KTVU
A Fox-owned television station serving the San Francisco Bay Area from Oakland, California.
Last updated October 16, 2026
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Overview
KTVU is a television station licensed to Oakland, California, and serving the wider San Francisco Bay Area. Broadcasting on channel 2, it is affiliated with the Fox network and is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations, the station group of Fox. KTVU operates alongside San Jose–licensed KICU-TV, channel 36; the two stations share facilities at Jack London Square in Oakland, while KTVU’s transmitter is located at Sutro Tower in San Francisco. The station began broadcasting on March 3, 1958, as an independent station. Its original ownership group, San Francisco–Oakland Television, Inc., included William D. Pabst, Ward D. Ingrim, and Bay Area businessman Edwin W. Pauley. KTVU initially broadcast from a temporary studio in Oakland’s former Paris Theatre before moving several months later to a purpose-built facility at Jack London Square. It was the Bay Area’s first independent commercial television station and became an important local outlet during a period when independent stations were expanding their use of syndicated entertainment, feature films, public-affairs programming, and locally produced news. During its independent era, KTVU developed a strong regional identity. Its programming included syndicated series, movies, talk shows, religious programs, children’s shows, sports, and locally produced public-service and entertainment programs. The station became known for its presentation of classic films, often with fewer commercial interruptions than competing outlets, and for distinctive productions such as Creature Features, Captain Satellite, Charley and Humphrey, and other locally originated programs. It also carried San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, and Golden State Warriors games at various points in its history. KTVU’s news operation began when the station signed on, with The 10 O’Clock News becoming its signature broadcast. The program developed a reputation for straightforward reporting and a restrained presentation style, particularly under news director Fred Zehnder and anchor Dennis Richmond. KTVU subsequently expanded its news schedule with morning, early-evening, and other newscasts. By the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, its local news programming had become one of the strongest-rated news operations in the Bay Area. KTVU became a charter Fox affiliate when the network launched in 1986. Its established VHF channel position, substantial local news operation, and strong audience made it one of Fox’s more prominent early affiliates. In 1999, Cox Enterprises acquired KICU-TV, creating a two-station operation with KTVU. In 2014, Cox and Fox completed an asset exchange under which Fox acquired KTVU and KICU, while Cox received WFXT in Boston and WHBQ-TV in Memphis. The transaction transformed KTVU from Fox’s largest independently owned affiliate into a Fox-owned station. Today, KTVU remains a local broadcast and digital-media brand centered on Bay Area news, weather, traffic, sports, community coverage, and Fox network programming. Its identity combines national Fox affiliation with a long-established local-news franchise and a continuing connection to Oakland and the broader San Francisco Bay Area.
History
KTVU began broadcasting on March 3, 1958, as an independent commercial television station licensed to Oakland. Its first programming originated from a temporary studio at the former Paris Theatre in downtown Oakland. In June of the same year, the station moved to a permanent facility at Jack London Square, built in part with material recovered from a demolished Port of Oakland pier. KTVU was the fourth commercial television station in the Bay Area and the market’s first independent station. The station was established by San Francisco–Oakland Television, Inc., whose principals included William D. Pabst and Ward D. Ingrim, former Don Lee Network and KFRC executives, and Edwin W. Pauley. An initial attempt to sell KTVU to NBC was abandoned in 1961 after regulatory concerns. In 1963, the station was sold to Miami Valley Broadcasting Company, the predecessor of Cox Media Group. Under Cox ownership, KTVU grew into the leading independent station in the San Francisco–Oakland market and one of the strongest independent stations in the western United States. KTVU’s early schedule relied on syndicated series, movies, talk programs, religious broadcasts, sports, and local productions. It introduced color programming in 1960 and developed a distinctive film presentation style, including classic Hollywood titles with relatively limited commercial interruption. The station also cultivated local entertainment and children’s programming. Creature Features, hosted by Bob Wilkins beginning in 1971, became a major regional hit, while Captain Satellite, Charley and Humphrey, and other programs reinforced KTVU’s local identity. KTVU also maintained a long-running relationship with Bay Area sports, carrying selected Giants, Athletics, and Warriors games at different periods. News has been central to the station since sign-on. The 10 O’Clock News debuted in 1958 and eventually became KTVU’s defining program. During the 1970s and later, the news department emphasized direct, relatively unsensational reporting. Dennis Richmond became the principal anchor in 1976 and remained associated with the program for decades. Fred Zehnder, who became news director in 1978, helped shape a restrained editorial and presentation style that distinguished KTVU from competitors. The station expanded its schedule with morning and early-evening newscasts, including Mornings on 2 in 1991, an early-morning hour in 1996, and a 6 p.m. newscast in 2000. KTVU joined Fox as a charter affiliate in 1986. The affiliation gave Fox a strong VHF outlet with an established local-news franchise, while providing KTVU access to Fox entertainment and sports programming. In 1999, Cox acquired KICU-TV, a San Jose–licensed station, and integrated the two operations. In 2014, Fox and Cox agreed to exchange assets: Fox obtained KTVU and KICU, and Cox received WFXT in Boston and WHBQ-TV in Memphis. KTVU thereby became a Fox-owned station through Fox Television Stations. The station continues to broadcast from Oakland, with KTVU and KICU sharing Jack London Square facilities. KTVU’s current brand rests on local news, weather, traffic, sports, digital reporting, community programming, and Fox network content. Its history reflects the transformation of American local television from independent syndication and locally produced programming to network affiliation and consolidated station ownership, while retaining a strong Bay Area news identity.
