KSTU
KSTU is a Fox-affiliated television station serving Salt Lake City and much of Utah under the FOX 13 brand.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KSTU is a commercial television station licensed to Salt Lake City, Utah, and affiliated with the Fox network. It operates under the consumer-facing FOX 13 brand and combines local news, weather, traffic, sports, syndicated programming, network entertainment and digital publishing through its website and related platforms. The station is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company and is operated alongside Scripps-owned KUPX-TV, an independent station that also carries Ion Television programming as a digital subchannel. KSTU's studios are located on West Amelia Earhart Drive in the northwestern part of Salt Lake City, while its primary transmitter is on Farnsworth Peak in the Oquirrh Mountains southwest of the city. KSTU began broadcasting on October 24, 1978, as a channel 20 UHF station. It was established by Springfield Television and represented the third attempt to create an independent commercial station serving the Salt Lake City market. Earlier independent television ventures in northern Utah had failed or converted to educational use, but KSTU became the first independent station in the market to survive beyond its initial two years. Its launch was also significant because it was the first commercial UHF station operating in Utah. Springfield promoted the station's UHF position to viewers and rapidly developed a network of translators to extend its reach across the state's difficult mountainous terrain. Adams Communications acquired Springfield Television in a transaction completed in 1984. KSTU became a charter Fox affiliate on October 9, 1986, when the new network began operations. At that time Fox supplied relatively little programming, so KSTU initially retained many characteristics of an independent station. The station's most consequential structural change came in 1987, when a consortium known as Mountain West Television acquired KSTU's non-license assets and moved its call letters, programming, Fox affiliation and staff from channel 20 to newly assigned VHF channel 13. The transition was legally treated as the activation of a new channel 13 facility, although the operating brand and much of the station's identity continued from the former channel 20 service. The channel 13 transaction placed substantial financial pressure on Mountain West Television. KSTU was subsequently sold to Fox in 1989 for a reported $41 million, making it the first network-owned television station in Utah. During its Fox-owned period, KSTU expanded its local news operation, beginning with newscasts in December 1991 and adding programs over the following years. Local news eventually became central to the station's competitive position, supported by weather coverage designed for a geographically broad and topographically varied market. Fox announced the sale of KSTU in 2007 as part of a broader divestiture of smaller owned-and-operated stations. Local TV LLC completed its acquisition in 2008, after which KSTU became part of a station group that was later acquired by Tribune Media. The E. W. Scripps Company acquired Tribune Media's television assets in 2019, bringing KSTU into the Scripps portfolio. Today the station remains an active Fox affiliate serving the Salt Lake City market, with more than 80 translators carrying its signal across Utah and into parts of neighboring states. Its brand emphasizes local journalism, severe-weather and traffic information, community coverage and Fox network programming.
History
Salt Lake City had a difficult history with independent television before KSTU. KLOR-TV, an earlier channel 13 venture in Provo, failed after reception problems and was later converted into the educational station KBYU-TV. KVOG-TV in Ogden also shifted to educational use and eventually ceased broadcasting. These failures made the launch of a viable commercial independent station in the market uncertain. Channel 20 had been allocated to Salt Lake City in 1952, but it attracted no successful applicant until Springfield Television applied in 1977. The company, based in Massachusetts and known for WWLP in Springfield and WKEF in Dayton, received a construction permit in March 1978. KSTU began broadcasting on October 24 of that year from facilities near the Salt Lake International Center. It used a transmitter site leased from KSL-TV in the Oquirrh Mountains and marketed itself as Utah's first full-market commercial UHF station. Because UHF reception was less familiar to many households, launch promotions explained how viewers could use the less familiar portion of the television dial. Springfield also invested in translators to reproduce the broad coverage of established Utah stations. The