey political debates and shares newsgathering resources within overlapping markets. The station also offers a digital-only newscast titled CBS 3 At Your Desk.

After regaining control in 1965 under Westinghouse ownership, news director Al Primo introduced the innovative Eyewitness News format, featuring reporters delivering stories directly on camera. This approach propelled KYW-TV to the top of local ratings during the late 1960s. Throughout the 1970s, the station alternated leadership in ratings with WPVI-TV but declined after key anchor departures in the late '70s. Efforts throughout the '80s and '90s to revive ratings through new formats and talent largely failed, leaving KYW-TV trailing as a distant third behind competitors.

In 1991, the station rebranded as "KYW 3," retiring the Eyewitness News title in favor of various newscast names and adopting theme music associated with its radio counterpart. Despite these changes, ratings remained low and news output was limited compared to other major-market stations. The Eyewitness News branding was reinstated in early 1998 following KYW-TV’s switch to CBS ownership.

The early 2000s saw a resurgence as KYW-TV recruited prominent anchors from rival stations and revamped its news teams, leading to significant ratings improvement. A noon newscast was restored in 1995, and by 2005 updated theme music consistent with other CBS-owned stations was adopted.

In recent years, KYW-TV has engaged in competitive scheduling adjustments including launching a new 4 p.m. newscast in 2018 and realigning programming around syndicated shows such as Dr. Phil and The Drew Barrymore Show. Anchor personnel changes have been frequent, with notable departures and hires influencing team dynamics.

Technological advancements include transitioning to high-definition broadcasts in 2007 and debuting a prime-time newscast on sister station WPSG in 2009; this evolved into CBS News Philadelphia NOW by 2022—a hybrid format combining local and national content.

From 2009 to 2015, the station replaced its noon newscast with TalkPhilly, reverting back due to audience response. Staff turnover has continued with meteorologists and anchors joining or leaving between 2018 and 2024.

Weather forecasting was rebranded as NeXt Weather starting July 2022 as part of a broader CBS initiative to differentiate weather brands across owned stations.

In September 2022, KYW-TV launched an additional hour-long morning newscast at 9 a.m., which expanded to a full hour by July 2024 alongside scheduling changes involving syndicated programs.

KYW-TV introduced its localized streaming news platform CBSN Philly (now CBS News Philadelphia) in January 2020 as part of CBS's digital expansion efforts.

On April 12, 2023, KYW-TV transitioned its news branding from Eyewitness News to CBS News Philadelphia, emphasizing community-centric reporting and adopting a green-themed graphics package reflecting regional identity while distinguishing itself from competitors.

The CW affiliate WPSG ended its partnership on August 31, 2023; however, KYW continues producing an hour-long weeknight newscast at 8 p.m., fully produced by KYW-TV staff.

Prominent Current On-Air Personnel

Distinguished Former On-Air Personnel

2008 Dismissals of Lane and Mendte

In January 2008, Alycia Lane, who anchored the 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts, was dismissed shortly after her arrest in New York City involving an altercation with a female police officer and the use of an offensive term. This incident followed a previous reprimand in May 2007 when Lane sent a swimsuit photograph of herself via the station’s email system to NFL Network presenter Rich Eisen; the image became public because Eisen's wife accessed their shared email account.

Later in June 2008, Larry Mendte, co-anchor alongside Lane, was terminated after authorities confiscated his computers during an inquiry that uncovered he had hacked into Lane’s email account. He accessed thousands of her messages both during and following her tenure and shared them with gossip journalists. Mendte explained his conduct as stemming from a dispute after ending a "flirtatious and improper" relationship with Lane.

Mendte also breached another colleague’s email—WRC-TV chief meteorologist Doug Kammerer—but the FBI did not find enough evidence to pursue further charges. Mendte admitted guilt to offenses connected to the intrusion on Lane’s account.

In September 2008, Lane filed a lawsuit against Mendte and KYW-TV alleging negligence in safeguarding her private information. This legal matter was resolved with an undisclosed settlement in October 2016.

2013 Viral Incident Between Brewer and Erickson

In June 2013, CBS 3 attracted attention when an edited YouTube clip circulated showing weekend morning anchor Nicole Brewer and meteorologist Carol Erickson exchanging sharp remarks on air. The station’s management clarified that the video was taken out of context and stressed the professional respect shared between the two broadcasters. Brewer left CBS 3 in June 2018 to dedicate more time to her family.

2015 dismissals

On June 30, 2015, CBS 3 unexpectedly terminated lead anchor Chris May, chief meteorologist Kathy Orr, and sports director Beasley Reece without any advance warning, catching the audience off guard. May and Reece received notification mere hours before their planned broadcasts, while Orr was informed during her vacation. Jessica Dean, who had joined the station two years prior, continued in her role. Shortly thereafter, meteorologist Carol Erickson resigned after a 37-year career to focus on animal rights activism. Following these changes, Ukee Washington transitioned from morning segments to co-anchor weeknight newscasts alongside Dean; Kate Bilo stepped in as Chief Meteorologist replacing Orr; Katie Fehlinger assumed Bilo’s former morning position and added noon reporting responsibilities. In September of the same year, Don Bell returned to CBS 3 as sports director and weeknight sports anchor after his departure from Fox Sports 1.

