KPIX-TV
A CBS-owned television station serving the San Francisco Bay Area from San Francisco, California.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
KPIX-TV is a broadcast television station licensed to San Francisco, California, and serving the wider San Francisco Bay Area. Operating on channel 5, it is affiliated with the CBS television network and is owned and operated by CBS through the CBS News and Stations division. The station is sister to KPYX, an independent station on channel 44, and the two outlets share a broadcast facility at 855 Battery Street in San Francisco's North Waterfront district. KPIX's transmission facilities are located at Sutro Tower, one of the Bay Area's principal broadcast sites. KPIX began broadcasting on December 22, 1948. It was the first television station in Northern California and one of the earliest television stations in the United States. Its original owner, Associated Broadcasters, also operated radio station KSFO. Through an arrangement involving the Bay Area's CBS radio affiliation and a contested radio frequency, Associated Broadcasters secured a CBS television affiliation for KPIX. The station initially transmitted from the Mark Hopkins Hotel on Nob Hill, where its first master-control room was located in the hotel attic. It subsequently used facilities near the Sutro Mansion before moving to Sutro Tower in 1973. During its early years, KPIX carried CBS programming while also presenting selected programs from the DuMont and Paramount television networks and, temporarily, some NBC content before the arrival of KRON-TV. The station developed a strong reputation for local and national news production. Its cameras contributed San Francisco imagery to the first episode of the CBS program See It Now in 1951, including live views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. KPIX also originated coverage of the 1951 Japanese Peace Conference in San Francisco and reported on major local events such as an aircraft crash near San Francisco International Airport and an industrial explosion in Hercules. It broadcast the first Bay Area sports telecast on its opening day, a Pacific Coast Hockey League game. The station moved with KSFO to a purpose-built facility on Van Ness Avenue in 1952. Westinghouse Electric Corporation acquired KPIX in 1954, making it part of the company's Group W broadcasting division. Under Westinghouse, KPIX remained a prominent CBS affiliate and became known for distinctive visual branding, including the Group W typeface used in its channel 5 logo. In 1979, the station relocated to a renovated former American Biscuit Company building at Battery and Broadway streets, its present San Francisco studio location. KPIX's programming history includes locally produced formats that later achieved national reach. Evening Magazine, launched on KPIX in 1976, became the model for Group W's wider evening-magazine format and was eventually syndicated under the title PM Magazine. The station also produced the talk program People Are Talking, which ran from 1978 to 1991 and was adapted by other Group W stations. A later Bay Area lifestyle program, Eye on the Bay, evolved from Evening Magazine and continued in a reduced weekly form after its weekday run ended in 2012. In the 1970s and 1980s, KPIX frequently preempted or rescheduled CBS daytime and other network programs in favor of local productions, syndicated programming, and sports. That practice changed after Westinghouse and CBS reached a long-term group affiliation agreement in 1994. KPIX then carried the CBS schedule substantially more fully, although it retained an earlier-than-standard Pacific Time prime-time schedule for several years before returning to the network's normal pattern in 1998. Westinghouse merged with CBS in 1995, converting KPIX from a CBS affiliate into a CBS-owned station. Viacom acquired the combined company in 2000, and the CBS broadcast properties later became part of the separately organized CBS Corporation in 2005. CBS Corporation and Viacom reunited in 2019 under the name ViacomCBS, now Paramount Global. KPIX continues to ope…
History