- 2014
Fox ownership begins
[1]Fox acquires KTVU and KICU from Cox in an asset exchange.
- 1999
KICU joins the Cox operation
[1]Cox acquires KICU-TV and integrates its operations with KTVU.
- 1991
Mornings on 2 premieres
[1]KTVU launches its morning news program, later expanding it substantially.
- 1986
KTVU joins Fox
[1]KTVU becomes a charter affiliate of the Fox network.
- 1978
KTVU becomes a superstation
[1]The station is uplinked to satellite and distributed beyond its immediate broadcast market, primarily through Cox Cable systems.
- 1973
Transmitter moves to Sutro Tower
[1]KTVU moves its transmission facilities from San Bruno Mountain to the newly completed Sutro Tower.
- 1971
Creature Features launches
[1]Bob Wilkins begins hosting the locally popular horror-film program Creature Features.
- 1963
Cox predecessor acquires KTVU
[1]Miami Valley Broadcasting Company purchases the station, beginning its long association with Cox ownership.
- 1960
Color programming begins
[1]The station begins transmitting programming in color.
- 1958
KTVU begins broadcasting
[1]KTVU signs on from Oakland as an independent station and launches The 10 O’Clock News.
Products and positioning
A leading Bay Area local-news station combining Fox network programming with established Oakland-based journalism, weather, traffic, sports, and community coverage.
Local news · 1958
The 10 O’Clock News
KTVU’s signature late-evening newscast, launched with the station in 1958. It became the central expression of the station’s local-news identity and was associated for decades with direct reporting, a restrained presentation style, and prominent Bay Area coverage.
Local news · 1991
Mornings on 2
KTVU’s weekday morning news franchise, introduced in 1991 and later expanded. It combines local reporting with weather, traffic, interviews, and other information aimed at the Bay Area morning audience.
Local entertainment · 1971
Creature Features
A locally hosted horror-film showcase that debuted in 1971 with Bob Wilkins. The program became one of KTVU’s best-known original productions and developed a substantial regional following before ending in the early 1980s.
Sports programming
49ers Total Access
A KTVU sports program focused on the San Francisco 49ers, forming part of the station’s ancillary professional-football coverage.
Sports news · 2015
KTVU Sports Wrap
A weekend sports-news program featuring Bay Area sports coverage and analysis. KTVU has carried the program since 2015.
Controversies
2019
KTVU apologizes for phrase about Atlanta Braves
In 2019, KTVU-TV, a Fox affiliate serving the San Francisco Bay Area, apologized for a phrase used in a sports report about the Atlanta Braves. The station described the phrase as "racially insensitive." The apology followed the broadcast of the report. No further details about the phrase or its context were provided in the source.
2019
KTVU apologizes for racially insensitive headline
KTVU apologized for a headline about the Atlanta Braves that it said included a phrase racially insensitive toward Native Americans.
Brand decisions
2014
Transfer ownership to Fox Television StationsM&ABackground
Fox sought owned stations in major markets, while Cox and Fox arranged an exchange of broadcast assets.
Action taken
Fox acquired KTVU and KICU, exchanging WFXT in Boston and WHBQ-TV in Memphis to Cox.
Aftermath
KTVU became a Fox-owned station and remained paired with KICU in the Bay Area.
1999
Integrate KICU-TV with KTVUM&ABackground
Cox Enterprises acquired San Jose–licensed KICU-TV to create a linked Bay Area station operation.
Action taken
Cox moved KICU’s operations into KTVU’s Oakland facility while maintaining a South Bay news presence.
Aftermath
KTVU and KICU operated as sister stations until Fox acquired both in 2014.
1986
Join Fox as a charter affiliateStrategyBackground
KTVU was a strong VHF independent station with an established news department when Fox was preparing to launch.
Action taken
The station agreed to affiliate with Fox at the network’s October 1986 launch.
Aftermath
KTVU became one of Fox’s strongest early affiliates while retaining its established local-news operation.
Recent events
KTVU apologizes for phrase about Atlanta Braves[3]
Reported:
San Francisco Bay Area Fox affiliate KTVU-TV apologized for a phrase used in a sports report about the Atlanta Braves, describing it as “racially insensitive.”
KTVU apologizes for racially insensitive headline[4]
Reported:
KTVU apologized for a headline about the Atlanta Braves that it said included a phrase racially insensitive toward Native Americans.
Sources4 sources
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