KUTV

KUTV is a commercial television station licensed to Salt Lake City, Utah, and identified on air as channel 2. The station is affiliated with CBS and operates as part of Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Utah television portfolio. Its principal studios are in downtown Salt Lake City’s Wells Fargo Center, while its main transmitter is located on Farnsworth Peak in the Oquirrh Mountains southwest of the city. A network of translators extends its signal across Utah and into portions of Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming. KUTV began broadcasting in September 1954 as Salt Lake City’s third commercial television station. The station emerged after competing applications from Utah Broadcasting and Television Corporation, associated with KUTA radio, and the Television Corporation of Utah, associated with the Kearns family and The Salt Lake Tribune, were combined. It initially carried ABC programming and performed strongly for the network. In 1960, KUTV moved to NBC, with management citing NBC’s color programming, network feed advantages, and opportunities to expand local news output. For much of its first four decades, KUTV was associated with the family of George C. Hatch and other Utah media investors. The station developed a substantial local-news operation and became a consistent challenger to KSL-TV, although its ownership group later faced financial pressure after expanding its newspaper interests and taking on debt. In the early 1990s, Veronis Suhler & Associates became the controlling investor. NBC announced an agreement to acquire KUTV in 1994, but a broader network realignment involving NBC, CBS, and Westinghouse Broadcasting changed the transaction’s outcome. KUTV instead joined CBS in September 1995 and became a CBS owned-and-operated station after Westinghouse completed its acquisition of CBS. CBS sold KUTV and several other smaller-market stations in the late 2000s. The station became part of Four Points Media Group, a holding company formed by Cerberus Capital Management, and was later managed by Nexstar Broadcasting Group under an outsourcing arrangement. Sinclair acquired Four Points in 2011, making KUTV part of Sinclair’s station group. Sinclair subsequently expanded its Salt Lake City presence through the acquisition of independent KJZZ-TV in 2016. KUTV remains a local broadcast, news, weather, sports, and community-information outlet, with CBS network programming supplemented by locally produced content and syndicated programming.

