KONG (TV)

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Coordinates: 47°37′54″N 122°21′3″W / 47.63167°N 122.35083°W / 47.63167; -122.35083
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KONG
ATSC 3.0 station
A large, gold K with a crown element in the upper left, same as in the KING-TV logo, plus the smaller letters O N G in yellow with blue lines top and bottom.
CityEverett, Washington
Channels
BrandingKONG
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
KING-TV
History
First air date
July 8, 1997
(26 years ago) (1997-07-08)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 16 (UHF, 1997–2009)
Call sign meaning
As in King Kong; call sign chosen in 1984, years before KING programmed the station
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID35396
ERP715 kW
HAAT232 m (761 ft)
Transmitter coordinates47°37′54″N 122°21′3″W / 47.63167°N 122.35083°W / 47.63167; -122.35083
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.king5.com

KONG (channel 16) is an independent television station licensed to Everett, Washington, United States, serving the Seattle area. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside NBC affiliate KING-TV (channel 5). The two stations share studios at the Home Plate Center in the SoDo district of Seattle; KONG's transmitter is located in the city's Queen Anne neighborhood.

Plans for KONG dated as far back as the early 1980s, when a San Francisco–based investor group obtained the construction permit for a new station in Everett. The group secured the call sign KONG—over threats by KING-TV to sue—and set up a studio, but the station never launched. A dispute over the tower site on Cougar Mountain and difficulty securing financing scuttled the project. The permit was sold to Zeus Corporation of Washington and lay dormant until KING-TV agreed to program the new station in 1996. KONG went on the air in 1997, relying heavily on classic TV series for its programming. It has become a secondary conduit for local news and sports programming from KING-TV; the first newscast on KONG debuted in 1999, and over the years, teams including the Seattle Sonics, Seattle Storm, and Seattle Sounders FC aired their games on KONG. Presently, the station is the broadcast home for Seattle Reign FC and the Seattle Kraken. It is one of two ATSC 3.0 stations in the Seattle market.

History[edit]

Early permit history[edit]

In 1981, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated four applications for comparative hearing, all seeking the channel 16 allocation at Everett, from Oak Television of Everett; Unity Broadcasting Company of Washington State; Greater Everett Telecasters; and Channel 16, Inc.[2] The designation followed a year of applications. At one point, FNI Communications—a subsidiary of First Northwest Industries, owner of the Seattle SuperSonics basketball team—applied.[3] Channel 16, Inc., was part-owned by Jon Marple, owner of Everett radio station KRKO.[4] Unity, a San Francisco–based group with almost entirely minority stockholders, was selected by administrative law judge Joseph Chachkin in November 1982 on account of its lack of other broadcast ownership and strongest integration of ownership and management.[5]

Unity selected KONG as its proposed call sign. This triggered opposition from Seattle's KING-TV and its owner, King Broadcasting, which believed that the two stations could cause confusion; KONG hoped that the original 1933 film King Kong could be its first program[6] and planned to operate as an independent station with sports, movies, and reruns, from a main studio near Paine Field. Instead, KONG found itself bogged down for years in tower siting problems. It applied to the FCC to build a 300-foot (91 m) tower on Cougar Mountain, near Issaquah. The mast would be used by KRAB, which owned the land, and two other FM radio stations. Residents near the mountain protested, fearing that electromagnetic radiation could affect their health.[7][8] King County initially required a more in-depth environmental review,[9] but it received approval in April 1985.[10] For years, KONG promised it would be on the air, but continued appeals of the tower siting decision and delays in securing financing held the station back.[11] During this time, the Home Shopping Network looked at buying the unbuilt KONG.[12]

The originally planned KONG never materialized. In 1989, a public auction was held for station equipment and supplies, which included a satellite dish and receiving equipment.[13] The permit was sold to Zeus Corporation of Washington, owned by Walter Ulloa and Paul Zevnik, for $300,000.[14]

Under KING-TV management[edit]

In August 1996, KING reached an agreement to program KONG under a local marketing agreement, with an option to buy if the FCC permitted duopoly ownership.[15] It began broadcasting July 7, 1997.[16] KONG's programming relied heavily on classic TV series of the 1950s through 1980s with a "campy", irreverent approach to presentation and imaging; a large KONG Gong served as a promotional device. Also present on the original schedule were programs from two cable services owned, like KING-TV, by the Belo Corporation: Northwest Cable News and Food Network.[17] Nancy Guppy, a cast member on KING-TV's comedy show Almost Live!, doubled as a host appearing between shows.[18] When the FCC permitted duopolies in November 1999, Belo bought KONG from Zeus.[19]

