KDRV
Encyclopedia
KDRV, channel 12, is an ABC
television affiliate based in Medford, Oregon
. The station is located near Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport
in north Medford. The station is owned by Chambers Communications Corporation of Eugene, Oregon
.
KDRV's programming can also be seen in Klamath Falls on KDKF digital channel 29. KDKF has its own newsroom in Klamath Falls.
Prior to 1984, KOBI
served as the primary ABC affiliate for southern Oregon, but Medford was only partially covered. Viewers could also receive KATU
in Portland
on cable
. This was partly because the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) had reserved channel 8, the last VHF frequency in the area, for noncommercial use (currently occupied by PBS
member KSYS
).
The Medford-Klamath Falls market is one of the geographically largest in the country, covering a large swath of southern Oregon and northern California
. This area is very mountainous, and it is very difficult to get decent UHF reception in rugged terrain. However, in 1978, the FCC took the unusual step of dropping in a channel 12 allocation for Medford without anyone requesting such action. While a Christian
broadcaster initially made a bid for the station, it was a foregone conclusion that the license would go to Sunshine Television, a local investment group.
KDRV signed on for the first time on February 26, 1984. The station's studio had not been finished yet, and live local programming was not possible from its temporary studio. The new studio was finished later in 1984, and the station was able to begin news and other local programming a year later. Sunshine sold the station to Love Broadcasting in 1987. Chambers Communications bought the station in 1994. KDKF debuted on October 17, 1989.
Until 2007, KDRV was one of the few television stations still using the U-Matic
videotape
format for editing and on-air playback.
in Eugene, KOHD
in Bend and KDKF in Klamath Falls) and Dish Network
could not come to a long-term agreement to keep the station on the air in the Medford market and were in danger of losing local ABC programming as a result. Viewers were encouraged to read a special Q&A
page regarding this matter. Despite their best efforts, their previous agreement expired on December 15th and the stations were removed from the Dish Network local line-ups. Chambers and Dish finally came to an agreement to resume service and as of December 30, 2010 the stations returned on Dish Network.
and KTVL
, they air newscasts at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. with weekend newscasts at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., but airs its morning news starting at 5 a.m. (as does KTVL). Anchor Ron Brown and chief meteorologist Scott Lewis are the longest-tenured newscasters in the station's history. Anchor Brian Morton is the second-longest tenured. Brown hosts the weekly "Oregon Trails" segment, which takes a look back in Southern Oregon's history, while Morton reports on "Wednesday's Child", an adoption segment. The newscast has received numerous awards, including several National Association of Broadcasters
, Associated Press
and Emmy Awards.
KDRV is the only station in the Medford market to continue airing local sportscasts while the other stations dropped their sportscasts in 2009.
On January 5, 2011, NewsWatch 12 was the first station in the market to begin broadcasting its newscasts in 16:9
widescreen to conincide with its new look, which is similar to sister station KEZI
in Eugene. The station is also the first in the market to broadcast commercials in high-def.
on Saturday afternoons only (to comply with the FCC's children's programming laws) since its inception, but now airs E/I programs such as Danger Rangers
, Exploration with Richard Wiese and others (as of September 3, 2011).
On September 2, 2011, NewsWatch 12+ began airing local high school football games live at 7:00pm in what is known as the "Friday Night Blitz Game of the Week" (named after its Friday night football highlight show during NewsWatch 12 at 11:00).
It is shown on the digital channel 12.2 tier over-the-air (with coverter box and antenna) in standard definition format as well as on Charter Cable channel 291.
StormWatch 12 Weather Team
Sports Team
Reporters
, the competition featured popular local personalities and officials dancing various styles of dance. In 2010, KDRV's own Ashley Hall participated in the event dancing the salsa. In 2011, KDRV's Kaylin Krashesky and Kristin Ketchell participated with Kaylin dancing the west coast swing and Kristin dancing the samba. (Krashesky placed 3rd in people's and judges' voting.)
Digital channels>
Channel
Name
Programming
12.1 & 31.1
KDRV-HD/KDKF-HD
KDRV / KDKF -HD
12.2 & 31.2
KDRV-SD/KDKF-SD
KDRV / KDKF -SD
All full-powered Medford stations transitioned to digital-only service on February 17, 2009.
KDRV & KDKF shut down
their analog signals on February 17, 2009, KDRV returned to channel 12 , while KDKF's digital service remained on its current pre-transition channel number, 29 using PSIP
to display KDKF's virtual channel
as 31.
