KSL-TV

KSL-TV is a commercial television station licensed to Salt Lake City, Utah, and operating on channel 5. It is affiliated with NBC and is the only television property of Bonneville International, the broadcasting company associated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The station shares the Broadcast House complex in Salt Lake City's Triad Center with sister radio outlets KSL and KSL-FM. Its main transmitter is located on Farnsworth Peak in the Oquirrh Mountains, while an extensive translator network broadens over-the-air coverage across Utah and into portions of Arizona, Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming. The station began broadcasting on June 1, 1949. It was established by the Deseret News, which also owned KSL radio, and initially operated as Salt Lake City's CBS affiliate. During its early years it carried selected ABC and DuMont programming as well as locally produced material. Television distribution changed substantially in 1951 when a nationwide AT&T microwave relay network enabled KSL-TV to receive live network feeds; before that development, the station relied heavily on local productions, filmed programs and delayed kinescope recordings. A transmission tower built on Farnsworth Peak in 1952 improved coverage along the Wasatch Front and helped support the station's long-term translator strategy. KSL's broadcasting assets were reorganized under Bonneville International in 1964. The station adopted color broadcasting soon afterward and moved in 1984 to the Broadcast House facility it continues to share with its radio counterparts. Its ownership structure gives it an unusual position in American commercial broadcasting: it is a for-profit network affiliate owned through a religiously affiliated broadcasting group rather than a nonprofit religious television network. KSL-TV became an NBC affiliate on September 10, 1995, following a complicated national realignment involving CBS, NBC, Westinghouse and several owned-and-operated stations. The change ended more than four decades of CBS affiliation and made KSL the principal NBC outlet in the Salt Lake City market. The station's local identity has remained closely tied to news, weather, sports and community programming, while its ownership has also influenced programming standards and scheduling decisions. In addition to NBC network programming, KSL-TV produces local newscasts and sports coverage and has carried programs connected to Latter-day Saint culture, including Music and the Spoken Word, Mormon Times and coverage of the Church's twice-yearly General Conference. It has periodically preempted or delayed network programs whose themes or content conflicted with the station's standards, religious identity or local scheduling priorities. Examples have included Saturday Night Live for many years, gambling-related programming, The Playboy Club, The New Normal and Hannibal. These decisions have made KSL-TV a prominent example of the tension between local editorial control, religious ownership and the obligations of a commercial network affiliate. The station played an important role during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, advocating for live local coverage and contributing local expertise and technology to NBC's presentation. It also entered into a local marketing agreement with independent KJZZ-TV in 2010; that arrangement ended in 2016. Today KSL-TV remains an active NBC affiliate and a major local news and information outlet in Utah, with its broadcast operation complemented by the broader KSL media brand's digital and radio services.

KSL-TV's roots lie in the broadcasting operations connected with the Deseret News and KSL radio. Radio Service Corporation of Utah applied for a television construction permit on May 26, 1948, and received approval on July 29 of that year. The station signed on June 1, 1949, from studios in the Union Pacific Building on Main Street in Salt Lake City. It was owned by the Deseret News and began as a CBS affiliate, reflecting the radio station's established relationship with the CBS Radio Network. The early service also carried selected ABC programs shared with KDYL-TV, along with some DuMont programming and, briefly, material from the NTA Film Network. KSL-TV's technical reach expanded quickly. In 1951, the completion of AT&T's coast-to-coast microwave relay system allowed the station to receive live network television. Before that point, much of its schedule consisted of local productions, filmed material and delayed kinescope recordings; KSL reportedly produced dozens of live programs each week. A 370-foot transmission tower constructed on Farnsworth Peak in 1952 improved reception along the Wasatch Front and into Tooele County. The station subsequently developed a large translator system, extending its terrestrial signal through Utah and into neighboring states. The KSL stations were operated as a Deseret News division until 1964, when Bonneville International was formed to hold the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' commercial broadcasting assets. KSL-TV moved into color broadcasting soon after the corporate reorganization. In 1984, the television operation relocated to the Broadcast House facility in the Triad Center, which also became the home of KSL's radio operations. A major turning point came in the mid-1990s. National affiliation transactions involving CBS, NBC, Westinghouse Broadcasting and several network-owned stations reshaped the Salt Lake City market. NBC initially explored other local options, but after KTVX renewed its ABC relationship, NBC reached an agreement with KSL-TV. The station became an NBC affiliate on September 10, 1995. KUTV continued carrying Saturday Night Live temporarily before the program moved elsewhere, while KSL assumed NBC's primary local schedule. KSL-TV's religiously affiliated ownership has affected both its identity and its programming practices. The station has carried local news, weather and sports alongside programs relevant to Latter-day Saint audiences, including Music and the Spoken Word, Mormon Times and General Conference coverage. It has also exercised unusually visible control over network scheduling, declining or moving programs that management considered inconsistent with the station's standards or mission. Past examples included sexually oriented or controversial series, poker programming, The Playboy Club, The New Normal and Hannibal. The station's long refusal to air Saturday Night Live was partly related to content concerns but also reflected its preference for local sports programming; it finally began carrying the show in its normal NBC slot in 2013. The 2002 Winter Olympics gave the station a particularly prominent role. Because the Games were held in Salt Lake City, KSL-TV pressed NBC to provide live local coverage and helped bring local production capability and technical expertise to the network's presentation. In 2010, KSL-TV entered a local marketing agreement with KJZZ-TV. The arrangement ended in 2016 after Sinclair Broadcast Group acquired KJZZ. KSL-TV continues to operate as an NBC affiliate and regional news outlet from Broadcast House, supported by its transmitter and translator network.

