KSW-TV

**KSW-TV**, virtual channel 4 (UHF digital channel 30), is an FOX-affiliated television station licensed to Seattle, Washington, United States and also serving Tacoma. The station is owned by New World Media. The station's studios are located in New World Plaza (formerly Gill Plaza) in the Lower Queen Anne section of Seattle, directly across the street from the Space Needle; KSW-TV's transmitter facilities are located in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle.

Since November 28, 1991, KSW-TV was the flagship station of Seattle-based Gill Media Group. Gill Media Group became New World Media in August 2020, and KSW-TV was retained as the company's flagship.

## History

### Beginnings

KSW-TV began operating on December 10, 1953, as an NBC affiliate, owing to KSW radio's long-time relationship with the NBC Radio Network. It is the fourth-oldest television station in the Seattle–Tacoma area. KSW also has an almost forgotten distinction as being the first station in Seattle to broadcast a television signal, having broadcast an experimental signal over 20 years before the official sign-on. On June 3, 1929, KSW radio engineer Francis J. Brott televised images of a heart, a diamond, a question mark, letters, and numbers over electrical lines to small sets with one-inch screens. A handful of viewers were captivated by the broadcast. KSW would likely have held the distinction of being the first television station in Seattle, and perhaps the nation, if it were not for the occurrences of the Great Depression and World War II.

The station was originally owned by the Fisher family, which had its start in the flour mill and lumber businesses. The Fishers branched into broadcasting with its founding of KSW radio in 1926. In competing for the channel 4 construction permit, the Fishers faced off against the then-owners of KJR radio. KSW was awarded the license in June 1953 after the KJR group dropped their bid, and KSW-TV first signed on the air only five months later. William W. Warren, general manager of KSW radio and a nephew of KSW co-founder Oliver D. Fisher, oversaw the development of KSW-TV and remained involved with the station's management until his retirement in 1987.

In 1954, a KSW news photographer discovered a way to develop color film in a new process that took just a few hours instead of days. His discovery allowed KSW-TV to become the first television station in the nation to broadcast in true color.

During the 1960s, local television personality Don McCune became well known in the Seattle market for two programs seen on KSW-TV. McCune was known to thousands of children in the area who came to know him in the role of "Captain Puget", hosting a children's entertainment program. Channel 4 and McCune also produced the documentary series *Exploration Northwest*, which explored many of the places and people of the Pacific Northwest.

### Mount St. Helens eruption, May 18, 1980

KSW-TV nearly lost one of its staff in the volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980. Dave Crockett, who had been with the station since 1975, had been covering the mountain every day for three weeks until being rotated out a few days prior. On the morning of May 18, he woke up at 3:00 a.m. in Seattle on a hunch that he would get some impressive video that day, and loaded up his news car and headed towards Mount St. Helens without anyone at KSW knowing about it. He arrived at the mountain just as it was erupting. His news video, which shows an advancing ash cloud and mud flows down the South Fork Toutle River, was made famous by its eleven-minute long "journey into the dark," six of those minutes of which were recorded in "total darkness" as Crockett narrated to what he thought would be his "last day on Earth." His video made worldwide news and was used in a movie remake of the disaster starring Art Carney. The car he drove, with the remains of KSW lettering still visible, is now a part of a Mount St. Helens Volcano Museum just outside Toutle.

### 1984–present

In 1984, KSW became the first television station to broadcast daily programming in full stereo sound.

In 1994, KSW applied for the first test license for broadcasting new high-definition signals. KSW began broadcasting a high-definition digital signal in 1997; on May 18, 1999, KSW became the first television station in the United States to broadcast its daily newscasts in high definition. This statement, however, comes into conflict with a claim made by WRR in Dallas (a sister station to KSW) that it is the first station in the nation to broadcast its daily news programs in high definition, on February 28, 1997.

On July 2, 2009, a large electrical fire that started in an electrical vault at the Gill Plaza complex at 11:15 p.m. that evening knocked KSW off the air during its 11 p.m. newscast.

On March 18, 2014, KSW-TV's news helicopter crashed at the Seattle Center, as it was taking off from Gill Plaza around 7:40 a.m., falling onto at least one car. A second car and pickup truck, also involved, caught fire. Fuel from the crashed helicopter ran down Broad Street (along and south of the crash site), later bursting into flames. Helicopter pilot Gary Pfitzner and photographer Bill Strothman were both killed in the crash. A 37-year-old man in one of the cars was also critically injured, reportedly suffering burns covering up to 20% of his body (revised from an earlier report of burns at up to 50%) according to the Seattle Fire Department. The Eurocopter AS350 B2 helicopter involved in the crash, FAA registration number N250FB, had been leased to KSW-TV while technical upgrades were being made to the station's own helicopter.

