KSIX-TV

KSIX-TV is a television station licensed to Hilo, Hawaii, and serving viewers across the island of Hawaii, commonly known as the Big Island. The station operates on channel 13 and functions as a full-time satellite of Honolulu-based KHNL and KGMB, carrying their network and locally produced programming rather than operating as an independently programmed station. Its current service includes NBC programming through KHNL and CBS programming through KGMB. The station's transmission facilities are located atop the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel on Banyan Drive, while the parent stations' principal studios are in downtown Honolulu on Waiakamilo Road. The station has passed through several identities and ownership structures. It began as KOHA-TV, an independent station that signed on in August 1983 after Oceanic Broadcasting Company received approval to construct a Hilo station. The launch gave the Big Island a new local television outlet and initially included a nightly local newscast, as well as selected programming associated with major networks. Financial difficulties quickly constrained the operation. The local newscast ended in February 1984, staffing was sharply reduced, and the station entered bankruptcy before going dark in February 1985. After a sale to Oklahoma accountant Marvin S. Chupack, the station returned to the air in April 1986 under the KHBC-TV call letters. It initially relied heavily on syndicated programming but also experimented with locally produced formats, including the bingo program BingoMania, election coverage, and public-affairs specials. Clio Enterprises acquired the station in 1987 and expanded its local identity. During this period KHBC-TV carried Filipino-language and other community-oriented programming, original shows, and a substantial local-news schedule. By 1988, its locally produced output reportedly reached approximately 40 hours per week. The station again faced severe financial pressure in 1988. A labor-organizing effort by employees under the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers led to proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, while management cited continuing operating losses. KHBC-TV ceased operations on June 30, 1988. It was subsequently acquired by King Broadcasting Company, the Seattle-based owner of Honolulu station KHNL. That transaction placed the Hilo operation within the group that ultimately developed it as a satellite serving the Big Island. The station later became associated with the KFVE call sign. In 2009, changes involving Raycom Media's Hawaii television operations led to the CBS service that had been carried by KGMD-TV being moved to a subchannel of the Hilo satellite operation. On April 1, 2020, the station formally adopted the KFVE call letters. After Gray acquired the Telemundo station operating on channel 6 in Kailua-Kona, the call signs were exchanged: the Hilo station became KSIX-TV on November 13, 2020, while the former channel 6 operation took the KFVE identity. Today, KSIX-TV's principal role is coverage extension. By repeating the programming of KHNL and KGMB, it helps make Honolulu-based NBC and CBS services available to viewers on the Big Island. It also forms part of a broader Hawaii television infrastructure that includes multiple full-power satellites and digital subchannels. Although the station's historical record includes periods of independent programming, local news production, bankruptcy, labor controversy, and repeated ownership changes, its current identity is primarily that of a network-affiliated satellite within Gray Media's Hawaii group.

