KEYE-TV
Encyclopedia
KEYE-TV, digital channel 43 (virtual channel 42), is the CBS
affiliate in Austin, Texas
. It is owned by the Four Points Media Group
, LLC (which in turn is owned by Cerberus Capital Management
.) Sinclair Broadcasting Group has announced a purchase of the the Four Points stations, and has begun operating KEYE-TV through a local service agreement
(LSA) in anticipation of FCC approval, which is expected in first quarter 2012. Its studios are located on Metric Boulevard in North Austin (as one of two stations in this part of town; KVUE
is other), and its transmitter is located in the city.
Digital channels>
Channel
Video
Aspect
Name
Programming
42.1
1080i
16:9
KEYE-DT
Main KEYE programming / CBS
42.2
480i
4:3
KEYE-DT2
Telemundo
KEYE started producing newscasts in high definition
on November 1, 2007. The transition made KEYE the first station in the Austin market — and the first station in the Four Points Media Group — to produce and air newscasts in HD.http://www.keyetv.com/content/entertainment/hd/default.aspx However, while the in-studio video is in high definition, most of the field video remains in pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition. It was announced on March 29, 2008 that 42.2 was being turned on and would soon broadcast the Retro Television Network
with a customized schedule for the Austin market.
On February 17, 2009, KEYE ceased analog broadcasts. Its digital signal remains on channel 43 using PSIP
to display "42" as its virtual channel
number. As of October 1, 2009, 42.2 carries Telemundo
as well as locally produced Spanish-language newscasts weeknights at 5 and 10 p.m., displacing the RTV affiliation.
KEYE is one of only eight Nexstar-owned or managed stations to broadcast local newscasts in high definition or 16:9
widescreen
(five of the others are KUTV, KARK-TV
, KARZ-TV
, KOZL-TV and KOLR
— all of which, like KEYE, also broadcast in partial high definition). WFRV-TV
and WJMN-TV
made the upgrade to high-definition newscasts in late June 2011, just prior to Nexstar's completion of the purchases of the two stations.
affiliate KHFI-TV, when it signed on in 1965. That station moved to channel 36 in 1973 and is now KXAN-TV
. For nine years, channel 42 was dark.
On December 4, 1983, KBVO-TV signed on as Austin's first independent station. The calls came from the University of Texas at Austin
's mascot, Bevo
. It was originally owned by Steve Beard, an Austin advertising executive, and a small group of investors. In 1987, it became affiliated with the upstart Fox
network and began calling itself "Fox 42" on-air in the late 1980s. In 1993, Beard sold the station to Granite Broadcasting for $54 million—a handsome return on his original investment.
purchased KTBC
, which was included in a group deal to switch most of New World's stations to Fox (which later purchased the New World holdings). On July 1, 1995, KTBC and KBVO swapped affiliations, with the CBS affiliation going to KBVO, which changed its calls to the current KEYE. The callsign refers to the famous CBS Eye Logo, as well as to The Eyes of Texas
, one of several songs associated with the aforementioned university.
It called itself "K-EYE 42, Your Eye on Austin" until 1999, branding was shortened to simply "K-EYE," on account of the fact that it was now available to all Austin area cable subscribers on cable channel 5. In 1999, Granite put KEYE up for sale in order to raise money to pay off debt.
It became the second O&O of any major network in the market when CBS, which was in the middle of a merger with former subsidiary Viacom, bought the station in 1999. At that time, KEYE became part of a cluster of television stations in Texas owned by Viacom, alongside Metroplex
stations KTVT
(also a CBS affiliate) and KTXA
(affiliated with UPN
), and Houston UPN station KTXH
. The latter station was then swapped to Fox (alongside WDCA
in Washington, D.C.
) in 2001 for KBHK in the San Francisco Bay Area
.
In 2005 it was rebranded again, strangely enough, to "CBS42 K-EYE" (under the "CBS Mandate") to reflect CBS ownership and for cable subscribers to avoid confusion with San Antonio's CBS outlet KENS-TV
, seen on VHF analog channel 5. As of 2006, the K-EYE branding was phased out in favor of simply CBS42 (except for a website address reference).
