KSDK

KSDK is a television station serving St. Louis, Missouri, and surrounding communities. The station broadcasts on channel 5 and has maintained an NBC affiliation since its launch, making it the longest-serving affiliate of a major broadcast network in the St. Louis market. Its local identity has included the names Channel 5, NewsChannel 5, and, since 2017, 5 On Your Side. The station began broadcasting as KSD-TV on February 8, 1947, under the ownership of Pulitzer Publishing Company, publisher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and owner of KSD radio. It was the first television station to sign on in Missouri and among the earliest commercial television stations in the United States. During its early years, KSD-TV produced a substantial amount of original programming and developed local broadcasting talent, reflecting the limited availability of network and syndicated material at the time. A federal freeze on new television licenses left it as the only television station in the St. Louis market until 1953. KSDK's early schedule included NBC programming as well as secondary programming from CBS, DuMont, and ABC. Its continuing NBC relationship derived from KSD radio's earlier affiliation with the NBC Red Network. The station became the first St. Louis television outlet to broadcast in color during the early 1960s. It also maintained a long association with St. Louis Cardinals baseball, carrying games during several periods between 1947 and 1987 and airing nationally televised Cardinals games through NBC's Major League Baseball coverage. The station adopted its current KSDK call letters in 1979 after KSD radio was sold to Combined Communications. Pulitzer later traded the television station to Multimedia in 1983. Multimedia was acquired by Gannett in 1995, and KSDK became part of Tegna when Gannett separated its broadcasting and digital-media operations from its publishing business in 2015. Nexstar's acquisition of Tegna was completed in March 2026 according to the supplied reference material, placing KSDK within Nexstar's St. Louis station group alongside KTVI and KPLR-TV. KSDK has historically been recognized for a strong local-news operation. It led the St. Louis news ratings for substantial periods, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s, when its newscasts were among the highest-rated local broadcasts in the United States. The station has since faced greater competition from KMOV and KTVI, while broader changes in NBC network ratings and local television consumption affected its position. Its programming portfolio has included daily news, weather, community reporting, sports coverage, and the locally produced lifestyle program Show Me St. Louis. KSDK was an early adopter of digital distribution. It launched online news programming in the 2000s, became the first St. Louis station to stream all of its newscasts online, and converted its locally produced programming and newscasts to high definition in 2006. Its current brand emphasizes service journalism, regional reporting, severe-weather coverage, and community-oriented storytelling. The station moved from downtown St. Louis to a facility in the Highlands development in January 2026, according to the supplied reference material.

KSDK began broadcasting as KSD-TV on February 8, 1947, when Pulitzer Publishing Company launched the first television station in Missouri. Pulitzer also published the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and owned KSD radio, whose NBC relationship helped establish the television station's permanent NBC affiliation. The station initially operated from studios beside the newspaper's Olive Street building and produced much of its own schedule. Its local staff included radio-trained broadcasters who became important figures in early St. Louis television. Because the Federal Communications Commission temporarily stopped issuing new television licenses, KSD-TV operated as the St. Louis market's only television station until WTVI signed on in 1953. The station carried selected programming from CBS, DuMont, and ABC in addition to NBC during its early years. By the early 1960s it had become the first St. Louis station to broadcast in color. KSD-TV also developed a significant sports presence, especially through its coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals. It carried Cardinals games during its inaugural years, regained the rights in 1963, and continued televising the team through the 1987 season, while also airing nationally distributed games through NBC. In 1979, following the sale of KSD radio to Combined Communications, the television station changed its call letters to KSDK to comply with the ownership-era FCC rules governing distinct call signs for separately owned radio and television stations in the same market. KSDK moved its studios from Olive Street to Market Street in downtown St. Louis in 1982. Pulitzer exchanged the station to Multimedia in 1983 for stations in Greenville, South Carolina, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. During the 1980s and 1990s, KSDK was widely regarded as one of the strongest NBC affiliates in the country and dominated many local news ratings periods. The station changed its news identity from Eyewitness News to NewsChannel 5 in 1990 and began operating around the clock. Multimedia became part of Gannett in 1995. In 1998, KSDK introduced the Window on St. Louis, a street-facing studio that became associated with Show Me St. Louis for nearly two decades. The station also expanded its civic role through election coverage partnerships with PBS station KETC and through a regional Hurricane Katrina relief telethon involving radio partners. KSDK continued to modernize its production and distribution operations in the 2000s. It produced a high-definition broadcast of the St. Louis Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2005, converted its newscasts and local programs to high definition in 2006, and began streaming its newscasts online. Its digital initiatives included the short-lived Online @ 9 webcast. The station experimented with multiple local-news schedules, including additional morning, late-morning, afternoon, and noon broadcasts, as audience habits and syndicated-program availability changed. The station's ratings leadership weakened during the late 2000s and early 2010s. KMOV took the lead in some late-news periods, KTVI became especially competitive in morning news, and KSDK fell to last place in the November 2013 ratings book. In 2010, it agreed to produce newscasts for KDNL-TV, an unusual arrangement between two major-network affiliates and one that ended after an extension into early 2014. In 2014, KSDK faced a major editorial controversy after a hidden-camera school-security report resulted in a lockdown at Kirkwood High School. The station apologized on air and said it would review its procedures, while continuing to argue that the report identified genuine security weaknesses. In 2015, Gannett divided its publishing and broadcasting businesses; KSDK remained with the broadcasting company, Tegna. The station adopted the 5 On Your Side brand in 2017. Later programming changes restored or adjusted several newscasts, including the noon broadcast and the 10 a.m. news program. The supplied reference material states that Nexstar completed its acquisition of Tegna in 2026 and that KSDK moved to a new Highlands facility the same year.

