KTTV

KTTV is a television station licensed to Los Angeles, California, broadcasting on virtual channel 11. It is the West Coast flagship of the Fox television network and is owned and operated by Fox Television Stations, a division of Fox Corporation. KTTV operates alongside sister station KCOP-TV, and the two stations share the Fox Television Center on South Bundy Drive in West Los Angeles. KTTV's transmitter is located on Mount Wilson. The station began broadcasting on January 1, 1949. Its original ownership was connected to the Times-Mirror Company, publisher of the Los Angeles Times. CBS initially held a minority interest and made KTTV its Los Angeles affiliate. That arrangement ended after CBS acquired another Los Angeles station, forcing it to divest its KTTV interest under the ownership rules then in effect. KTTV subsequently affiliated with the DuMont Television Network and became independent in 1954. During its independent era, KTTV developed a broad schedule of syndicated entertainment, films, children's programming, news, and sports. Its most important local sports relationship was with the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose games the station carried for many years after the team's 1958 move from Brooklyn. Dodgers programming helped KTTV become widely distributed on cable systems outside the Los Angeles market and contributed to its reputation as a regional superstation. The station also carried other Southern California sports, including selected games involving the Los Angeles Sharks, Angels, Rams, Chargers, and Anaheim Ducks at various points. The Times-Mirror Company sold KTTV to Metromedia in 1963. Metromedia operated the station during a period in which KTTV expanded its local news identity and maintained a general-entertainment schedule. In the 1970s, the station also adopted programming restrictions concerning violent animated and live-action series after an agreement with citizen groups was filed with its license-renewal application. In 1985, News Corporation acquired a controlling interest in the 20th Century Fox film studio and then purchased the Metromedia television stations in 1986. KTTV became part of Fox Television Stations and joined the Fox Broadcasting Company when the network launched on October 9, 1986. As a Fox station, KTTV shifted toward first-run syndicated talk, court, reality, and entertainment programming, while retaining and later expanding its local news operation. Fox's acquisition of Chris-Craft's UPN stations in 2001 created a Los Angeles duopoly between KTTV and KCOP-TV. KTTV is now centered on local news, weather, traffic, investigative and political coverage, Fox network programming, sports broadcasts, and syndicated or acquired entertainment. Its news operation produces a substantial weekly schedule and the political discussion program The Issue Is, which has also been distributed to other Fox stations in California. The station uses the SkyFox helicopter for aerial reporting. Its digital and over-the-air services have included network and multicast programming, while its website operates under the Fox 11 Los Angeles identity.

KTTV's history began in 1947, when the Times-Mirror Company obtained a Los Angeles television construction permit and license. CBS bought a 49 percent interest in the planned station in 1948 and agreed to use channel 11 as its Los Angeles television outlet. KTTV went on the air on January 1, 1949. Its first broadcast was the Tournament of Roses Parade, an event that remained associated with the station for decades. In 1950, Times-Mirror acquired Nassour Studios on Sunset Boulevard and converted the facility into KTTV's principal production center. The site supported local television production and programs intended for syndication. CBS soon acquired KTSL, the station that became its wholly owned Los Angeles outlet, and therefore had to dispose of its KTTV interest. The divestiture was completed on January 1, 1951, returning full ownership to Times-Mirror. KTTV then became the Los Angeles affiliate of DuMont, but that relationship ended when DuMont shifted its programming to another station in 1954. KTTV has operated as an independent or affiliated commercial station ever since. The station's independent period was defined by a mixture of syndicated series, movies, children's programs, news, and sports. In 1958, the arrival of the Dodgers gave KTTV an important local sports property. Although the early broadcasts emphasized road games, the schedule expanded over time. Dodgers coverage helped KTTV achieve carriage on cable systems throughout much of the western United States, making it a regional superstation during the 1970s and 1980s. The station also carried selected programming from other local sports teams and leagues. Times-Mirror sold KTTV to Metromedia in 1963. Under Metromedia, the station continued its general-entertainment format while maintaining a news department. In 1973, an agreement with four citizen groups, filed as part of the station's license renewal process, led KTTV to remove 42 animated series identified as violent and place parental-caution warnings on 81 live-action programs shown before 8:30 p.m. The station also participated in notable public-affairs programming, including a 1962 broadcast of Confidential File concerning the Daughters of Bilitis convention. News Corporation purchased Metromedia's television stations in 1986. The stations became the foundation of Fox Television Stations, and KTTV joined the new Fox Broadcasting Company at its October 9, 1986 launch. Fox ownership changed KTTV's schedule, bringing in more first-run syndicated talk, court, reality, and entertainment programs, followed by Fox Kids programming in the 1990s. In June 1993, KTTV introduced Good Day L.A., a morning newscast that replaced weekday morning cartoons. In 1996, it moved from Metromedia Square to the Fox Television Center on South Bundy Drive. Fox's 2001 acquisition of Chris-Craft's stations created a KTTV–KCOP duopoly. The weekday Fox Kids block moved to KCOP before the weekday service ended nationally in 2002. KTTV subsequently carried other children's and educational programming arrangements, including Xploration Station. Fox Television Stations remained with the post-2019 Fox Corporation rather than the portion of 21st Century Fox acquired by Disney. Today KTTV is a major Los Angeles local-news operation and Fox's West Coast flagship. It broadcasts extensive weekday and weekend news, operates the SkyFox aerial-reporting service, carries Fox network entertainment and sports, and distributes news and public-affairs content through foxla.com and related digital platforms. Its facilities and programming are coordinated with sister station KCOP-TV, while its transmitter remains on Mount Wilson.

