| KSAZ-TV | |
|---|---|
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| Phoenix, Arizona | |
| Branding | Fox 10 (general) Fox 10 News (newscasts) |
| Slogan | Just You Watch The Best |
| Channels | Digital: 10 (VHF) |
| Affiliations | Fox (1995-present) |
| Owner | Fox Television Stations, Inc. (NW Communications of Phoenix, Inc.) |
| Founded | 1953 (as KOY-TV and KOOL-TV) |
| First air date | October 24, 1953 |
| Call letters’ meaning | Spirit of AriZona |
| Sister station(s) | KUTP |
| Former callsigns | KOOL-TV (1953-1982) KTSP-TV (1982-1994) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 10 (VHF, 1953-2009) Digital: 31 (UHF) |
| Former affiliations | ABC (1953-1955) CBS (1955-1995) |
| Transmitter Power | 1000 kW |
| Height | 484 m |
| Facility ID | 35587 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | 33°20′2.3″N 112°3′45.7″W / 33.333972°N 112.062694°W |
| Website | www.myfoxphoenix.com |
KSAZ-TV is the owned-and-operated Fox station in Phoenix, Arizona. It is co-owned with sister KUTP. The station broadcasts in digital on VHF Channel 10 in Phoenix and on numerous translators throughout Northern Arizona. Its transmitter is located on South Mountain in Phoenix.
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Channel 10 was founded in 1953 as a shared-time signal between KOY-TV and KOOL-TV; the two later merged to become simply KOOL-TV. Gene Autry was one of the station's owners. The station was originally an CBS[1] and ABC affiliate until 1955, when KTVK (channel 3) signed on and took the ABC affiliation. As a result, the station was now able to feature Autry's show on its schedule.
On May 28, 1982, at about 5:00 P.M., Joseph Billie Gwin, wanting to "prevent World War III" forced his way into KOOL-TV studio, fired a shot from his gun, the butt struck Louis Villa in the back of the head, Gwin held Villa in a chokehold, at gunpoint for nearly 5 hours. Gwin took 4 people hostage and demanded nationwide air time. 2 hostages, Jack Webb and Bob Cimino, were released 3 hours later. At 9:30 P.M. anchorman, Bill Close read a 20-minute statement as Gwin sat next to him holding a gun under the table, Close took Gwin's gun after the statement and set it on the table.[2][3][4]
The station was sold to Gulf Broadcasting in 1982, and changed its callsign to KTSP-TV. It had been said that the call sign stands for Tempe/Scottsdale/Phoenix, but some have also claimed that the call sign was simply changed to match WTSP in Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida, which the company also owned. KTSP's logo at the time was similar to WTSP's "Sunset 10" logo; it would remain similar until 1995.
KTSP was sold to Taft Broadcasting in 1984, as part of a corporate deal. In 1989, KTSP newscaster Shelly Jamison left the station after appearing nude and on the cover of Playboy magazine.[5]
Taft was restructured into Great American Broadcasting after a hostile investor takeover late in 1987. The station was then sold to New World Communications in 1994.[6] Also in the early 1990s, KTSP's logo was slightly modernized, losing the linear elements at the bottom.
The station changed its call sign to KSAZ on February 12, 1994 to match its new slogan, "The Spirit of Arizona". It remained as CBS network's Phoenix affiliate; however, as a result of a deal reached between New World and Fox, four commercial stations in the Phoenix market swapped network affiliations at different times. KSAZ dropped the CBS affiliation in December 1994, which went to KPHO.[1]
Fox network's prime time and sports programming moved to the station from KNXV (channel 15), although the Fox Kids programming moved to KTVK and in 1995 to KASW (channel 61). KSAZ became known as "10 News" in the fall of 1994 and in December, it rebranded again as "Fox 10 News." With several top-rated syndicated shows moving to other stations in 1995, KSAZ was up to about 50 hours a week of local news. The remaining syndicated programming on the station was rather low-rated, and as a result KSAZ did not have good ratings in its early days as a Fox affiliate. Much of the news audience went to KTVK, the former ABC affiliate which also took on a news-intensive format. In the fall of 1995, KSAZ added 3 hours of talk shows jointly produced by New World and Fox.
Fox purchased New World late in 1996, making KSAZ a fully owned-and-operated station, or "O&O". KSAZ has since been known as Fox 10. Fox then began to upgrade the station's programming, adding some high-rated off-network sitcoms such as M*A*S*H, Seinfeld, and King Of The Hill. The station also added higher-rated court shows and reality shows. Fox Kids though stayed with KASW.
KSAZ and KUTP (channel 45) became sister stations in 2001, making both the only network O&Os in the Phoenix market. KUTP was previously owned by United Television, which had a 50% stake in the UPN network, until Fox bought the station. Although Fox owns both KSAZ and KUTP (now a MyNetworkTV station), neither run the Saturday morning cartoon block eventually known as 4Kids TV. This continued on KASW until 4Kids TV was replaced by Weekend Marketplace as Weekend Marketplace would air on KAZT-CA (channel 7). It was possible after KUTP became a MyNetworkTV affiliate that 4Kids TV could have moved there but nothing was decided.