KDKF is rebroadcast on the following translator station:
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television affiliate based in Medford, Oregon
Medford, Oregon
Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the city had a total population of 74,907 and a metropolitan area population of 207,010, making the Medford MSA the 4th largest metro area in Oregon...
. The station is located near Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport
Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport
Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport is a public airport located 3 miles north of downtown Medford in Jackson County, Oregon, USA. In addition to Jackson County, the airport serves seven nearby counties in southwest Oregon. It is owned and operated by Jackson County's Aviation Authority...
in north Medford. The station is owned by Chambers Communications Corporation of Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
.
KDRV's programming can also be seen in Klamath Falls on KDKF digital channel 29. KDKF has its own newsroom in Klamath Falls.
History
KOBI
KOBI is a local NBC affiliate based in Medford, Oregon. It is owned by Patricia Smullin. The company, California Oregon Broadcasting, Inc., is the longest continuously independent broadcast group in the West and one of the three oldest in the country....
served as the primary ABC affiliate for southern Oregon, but Medford was only partially covered. Viewers could also receive KATU
KATU
KATU, virtual channel 2, also known as K2, is an ABC-affiliated television station broadcasting on digital channel 43 in Portland, Oregon, USA. It has been owned by Fisher Communications of Seattle, Washington, which has been the owner of the Seattle's ABC affiliate KOMO-TV, ever since it began...
in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
on cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
. This was partly because the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) had reserved channel 8, the last VHF frequency in the area, for noncommercial use (currently occupied by PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
member KSYS
SOPTV
Southern Oregon Public Television is the Public Broadcasting Service member Public television for most of southwest Oregon. It operates KSYS, channel 8 in Medford and KFTS, digital channel 33 in Klamath Falls....
).
The Medford-Klamath Falls market is one of the geographically largest in the country, covering a large swath of southern Oregon and northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. This area is very mountainous, and it is very difficult to get decent UHF reception in rugged terrain. However, in 1978, the FCC took the unusual step of dropping in a channel 12 allocation for Medford without anyone requesting such action. While a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
broadcaster initially made a bid for the station, it was a foregone conclusion that the license would go to Sunshine Television, a local investment group.
KDRV signed on for the first time on February 26, 1984. The station's studio had not been finished yet, and live local programming was not possible from its temporary studio. The new studio was finished later in 1984, and the station was able to begin news and other local programming a year later. Sunshine sold the station to Love Broadcasting in 1987. Chambers Communications bought the station in 1994. KDKF debuted on October 17, 1989.
Until 2007, KDRV was one of the few television stations still using the U-Matic
U-matic
U-matic is an analog recording videocassette format first shown by Sony in prototype in October 1969, and introduced to the market in September 1971. It was among the first video formats to contain the videotape inside a cassette, as opposed to the various Reel-to-Reel or open-reel formats of the...
videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
format for editing and on-air playback.
Dispute with Dish Network
On December 10, 2010, KDRV announced on its newscast that their owners Chambers Communications (who also own KEZIKEZI
KEZI is a digital broadcast television station operating in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It is the ABC affiliate for Eugene and produces more than 24 hours of newscasts a week...
in Eugene, KOHD
KOHD
KOHD is the ABC affiliated television station for Central Oregon that is licensed to Bend. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 51 from a transmitter in the city on Awbrey Butte west of U.S. 97. Owned by the Chambers Communications Corporation, the station has studios on...
in Bend and KDKF in Klamath Falls) and Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
could not come to a long-term agreement to keep the station on the air in the Medford market and were in danger of losing local ABC programming as a result. Viewers were encouraged to read a special Q&A
Q&A
-General:* Q&A is a media relations technique whereby public relations professionals attempt to anticipate journalists' questions on a particular issue and provide answers in order to prepare their spokespeople for press conferences and interviews...
page regarding this matter. Despite their best efforts, their previous agreement expired on December 15th and the stations were removed from the Dish Network local line-ups. Chambers and Dish finally came to an agreement to resume service and as of December 30, 2010 the stations returned on Dish Network.
News operation
Launched in the spring of 1985, KDRV has a fully staffed news department known as NewsWatch 12. It has consistently been the #1 news operation in the Medford market for just over two decades. Like fellow stations KOBIKOBI
KOBI is a local NBC affiliate based in Medford, Oregon. It is owned by Patricia Smullin. The company, California Oregon Broadcasting, Inc., is the longest continuously independent broadcast group in the West and one of the three oldest in the country....
and KTVL
KTVL
KTVL, channel 10 is a CBS television affiliate based in Medford, Oregon and broadcasts from a transmitter high atop Mount Ashland, 15 miles south of the city. The station covers eight counties in southern Oregon and northern California. The studios are located on Rossanley Drive in northwest...
