KBAK-TV is a CBS-affiliate television station serving Bakersfield, California, broadcasting digital-only on UHF channel 33. KBAK also operates the local Fox affiliate, KBFX-CA, from a shared facility in Bakersfield.
| |
| Bakersfield, California | |
|---|---|
| Branding | KBAK (general) Eyewitness News (newscasts) |
| Channels | Digital: 33 (UHF) |
| Subchannels | 29.1 CBS (HD)58.2 KBFX-CA (Fox) |
| Affiliations | CBS (1953-1974 and since 1996) |
| Owner | Fisher Communications, Inc.
(Fisher Broadcasting - California TV, LLC) |
| First air date | August 1953[1] |
| Call letters' meaning | BAKersfield |
| Former callsigns | KAFY-TV (1953-1959) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog:29 (UHF, 1953-2009) |
| Former affiliations | ABC (secondary 1953-1959, primary 1974-1996) |
| Transmitter power | 110 kW |
| Height | 1128 m |
| Facility ID | 4148 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 35°27′10.1″N118°35′28.1″W |
| Website | www.bakersfieldnow.com |
History[]
KBAK signed on in August 1953 as KAFY-TV owned along with KAFY radio (AM 550, frequency now occupied by KUZZ). It is Bakersfield's oldest television station; KERO-TV followed a month later. It was a primary CBS affiliate, sharing ABC programming with KERO-TV until KLYD-TV (channel 17, now KGET-TV) signed on in 1959.
Shortly after becoming a full CBS affiliate, channel 29 changed its calls to the current KBAK-TV. In 1974, KBAK swapped affiliations with channel 17, then known as KJTV, and became an ABC affiliate. [1] [2] As a CBS and later ABC affiliate, KBAK had aired all of its color programs in color, and went to full color in 1967.
During the 1970s and into the 1980s, KBAK was owned by Chicago-based Harriscope Broadcasting, which also owned WSNS in Chicago (now a Telemundo O&O) and a partial stake in KRQE in Albuquerque (now owned by LIN TV). In the late 1980s, KBAK started signing off only on Fridays, and Saturdays, which as a CBS affiliate it continued to do until May 2008, when the sign-offs on KBAK and KBFX were discontinued and were replaced by a simulcast of the Kern Weather Channel, which is also available on digital cable systems in the Bakersfield area.
In 1986, Harriscope sold KBAK to Burnham Broadcasting, which also owned KHON-TV inHonolulu and would later acquire WVUE in New Orleans, WALA-TV in Mobile, Alabama andWLUK in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In 1995, Burnham sold most of its stations to SF Broadcasting, a joint venture between Fox and Savoy Pictures, but KBAK was not included in the sale to SF Broadcasting, and was instead spun off to Westwind Communications, a locally-based company linked to former Burnham executives.
In 1995, McGraw-Hill cut an affiliation deal with ABC which called for all of its stations, including KERO-TV, to become ABC affiliates. Largely by default, KBAK rejoined CBS when KERO picked up ABC in March 1996.
On August 6, 2007, Westwind Communications announced the sale of KBAK and KBFX-CA to Fisher Communications of Seattle. [3] The deal closed on January 1, 2008. This marked a re-entry to the Central Valley for Fisher, who previously bought and sold KJEO (now KGPE) inFresno in the late 1990s.
In mid-May 2010, KBAK became the first station in Bakersfield to begin broadcasting local newscasts in 16:9 widescreen standard definition. Then on January 16, 2011, KBAK took it one step further to become the first station in Bakersfield to launch local news in true high definition.[2] The KBFX shows were included in the upgrade to HD; however, that station transmits in HD only via its low-power Class A digital terrestrial signal and its digital cable feed since its signal on KBAK's digital subchannel is transmitted in letterboxed SD.
The current announcer for KBAK CBS 29 and KBFX FOX 58 is best known nationally recognized voice over, Eric Gordon.[3]
News team[]
- Anchors
- Erin Briscoe - weekday mornings on Eyewitness News Mornings (5-7 on KBAK and 7-9 a.m. on KBFX)
- Robert Finnerty - weekday mornings on Eyewitness News Mornings (5-7 on KBAK and 7-9 a.m. on KBFX)
- Tom Murphy - weekdays at noon (KBAK) and 12:30 p.m. (on KBFX)
- Dave Gonzales - weeknights at 5, 6, 10 (KBFX) and 11 p.m.
