KBAK-TV
KBAK-TV is a CBS-affiliated television station serving Bakersfield and the surrounding Kern County market in California.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KBAK-TV is a commercial television station in Bakersfield, California, operating on channel 29 and affiliated with the CBS network. The station is one of the Central Valley community’s principal sources of local news, weather, traffic, public-affairs coverage, and syndicated or network programming. Its broadcast operation is paired with KBFX-CD, a low-power Class A Fox affiliate, under common ownership by Sinclair Broadcast Group. The two stations share studios on Westwind Drive west of downtown Bakersfield, while KBAK-TV’s transmitter is located on Breckenridge Mountain. The station began broadcasting on August 21, 1953, as KAFY-TV. It was established by Sheldon Anderson, who also owned KAFY radio, and initially operated from studios on Chester Avenue. KAFY-TV was Bakersfield’s first television station and initially carried programming from the DuMont Television Network. After the station was sold to San Francisco’s Chronicle Publishing Company later in 1953, it became primarily affiliated with CBS and adopted the KBAK-TV call sign in February 1954. During its early years, it also shared selected ABC programming with KERO-TV until the arrival of a separate channel 17 station in 1959. Ownership changed several times over the following decades. Chronicle sold the station to Reeves Telecom in 1960, and Reeves sold it to Harriscope Broadcasting in 1964. Harriscope transferred KBAK-TV to Burnham Broadcasting in 1986. In 1974, KBAK-TV exchanged network affiliations with channel 17, becoming an ABC affiliate. It returned to CBS on March 4, 1996, after a broader affiliation realignment involving KERO-TV and McGraw-Hill’s station group. That CBS affiliation has continued. Westwind Communications acquired the station in the mid-1990s after KBAK-TV was not included in the sale of most Burnham stations to SF Broadcasting. Westwind later announced the sale of KBAK-TV and KBFX-CA to Fisher Communications in August 2007; the transaction closed on January 1, 2008. Sinclair Broadcast Group announced its acquisition of Fisher’s television assets in April 2013, and the transaction was completed on August 8, 2013. KBAK-TV has also marked several technical transitions in its history. It completed the United States’ federally mandated digital television transition in June 2009, ending regular analog programming on UHF channel 29 while retaining channel 33 for its digital transmission and channel 29 as its virtual channel. The station introduced local newscasts in 16:9 widescreen standard definition in 2010 and upgraded local news production to high definition in January 2011. Its digital operation has included additional programming associated with KBFX and local weather services. Today, KBAK-TV combines CBS network programming with locally produced journalism and digital content distributed through its BakersfieldNow-branded website.
History
KBAK-TV signed on August 21, 1953, as KAFY-TV, founded by Bakersfield broadcaster Sheldon Anderson in association with KAFY radio. The station operated from Chester Avenue and became the first television station in Bakersfield. Its initial network relationship was with the DuMont Television Network. Later in 1953, Anderson sold the television station to Chronicle Publishing Company of San Francisco. Under Chronicle, the station became primarily affiliated with CBS, and in February 1954 it adopted the KBAK-TV call letters. It also carried some ABC programming shared with KERO-TV before a separate channel 17 service began in 1959. Chronicle sold KBAK-TV to Reeves Telecom in 1960. Reeves sold the station to Harriscope Broadcasting in 1964. During this period, KBAK-TV continued its development as a network-affiliated local station and became an early participant in color television. It carried all of the color programming supplied by CBS and, later, ABC, and completed the transition to full-color operations in 1967. A significant affiliation change occurred in 1974, when KBAK-TV exchanged affiliations with channel 17, then operating as KJTV. KBAK-TV became an ABC affiliate, while the other station assumed the CBS relationship. In 1986, Harriscope sold KBAK-TV to Burnham Broadcasting. Burnham owned several television stations in different U.S. markets, and KBAK remained part of that portfolio through the late 1980s and early 1990s. During the late 1980s, the station also began limiting its overnight operation on Fridays and Saturdays. Those sign-offs continued during its later CBS years until May 2008, when they were replaced by a simulcast of the Kern Weather Channel. In 1995, Burnham sold most of its stations to SF Broadcasting, a joint venture associated with Fox and Savoy Pictures. KBAK-TV was excluded from that transaction and was instead transferred to Westwind Communications, a locally based company linked to former Burnham executives. The station’s affiliation changed again in the mid-1990s. McGraw-Hill, which owned KERO-TV, arranged a groupwide agreement to move its stations to ABC after one of its other stations lost CBS programming. When KERO-TV’s CBS contract expired, KBAK-TV returned to CBS on March 4, 1996. Westwind announced the sale of KBAK-TV and KBFX-CA to Fisher Communications on August 6, 2007. Fisher completed the acquisition on January 1, 2008. The transaction brought KBAK and its related Bakersfield operation into Fisher’s group of broadcast properties. In May 2010, KBAK introduced local newscasts in 16:9 widescreen standard definition. On January 16, 2011, it advanced to local news production in true high definition, becoming the first Bakersfield station described in the reference material to make that transition. The upgrade also affected programming associated with KBFX, though some secondary-channel distribution initially remained in standard-definition widescreen. KBAK-TV’s analog signal ended regular programming on June 12, 2009, the federally designated date for the full-power U.S. television transition to digital broadcasting. The station’s digital signal operated on pre-transition UHF channel 33, while viewers continued to identify the service through virtual channel 29. In April 2013, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced an agreement to acquire Fisher Communications and its stations. Sinclair completed the transaction on August 8, 2013, making KBAK-TV and KBFX part of Sinclair’s broadcast group. The stations share Westwind Drive facilities west of downtown Bakersfield, and KBAK-TV transmits from Breckenridge Mountain. The station currently combines CBS programming, local journalism, weather and other community-oriented coverage with online distribution through BakersfieldNow.com.