first station-owned translator began operating in 1979, and additional translators were later installed in communities including Cedar City, Orangeville and Vernal. This translator network became strategically important because Utah's mountainous terrain makes direct over-the-air reception uneven and because the station sought to serve viewers well beyond the Salt Lake urban area. Adams Communications agreed to acquire Springfield Television's entire group in 1983, and the transaction closed in 1984. KSTU joined Fox on October 9, 1986, as one of the network's original affiliates. Fox's early schedule was small, so the station continued to operate much like an independent outlet while supplementing network programming with syndicated shows and local content. A lengthy FCC proceeding over the addition of VHF channel 13 to Salt Lake City produced the station's defining technical and corporate transition. Multiple applicants competed for the channel, with Mountain West Television eventually obtaining the construction permit. Rather than build an entirely separate operation, Mountain West acquired KSTU's non-license assets from Adams in 1987. The station moved its call letters, Fox affiliation, syndicated programming and employees from channel 20 to channel 13 in November 1987. The FCC treated the channel 13 authorization as a new license, but viewers experienced the change primarily as a continuation of KSTU under a new channel number. The financing structure of the move left Mountain West heavily indebted. Its partners later alleged that their legal and financial advisers had pressured them into the acquisition and that the arrangement reduced their participation in the eventual sale proceeds. The dispute generated a major Utah civil case, including an $18 million jury award in 1998 that was later vacated by the Utah Supreme Court, which ordered a new trial because of errors in jury instructions. The litigation is part of the station's ownership history, although it did not change KSTU's continuing operation. Fox purchased KSTU in 1989 for a reported $41 million. During Fox ownership, the station expanded into local news, launching newscasts in December 1991 and progressively adding broadcasts over the next decade and a half. KSTU also carried Utah Jazz basketball for a period, including an arrangement under which it became the team's exclusive broadcast television outlet in 1988. The relationship ended after KSTU indicated that it would not renew beyond 1993 as Fox expanded its weekly programming schedule; the market later gained a new Jazz-oriented outlet through the development of KJZZ-TV. In 2007 Fox announced the sale of KSTU and seven other smaller owned-and-operated stations to Local TV LLC, a company backed by Oak Hill Capital Partners. The sale closed in 2008. Tribune Media subsequently acquired Local TV, placing KSTU in the Tribune station group. In 2019 Scripps acquired Tribune Media's television assets, and KSTU became part of the Scripps portfolio. The station continues to broadcast as a Fox affiliate from Salt Lake City, maintains extensive translator coverage across Utah and neighboring areas, and operates alongside Scripps-owned KUPX-TV.
- 2019
Scripps ownership begins
[1]KSTU entered the E. W. Scripps Company portfolio through Scripps' acquisition of Tribune Media.
- 2008
Local TV ownership begins
[1]Local TV LLC completed its acquisition of KSTU from Fox.
- 1991
Local news operation launches
[1]KSTU began producing local newscasts, later making news a core component of its schedule.
- 1989
Fox ownership begins
[1]Fox acquired KSTU, making it the first network-owned television station in Utah.
- 1987
Station relocates to channel 13
[1]KSTU's operating identity moved from channel 20 to a new VHF channel 13 facility.
- 1986
Fox affiliation begins
[1]KSTU became one of Fox's charter affiliates.
- 1984
Adams Communications acquisition closes
[1]Adams Communications completed its acquisition of Springfield Television, including KSTU.
- 1979
Translator expansion begins
[1]KSTU placed its first station-owned translator into service and continued expanding translators to reach rural and geographically difficult parts of Utah.
- 1978
KSTU launches on channel 20
[1]Springfield Television launched KSTU as Salt Lake City's first durable independent commercial UHF station and Utah's first full-market commercial UHF outlet.
Products and positioning
A Utah-focused local news and broadcast television brand combining Fox network programming with regional reporting, weather, traffic and broad over-the-air coverage.
Local television news · 1991
FOX 13 News
KSTU's local news service covers Utah politics, public safety, courts, education, business, community issues and regional events. The operation also supplies news video and stories to the station's digital platforms.
