KSBY

KSBY is a television station licensed to San Luis Obispo, California, and serving the southern Central Coast. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 6 and is primarily affiliated with NBC. Its coverage area includes San Luis Obispo County, Santa Maria, and surrounding communities, with a transmitter on Cuesta Peak and a digital translator serving Santa Barbara. KSBY is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company and operates from its principal facility on Calle Joaquin in southern San Luis Obispo, supplemented by a Santa Maria studio on Carmen Lane. The station began broadcasting on May 25, 1953, as KVEC-TV, making it the first television station to sign on in its market and one of the first post-freeze television stations in California. It initially carried DuMont programming. After the DuMont network declined, the station obtained microwave access to ABC and CBS programming originating from Los Angeles. In 1957, following its acquisition by the owners of Salinas station KSBW, the station adopted the KSBY-TV call sign. For many years, KSBY and KSBW operated as linked outlets known as the Gold Coast Stations, sharing programming and ownership while serving adjacent markets. KSBY became a primary NBC affiliate in January 1969, a role that established the station's long-term network identity. During the 1970s, regulators and competitors challenged the operational and ratings treatment of the KSBW-KSBY combination, eventually requiring KSBY to operate as a standalone, non-satellite station. The station nevertheless developed a strong local-news position and was generally the ratings leader in the southern Central Coast market. Ownership changed repeatedly from the 1980s onward. John Blair & Co. sold the station to Gillett Communications in 1986; Gillett's financial difficulties led to bankruptcy proceedings and a transfer of control to creditors. In 1994, KSBY and KSBW were purchased by EP Communications, formed by Elisabeth Murdoch and Elkin Pianim. Their short ownership period brought management turnover and a more aggressive, large-market operating style. KSBY was then sold to SJL Broadcasting, which moved the station from its long-standing Hill Street facilities to a larger hilltop complex on Calle Joaquin in 1999. The station was acquired by New Vision Television in 2002 and by Evening Post Industries' Cordillera Communications in 2004. Cordillera expanded and reorganized local coverage over the following years, including the closure of KSBY's Santa Barbara news bureau in 2008 while retaining weather coverage for the broader region. Scripps announced its purchase of KSBY from Cordillera in 2018, and the transaction closed on May 1, 2019. KSBY has also carried secondary network programming. It launched the cable-only KWCA service, affiliated with The WB 100+ Station Group, in 2002; this service later reflected the market's changing network arrangements. In 2024, The CW announced that it would not renew affiliations with certain Scripps-owned stations, including KSBY, and a subsequent agreement involved KCOY becoming affiliated with The CW. The exact final disposition of KSBY's secondary affiliation should be checked against current station schedules. KSBY's principal public-facing offerings remain local news, weather, emergency information, community reporting, and NBC network programming.

KSBY began as KVEC-TV after Valley Electric Company, owner of San Luis Obispo radio station KVEC, pursued a television authorization in the late 1940s. The original application proposed channel 3, but a nationwide FCC freeze on new television grants and later channel assignments required the station to shift to channel 6. The FCC approved the revised application in March 1953. KVEC-TV transmitted a test pattern on May 13 and began regular service on May 25, 1953, using studio space planned for television within the KVEC radio facility. It initially carried DuMont programming and later obtained microwave access to ABC and CBS programs from Los Angeles after DuMont's decline. In 1956, John Cohan, associated with KSBW radio and television in Salinas, agreed to acquire the KVEC stations. The television station changed its call letters to KSBY-TV on June 14, 1957, and became part of a linked operation with KSBW. The two stations were promoted as the Gold Coast Stations and shared network programming delivered by microwave. Their ownership passed through several arrangements before Cohan and associates retained control. During the 1960s, the stations carried a mixture of CBS, ABC, and NBC programming, while changes in nearby markets and the arrival of KCOY-TV in Santa Maria reshaped affiliation competition. On January 12, 1969, KSBY became a primary NBC affiliate and KCOY-TV became primarily affiliated with CBS. This arrangement gave KSBY a durable network identity. The FCC later required the station to file for standalone, non-satellite operation because of financial and regulatory concerns surrounding the combined KSBW-KSBY structure. The action followed disputes over whether the paired stations' audiences should be treated as one operation for ratings purposes in the Salinas-Monterey market. John Blair & Co. acquired KSBW and KSBY in 1979. The stations were sold to Gillett Communications in 1986 after Reliance Capital Group acquired Blair. Gillett's debt burden resulted in Chapter 11 proceedings involving its parent and subsidiaries in the early 1990s. The stations emerged under creditor ownership. In 1994, KSBY and KSBW were sold to EP Communications, a company formed by Elisabeth Murdoch and Elkin Pianim. The brief tenure featured management changes, newsroom departures, and the dismissal of longtime anchor Rick Martel. Murdoch's management approach was viewed as more polished and aggressive than the stations' previous style, and the operation reported improved cash flow during the period. EP Communications sold KSBW and KSBY separately in 1995. SJL Broadcasting acquired KSBY and undertook a major facilities project. The station had operated for more than four decades from a Hill Street location in a residential area, where expansion was difficult. SJL acquired a former nightclub site on Calle Joaquin, began construction in 1998, and moved KSBY into a substantially larger facility in 1999. In 2002, the station launched the cable-only KWCA service through The WB 100+ Station Group. Later that year, New Vision Television acquired KSBY. Evening Post Industries, through Cordillera Communications, purchased the station in 2004. Cordillera closed KSBY's Santa Barbara news bureau in January 2008, concentrating reporting resources on San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria while maintaining weather segments relevant to the wider region. In 2018, Cordillera agreed to sell most of its stations to The E. W. Scripps Company; Scripps completed the KSBY transaction on May 1, 2019. KSBY introduced digital broadcasting on July 2, 2002. Its analog transmission on VHF channel 6 ended on February 17, 2009, while its digital signal continued on UHF channel 15 and retained virtual channel 6. The station's principal transmitter remains on Cuesta Peak, and K19NJ-D provides a translator serving Santa Barbara. In 2024, The CW announced that it would not renew affiliations with Scripps-owned stations including KSBY. News-Press & Gazette Company subsequently announced an arrangement under which KCOY would affiliate with The CW, marking another change in the area's secondary-network landscape.