On February 7, 2007, CBS agreed to sell seven of its stations to Cerberus Capital Management, L.P.
, for $185 million. Cerberus formed a new holding company for the stations, Four Points Media Group
, who took over the operation of the stations through local marketing agreements in late-June 2007.http://keyetv.com/content/aboutus/default.aspx
January 10, 2008, Four Points officially became the owner of the stations. Four Points operated the stations outright until March 20, 2009 when it entered into a three-year local service agreement (LSA) with the Irving, Texas
-based Nexstar Broadcasting Group
. The latter company then took over the management of all of the Four Points stations including KEYE. In August 2009, the "CBS42" branding was dropped in favor of "KEYE-TV", and the station website address was changed to weareaustin.com.
On September 8, 2011, Sinclair Broadcast Group
announced its intent to purchase Four Points from Cerberus Capital Management for $200 million; Sinclair will begin managing the stations, including KEYE, under local marketing agreements following antitrust approval, until the close of the sale, which is expected in early 2012. The sale to Sinclair will make KEYE-TV the third Sinclair-owned television property in central Texas, as the group already owns Fox affiliate KABB
and CW affiliate KMYS
in San Antonio.
.
, in addition to airing CBS
' coverage of the AFC package of NFL games. As of April 3, 2006, the station is the official home of the Dallas Cowboys
in Austin and airs pre-season games as well as several Cowboys-related shows during the NFL season. Some controversy exists over KEYE's selection of Tennessee Titans
football games (capitalizing on former University of Texas quarterback Vince Young
's popularity in Austin) over those of the Texans.
prime time
from a small closet studio. After the affiliation swap, on July 3, 1995, KEYE immediately launched a full slate of newscasts. Since that time, the first newscast to be dropped was the noon show, the station has also added and since dropped three new hours of weekend morning newscasts. KEYE started out with an Eyewitness News
format (titled K-EYEwitness News), which was used until 2000 (the newscast title was shorted to KEYE News in late 1998, which was used until the "CBS Mandate" was put in place and the title became CBS 42 K-EYE News and then simply CBS 42 News).
The station canceled its 5 p.m. newscast in September 2009, replacing it with We Are Austin LIVE, an hour-long 4 p.m. lifestyle show anchored by Michelle Valles and Jason Wheeler. A few weeks later, the morning newscast was canceled and later replaced with a simulcast of the "J.B. and Sandy Morning Show" on KAMX
Mix 94.7 FM; this left KEYE with only the 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts and a 5:30 p.m. newscast on Sunday evenings. On June 30, 2011, the simulcast of the J.B. and Sandy Morning Show was replaced by We Are Austin Mornings, an extension of We Are Austin LIVE, the first in-house produced morning newscast on KEYE-TV since October 2009; the change was due in part to KEYE and Entercom-owned KAMX being unable to reach a renewal agreement for Channel 42 to continue airing the JB and Sandy Morning Show simulcast. The program's format is similar to that of national morning news programs like Today, Good Morning America
and The Early Show
.
, and KXAN-TV
, thus making it one of the fastest growing stations in Central Texas. KEYE consistently trades second and third place in the Austin Nielsens with KXAN and occasionally first over long standing leader KVUE.
StormTracker Weather Team
Sports team
Reporters
(previously Infinity Radio) cluster (consisting of KAMX
, KKMJ
, KXBT
and KJCE
at the time) were housed in a separate facility in South Austin. CBS Radio sold the cluster to Entercom Communications
in August 2006, with the group deal closing on November 30, 2007. The broadcasting antennas are on a 369.1 metres tall guyed TV tower at 30°19′19.3″N, 97°48′12.6″W.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. It is owned by the Four Points Media Group
Four Points Media Group
Four Points Media Group LLC is a television station holding company founded by the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management in 2007 with its purchase of seven television stations previously owned by CBS Television Stations, a subsidiary of CBS Corporation.Four Points Media Group took over...
, LLC (which in turn is owned by Cerberus Capital Management
Cerberus Capital Management
Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. is one of the largest private equity investment firms in the United States. The firm is based in New York City, and run by -year-old financier Steve Feinberg. Former U.S...