- Rachelle Murcia - weeknights at 5, 6, 10 (KBFX) and 11 p.m.
- Mimi Elkalla - weekends at 5, 6, 10 (KBFX) and 11 p.m.; also general assignment reporter
- Weather team
- Aaron Perlman - weather anchor; weekday mornings on Eyewitness News Mornings (5-7 on KBAK and 7-9 a.m. on KBFX) and weekdays at noon and 12:30 p.m. (KBFX)
- Miles Muzio - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6, 10 (KBFX) and 11 p.m.
- Kahtia Hall - weather anchor; weekends at 5, 6, 10 (KBFX) and 11 p.m., also general assignment reporter
- Sports team
- Greg Kerr - sports director; weeknights at 5, 6, 10 (KBFX) and 11 p.m.
- Jon Tritsch - sports anchor; weekends at 5, 6, 10 (KBFX) and 11 p.m., also sports reporter
- Reporters
- Amity Addrisi - reporter/fill-in weather
- Cambi Brown - morning reporter
- Keisha Courtney - multimedia journalist
- Carol Ferguson - crime and government
- Jose Gaspar - reporter/fill-in anchor
- Megan Munro - reporter/fill-in anchor
News/Station presentation[]
Newscast titles[]
- KAFY Television Newsreel (1953–1954)
- The Big News (?–1960s)
- Newsline 29 (1960s)
- Newseye (1960s)
- The Night Report (1966–1969)
- The Television 29 News (1969–1973)
- Eyewitness News (1970s)
- The Hal Lafoon News (1973–1974)
- 29-TV ABC News (1974–1977)
- The News Today (1977–1979)
- TeleNews 29 (1979–1981)
- NewsForce 29 (1981–1985)
- News 29 (1985–1992)
- (Channel/CBS 29) Eyewitness News (1992–present)
Station slogans[]
- 29-TV's The One (1977-1980; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- We`re The One You Can Turn To, 29-TV (1978-1979; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- 29 is New for You (1980)
- You and Me and 29 (1980-1981; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- We're Comin' on Strong (1981)
- Now is the Time, 29's The Place (1981-1982; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- Our Strength is Our People (1982)
- Come on Along with 29 (1982-1983; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- That Special Feeling on 29 (1983-1984; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- We`re With You on 29 (1984-1985; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- You`ll Love It on 29 (1985-1986; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- See the Difference (1986)
- Together on 29 (1986-1987; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- Something`s Happening on 29 (1987-1990; localized version of "Something's Happening on ABC" ad campaign)
- The Hometown Team (1988)
- The Southern Valley's News Leader (1990s-1997)
- Bakersfield's Watching 29 (1990-1992; localized version of "America's Watching ABC" ad campaign)
- If It`s Bakersfield, It Must Be 29 (1992-1993; localized version of "It Must Be ABC" ad campaign)
- Experience You Can Trust (1997–2003)
- Live, Local, Latebreaking (1999–2000)
- CBS 29 and You (2001–2003)
- 29, The Eyewitness News Station (2003–2010)
- Investigating Stories Others Don't (2006–2010)
- Breaking News, Alerts and Investigations (2008)
News themes[]
| Package | Composer | Years Used |
| Fanfare for the Common Man | Aaron Copland, Arrangement by Emerson, Lake & Palmer | 1979–1980 |
| Allegro | Frank Gari Communications | 1989–1997 |
| Millennium 3 | Shelly Palmer | 1997–2001 |
| Impact (V.1, V.2, V.3, V.4) | 615 Music | 2001–2003 |
| Right Here, Right Now | 615 Music | 2003–2008 |
| The Viper | 615 Music | 2008–Present |
Gallery[]
References[]
- ^ The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says August 23, while the Television and Cable Factbook says August 20.
- ^ Eyewitness News 1st to air local HD programming
- ^ KBAK intends to make DTV switch Feb. 17, KBAX/KBFX, Feb 4, 2009