• 2016

  Light TV launches on a KTTV subchannel

  [1]KTTVen.wikipedia.org

  KTTV added Light TV to its digital multicast lineup.

• 2001

  Fox establishes the KTTV–KCOP duopoly

  [1]KTTVen.wikipedia.org

  Fox acquired Chris-Craft's stations, creating common ownership of the two Los Angeles stations.

• 1996

  West Los Angeles facility opens

  [1]KTTVen.wikipedia.org

  KTTV moved its operations from Metromedia Square to the Fox Television Center on South Bundy Drive.

• 1993

  Good Day L.A. launches

  [1]KTTVen.wikipedia.org

  KTTV introduced its weekday morning local-news program.

• 1986

  KTTV becomes an original Fox station

  [1]KTTVen.wikipedia.org

  News Corporation acquired Metromedia's stations and placed KTTV in the Fox Television Stations group.

• 1963

  Metromedia acquires KTTV

  [1]KTTVen.wikipedia.org

  Times-Mirror sold the station to Metromedia.

• 1958

  Dodgers broadcasts begin

  [1]KTTVen.wikipedia.org

  KTTV began carrying Los Angeles Dodgers baseball after the club moved to Southern California.

• 1954

  KTTV becomes independent

  [1]KTTVen.wikipedia.org

  The station ended its DuMont affiliation and adopted an independent schedule.

• 1951

  CBS divests its KTTV interest

  [1]KTTVen.wikipedia.org

  CBS ended its minority ownership after acquiring another Los Angeles television station.

• 1949

  KTTV begins broadcasting

  [1]KTTVen.wikipedia.org

  KTTV began operations on January 1 as a CBS-affiliated station.

• 1947

  Times-Mirror obtains channel 11 authorization

  [1]KTTVen.wikipedia.org

  The publisher of the Los Angeles Times secured the license and construction authorization that led to KTTV.

West Coast flagship Fox-owned local television station combining high-volume Los Angeles news coverage, Fox network programming, regional sports, weather, traffic, and syndicated entertainment.

• Broadcast programming

  Local news

  KTTV produces extensive local news, weather, traffic, breaking-news, and public-affairs coverage for Los Angeles. Its news identity includes the long-running Good Day L.A. morning program, multiple daytime and evening newscasts, weekend broadcasts, and aerial reporting through the SkyFox helicopter service.

• Public affairs

  The Issue Is

  The Issue Is is KTTV's political discussion program. It airs in the Los Angeles market and has been distributed to other Fox stations in California, extending the station's public-affairs programming beyond its local broadcast area.

• Network television · 1986

  Fox network programming

  As a Fox owned-and-operated station, KTTV carries Fox entertainment, news, and sports programming, supplemented by locally scheduled material and syndicated content.

• Sports television · 1958

  Sports broadcasting

  KTTV has carried selected broadcasts involving the Dodgers, Angels, Rams, Chargers, and other teams through local, national, and Fox network rights arrangements. The station's sports role has historically contributed substantially to its regional visibility.

• 2001

  Creation of the KTTV–KCOP duopolyM&A

  Background

  Fox Television Stations acquired stations owned by Chris-Craft Industries' BHC Communications group.

  Action taken

  Fox combined ownership of KTTV and KCOP-TV in the Los Angeles market.

  Aftermath

  The stations were able to coordinate facilities and programming while retaining separate channel identities.

  Source

• 1993

  Launch of Good Day L.A.Product launch

  Background

  KTTV sought to strengthen its morning local-news presence while Fox programming arrangements changed its daytime schedule.

  Action taken

  The station launched Good Day L.A. and removed weekday morning cartoons.

  Aftermath

  Morning news became a central component of KTTV's local programming strategy.

  Source

• 1986

  Transition from independent station to Fox affiliateStrategy

  Background

  News Corporation acquired Metromedia's television stations as the foundation for a new broadcast network.

  Action taken

  KTTV joined Fox at the network's launch and reshaped its schedule around Fox programming, syndicated talk and court shows, reality programming, and local news.

  Aftermath

  KTTV became Fox's principal Los Angeles station and later its West Coast flagship.

  Source

• 1973

  Programming restrictions on violent showsStrategy

  Background

  Four citizen groups and KTTV reached an agreement that was filed with the station's license-renewal application amid concerns about violent television programming.

  Action taken

  KTTV removed 42 animated series from its schedule and added parental-caution warnings to 81 live-action series broadcast before 8:30 p.m.

  Aftermath

  The policy became a notable example of a local station altering its entertainment schedule and presentation in response to community concerns.

  Source

1. 1KTTVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2FOX 11 Los Angelesfoxla.com