| 175px | |
| Anchorage, Alaska | |
|---|---|
| City of license | Anchorage |
| Branding | Channel 2 (general) Channel 2 News (newscasts) |
| Slogan | Alaska's News Source |
| Channels | Digital: 10 (VHF) Virtual: 2 (PSIP) |
| Affiliations | NBC (joint primary 1953-1967, secondary 1967-1970, full-time since 1971) |
| Owner | Schurz Communications, Inc. (Northern Lights Media, Inc.) |
| Founded | October 16, 1953[1] |
| Call letters' meaning | TUU sounds like Two |
| Former callsigns | KFIA (1953-1955) KENI-TV (1955-1981)[2] |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 2 (VHF, 1953-2009) |
| Former affiliations | ABC (joint primary 1953-1967; primary 1967-1971) PBS (per program, 1970-1975) |
| Transmitter power | 50 kW |
| Height | 240 m |
| Facility ID | 10173 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 61°25′19.8″N 149°52′27.8″W / 61.422167°N 149.874389°W |
| Website | www.ktuu.com |
KTUU-TV is an NBC affiliated television station serving Anchorage, Alaska. The station is owned by Schurz Communications of South Bend, Indiana.
The station is broadcast over the air on digital channel 10; on the local cable TV system, GCI on standard cable channel 2 and high-definition cable channel 652. KTUU is also available on DIRECTV and DISH Network for the Anchorage television market.
Its over-the-air transmitter is located in Knik, Alaska.
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History [link]
KTUU is one of Alaska's first two TV stations to sign on in the state (KTVA is the other), signing on in October 1953 as KFIA. It became KENI-TV in 1955, and then KTUU in 1981.
On September 19, 1966, channel 2 became the first station in Alaska to transmit in color (NTSC) when it aired the premiere episode of the ABC situation comedy That Girl (entitled "Don't Just Do Something, Stand There!"). The station had joint primary affiliation with NBC and ABC (with KTVA picking up some of the slack) until October 1, 1967 when it switched to ABC primary and NBC secondary, primarily because ABC had more programs on film. Channel 2 became a full-time ABC affiliate in 1970 when KHAR (now KYUR) took the NBC affiliation. The two stations switched networks in October 1971, at which time KHAR became KIMO. Channel 2 also carried a few PBS programs (particularly The Electric Company) until KAKM signed on in 1975. Until KTVF in Fairbanks switched networks from CBS to NBC in April 1996, KTUU was the only full-time NBC affiliate in Alaska.
In August 2010, KTUU became the third Schurz-owned television station (after KWCH-DT and KSCW-DT in Wichita, Kansas and WDBJ in Roanoke, Virginia) to relaunch its Web site through a new partnership with the Tribune Company's Tribune Interactive division. Previously, the Web address was operated by the local media division of World Now. The other Schurz television station Web sites, which are currently operated by Broadcast Interactive Media, will follow suit when their CMS contract with BIM runs out.
KTUU has been number one in the Anchorage, AK market for decades. The Channel 2 News team routinely wins regional and national awards and in 1999, became the first and only television station in Alaska with their own satellite uplink truck (NewsStar 2). The National Press Photographers Association named KTUU the Small Market Television News Photography Station of the Year in 2006, 2008 and 2010.[3]
Former Alaska governor and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin (née Heath) was a fill-in weekend sports anchor for KTUU shortly after college.
Digital television [link]
The station's digital channel has both High Definition and Standard Definition programming feeds:
Digital channels
| Channel (PSIP) |
Programming | Freq (MHz) |
Video PID |
Audio PID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | KTUU-HD | 195 | 49 | 52 |
| 2.2 | KTUU-SD | 195 | 65 | 68 |
Analog feed [link]
Following the digital transition, which took place on June 12, 2009, KTUU maintains analog programming on Channel 2 under the Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act. A video is broadcast on the channel that informs viewers on how to obtain and use a digital converter box. The video alternates in English and Spanish and is played throughout the day.
On-air staff [link]
Current on-air staff [link]
Anchors
- Maria Downey - weeknights at 6 p.m.
- Sheila Balistreri - weekday mornings "Channel 2 News Morning Edition" (also producer)
- Mike Ross - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
- Todd Walker - weekday mornings "Channel 2 News Morning Edition" (also reporter)
- Christine Kim - weekends (also reporter)
Reporters
- Jason Lamb - general assignment reporter
- Ted Land - general assignment reporter
- Rhonda McBride-general assignment reporter
- Rebecca Palsha - general assignment reporter
- Dan Fiorucci - general assignment reporter
- Abby Hancock - general assignment reporter
- Rhonda McBride - general assignment reporter
- Matt Simon - general assignment reporter
Weather Team
- Jackie Purcell - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
- Mitch Sego - Meteorologist; weekday mornings "Channel 2 News Morning Edition"
- Tracy Sinclare - Meteorologist; weekends at 5 and 10PM
- Robert Forgit - Meteorologist; fill-in
Sports Team
- Lauren Magiera - Sports Anchor/Reporter
- Charlie Sokaitis - Sports Anchor; weekends at 5 and 10 p.m. (also sports reporter)
- Kevin Wells - Sports Anchor; weeknights at 10 p.m. (also sports reporter)
Former staff [link]
References [link]
- ^ The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says December (no date given), while the Television and Cable Factbook says October 16.
- ^ Mitchell, Elaine B., ed. (1973). Alaska Blue Book (First ed.). Juneau: Alaska Department of Education, Division of State Libraries. p. 136.
- ^ https://www.nppa.org/about_us/honors_and_recognitions/station_of_year/
External links [link]
- KTUU.com - Official Website
- Query the FCC's TV station database for KTUU
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KTUU-TV
- YouTube - Al Bramstedt interviews Noel Wien in the KENI-TV studios, 1972
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