KGPE

KGPE is a full-power television station serving Fresno, California, and the surrounding Central Valley. It broadcasts on virtual channel 47 and operates as a CBS affiliate. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group and shares facilities, operational resources, and some news-gathering functions with NBC affiliate KSEE, which Nexstar also owns in the Fresno market. KGPE's studios are located at the McKinley Media Center on McKinley Avenue in eastern Fresno, while its transmitter is situated on Bear Mountain near Meadow Lakes. The station began broadcasting on October 1, 1953, under the call sign KJEO. Founded by Jack E. O'Neill, it was the second television station to launch in the Fresno market. KJEO initially operated primarily as an ABC affiliate while also carrying CBS programming. When KFRE-TV signed on in 1956 and assumed the CBS affiliation on a full-time basis, KJEO continued as an ABC-oriented station. Its ownership changed several times: O'Neill Broadcasting sold the station to Shasta Telecasting in 1961, and Retlaw Broadcasting, a unit of Retlaw Enterprises, acquired it in 1968. A major affiliation change occurred in 1985 after Capital Cities Communications merged with ABC. Because the merger made KFSN-TV an ABC-owned station, the Fresno market's CBS affiliation moved to KJEO. This established the station's long-term identity as a CBS affiliate. In 1998, Fisher Broadcasting merged with Retlaw. Fisher later sold channel 47 to the Ackerley Group in 2000, and the station adopted the KGPE call letters on September 14 of that year. Clear Channel Communications acquired Ackerley in 2001, completing the transaction in 2002. During the Clear Channel period, the station used the branding "CBS 47 On Your Side." Clear Channel agreed in 2007 to sell its television group to Newport Television, a broadcast holding company controlled by Providence Equity Partners. The transaction closed in 2008. Because of ownership restrictions involving Providence Equity Partners' interest in Univision Communications and the Fresno-market Univision station KFTV-DT, KGPE's license assets were transferred to High Plains Broadcasting while Newport continued operating the station under a shared-services arrangement. This produced a complicated ownership structure and marked one of several ownership changes in the station's modern history. Nexstar Broadcasting Group agreed to acquire KGPE in 2012, with regulatory approval following in January 2013 and completion in February. Nexstar subsequently acquired KSEE, creating a same-market duopoly. The arrangement was permitted because available ratings data placed KGPE and KSEE outside the FCC's restriction on common ownership of two of the market's four highest-rated stations. In 2013, the two stations consolidated their operations at KSEE's facility, which was renovated and renamed the McKinley Media Center. KGPE moved there on October 9, 2013, with high-definition-capable studios supporting both stations. KGPE's core output consists of local news, weather, traffic, sports, investigative reporting, community information, syndicated programming, and CBS network programming. Its news operation has used several identities over time, including News 47 and Eyewitness News. After the 2013 consolidation, the station revived the Eyewitness News name and adopted a faster-paced format emphasizing breaking news and investigative coverage. The station has expanded its local schedule at various points, including the addition of a 7 p.m. weekday newscast in 2013, a 7:30 p.m. weekday newscast in 2021, and a four p.m. weekday newscast in 2022. KGPE remains an active local broadcast brand focused on the Fresno market and the wider Central Valley.