KUTV’s origins date to the postwar expansion of American television. Salt Lake City already had two television stations authorized before the Federal Communications Commission’s 1948 freeze on new station grants, but the restoration of channel 2 to the city in the FCC’s revised allocation plan created an opportunity for a third commercial outlet. In January 1953, Utah Broadcasting and Television Corporation, associated with KUTA radio, and the Television Corporation of Utah, associated with the Kearns family and The Salt Lake Tribune, filed competing applications. The applicants combined their efforts in March, avoiding a contested comparative hearing and proposing a jointly owned station. The FCC approved the construction permit in March 1953. Facilities were developed on Motor Avenue, later restored to the name Social Hall Avenue, and the new station adopted the KUTV call letters. Test transmissions began on September 11, 1954, followed by a dedication event on September 25 and regular broadcasting at the beginning of the fall television season. KUTV initially affiliated with ABC and quickly became one of that network’s strongest affiliates. A late-1950s audience study placed its sign-on-to-sign-off share among the highest recorded for an ABC affiliate. Ownership shifted toward the Hatch family and allied Utah media interests in the mid-1950s. George C. Hatch acquired a minority stake in 1956, and the family eventually consolidated control. In 1960, KUTV announced a switch to NBC. Although its ABC performance had been strong, management emphasized NBC’s color offerings, the availability of a Mountain Time Zone network feed, and the prospect of strengthening local news and production. During the NBC era, KUTV also served an important technical role in distributing network programming to affiliates in other Mountain West states. The station’s local-news operation expanded during the Hatch years. KUTV became a stable second-place competitor to KSL-TV, supported by recognizable local personalities including meteorologist Mark Eubank and anchor Terry Wood. In 1979, the station moved from downtown Salt Lake City to a former TeleMation facility in the area that later became West Valley City. The move reflected the growing scale of its production and newsroom operations. The Hatch ownership structure became financially strained after a 1989 reorganization of the family’s Standard Corporation interests. Debt service, a weaker advertising environment, and difficulties affecting other media assets contributed to the eventual sale of the family’s newspaper and radio holdings. In the early 1990s, Veronis Suhler & Associates became the majority investor in KUTV through a restructuring that also involved the production company TeleScene. VS&A placed the properties on the market in 1994. The sale occurred during a national upheaval in television affiliations triggered by Fox’s agreement with New World Communications and related station transactions. NBC announced that it would acquire VS&A’s controlling interest in KUTV, but the proposed purchase became part of a larger NBC–CBS–Westinghouse exchange involving stations in Philadelphia, Denver, Miami, and Salt Lake City. The final arrangement transferred KUTV to a Westinghouse Broadcasting and CBS partnership. KUTV became a CBS affiliate on September 10, 1995, and became a CBS owned-and-operated station when Westinghouse completed its acquisition of CBS later that year. The affiliation change briefly weakened the station’s news ratings, but KUTV re-established itself as a strong local competitor. KUTV returned to downtown Salt Lake City in 2003. The move to the Wells Fargo Center was supported by public and private funding and was designed to place the station’s operations in a prominent Main Street location. Newscasts began originating from a street-facing studio in the building. In 2007, CBS agreed to sell KUTV and a group of other smaller-market stations to Cerberus Capital Management. Cerberus formed Four Points Media Group, and the transaction closed in January 2008. During this period, KUSG, previously a full-power satellite of KUTV in St. George, was separated into a separately programmed station and later became KMYU. Nexstar managed Four Points under an outsourcing agreement beginning in 2009. Sinclair Broadcast Group announced its acquisition of Four Points in 2011, completing the transaction in early 2012 after regulatory review. KUTV consequently became part of Sinclair’s national local-station group. Sinclair broadened its Utah holdings in 2016 by acquiring independent KJZZ-TV. A later proposal to acquire Tribune Media raised regulatory concerns because Sinclair already owned multiple stations in the Salt Lake City market. Sinclair proposed selling KSTU to Fox and KMYU to another buyer, but the FCC designated the transaction for hearing and Tribune terminated the merger in 2018. KUTV continues to operate as a CBS affiliate serving Salt Lake City and a broad regional audience.

1. 2016Sinclair expands Utah portfolio

   Sinclair acquired independent Salt Lake City station KJZZ-TV.

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2. 2012Sinclair ownership begins

   Sinclair completed its acquisition of Four Points Media Group.

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3. 2008Four Points ownership begins

   The sale of CBS’s smaller-market stations to Cerberus closed, placing KUTV in Four Points Media Group.

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4. 2003Return to downtown Salt Lake City

   The station moved into a new street-facing studio at the Wells Fargo Center on Main Street.

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5. 1995KUTV becomes a CBS station

   KUTV switched from NBC to CBS in September and became CBS owned and operated after the Westinghouse–CBS merger.

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6. 1994NBC announces proposed acquisition

   NBC announced an agreement to acquire VS&A’s controlling interest, but the transaction was overtaken by a broader network station exchange.

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7. 1979Studios move to West Valley City area

   KUTV moved its production operations to a former TeleMation facility west of central Salt Lake City.

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8. 1971Hatch family reaches full ownership

   The Hatch family and allied investors consolidated ownership of KUTV.

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9. 1960Affiliation changes to NBC

   KUTV moved from ABC to NBC, citing color programming and network-feed considerations.

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10. 1954KUTV launches

    KUTV began test transmissions in September and entered regular commercial broadcasting before the fall television season.

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11. 1953Channel 2 construction permit approved

    The FCC approved the application for a new Salt Lake City channel 2 station after competing applicants combined their proposals.

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A long-established Salt Lake City television broadcaster positioned around CBS network programming, regional reach, and locally produced news and weather coverage.

• KUTV local newsLocal television news1954

  KUTV’s locally produced news service covers Salt Lake City, Utah politics, public safety, transportation, weather, and regional events. The operation has historically competed closely with KSL-TV and has used prominent anchor, meteorological, and reporting talent to build a broad local audience.