On July 27, 2007, "SkyFox10" reporter-pilot Don Hooper witnessed a mid-air collision over Phoenix between two news helicopters. There was a police pursuit in progress at the time and two helicopters, one belong to KTVK and the other to KNXV-TV, collided in mid-air and crashed into a city park. There were no survivors. In a video available over the internet, Hooper becomes very shaken and upset as he reports that "Channel 15 and Channel 3 just had a mid-air collision. They are in a park." The video also contains audio of Hooper calling the tower at nearby Sky Harbor airport on his aircraft's FAA radio reporting the collision. Hooper then talks on a discreet frequency to another news helicopter belonging to KPNX (channel 12) saying he is OK, but two other helicopters just crashed. Hooper then says "I think it was Scott" referring to KTVK pilot Scott Bowerbank.
| 10.1 | KSAZ HD |
| 10.2 | KSAZ SD |
KSAZ ceased its analog broadcasts at 8:30AM on 12 June, 2009, the day mandated by the Federal government for TV stations to cease analog transmissions across the country. The analog switchoff occurred during the station's morning newscast. After the transition was complete, KSAZ moved its digital broadcasts to channel 10.[7]
KSAZ broadcasts a total of 48 hours of local news a week (8½ hours on weekdays, 2½ hours on Saturdays and three hours on Sundays), more than any other station in Phoenix and the state of Arizona; however as is standard with Fox stations that carry early evening weekend newscasts, KSAZ's Saturday and Sunday 5PM newscast is subject to preemption due to sports coverage.
On July 31, 2006, KSAZ launched its new 6:00 P.M. newscast. The newscast is anchored by Troy Hayden, who also anchors the 10:00 P.M. newscast. Alongside the launch of the newscast was the debut of a brand new look for KSAZ, taking on the generic Fox O&O graphics and logo first used by WTVT and WNYW.
On July 6, 2009 starting with the 5PM newscast, KSAZ began producing its local newscasts in high definition.
On April 1, 2009, Fox Television Stations and E. W. Scripps Company announced the creation of the Local News Service model in the Phoenix, Detroit and Tampa Markets. The service pools news gathering efforts for general market news events. Each station provides employees to the pool service in exchange for the sharing of video.[8] KPHO-TV signed on to the Phoenix LNS model shortly after the announcement.[9]
(as of May 7, 2009)
Current Anchors
Reporters
FOX10 Investigators
FOX10 Weather Authority
Sports Team
| Name | Position at KSAZ | Years Active | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephanie Angelo | General Assignment Reporter | Unknown | Married Fox 10 News Live at 6 and 10 Anchor Troy Hayden, now an interior designer in Phoenix. |
| Kathleen Bade | Host of Fox 10 Arizona Morning | to 2000s | Weeknight 10 PM anchor for KSWB-TV San Diego |
| Bob Bruce | 6 and 10pm anchor | Unknown | WPXI morning anchor |
| Karen Carns | Primetime Anchor | 1989 to mid-1990s | went to KPHO |
| Jennifer Burgess | Fox 10 Arizona Morning Co-Anchor | to mid-2000s | now weathercaster, morning anchor, and reporter for KNXV-TV |
| Bill Leverton | Arizona Road Presenter | to 1990s | Retired |
| Ilona Carson | Fox 10 Arizona Morning Co-Anchor | to 2000s | Anchoring 13 Eyewitness News at Four at KTRK-TV Houston, Texas |
| Bill Close | Evening and late news anchor | 1969-1986 | In retirement |
| Donna Cordova | Weeknight anchor | 1989-1993 | Anchoring news at 10PM weeknights on KTXL Sacramento, CA |
| Steve Deshler | Morning news anchor and weatherman | 1994-1997 | Real estate agent Chicago, Illinois |
| Pat Flannigan | Weather presenter | Late 1980s to early 1990s | Runs production company in Phoenix |
| Heidi Foglesong | Co-host of Fox 10 Arizona Morning | 1994 to 1996 | Created Life A TO Z on KTVK-TV, now afternoon news co-anchor at KTAR-FM radio |
| Marlene Galan | Co-host of Fox 10 Arizona Morning, Co-anchor of Fox 10 News @ 6 & 10 | 1990s to 2000s | In retirement and married to former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods |
| Robin Garrison | Fox 10 News at 5 and 9 Co-Anchor; Arizona Prime News Co-Anchor | 1994 to 1999 | Residing in Phoenix as a stay-at-home mom |
| J.D. Hayworth | Evening sports anchor | to 1994 | U.S. Congressman elected 1994, unseated in 2006. Hosts talk show on KFYI. |
