KSTW

KSTW is a television station licensed to Tacoma, Washington, and serving the wider Seattle metropolitan area. The station broadcasts on channel 11 and is owned by the CBS News and Stations group. Although its legal city of license is Tacoma, KSTW's transmitter is located in Seattle's Cherry Hill neighborhood, while its offices are in the Westlake area north of downtown Seattle. The station is also distributed by cable providers in parts of southwestern British Columbia and Vancouver Island, giving it a cross-border audience in western Canada. KSTW began broadcasting on March 1, 1953, as KTNT-TV. It was established by the Tacoma News Tribune and became the first television station to sign on in Tacoma and the second station serving the Seattle metropolitan area. At launch, it was a primary CBS affiliate, operating alongside the newspaper's KTNT radio stations. The station built its initial technical infrastructure quickly after receiving a Federal Communications Commission construction permit in December 1952. Its original studios and transmitter facilities were in Tacoma, and its signal was engineered to reach a broad area of western Washington. The station's first major affiliation dispute occurred after KIRO-TV began broadcasting in Seattle in 1958. CBS initially designated KIRO-TV as its exclusive affiliate for the market, prompting KTNT-TV to bring an antitrust action against CBS and KIRO-TV. The dispute was settled through an arrangement under which both stations carried CBS programming for a limited period. KIRO-TV became the sole CBS affiliate in western Washington in 1962, leaving channel 11 to operate as an independent station. In 1974, changing federal restrictions on newspaper and broadcast cross-ownership led the Tacoma News Tribune to sell the station to WKY Television System, a predecessor of Gaylord Broadcasting. The new owner changed the call sign to KSTW, reflecting Seattle–Tacoma, Washington. During the 1970s and 1980s, KSTW developed into one of the strongest independent stations in the United States. Its programming included syndicated entertainment, movies, local news, sports, children's programs and selected network programming that other local stations had preempted. Its signal was carried widely by cable systems throughout Washington and in portions of Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia, giving the station a regional superstation profile. KSTW returned to CBS in March 1995 as part of a broader affiliation realignment involving Gaylord-owned stations. The affiliation was short-lived. In 1997, a complex transaction involving Cox Broadcasting, Belo and Paramount/Viacom exchanged KSTW and KIRO-TV and moved KSTW to UPN while returning KIRO-TV to CBS. KSTW remained a UPN affiliate until the network was discontinued in 2006. It then became Seattle's affiliate of The CW, adopting the on-air identity CW 11. After Nexstar Media Group acquired majority ownership of The CW in 2022, CBS exercised its contractual right to withdraw its CW affiliations. KSTW stopped carrying CW programming at the end of August 2023 and resumed independent operation. The Seattle-area CW affiliation subsequently moved first to a digital subchannel of KOMO-TV and later to KUNS-TV. KSTW continues to operate as a general-interest independent station, with local broadcasting, syndicated programming and selected sports coverage forming the core of its schedule.