KGPE began broadcasting on October 1, 1953, as KJEO. The station was founded by Jack E. O'Neill and became the second television outlet in the Fresno market, following KMJ-TV, now KSEE. Its original service pattern centered on ABC programming, supplemented by a secondary CBS affiliation. That arrangement changed when KFRE-TV launched in May 1956 and took CBS programming on a full-time basis. Ownership changed in 1961, when O'Neill Broadcasting sold KJEO to Shasta Telecasting Corporation. Retlaw Broadcasting, a unit of Retlaw Enterprises associated with relatives of Walt Disney, acquired the station in 1968. In 1985, a major network realignment affected the Fresno market. Capital Cities Communications' merger with ABC turned KFSN-TV into an ABC owned-and-operated station, and the CBS affiliation consequently moved to KJEO. Fisher Broadcasting merged with Retlaw in 1998. Fisher then sold channel 47 to the Ackerley Group in 2000. The station adopted the KGPE call letters on September 14, 2000, and refreshed its news identity as News 47. Clear Channel Communications acquired Ackerley in a transaction approved by the FCC and completed in 2002. Under Clear Channel, KGPE used the CBS 47 On Your Side brand beginning in October 2004. In 2007, Clear Channel agreed to sell its television stations to Newport Television, a broadcast holding company controlled by Providence Equity Partners. The sale closed in March 2008. Shortly afterward, ownership restrictions led to a separate transaction involving KGPE's license assets. High Plains Broadcasting acquired those assets, while Newport retained operational responsibility through a shared-services agreement. The structure reflected Providence Equity Partners' existing minority interest in Univision Communications and the presence of Univision-owned stations in the same market. Newport agreed to sell KGPE to Nexstar Broadcasting Group in November 2012. The FCC approved the transaction in January 2013, and it closed in February. Nexstar then acquired KSEE from Granite Broadcasting. Because ratings data placed KGPE and KSEE outside the FCC's top-four ownership restriction, Nexstar was able to operate the two Fresno stations as a duopoly. The stations began sharing reporters and photographers while retaining separate on-air talent. The operational combination was completed on October 9, 2013, when KGPE moved from its longtime First Street studios to renovated facilities on McKinley Avenue. The shared complex was renamed the McKinley Media Center and equipped for high-definition production. KGPE also revived the Eyewitness News name, formerly used from 1978 into the late 1990s, and adopted a news format emphasizing fast-moving breaking coverage and investigative reports. KGPE's local-news schedule has evolved repeatedly. The station introduced a 5 p.m. newscast in 1995, expanded it from five minutes to a half-hour in 1996, and launched a weekday morning newscast during the same period. A 5:30 p.m. broadcast was added in 2001 but discontinued the following year because of low ratings. A 6:30 p.m. newscast that had operated in the late 1980s and early 1990s was canceled in 1995; a later attempt to restore the time slot in January 2007 also ended after several months. KGPE added a 7 p.m. weeknight newscast in 2013, a 7:30 p.m. broadcast in 2021, and an hour-long 4 p.m. weekday program in 2022. The station's weekend 6 p.m. newscast was suspended in 2013. A notable security incident occurred during a live 5 p.m. newscast on December 5, 1987, when an armed man took sportscaster Marc Cotta hostage. The weapon was later identified as a toy gun, and the station cut away from the broadcast. The incident remains part of the station's broadcast history, although it was not a corporate scandal. KGPE completed the federally mandated transition from analog to digital broadcasting on June 12, 2009. Its digital signal continued on UHF channel 34 while using virtual channel 47. The station has also carried various digital multicast services, including Untamed Sports TV and ZUUS Country, before later replacing the secondary service with a standard-definition simulcast of its primary channel. KGPE continues to operate as a Nexstar-owned CBS affiliate for Fresno and the Central Valley.

1. 20224 p.m. newscast added

   The station launches an hour-long weekday afternoon newscast.

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2. 20217:30 p.m. newscast added

   KGPE expands its weeknight local-news schedule.

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3. 2013Nexstar acquisition closes

   Nexstar completes its acquisition of KGPE and subsequently forms a Fresno duopoly with KSEE.

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4. 2013Move to McKinley Media Center

   KGPE consolidates operations with KSEE at upgraded facilities on McKinley Avenue.

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5. 2009Digital transition

   KGPE ends analog broadcasting on June 12 and continues digitally on UHF channel 34 with virtual channel 47.

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6. 2002Clear Channel acquisition closes

   Clear Channel completes its acquisition of Ackerley and assumes control of the station.

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7. 2000KGPE call sign adopted

   The station changes its call letters from KJEO to KGPE on September 14.

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8. 1998Fisher merges with Retlaw

   Fisher Broadcasting merges with Retlaw, bringing the station under Fisher ownership before its later sale.

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9. 1985CBS affiliation begins

   The CBS affiliation moves from KFRE-TV to KJEO after KFSN-TV becomes an ABC owned-and-operated station.

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10. 1968Retlaw acquires KJEO

    Retlaw Broadcasting purchases the station from Shasta Telecasting.

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11. 1961Shasta Telecasting acquisition

    O'Neill Broadcasting sells KJEO to Shasta Telecasting Corporation.

