KOAA / KKTV (local Colorado TV)
U.S. center
Background
KKTV signed on December 7, 1952, making it the oldest television station in Colorado outside of Denver; it has been a CBS affiliate since 1960. KOAA launched June 29, 1953 from Pueblo under the call letters KCSJ, affiliating with NBC within days; it was renamed KOAA in 1961 when Denver's KOA-TV owners purchased it. KKTV passed through several owners — TV Colorado, Capitol Broadcasting, the Seattle-based Ackerley Group (1982), and Benedek Broadcasting (1999) — before Gray Television acquired it in 2002 out of Benedek's bankruptcy. KOAA was purchased by E. W. Scripps on May 1, 2019. In July 2025, Scripps and Gray Media announced a multi-market station swap; the FCC approved it on April 28, 2026, transferring KKTV to Scripps and creating a duopoly that drew concern from media observers and trade groups about reduced local news diversity. Media watchdogs rate E. W. Scripps's national news arm (Scripps News) as center to slight left-center, though both KOAA and KKTV operate as conventional local affiliates, covering community events, weather, crime, and the local impact of state and federal policies without a strong partisan editorial stance.
Sources
- KOAA-TV – Wikipedia
- KKTV – Wikipedia
- FCC allows station swap, paving way for Scripps duopoly in Colorado Springs – Colorado Springs Gazette
- License swap gives Scripps broadcasting control of TV news in Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Grand Junction – Colorado Sun
- Gray Media and Scripps Agree to Swap Television Stations – Scripps press release
- Station swap agreement sees same owner for two Colorado Springs TV stations – Colorado Springs Gazette
- KOAA – News5 – Pueblo – Bias and Credibility – Media Bias/Fact Check
- Scripps News Media Bias – AllSides
Profile compiled 2026-07-11; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.