History of KSL-TV in Timeline
KSL-TV is an NBC-affiliated television station based in Salt Lake City, Utah. It's the flagship television property of Bonneville International, which is the broadcasting arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Alongside sister radio stations KSL and KSL-FM, KSL-TV operates from the Broadcast House in Salt Lake City. Its signal is broadcast from Farnsworth Peak and extended throughout Utah and parts of neighboring states via a network of translators.
May 26, 1948: Application for Construction Permit
On May 26, 1948, Radio Service Corporation of Utah, owner of KSL (1160 AM), filed an application to apply for a construction permit.
September 30, 1951: First Live Network Programming
On September 30, 1951, KSL first broadcast live network programming with ABC's "Paul Whiteman's Goodyear Revue".
1952: Transmission Tower Constructed
In 1952, KSL constructed a 370-foot transmission tower on Farnsworth Peak to improve signal coverage and began building a translator network.
September 1954: KUTV Becomes Full-Time ABC Affiliate
In September 1954, KUTV (channel 2) signed on as the market's full-time ABC affiliate, ending the shared programming arrangement between KSL and KDYL-TV.
1964: Bonneville International Formed
In 1964, Bonneville International was formed as the parent company for the LDS Church's broadcasting holdings, including the KSL stations. Channel 5 also began broadcasting in color soon after.
1965: KSL poaches sportscaster and weatherman
In 1965, KSL-TV poached sportscaster Paul James and weatherman Bob Welti from KCPX-TV and teamed them with anchor Dick Nourse. Within a few months, channel 5 had rocketed into first place.
1977: "Match Game" Not Aired in Salt Lake City
In 1977, as a CBS affiliate, Match Game host Gene Rayburn mentioned that the often risque CBS daytime game show "Match Game" was not being aired in Salt Lake City.
1979: KSL airs Utah Jazz games via CBS Sports
In 1979, KSL-TV began airing Utah Jazz games selected for national broadcast through CBS Sports, following the team's move to Salt Lake City.
1984: Move to Triad Center
In 1984, KSL moved to its current facility at Triad Center, also named Broadcast House.
1987: KSL Refuses to Air Garbage Pail Kids
In 1987, KSL was among several affiliates that announced it would not air the children's animated series "Garbage Pail Kids" amid criticism.
1988: KSL Preempts Dirty Dancing
In 1988, KSL preempted the series "Dirty Dancing" due to its sexual content.
September 1989: KSL Preempts Saturday Morning Children's Program Lineup
After September 1989 KSL preempted the network's Saturday morning children's program lineup.
September 1990: KSL Refuses Crimetime After Primetime Block
From September 1990, KSL refused CBS' late night "Crimetime After Primetime" block until its discontinuation.
November 1990: KSL Preempts Doctor Doctor
In November 1990, KSL preempted the sitcom "Doctor Doctor" partway into its third season.
1990: End of Utah Jazz games via CBS Sports
In 1990, KSL-TV stopped airing Utah Jazz games selected for national broadcast through CBS Sports.
1991: End of Nourse, James, and Welti team
In 1991, the team of Dick Nourse, Paul James and Bob Welti broke up. Nourse stayed on as top anchorman.
1992: KSL Preempts 2000 Malibu Road and Grapevine
In 1992, KSL preempted "2000 Malibu Road" and "Grapevine" because of their sexual content.
January 1993: KSL Removes Picket Fences
In January 1993, KSL removed "Picket Fences" midway through its first season due to objections over an episode.
April 1993: "Picket Fences" Returns to KSL
In April 1993, the drama series "Picket Fences" returned to KSL in its normal network time slot.
August 1993: Crimetime After Primetime Block Discontinued
After the August 1993 premiere of "Late Show with David Letterman", Crimetime After Primetime Block was discontinued
September 1993: "Picket Fences" Moved to Saturday Late Night
In September 1993, "Picket Fences" was shifted to a one-day delay at 11 p.m. Saturdays for its second season.
July 1994: CBS and Westinghouse Agreement
In July 1994, CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting (Group W) agreed to a long-term affiliation deal, impacting several stations.
September 1994: KSL Shifts CBS This Morning
In September 1994, KSL shifted "CBS This Morning" and its predecessors in-pattern to accommodate an expanded local morning newscast.
September 10, 1995: Affiliation Switch in Salt Lake City
On September 10, 1995, a complex ownership deal resulted in the first network affiliation switch in Salt Lake City since 1960, with NBC securing an affiliation deal with KSL-TV.