KSIX-TV traces its history to an unsuccessful attempt to establish a new Hilo television station in the early 1980s. Oceanic Broadcasting Company applied for a construction permit on August 31, 1981, proposing operation on channel 2. Approval followed on February 22, 1982, but the project took roughly 18 months to reach the air. The Henry family, which included broadcaster Chuck Henry and his brother Terry, was involved in the venture, while the Buck family of Los Angeles acquired a major ownership interest during the development period. The station finally signed on August 22, 1983, as KOHA-TV. Based at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, it operated as an independent station and initially offered the Big Island's first local television newscast. KOHA-TV also carried selected network-related programs, including ABC's Nightline, and became the only Hawaii station at the time to air ABC's Monday Night Baseball. The initial local-news experiment was short-lived: the final edition aired on February 10, 1984. Management attributed the decision to financial difficulties and reduced the staff to three employees. The station subsequently entered bankruptcy and went off the air in February 1985. In December 1985, a bankruptcy sale transferred the station to Marvin S. Chupack, an Oklahoma accountant whose bid prevailed over competing offers. Chupack proposed reviving the historic KHBC-TV call letters, which had previously belonged to Hilo's first television station and were then associated with what became KGMD-TV. The station returned to broadcasting on April 14, 1986, as KHBC-TV. Its schedule initially emphasized syndicated programs, but it soon added local productions, including BingoMania, election-return coverage, and topical specials addressing issues such as teen pregnancy and Christmas programming. Chupack sold KHBC-TV in 1987 to Clio Enterprises, whose holdings included Hawaii radio stations KKON and KOAS and the Clio Awards. Under Clio, the station expanded its community-oriented identity. Its schedule included Filipino programming, original productions, and a larger local-news operation with morning, midday, and late-evening elements. By 1988, KHBC-TV was producing approximately 40 hours of local content each week, an unusually ambitious output for a small-market independent station. The expansion occurred alongside mounting financial and labor difficulties. In March 1988, employees petitioned to unionize with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The union filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in May, alleging that seven layoffs were connected to the organizing campaign and that owner Bill Evans had threatened to close the station if employees voted for representation. Evans disputed the allegations and attributed the layoffs to continuing operating losses. The May 17 representation vote did not produce a decisive result because nearly half of the ballots were challenged. KHBC-TV nevertheless closed on June 30, 1988. Evans cited losses that had become unsustainable. He later reached an agreement with the NLRB concerning the dispute, with IBEW support, although the station's prospective new owners were not expected to maintain its previous level of original programming. King Broadcasting Company subsequently purchased the facility. King owned Honolulu's KHNL, which at that time lacked over-the-air coverage on the Big Island, making the Hilo outlet useful as a satellite. The station's later development reflected changes in Hawaii's television market. It became linked to KHNL and, through evolving ownership and shared-services arrangements, also carried CBS programming. In 2009, a restructuring involving Raycom Media moved the CBS service associated with KGMD-TV to a digital subchannel of the Hilo operation. The station adopted the KFVE call letters on April 1, 2020. Following Gray's acquisition of a Telemundo station serving Kailua-Kona on channel 6, the two operations exchanged call signs. On November 13, 2020, the Hilo station became KSIX-TV. In its current configuration, KSIX-TV is a full-time satellite of KHNL and KGMB, both part of Gray Media's Hawaii group. Its transmitter remains located at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, while the parent stations operate from Honolulu. The station's contemporary function is therefore less that of a separately programmed local brand and more that of a distribution platform extending NBC, CBS, and associated Hawaii news services to the Big Island.

1. 2020KFVE call sign adopted

   The station changed its call letters to KFVE on April 1.

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2. 2020KSIX-TV identity adopted

   The station became KSIX-TV on November 13 following a call-sign exchange with a Gray-owned Telemundo operation.

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3. 2009CBS feed added through digital restructuring

   The CBS service associated with KGMD-TV moved to a subchannel of the Hilo satellite operation.

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4. 1988Second shutdown and King Broadcasting sale

   KHBC-TV closed on June 30 and was later sold to King Broadcasting Company, owner of KHNL.

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5. 1987Clio Enterprises acquisition

   Clio Enterprises acquired the station and broadened its local and community programming.

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6. 1986KHBC-TV returns to air

   The station resumed operations on April 14 under the KHBC-TV call letters.

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7. 1985Station goes dark

   KOHA-TV ceased broadcasting in February after entering bankruptcy.

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8. 1983KOHA-TV launches

   The station began broadcasting on August 22 as an independent station licensed to Hilo.

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9. 1982Construction permit approved

   Regulators approved the application for the proposed Hilo station.

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10. 1981Construction permit application filed

    Oceanic Broadcasting Company applied to build a new Hilo television station on channel 2.

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A Big Island broadcast outlet and satellite station extending the reach of Gray Media's Honolulu NBC and CBS services to Hilo and surrounding communities.

• Broadcast television serviceTelevision broadcasting1983

  KSIX-TV provides over-the-air television service to Hilo and other communities on Hawaii's Big Island. In its current role, it operates as a full-time satellite rather than as a separately programmed general-entertainment station. Its transmission facilities are located atop the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, enabling Honolulu-based network and local programming to reach the island.

