KSBI

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KSBI, referred to as "KSBI 52" or "Thunder TV", is an independent television station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is locally owned and operated by Family Broadcasting Group of Oklahoma, an Oklahoma-based company founded by Brady M. Brus., in a duopoly with America One affiliate KXOC-LP 41.

The station broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 51, using its former analog channel assignment of 52 as its virtual channel via PSIP. On cable, KSBI-TV can be seen on cable channel 15 (715 HD) on Cox in the Oklahoma City metro area and can be seen on several cable systems across the state. The station is available to Dish Network customers within the Oklahoma City market and to DirecTV customers in both the Oklahoma City and Tulsa markets.

History

KSBI-TV began operation October 3, 1988 under the direction of founder, Don J. Locke, owner of Locke Supply Co. During the period of 1988 through July 21, 2003, KSBI was run purely as a ministry, with no commercial goals.

Locke died in February 2000, and in April 2001 the Board of Directors of Locke Supply Co. was approached by various Oklahoma and other national broadcast entities with the desire to purchase the statewide network. The decision was ultimately made to sell the KSBI Television Network to enable Locke Supply to focus their time and resources solely on the profitable Locke Supply, Co. Mr. Locke had founded over three decades ago. With the direction left by Mr. Locke, it was the desire of the board that the future owners of KSBI-TV would work with integrity and honor in the community. Locke Supply, Co. chose to sell the KSBI television network to Family Broadcasting Group, Inc. The sale of the network was finalized in March 2004.

Family Broadcasting Group is headed by Founder and President, Brady M. Brus. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma College of Geosciences, Brady spent nearly a decade as a meteorologist at Oklahoma City CBS affiliate. His desire to serve the state of Oklahoma with quality family-friendly programming has translated into his current role as President of Family Broadcasting Group, Inc. Upon leaving the CBS affiliate in early 2001, Brady formed FBG, Inc. and eventually purchased the KSBI Television Network.

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KSBI logo used from 2003 to 2009.

KSBI-TV reaches nearly the entire state of Oklahoma. In addition to over-the-air digital broadcast, it is carried on cable providers across the state. KSBI also has twelve translator sites across Oklahoma, which enables viewers to tune in all the way from Tulsa to Elk City and from Ponca City to Lake Texoma.

Family Broadcasting Group, Inc. took over operations in March 2004. Since that time, FBG has been repositioning KSBI-TV in the marketplace as "Oklahoma’s Family Television Station". With the implementation of new family-friendly syndicated programming, local and national sporting events, local and national news and information programs, 24-hour-a-day weather coverage, and various other locally produced programs, FBG has seen a tremendous response from the viewers and advertisers. Among many firsts, KSBI-TV is the first station in the market to have remote cameras positioned across the state of Oklahoma.

In addition to broadcasting high school sports over the years, utilizing the station’s 40-foot state of the art production truck, during the summer of 2008, Family Broadcasting Group, Inc. signed a long term deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA franchise. KSBI is now being repositioned as "Thunder TV", with exclusive preseason and regular season game coverage, special Thunder programming, and an exclusive marketing relationship with the NBA team.

The station has also completed their new state-of-the-art facility, located in north Oklahoma City. The new facility will be occupied by September 2009, with a new state of the art set, control room, and even a workout room for the staff.

In 2009, during retransmission negotiations, KSBI was added to tens of thousands of additional households in the Tulsa area on DirecTV's channel lineup. KSBI is the only Oklahoma City station reaching five designated market areas (Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Wichita, Wichita Falls and Ada/Sherman), and is the only Oklahoma City station with translators, cable coverage, and satellite carriage in the Tulsa market.

After FBG, Inc. restructured equity to retire all long-term debt and accelerate growth, on September 10, 2009, the FCC approved transferring a portion of FBG's stock from Brady Brus & Angela Brus to Aubrey McClendon and Tom L. Ward, ref>http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=1308240</ref>

Translators

KSBI-TV broadcasts across the state of Oklahoma through the following translators:

• K13XU in Tulsa, Oklahoma
• K15DA in Tulsa, Oklahoma
• K35CU in Ada, Oklahoma
• K17FB in Ardmore, Oklahoma
• K45EJ in Enid, Oklahoma
• K20HO in Lawton, Oklahoma
• K14LD in Muskogee, Oklahoma
• K54FZ in Ponca City, Oklahoma
• K21DF in Stillwater, Oklahoma
• KFVT-LP 40 in Wichita, Kansas
• K48HU in Wichita Falls, Texas
• K51EK in McAlester, Oklahoma

Digital Television

KSBI-DT broadcasts on digital channel 51.