1995: KSL Carries SNL Compilations
Between 1995 and 2013, KSL carried all of the long-running sketch comedy Saturday Night Live's 'best-of' compilations, actor tributes, documentary specials and Saturday evening repeats that NBC aired in prime time.
1995: KSL airs Utah Jazz games via NBC Sports
In 1995, KSL-TV began airing Utah Jazz games selected for national broadcast through NBC Sports.
1995: KSL Joins NBC
Since it joined the network in 1995, KSL declined to air the short-lived 2003 sitcom "Coupling" because of its sexual humor and content.
January 1996: Saturday Night Live Moves to KOOG-TV
In January 1996, KUTV stopped airing NBC's "Saturday Night Live", and it was moved to then-WB affiliate KOOG-TV.
January 1996: SNL Moves to KOOG
In January 1996, Saturday Night Live initially remained on KUTV under arrangement with CBS until January 1996, before moving to then-WB affiliate KOOG (now KUCW).
1997: KSL Did Not Air Sunset Beach
In 1997, KSL-TV also did not air the 1997–99 NBC daytime soap opera "Sunset Beach"; the soap was seen locally on KOOG instead.
1997: Jazz appearance in the NBA Finals
In 1997, the Utah Jazz appeared in the NBA Finals, which ended in a loss to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
1998: Jazz appearance in the NBA Finals
In 1998, the Utah Jazz appeared in the NBA Finals, which ended in a loss to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
January 14, 1999: Shooting at Broadcast House
On January 14, 1999, a shooter entered KSL-TV's Broadcast House, and an employee of AT&T Wireless Services, Anne Sleater, was shot and killed. De-Kieu Duy was arrested in connection with the shooting.
2000: KSL Preempts Shows
In 2000 KSL preempted shows such as "2000 Malibu Road" because of its sexual content.
2002: Bruce Christensen Named President
In 2002, Bruce Christensen was named the president of KSL-TV. During the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, KSL-TV was influential in bringing coverage and technology to NBC.
2002: End of Utah Jazz games via NBC Sports
In 2002, KSL-TV stopped airing Utah Jazz games selected for national broadcast through NBC Sports.
2002: KSL broadcasts 2002 Winter Olympics
In 2002, KSL-TV was the local broadcaster of the Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City due to NBC's contract with the International Olympic Committee. NBC excluded KSL from its tape delay policy, as the Games were in a time zone only an hour ahead of Pacific Time.
2003: Channel 5 Declined Coupling
In 2003, Channel 5 declined the short-lived sitcom "Coupling" because of its sexual humor and content.
2007: KSL Preempts Poker Programming
Beginning in 2007, KSL preempted much of NBC's poker programming, such as "Poker After Dark", due to objections toward gambling.
2007: Dick Nourse leaves KSL
In 2007, Dick Nourse left KSL-TV where he had been the top anchorman.
2008: KSL-TV broadcasts in high definition
In 2008, KSL-TV became the second television station in the Salt Lake City market to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition.
January 1, 2009: KSL ends affiliation with NBC Weather Plus
On January 1, 2009, KSL ended its affiliation with NBC Weather Plus on its 5.3 subchannel and relaunched the subchannel as the Live 5 Weather Channel.
June 12, 2009: KSL-TV ends regular programming on its analog signal
On June 12, 2009, KSL-TV ended regular programming on its analog signal, over VHF channel 5, as part of the transition from analog to digital television.
2009: KSL scraps Eyewitness News name
In 2009, KSL-TV scrapped the "Eyewitness News" name in favor of "KSL 5 News", and is now known simply as KSL News.
July 2010: LMA with KJZZ-TV
In July 2010, KSL-TV entered into a local marketing agreement (LMA) with independent station KJZZ-TV (channel 14).
November 2010: KUTV unseats KSL-TV in most timeslots
In November 2010, KUTV unseated KSL-TV in most timeslots, though channel 5 remained ahead at 10 p.m.
February 2011: KSL-TV lost the lead at 10 p.m.
In February 2011, KSL-TV lost the lead at 10 p.m. for the first time in almost half a century.
September 2011: KSL Preempts The Playboy Club
In September 2011, KSL-TV preempted "The Playboy Club", replacing it with "We Are Utah", due to concerns about being associated with the Playboy brand.
October 31, 2011: Premiere of Rock Center with Brian Williams
On October 31, 2011, KSL continued to air already-recorded episodes of "We Are Utah" until the premiere of "Rock Center with Brian Williams".