, they air newscasts at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. with weekend newscasts at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., but airs its morning news starting at 5 a.m. (as does KTVL). Anchor Ron Brown and chief meteorologist Scott Lewis are the longest-tenured newscasters in the station's history. Anchor Brian Morton is the second-longest tenured. Brown hosts the weekly "Oregon Trails" segment, which takes a look back in Southern Oregon's history, while Morton reports on "Wednesday's Child", an adoption segment. The newscast has received numerous awards, including several National Association of Broadcasters
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...
, Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and Emmy Awards.
KDRV is the only station in the Medford market to continue airing local sportscasts while the other stations dropped their sportscasts in 2009.
On January 5, 2011, NewsWatch 12 was the first station in the market to begin broadcasting its newscasts in 16:9
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
widescreen to conincide with its new look, which is similar to sister station KEZI
KEZI
KEZI is a digital broadcast television station operating in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It is the ABC affiliate for Eugene and produces more than 24 hours of newscasts a week...
in Eugene. The station is also the first in the market to broadcast commercials in high-def.
NewsWatch 12+ Nonstop News
On February 28, 2011, KDRV launched a new 24-hour news channel called NewsWatch 12+ Nonstop News, which includes recorded local 30-minute newscasts that repeat every half-hour as well as regular live NewsWatch 12 broadcasts. NewsWatch 12+ also aired six back-to-back episodes of Jack Hanna's Animal AdventuresJack Hanna's Animal Adventures
Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures is a reality television series about animals and their exciting adventures. This series is hosted by Jack Hanna, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium...
on Saturday afternoons only (to comply with the FCC's children's programming laws) since its inception, but now airs E/I programs such as Danger Rangers
Danger Rangers
Danger Rangers is a television program that airs on PBS. It features six animal heroes who teach children about safety through example. It aired on CBS as part of the Cookie Jar TV block on September 17, 2011.-Voice Talent:*Jerry Houser as Sully...
, Exploration with Richard Wiese and others (as of September 3, 2011).
On September 2, 2011, NewsWatch 12+ began airing local high school football games live at 7:00pm in what is known as the "Friday Night Blitz Game of the Week" (named after its Friday night football highlight show during NewsWatch 12 at 11:00).
It is shown on the digital channel 12.2 tier over-the-air (with coverter box and antenna) in standard definition format as well as on Charter Cable channel 291.
Newscast titles
- NewsWatch 12 (1984-present)
- NewsWatch 12+ Nonstop News (digital 12.2) (2011-present)
Current on-air staff
Current Anchors- Ron Brown - weekday mornings "NewsWatch 12 This Morning"; also reporter
- Kaylin Krashesky - weekday mornings "NewsWatch 12 This Morning"; also reporter
- Ashley Hall - weeknights at 5, 6, 6:30 and 11 p.m.
- Brian Morton - weeknights at 5, 6 and 6:30 p.m.
- Danielle Craig - weeknights at 11 p.m.
- Erin Maxson - weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.; also weekday reporter
StormWatch 12 Weather Team
- Milt Radford (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6, and 11 p.m. - Scott Lewis (AMS and NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
Seals of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. - Kristin Ketchell - meteorologist; weekday mornings "NewsWatch 12 This Morning"
Sports Team
- Chris Leone - sports director; weekdays at 6:30 and 11 p.m.
- Chris Breece - sports anchor; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m., also sports reporter
Reporters
- Steven Sandberg - general assignment reporter, former weekend anchor
- Bryan Navarro - general assignment reporter
- Yessenia Anderson - general assignment reporter
- Sharon Ko - general assignment reporter
Notable former on-air staff
- Sam Adams - sports anchor
- Walt MaciborskiWalt MaciborskiWalt Maciborski is a television news anchor. He currently anchors the weekday 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM newscasts at KDAF. Previously, Walt worked as an anchor at WFTS-TV beginning in October 2005. Walt also was an assistant producer at ABC News in Los Angeles, London, and Washington D.C...
- news anchor - Andrea Pettes (Carlson) - news reporter and anchor (2004-2010; now with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.)