| Don Hooper | Helicopter pilot-reporter | 2006-2008 | Now flying for Native Air in Arizona |
| Dewey Hopper | Weather anchor at KTSP | 1983-1992 | Later moved to KOVR from 1993-2005, then did local news updates for KPHX/KNUV until shutdown |
| Fred Kalil | Sports Director | 1986-1997 | Now Sports Diector at WXIA-TV in Atlanta, GA |
| Ramin Khalili | General Assignment Reporter | Unknown | Now at WKMG-TV Orlando, FL |
| Kirby Maus | Sports Anchor/Reporter | 1997-2000 | Unknown |
| Dennis McBroom | Traffic reporter | Unknown | Now on KUPD radio in Phoenix |
| Kevin McCabe | Sports Reporter | Unknown | Now at KDUS radio in Phoenix; also sideline reporter for Fox NFL broadcasts, covering Arizona Cardinals home games |
| Terry McSweeney | Co-Anchor for Fox 10 News @ 6 & 10 | to 2001 | Moved to WTEN in Albany, NY as evening anchor (2000-2006), now a reporter at KGO-TV in San Francisco |
| Geoff Morrell | General Assignment Reporter | mid-1990s | Was White House correspondent for ABC News, now press secretary for the Pentagon |
| Anne Montgomery | Sports Reporter | 1980s | later at ESPN, now a teacher at South Mountain High School |
| Vicky Nguyen | Investigative reporter/collaborator | 2004-2006 | Currently reporter at KNTV in San Jose |
| Corrie O'Connor | Traffic reporter | 1994 to 2000 | Working for Clear Channel Communications in Phoenix |
| Dave Patterson | Co-Anchor of Fox 10 NEWS 6am to 9am | 1984 to 1990s | In retirement |
| Natalia Perez | General Assignment Reporter | Unknown | Unknown |
| Rob Piercy | Weekend news co-anchor | To 2004 | Became North Bureau Chief and substitute anchor at KING-TV in Seattle, WA |
| Randy Rauch | Weekend weather presenter | Unknown | Currently at WTSP-TV in Florida as a meteorologist |
| Sherry Ray | Co-host of Fox 10 Arizona Morning, meteorologist on Fox 10 Arizona Morning and Fox 10 News @ NOON | To 2000s | Currently at WTSP-TV in Florida as the weekend meteorologist |
| Gina Salazar-Hook | Anchor/Reporter | 1990s to 2000s | now a spokesperson for Nationwide Vision and occasionally reporting for Fox 10; married to Fox 10 News at 5&9 anchor, John Hook |
| Stephanie Sandoval | Fox 10 News @ 10 co-anchor | Late 2002 to Early 2007 | Currently KNXV-TV's ABC15 Sonoran Living Live Host |
| Jim Schnebelt | Weather anchor | Unknown | Unknown |
| Claren Scott | Co-anchor of Fox 10 News @ 5 | 1980s to late 1990s | Now working for KAET-TV |
| Dale Schornack | Anchor | 1986-1992 | Now weekday anchor at KXTV in Sacramento |
| Tyler Sieswerda | Weekend anchor | Unknown | Now at KVUE-TV in Austin, TX |
| "Skippy" (Tony McGraw) | Co-host of Fox 10 Arizona Morning | Unknown | Weekend DJ at KOOL-FM 94.5 |
| Julie Staley-Rodriguez | Anchor/Reporter | 1990s to 2000s | now spokesperson for Sky Harbor and reporter/anchor for Phoenix government access |
| Mary Zeal-Stoddard | Traffic reporter | Unknown | Occasionally appears on KPNX-TV |
| Gina Sutter | Traffic reporter | Unknown | Unknown |
| Ashlee Tate | Investigative reporter | 2000-2002 | former weekend weather and substitute anchor at KFSN-TV, now weekend evening weather at KTNV in Las Vegas |
| Susan Taylor | Anchor of Fox 10 News @ NOON & Arizona Prime News | Unknown | Lead anchor at KNSD |
| June Thomson | Anchor of Fox 10 NEWS @ 6 & 10 | Unknown | Originally went to KPHO-TV, whereabouts unknown |
| Olga Villaverde | Co-anchor of Fox 10 NEWS 6am to 9am | Unknown | Formerly anchor at Houston's KPRC-TV |
| Tammy Vo | General Assignment Reporter | Unknown | Weekend Anchor/Reporter at KGUN |
| Mary Jo West | Lead anchor, first female to assume such position in Phoenix | 1970s-1984 | Former spokeswoman for Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix; now working for local supermarket chain Bashas' |
| Jayme West | Traffic reporter | Unknown | Now at KTAR-FM |
| Randy Ripplinger | Investigative Reporter | 1979-1980 | Left KOOL and worked as reporter for KATU in Portland, OR, for 13 years, then moved into PR in Vancouver, WA; in 1995 he started PR work in SLC, UT. As of 2009, lives in Fruit Heights, UT, with his wife, Linda. Had 7 children. |
| Todd Whitthorne | Co-host of Fox 10 Arizona Morning, also Sports Anchor/Reporter | 1994-1996 | President/CEO, Cooper Concepts, Dallas, Texas. Speaks nationally regarding health, wellness, and prevention. |
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