KLAS-TV

KLAS-TV

Las Vegas, Nevada
Branding	Channel 8 (general) 8 News Now (newscasts)
Slogan	Nevada's First Choice for News (primary) Anytime. Anywhere. (secondary)
Channels	Digital: 7 (VHF) Virtual: 8 (PSIP)
Subchannels	See article
Affiliations	CBS Me-TV
Owner	Landmark Media Enterprises, LLC (KLAS, LLC)
Founded	July 1953
First air date	July 22, 1953
Call letters' meaning	LAS Vegas and IATA Code for McCarran International Airport
Sister station(s)	WTVF
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 8 (1953-2009)
Transmitter power	30.1 kW
Height	609.1 m
Facility ID	35042
Transmitter coordinates	35°56′44″N 115°2′33″W
Website	8NewsNow.com MeTVLasVegas.com

KLAS-TV, virtual channel 8 (digital channel 7), is the CBS-affiliated television station serving the Las Vegas, Nevada market; it is owned and operated by Landmark Media Enterprises. The station's studios are located at 3228 Channel 8 Drive, and its transmitter is located on Mount Arden in Henderson.

Digital television

Channel	Programming
8.1	Main KLAS-TV programming / CBS
8.2	MeTV

After the digital television transition date of June 12, 2009, KLAS-TV's digital broadcasts remained on channel 7, but through the use of PSIP, digital television will display KLAS-TV's virtual channel as 8.

History

KLAS was the first TV station in Nevada (beating KOLO-TV in Reno by two months and five days) and was started by Hank Greenspun on July 22, 1953. Greenspun also owned the Las Vegas Sun. Greenspun sold it to aviation magnate Howard Hughes in 1968, reportedly because the tycoon was dismayed that the station never played his favorite late-night movies. Some time after Hughes' death in 1976, the station was sold to its current owner, Landmark Communications. Landmark Communications renamed itself to Landmark Media Enterprises in September 2008.

On April 16, 1996, KLAS-TV became the first commercial station in Nevada (and one of the first in the United States) to carry a digital broadcast signal. This was for the National Association of Broadcasters annual convention. A little more than four years later on April 6, 2000 the first scheduled high definition network broadcasts in Las Vegas began on KLAS' digital signal.

On January 30, 2008, Landmark announced its intention to sell KLAS, along with its other TV station WTVF in Nashville. No suitable buyer for KLAS was found until Landmark took most of its properties off the market in October 2008 due to the credit crisis. KLAS and WTVF will remain owned by Landmark for the foreseeable future.

News operation

KLAS' newscasts are generally named 8 News Now. KLAS previously branded its newscasts as Eyewitness News, taking over the name from 1982 after KVBC discontinued using the branding until late 2009. Originally, its newscasts were branded as Newscenter 8, and used the opening Phenix Horns music of Earth Wind & Fire's 1979 single In The Stone for two years. In addition, all KLAS newscasts are simulcast and later rebroadcast on Las Vegas ONE, a regional news channel jointly operated by KLAS, Cox Communications, and the Las Vegas Sun.

For years, KLAS produced a daily interview show, Face to Face with business and political writer Jon Ralston, on sister channel Las Vegas One. Face to Face moved to KVBC Channel 3 in January 2010. Channel 8 has been the ratings leader in Las Vegas for most of its history. On September 21, 1981, KLAS-TV became the first station in Nevada to provide hour-long newscasts.

In March 2006, KLAS revamped Eyewitness News This Morning. At the time, Casey Smith and Charlotte Evans anchored the newscasts, with Sherry Swensk doing the weather, and Dayna Roselli and Justin Cooper (who is no longer with KLAS for non-conflicting reasons) with Skywitness Traffic. Casey Smith left the station to further pursue his professional career, while Charlotte Evans moved to the noon and 4:30 p.m. newscasts. Smith was thanked for his dedication and contributions. In their place, the station promoted longtime sports director Dave McCann to fill one anchoring spot. Denise Valdez, who had just joined the station in January 2006, swapped positions with Charlotte, leaving the noon and 4:30 p.m. newscasts. Smith joined ABC affiliate KTNV (channel 13) a short time later and is now that station's morning and midday anchor. Evans was let go from the station during a massive reorganization in 2008.

Later that year, the station kept its name going. Longtime Metereologist Kevin Janison left the station before re-surfacing (after sitting out a year) at NBC affiliate, KVBC (now KSNV). Gina Cancelliere, Kevin's replacement, joined the station in September 2006. Cancelliere did not stay with the station long. After having a baby, she left to be a stay at home Mom and KLAS brought in Darren Miller as her replacement. On September 17, 2006 KLAS became the first station in the Las Vegas market and the state of Nevada, and the eleventh station in the United States, to broadcast its local newscasts in high definition.

KLAS produced a 10 p.m. newscast for KTUD-CA called UPN Eyewitness News, anchored by Denise Saunders. In the fall of 2006 when UPN and The WB merged, KTUD was rebranded on-air as "Vegas TV" and the newscasts was renamed to suit the new identity. Shortly after the merger however, the station dropped the 10 p.m. newscast and Sanders would later go to KTNV (KTUD later revived its 10 p.m. newscast, produced by KSNV, from October 2009 to August 2010).

