KOLD-TV
KOLD-TV is a CBS-affiliated television station serving Tucson and Southern Arizona.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KOLD-TV is a television station licensed to Tucson, Arizona, and affiliated with the CBS network. Broadcasting on virtual channel 13, it is one of the most historically significant stations in the Tucson market: it began service in February 1953 and was the first television station to go on the air in Tucson. It is also generally identified as the second-oldest television station in Arizona. The station has maintained its CBS affiliation throughout its history, giving it a long-standing relationship with one of the United States’ major broadcast networks. The station originated with the Old Pueblo Broadcasting Company, associated with Gene Autry and Tom Chauncey, which obtained authorization to construct a channel 13 station after the Federal Communications Commission ended its postwar freeze on new television licenses. The station’s transmitter was activated in January 1953, initially before the studio facilities were complete, and regular programming began on February 1. Its original call sign was KOPO-TV, reflecting its relationship with KOPO radio. In 1957, the television and radio operations adopted the KOLD identity. The call letters were connected to Autry’s broadcasting interests and supported the memorable local slogan “It’s KOLD in Tucson.” During its early decades, KOLD-TV developed a strong local news operation and was the leading news station in Tucson for part of the 1960s and 1970s. It later lost the market lead to KVOA and experienced a prolonged period of weaker ratings, newsroom turnover, equipment problems, and cost pressure, particularly under News-Press & Gazette ownership in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A transmitter relocation from Mount Bigelow to the Tucson Mountains improved reception in portions of Tucson but produced disadvantages for some viewers in outlying communities and created issues for certain cable customers. The station entered a rebuilding period after New Vision Television acquired its former station group in 1993. New management worked to improve employee morale and developed a larger northwest Tucson facility, including a newsroom and production area known as the Newsplex. The facility opened in 1994. Ownership subsequently passed through Ellis Communications and Raycom Media. Under Raycom, KOLD expanded its local news capabilities, including the introduction of Tucson’s first station-operated news helicopter in the late 1990s. In 2001, a KOLD report about exploding fuel tanks in police cars received an Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award. By 2004, the station had regained a competitive position, surpassing KVOA in evening time slots among viewers aged 25 to 54. KOLD’s operating role expanded in 2012 through a shared-services agreement involving local Fox affiliate KMSB and KTTU-TV. KOLD assumed operational, production, engineering, master-control, and advertising functions for the two stations, and began producing KMSB’s local news programming. The arrangement also led to a jointly branded digital presence that used the Tucson News Now name. In 2022, KOLD added weekday 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. newscasts, extending its local programming schedule. Gray Television acquired Raycom Media in 2019, making KOLD part of Gray’s national station group; Gray later adopted the corporate name Gray Media. KOLD remains a CBS affiliate producing local news, weather, traffic, investigative reports, sports coverage, and community programming for Tucson and surrounding areas. Its primary transmitter is located at Mount Bigelow, while a translator in the Tucson Mountains helps address coverage limitations caused by regional terrain. The station completed the United States’ mandated analog-to-digital transition in 2009 and continues to use virtual channel 13.
History
KOLD-TV traces its origins to the end of the FCC’s freeze on new television-station licenses. Three Tucson radio operators sought television channels, and the Old Pueblo Broadcasting Company, associated with Gene Autry and Tom Chauncey, applied for channel 13 without opposition on June 21, 1952. The FCC granted a construction permit on November 12 of that year. Because suitable tall television towers were not immediately available, the initial transmitter was installed on the tower used by KOPO radio. Construction also began on a television addition to the radio station’s West Drachman Street facility. The transmitter was activated on January 13, 1953, but the studios were not yet ready for normal programming. A dedication broadcast followed, and regular service began on February 1. The station carried CBS and DuMont programming. Before a coaxial cable connection to national networks was completed in September, many network programs reached Tucson through kinescope recordings. The new cable connection was shared with KVOA-TV, allowing live network broadcasts to reach local viewers. Initially operating as KOPO-TV, the station changed its call sign to KOLD-TV on April 30, 1957. The change reflected the broader broadcasting interests of Autry and Chauncey, who also operated KOOL radio and television in Phoenix. KOLD’s principal transmitter moved to Mount Bigelow in 1961, a site shared with other Tucson television broadcasters. The station remained a CBS affiliate throughout this period and became an important source of local news and network programming. In December 1968, the owners announced the sale of KOLD-TV to Universal Communications Corporation, the broadcasting division of the Evening News Association. The FCC approved the transaction in 1969 subject to ownership-related conditions involving the Scripps interests. KOLD was sold separately from the associated radio operation, which reverted to the KOPO call sign. In 1985, Gannett acquired the Evening News Association. Because of Gannett’s existing media holdings and signal-overlap concerns, it was required to divest KOLD. Knight-Ridder Broadcasting acquired the station as part of a larger transaction. Knight-Ridder later decided to sell its station group as it addressed substantial debt and financed the purchase of Dialog Information Services. News-Press & Gazette Company acquired KOLD in June 