KION-TV

KION-TV is a commercial television station licensed to Monterey, California, and primarily operated from studios on Moffett Street in Salinas. It serves the Monterey Bay and northern Central Coast region, including Monterey, Salinas, Santa Cruz-area communities, and surrounding parts of California. The station transmits from Mount Toro south of Salinas and has historically been distributed through cable, satellite, and digital broadcast platforms. It also has been rebroadcast through digital subchannels associated with KMUV-LD, the area's Telemundo station. The station began broadcasting on February 1, 1969, as KMST-TV, after a construction-permit process that began in the mid-1960s. It was created in part to provide the region with a dedicated CBS affiliate. At launch, the station filled a programming gap between CBS outlets in the San Francisco and Santa Maria markets, while existing local stations were associated primarily with NBC or ABC. The early operation used temporary facilities and initially broadcast local programming in black and white because it lacked color studio cameras. Its local news operation was present from the beginning but generally ranked behind the better-established KSBW-TV. Ownership and branding changed repeatedly. Retlaw Enterprises, a company associated with members of the Disney family, acquired the station in 1979. Harron-Smith Television Partnership purchased it in 1993, after which the call sign became KCCN-TV and the news operation was promoted under the Central Coast News name. Ackerley Communications assumed operational control in 1996 through an arrangement that combined KCCN-TV's operations with those of KCBA, the market's Fox station. The call letters changed to KION in 1997, partly because of conflicts with Honolulu radio stations using the KCCN calls. Ackerley later became part of Clear Channel Communications. In 2007, KION was included in the proposed divestiture of Clear Channel's television properties. Because of ownership-overlap concerns involving Providence Equity Partners and Univision interests, KION and several related Central Coast stations were sold instead to Cowles Publishing Company. News-Press & Gazette Company acquired KION-TV and related assets in 2013. The station's operational relationship with KCBA changed that year, and its former CW-related programming was moved while KION continued to develop its own digital-subchannel strategy. KION has remained a CBS affiliate throughout its broadcasting history. In 2021, News-Press & Gazette Company reacquired the Fox affiliation and program stream for the market, placing Fox programming on KION's 46.2 digital subchannel beginning January 1, 2022. The subchannel retained the familiar Fox 35 branding associated with KCBA's earlier role. KION's Fox service used syndicated or shared news programming rather than a fully separate local newsroom. The station historically produced English-language local news and, through its relationship with KMUV-LD, Spanish-language news for the region. Its news operation experienced repeated reductions, reorganizations, and changes in scheduling, reflecting competition from KSBW, KCBA, Spanish-language broadcasters, and broader pressure on local television economics. In September 2025, News-Press & Gazette Company ended KION's locally produced news operation. Selected CBS newscasts were replaced or supplemented by simulcasts from KPIX-TV in the San Francisco Bay Area, while the Telemundo newscast produced through the operation was also canceled. The broadcast station itself remained active as a CBS/Fox television outlet, but the closure marked the end of KION's long-running local newsroom.

KION-TV traces its origins to a construction permit granted by the Federal Communications Commission in November 1966 to Monterey–Salinas Television, Inc. The proposed station was assigned UHF channel 46 and was associated with Stoddard P. Johnston, a Monterey radio broadcaster, and William H. Schuyler, a former KTVU executive. It was initially expected to use the KMBY-TV call sign, but the calls were changed to KMST in 1968. The station secured a CBS affiliation and was intended to give the Salinas–Monterey area a dedicated CBS outlet, filling a geographic gap between stations in San Francisco and Santa Maria. KMST was scheduled to launch in January 1969, but weather and the unfinished microwave link used to receive CBS programming delayed the debut. It finally went on the air on February 1, 1969. Temporary studios were later replaced by purpose-built facilities near Monterey Peninsula Airport. The station's early local news programs were broadcast in black and white because the operation did not initially possess color cameras. Although it provided a second local television news source, it generally remained behind KSBW-TV in audience share and resources. In 1973, the original ownership group brought in additional investors and capital. Retlaw Enterprises bought the station in 1979 for $8.25 million. During the Retlaw era, KMST became known informally as a training ground for broadcasters. The period also exposed labor and management tensions. Employees voted overwhelmingly to unionize with AFTRA in 1989, while the National Labor Relations Board brought a complaint after the station dismissed a production director involved in organizing. Negotiations remained unsettled, and substantial staff turnover accompanied reductions in the news schedule. The newsroom faced additional competition after KCBA launched its own news department in 1990. Harron-Smith Television Partnership acquired KMST in 1993 for $8.2 million. The station adopted the KCCN-TV calls and promoted its news as Central Coast News. Harron later became the sole owner after Smith withdrew from the partnership, but the station's performance remained difficult to improve. In 1996, Ackerley Communications, owner of KCBA, took over KCCN-TV's operations. Harron eliminated most of the existing workforce and closed the channel 46 newsroom, while some employees were rehired by KCBA. The arrangement moved operations from Monterey to Salinas and attracted criticism from local governments, former employees, and petitioners concerned about the effect on local news and community service. The station changed its call sign to KION in February 1997. Ackerley eventually purchased the station outright and completed the transaction in 2000 after regulatory review. Ackerley consolidated technical operations into master-control hubs, including one serving several stations from Salinas. In 2002, Ackerley merged into Clear Channel Communications. Clear Channel's Central Coast radio and television properties also collaborated, and a local radio station adopted the KION call sign. Clear Channel agreed in 2007 to separate its television group into Newport Television. KION and related stations could not remain in the proposed Newport structure because of ownership-overlap issues, so Cowles Publishing Company acquired KION and several other Central Coast assets for $41 million. In 2013, News-Press & Gazette Company announced and completed its purchase of KION-TV, KMUV-LD, and KKFX-CA. The prior operating relationship with KCBA ended that year, moving KION's late local news to a digital channel associated with The CW Plus. A later programming realignment returned Fox to KION's digital platform. In 2021, NPG entered a new shared-services arrangement involving KCBA and acquired the Fox affiliation and program stream. Fox programming moved to KION 46.2 on January 1, 2022, while KCBA continued with CW programming. The change restored a Fox service to the KION operation while preserving the Fox 35 identity familiar to viewers. KION continued producing English-language local news for CBS and Spanish-language news connected with the area's Telemundo service until September 2025. On September 23, 2025, the local newsroom was shut down. Selected broadcasts began using KPIX-TV simulcasts, and the Spanish-language newscast was canceled without a replacement. The decision reportedly eliminated approximately 16 newsroom positions according to an employee interview cited by local reporting. KION-TV remained an operating broadcast station, but its role changed from a locally news-producing broadcaster to a network-affiliated outlet relying on outside news resources.