.) Sinclair Broadcasting Group has announced a purchase of the the Four Points stations, and has begun operating KEYE-TV through a local service agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
(LSA) in anticipation of FCC approval, which is expected in first quarter 2012. Its studios are located on Metric Boulevard in North Austin (as one of two stations in this part of town; KVUE
KVUE
KVUE, virtual channel 24 , is the local Austin, Texas-based ABC affiliate, owned by Belo Corporation. Its transmitter is located in West Lake Hills, just west of Downtown...
is other), and its transmitter is located in the city.
Digital television
Aspect ratio
The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,...
1080i
1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
480i
480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC...
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
KEYE started producing newscasts in high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
on November 1, 2007. The transition made KEYE the first station in the Austin market — and the first station in the Four Points Media Group — to produce and air newscasts in HD.http://www.keyetv.com/content/entertainment/hd/default.aspx However, while the in-studio video is in high definition, most of the field video remains in pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition. It was announced on March 29, 2008 that 42.2 was being turned on and would soon broadcast the Retro Television Network
Retro Television Network
The Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
with a customized schedule for the Austin market.
On February 17, 2009, KEYE ceased analog broadcasts. Its digital signal remains on channel 43 using PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
to display "42" as its virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
number. As of October 1, 2009, 42.2 carries Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
as well as locally produced Spanish-language newscasts weeknights at 5 and 10 p.m., displacing the RTV affiliation.
KEYE is one of only eight Nexstar-owned or managed stations to broadcast local newscasts in high definition or 16:9
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
(five of the others are KUTV, KARK-TV
KARK-TV
KARK, virtual channel 4, is the NBC-affiliated television station for Central Arkansas that is licensed to Little Rock. Owned by the Nexstar Broadcasting Group, the station is sister to MyNetworkTV affiliate KARZ-TV and the two share studios on West Capitol Avenue in Downtown Little Rock one block...
, KARZ-TV
KARZ-TV
KARZ-TV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Central Arkansas. It is licensed to Little Rock. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 42 from a transmitter on Shinall Mountain near the Chenal Valley section of Little Rock...
, KOZL-TV and KOLR
KOLR
KOLR is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Ozark Plateau area of Southwestern Missouri that is licensed to Springfield. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter on Switchgrass Road north of Fordland...
— all of which, like KEYE, also broadcast in partial high definition). WFRV-TV
WFRV-TV
WFRV-TV is a CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and serving Green Bay, the Fox Valley, and Northeastern Wisconsin. The station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter north of the Brown County town of Morrison...
and WJMN-TV
WJMN-TV
WJMN-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Michigan's Central Upper Peninsula licensed to Escanaba. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 48 from a transmitter in unincorporated Northern Delta County south of the Alger County line. The station can also be seen on...
made the upgrade to high-definition newscasts in late June 2011, just prior to Nexstar's completion of the purchases of the two stations.
Early years
Channel 42 had been the original home of NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate KHFI-TV, when it signed on in 1965. That station moved to channel 36 in 1973 and is now KXAN-TV
KXAN-TV
KXAN-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Austin, Texas. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 21 from a transmitter in the West Austin Antenna Farm north of West Lake Hills. Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, the station is sister to MyNetworkTV affiliate KBVO and...
. For nine years, channel 42 was dark.
On December 4, 1983, KBVO-TV signed on as Austin's first independent station. The calls came from the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
's mascot, Bevo
Bevo (mascot)
Bevo is the name of the mascot of the sports teams at the University of Texas at Austin, a Texas longhorn steer with burnt orange coloring. The shape of the Longhorn's head and horns gives rise to the school's hand symbol and saying, Hook 'em Horns...
. It was originally owned by Steve Beard, an Austin advertising executive, and a small group of investors. In 1987, it became affiliated with the upstart Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
network and began calling itself "Fox 42" on-air in the late 1980s. In 1993, Beard sold the station to Granite Broadcasting for $54 million—a handsome return on his original investment.
From Fox to CBS
In 1995, New World CommunicationsNew World Communications
New World Pictures was an independent motion picture and television production company, and later television station owner in the United States from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s...
purchased KTBC
KTBC
KTBC, channel 7, is the Fox owned-and-operated television station in Austin, Texas. Studios are located in downtown Austin at the corner of 10th and Brazos Streets , and its transmitter is located in the city....