1989. The new ownership introduced newsroom budget reductions that contributed to employee turnover, deteriorating equipment, and weaker local-news performance. The station also moved its transmitter from Mount Bigelow to the Tucson Mountains. That change improved reception in some parts of Tucson affected by terrain, but it reduced coverage for some over-the-air viewers in distant communities and created signal problems for some cable subscribers. New Vision Television acquired News-Press & Gazette’s television group in 1993 and attempted to stabilize KOLD. The company installed new local management, focused on employee morale, and planned a larger facility on Tucson’s northwest side. The facility opened in late 1994 and included the Newsplex, a dedicated news-production environment. New Vision sold its stations to Ellis Communications in 1995; Ellis was absorbed into Raycom Media in 1997. Raycom later located its centralized Raycom Design Group operation in Tucson. KOLD gradually rebuilt its news operation. In the late 1990s it became the first Tucson station to operate a news helicopter. In 2001, a report by Chip Yost concerning exploding fuel tanks in police cars won an Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award. By 2004, KOLD had moved ahead of KVOA in all evening newscast time slots among adults aged 25–54, marking a significant improvement after decades of weaker ratings. The station also produced a local 9 p.m. newscast for KWBA-TV for part of this period. A major structural change occurred in 2012. Belo, then owner of KMSB and KTTU, entered a shared-services agreement with Raycom. KOLD assumed substantial operational responsibilities for the two stations, including master control, advertising sales, and production of KMSB’s local news. Existing KMSB and KTTU news, engineering, and production positions were eliminated, and the stations adopted a shared digital presence initially branded Tucson News Now. KOLD later continued extending its own local-news schedule, adding weekday 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. broadcasts in 2022. Gray Television acquired Raycom Media in a transaction completed on January 2, 2019. KOLD became Gray’s first Arizona station, while its operating arrangements involving KMSB and KTTU remained in place. Gray subsequently became known as Gray Media. KOLD now operates as an active CBS affiliate serving Tucson and Southern Arizona. Its primary digital transmitter is at Mount Bigelow, with a Tucson Mountains translator helping address coverage gaps. The station ended analog broadcasting on June 12, 2009, as part of the national digital-television transition.
- 2022
Local news schedule expands
[1]KOLD introduced weekday 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. newscasts.
- 2019
Gray Television takes ownership
[1]Gray completed its acquisition of Raycom Media, adding KOLD to its station portfolio.
- 2012
Shared-services operations begin for KMSB and KTTU
[1]KOLD assumed expanded operational and news-production responsibilities for two other Tucson stations.
- 2009
Analog broadcasting ends
[1]KOLD ended regular analog transmission on June 12 as part of the federally mandated digital transition.
- 2001
KOLD report receives duPont award
[1]Chip Yost’s reporting on exploding police-car fuel tanks received an Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award.
- 1994
Northwest Tucson Newsplex opens
[1]New Vision Television opened a substantially larger facility designed to support KOLD’s news operation.
- 1989
News-Press & Gazette acquires KOLD
[1]News-Press & Gazette Company purchased the station from Knight-Ridder Broadcasting.
- 1985
Gannett acquires Evening News Association
[1]Gannett’s acquisition led to the later divestiture of KOLD because of existing media holdings and signal-overlap concerns.
- 1969
Sale to Evening News Association approved
[1]The FCC approved the transfer of KOLD-TV from Autry and Chauncey interests to Universal Communications.
- 1961
Transmitter moves to Mount Bigelow
[1]KOLD’s main transmitter was relocated to Mount Bigelow, a major broadcast site northeast of Tucson.
Products and positioning
A long-established CBS affiliate positioned around local journalism, weather, breaking-news coverage, and Southern Arizona community service.
Local television news · 1953
KOLD News 13
KOLD’s core local-news service covers Tucson and Southern Arizona through morning, daytime, evening, and late-night broadcasts. Its programming combines breaking news, public-safety reporting, investigative journalism, weather, traffic, sports, and community features. The service is distributed through broadcast television and digital channels.
Network television affiliation · 1953
CBS network programming
KOLD has carried CBS programming throughout its history. The affiliation supplies national news, sports, entertainment, and other network programming alongside the station’s locally produced content.
Digital news brand · 2012
Tucson News Now
Tucson News Now was the shared digital identity introduced for KOLD and the stations it operated under the 2012 shared-services arrangement. It supported online local-news publishing and video distribution across the Tucson market.
Brand decisions
2019
Join Gray Television through the Raycom acquisitionM&ABackground
Raycom Media was acquired by Gray Television in a transaction that expanded Gray’s national local-television portfolio.
Action taken
Gray completed the acquisition on January 2, 2019, making KOLD part of Gray’s station group.
Aftermath
KOLD remained a CBS affiliate, and its shared-services arrangements involving KMSB and KTTU continued.
Transaction value. (2019 acquisition)
2012
Expand operations through a shared-services agreementStrategyBackground
Belo sought an operating arrangement for its Tucson stations KMSB and KTTU, while Raycom already operated KOLD in the same market.
Action taken
KOLD assumed master control, advertising, engineering, production, and local-news responsibilities for KMSB and KTTU, including production of KMSB’s 9 p.m. newscast and a new weekday morning broadcast.
Aftermath
The arrangement consolidated much of the three stations’ operational infrastructure and led to the elimination of remaining KMSB and KTTU news, engineering, and production positions.
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