1. 2025Local newsroom closes

   KION ended its locally produced news operation and began relying on selected KPIX simulcasts.

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2. 2022Fox moves to KION 46.2

   The Fox affiliation and program stream moved to KION's second digital subchannel under the Fox 35 brand.

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3. 2013News-Press & Gazette Company completes acquisition

   NPG completed its purchase of KION-TV and related Central Coast television assets.

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4. 2009Analog transmission ends

   KION shut down its analog UHF signal and continued digital broadcasting on channel 32.

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5. 1997KION call letters adopted

   The station changed from KCCN-TV to KION-TV.

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6. 1993Harron-Smith acquisition and KCCN-TV relaunch

   New ownership rebranded the station KCCN-TV and relaunched its news identity as Central Coast News.

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7. 1979Retlaw Enterprises acquisition

   Retlaw Enterprises acquired KMST in an all-cash transaction.

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8. 1969Station launches

   KMST began broadcasting on February 1 as the area's CBS affiliate.

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9. 1968Call sign changes to KMST

   The planned KMBY-TV identity was replaced by KMST before the station went on air.

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10. 1966FCC grants channel 46 construction permit

    The FCC authorized Monterey–Salinas Television, Inc. to build a new commercial station for the Monterey–Salinas area.

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A regional broadcast television outlet combining a long-standing CBS affiliation with local Monterey Bay coverage and a Fox-branded digital subchannel. Historically positioned as a full-service local news and network station, it now operates without its own locally produced newsroom.

• KION CBSBroadcast television network affiliate1969

  KION's main broadcast service carries CBS network programming for the Monterey Bay and northern Central Coast market. The service also historically included locally produced morning, daytime, evening, and late-night newscasts, along with weather, public-affairs, and syndicated programming. Since the 2025 newsroom closure, the CBS service no longer has a fully locally produced news department.

• Fox 35Digital television subchannel2022

  Fox 35 is the Fox-branded service carried on KION's 46.2 digital subchannel. It represents the continuation of the Monterey Bay market's Fox programming identity previously associated with KCBA. The Fox affiliation and program stream moved to KION at the beginning of 2022.

• KION local newsLocal television news1969

  KION's local news operation produced English-language coverage of Monterey, Salinas, Santa Cruz, and surrounding Central Coast communities. It went through multiple schedule and staffing changes, including periods of consolidation with KCBA and other NPG stations. The operation was discontinued in September 2025.

• 2025Local news operation discontinuedStrategy

  The station's owner ended local news production after years of newsroom restructuring and cost pressure in the regional television market.

  What changed. KION stopped producing its own local newscasts, began using selected KPIX-TV simulcasts, and canceled the related Telemundo newscast.

  Aftermath. The decision eliminated the station's locally based newsroom and resulted in expected layoffs, while KION continued broadcasting CBS and Fox programming.

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• 2021Fox affiliation transferred to KIONStrategy

  News-Press & Gazette Company entered a new shared-services relationship involving KCBA and obtained the Fox affiliation and program stream for the market.

  What changed. NPG placed Fox programming on KION's 46.2 digital subchannel beginning January 1, 2022, while the Fox 35 identity was retained.

  Aftermath. KION regained a Fox-branded service, while KCBA shifted to CW programming. Cable and satellite viewers were not expected to see a major lineup change.

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• 1996Operational consolidation with KCBAStrategy

  Ackerley Communications sought to combine the operations of KCCN-TV and KCBA in response to the weak performance and high operating burden of the channel 46 station.

  What changed. Ackerley assumed operational control, moved the operation to Salinas, closed the existing KCCN-TV newsroom, and rebuilt news production through the KCBA relationship.

  Aftermath. The restructuring drew objections from local governments and former employees, but it established the operating arrangement that linked the two stations for many years.

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• 2025KION ends locally produced news operations

  The station ended its local newsroom, canceled the associated Spanish-language newscast, and began using selected simulcasts from KPIX-TV. Employees were expected to be laid off.

  Leadership changeOther
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• 2022KION restores Fox programming to its digital platform

  News-Press & Gazette Company moved the market's Fox affiliation and program stream to KION's 46.2 subchannel, using the Fox 35 identity.

  Product launch
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• 1996Ackerley assumes operation of KCCN-TV and closes its newsroom

  Operational control shifted to the owner of KCBA, and the channel 46 newsroom was closed during a major restructuring before a new news operation was introduced.

  Leadership change
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• 1969KION-TV begins broadcasting as KMST

  The station signed on after a short delay caused by bad weather and incomplete microwave arrangements for receiving CBS programming.

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1. KION-TV
2. KION-TV official website