KIRO-TV, the CBS affiliate serving Seattle and Tacoma, has been a fixture in Pacific Northwest broadcasting since its launch as the market’s final VHF station in 1958.
KIRO-TV’s roots trace to KIRO radio (710 AM, launched 1927 as KPCB), a CBS Radio affiliate owned by Saul Haas since 1935.
April 1955: Queen City Broadcasting (KIRO radio owners) wins the construction permit.
February 8, 1958: KIRO-TV signs on from studios on Queen Anne Avenue, adjacent to its transmitter. The inaugural broadcast features the explosion of Ripple Rock, a navigational hazard in British Columbia’s Seymour Narrows, followed by the debut of J.P. Patches, a beloved children’s show starring Chris Wedes as the clown Julius Pierpont Patches (running until 1981).
In 1958, KIRO 7 secured CBS affiliation from KTNT-TV (channel 11, now KSTW) in Tacoma, prompting an antitrust lawsuit from the Tacoma News Tribune. KIRO-TV shares the affiliation from May 1960 to September 1962 per a settlement, then becomes exclusive.
Deseret News Publishing (LDS Church arm) acquired majority control, renaming the subsidiary Bonneville International in 1964. Haas joins the board; executives Lloyd Cooney and Kenneth L. Hatch lead operations (Hatch as CEO until 1995).
1968: KIRO moves to “Broadcast House” in Seattle’s Belltown (current studios at Third Avenue and Broad Street).
1969: Adopts Eyewitness News format, hiring women like Sandy Hill (future Good Morning America co-host), Ann Martin, and Mikki Flowers. Anchors John Marler and Gary Justice, meteorologist Harry Wappler, and sportscaster Ron Forsell drive ratings dominance over KING-TV.
1970s–1980s: Expands news with op-eds (e.g., by Cooney and Hatch) and Point Counterpoint (1986, featuring conservative John Carlson and liberal Walt Crowley). Preempts CBS’s Captain Kangaroo for J.P. Patches. Covers major events like the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption.
Sports Coverage: Airs Seattle SuperSonics NBA games (1973–1990, including 1979 Finals), Mariners MLB (1986–1988, 1992, 1995–2000), Seahawks pre-season (1976–1980), and Tacoma Stars MISL (1986–1988). Broadcasts Seafair hydroplane races and fireworks until 2017.
Technological Advances: Rents a news helicopter in 1979 (buys Bell 206 in 1980, “Chopper 7”); adds a second in 1984 and Learjet 24 “Newsjet” for remote coverage—one of the first U.S. stations to do so.
1987–1995: Runs a 60-minute noon newscast, preempting The Bold and the Beautiful (drawing protests from creator William J. Bell); expands morning news to 4:30 a.m. (1990, later 5:30 a.m.).
1990s Early: Produces 10 p.m. news for KTZZ (now KZJO); simulcasts KIRO radio mornings (dropped 1993). Faces competition from Bellingham’s KVOS-TV (CBS affiliate until 1987).
Under Bonneville, KIRO-TV’s board featured notables like Mary Maxwell (Bill Gates’ mother), Pay ‘n Save’s M. Lamont Bean, and future LDS president Gordon B. Hinckley.
1994: Sold to A.H. Belo Corporation for $160 million (KIRO radio retained by Bonneville). Amid CBS realignment, loses affiliation to KSTW channel 11/Tacoma (Gaylord Broadcasting).
January–March 1995: Joins UPN as secondary affiliate; becomes primary in March. Airs UPN on weekends/afternoons, preempts CBS for Star Trek: Voyager. Expands local news to 40 hours weekly.
1996: Belo acquires Providence Journal (KING-TV owner); FCC duopoly rules force KIRO sale.
February 20, 1997: Traded to Paramount Stations Group (Viacom/UPN co-owner) for KMOV (St. Louis); Paramount swaps with Cox Enterprises for KSTW 11.
June 30, 1997: Regains CBS affiliation, retaining some syndicated shows.
1997: Revives Eyewitness News under Cox, emphasizing investigative reporting. News director John Lippman (1979–1992) had grown staff from 45 to 100.
2003–2005: Produces news for KSTW (canceled; KSTW relaunches news in 2022 from KPIX/San Francisco sister station).
2019: Apollo Global Management acquires Cox Media Group for $4.6 billion (December 17); retains Cox name.
Apollo Global Management is exploring a potential $4 BILLION sale of Cox Media Group as it prepares to exit the broadcast television and radio sector. KIRO tv has layed off a substantial number of employees, the sports director and other cuts in the news department. At the time of this post, the station scrambles to fill vacation and sick days, placing news and weather anchors into sports and street reporting duties temporarily.
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KXA and KVI competed for the channel 7 license won by KIRO in 1957. Years later, the two stations continued petitioning the FCC against Saul Haas and KIRO–
February 2, 1959/Haas again target in KIRO -TV argument — Circumstances of Saul Haas’ assumption of control of KIRO Seattle in 1934 and his part- ownership in 1920’s of Seattle newspaper alleged to have criticized “U.S. imperialism” and praised “communist line” were main subjects of contention in FCC oral argument Friday on Seattle ch. 7 case. FCC made grant to KIRO -TV in 1957.
KXA and KVI Seattle, other two contestants, charged Mr. Haas “peddled political influence” in 1934 to obtain stock in KIRO at fraction of its value and used influence in Washington to obtain better facilities for station and, KVI said, Mr. Haas’ association with Seattle Union Record in 1920’s was enough to disqualify him as ch. 7 contestant for disloyalty.
KIRO held that Mr. Haas did not use influence and disagreed with examiner’s finding that Mr. Haas showed lack of candor and “conveniently” poor memory in testifying on events leading to his acquisition of control of KIRO.
KIRO emphasized that Treasury Dept. investigation in 1936 -37 “exculpated” Mr. Haas of “influence- peddling.” FCC’s Broadcast Bureau supported KIRO’s denial that Mr. Haas did anything wrong and said that while Charles M. Thomsen and Ray DeChenne, from whom Mr. Haas bought KIRO in 1934, might have thought he used influence to obtain better facilities, this was not proved.
