History of KSL-TV in Timeline
KSL-TV is an NBC-affiliated television station in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is owned by Bonneville International, the broadcasting arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is sister to KSL and KSL-FM radio stations. The stations share studios in Salt Lake City. KSL-TV's transmitter is on Farnsworth Peak, and it operates a network of translators that extend its coverage throughout Utah and parts of neighboring states.
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May 26, 1948: Application for Construction Permit Filed
On May 26, 1948, Radio Service Corporation of Utah, the owner of KSL (1160 AM), submitted the 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" after AT&T completed their coast-to-coast microwave relay network.
September 1954: KUTV becomes ABC affiliate
In September 1954, KUTV (channel 2) signed on as the market's full-time ABC affiliate, taking over the ABC programming that KSL-TV and KDYL-TV were sharing until that point.
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 began broadcasting its programming in color soon afterward.
1965: KSL News Strengthens Team
In 1965, KSL-TV hired Paul James and Bob Welti from KCPX-TV and teamed them with Dick Nourse. This boosted channel 5 into first place in news.
1977: Match Game Not Aired
In 1977, Match Game host Gene Rayburn mentioned that the often risque CBS daytime game show was not being aired in Salt Lake City on KSL.
1979: CBS Sports airs Utah Jazz games
In 1979, CBS Sports began broadcasting Utah Jazz games after the team's move to Salt Lake City.
1984: Station Moved to Triad Center
In 1984, KSL-TV relocated to its current facility at Triad Center, also named Broadcast House.
1987: Garbage Pail Kids Boycott
In 1987, KSL was among affiliates that announced it would not air the children's animated series "Garbage Pail Kids" due to concerns about violent content.
1988: Preemption of Dirty Dancing
In 1988, KSL preempted "Dirty Dancing" because of its sexual content.
September 1989: Preemption of Saturday Morning Children's Programming
Starting in September 1989, KSL preempted CBS' Saturday morning children's program lineup.
September 1990: Preemption of Crimetime After Primetime
From September 1990 until August 1993, KSL refused CBS' late night "Crimetime After Primetime" block, opting to retain local control of its late night schedule.
November 1990: Preemption of Doctor Doctor
In November 1990, KSL preempted the sitcom "Doctor Doctor" partway into its third season.
1990: End of CBS Sports coverage of Utah Jazz games
In 1990, CBS Sports stopped broadcasting Utah Jazz games.
1991: End of Nourse, James, and Welti Team
In 1991, Paul James and Bob Welti left KSL-TV, ending their long-standing team with Dick Nourse.
1992: Preemption of 2000 Malibu Road and Grapevine
In 1992, KSL preempted the prime time soap opera "2000 Malibu Road" and the sitcom "Grapevine" due to their sexual content.
January 1993: Removal of Picket Fences
In January 1993, KSL removed "Picket Fences" midway through its first season due to objections over an episode involving a teenage girl and plural marriage.
April 1993: Return of Picket Fences
In April 1993, "Picket Fences" returned to KSL in its normal network time slot.
August 1993: Continued Preemption of Late Night Block
After the August 1993 premiere of "Late Show with David Letterman," KSL continued to preempt CBS' late night "Crimetime After Primetime" block.
September 1993: Picket Fences Shifted to Saturday
In September 1993, "Picket Fences" was shifted to 11 p.m. on Saturdays for its second season.
July 1994: CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting Agreement
In July 1994, CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting (Group W) reached a long-term affiliation deal for the five Group W television stations.
September 1994: Shift to In-Pattern Airing of CBS This Morning
In September 1994, KSL shifted CBS This Morning to an in-pattern airing (6 to 8 a.m.) to accommodate an expanded local morning newscast.
September 10, 1995: Affiliation Switch in Salt Lake City
On September 10, 1995, a complex ownership deal between CBS, Westinghouse, and NBC resulted in KSL-TV becoming an NBC affiliate after NBC traded KCNC-TV and KUTV to CBS in return for CBS' former O&O in Philadelphia, WCAU-TV. This marked the first network affiliation switch in Salt Lake City since 1960.
1995: Saturday Night Live on KUTV
From 1995, between 1995 and 2013, KSL-TV carried all of Saturday Night Live's "best-of" compilations, actor tributes, documentary specials and Saturday evening repeats that NBC aired in prime time.
1995: NBC Sports begins airing Utah Jazz games
In 1995, NBC Sports began broadcasting Utah Jazz games.
January 1996: Saturday Night Live moves to KOOG
In January 1996, "Saturday Night Live" remained on KUTV under arrangement with CBS until it moved to then-WB affiliate KOOG (now KUCW).
1997: Sunset Beach Aired on KOOG
In 1997, as an NBC affiliate, KSL did not air the daytime soap opera "Sunset Beach"; the soap was instead seen locally on KOOG.
1997: Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals
In 1997, the Utah Jazz appeared in the NBA Finals, losing to the Chicago Bulls.
1998: Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals again
In 1998, the Utah Jazz appeared in the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year, again losing to the Chicago Bulls.
January 14, 1999: Shooting at Broadcast House
On January 14, 1999, a shooter entered KSL-TV's Broadcast House facility, seeking a KSL-TV reporter. Anne Sleater, an employee of AT&T Wireless Services, was shot and later died. De-Kieu Duy was arrested and later found mentally incompetent to stand trial.
2000: Preemption of 2000 Malibu Road
In 2000, KSL preempted the prime time soap opera "2000 Malibu Road" due to its sexual content.