, which was included in a group deal to switch most of New World's stations to Fox (which later purchased the New World holdings). On July 1, 1995, KTBC and KBVO swapped affiliations, with the CBS affiliation going to KBVO, which changed its calls to the current KEYE. The callsign refers to the famous CBS Eye Logo, as well as to The Eyes of Texas
The Eyes of Texas
"The Eyes of Texas" is the alma mater of the University of Texas at Austin. It is set to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad." Students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the University sing the song at Longhorn sports games and other events....
, one of several songs associated with the aforementioned university.
It called itself "K-EYE 42, Your Eye on Austin" until 1999, branding was shortened to simply "K-EYE," on account of the fact that it was now available to all Austin area cable subscribers on cable channel 5. In 1999, Granite put KEYE up for sale in order to raise money to pay off debt.
It became the second O&O of any major network in the market when CBS, which was in the middle of a merger with former subsidiary Viacom, bought the station in 1999. At that time, KEYE became part of a cluster of television stations in Texas owned by Viacom, alongside Metroplex
Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
stations KTVT
KTVT
KTVT, virtual channel 11, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas, and serving the Dallas-Fort Worth designated market area. The station is co-owned with independent station KTXA , and the two stations share facilities in Dallas and Fort Worth...
(also a CBS affiliate) and KTXA
KTXA
KTXA, virtual channel 21 , is an independent television station based in Fort Worth, Texas, and serving the Dallas/Fort Worth designated market area. With its transmitter in Cedar Hill, KTXA is owned by CBS Corporation and is the sister station of CBS outlet KTVT .KTXA was originally an...
(affiliated with UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
), and Houston UPN station KTXH
KTXH
KTXH, digital channel 19 , is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station in Houston, Texas. It is owned by the Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is one-half of a duopoly with Fox network station KRIV .Along with programming from MyNetworkTV, the station also airs...
. The latter station was then swapped to Fox (alongside WDCA
WDCA
WDCA, virtual channel 20, is a television station in Washington, D.C.. Owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, WDCA is a sister station to Fox network outlet WTTG , and is affiliated with the co-owned MyNetworkTV programming service...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
) in 2001 for KBHK in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
.
In 2005 it was rebranded again, strangely enough, to "CBS42 K-EYE" (under the "CBS Mandate") to reflect CBS ownership and for cable subscribers to avoid confusion with San Antonio's CBS outlet KENS-TV
KENS-TV
KENS is the CBS affiliate television station in San Antonio, Texas owned and operated by The Belo Corporation. Prior to late April 2010, KENS also managed UPN, later The CW, affiliate station KCWX through a local marketing agreement...
, seen on VHF analog channel 5. As of 2006, the K-EYE branding was phased out in favor of simply CBS42 (except for a website address reference).
On February 7, 2007, CBS agreed to sell seven of its stations to Cerberus Capital Management, L.P.
Cerberus Capital Management
Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. is one of the largest private equity investment firms in the United States. The firm is based in New York City, and run by -year-old financier Steve Feinberg. Former U.S...
, for $185 million. Cerberus formed a new holding company for the stations, Four Points Media Group
Four Points Media Group
Four Points Media Group LLC is a television station holding company founded by the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management in 2007 with its purchase of seven television stations previously owned by CBS Television Stations, a subsidiary of CBS Corporation.Four Points Media Group took over...
, who took over the operation of the stations through local marketing agreements in late-June 2007.http://keyetv.com/content/aboutus/default.aspx
January 10, 2008, Four Points officially became the owner of the stations. Four Points operated the stations outright until March 20, 2009 when it entered into a three-year local service agreement (LSA) with the Irving, Texas
Irving, Texas
Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...
-based Nexstar Broadcasting Group
Nexstar Broadcasting Group
Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., is an entity of broadcast television stations headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company consists of 50 television stations across the U.S., ranging from market sizes 9 to 201 . 43 of the stations are broadcasting at full power, with the other 4 broadcasting at...
. The latter company then took over the management of all of the Four Points stations including KEYE. In August 2009, the "CBS42" branding was dropped in favor of "KEYE-TV", and the station website address was changed to weareaustin.com.