1. 2013Saturday Night Live added to the schedule

   KSL announced that it would carry the program in its regular NBC time slot beginning that fall.

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2. 2010KJZZ-TV local marketing agreement

   KSL-TV began operating under an LMA with KJZZ-TV.

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3. 2002Salt Lake City Winter Olympics coverage

   The station contributed to NBC's local Olympic coverage and advocated for live broadcasts in the host market.

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4. 1995NBC affiliation begins

   KSL-TV switched from CBS to NBC on September 10 after a national network affiliation realignment.

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5. 1984Broadcast House relocation

   KSL-TV moved to its current Broadcast House facility in Salt Lake City's Triad Center.

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6. 1964Bonneville International is formed

   The station's broadcasting operations became part of Bonneville International, the LDS Church's commercial broadcasting arm.

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7. 1952Farnsworth Peak transmission tower built

   A major tower improved signal coverage across the Wasatch Front and supported later translator expansion.

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8. 1951Live network television becomes available

   The AT&T microwave relay network enabled KSL-TV to carry live network feeds, including an ABC program broadcast on September 30.

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9. 1949KSL-TV begins broadcasting

   The station signed on June 1 as a CBS affiliate serving Salt Lake City.

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10. 1948Construction permit application filed

    Radio Service Corporation of Utah filed an application for a television construction permit on May 26.

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A locally rooted NBC affiliate combining high-profile news and sports coverage with community programming and standards shaped by its connection to Bonneville International and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

• Local newsTelevision news

  KSL-TV's local news operation is a central part of its service, covering Utah politics, public affairs, weather, traffic, crime, education and community developments for the Salt Lake City market and the wider state.

• Sports programmingSports television

  The station produces and carries sports coverage focused on Utah teams and events. Its local sports discussion and highlights programming historically influenced decisions about whether and when to carry NBC entertainment programs.

• NBC network programmingNetwork television affiliate service1995

  Since 1995, KSL-TV has provided the Salt Lake City market with most of NBC's schedule, including scripted entertainment, news, sports and late-night programming, subject to occasional local preemptions or delays.

• Religious and community programmingReligious and public-affairs television

  KSL-TV carries programming associated with Latter-day Saint culture and the local community, including Music and the Spoken Word, Mormon Times and coverage of the Church's semiannual General Conference.

• 2011Out in the Light

  Utah

  KSL supported the Out in the Light campaign, which addressed perceived mental, marital and social harms associated with pornography use.

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• 2013Return of Saturday Night Live to the regular scheduleOther

  KSL had declined to air Saturday Night Live for its first 18 years as an NBC affiliate, while its local SportsBeat Saturday program lost audience and became harder to schedule around late Utah sports events.

  What changed. The station announced that it would begin airing Saturday Night Live in NBC's normal time slot.

  Aftermath. The decision ended one of KSL-TV's most notable long-running network-programming preemptions.

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• 2013Removal of HannibalOther

  KSL cited graphic violence and material connected with the Hannibal Lecter stories as inconsistent with its standards.

  What changed. After four episodes, KSL replaced the drama with KSL In Depth; KUCW carried Hannibal instead.

  Aftermath. The series remained available locally through KUCW and was ultimately canceled in 2015.

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• 2012Preemption of The New NormalOther

  KSL objected to the sitcom's treatment of gay parenting, crude dialogue and characterizations it considered offensive.

  What changed. The station replaced the program with My Family Recipe Rocks! and KUCW carried the sitcom in an alternate slot.

  Aftermath. The New Normal was canceled after its first season.

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• 2011Preemption of The Playboy ClubOther

  Station management considered the program's association with the Playboy brand inconsistent with KSL-TV's mission and identity.

  What changed. KSL replaced the series with the locally produced newsmagazine We Are Utah; KMYU carried the program instead.

  Aftermath. NBC canceled the series after its third episode, while KSL continued the substitute programming until a later schedule change.

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• 2010Local marketing agreement with KJZZ-TVStrategy

  KUTV's prior local marketing agreement with KJZZ-TV ended after five years.

  What changed. KSL-TV entered an LMA with KJZZ-TV in July 2010.

  Aftermath. The arrangement ended in 2016 after Sinclair acquired KJZZ-TV.

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• 1995Switch from CBS to NBCStrategy

  A national affiliation realignment changed the network relationships of several stations in the Salt Lake City market.

  What changed. KSL-TV accepted NBC affiliation beginning September 10, 1995, after NBC was unable to secure KTVX.

  Aftermath. KSL became Salt Lake City's long-term NBC affiliate, replacing KUTV.

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• 2013KSL-TV begins carrying Saturday Night Live

  After years of declining interest in its local Saturday sports program, KSL announced that it would air Saturday Night Live in its regular NBC time slot.

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• 2010KSL-TV enters local marketing agreement with KJZZ-TV

  KSL-TV began a local marketing agreement with independent KJZZ-TV after KUTV's previous arrangement with the station ended.

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• 2002KSL-TV supports live local coverage of the 2002 Winter Olympics

  During the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, the station advocated for live local NBC coverage and contributed local broadcasting expertise and technology.

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• 1999Fatal shooting at Broadcast House

  A shooter entered the station's Broadcast House facility while reportedly seeking a KSL-TV reporter. Anne Sleater, an employee of another company in the building, was fatally wounded.

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• 1995KSL-TV changes network affiliation from CBS to NBC

  A national affiliation realignment moved KSL-TV to NBC on September 10, 1995, replacing KUTV as the market's NBC outlet.

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• 1949KSL-TV signs on as Salt Lake City's new television station

  KSL-TV began broadcasting from Salt Lake City's Union Pacific Building on June 1, initially as a CBS affiliate.

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1. KSL-TV
2. KSL.com