Weather information
FOX 13 Weather
Weather programming and digital updates focus on daily forecasts, snow and winter conditions, air quality, flooding, heat, wildfire conditions and other hazards relevant to Utah's varied terrain.
Network television · 1986
FOX network programming
As a Fox affiliate, KSTU distributes Fox entertainment, sports, news and special-event programming in the Salt Lake City market, supplemented by local news and syndicated programming.
Digital media
FOX 13 digital platforms
The station's website and associated digital channels publish local articles, video, weather information, alerts and livestream-related content for audiences who do not rely solely on broadcast television.
Brand decisions
2019
Transfer to Scripps through Tribune acquisitionM&ABackground
KSTU had become part of Tribune Media after Tribune acquired Local TV's station assets.
Action taken
The E. W. Scripps Company acquired Tribune Media's television assets, including KSTU.
Aftermath
KSTU became part of the Scripps station portfolio and was paired in Salt Lake City with KUPX-TV.
2007
Divestiture to Local TV LLCM&ABackground
Fox decided to sell KSTU and several other smaller owned-and-operated stations.
Action taken
Fox announced the sale of KSTU to Local TV LLC, an Oak Hill Capital Partners-backed station company; the transaction closed in 2008.
Aftermath
KSTU ceased to be a Fox-owned-and-operated station while retaining its Fox network affiliation.
1991
Launch and expansion of local newsProduct launchBackground
Fox affiliates increasingly used local news to differentiate themselves and deepen their role in regional markets.
Action taken
KSTU began producing local newscasts and expanded the service over subsequent years.
Aftermath
Local journalism became a central part of KSTU's FOX 13 identity and programming schedule.
1989
Fox purchases KSTUM&ABackground
Mountain West Television and Farragut Communications placed KSTU on the market after the financial strain associated with the channel 13 transition.
Action taken
Fox acquired the station and made it a network-owned-and-operated outlet.
Aftermath
KSTU became the first network-owned television station in Utah and remained under Fox ownership until the sale announced in 2007.
Reported acquisition price. $41 million (1989)
1987
Move the KSTU operation to VHF channel 13StrategyBackground
Mountain West Television obtained the permit for newly allocated Salt Lake City VHF channel 13 but faced the practical and financial challenge of creating a separate station.
Action taken
The company purchased KSTU's non-license assets and transferred the call letters, Fox affiliation, programming, staff and operating identity from channel 20 to channel 13.
Aftermath
The transition preserved KSTU's established brand while giving it a VHF channel position. The associated financing contributed to Mountain West's later financial difficulties and ownership dispute.
Reported transaction and financing amounts. $30 million asset purchase; $22.5 million borrowing; $10 million non-compete agreement (1987)
Recent events
- 2019
Scripps becomes KSTU's owner through Tribune transaction[1]
M&A
The E. W. Scripps Company acquired KSTU as part of its purchase of Tribune Media's television assets.
- 2008
Local TV completes acquisition of KSTU[1]
M&A
Local TV LLC completed its purchase of KSTU, ending the station's period as a Fox-owned-and-operated outlet.
- 2007
Fox announces sale of KSTU to Local TV[1]
M&A
Fox announced that KSTU and several other smaller owned-and-operated stations would be sold to Local TV LLC.
- 1991
KSTU begins local newscasts[1]
Product launch
KSTU launched local news programming and gradually expanded its news schedule, establishing local journalism as a larger part of the station's identity.
- 1989
Fox acquires KSTU[1]
M&A
Fox purchased KSTU after Mountain West Television encountered financial difficulties associated with the channel 13 transaction, making KSTU Utah's first network-owned television station.
- 1987
KSTU moves from channel 20 to channel 13[1]
Other
The station transferred its call letters, Fox affiliation, programming identity and staff to a newly activated VHF channel 13 facility in Salt Lake City.
- 1986
KSTU becomes a charter Fox affiliate[1]
Other
KSTU joined the Fox network at its launch, while continuing to rely heavily on independent-station programming because Fox initially supplied a limited schedule.
Sources2 sources
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