Digital channels

Channel	Name	Programming
52.1	KSBI-DT	main KSBI programming
52.2	KXOC-LP	Syndicated programming, local news, sports and weather, some American One programming

Analog-to-digital conversion

KSBI-TV made the decision to continue to broadcast both their analog and digital signal past February 17, 2009, enabling viewers who were not prepared for the transition during the spring severe weather season to continue and receive weather information through the severe weather season. KSBI's broadcasts became digital-only effective June 1, 2009.

Programming

KSBI's programming philosophy is family-oriented and contains little overt sexual content, overt violence, or very strong language. Most of KSBI's secular programming consists of series from the 1970s to the 1990s, though this has changed in the last couple of years as the station has begun gravitating toward more first-run syndicated programs. The schedule previously had select programming from the 1960s, however, all series from that decade that aired on KSBI have been purged from the schedule.

The 2008-2009 season saw an increase in the amount of first-run syndicated programs with the additions of the reality program NurseTV, in addition to its other first-run offerings. KSBI also obtained local syndication rights to the ABC drama Lost, and the Discovery Channel reality series American Chopper, and for the fall 2009 television season obtained local syndication rights for the Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch and Cold Case Files, Martha Stewart, Judge Hatchett and the sitcom My Wife and Kids with The King of Queens to be added to the schedule in 2010.

Sports

KSBI-TV produces and broadcasts local non-professional sports including high school basketball and football games. KSBI-TV held the contractual exclusive rights to air post-season high school sports in Oklahoma.

On October 2, 2008, it was announced that KSBI would become the official over-the-air broadcaster of Oklahoma City Thunder NBA basketball team (which relocated from Seattle that year). As a part of the long term relationship, KSBI also rebranded as Thunder TV for its Thunder broadcasts in late October 2008. [1]

News operations

Immediately following the sale, KSBI began airing occasional local breaking news stories. In 2004, KSBI launched a morning news show called Hello Oklahoma. After KSBI chose to cease production of Hello Oklahoma a couple of years later, KSBI announced plans for a new early evening newscast (later named Oklahoma News Tonight, and now known as KSBI-TV News (at 5:30/6:00) since 2009). The hour-long newscast is anchored by Kealey McIntire and Jake Charles. In addition to carrying local news, KSBI also airs primetime Presidential press conferences, State of the Union addresses, and local and national breaking news. KSBI is a CNN affiliate.

In late September 2009, KSBI temporarily suspended its regular evening newscast while the station moves to its new studios in North Oklahoma City, broadcasting only five-minute news, weather and sports updates at 5, 5:30 and 6PM until the move is completed, when the regular hour-long newscast will resume.

Personalities

Current On-Air Talent

Current Anchors

• Jake Charles - weeknights at 5:30 and 6PM
• Kealey McIntire - weeknights at 5:30 and 6PM

Reporters

• Ashley Shibley - general assignment reporter

KSBI Weather Team

• Brady Brus - chief meteorologist
• Brandon Chambers - meteorologist; often substitutes for Brady Brus

Sports

• Brian Birchell - sports anchor

Former On-Air Talent

• Brenda Bennett - "Hello Oklahoma" anchor (2004-2005)
• Scott Coppenbarger - "Hello Oklahoma" anchor (2004-2005)
• Jackie Faye - reporter (2007-2008; currently at WIS in Columbia, South Carolina)
• Julie Hoang - reporter (2009)
• Janice Kramer - "Oklahoma News Tonight" sports anchor (2008)
• Dino Lalli - "Hello Oklahoma" anchor (2005)
• Monica Price - "Oklahoma News Tonight" anchor (2007-2009)
• Jamie Ratliff - reporter (2007-2008)
• Sarah Tappel - health reporter (2008-2009)

News/Station Presentation

Newscast Titles

• Hello Oklahoma (morning newscast; 2004-2005)
• Oklahoma News Tonight (evening newscast; 2006-2009)
• KSBI-TV News (2009-present)

Station Slogans

• Family Television for Oklahoma (2003-2009)
• ThunderTV (2008-present; used for general programming and sports promotion)
• Your Family's Weather Source (weather slogan)

Office location

KSBI-TV's studios and transmitter are located at 1350 SE 82nd Street. The phone number is 405-631-7335.

See also

• KXOC-LP

External links

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