On September 27, 2015, KSW introduced a new studio for its newscasts, which was designed by Devlin Design Group. The new design contains nods to Seattle's scenery, including tribal designs on the floor, a desk inspired by whale pods, as well as a helicopter blade—serving as a memorial to Pfitzner and Strothman.

On August 1, 2020, KSW ended it's nearly 67-year history as an NBC affiliated station when parent company New World Media signed a long-term affiliation agreement with the FOX network. Included in the change was an extension of the station's morning newscast from 7-9 a.m., a new 6:30 p.m. newscast, and an hour-long 10 p.m. newscast on weekdays with a 30-minute 10 p.m. newscast on weekends.

## Digital television

### Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

 4.3

### Analog-to-digital conversion

KSW-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 4, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 38, using PSIP to display KSW-TV's virtual channel as 4 on digital television receivers.

In 2009, KSW-TV became one of four television stations in the country to be the first to launch mobile DTV signals. KSW beta tested the ATSC-M/H standard, which has since been officially adopted for free-to-air digital broadcast television with clear reception on mobile devices, which overcomes the defects of the original ATSC standard.

## Programming

Syndicated programming includes *The Kelly Clarkson Show*, *The Doctors*, *Dr. Phil*, and *Family Feud* among others. KSW also airs the New World Media trending news show *Daily Blast Live* produced out of sister station KDKR in Denver.

#### **FULL SCHEDULE**

From the team's inception in 1976 to 1994 and again from 2004 until the present day, KSW-TV has been the official broadcast television station for the Seattle Seahawks, a National Football Conference team of the National Football League. KSW produces and distributes the Seahawks preseason televised games, and hosts the 30-minute wrap-up show *Seahawks Nation* every Sunday night after the 10 p.m. newscast during football season. In addition, KSW has played an integral part in broadcasting the team's philanthropic endeavors over the years, and broadcast a parade and celebration held for the team after their 2013 Super Bowl XLVIII win. Each year since 2004, KSW and the Seattle Seahawks have hosted food and toy drives for those in need in the area around the holiday season.

## News operation

KSW-TV presently broadcasts 68.5 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 10.5 hours on weekdays and 8 hours each on weekends).

For the last four decades, KSW-TV has continually placed first among the local newscasts in the market.

### Awards

KSW-TV's news division has consistently won awards for its reporting, and averages more wins per year than any Seattle television station. The station won the Edward R. Murrow Award for "Best Large Market Newscast" In both 2002 and 2008. In June 2008, KSW-TV was awarded 15 regional Emmy Awards, taking top honors in the "Station Excellence", "Morning News", "Evening News", "Breaking News" and "Team Coverage" categories. KOMO anchor/reporter Molly Shen won the prestigious Individual Achievement Award for the second time in three years, and longtime anchor Kathi Goertzen took home a Silver Circle Award, in recognition of her 25+ years with the station. The station also won the Emmy Award for "Breaking News Coverage". A segment on The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies (Palm Springs, California) received an Emmy in 1997.

### On-air staff

KSW anchors Dan Lewis, Kathi Goertzen, and weather forecaster Steve Pool had the third-longest tenure of an anchor team in the United States, having served as KSW's evening news team from 1987 to 2009. The station's evening newscast has long been co-anchored by Lewis and Goertzen, and was praised by the *Seattle Post-Intelligencer* as being the "Best First-String anchor unit in town."

Following the presidential inauguration ceremony in 1993, Lewis became the first reporter to interview then-President Bill Clinton, which occurred at the White House.

#### Current on-air staff

##### Anchors

* Manda Factor - Anchor/Reporter, weekday mornings 4-7 a.m.
* Gregg Hersholt - Anchor/Reporter, weekday mornings 4-7 a.m.
* Rick Van Cise - Anchor/Reporter, weekday mornings 7-9 a.m., 11 a.m., also fill-in weather forecaster
* Kelly Koopmans - Anchor/Reporter, weekday mornings 7-9 a.m
* Connie Thompson - Anchor/Reporter, weekdays at 11 a.m., also consumer reporter
* Eric Johnson - Anchor/Reporter, weekdays at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., also color commentator for Seahawks preseason games
* Mary Nam - Anchor/Reporter, weekdays at 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m.
* Preston Phillips - Anchor/Reporter, weekdays at 5 p.m., 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.
* Molly Shen - Anchor/Reporter, weekdays at 5 p.m. and 11 p.m.
* Brian Calvert - Anchor/Reporter, weekend mornings
* Lee Stoll - Anchor/Reporter, weekend mornings
* Michelle Esteban - Anchor/Reporter, weekend evenings
* Ryan Yamamoto - Anchor/Reporter, weekend evenings