- 2013
Sinclair ownership begins
[1]Sinclair completed its acquisition of Fisher Communications’ television stations on August 8.
- 2011
Local news moves to high definition
[1]KBAK-TV launched local news in true high definition on January 16.
- 2009
Analog broadcasting ends
[1]The station ended regular analog programming on June 12 as part of the U.S. full-power digital television transition.
- 2008
Fisher Communications ownership begins
[1]Fisher completed its purchase of KBAK-TV and KBFX-CA on January 1.
- 1996
Returns to CBS
[1]KBAK-TV resumed its CBS affiliation on March 4 after KERO-TV’s CBS contract ended.
- 1974
Affiliation exchange with channel 17
[1]KBAK-TV exchanged network affiliations with the channel 17 station and became an ABC affiliate.
- 1967
Full-color broadcasting
[1]KBAK-TV completed its transition to full-color operations after carrying network color programming.
- 1954
Station adopts the KBAK-TV call sign
[1]After becoming primarily affiliated with CBS, the station changed its call letters from KAFY-TV to KBAK-TV in February.
- 1953
KAFY-TV signs on
[1]KAFY-TV began broadcasting on August 21 as Bakersfield’s first television station, operating from Chester Avenue under the ownership of Sheldon Anderson.
Products and positioning
A local broadcast news and CBS network service for Bakersfield and Kern County, with a complementary relationship to Sinclair-owned KBFX-CD.
Network television · 1996
KBAK CBS programming
The station’s primary television service carries programming from CBS for the Bakersfield market, supplemented by locally scheduled material and syndicated content.
Television news · 1953
KBAK local news
Locally produced news programming covering Bakersfield and Kern County, including regional reporting, weather, traffic and community stories. The service transitioned first to widescreen production and then to high definition.
Digital news platform
BakersfieldNow
The station’s web presence provides digital access to local news, weather, video and related broadcast content for the Bakersfield area.
Weather programming · 2008
Kern Weather Channel
A weather-focused service that replaced overnight sign-offs on KBAK-TV and KBFX in 2008 and was also available through digital cable systems in the Bakersfield area.
Brand decisions
2013
Acquisition by Sinclair Broadcast GroupM&ABackground
KBAK-TV was part of Fisher Communications’ television portfolio after Fisher acquired the station in 2008.
Action taken
Sinclair acquired Fisher’s television assets, completing the transaction on August 8, 2013.
Aftermath
KBAK-TV became part of Sinclair’s broadcast group and continued to operate alongside KBFX from shared Bakersfield facilities.
2011
High-definition local news launchProduct launchBackground
After beginning widescreen standard-definition local news production in 2010, KBAK-TV upgraded its local news operation.
Action taken
The station launched local news in true high definition on January 16, 2011.
Aftermath
The upgrade extended to KBFX-related programming, although some secondary-channel distribution initially remained downconverted.
1996
Return to CBSStrategyBackground
A broader affiliation realignment involving McGraw-Hill stations affected the CBS relationship in Bakersfield after KERO-TV’s contract expired.
Action taken
KBAK-TV resumed its CBS affiliation on March 4, 1996.
Aftermath
The station continued as a CBS affiliate and remains associated with the network.
Sources2 sources
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