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KOAA-TV

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KOAA-TV is the NBC affiliate for southern Colorado. It is licensed to Pueblo, and broadcasts on channel 5. It also operates a translator, K30AA channel 30, in Colorado Springs. The station has staff and offices in both Pueblo and Colorado Springs. Its news studio is located in Pueblo.

KOAA-TV broadcasts on cable channel 12 and 247 in Pueblo and 5 in Colorado Springs.

History

Early years as KCSJ-TV

The station signed on for the first time on June 30, 1953 as KCSJ-TV, owned by the Star-Chieftain Publishing Corporation, owners of Pueblo's two major newspapers, the morning Pueblo Chieftain and evening Pueblo Star-Journal, along with KCSJ-AM. It is Colorado's second-oldest station outside of Denver.

During the 1950s, KCSJ-TV was one of two full-time NBC affiliates serving Southern Colorado - the other being KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs, about 40 miles to the north and that city's other TV station, KKTV, was a primary CBS affiliate with a secondary ABC affiliation. By 1960, the Pueblo and Colorado Springs markets were combined into one single TV market serving both cities. At this point, KCSJ-TV became the area's sole NBC affiliate with KRDO-TV switching to ABC and KKTV in dropping its secondary ABC affiliation to become an exclusive CBS affiliate.

Change to KOAA-TV

In 1961, Star-Chieftain sold KCSJ-TV to Metropolitan Broadcasting, owners of KOA-AM-FM-TV in Denver. KCSJ-TV then became KOAA-TV, but remained a free-standing station and not a satellite of KOA-TV (now KCNC-TV). With much wealthier ownership, KOAA was able to add videotape in 1962. In 1967, it became the first television station in Southern Colorado to broadcast local programming in color.

1970s decline and rebound

KOAA floundered through the early and mid-1970s largely because of its signal. While most of Colorado Springs receives the channel 5 signal very well, some parts of the city and several areas in the northern portion of the market were not as lucky, due to the market's rugged, mountainous terrain. This posed a problem for KOAA, as the Colorado Springs area underwent unprecedented population growth that continues to this day while Pueblo remained relatively unchanged. KOAA also changed hands several times during this period passing through several non-broadcast owners, leading the station to lose its prestige and become less profitable.

Things didn't really turn around until 1977, when the Evening Post Publishing Company of Charleston, South Carolina bought the station and brought in former ABC executive John Gilbert as general manager. Evening Post still operates the station today through its broadcasting arm, Cordillera Communications. Soon after Gilbert's arrival, KOAA opened a studio and sales office in Colorado Springs and steadily beefed up its news operation. In 1980, KOAA started a translator on channel 30 in Colorado Springs, bringing NBC programming to much of the northern portion of the market for the first time.

It was also during this time that KOAA adopted the Eyewitness News format that was popular with TV stations nationwide during the 1970s and 1980s, using the Eyewitness News 5/30 branding (denoting both the main and Colorado Springs translator channels). Since the early 2000s, the newscast has been branded as NewsFirst 5/30 and the station operates a NewsFirst Now channel on the cable systems in both Colorado Springs and Pueblo, which includes news updates along with real-time weather forecasts and conditions.

Transition to digital television

KOAA-DT began broadcasting on channel 5.1 on August 1st 2006. KOAA-DT signal and programming is free of charge on RF channel 42 or digital tuner channel 5.1. KOAA-DT is on both Colorado Springs (CH-705 as of 09-07-06) and Pueblo (CH-653 as of 08-12-06) cable systems have KOAA-DT on their respective systems. KOAA-DT began Dolby 5.1 audio on December 1st 2006 on NBC HD network programming only. KOAA-DT is the first FULL POWER digital television station in Colorado Springs, KOAA-DT is also currently the most powerful digital television station in the state of Colorado.

Around March 2008, a digital subchannel, News First Now channel 5.2, began broadcasting.

Reporters and anchors

  • Adam Atchison Morning Anchor
  • Mike Daniels Evening Weather
  • Susan Davies Environment Reporter
  • Lee Douglas Sports Director
  • Craig Eliot Morning Weather
  • Bill Folsom Reporter
  • Mark Hanrahan Military Reporter
  • Rachel Hoffenberg Reporter/Weather
  • James Jarman Investigative Reporter/Weekend Anchor
  • Andy Koen Education Reporter
  • Abby Lane Reporter
  • Lisa Lyden 6 p.m. & 10 p.m. Anchor
  • Georgiann Lymberopoulos News Anchor
  • Mike Madson Evening Weather
  • Jordan Mason Sports Anchor/Reporter
  • David Ortiviz Reporter
  • Rob Quirk 5 p.m., 6 p.m. & 10 p.m. Anchor
  • Laura Rojas 4 p.m. & 9 p.m. Anchor
  • David Tauchen Reporter
  • Nicole Vandeputte Reporter/Anchor
  • Ryan Wilson Reporter/Producer

Repeaters

In addition to its main repeater, K30AA in Colorado Springs, the station also has the following repeater stations throughout the state of Colorado.

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