KUSI-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = KUSI-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan = More Local News.
station_branding = KUSI (general)
KUSI News (newscasts)
analog = 51 (UHF)
digital = 18 (UHF)
other_chs = K12PO Temecula
affiliations = Independent
network =
founded =
airdate = September 13, 1982
location = San Diego, California
callsign_meaning = U.S. International University
(former name of Alliant International University)
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = McKinnon Broadcasting Company
licensee = Channel 51 of San Diego, Inc.
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = independent (1982-1995)
UPN (1995-1998)
effective_radiated_power = 2820 kW (analog)
355 kW (digital)
HAAT = 584 m (analog)
576 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 10238
coordinates = coord|32|41|50|N|116|56|7|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.kusi.com/ www.kusi.com]

KUSI-TV (Channel 51) is an independent television station based in San Diego, California. The station is owned and operated by Channel 51 of San Diego, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of McKinnon Broadcasting. [http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1132591&Service=TV&Form_id=323&Facility_id=0 Ownership Report for Commercial Broadcast Stations] for KUSI-TV @ FCC.gov] [ [http://sourcebook.sddt.com/source/company.cfm?BusinessCategory_ID=1&Company_ID=1812 KUSI-TV, Cable 9/Channel 51 profile] @ San Diego Source - San Diego Daily Transcript] [ [http://www.sddt.com/Publicnotices/index.cfm?PublicationDate=04%2F5%2F2006&Action=Browse&Category=Fictitious+Name Fictitious Business Name Statement] for KUSI @ San Diego Source - San Diego Daily Transcript] Unlike most other independent television stations, KUSI allocates a significant portion of its broadcast day to news programming, although the station does offer syndicated programming such as "Live with Regis and Kelly", "The Jerry Springer Show", "Judge Judy", "Judge Alex", "Extra", and "Montel Williams", among others.

KUSI is available on cable channel 9 on both of San Diego's area cable systems, Time Warner and Cox. The station is also available on its customary Channel 51 position on both of DirecTV's and Dish Network's Local Channels packages. The station is also rebroadcast on K12PO, a broadcast translator licensed to Temecula, California.

History

KUSI signed on in September 1982 as a general entertainment independent station, airing children's shows, situation comedies, older theatrical and made-for-TV movies, dramas, and sports. For much of the 1980s and 1990s until 2003, KUSI was the over-the-air television home of the San Diego Padres baseball team. Channel 51 also televised Los Angeles Lakers road games (via KHJ/KCAL-TV) until the mid-1990s.

In early 1994, the premiere and expansion of the station's morning newscast had relegated children's programming to the afternoons; by 1995 those shows were scattered to other local outlets and replaced with more court, talk, and reality shows added to KUSI's schedule, mirroring that of Los Angeles' KCAL-TV. Per the branding by station ownership, the station states they have "More Local News" as they statistically have more local news content then other fellow San Diego stations and therefore, the cartoons and recent off-network sitcoms were moved to a weaker station, KSWB-TV which was then a WB affiliate and later affiliated with The CW (2006-2008), and more recently with Fox beginning in 2008.

KUSI gained a network affiliation beginning in 1995, as San Diego's UPN outlet. However, in 1998, the station dropped the affiliation due to low ratings. Many San Diegans without cable (Los Angeles's KCOP-TV was piped in to the area cable systems) nor a strong antenna (facing Los Angeles) could not pick up UPN programming for more than a year until XHUPN (Channel 49) went on the air.

While KUSI was affiliated with UPN, the station tried unsuccessfully to wrestle the Fox affiliation away from the network's then-affiliate XETV-TV (Channel 6) in November 1995. This was after the Fox network first picked up the broadcast rights to the National Football League in 1994, as cited in the United States Court of Appeals ("Channel 51, Inc. vs. Fox Television Stations"). In that case, KUSI filed an appeal against the Federal Communications Commission in granting Fox a permit to broadcast live sports on the Mexican-licensed signal of XETV. In FCC regulations, stations not licensed to the United States were not allowed to air live sporting events without licensing approval. The permit was granted to Fox on behalf of XETV, and the case was settled on March 26, 1996. However, until XETV started its news operations more than a year later, KUSI provided news-gathering resources to Fox's news and sports divisions for the San Diego market. (Similarly, there was a rumor in 2008 that KUSI would pick up the CW affiliation abandoned by KSWB-TV, now known as "Fox 5", but the network signed on with XETV instead.) In the fall of 2007, KUSI was planning to open new state-of-the-art streetside studios in downtown San Diego. However, the building that was supposed to house their new studio was sold. At the present time, KUSI will remain at their Kearny Mesa studios.