KPIX-TV signed on December 22, 1948, as San Francisco's channel 5 and Northern California's first television station. It was established by Associated Broadcasters, the company behind KSFO radio, and joined CBS from launch. Its first transmitter and master-control operation were housed at the Mark Hopkins Hotel. Early programming combined CBS content with selected offerings from DuMont, Paramount, and, temporarily, NBC. The station's opening-day sports broadcast was a Pacific Coast Hockey League game. KPIX quickly became important to CBS's national television operation. In 1951, its cameras supplied live views of San Francisco landmarks for the inaugural episode of See It Now, one of the earliest major demonstrations of simultaneous coast-to-coast television. The station also originated coverage of the Japanese Peace Conference held in San Francisco and developed a reputation for reporting significant Bay Area accidents, industrial incidents, and civic events. It moved into a new facility on Van Ness Avenue with KSFO in 1952. Westinghouse Electric Corporation acquired KPIX in 1954 and operated it as part of Group W. The company later moved the station to a renovated former American Biscuit Company building at 855 Battery Street in 1979. KPIX became associated with a distinctive channel 5 logo and Group W typeface, elements that survived long after most former Group W stations had changed their visual identities. The station also built a substantial local-programming franchise. Evening Magazine, launched in 1976, became the basis for a nationally syndicated format known as PM Magazine. People Are Talking, introduced in 1978, was another locally originated talk format adapted by other Group W outlets. Eye on the Bay later served as a successor to the station's locally focused lifestyle programming. For much of the period before 1994, KPIX was a powerful CBS affiliate that regularly preempted or rescheduled network daytime shows and occasionally altered the network schedule for local programs or sports. Westinghouse's 1994 agreement to affiliate its television group with CBS changed that relationship. KPIX began carrying the network schedule with far fewer interruptions and eventually returned to CBS's standard Pacific Time scheduling pattern. The 1995 Westinghouse-CBS merger made KPIX a CBS-owned station. Viacom acquired the combined company in 2000; after the 2005 separation of CBS Corporation from Viacom, KPIX became part of CBS Corporation's broadcast portfolio. The two companies reunited in 2019 as ViacomCBS, later renamed Paramount Global. KPIX remains operated through CBS News and Stations. Its present role combines CBS programming with local news, weather, sports, public affairs, digital reporting, and Bay Area-focused programming. The station has alternated between KPIX and CBS-led branding, most recently adopting KPIX CBS News Bay Area in 2022.
- 2022
KPIX CBS News Bay Area branding
[1]The station adopts a branding system aligned with the wider CBS-owned-station identity.
- 2019
CBS and Viacom reunite
[1]KPIX's corporate group is recombined under ViacomCBS, later renamed Paramount Global.
- 2000
Viacom acquires the CBS group
[1]KPIX becomes part of Viacom's combined media operations.
- 1995
KPIX becomes a CBS-owned station
[1]Westinghouse's merger with CBS transfers KPIX from affiliate status into direct CBS ownership.
- 1979
Move to Battery Street
[1]KPIX relocates to its renovated waterfront facility at 855 Battery Street.
- 1978
People Are Talking launches
[1]The station introduces a locally produced talk format later adapted by other Group W stations.
- 1976
Evening Magazine debuts
[1]KPIX launches a local evening lifestyle and entertainment program that becomes the model for a wider syndicated format.
- 1954
Westinghouse acquisition
[1]Westinghouse buys KPIX and places it in the Group W station portfolio.
- 1951
National live-television contribution
[1]KPIX provides San Francisco imagery for the premiere of See It Now.
- 1948
KPIX signs on
[1]KPIX begins broadcasting on December 22 as Northern California's first television station and joins CBS.
Products and positioning
A legacy San Francisco television station positioned as the Bay Area's local CBS news, information, entertainment, and sports outlet, with an emphasis on regional reporting and network-affiliated programming.
Local television news · 1948
KPIX local news
The station's core local service consists of Bay Area newscasts, breaking-news reports, weather information, traffic coverage, investigative reporting, and community features. These broadcasts are delivered on television and through the station's digital platforms under KPIX and CBS News Bay Area branding.
Network television · 1948
CBS network programming
KPIX distributes CBS entertainment, news, sports, and special-event programming to viewers in the San Francisco market. Although the station historically preempted or rescheduled portions of the network schedule, it has generally carried CBS programming in pattern since 1998.
Lifestyle programming · 1976
Evening Magazine
Evening Magazine was a locally originated entertainment and lifestyle program launched by KPIX in 1976. Its format expanded across Group W stations and was later syndicated nationally under the PM Magazine title. KPIX subsequently revived the program before developing the related Bay Area-focused Eye on the Bay brand.