1. 2026Ownership and studio changes

   The supplied reference material states that Nexstar completed its Tegna acquisition and KSDK moved to the Highlands development.

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2. 20175 On Your Side brand launches

   KSDK adopts its current service-oriented station identity.

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3. 2015KSDK joins Tegna

   The station remains with Gannett's broadcast and digital-media successor when the company splits its operations.

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4. 2006Local programming becomes high definition

   KSDK converts its newscasts and locally produced programming to high definition and expands online streaming.

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5. 1995Gannett acquires Multimedia

   KSDK becomes part of Gannett after Gannett's acquisition of Multimedia.

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6. 1990NewsChannel 5 branding launches

   The station retires the Eyewitness News identity and introduces NewsChannel 5.

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7. 1982Studios move downtown

   KSDK relocates its studio operations from Olive Street to Market Street in downtown St. Louis.

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8. 1979Call letters change to KSDK

   The station adopts the KSDK call sign after KSD radio changes ownership.

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9. 1960Color broadcasting begins

   KSD-TV becomes the first St. Louis television station to broadcast in color.

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10. 1953St. Louis receives a second television station

    KSD-TV's period as the market's only television station ends when WTVI begins broadcasting.

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11. 1947KSD-TV begins broadcasting

    The station signs on as Missouri's first television station and becomes an NBC affiliate in St. Louis.

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A long-established, locally focused NBC affiliate positioned around St. Louis news, weather, community service, and practical consumer information.

• 5 On Your SideLocal news2017

  KSDK's principal local-news brand, covering breaking news, investigations, weather, traffic, consumer issues, and community service for the St. Louis region.

• Today in St. LouisMorning news

  The station's weekday morning newscast, combining regional news, weather, traffic, interviews, and service information. Its schedule and duration have changed repeatedly over the years.

• Show Me St. LouisLifestyle programming1998

  A locally produced program focused on St. Louis-area people, events, attractions, food, and community features. It has used KSDK's Window on St. Louis studio and has been repeatedly repositioned within the daytime schedule.

• KSDK digital newsDigital media2007

  The station's web, streaming, and social-video output extends local reporting beyond linear television. KSDK was an early St. Louis broadcaster to stream all of its newscasts online and also produced the Online @ 9 webcast.

• 2005Hurricane Katrina relief telethon

  St. Louis

  KSDK joined KETC and radio stations KYKY and KEZK for a regional simulcast supporting relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina.

  Outcome. The simulcast demonstrated the station's role in coordinated regional emergency and charitable coverage.

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• 2004Election coverage partnership with KETC

  St. Louis

  KSDK partnered with PBS member station KETC to simulcast local and national election results, combining commercial and public-television resources.

  Outcome. The partnership continued through the 2004 election coverage period.

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• 2017Introduction of 5 On Your SideStrategy

  KSDK sought to refresh its market identity around local service and community relevance.

  What changed. The station rebranded its overall identity as 5 On Your Side.

  Aftermath. The name became the station's principal consumer-facing brand.

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• 2015Retention in Tegna's broadcast divisionStrategy

  Gannett separated its publishing operations from its broadcasting and digital-media assets.

  What changed. KSDK remained with the broadcast and digital-media company, which was named Tegna.

  Aftermath. The station continued operating as a Tegna property until the acquisition described in the supplied 2026 reference material.

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• 2010News-sharing agreement with KDNL-TVStrategy

  KDNL had lacked a local news department since 2001 and sought to restore weekday evening newscasts.

  What changed. KSDK produced weekday 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts for KDNL, along with weekend rebroadcasts of Show Me St. Louis.

  Aftermath. The arrangement began in January 2011, was extended briefly, and ended in January 2014.

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• 2014Kirkwood High School hidden-camera investigationControversy

  A KSDK videojournalist entered Kirkwood High School with a concealed camera during a school-security investigation. Confusion over the purpose of the visit contributed to a roughly 40-minute lockdown after the employee had left. The station faced strong criticism over journalistic ethics and issued on-air apologies while defending the report's public-interest rationale.

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• 2026Nexstar completes acquisition of Tegna

  According to the supplied reference material, Nexstar completed its acquisition of Tegna, bringing KSDK into Nexstar's ownership structure.

  M&A
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• 2026KSDK relocates its studios to the Highlands

  The station moved its studio operations from downtown St. Louis to a facility in the Highlands development in the Cheltenham neighborhood.

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• 2017KSDK adopts the 5 On Your Side identity

  The station replaced its NewsChannel 5-era identity with the 5 On Your Side brand, emphasizing local service and community relevance.

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• 2010KSDK and KDNL-TV establish a local-news sharing arrangement

  KSDK agreed to produce weekday evening newscasts for KDNL-TV, restoring locally produced news to that station after its own news department had closed.

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1. KSDK