On September 8, 2011, Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
announced its intent to purchase Four Points from Cerberus Capital Management for $200 million; Sinclair will begin managing the stations, including KEYE, under local marketing agreements following antitrust approval, until the close of the sale, which is expected in early 2012. The sale to Sinclair will make KEYE-TV the third Sinclair-owned television property in central Texas, as the group already owns Fox affiliate KABB
KABB
KABB is the Fox Network affiliate television station in San Antonio, Texas. It is co-owned with The CW Television Network affiliate KMYS by the Sinclair Broadcast Group...
and CW affiliate KMYS
KMYS
KMYS, channel 35, is the CW affiliate in San Antonio, Texas. The station is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. It is licensed to the nearby city of Kerrville. Its transmitter is located near Lakehills, Texas.-Founding:...
in San Antonio.
Programming
Syndicated programming on KEYE includes: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Dr. Phil, and The 700 ClubThe 700 Club
The 700 Club is the flagship news talk show of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing in syndication throughout the United States and Canada. In production since 1966, it is currently hosted by Pat Robertson, Terry Meeuwsen, Kristi Watts, and Gordon P. Robertson, two of whom will host on any...
.
NFL preseason coverage
From 2002 to 2008, KEYE was the Austin home for pre-season games of the Houston TexansHouston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, in addition to airing CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' coverage of the AFC package of NFL games. As of April 3, 2006, the station is the official home of the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in Austin and airs pre-season games as well as several Cowboys-related shows during the NFL season. Some controversy exists over KEYE's selection of Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
football games (capitalizing on former University of Texas quarterback Vince Young
Vince Young
Vincent Paul Young, Jr. , nicknamed "VY", is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Tennessee Titans. Young was the third overall draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college...
's popularity in Austin) over those of the Texans.
News operation
Before switching networks to CBS, KEYE (then KBVO) had no newscasts with the exception of nightly, three-minute updates aired during FoxFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
from a small closet studio. After the affiliation swap, on July 3, 1995, KEYE immediately launched a full slate of newscasts. Since that time, the first newscast to be dropped was the noon show, the station has also added and since dropped three new hours of weekend morning newscasts. KEYE started out with an Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
format (titled K-EYEwitness News), which was used until 2000 (the newscast title was shorted to KEYE News in late 1998, which was used until the "CBS Mandate" was put in place and the title became CBS 42 K-EYE News and then simply CBS 42 News).
The station canceled its 5 p.m. newscast in September 2009, replacing it with We Are Austin LIVE, an hour-long 4 p.m. lifestyle show anchored by Michelle Valles and Jason Wheeler. A few weeks later, the morning newscast was canceled and later replaced with a simulcast of the "J.B. and Sandy Morning Show" on KAMX
KAMX
KAMX is a commercial radio station licensed to Luling, Texas, United States, broadcasting to the Austin, Texas area from studios and transmitter in West Lake Hills, Texas...
Mix 94.7 FM; this left KEYE with only the 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts and a 5:30 p.m. newscast on Sunday evenings. On June 30, 2011, the simulcast of the J.B. and Sandy Morning Show was replaced by We Are Austin Mornings, an extension of We Are Austin LIVE, the first in-house produced morning newscast on KEYE-TV since October 2009; the change was due in part to KEYE and Entercom-owned KAMX being unable to reach a renewal agreement for Channel 42 to continue airing the JB and Sandy Morning Show simulcast. The program's format is similar to that of national morning news programs like Today, Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
and The Early Show
The Early Show
The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...
.
Ratings
In contrast to former Fox stations on UHF that are now CBS, ABC or NBC stations — which often have had no success against their better-established news competitors, resulting in several cancellations — KEYE has been successful with their newscasts in a mostly-UHF market, competing with KTBC, KVUEKVUE
KVUE, virtual channel 24 , is the local Austin, Texas-based ABC affiliate, owned by Belo Corporation. Its transmitter is located in West Lake Hills, just west of Downtown...
, and KXAN-TV
KXAN-TV
KXAN-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Austin, Texas. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 21 from a transmitter in the West Austin Antenna Farm north of West Lake Hills. Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, the station is sister to MyNetworkTV affiliate KBVO and...