2020 workforce reductions

On May 27, 2020, KYW-TV implemented layoffs affecting more than a dozen Eyewitness News employees amid ViacomCBS’s corporate restructuring after its December 2019 merger and a downturn in advertising revenue linked to the COVID-19 crisis. Those impacted included reporters Crystal Cranmore, Cleve Bryan, Chantee Lans, along with floor directors, engineers, and editors. Weekend evening sports anchor Lesley Van Arsdall and weekday morning traffic anchor Chandler Lutz were also among those released. Lutz returned to CBS 3 in December 2021 and soon resumed his duties on morning newscasts.

2021 probe into discrimination allegations

In January 2021, two high-ranking executives at Paramount Skydance Corporation (formerly ViacomCBS), parent company of CBS Television Stations, were placed on administrative leave following an investigation prompted by a Los Angeles Times exposé. Peter Dunn, president of CBS Television Stations, and David Friend, senior vice president and WCBS-TV news director, faced accusations of cultivating a hostile workplace through racist, sexist, and homophobic remarks while hindering the hiring and advancement of Black journalists. This inquiry was connected to earlier allegations against former CBS Entertainment chief Leslie Moonves dating back to 2018.

CBS 3 experienced significant repercussions from Dunn and Friend's conduct. Although Dunn initially approved Ukee Washington’s promotion to lead evening anchor in 2015, he later disparaged Washington via emails and meetings, criticizing his presentation style and language choices. When Brooke Thomas joined KYW as morning anchor in 2016, both executives strongly opposed her presence—Friend verbally reprimanded management to suppress her and modify her demeanor, while Dunn described her as "Unwatchable" and sought her removal within months. Consequently, Thomas’s contract was not renewed after six months.

Rahel Solomon, who succeeded Thomas, also endured unjust criticism from Dunn and Friend that contributed to her exit in 2019 for CNBC; she currently reports for CNN. Multiple Black journalists departed the station during this era including Justin Finch (now at ABC) and Steve Patterson (now with NBC). Additionally, a potential hire was reportedly rejected for being "too gay for Philadelphia," despite openly gay anchor Jim Donovan’s ongoing tenure at the station.

Coverage of Bill Cosby’s 2018 sexual assault trial further revealed bias issues. When Natasha Brown filled in for the unavailable Jessica Dean alongside Ukee Washington on air, Dunn contacted station manager Brien Kennedy expressing concern over a "diversity problem," referencing both anchors’ African-American identities; Kennedy disagreed with this assessment.

In 2019, Dunn and Friend dismissed Kennedy citing unsatisfactory performance despite evidence to the contrary. They pressured him to fabricate grounds for his termination, which he refused. Kennedy subsequently filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission alleging retaliation for cooperating with the internal investigation.

Ultimately, in April 2021 both Dunn and Friend were dismissed from CBS due to their proven pattern of hostile and discriminatory behavior across multiple CBS stations.

Subchannels

The station's broadcast signal is divided into multiple subchannels:

KYW-TV Subchannel Details
Channel Resolution Aspect Ratio Identifier Content
3.1 1080i 16:9 KYW-TV CBS
3.2 480i StartTV Start TV
3.3 DABL Dabl
3.4 ROAR Roar
57.1 720p 16:9 WPSG Independent

The digital subchannel 3.2, known as CBS Philly Plus, was introduced in November 2011 as a round-the-clock news outlet utilizing resources from KYW-TV and affiliated local radio stations. While there were intentions to expand this service to additional markets, it was ultimately only implemented at KYW-TV and WCBS-TV in New York.

On October 21, 2014, a collaboration between CBS and Weigel Broadcasting was announced to launch the Decades network across all CBS-owned stations, including KYW-TV's 3.2 subchannel, which premiered on January 16, 2015. This network was later replaced by Start TV on September 3, 2018.

Analog-to-digital conversion

In compliance with the federal mandate for digital transition, KYW-TV discontinued its analog transmission on VHF channel 3 on June 12, 2009. The station’s digital broadcast continued on UHF channel 26 while maintaining virtual channel identification as channel 3. Prior to ceasing analog operations, viewers saw a test pattern accompanied by a farewell message.

KYW-TV uniquely participated in Philadelphia’s Analog Nightlight program by briefly resuming analog broadcasts after the official shutdown to provide emergency information until July 12, 2009.

Spectrum reallocation

As part of the FCC’s spectrum reassignment for expanding 5G networks, KYW-TV and WPSG altered their broadcast frequencies on August 1, 2019. KYW-TV transitioned from channel 26 to channel 30 but encountered technical difficulties affecting over-the-air reception and initially operated at reduced transmission power. The station intended to return to full power following the installation of new one-megawatt transmission antennas scheduled for November 2020.

External links

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