KPSP-CD
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| Cathedral City/Palm Springs, California United States |
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|---|---|
| Branding | CBS Local 2 (general) CBS Local 2 News |
| Slogan | The News Team That Stands For You |
| Channels | Digital: 38 and KESQ-DT 42.2 (UHF) Virtual: 38.1 and 42.2 (PSIP) |
| Affiliations | CBS |
| Owner | News-Press & Gazette Company (Gulf-California Broadcast Company) |
| Founded | September 2, 2002 |
| Call letters' meaning | Palm Springs Production |
| Sister station(s) | KESQ-TV, KDFX-CD/DC, KCWQ-LP/LD, KUNA-LP/LD, KUNA-FM, KESQ |
| Former callsigns | K58FJ (1996–1997) KVCC-LP (1997–1998) KDPX-LP (1998–1999) KPSP-LP (1999–2011) KPSP-LD |
| Former channel number(s) | 58, 38 (UHF analog) |
| Transmitter power | 42 kW |
| Height | 227 m |
| Facility ID | 25577 |
| Website | kesq.com/cbs |
KPSP-CD is the Class A CBS-affiliated television station for southern region of the U.S. state of California's Coachella Valley licensed to Cathedral City. It broadcasts a high definition signal on UHF channel 38 and a standard definition digital signal on UHF channel 42.2 from a transmitter on Edom Hill in Cathedral City. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 2. Owned by the News-Press & Gazette Company, it is sister to ABC affiliate KESQ-TV, Class A Fox affiliate KDFX-CD, low-powered CW affiliate KCWQ-LP/LD, and low-powered Telemundo affiliate KUNA-LP/LD.
All five outlets share the same studios at Melanie Place in Palm Desert. Syndicated programming on KPSP includes Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, The Dr. Oz Show and Dr. Phil among others. Along with other major Coachella Valley television stations, the station identifies itself on-air using its cable designation (CBS Local 2) rather than its over-the-air channel position. The unusual practice stems in part from the area's exceptionally high cable penetration rate of 80.5% which is one of the highest in the United States.
Contents
History
The station launched September 2, 2002 and aired an analog signal on UHF channel 38. Prior to its sign-on as the Coachella Valley's first ever CBS affiliate, programming from the network came into the market via cable or antenna (in some areas) through Los Angeles' KCBS-TV. When KPSP went on-the-air, area cable companies displaced KCBS at that outlet's request. KPSP adopted the "CBS 2" moniker following the practice of major local competitors in using its cable designation for branding purposes.
On April 1, 2008, it switched from branding itself "CBS 2" to "KPSP Local 2" although the "CBS 2" logo was retained for several months afterwards. On January 31, 2012, KPSP was sold by Desert Television the News-Press & Gazette Company becoming a sister station to KESQ. It moved from its own studios on Dunham Way in Thousand Palms to KESQ's facility in Palm Desert. KPSP's transmitter on 38.1, went silent at midnight on March 1, 2012; the station's license was not initially included in the deal. CBS programming is now broadcast on 42.2 on the KESQ-DT digital tier and the lineup has not changed.[1] In January 2013, News Press & Gazette acquired the KPSP-CD license, as well as KYAV-LD, from Desert Television.[2] The Class A channel 38 digital transmitter was turned back on on February 7, allowing CBS programming to be shown over the air in 1080i high definition for the first time in nearly a year. NPG's acquisition of the Desert Television assets was completed on April 26.
News operation
At one point while operating as a separate entity, KPSP aired its early weeknight newscast from 5:00-6:30 advertising the slot as a single 90-minute newscast. The CBS Evening News would therefore be seen in the regular time period at 6:30. The station would eventually move the CBS Evening News to 5:30 p.m.
After KPSP was acquired by KESQ, this station had its operations merged into that outlet's facility. Local news offerings on both outlets were adjusted as a result. Currently, KESQ offers the most broadcasts while KPSP still airs separate news programs on weekday mornings as well as weeknights at 5:30 and 6:30. These productions originate from a secondary set at the Melanie Place studios. Along with shared video coverage, reporters from KESQ can be seen on KPSP and vice versa.
FOX affiliate KDFX-CD airs a nightly half-hour prime time broadcast at 10:00 produced by KPSP featuring the CBS outlet's branding and anchors. The program competed with now defunct low-powered MyNetworkTV KPSG-LP, which had local news seen for thirty minutes at the same time produced by rival NBC affiliate KMIR-TV. KPSP is a media partner of The Desert Sun. All news anchors also serve as reporters.
Notable former staff
- Adrianna Costa (has since worked as Entertainment Reporter for Good Day LA, E! Network, CNN, TV Guide Network, Access Hollywood and Extra.)
- Rich Fields (announcer of The Price is Right on CBS and now at KCBS-TV / KCAL-TV, Los Angeles)
See also
- Channel 2 branded TV stations in the United States
- Channel 38 digital TV stations in the United States
- Channel 38 low-power TV stations in the United States
- Channel 38 virtual TV stations in the United States
References
- ↑ http://www.kesq.com/cbs/30578368/detail.html
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