Ownership

Channel 51 of San Diego, Inc.::66.26% - Michael D. McKinnon:17.48% - C. Dan McKinnon (Michael D's brother):08.13% - Michael Dean McKinnon (Michael D's son):08.13% - Mark Daniel McKinnon (Michael D's son)

Channel 51 of San Diego, Inc., a California corporation [ [http://kepler.sos.ca.gov/corpdata/ShowAllList?QueryCorpNumber=C1841097&printer=yes Corporation status] @ Secretary of State office - State of California] &Texas Television, Inc., a Texas corporation [ [http://ecpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/servlet/cpa.app.coa.CoaGetTp?Pg=tpid&Search_Nm=Texas%20Television%20&Button=search&Search_ID=17414851794 Franchise Tax Certification of Account Status] @ Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts - State of Texas] are wholly owned subsidiaries of:
McKinnon Broadcasting, Inc., a California corporation. [ [http://kepler.sos.ca.gov/corpdata/ShowAllList?QueryCorpNumber=C0750820&printer=yes Corporation status] @ Secretary of State office - State of California]

News Operations

KUSI became a serious player in the local television news race when they introduced a 10 p.m. newscast in September 1990. Originally anchored by veterans Roger Grimsby and George Reading, it was San Diego's first new local newscast since XETV's previous effort ended in 1972, when XETV lost its ABC affiliation to then-KCST. Currently the evening anchor team consists of mostly longtime veterans of local San Diego television news, including Paul Bloom (several stints at KNSD)and longtime Chicago weatherman and Weather Channel founder John Coleman is the station's chief meteorologist.

In January 1994, joining the growing number of other local stations nationwide, a morning newscast was added, originally anchored by Laura Buxton and Tom Blair (later replaced by Stan Miller). The show, now known as "Good Morning San Diego", gradually phased out the aforementioned children's programming that aired during that period and currently is seen for four hours every day including weekend editions.

KUSI also provides news updates for XX Sports Radio and sister station San Diego 1700 AM. The owners of both stations are close friends.

*"KUSI News @ Six"
*"KUSI News @ Ten"
*"KUSI News @ Eleven"

*(Mondays-Fridays)
**News:Paul Bloom
**Weather:John Coleman
**Sports:Paul Rudy

*(Saturdays-Sundays)
**News:Kelly Ryan
**Weather:Dave Scott
**Sports:Rick Willis

Good Morning San Diego Team

*Kristen Cusato - weekend anchor
*David Davis - weekend anchor
*Joe Lizura - meteorologist (weekdays)
*Phil Konstantin - traffic
*Rod Luck - feature reporter - Currently on indefinite leave
*Sandra Maas - weekday news anchor (also host of "Inside San Diego")
*Bridget Naso - weekday anchor
*Dan Plante - weekday anchor
*Desiree Bates - Graphics and Animation Production
*Gabriel Fregoso- News Voice Captionist

Reporters

*Doug Curlee
*Sasha Foo
*Ed Lenderman
*Lená (pronounced "Le-nay") Lewis (also frequent fill-in weekday anchor)
*John Soderman
*Michael Turko - investigative/consumer

The Prep Pigskin Report

One of the station's most popular locally-produced shows is "The Prep Pigskin Report", which has been awarded the local Emmy award. The hour-long show, which airs live on Friday nights at 11:00 p.m. during the football season, features videotaped highlights from nearly every high school football game in San Diego County played that evening, or in some cases on Thursday.

The Team
*Paul Rudy - host
*Stephanie Kelly
*Lena' Lewis - City Game of the Week reporter
*John Shacklett
*John Soderman - South Bay corrsepondent
*Rick Willis - chief correspondent

Local Programs

*"Inside San Diego" - hosted by Sandra Maas, weekdays 10:00-11:00 a.m.
*"The Prep Pigskin Report" - Fridays 11:00-11:30 p.m. during fall months
*"San Diego People" - featuring the main KUSI anchors, Sundays 10:00-10:30 a.m.

Additional Personnel

*Station General Manager: Mike McKinnon
*News Director: Steve Cohen
*General Sales Manager: Charlie Mandala
*Local/National Sales Manager: Gregg Rawdin
*Local/National Sales Manager: Mark Wilcox
*Evening Animation/Graphics: Shaun Boyer

Logos and promos

References

External links

* [http://www.kusi.com/ KUSI Homepage]
*TVQ|KUSI-TV
**TVQ|K12PO
*BIA|KUSI|TV|TV