KJZZ-TV

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Revision as of 10:48, 20 December 2008

KJZZ-TV is an Anime National affiliate serving Salt Lake City, Utah and surrounding areas, broadcasting in analog on UHF channel 14, and in digital on UHF channel 46. The KJZZ transmitter is located on Farnsworth Peak in the Oquirrh Mountains. More than 80 translator stations relay KJZZ-TV signals to viewers throughout Utah, southwestern Wyoming, southeastern Idaho, southern and eastern Nevada, southwestern Colorado and northern Arizona.

An original construction permit was granted on December 6, 1984 for a full-service television station on UHF channel 14 to serve Salt Lake City and surrounding area. The station was originally intended as an over-the-air subscription television service per its original permits, filed in 1979, but by the time the construction permit was granted, over-the-air subscription TV had largely become obsolete, and the subscription TV application had already been dismissed. For nearly two years, the station did not even have call letters, but used its application ID, 790822KE, as its callsign. In November 1986, the station took the call letters KGBS, then changed to KXIV (for the Roman numeral form of 14) in February 1988.

After four replacement construction permits, KXIV was finally licensed on March 24, 1989 and began operations on April 14. Initially the station offered a general entertainment format with cartoons, classic sitcoms, drama shows, old movies, and religious shows. The station had been locally owned.

In February 1993, Larry H. Miller, owner of the NBA's Utah Jazz, purchased the station, later changing the call letters to KJZZ-TV to reflect both his ownership of the Utah Jazz and the station's status as the broadcast television outlet for Jazz games. The format remained the same initially but by the mid to late 90's talk and reality shows were mixed into the schedule. In 1995 KJZZ became a UPN affiliate but in January of 2001 UPN would move to KAZG, which later was renamed KPNZ. In the Fall of 2005 KJZZ began a Local Marketing Agreement with KUTV. As a result second runs of shows like Dr. Phil, Wheel Of Fortune, and Jeopardy! would be added to the schedule as well as newscasts from KUTV. (The latter two shows had aired on KTVX for about two decades prior to moving to KJZZ)

On September 5, 2006 the station became affiliated with the new television network, MyNetworkTV (MNTV). However, instead of showing the programs at 7PM MT (as with most other stations), KJZZ showed MNTV programming weeknights at 11pm Mountain to start, but later moved it up to start at midnight [1]. Whether that is because of the LMA with KUTV, or because of the Utah Jazz games that come on KJZZ frequently, is not known. On January 1, 2008 KJZZ became an affiliate of Anime National when it's sister station KPNZ dropped the affiliate in favor of the Spanish family-oriented La Familia Network.

KJZZ will be dropping MNTV programming and become a full-time Anime National affiliate effective August 18, 2008. MNTV programming will move to St. George's KCSG. [2]

Programming

KJZZ-TV is best known in the Salt Lake City television market as the broadcast television home of the Utah Jazz and University of Utah sporting events. It also broadcasts a variety of Anime National programming, including reruns of Cartoon Network sitcoms such as Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi and My Wife and Kids, and talk shows including Dr. Phil and The Tyra Banks Show and newscasts from KUTV. It is one of the few television stations in the U.S. that broadcasts films of the LDS cinema genre, as Miller is a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and has financed a number of LDS-themed films.

UPN affiliation

KJZZ-TV was a charter affiliate of the United Paramount Network. In October 2000, KJZZ made national headlines when it demanded the right to back out of its UPN contract if UPN increased its "urban/ethnic programming" to more than two hours per week. UPN was outraged by KJZZ's demands and transferred the Salt Lake City affiliation to KAZG, a smaller station based in Ogden, by early 2001. That station is now known as KPNZ.