KONG launched a digital signal on February 1, 2002,[20] and shut down its analog signal on June 12, 2009.[21] The digital signal on channel 31 continued to broadcast.[22] KONG was one of two ATSC-M/H Mobile DTV model stations in Seattle alongside KOMO-TV.[23]

Belo, including KING-TV and KONG, was acquired by the Gannett Company in 2013.[24] Gannett split its print and broadcast operations into separate companies, the latter named Tegna, in 2015.[25] KING and KONG moved their operations from the longtime KING studios on Dexter Avenue to Home Plate Center in 2016.[26]

Local programming[edit]

Newscasts[edit]

Main article: KING-TV § News operation

KONG began airing local newscasts on February 1, 1999, with the debut of the half-hour KING 5 News at 10, originally anchored by Lori Matsukawa. The newscast, postponed from a late 1998 start when the news director resigned, brought Seattle back to having competing newscasts in the time period (opposite KCPQ) after KSTW folded its news department months prior.[27] Originally a weeknight-only newscast, it expanded to seven nights a week in January 2001; a 7 p.m. newscast was dropped because of sports preemptions.[28]

In 2004, KONG launched a morning show, originally named Seattle Live, to compete with KCPQ.[29] On September 9, 2013, KONG added a weeknight 9 p.m. newscast from KING.[30]

Sports[edit]

Seattle Sonics basketball games began airing in 1999,[31] and KONG became the primary local television broadcaster for the team over the next two seasons, with 36 games in 1999–2000[32] and the entire 56-game local TV slate starting in 2000-2001.[33] In 2000, the expansion Seattle Storm of the WNBA began airing a package of local telecasts on KONG. The Sonics and Storm departed for FSN Northwest in 2004, when the NBA team opted to move all its games to cable and get out of the production business.[34][35] In 2009–2010, After the Sonics left for Oklahoma City, KONG and one of KING-TV's subchannels aired a package of Portland Trail Blazers basketball games.[36]

KING and KONG were the first broadcast partner for Seattle Sounders FC when the club debuted in Major League Soccer in 2009.[37] The stations lost the rights to KCPQ and KZJO in 2014.[38]

In 2017, after KIRO-TV discontinued its 31-year-old tradition of full-day coverage of the H1 Unlimited Seafair Cup, full-day coverage of the races moved to KONG the next year in association with SWX Right Now.[39]

KONG returned to major league sports broadcasts by way of two deals announced in April 2024. One deal made KONG the home of Seattle Reign FC women's soccer, with a local TV schedule of 11 matches.[40] The second made KONG the home of all non-nationally televised Seattle Kraken hockey games starting in the 2024–25 season, replacing Root Sports Northwest. The games will also stream on Amazon Prime Video.[41][42]

In addition to live sports, KONG airs a weekly show, Seahawks Central, as part of KING-TV's rights deal for Seattle Seahawks preseason games and coverage. The show debuted in 2022 as the rights moved back to KING from KCPQ.[43]

Technical information[edit]

Subchannels[edit]

KONG is one of two ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) stations in the Seattle area, having switched to 3.0 transmission on December 15, 2020.[44] The station's ATSC 1.0 channels are carried on the multiplexed signals of other Seattle television stations:

Subchannels provided by KONG (ATSC 1.0)[45]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming ATSC 1.0 host
16.1 720p 16:9 KONG-HD Independent KING-TV
16.2 480i TCN True Crime Network KZJO
16.3 Quest Quest KCPQ

In return, KONG's ATSC 3.0 signal broadcasts KING as well as KCPQ and KZJO:

Subchannels of KONG (ATSC 3.0)[46]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
5.1 1080p 16:9 KING-TV NBC (KING-TV) DRM
13.1 720p KCPQ Fox (KCPQ)
16.1 1080p KONG Independent (KONG) DRM
22.1 720p KZJO MyNetworkTV (KZJO)
  Subchannel broadcast with digital rights management