1. 2024CW affiliation transition announced

   The CW declined to renew its affiliation with KSBY and other Scripps-owned stations; a later agreement named KCOY for the network affiliation in the market.

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2. 2019Joins Scripps

   The E. W. Scripps Company completed its acquisition of KSBY from Cordillera Communications.

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3. 2009Completes analog shutdown

   KSBY ended analog transmission and continued digital service using virtual channel 6.

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4. 2002Launches digital signal and KWCA cable service

   The station began digital broadcasting and introduced the cable-only KWCA service associated with The WB 100+ Station Group.

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5. 1999Moves to Calle Joaquin facility

   KSBY relocated from its long-standing Hill Street studios to a larger hilltop facility in San Luis Obispo.

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6. 1969Becomes primary NBC affiliate

   KSBY established its long-term primary NBC affiliation on January 12.

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7. 1957Call sign changes to KSBY-TV

   The station adopted the KSBY-TV call sign after joining the KSBW operation in Salinas.

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8. 1953KSBY predecessor signs on

   KVEC-TV began regular broadcasting on May 25 as San Luis Obispo's first television station and an early post-freeze station in California.

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A regional broadcast-news and network-affiliate brand emphasizing local reporting, weather, public-service information, and community relevance on California's Central Coast.

• Local newsTelevision broadcasting

  KSBY's local-news operation reports on San Luis Obispo County, Santa Maria, and neighboring Central Coast communities. Its output includes scheduled newscasts, breaking-news coverage, public-affairs reporting, and digital articles and video distributed through the station's website and related platforms.

• Weather coverageBroadcast information service

  Weather is a central part of KSBY's service to the Central Coast, including localized forecasts and severe-weather or emergency information. The station has historically provided distinct weather segments for major parts of its coverage area, including San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, and Santa Barbara.

• NBC network programmingNetwork television affiliation1969

  As a primary NBC affiliate since 1969, KSBY distributes NBC entertainment, news, sports, and special-event programming to viewers in its designated market alongside locally produced content.

• KWCACable television service2002

  KWCA was a cable-only virtual station launched by KSBY in 2002 through The WB 100+ Station Group. It replaced Los Angeles station KTLA on local cable systems and represented an earlier stage in the market's secondary-network distribution.

• 2024Responds to CW affiliation changeOther

  The CW announced that it would not renew affiliations with Scripps-owned stations, including KSBY.

  What changed. The Central Coast market's subsequent arrangement designated KCOY as a CW affiliate, changing the local secondary-network configuration.

  Aftermath. KSBY's primary NBC service remained its principal network role, while the status of any continuing secondary affiliation requires confirmation from current station listings.

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• 2019Completes sale to The E. W. Scripps CompanyM&A

  Cordillera Communications announced the sale of most of its television stations in 2018.

  What changed. Scripps completed its acquisition of KSBY on May 1, 2019.

  Aftermath. KSBY became part of the Scripps broadcast-station portfolio.

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• 1999Relocates to expanded San Luis Obispo studiosStrategy

  The former Hill Street facility was in a residential area and offered limited room for expansion.

  What changed. SJL Broadcasting moved KSBY to a larger hilltop facility on Calle Joaquin.

  Aftermath. The new site provided substantially more operating space and remains the station's principal studio location.

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• 1969Adopts primary NBC affiliationStrategy

  KSBY and nearby KCOY-TV faced changing network-affiliation conditions as new stations entered the Central Coast market.

  What changed. KSBY became a primary NBC affiliate, while KCOY-TV became primarily affiliated with CBS.

  Aftermath. The NBC affiliation became a defining part of KSBY's identity and remains central to its broadcast service.

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• 2024The CW declines to renew affiliations with Scripps-owned stations

  The CW announced that it would not renew affiliations with several Scripps-owned stations, including KSBY, prompting a change in the Central Coast network-affiliate arrangement.

  Leadership changeOther
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• 2019Scripps completes acquisition of KSBY

  The acquisition of KSBY by The E. W. Scripps Company was completed on May 1, 2019.

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• 2018E. W. Scripps agrees to acquire KSBY from Cordillera Communications

  Scripps announced an agreement to acquire KSBY as part of its purchase of most Cordillera Communications television stations.

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1. KSBY
2. KSBY official website