, thus making it one of the fastest growing stations in Central Texas. KEYE consistently trades second and third place in the Austin Nielsens with KXAN and occasionally first over long standing leader KVUE.
Newscast titles
- K-EYEwitness News (1995–1998)
- K-EYE News (1998–2005)
- CBS42 K-EYE News (2005–2006)
- CBS42 News (2006–2009)
- CBS42 News in HD (2007–2009)
- KEYE-TV News (2009–present)
Station slogans
- Channel 42, Austin's Superstation (1983–1986)
- Don't Let Fox 42 Weekends Pass You By (1987–1988; localized version of Fox ad campaign)
- Your Eye On Austin (1995–2003)
- Coverage You Can Count On (2003–2007, dropped as ownership transferred from CBS)
- CBS 42 is Always On (2005–present)
- We Are Austin (2008–present)
Current on-air staff (as of October 2011)
Anchors- Bettie Cross - We Are Austin LIVE (weekdays at 4 p.m.)
- Fred Cantu - We Are Austin Mornings (weekday mornings) (on an interim basis)
- Karla Leal - weeknights at 5 and 10 p.m. (on Telemundo Austin)
- Judy Maggio - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Ron Oliveira - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Katherine Stolp - Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m.
- Jason Wheeler - We Are Austin LIVE (weekdays at 4 p.m.)
StormTracker Weather Team
- Troy Kimmel (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
Certified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast Meteorologist is a rating for meteorologists given by the American Meteorological Society.The Certified Broadcast Meteorologist program was established to raise the professional standard in broadcast meteorology and encourage a broader range of scientific understanding,...
and NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
Seals of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m. - Allison Miller (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
, NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
member) - meteorologist; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m. - Kelly Slifka - meteorologist; We Are Austin Mornings (weekday mornings)
Sports team
- Bob Ballou - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Courtney Timmons - sports anchor; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m.
- Adam Winkler - sports reporter
Reporters
- Chris Coffey - general assignment reporter
- Hunter Ellis - We Are Austin LIVE reporter
- Ryan Loyd - general assignment reporter
- Julie Musgrave - general assignment reporter
- Lydia Pantazes - general assignment reporter
- Sarykarmen Rivera - general assignment reporter
Notable former on-air staff
- Shaun RobinsonShaun RobinsonShaun Robinson is weekend anchor and correspondent for the show Access Hollywood, the daily entertainment newsmagazine show...
- 5 p.m. anchor (1995-?; now at Access HollywoodAccess HollywoodAccess Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
)
Former Austin CBS cluster
When KEYE was owned by CBS, the Austin CBS RadioCBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
(previously Infinity Radio) cluster (consisting of KAMX
KAMX
KAMX is a commercial radio station licensed to Luling, Texas, United States, broadcasting to the Austin, Texas area from studios and transmitter in West Lake Hills, Texas...
, KKMJ
KKMJ
KKMJ-FM is an Austin, Texas radio station operating an Adult Contemporary format playing music from mainly the 1970s through today. Better known as "Majic 95.5," is licensed to the city with an ERP of 50,000 Watts at 95.5 MHz from a transmitter site near West Lake Hills, Texas, and is owned by...
, KXBT
KXBT
KTXX-FM is a sports radio station serving the Austin area. The BMP Radio outlet broadcasts at 104.9 MHz with an ERP of 3,200 watts and is licensed to Bee Cave, Texas...
and KJCE
KJCE
KJCE is a radio station in Austin, Texas. The station operates on 1370 kHz under the ownership of Entercom Communications. KJCE has maintained its talk format since 2002. Previously, KJCE was an Urban AC station branded as 'K-Juice 1370'. The current program director is Stephen Michael Kerr...
at the time) were housed in a separate facility in South Austin. CBS Radio sold the cluster to Entercom Communications
Entercom Communications
Entercom Communications Corporation is the fourth-largest broadcasting company in the United States. As of November 2009, Entercom operates 110 radio stations in 23 markets across the United States....
in August 2006, with the group deal closing on November 30, 2007. The broadcasting antennas are on a 369.1 metres tall guyed TV tower at 30°19′19.3″N, 97°48′12.6″W.