• NBC programmingNetwork affiliation

  Through its relationship with KHNL, KSIX-TV extends NBC network programming and related Hawaii news services to viewers on the Big Island. The service is part of the broader Gray Media Hawaii station group.

• CBS programmingNetwork affiliation2009

  KSIX-TV also carries the CBS service associated with KGMB through the station group's Hawaii distribution arrangement. The CBS feed was moved to a digital subchannel of the Hilo operation during the 2009 restructuring of local station facilities.

• Historical local programmingLocal television production1986

  During its KHBC-TV period, the station produced local news, morning programming, election coverage, topical specials, and the locally created bingo program BingoMania. Its local output reportedly reached about 40 hours per week by 1988, before the station's financial difficulties led to a shutdown.

• 2020Exchange call signs with the Kailua-Kona Telemundo stationOther

  Gray acquired the Telemundo station operating on channel 6 in Kailua-Kona.

  What changed. The Hilo station first adopted KFVE and then exchanged call signs with the channel 6 operation, becoming KSIX-TV on November 13.

  Aftermath. The KSIX-TV identity became associated with the Hilo-licensed satellite serving the Big Island.

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• 2009Move CBS service to a digital subchannelStrategy

  Changes to Hawaii station ownership and shared-services arrangements altered the distribution of CBS programming.

  What changed. The CBS feed associated with KGMD-TV was moved to a subchannel of the Hilo satellite operation.

  Aftermath. The change consolidated network distribution through the satellite station's digital facilities.

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• 1988Close KHBC-TV after continuing lossesStrategy

  The station faced persistent operating losses, staffing pressures, and a labor dispute.

  What changed. Operations ended on June 30, 1988.

  Aftermath. King Broadcasting Company later acquired the station and integrated it with KHNL as a Big Island satellite.

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• 1986Restart as KHBC-TV with syndicated and local programmingStrategy

  After KOHA-TV entered bankruptcy and went off the air, new owner Marvin S. Chupack sought to revive the Hilo operation.

  What changed. The station returned to air under the KHBC-TV call letters and combined syndicated programming with locally produced shows and community specials.

  Aftermath. The restart created a platform for expanded local programming before the station was sold to Clio Enterprises in 1987.

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• 2020Station adopts KFVE call letters

  The Hilo station changed its call sign to KFVE on April 1.

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• 2020KFVE becomes KSIX-TV after call-sign exchange

  After Gray acquired a Telemundo station on channel 6 in Kailua-Kona, the call letters were exchanged and the Hilo station became KSIX-TV on November 13.

  M&AProduct generation
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• 2009CBS service moves to the Hilo satellite's digital operation

  Changes in Hawaii television ownership and shared-services arrangements moved the CBS feed formerly associated with KGMD-TV to a subchannel of the Hilo satellite operation.

  Product generation
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• 1988Employees seek union representation

  Station employees petitioned for representation by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The dispute generated a National Labor Relations Board complaint concerning layoffs and alleged anti-union conduct; the ballot outcome was unresolved because many votes were challenged.

  LawsuitOther
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• 1988KHBC-TV ceases operations

  The station shut down on June 30 after continuing financial losses. It was later sold to King Broadcasting Company, the owner of KHNL.

  Bankruptcy
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• 1987KHBC-TV expands local programming under Clio Enterprises

  New ownership expanded Filipino programming, original shows, and local news, making the station a more substantial community broadcaster.

  Other
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• 1986Station returns to air as KHBC-TV

  Following a bankruptcy-era sale, the Hilo station resumed broadcasting on April 14 under the KHBC-TV call letters, with syndicated and locally produced programming.

  Product generation
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• 1984KOHA-TV ends local newscast amid financial problems

  The station discontinued its local newscast and reduced staffing after citing financial difficulties.

  Other
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• 1983KOHA-TV begins broadcasting from Hilo

  The station launched on August 22 as KOHA-TV, initially operating as an independent Hilo television station with a local evening newscast.

  Other
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1. KSIX-TV
2. KLEI official website