KRDO-TV
KRDO-TV is an ABC-affiliated broadcast television station serving Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and surrounding communities in Southern Colorado.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KRDO-TV is a full-power television station serving the Colorado Springs–Pueblo market in Colorado, United States. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 13 and is affiliated with the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). Its primary business is local television broadcasting, including scheduled network programming, locally produced news, weather, sports, public-affairs coverage, and syndicated or other acquired programming. The station operates under the NewsChannel 13 brand and is part of the News-Press & Gazette Company’s Colorado broadcast interests. KRDO-TV began broadcasting on September 21, 1953, originally as an NBC affiliate. At launch, the Southern Colorado television landscape included KKTV on channel 11, which carried CBS and some ABC programming, and KCSJ-TV in Pueblo, the market’s NBC outlet. As the Colorado Springs and Pueblo television markets consolidated around 1960, the three commercial stations moved toward exclusive network affiliations. KRDO-TV became a full-time ABC affiliate, a role it continues to hold. The station has historically combined over-the-air broadcasting with an extensive local news operation. It was the first station in the Colorado Springs–Pueblo market to introduce a weekday morning newscast, beginning in 1983 with a short-format program that was expanded over time. Weekend morning news was added in the mid-2000s, followed by a midday newscast in 2007 and additional early-evening programming in the 2010s. The current schedule includes approximately 36 hours of locally produced news each week, covering regional government, public safety, weather, transportation, education, business, sports, and community events. Ownership changed in 2006 when Pikes Peak Broadcasting Company agreed to sell KRDO-TV and related broadcast assets to the News-Press & Gazette Company. NPG assumed operational control on June 26, 2006. The station’s news identity changed from News 13 to NewsChannel 13 at the time of the transition. Under its new ownership, KRDO expanded its local-news schedule, including new 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. broadcasts, weekend morning programming, and a noon-to-1 p.m. weekday newscast. KRDO-TV also participated in the transition from analog to digital television. It ended analog broadcasting on VHF channel 13 on June 12, 2009, the federally mandated deadline for full-power U.S. television stations, while retaining channel 13 as its virtual channel and transmitting digitally on UHF channel 24. Its signal is supplemented by translators serving communities across Southern Colorado. The station shares facilities on South 8th Street in Colorado Springs with low-power Telemundo affiliate KTLO-LD and KRDO radio stations, while its main transmitter is located on Cheyenne Mountain. Today, KRDO-TV functions as a regional news and information brand rather than merely a network relay. Its positioning is built around local relevance, continuous coverage of Southern Colorado, ABC network affiliation, weather information, and multiplatform distribution through broadcast and digital channels. The station remains active under News-Press & Gazette ownership.
History
KRDO-TV signed on September 21, 1953, as an NBC affiliate serving Colorado Springs, Colorado. At the time, KKTV channel 11 carried CBS as its principal affiliation while also showing ABC programming, and KCSJ-TV channel 5 in nearby Pueblo served as an NBC affiliate. This arrangement meant that Southern Colorado had overlapping NBC service and a CBS station with secondary ABC programming. By approximately 1960, the Colorado Springs and Pueblo television markets had merged into a single market serving the Pikes Peak region and surrounding areas. The three commercial stations then settled into exclusive network relationships: KKTV retained CBS, KCSJ-TV continued with NBC, and KRDO-TV became a full-time ABC affiliate. KRDO-TV has remained associated with ABC since that realignment. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was among the ABC affiliates that did not carry The Dick Cavett Show. For much of its early history, KRDO-TV was locally owned by Pikes Peak Broadcasting Company. The station developed a substantial local-news identity in the Colorado Springs–Pueblo market. It introduced weekday morning news in early 1983, initially as a 15-minute program, and expanded the format over subsequent years. Weekend morning newscasts were added roughly two decades later. The station’s local output eventually grew to include morning, midday, afternoon, early-evening, and weekend programming. In April 2006, Pikes Peak Broadcasting announced that it would sell KRDO-TV, KRDO-AM, and KJCT in Grand Junction to the News-Press & Gazette Company. NPG completed its operational takeover of KRDO-TV on June 26, 2006. In recognition of the station’s prior ownership, NPG identified its Colorado broadcasting operations with the Pikes Peak Television name. The transaction also produced a major expansion of KRDO-TV’s news schedule. The station rebranded its news operation from News 13 to NewsChannel 13, added 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. broadcasts in place of a single 5:30 p.m. newscast, and launched weekend morning news during the final week of December 2006. KRDO-TV added a weekday noon newscast in June 2007. On July 23, 2008, it began presenting local newscasts in high definition, beginning with the noon edition. The station ended analog transmission on June 12, 2009, as part of the nationwide U.S. digital television transition. Its digital transmission remained on UHF channel 24 while viewers continued to identify the station through virtual channel 13. Further schedule growth followed in the 2010s. KRDO-TV introduced a 4:30 p.m. newscast on October 10, 2011, and moved and extended that program to 4 p.m. in September 2012. The station’s news operation now produces approximately 36 hours of local news each week. Its coverage includes the Colorado Springs and Pueblo areas as well as communities across Southern Colorado. The station operates from shared facilities on South 8th Street in Colorado Springs with low-power Telemundo affiliate KTLO-LD and KRDO radio stations. Its principal transmitter is on Cheyenne Mountain, and a network of translators extends coverage to communities including Cañon City, Cheyenne Wells, Cripple Creek, Eads, Hoehne, Lake George, Lamar, Las Animas, Salida, Westcliffe, and other areas. KRDO-TV remains an active ABC affiliate owned by News-Press & Gazette Company, combining network programming with a regional broadcast-news and digital-media operation.
