kusi news

KUSI-TV
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KUSI-TV

San Diego, California
Branding KUSI (general)
KUSI News (news)
Slogan More Local News.
Channels Analog: 51 (UHF)
Digital: 18 (UHF)
Affiliations Independent
Owner McKinnon Broadcasting
(Channel 51 of San Diego, Inc.)
Founded September 13, 1982
Call letters meaning U.S. International (former name for Alliant International University)
Former affiliations independent (1982-1995)
UPN (1995-1998)
Transmitter Power 2820 kW (analog)
355 kW (digital)
Height 584 m (analog)
576 m (digital)
Facility ID 10238
Transmitter Coordinates 32°41′50″N, 116°56′7″W
Website 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.[1][2][3] 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.

Contents
1 History
2 Ownership
3 News Operations
3.1 Evening News Anchor Team
3.2 Good Morning San Diego Team
3.3 Reporters
3.4 The Prep Pigskin Report
3.5 Local Programs
4 Additional Personnel
5 Logos and promos
6 References
7 External links



[edit] History
KUSI signed on in September 1982 as a general entertainment independent station, airing children's shows, situation comedies, older theaterical 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.

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 more weaker independent station, KSWB-TV which is then a WB affiliate and more recently The CW affiliate.

KUSI was San Diego's UPN affiliate in 1995, until it dropped the affiliation in 1998 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.

During KUSI's UPN affliation, the station tried unsuccessfully to wrestle the Fox affiliation away from XETV-TV (Channel 6) in November 1995, 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.

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 this present time, KUSI will remain at their Kearny Mesa studios.


[edit] Ownership
Channel 51 of San Diego, Inc.:[1]

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 [4] & Texas Television, Inc., a Texas corporaton [5] are wholly owned subsidiaries of: McKinnon Broadcasting, Inc., a California corporation.[6]


[edit] News Operations
It has been suggested that Turko Files be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

KUSI became a serious player in the local television news race when they introduced a 10 p.m. newscast in September of 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 Michael Tuck (formerly of KFMB and KGTV), Kimberly Hunt (formerly of KGTV, she also co-produces the newscasts), and Paul Bloom (several stints at KNSD). Longtime Chicago weatherman and Weather Channel founder John Coleman is the station's chief meteorologist.

In January of 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. Ironically, the owners of both stations are close friends, and Hunt is married to XX personality Billy Ray Smith.


[edit] Evening News Anchor Team
Paul Bloom - 11 p.m. weeknights
John Coleman - weeknight weather
Kimberly Hunt - 6, 6:30, 10 & 11 p.m. weeknights
Paul Rudy - weeknight sports (also hosts The Prep Pigskin report)
Kelly Ryan - weekend anchor (also weeknight reporter)
Dave Scott - weekend weather (also feature reporter)
Michael Tuck - 6, 6:30 and 10 p.m. weeknights
Rick Willis - weekend sports

[edit] Good Morning San Diego Team
Kristen Cusato - weekend anchor
David Davis - weekend anchor
Renee Kohn - meteorologist
Joe Lizura - meteorologist
Phil Konstantin - traffic
Rod Luck - feature reporter
Sandra Maas - weekday news anchor (also host of Inside San Diego)
Bridget Naso - weekday anchor
Dan Plante - weekday anchor

[edit] Reporters
Doug Curlee
Sasha Foo
Ed Lenderman
Lena' Lewis (also frequent fill-in weekday anchor)
John Soderman
Michael Turko - investigative/consumer

[edit] 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 show, which airs Friday nights at 11:11 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
Lucia Stone
Rick Willis - chief correspondent

[edit] 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.

[edit] Additional Personnel
Station General Manager: Mike McKinnon
News Director: Steve Cohen

[edit] Logos and promos

KUSI Sanford and Son Promo - mid 80s




KUSI TV Guide ad for The Outer Limits





KUSI Logo from the mid 80s




Current KUSI Logo






[edit] References
^ a b Ownership Report for Commercial Broadcast Stations for KUSI-TV @ FCC.gov
^ KUSI-TV, Cable 9/Channel 51 profile @ San Diego Source - San Diego Daily Transcript
^ Fictitious Business Name Statement for KUSI @ San Diego Source - San Diego Daily Transcript
^ Corporation status @ Secratary of State office - State of California
^ Franchise Tax Certification of Account Status @ Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts - State of Texas
^ Corporation status @ Secratary of State office - State of California