• CBS network programmingNetwork television1995

  As a CBS affiliate, KUTV broadcasts the network’s entertainment, news, daytime, sports, and special-event programming within its Utah service area, alongside its own local schedule.

• Regional broadcast serviceTelevision transmission1954

  KUTV’s main signal and translator network distribute programming beyond the Salt Lake City metropolitan area across Utah and into portions of neighboring Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming.

• 2011Sinclair acquisition of Four PointsM&A

  Cerberus put Four Points Media Group’s television properties up for sale.

  What changed. Sinclair agreed to acquire the Four Points stations and completed the transaction after regulatory review.

  Aftermath. KUTV became part of Sinclair’s station group, which later added KJZZ-TV in the same market.

  Reported transaction value. 200 million US dollars (Announced September 2011; completed January 2012)

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• 2007Sale from CBS to Cerberus-backed Four PointsM&A

  CBS decided to divest a package of smaller-market television stations.

  What changed. KUTV was transferred to Four Points Media Group, a holding company formed by Cerberus Capital Management; the transaction closed in January 2008.

  Aftermath. Nexstar later managed Four Points, and Sinclair acquired the group in 2011.

  Reported transaction value. 185 million US dollars (Announced February 2007; transaction closed January 2008)

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• 2003Move studios back downtownStrategy

  Salt Lake City’s redevelopment agency sought a television-station tenant for a Main Street project, and KUTV was the only station willing to move at the proposed cost.

  What changed. KUTV relocated its studios from the West Valley City area to the Wells Fargo Center in downtown Salt Lake City.

  Aftermath. The station began originating newscasts from a street-facing downtown studio in late 2003.

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• 1995Switch from NBC to CBSStrategy

  A multi-market exchange involving NBC, CBS, and Westinghouse changed the outcome of NBC’s proposed acquisition of KUTV.

  What changed. KUTV joined CBS in September 1995 and became a CBS owned-and-operated station after Westinghouse acquired CBS.

  Aftermath. News ratings initially declined, but KUTV recovered its position as a strong runner-up to KSL-TV.

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• 1960Switch from ABC to NBCStrategy

  KUTV was performing well as an ABC affiliate, but management sought greater access to color programming, a Mountain Time Zone network feed, and opportunities to develop local news.

  What changed. The station changed its network affiliation from ABC to NBC in October 1960.

  Aftermath. KUTV remained an NBC affiliate until the national network realignment that led to its 1995 move to CBS.

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• 1978Broadcast editing error involving Loose ChangeControversy

  KUTV edited part of the miniseries Loose Change for its Salt Lake City broadcast. Because of an equipment error and a shortage of video machines, a Boise station inadvertently received the edited version, prompting criticism from that station’s management. The incident was a programming and transmission dispute rather than a finding of unlawful conduct.

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• 2018Sinclair’s proposed Tribune transaction is terminated

  Sinclair’s proposed acquisition of Tribune Media was terminated after regulatory scrutiny; the proposed disposition of Salt Lake City station KSTU therefore did not proceed.

  RegulationM&A
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• 2011Sinclair acquires Four Points stations

  Sinclair Broadcast Group agreed to acquire Four Points Media Group, bringing KUTV into Sinclair’s station portfolio after regulatory review.

  M&A
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• 2007CBS sells KUTV to Four Points Media Group

  CBS agreed to sell KUTV and other smaller-market stations to a Cerberus-backed holding company that became Four Points Media Group.

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• 1995KUTV joins CBS

  Following a national affiliation realignment, KUTV replaced NBC with CBS programming in September 1995.

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• 1960KUTV switches from ABC to NBC

  The station changed affiliations, citing NBC’s color programming and other network and local-production advantages.

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• 1954KUTV begins broadcasting

  KUTV conducted test broadcasts in September and formally entered the Salt Lake City television market ahead of the fall season.

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1. KUTV
2. KUTV official website