- 2011
Afternoon newscast is introduced
[1]The station launches an early-evening local newscast at 4:30 p.m.
- 2009
Analog transmission ends
[1]KRDO-TV shuts down its analog channel 13 signal and continues digitally on UHF channel 24.
- 2008
Local news moves to high definition
[1]The noon newscast becomes the first KRDO-TV local program broadcast in high definition.
- 2007
Midday newscast launches
[1]A weekday noon-to-1 p.m. local newscast is added to the schedule.
- 2006
NPG takes over station operations
[1]News-Press & Gazette Company completes its acquisition of KRDO-TV and assumes operations on June 26.
- 1983
Weekday morning news begins
[1]KRDO-TV becomes the first station in its market to air a local weekday morning newscast.
- 1960
Becomes a full-time ABC affiliate
[1]Following consolidation of the Colorado Springs and Pueblo television markets, KRDO-TV adopts ABC as its exclusive network affiliation.
- 1953
Station launches as an NBC affiliate
[1]KRDO-TV begins broadcasting on September 21, 1953, from Colorado Springs.
Products and positioning
A locally focused ABC television station serving Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and the wider Southern Colorado region, with an emphasis on local news, weather, public-service information, and community coverage.
Local television news · 2006
NewsChannel 13 local newscasts
KRDO-TV’s core programming product is its locally produced NewsChannel 13 schedule. It includes weekday morning, midday, afternoon, and evening broadcasts, along with weekend news. Coverage focuses on Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Southern Colorado, with reporting on weather, public safety, government, education, transportation, sports, and community affairs.
Network television · 1960
ABC network programming
As a full-time ABC affiliate since approximately 1960, KRDO-TV distributes the network’s scheduled entertainment, news, sports, and special-event programming to viewers in its regional broadcast market.
Digital media
KRDO digital news
KRDO extends its local broadcast identity through digital news, video, weather, and regional information published through its website and associated online channels.
Brand decisions
2011
Launch of afternoon newscastProduct launchBackground
KRDO-TV continued expanding the amount and range of its locally produced news programming.
Action taken
The station added a 4:30 p.m. newscast on October 10, 2011.
Aftermath
The program was moved to 4 p.m. and extended in September 2012.
2009
Digital television transitionGeneration changeBackground
U.S. full-power television stations were required to end analog broadcasting under the national digital transition.
Action taken
KRDO-TV discontinued its analog VHF channel 13 signal and continued digital transmission on UHF channel 24, using virtual channel 13.
Aftermath
The station continued serving its market through digital transmission and translator facilities.
2006
Sale to News-Press & Gazette CompanyM&ABackground
Pikes Peak Broadcasting announced the sale of KRDO-TV and related broadcast properties in April 2006.
Action taken
News-Press & Gazette Company completed the transaction and took over station operations on June 26, 2006.
Aftermath
The station rebranded its news operation as NewsChannel 13 and expanded its local-news schedule.
1960
Adoption of full-time ABC affiliationStrategyBackground
The consolidation of the Colorado Springs and Pueblo television markets led local commercial stations to establish exclusive network affiliations.
Action taken
KRDO-TV moved from its original NBC affiliation to become a full-time ABC affiliate.
Aftermath
ABC remains the station’s network affiliation.
Recent events
- 2011
KRDO-TV adds early-evening newscast[1]
Product launch
The station added a 4:30 p.m. local newscast on October 10, 2011; the program was later moved to 4 p.m. and extended.
- 2009
KRDO-TV completes analog shutdown[1]
Regulation · Product generation
The station ended analog transmission on June 12, 2009, retaining virtual channel 13 while operating its digital signal on UHF channel 24.
- 2008
KRDO-TV introduces local high-definition news[1]
Product generation
On July 23, 2008, the station began broadcasting local newscasts in high definition, starting with its noon program.
- 2007
KRDO-TV adds midday newscast[1]
Product launch
KRDO-TV began airing a weekday noon-to-1 p.m. local newscast, further expanding its news output.
- 2006
Pikes Peak Broadcasting announces sale of KRDO-TV[1]
M&A
Pikes Peak Broadcasting announced the sale of KRDO-TV and related broadcast assets to the News-Press & Gazette Company.
- 2006
News-Press & Gazette assumes control of KRDO-TV[1]
M&A · Leadership change
NPG took over operations on June 26, 2006, and changed the station’s news identity from News 13 to NewsChannel 13.
- 2006
KRDO-TV launches weekend morning newscasts[1]
Product launch
The station introduced weekend morning news programming during the final week of December as part of an expansion of its local-news schedule.
- 1960
KRDO-TV becomes a full-time ABC affiliate[1]
Other
After the Colorado Springs and Pueblo television markets consolidated, KRDO-TV adopted ABC as its exclusive full-time network affiliation.
- 1953
KRDO-TV begins broadcasting as an NBC affiliate[1]
Other
KRDO-TV signed on September 21, 1953, serving the Colorado Springs area as an NBC-affiliated station.
Sources3 sources
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