Newscasts

Weekdays

• 8 News Now This Morning - 4-7 a.m.
• 8 News Now at Noon - 12-12:30 p.m.
• 8 News Now at 4 - 4-4:30 p.m.
• 8 News Now at 4:30 - 4:30-5 p.m.
• 8 News Now at 5 - 5-5:30 p.m.
• 8 News Now at 6 - 6-6:30 p.m.
• 8 News Now at 11 - 11-11:35 p.m.

Saturdays

• 8 News Now at 5 - 5-5:30 p.m.
• 8 News Now at 6:30 - 6:30-7 p.m.
• 8 News Now at 11 - 11-11:35 p.m.

Sundays

• 8 News Now Sunday Morning at 6 a.m. - 6-6:30 a.m.
• 8 News Now Sunday Morning at 8 a.m. - 8-8:30 a.m.
• 8 News Now at 5 - 5-5:30 p.m.
• 8 News Now at 6:30 - 6:30-7 p.m.
• 8 News Now at 11 - 11-11:35 p.m.

News/station presentation

Newscast titles

• Shell News (1953–1957)
• KLAS-TV News (1957–1966)
• The Big News
• Channel 8 News (1966–1974)
• TV-8 News (1974–1980)
• NewsCenter 8 (1980–1982)
• Eyewitness News 8 (1982–1989)
• Channel 8 Eyewitness News (1989–2009)
• Channel 8 Eyewitness News HD (2006–2009)
• 8 News Now (2009–present)

Station slogans

• "Channel 8 News, in Color" (late 1960s-early 1970s)
• "Turn to Channel 8" (early 1970s)
• "Count on the TV-8 News" (late 1970s)
• "Join the Team, on NewsCenter 8" (early 1980s)
• "The NewsChannel for Southern Nevada" (mid-1980s)
• "Southern Nevada's 24-Hour News Source" (late 1980s)
• "Southern Nevada's Number One News Team" (early 1990s)
• "People You Can Count On" (1992–1995)
• "The News Leader" (1995–2006)
• "The First Local News in HD" (2006–2009)
• "This Is Where Experience Counts!" (2009)
• "Anytime. Anywhere." (2009–present; secondary slogan)
• "Nevada's First Choice for News" (2009–present; primary slogan)

This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

News team

Anchors

• Patranya Bhoolsuwan - Sunday mornings 8 News Now This Morning; fill-in weekday morning anchor and weeknight 4, 5 and 6 p.m. reporter
• Dave Courvoisier - weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.
• Paula Francis - weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.
• Dave McCann - weekday mornings 8 News Now This Morning
• Dayna Roselli - weekday mornings 8 News Now This Morning
• Chris Saldana - weekends at 5, 6:30 and 11 p.m.
• Denise Valdez - weekdays at noon, 4 and 4:30 p.m.
• Gary Waddell - weekdays at noon, 4 and 4:30 p.m.

8 News Now Neighborhood Weather

• Darren Miller (AMS member; NWA member) - chief meteorologist; weekdays at 4 and 4:30, and weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.
• Tedd Florendo (member, AMS; member, NWA) - meteorologist; Sunday mornings 8 News Now This Morning, and weekends at 5, 6:30 and 11 p.m., also reporter
• Sherry Swensk - weather anchor; weekday mornings 8 News Now This Morning and noon

Sports team

• Chris Maathuis - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.
• Scott Bemis - sports anchor; weekends at 6:30 and 11 p.m.

I-Team

• George Knapp - senior investigative reporter
• Collen McCarty - investigative reporter
• Steve Sebelius - investigative reporter
• Nathan Baca - investigative reporter

Reporters

• Zahid Arab - general assignment reporter
• Calvert Collins - general assignment reporter
• Aaron Drawhorn - general assignment reporter
• Jamie Guirola - general assignment reporter
• Sharie Harvin - weeknight 4, 5 and 6 p.m. reporter
• Brian Loftus - weekday morning traffic reporter
• Ken Smith - "Chopper 8" reporter; weekday mornings 8 News Now This Morning, weekdays at 4 and weeknights at 5 p.m.

Notable former on-air staff

• Cindy Cesare - reporter (now at Cin City Media, Inc.)
• Ned Day - reporter (1970-1987; deceased)
• Brian Wood (journalist) - anchor/reporter (now at KATU in Portland, OR)

This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

Translator channels

KLAS' signal is relayed on the following translator channels:

• K09FL Caliente
• K24GY-D Ely
• K50IY-D Ely & McGill
• K51GR Eureka
• K46GX Henderson
• K31BI Kingman, Arizona
• K22DR Laughlin
• K47HV Lund & Preston
• K18IP-D Overton
• K24BY Pahrump
• K49AB Pahrump
• K06DM Panaca
• K55AO Panaca
• K09FJ Pioche
• K03DS-D Ruth
• K09FK Ursine

Heliport

KLAS Channel 8 Heliport - (FAA LID: NV38)

External links

• 8NewsNow.com (Official KLAS-TV Website)
• MeTVLasVegas.com (Official Me-TV Las Vegas Website)
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KLAS
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KLAS-TV