Outlet profile

KATU

U.S. center (local news) under a right-leaning corporate owner

Owned bySinclair, Inc. (formerly Sinclair Broadcast Group), which bought it with Fisher Communications' other stations in 2013. It operates alongside Univision affiliate KUNP. KATU is the ABC affiliate in Portland, Oregon.

FundingMostly local and national TV advertising. It also earns retransmission-consent fees from cable and satellite providers and network affiliate arrangements with ABC.

On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

KATU signed on in 1962 and was long owned by the Fisher family's Fisher Broadcasting/Fisher Communications, which kept it as a locally rooted Pacific Northwest station. Sinclair Broadcast Group acquired Fisher's stations, including KATU, in April 2013. Sinclair later renamed itself Sinclair, Inc. and pairs KATU with Univision affiliate KUNP in Portland. Sinclair is known for corporate-directed content, such as 'must-run' commentary segments and a 2018 promo script that drew wide criticism. Its corporate politics are generally viewed as conservative, and it has often been at odds with Portland's left-leaning audience. In September 2025, Sinclair's decision to preempt 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' on ABC stations after the Kimmel suspension put Portland stations in the news. KATU's local newsroom covers Portland-area crime, homelessness, politics and weather, and it has not been widely labeled as strongly partisan. A fair characterization is local-focused, mainstream news with some corporate-level conservative influence. Note: this profile is based on limited sources available during research, and the most recent editorial record was not independently verified.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-11-01; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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