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KONG". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Legal Notice". The Daily Herald. Everett, Washington. August 6, 1981. p. 15D. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Permit asked for Everett TV station". Everett Herald. Everett, Washington. September 25, 1980. p. 1F. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Weiner, Allen (August 30, 1980). "Everett's station: That is the growth of KRKO radio". Everett Herald. Everett, Washington. p. 23F. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Unity picked to build Everett UHF station". The Herald. Everett, Washington. November 9, 1982. p. 10A. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Hannula, Don (March 9, 1984). "Distinguishing KING from KONG". The Seattle Times. p. A8. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  7. ^ Corsaletti, Louis T. (June 27, 1984). "Residents protest another TV transmitter". The Seattle Times. p. G1. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  8. ^ Gilbert, Michael (August 1, 1984). "Tower war: Cougar Mountain group awaits ruling on antenna". The Seattle Times. p. F1. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  9. ^ Balter, Joni (September 5, 1984). "Cougar Mountain residents block new antenna". The Seattle Times. p. G1. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  10. ^ "Residents to fight KONG-tower decision". The Seattle Times. April 9, 1985. p. B2. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  11. ^ Beck, Andee (February 13, 1987). "Upstart KONG won't be aping its TV competitors". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. p. C-11. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Beck, Andee (April 12, 1987). "Home shopping: TV's bill of goods". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. p. Video Week 15. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Public Auction". The Morning News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. July 11, 1989. p. C4. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "For the Record". Broadcasting. June 26, 1989. p. 61. ProQuest 1016925931.
  15. ^ Levesque, John (August 19, 1996). "KIRO's 'Russian Connection' plugs into good journalism in a ratings-driven era". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B6. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  16. ^ Merryman, Kathleen (July 7, 1997). "KONG coming to local TV: New station will feature favorite reruns for those not connected to cable". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. pp. B1, B2. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Taylor, Chuck (July 2, 1997). "New station KONG hopes viewing old shows will prove hip, campy". The Seattle Times. pp. E1, E2. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  18. ^ Reid, Cheryl (August 16, 1998). "Nancy Guppy is a KING, KONG television host, performer". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. p. VW-4. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Who's doing duopolies" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. November 22, 1999. p. 7. ProQuest 225323867. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  20. ^ "KONG-DT". Television and Cable Factbook. 2006. p. A-2420.
  21. ^ "Digital transition schedule". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. June 10, 2009. p. A15. Retrieved April 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. May 23, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  23. ^ Dickson, Glen (April 20, 2009). "NAB 2009: Broadcasters Set Mobile DTV Test Markets". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  24. ^ "Gannett Completes Its Acquisition of Belo". TVNewsCheck. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  25. ^ "Separation of Gannett into two public companies completed | TEGNA". Tegna. June 29, 2015. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  26. ^ "KING 5 begins new era at Home Plate Center". KING-TV. February 15, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  27. ^ Simons, Stephanie (January 26, 1999). "KING-KONG connection brings 10 p.m. news program". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. p. SL-11. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Newscast to expand to weekends". The Seattle Times. November 6, 2000. p. E8.
  29. ^ Sitt, Pamela (December 3, 2014). "Early-bird specials: soupy fog, toast with traffic jam - Sweeps on KCPQ and KONG, competing in the local TV morning-news scene, were all about weather, traffic and perky personalities". The Seattle Times. p. J1.
  30. ^ "KING 5 News expanding at 6:30 and 9 p.m." KING-TV. September 9, 2013.
  31. ^ "All Sonics games to be on TV". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. January 31, 1999. p. D10. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "N'Western's Matt Hartl dead at 23". The Seattle Times. August 31, 1999. p. C6.
  33. ^ Bruscas, Angelo (November 1, 2000). "KONG deal a mixed bag: One-stop watching gets poor reception outside Seattle". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. C6.
  34. ^ O'Neil, Danny (January 23, 2004). "Sonics moving to FSN - Cable network will show at least 70 games beginning next season". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. C4.
  35. ^ Evans, Jayda (April 24, 2004). "FSN will broadcast four Storm games; camp opens tomorrow". The Seattle Times. p. D2.
  36. ^ "KING-TV bringing Blazers broadcasts to Seattle". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. October 23, 2009.
  37. ^ Gaschk, Matthew (July 22, 2008). "Calabro to call Sounders FC action - Belo contract puts all matches on television". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. D1.
  38. ^ "Sounders FC to Partner with Q13 FOX and JOEtv for 2014 MLS Season" (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. December 10, 2013. Archived from the original on August 29, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  39. ^ Joyce, Nathan (July 12, 2018). "Seafair hydroplane races return to familiar schedule and to TV". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  40. ^ Miller, Mark (April 15, 2024). "Seattle Reign FC And KING Media Set Broadcast Partnership". TVNewsCheck. Archived from the original on April 15, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  41. ^ "Kraken leaving ROOT Sports for new TV and streaming deals". The Seattle Times. April 25, 2024. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  42. ^ "New, More Ways to Watch the Kraken". NHL.com. April 25, 2024. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  43. ^ "Closing Bell: Seahawks jump to NBC affil as local TV partner". Sports Business Journal. May 10, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  44. ^ "Next Gen TV Host Exhibit". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. March 15, 2024.
  45. ^
  46. ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for KONG (ATSC 3.0)". RabbitEars. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
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