KSTW originated as KTNT-TV, a television station created by the Tacoma News Tribune. The FCC issued its construction permit on December 10, 1952, and the station's engineering team installed equipment rapidly in preparation for launch. KTNT-TV began broadcasting from Tacoma on March 1, 1953, making it the first station to sign on in Tacoma and the second serving the Seattle metropolitan area. Its original facilities were located at South 11th Street and South Grant Avenue. The station initially operated as a primary CBS affiliate and was associated with the newspaper's radio properties. The station expanded its technical reach during its first years. In 1954, it received permission to increase transmitter power and relocate to a taller tower near View Park, south of Harper, Washington. KTNT-TV also briefly carried programming from the NTA Film Network and, in 1967, was associated for a short period with the United Network, an unsuccessful attempt to establish a fourth national commercial television network. When KIRO-TV signed on in 1958, CBS sought to make it the exclusive affiliate for the Seattle–Tacoma market. KTNT-TV challenged the change in court, alleging that CBS and KIRO-TV had improperly arranged the affiliation. The dispute ended in a settlement that temporarily made both stations primary CBS affiliates. The dual arrangement lasted until 1962, when KIRO-TV became CBS's sole western Washington outlet and channel 11 returned to independent status. Newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rules adopted in the 1970s placed the Tacoma News Tribune's ownership of the station under regulatory pressure. The station was sold in 1974 to WKY Television System, a predecessor of Gaylord Broadcasting. On March 1 of that year, it adopted the KSTW call sign. Under Gaylord, KSTW developed a strong independent-station identity, including the Good Lookin' 11 slogan and a circular 11 logo. Its cable distribution expanded across Washington and into neighboring parts of Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia, making it a regional superstation. The station carried syndicated series, films, cartoons, local news and sports, including Seattle Mariners and Seattle SuperSonics games. KSTW became part of a series of affiliation and ownership changes in the 1990s. Gaylord reached an agreement in 1993 to affiliate KSTW with The WB, but delays surrounding the network's launch led to litigation and the arrangement did not proceed. Instead, KSTW returned to CBS on March 13, 1995. Its CBS period involved significant changes to its news schedule and an effort to balance network programming with syndicated shows and local production. In 1997, KSTW was sold to Cox Broadcasting, but a subsequent three-way transaction exchanged the station for KIRO-TV and cash. The transaction moved KSTW to UPN and restored KIRO-TV to CBS. KSTW began carrying UPN programming on June 30, 1997, while continuing to broadcast syndicated entertainment and local news. Viacom's acquisition of CBS in 2000 brought KSTW back into the same corporate family as CBS and its former sister station KTVT. In 2001, KSTW moved its studios from Tacoma to Renton while retaining its Tacoma license. When The WB and UPN were discontinued in 2006, CBS Corporation and Time Warner created The CW. KSTW was selected as the Seattle affiliate and rebranded as CW 11. The station remained with The CW for approximately seventeen years. Cost-reduction measures during the early CW era resulted in KSTW becoming a hosting station, with master-control operations consolidated at CBS facilities in San Francisco. Nexstar's acquisition of majority control of The CW in 2022 changed the station's network relationship. CBS retained the right to withdraw its CW affiliations and announced in May 2023 that it would exercise that right for KSTW and seven other CBS-owned CW stations. KSTW left The CW at the end of August 2023 and became independent again. The station's present identity is therefore rooted in its long history as a locally oriented, broadly distributed independent outlet, despite its successive affiliations with CBS, UPN and The CW.

• 2023

  Returns to independent operation

  [1]KSTWen.wikipedia.org

  KSTW ended its CW affiliation after CBS withdrew its stations from the network following Nexstar's acquisition of majority control.

• 2006

  Joins The CW

  [1]KSTWen.wikipedia.org

  KSTW became the Seattle-area affiliate of The CW and adopted the CW 11 branding.

• 2001

  Studios move from Tacoma to Renton

  [1]KSTWen.wikipedia.org

  KSTW relocated its studio operations to Renton while retaining its Tacoma license.

• 1997

  Becomes a UPN affiliate

  [1]KSTWen.wikipedia.org

  A three-way station transaction shifted KSTW from CBS to UPN and returned KIRO-TV to CBS.

• 1995

  Returns to CBS

  [1]KSTWen.wikipedia.org

  KSTW resumed CBS affiliation as part of a broader network realignment involving Gaylord stations.

• 1974

  Renamed KSTW under new ownership

  [1]KSTWen.wikipedia.org

  WKY Television System acquired the station and changed its call letters from KTNT-TV to KSTW.

• 1962

  Returns to independent status

  [1]KSTWen.wikipedia.org

  After a temporary dual-CBS arrangement, KIRO-TV became the market's sole CBS affiliate and channel 11 returned to independent programming.

• 1958

  KIRO-TV launches and challenges KTNT-TV's CBS position

  [1]KSTWen.wikipedia.org

  The arrival of KIRO-TV led to a dispute over CBS affiliation rights in the Seattle–Tacoma market.

• 1953

  KTNT-TV begins broadcasting

  [1]KSTWen.wikipedia.org

  The station signed on from Tacoma on March 1 as a primary CBS affiliate and became Tacoma's first television station.

• 1952

  FCC construction permit issued

  [1]KSTWen.wikipedia.org

  The Federal Communications Commission issued the construction permit for the station that would become KTNT-TV and later KSTW.

A Seattle-area independent television station with a Tacoma license, emphasizing local broadcasting, syndicated entertainment, regional sports and broad over-the-air and cable distribution.

• Broadcast television · 1953

  KSTW channel 11 broadcast service

  KSTW's core offering is its over-the-air television service on channel 11. The station is licensed to Tacoma but serves the larger Seattle market through a transmitter located in Seattle. Its schedule has historically combined local productions, syndicated entertainment, network programming and sports.