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 did not tape delay the broadcasts on KSL, unlike other stations on the West Coast.
2002: End of NBC Sports coverage of Utah Jazz games
In 2002, NBC Sports ended broadcasting Utah Jazz games.
2003: Declined to Air Coupling
In 2003, Channel 5 declined the short-lived sitcom Coupling because of its sexual humor and content.
2007: Dick Nourse Leaves KSL-TV
In 2007, Dick Nourse left KSL-TV where he had been the top anchorman until 2007.
2007: Preemption of Poker Programming
Starting in 2007, KSL preempted much of NBC's poker programming, such as "Poker After Dark" throughout its 2007–11 run, due to objections toward gambling.
2008: KSL-TV broadcasts newscasts in high definition
In 2008, KSL-TV began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition, becoming the second station in Salt Lake City to do so.
January 1, 2009: KSL Ends NBC Weather Plus Affiliation
On January 1, 2009, KSL ended its affiliation with NBC Weather Plus and relaunched its 5.3 subchannel as the Live 5 Weather Channel.
June 12, 2009: KSL-TV Ends Analog Signal
On June 12, 2009, KSL-TV ended regular programming on its analog signal as part of the transition from analog to digital television.
2009: KSL-TV Scraps "Eyewitness News" Brand
In 2009, KSL-TV rebranded its newscasts from "Eyewitness News" to "KSL 5 News."
July 2010: Local Marketing Agreement with KJZZ-TV
In July 2010, KSL-TV entered into a local marketing agreement (LMA) with independent station KJZZ-TV (channel 14) after KUTV's LMA with KJZZ concluded.
November 2010: KUTV Unseats KSL-TV in Ratings
In November 2010, KUTV surpassed KSL-TV in most timeslots, though channel 5 remained ahead at 10 p.m.
February 2011: KSL-TV Loses Lead at 10 PM
In February 2011, KSL-TV lost the lead at 10 p.m. for the first time in almost half a century.
September 2011: Preemption of The Playboy Club
In September 2011, KSL-TV preempted "The Playboy Club", replacing it with "We Are Utah", citing inconsistency with the station's mission due to the Playboy brand.
October 31, 2011: Premiere of Rock Center with Brian Williams
On October 31, 2011, KSL-TV aired already-recorded episodes of We Are Utah in the 9 p.m. slot until the premiere of Rock Center with Brian Williams.
December 2011: KSL-TV Restores Lead in Nielsen Ratings
In December 2011, KSL-TV regained its lead in every time slot in the Nielsen ratings except for the early morning news slot.
2011: Utah Utes Shift to Pac-12 Conference
In 2011, the Utah Utes shifted to the Pac-12 Conference from the Mountain West Conference which made it difficult for SportsBeat to analyze, carry, and package highlights of games that were often still in progress as it aired.
January 2012: KSL Carries Universal Sports until Transition
In January 2012, KSL-TV carried Universal Sports on its 5.2 subchannel until it transitioned to cable and satellite television. It was replaced by Live Well Network.
August 24, 2012: Preemption of 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 surrounding gay parenting, crude dialogue and potentially offensive characterizations. KUCW ran "The New Normal" instead in a Saturday night slot.
2012: Mark Willes Fired from Deseret Management Corporation
In 2012, Mark Willes was fired from Deseret Management Corporation. His shift towards "values-based" reporting was cited as a reason for KSL-TV's ratings slump.
April 29, 2013: Pulling of Hannibal
On April 29, 2013, KSL-TV pulled "Hannibal" after four episodes due to its graphic violent content. KUCW aired the program on Saturday nights.
May 2013: Cancellation of The New Normal
In May 2013, "The New Normal" was canceled after its first season, marking the first NBC prime time show KSL had declined to air since joining the network in 1995 that lasted a full season.
June 2013: KSL to Air Saturday Night Live
In June 2013, KSL announced it would begin airing "Saturday Night Live" in its regular timeslot starting that fall, due to declining viewership for "SportsBeat" and the Utah Utes playing later games.
September 4, 2013: KSL moves "Days of Our Lives" to late night
On September 4, 2013, KSL announced it was moving "Days of Our Lives" to 1:05 a.m. effective September 9. A local lifestyle program replaced it in its former 2 p.m. slot. The move was possibly due to controversial storylines or to secure a more DVR-friendly timeslot with fewer preemptions.
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: Cancellation of Hannibal
In August 2015, Hannibal was cancelled after its last episode, and KSL cleared NBC's entire seasonal prime time schedule for the first time in the 2015–16 season.
2016: Termination of LMA with KJZZ-TV
In 2016, the local marketing agreement (LMA) between KSL-TV and KJZZ-TV was terminated after KUTV's owner, Sinclair Broadcast Group, purchased KJZZ.
September 17, 2018: KSL-TV Moves Digital Signal
On September 17, 2018, KSL-TV 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, the characters Sonny Kiriakis and Will Horton departed from the "Days of Our Lives" show. KSL continued to air the show in late night even after this event.
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 the show in late night until this move.
September 2023: KSL airs "NBC News Daily"
In September 2023, KSL began airing the "NBC News Daily" program at 1 p.m. weekdays. This followed the end of the runs for "Dr. Phil" and "Rachael Ray", which had previously occupied the timeslot.
2025: NBC Sports to air Utah Jazz games again
In 2025, NBC Sports is scheduled to begin broadcasting Utah Jazz games again.
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