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12. 1953KJEO signs on

    The station begins broadcasting on October 1 as KJEO, the second television station in the Fresno market.

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A locally focused CBS network affiliate serving Fresno and California's Central Valley, with an emphasis on breaking news, weather, investigative reporting, and community coverage.

• CBS network serviceNetwork television affiliation1985

  KGPE carries CBS network programming for Fresno and the surrounding Central Valley. The station's CBS identity dates from the 1985 affiliation realignment that moved CBS programming from KFRE-TV to the then-KJEO. Network programming is complemented by locally produced news, weather, and community coverage.

• KGPE local newsLocal television news1995

  KGPE produces local news, weather, traffic, sports, and investigative reports for the Fresno television market. Its schedule has included morning, afternoon, early-evening, and later-evening broadcasts, with the station adjusting time slots over the years in response to programming strategy and audience performance.

• Eyewitness NewsNews brand2013

  Eyewitness News is KGPE's local-news identity, revived after the station moved into the shared McKinley Media Center in 2013. The format emphasizes breaking news, rapid coverage, and investigative reporting while maintaining separate on-air presentation from sister station KSEE.

• Digital multicast servicesDigital television2010

  KGPE has used its digital subchannel capacity for services including Untamed Sports TV and ZUUS Country. After Nexstar assumed control, the station discontinued ZUUS Country and used the secondary channel for a standard-definition simulcast of the main service.

• 2022Launch an hour-long 4 p.m. newscastProduct launch

  KGPE continued expanding its local-news inventory in the Fresno market.

  What changed. The station added an hour-long weekday 4 p.m. newscast.

  Aftermath. The new program broadened the station's weekday local-news schedule.

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• 2013Consolidate KGPE and KSEE operationsM&A

  After Nexstar acquired both Fresno stations, the company pursued shared facilities and coordinated news-gathering operations.

  What changed. KGPE moved into upgraded high-definition-capable facilities with KSEE at the McKinley Media Center.

  Aftermath. The stations shared reporters and photographers while retaining distinct on-air talent and separate station identities.

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• 2000Rebrand as KGPEStrategy

  Following the Ackerley Group's acquisition of channel 47, the station sought a new identity.

  What changed. The call sign changed from KJEO to KGPE on September 14, and the news operation was branded News 47.

  Aftermath. The KGPE call sign became the station's continuing broadcast identity.

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• 1985Accept CBS affiliation after Fresno network realignmentStrategy

  KFSN-TV became an ABC owned-and-operated station after Capital Cities Communications merged with ABC, displacing the existing CBS affiliation arrangement.

  What changed. KJEO, the station now known as KGPE, took over CBS affiliation in the Fresno market.

  Aftermath. The affiliation established the station's enduring identity as a CBS affiliate.

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• 2022KGPE launches a four p.m. weekday newscast

  KGPE expands its weekday local-news schedule with an hour-long 4 p.m. program.

  Product launch
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• 2021KGPE adds a 7:30 p.m. weekday newscast

  The station adds another half-hour weekday evening newscast at 7:30 p.m.

  Product launch
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• 2013Nexstar acquires KGPE

  Nexstar completes its acquisition of KGPE and later combines the station's operations with those of KSEE in Fresno.

  M&A
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• 2013KGPE and KSEE consolidate at McKinley Media Center

  KGPE moves from its longtime First Street facility into upgraded, high-definition-capable studios shared with KSEE.

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• 2013KGPE adds a 7 p.m. weekday newscast

  The station expands its local news schedule with a half-hour weeknight broadcast at 7 p.m.

  Product launch
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• 2000Station adopts KGPE call letters

  After the Ackerley Group acquires the station, channel 47 changes its call sign from KJEO to KGPE.

  Other
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• 1985CBS affiliation moves to KJEO

  Following Capital Cities Communications' merger with ABC and KFSN-TV's conversion to an ABC owned-and-operated station, Fresno's CBS affiliation shifts to KJEO.

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• 1953KGPE begins broadcasting as KJEO

  The Fresno-market station signs on the air as KJEO, becoming the market's second television station.

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1. KGPE
2. Official KGPE website