• Television news · 1953

  Local news programming

  KSTW has maintained a local news operation through much of its history. Its news schedule has changed repeatedly in response to affiliation changes, ratings and ownership priorities, including evening, morning, midday and afternoon newscasts.

• Sports broadcasting

  Regional sports programming

  The station has carried sports from several Pacific Northwest teams and leagues, including Seattle SuperSonics basketball, Seattle Mariners baseball, Seattle Sounders soccer and Tacoma Stars indoor soccer. Sports rights have been an important part of KSTW's identity during its independent-station periods.

• Television distribution

  Cable distribution service

  KSTW achieved extensive cable carriage during its independent years, reaching systems across Washington and portions of neighboring states and British Columbia. The station remains available on selected Canadian cable and IPTV systems in southwestern British Columbia and Vancouver Island.

• 2006CW 11 launch branding

  Seattle metropolitan area

  KSTW rebranded as CW 11 ahead of the launch of The CW, replacing its UPN identity.

  Outcome. The station carried The CW's programming until 2023.

  Source
• 1974Good Lookin' 11

  Seattle metropolitan area · Western Washington

  Following its ownership change and renaming, KSTW introduced the Good Lookin' 11 slogan and a distinctive circular 11 logo to establish a new station identity.

  Outcome. The branding supported KSTW's development into a prominent regional independent station.

  Source

• 2023

  Returns to independent operationStrategy

  Background

  Nexstar Media Group acquired majority ownership of The CW in 2022, while CBS retained contractual rights concerning its CW affiliates.

  Action taken

  CBS announced that it would withdraw KSTW from The CW, and the station stopped carrying the network's programming at the end of August 2023.

  Aftermath

  KSTW resumed independent programming, while the Seattle CW affiliation moved to other local stations.

  Source

• 2006

  Adopts The CW affiliationStrategy

  Background

  The WB and UPN were scheduled to shut down while their owners created The CW as a replacement network.

  Action taken

  KSTW was selected as The CW's Seattle-area station and began using the CW 11 identity.

  Aftermath

  KSTW remained affiliated with The CW until the end of August 2023.

  Source

• 1997

  Three-way station transaction and UPN affiliationM&A

  Background

  Ownership changes involving Cox, Belo and Paramount/Viacom created an opportunity to exchange KSTW and KIRO-TV while resolving station-ownership and affiliation requirements.

  Action taken

  KSTW was transferred in a transaction that included KIRO-TV and cash, and it began carrying UPN programming on June 30, 1997.

  Aftermath

  The transaction reportedly resulted in approximately 50 station job losses and established KSTW as a UPN affiliate until 2006.

  Transaction consideration. $70 million cash component (1997 transaction)

  Source

• 1995

  Returns to CBS affiliationStrategy

  Background

  CBS needed an affiliate in Dallas–Fort Worth and negotiated with Gaylord in connection with the company's KTVT station.

  Action taken

  KSTW joined CBS on March 13, 1995, as part of the broader affiliation arrangement.

  Aftermath

  The station expanded and revised its news schedule but remained with CBS for only about two years.

  Source

• 1974

  Sale to WKY Television SystemM&A

  Background

  New federal restrictions on newspaper and broadcast cross-ownership put the Tacoma News Tribune's ownership of the station under regulatory pressure.

  Action taken

  The station was sold to WKY Television System, a predecessor of Gaylord Broadcasting, and renamed KSTW.

  Aftermath

  KSTW developed a strong independent-station identity and expanded its cable reach across the Pacific Northwest.

  Source

• 1958

  Challenges CBS affiliation changeOther

  Background

  CBS sought to make newly launched KIRO-TV the exclusive affiliate in the Seattle–Tacoma market, threatening KTNT-TV's existing relationship with the network.

  Action taken

  KTNT-TV filed an antitrust lawsuit against CBS and KIRO-TV. The dispute was resolved through a settlement allowing both stations to carry CBS for a temporary period.

  Aftermath

  The shared arrangement ended in 1962, when KIRO-TV became the sole CBS affiliate and channel 11 returned to independent programming.

  Source

1. 1KSTWen.wikipedia.org
2. 2KSTW official CBS News and Stations websitecbsnews.com