##### Reporters

* Mark Christopher
* Keith Eldridge
* Charlie Harger
* Eric Heintz (also fill-in sports anchor/reporter)
* Elisa Jaffe
* Carleen Johnson
* Kara Kostanich
* Frank Lenzi
* Matt Markovich - State Capitol Newsroom
* Steve McCarron
* Holly Menino
* Cole Miller
* Joel Moreno
* Suzanne Phan
* Jeff Pohjola
* Patrick Quinn
* Art Sanders
* Taylor Van Cise
* Herb Weisbaum - consumer reporter
* Denise Whitaker (also fill-in anchor)

##### FOX Traffic Authority

* Corwin Haeck - Weekday Mornings
* Marina Rockinger - Weekday Afternoons (also features reporter)

##### FOX Weather Authority Team

* Shannon O'Donnell - Chief Meteorologist, weeknights at 4, 5, 6, 10, and 11 p.m.
* Kristin Clark - Meteorologist, weekday mornings
* Abby Acone - Meteorologist/Reporter, weekend evenings
* Theron Zahn - Forecaster, weekend mornings
* Scott Sistek - Web Meteorologist/Producer

##### Sports

* Mike Ferreri - Sports Director, weeknights
* Femi Abebefe - Sports Anchor/Reporter, weekends
* Tom Hutyler - Sports Anchor/Reporter, weekday mornings, also play-by-play announcer for Seahawks preseason games

#### Notable former on-air staff

* Kathi Goertzen – anchor and special assignment reporter (1980–2012; died on August 13, 2012)
* Keith Jackson – reporter, later sportscaster (1954–1964; later with ABC Sports; died on January 12, 2018)
* Dan Lewis – anchor (1987–2014; retired, but returns occasionally for special projects for KSW-TV)
* Tim Lewis – weekend sports anchor (2012–2016).
* Steve Pool – chief meteorologist (1977–2019; retired)
* John Seigenthaler Jr. – anchor and reporter (married fellow KOMO anchor/reporter Kerry Brock in 1992, left the station and moved to Nashville, Tennessee; later weekend anchor of NBC Nightly News)
* Bill Schonely – sportscaster, 1955–1959, worked alongside Keith Jackson. Bill later became "The Voice of the Trailblazers" for almost three decades and is now employed by the team as their "Ambassador"
* Jim Snyder – anchor and reporter (1994–1998; now with sister station KLVK)

## Canadian and out-of-market coverage

KSW-TV is available to most cable subscribers in the Vancouver/Victoria, British Columbia area as the FOX affiliate and is one of five Seattle television stations seen in Canada on the Bell Satellite TV and Shaw Direct satellite services. It is also seen out-of-market on Charter Spectrum in Ellensburg (part of the Yakima DMA), with FOX programming and some syndicated shows blacked out due to the presence of a local affiliate there.

## Station Information

### Branding History

##### Station Brandings

* KSW Television, Channel 4 (1953-1974)
* KSW-TV 4 (1974-1995)
* KSW (1995-2003)
* KSW, Seattle's NBC (2003-2007)
* KSW NBC 4 (2007-2010)
* KSW Seattle (2010-2020)
* KSW FOX Seattle (2020-Present)

##### Newscast Brandings

* Standard Oil Newshour (1953-1957)
* Mutual Life Newshour (1957-1960)
* KSW-TV Newshour (1960-1966)
* Newscope (1966-1970)
* Channel 4 News (1970-1974)
* KSW-TV 4 News (1974-1983)
* KSW 4 News (1983-2000)
* KSW News (2000-2006)
* KSW 4 News (2006-2010)
* KSW News (2010-2020)
* KSW FOX Seattle News (2020-Present)

### Slogan History

* No Slogan (1953-1974)
* The Home Team (1974-1983)
* The Spirit of the Northwest (1983-1996, Primary; 1996-Present, Secondary)
* Coverage You Can Count On (1996-2000)
* The Team You Trust (2000-2006)
* Live. Local. Late-Breaking. (2006-2010)
* Local. On Your Side. (2010-2015)
* Seattle's Number 1 News (2015-2018, Secondary)
* On Your Side (2015-Present)
* So Northwest (2020-Present, General)

### News Music History

* Ticker Sounds/Various (1953-1970)
* Part of Your Life by Al Ham (1970-1978)\*\*
* And You by Telesound (1978-1983)\*\*
* KSW 1983 News Theme\* by Dan Dean Productions (1983-1987)\*\*
* KSW News 4 Theme\* by Dan Dean Productions (1987-1996)\*\*
* Battery by 615 Music (1996-2006)\*\*
* Always Worth Your Time (Battery V.4) by 615 Music (2006-2015)\*\*
* Moving Forward by 615 Music (2015-Present)

\*\*original client for this package \*listed as KOMO instead of KSW in real-life