Talk programming · 1978
People Are Talking
People Are Talking was a KPIX-produced daytime talk show introduced in 1978. It combined conversations about everyday issues with guests and entertainment elements, and its format was distributed to other Group W stations. The KPIX version ended in 1991.
Regional lifestyle programming · 2005
Eye on the Bay
Eye on the Bay was KPIX's Bay Area-oriented successor to Evening Magazine. It covered regional food, travel, people, and lifestyle subjects. Its weekday broadcasts ended in 2012, after which the program continued as a weekly Saturday offering for a period.
Marketing campaigns
- 2022KPIX CBS News Bay Area rebrand
San Francisco Bay Area
KPIX introduced a new identity combining its call letters, the CBS News name, and the Bay Area geographic descriptor, with updated graphics and music.
Outcome. The rebrand positioned the station more explicitly as a local CBS News operation.
- 2013KPIX 5 identity restoration
San Francisco Bay Area
The station restored KPIX 5 branding and removed the Eyewitness News title from its newscasts.
Outcome. The station again foregrounded its long-established call letters and channel number.
- 2003CBS 5 branding
San Francisco Bay Area
KPIX aligned its on-air presentation with other CBS-owned stations by moving from its call-letter-led identity to CBS 5 and subsequently CBS 5 Bay Area.
Outcome. The identity remained in use until the station returned to KPIX-centered branding in 2013.
Brand decisions
1998
Return to the standard CBS schedule patternStrategyBackground
KPIX had aired CBS prime-time programming one hour earlier than the usual Pacific Time schedule and had historically adjusted network programming around local output.
Action taken
The station ended the early-prime-time arrangement and began airing the CBS schedule in the standard Pacific Time pattern.
Aftermath
KPIX continued carrying CBS programming in pattern, aside from limited emergency or local exceptions.
1994
Adopt the CBS affiliation across the Westinghouse television groupStrategyBackground
Westinghouse was considering a major group affiliation agreement while seeking to expand its position in television and broader media. CBS offered programming and strategic advantages despite NBC reportedly offering more money.
Action taken
Westinghouse agreed to affiliate its television stations, including KPIX, with CBS on a long-term group-wide basis.
Aftermath
KPIX reduced its network preemptions and became a CBS-owned station after the Westinghouse-CBS merger in 1995.
Recent events
- 2022
KPIX launches the KPIX CBS News Bay Area identity[1]
Campaign · Leadership change
KPIX introduced a new station identity emphasizing its call letters, CBS News affiliation, and Bay Area service area, accompanied by updated graphics and music.
- 2019
CBS Corporation and Viacom reunite[1]
M&A
The corporate owners of KPIX's broadcast operations recombined under ViacomCBS, which was subsequently renamed Paramount Global.
- 2013
KPIX returns to a KPIX-centered brand[1]
Campaign
KPIX dropped the CBS 5 identity, returned to KPIX 5 branding, and retired the Eyewitness News title from its newscasts.
- 2003
KPIX adopts the CBS 5 identity[1]
Campaign
The station aligned its on-air identity more closely with CBS-owned stations by adopting CBS 5 and later CBS 5 Bay Area branding.
- 1995
Westinghouse merges with CBS, making KPIX a CBS-owned station[1]
M&A
The merger brought KPIX into direct ownership by CBS and created common ownership with KCBS radio.
- 1994
Westinghouse and CBS reach a group-wide affiliation agreement[1]
Other
Westinghouse agreed to affiliate its television stations with CBS, ending KPIX's long period as an affiliate that exercised substantial control over network scheduling.
- 1954
Westinghouse acquires KPIX[1]
M&A
Westinghouse Electric Corporation purchased the station and placed it within its Group W broadcasting operation.
- 1951
KPIX originates San Francisco coverage for See It Now[1]
Product launch · Other
Station cameras supplied live Bay Area images for the premiere of Edward R. Murrow's CBS news program See It Now, helping demonstrate the potential of coast-to-coast live television.
- 1948
KPIX-TV begins broadcasting as Northern California's first television station[1]
Other
KPIX signed on December 22, establishing a television service for the San Francisco market and becoming the first television station in Northern California.
Sources1 sources
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