History

Channel 10 is San Diego’s second oldest television station, signing on the air September 13, 1953 as KFSD- TV, an NBC affiliate. In 1972, the McGraw-Hill Publishing Company purchased Channel 10 and changed its call letters to the present KGTV. In the 1990s, KGTV partnered with Cox and Time-Warner cable systems to launch an additional local channel to deliver news to the community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Viewers were able to access 10News at their convenience, at any hour of the day.

As the Hispanic population grew in San Diego and the appeal for Spanish programming increased, KGTV continued its tradition of advocacy to this community by partnering with Azteca America in 2006. Azteca America is one of the major networks in Mexico and delivers favorite programs to San Diego’s Spanish speaking viewers.

And to continue its 24/7 local news service, 10News channel moved to a digital tier on Cox Cable and digital 210 on Time Warner.

Year	Call Letters	Network Affiliation	Owner
1953	KFSD	NBC	Fox, Wells & Rogers
1961	KOGO	NBC	Time Life Magazine Company
1972	KGTV	NBC	McGraw-Hill Companies
1977	KGTV	ABC	McGraw-Hill Companies
2006	KGTV	ABC & Azteca America	McGraw-Hill Companies

KGTV as an Innovator

KGTV has been a pioneer in San Diego’s and the nation’s broadcasting history. Some innovations included being the first station in the local market to:
•  have a full hour of newscast.
•  use a helicopter.
•  implement 24/7 News Channel (Cable 15) for customer convenience.
•  host a Toy Drive project that has been gathering thousands of toys to benefit underprivileged children on Christmas for more than 30 years.
•  first in the country to have a female anchor team for the evening news.
•  host a local town-hall meeting with President Clinton in 1993.

Famous KGTV alumni include Regis Philbin who hosted his first talk show at this station in the 1960s.