- Jennifer Seeker - news anchor (2003-2009)
- Jade Tzeng - morning news anchor
- Melanie Wingo - news anchor (1997-2002)
Dancing With The Rogue Valley Stars
Since 2009, NewsWatch 12 aired a one-hour televised special called Dancing With The Rogue Valley Stars, which raises money for local charities and is sponsored by USA Dance Southern Oregon and Southern Oregon Sparrow Clubs in association with KDRV. Patterned after ABC's highly rated and successful Dancing With The StarsDancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
, the competition featured popular local personalities and officials dancing various styles of dance. In 2010, KDRV's own Ashley Hall participated in the event dancing the salsa. In 2011, KDRV's Kaylin Krashesky and Kristin Ketchell participated with Kaylin dancing the west coast swing and Kristin dancing the samba. (Krashesky placed 3rd in people's and judges' voting.)
Digital television
The station's digital channel is multiplexed:High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
All full-powered Medford stations transitioned to digital-only service on February 17, 2009.
KDRV & KDKF shut down
DTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...
their analog signals on February 17, 2009, KDRV returned to channel 12 , while KDKF's digital service remained on its current pre-transition channel number, 29 using PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
to display KDKF's virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
as 31.
Translators
KDRV is rebroadcast on the following translator stations:- K02IQ Channel 2 Squaw Valley
- K04NU Channel 4 Seiad Valley, CaliforniaSeiad Valley, CaliforniaSeiad Valley is a small unincorporated town in Siskiyou County, California situated 15 miles south of the Oregon border. A population of approximately 300 people is clustered around the Klamath River, State Route 96 and spread out along the surrounding creeks...
- K09PI Channel 9 Happy Camp, CaliforniaHappy Camp, CaliforniaHappy Camp is a census-designated place in Siskiyou County, California in the United States. The population was 1,190 at the 2010 census....
- K14GT Channel 14 Port OrfordPort Orford, OregonPort Orford is a city in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It is on the southern Oregon Coast, at the northern end of what coastal Oregonians call the Banana Belt, because the weather from Port Orford south is noticeably warmer than the weather north of nearby Cape Blanco...
- K15BP-D Channel 15 Grants PassGrants Pass, Oregon-Rogue River:The Rogue River runs through Grants Pass.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,003 people, 9,376 households, and 5,925 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 9,885 housing units at an average density of 1,303.3 per square mile . By 2008,...
Digital - K17BA-D Channel 17 Yreka, CaliforniaYreka, CaliforniaYreka is the county seat of Siskiyou County, California, United States. The population was 7,765 at the 2010 census, up from 7,290 at the 2000 census.- History:...
Digital - K20BI Channel 20 Nesika BeachNesika Beach, OregonNesika Beach is an unincorporated community in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It is located seven miles north of Gold Beach on the Oregon Coast...
- K21BG-D Channel 21 JacksonvilleJacksonville, OregonJacksonville is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, a few miles west of Medford. It was named for Jackson Creek, which runs through the community and was the site of one of the first placer gold claims in the area. It includes Jacksonville Historic District which was designated a U.S....
Digital - K36HM-D Channel 36 Fort Dick, CaliforniaFort Dick, California]Fort Dick is a small community in rural Del Norte County, California. Fort Dick is around five miles north of Crescent City, California, and around south of the California–Oregon state line. It is located on the U.S. Route 101 corridor on the Redwood Coast...
Digital - K43BJ Channel 43 RuchRuch, OregonRuch is an unincorporated community in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It is located on Oregon Route 238, southeast of Grants Pass.Ruch was named for Casper M. Ruch, who bought a tract of land where the community now stands in 1896. He built a blacksmith shop, a store and a house...
- K46CH Channel 46 Gold HillGold Hill, OregonGold Hill is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, in the United States. As of July 1, 2009, the population was 1,080 people.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
- K51BV-D Channel 51 Cave JunctionCave Junction, OregonCave Junction, incorporated in 1948, is a city in Josephine County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,883. Its motto is the "Gateway to the Oregon Caves," and the city got its name by virtue of its location at the junction of Redwood Highway and Caves Highway...
Digital - K68BB Channel 68 Gold BeachGold Beach, OregonGold Beach is a city in and the county seat of Curry County, Oregon, United States, on the Oregon Coast. The population was 1,897 at the 2000 census.-History:...
KDKF is rebroadcast on the following translator station:
- K52AS Channel 52 AltamontAltamont, OregonAltamont is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Klamath County, Oregon, United States southeast of Klamath Falls. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 19,257...
(City Grade Signal) (CP: Move to Ch. 21)