December 2011: KSL-TV restored its lead in every time slot
In December 2011, KSL-TV restored its lead in every time slot in the Nielsen ratings except one.
2011: Utah Utes Shift to Pac-12 Conference
In 2011, Utah Utes shift to the Pac-12 Conference made it difficult for SportsBeat to analyze, carry, and package highlights of games.
January 2012: KSL-TV ceases carrying Universal Sports
In January 2012, KSL-TV ceased carrying Universal Sports on its 5.2 subchannel, which then became exclusively distributed through cable and satellite television; it was replaced by Live Well Network thereafter.
August 24, 2012: KSL Preempts The New Normal
On August 24, 2012, KSL-TV preempted "The New Normal", replacing it with "My Family Recipe Rocks!", due to objections to the sitcom's storyline.
2012: Mark Willes was fired
In 2012, Mark Willes was fired, but the station's ratings have yet to recover.
April 29, 2013: KSL Pulls Hannibal
On April 29, 2013, KSL-TV pulled "Hannibal" after four episodes due to the drama's graphic violent content.
May 2013: The New Normal Cancelled
In May 2013, although the show was canceled after its first season, "The New Normal" was the first NBC prime time show that KSL has declined to air since it joined the network in 1995.
June 2013: KSL to Air Saturday Night Live
In June 2013, KSL announced that it would start airing "SNL" in its regular timeslot beginning that fall, after revealing that viewership for "SportsBeat" had declined in recent years.
September 4, 2013: KSL moves Days of Our Lives to late night
On September 4, 2013, KSL announced that "Days of Our Lives" would be moved to a 1:05 a.m. timeslot effective September 9. A local lifestyle program replaced it in its former 2 p.m. slot. A theory for the move was a storyline involving openly gay characters. The move also gave the show a steady DVR-friendly timeslot.
January 1, 2014: KSL replaces Live Well Network with Cozi TV
On January 1, 2014, KSL replaced Live Well Network with Cozi TV on digital subchannel 5.2.
August 2015: Hannibal Cancelled
In August 2015, "Hannibal" was cancelled after its last episode, and the station cleared NBC's entire seasonal prime time schedule for the first time in the 2015–16 season.
2016: LMA with KJZZ-TV Terminated
In 2016, the local marketing agreement (LMA) between KSL-TV and KJZZ-TV (channel 14) was terminated after KUTV's owner, Sinclair Broadcast Group, purchased KJZZ.
September 17, 2018: KSL moved its digital signal
On September 17, 2018, KSL moved its digital signal from channel 38 to channel 23, as part of the broadcast spectrum repacking.
2020: Departure of Sonny and Will from Days of Our Lives
In the summer of 2020, Sonny and Will departed from "Days of Our Lives".
September 2022: Days of Our Lives moves to Peacock
In September 2022, "Days of Our Lives" moved exclusively to the Peacock streaming service, owned by NBC parent Comcast. KSL continued to air Days in late night until this shift.
September 2023: KSL airs NBC News Daily
In September 2023, KSL began airing "NBC News Daily" at 1 p.m. weekdays after Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray's shows ended their runs.
2025: KSL to air Utah Jazz games again
In 2025, KSL-TV will air Utah Jazz games selected for national broadcast once again.
Mentioned in this timeline
Michael Jordan or MJ is an American businessman and former...
CBS is a major American commercial broadcast television and radio...
NBC News is the news division of NBC operating under...
Saturday Night Live SNL is a late-night live sketch comedy...
The National Broadcasting Company NBC is a major American commercial...
News encompasses information about current events disseminated through various media...
Trending
2 months ago Florence Pugh Declines Major Role in HBO's 'The Last of Us' Series.
Daniel Craig is a highly acclaimed English actor recognized for his work in film and television He has received two...
12 days ago Vaccines Linked to Lower Dementia Risk: Flu Shot and Other Protective Measures
4 months ago Kennedy Appoints New Vaccine Advisors Amidst Debate on Public Trust and Vaccine Safety
3 months ago Vaccine Coverage Uncertainty, Childhood Vaccination Plunge, and Measles Decline in Kentucky
4 months ago Serena Williams Teams Up with MrBeast for a Unique Tennis Challenge.
Popular
Charlie Kirk is an American right-wing political activist entrepreneur and...
Candace Owens is an American political commentator and author known...
Greta Thunberg is a Swedish climate activist who gained international...
Turning Point USA TPUSA is a conservative nonprofit organization founded...
Jupiter is the fifth and largest planet from the Sun...
Adam Schiff is an American politician and lawyer currently serving...