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| KCPQ | |
|---|---|
| Callsign | KCPQ |
| City | Seattle, Washington |
| Branding | Q13 Fox |
| Digital | 13 (VHF) |
| Virtual | 13 |
| Country | United States |
| Owner | Fox Television Stations (previously Tribune Broadcasting, Sinclair Broadcast Group) |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Airdate | December 31, 1953 |
| Affiliations | Fox (since 1986) |
| Former affiliations | ABC, DuMont, independent |
| Erp | 100 kW |
| Haat | 244 m |
KCPQ is a television station in Seattle, Washington, serving the Seattle–Tacoma market. The station operates on virtual and VHF digital channel 13 and is known on-air as Q13 Fox. It is part of a major broadcast network family with connections to national media conglomerates and serves a large Pacific Northwest audience with entertainment, syndicated programming, and local newscasts.
KCPQ began broadcasting in 1953 amid a competitive regional landscape that included stations like KING-TV, KIRO-TV, and KTNT-TV. In its early years the station navigated affiliation shifts similar to contemporaries such as WPIX and WGN-TV, aligning with networks and carrying programming from entities like DuMont Television Network and later American Broadcasting Company. Ownership changed hands multiple times, reflecting patterns seen in transactions involving New World Communications, Tribune Media, and Sinclair Broadcast Group. KCPQ became a Fox affiliate in the 1980s during the expansion of Fox Broadcasting Company, joining other major market affiliates such as WNYW and KTTV. Corporate consolidation and regulatory reviews that involved the Federal Communications Commission affected station ownership and local operations, paralleling deals involving Gannett, Nexstar Media Group, and CBS Corporation. Legal and market developments that impacted KCPQ also touched national players like Disney, Comcast, and Time Warner. The station’s history includes periods of investment in local journalism, technological upgrades comparable to transitions at WABC-TV and WCBS-TV, and affiliations with syndicated program distributors like Warner Bros. Television and 20th Television.
KCPQ’s schedule features network programming drawn from Fox Broadcasting Company including national entertainment and sports properties associated with National Football League, Major League Baseball, and other rights holders such as NFL Network and Fox Sports. The station carries syndicated shows from distributors like CBS Media Ventures, Debmar-Mercury, and Sony Pictures Television, mirroring lineups at stations such as WJW and WTXF-TV. KCPQ has aired regional sports telecasts similar to productions by Root Sports Northwest and has carried programming related to events like the Super Bowl and the World Series. Special broadcasts and community events have linked the station to local institutions including University of Washington athletic programs and regional cultural organizations.
KCPQ maintains a local news operation producing morning, evening, and late newscasts. Its newsroom structure and competitive positioning are comparable to operations at KOMO-TV, KING-TV, and KIRO-TV. Coverage has included political reporting on entities such as Washington (state) Legislature, regional responses to natural events like eruptions of Mount St. Helens and winter storms affecting the Puget Sound area, and investigative pieces examining topics involving institutions like Port of Seattle and Seattle Police Department. The station’s weather team routinely references forecasting services and collaborates with academic partners including University of Washington meteorology programs. Journalists and producers from KCPQ have been recognized in regional awards alongside peers honored by organizations such as the Associated Press and the Radio Television Digital News Association.
KCPQ transitioned from analog to digital broadcasting in line with the U.S. DTV transition overseen by the Federal Communications Commission. The station transmits on VHF channel 13 with facilities comparable to other market transmitters sited on regional towers near Tiger Mountain and Queen Anne Hill-area broadcast clusters. Technical upgrades have paralleled industry moves toward high-definition production, multimedia streaming, and multicast subchannels following standards from organizations like the Advanced Television Systems Committee and infrastructure vendors including ATSC proponents. The station’s transmission parameters and tower siting considerations reflect coordination with regional emergency systems such as Emergency Alert System and spectrum reallocations involving Federal Communications Commission auctions that affected broadcasters nationwide.
Ownership of the station has passed through multiple media companies reflecting consolidation trends involving Fox Television Stations, Tribune Media, and acquisition activity related to Sinclair Broadcast Group and other major conglomerates. Corporate governance and transactional activity affecting the station intersected with regulatory review by the Federal Communications Commission and business dealings involving investment firms and media companies such as News Corporation and 21st Century Fox. Strategic decisions about programming, format, and news staffing mirrored corporate policies observed at sister stations and comparable properties within national portfolios owned by entities like Meredith Corporation and Hearst Communications.
Several journalists, anchors, and meteorologists who worked at the station have moved on to national roles or other major markets, following career paths similar to alumni from WLS-TV, WJLA-TV, and WCVB-TV. Notable on-air personalities and reporters have included anchors who later affiliated with networks such as NBC News, ABC News, and CNN, and meteorologists who participated in conferences hosted by organizations like the American Meteorological Society.
Category:Television stations in Washington (state) Category:Fox network affiliates