KSKN, virtual channel 22 (digital channel 36), is the CW-affiliated television station for Spokane, Washington, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and the Inland Northwest. It is also the sister station of KREM-TV and shares some of its programming. KSKN is owned by the Belo Corporation.

Digital Television [link]

The stations digital signal is multiplexed. On December 6, 2011, Belo announced it signed affiliation agreements with KSKN and Seattle sister station KING-TV to add Live Well Network to their digital subchannels; Live Well Network replaced Universal Sports on digital subchannel 22.2 effective January 1, 2012, as Universal Sports transitioned into a cable and satellite channel during the first quarter of 2012.^[2]

Post-analog shutdown [link]

KSKN shut down analog transmissions on June 12, 2009. The station remained on its pre-transition channel 36. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display its virtual channel as 22.

History [link]

KSKN signed on the air on October 1, 1983 as an independent competitor to KAYU-TV (channel 28). The station featured a general entertainment format consisting of classic cartoons from 6 to 9 a.m., religious shows from 9 a.m. to noon, classic sitcoms from noon to 2:30 p.m., new cartoons from 2:30 to 5 p.m., recent sitcoms from 5 to 7 p.m., movies from 7 to 9 p.m., a mix of old and recent sitcoms from 9 p.m. to midnight, and movies during the overnight hours. Weekends consisted of more movies and drama shows. The station had good ratings, but overspent on programming. The original owners^[who?] filed for bankruptcy in the summer of 1985. The station scaled back operations to daily from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. The station added more barter shows and dropped the stronger programming. In the fall of 1985, KSKN was sold^{[by whom?]}. The new owners returned the station to stronger programming and added most of the shows the previous owners lost. They added Home Shopping Network programs on the overnight.

The station continued to suffer financially. These owners also filed bankruptcy in 1987. The station began carrying home shopping programming 18 hours a day and some religious shows and cartoons for the remaining six hours. In 1988, KSKN went dark. In 1990, KSKN returned to the airwaves with Home Shopping Network programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In 1995, KSKN entered into a local marketing agreement with KREM-TV, which was owned by the Providence Journal Company at the time. The station continued carrying Home Shopping Network programming, except during the morning hours, when the station ran cartoons. In 1997, the station became an affiliate of the United Paramount Network, with the station carrying the network's primetime programs and a couple hours a day of cartoons were added in afternoons. The station was re-launched in 1997 with an overhaul of programming. Home Shopping Network programming was relegated to overnights; daytime hours consisted of cartoons until 9 a.m. and from 3 to 5 p.m., sitcoms from 9 a.m. to noon, talk and reality shows from noon to 3 p.m., sitcoms from 5 to 8 p.m. and from 10:30 p.m. to midnight, and a newscast at 10 p.m.

In 2002, the station dropped its affiliation with UPN in favor of becoming a WB affiliate; the station gradually began dropping weekday cartoons from 1999 to 2006, due to changes in the broadcast industry. Belo, who bought out ProJo back in 1997, bought KSKN outright in October 2001 with a Federal Communications Commission-issued "failing station" waiver due to the Spokane market having only seven full-power stations, which are normally not enough to legally support a co-owned duopoly. In January 2006, it was announced that The WB and UPN would merge in September 2006 to form The CW Television Network. It was confirmed on April 10 that KSKN would become the new affiliate for The CW.

Programming [link]

Syndicated programming on KSKN-TV includes Punk'd, The Hills, The People's Court, Judge Mathis, Judge Jeanine Pirro, The Dr. Oz Show, The New Adventures of Old Christine, The King of Queens, George Lopez, and Scrubs. Currently, KSKN is the over-the-air TV station for the Seattle Mariners in the Spokane area.

Newscast [link]

In 1997, KSKN began broadcasting a nightly 30-minute newscast at 10 p.m. produced by KREM. Both the KSKN and KREM newscasts have been broadcast in 16:9 enhanced-definition widescreen since April 2010.

[edit] News team^[3]

Anchors

• Danielle Grant - weekends at 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
• Jane McCarthy - fill-in anchor
• Chris Nguyen - weekends at 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
• Randy Shaw - weeknights at 10 p.m.

Storm Tracker 2 Weather

• Tom Sherry (NWA Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 10 p.m.
• Danielle Grant - weather anchor; weekends at 10 p.m.
• Michelle Boss (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; fill-in
• Randy Mann - meteorologist; fill-in

Sports team

• Darnay Tripp - sports director; weeknights at 10 p.m.
• Mike Boyle - sports reporter and fill-in sports anchor (voice of the Spokane Chiefs and the Spokane Indians)

Reporters

• Shawn Chitnis - general assignment reporter
• Cole Heath - North Idaho reporter
• Ashley Korslein - general assignment reporter
• Rebecca Perry - general assignment reporter
• Othello Richards - general assignment reporter
• Honora Swanson - general assignment reporter
• Tove Tupper - general assignment reporter
• Katie Utehs - general assignment reporter

References [link]

External links [link]

• CW22
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KSKN
• Query TV Fool's coverage map for KSKN
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KSKN-TV