KEZI
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Eugene, Oregon United States |
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| Branding | KEZI 9 (general) KEZI 9 News (newscasts) |
| Slogan | Live, Local, Late Breaking |
| Channels |
Digital: 9 (VHF) Virtual: 9 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | 9.1 ABC 9.2 MeTV |
| Translators | K27CL-D Coos Bay/North Bend K46KS-D Roseburg (for others see article) |
| Owner |
Heartland Media (Oregon TV License Company LLC) |
| First air date | December 19, 1960 |
| Call letters' meaning |
E-Z on the I (Former slogan, pronounced as "Easy on the eye") |
| Sister station(s) |
KDRV / KDKF KHSL-TV KNVN |
| Former callsigns | KEZI-TV (1960–1986) |
| Former channel number(s) |
Analog: 9 (VHF, 1960–2009) Digital: 44 (UHF, 2000–2009) |
| Former affiliations |
Secondary: CBS (1960–1982)[1] |
| Transmitter power | 43.9 kW |
| Height | 533.3 metres (1,750 feet) |
| Facility ID | 34406 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 44°6′56.5″N 122°59′56.7″W / 44.115694°N 122.999083°W |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Public license information: |
Profile CDBS |
| Website | www |
KEZI, channel 9, is an ABC-affiliated television station located in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Owned by Heartland Media, KEZI produces more than 24 hours of newscasts a week.
In 1959, a group of Eugene investors formed Liberty Communications and were granted a license for Eugene's second television station. These investors included former Chevrolet dealer Julio Silva and his daughter, Carolyn S. Chambers. KEZI went on the air for the first time at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, December 19, 1960. Studios and offices were located at 2225 Coburg Road in north Eugene, and the transmitter was located atop the Coburg Hills northeast of the city. In its inaugural broadcast, KEZI boasted that it was Eugene's first full-power television station. Broadcasting at a powerful 316 kW, KEZI reached 146,000 viewers at its inception.
Logically, the station should have taken the CBS affiliation from primary NBC affiliate KVAL-TV. However, for reasons that remain unknown, KEZI opted to take on a primary ABC affiliation, sharing CBS with KVAL. This was somewhat unusual for a two-station market, especially one of Eugene's size; ABC would be nowhere on the level of CBS and NBC until the 1970s. In most two-station markets at the time, ABC was relegated to secondary status. Eugene-area viewers weren't able to view the full CBS lineup until the mid-1950s, when cable arrived in the market and cable operators piped in Portland's KOIN-TV. KEZI did carry some CBS programming, including the NFL regular-season games (between 1965 and the mid-1970s). In October 1982, when KMTR signed on to take the NBC affiliation, KVAL became a full-time CBS affiliate, leaving KEZI with ABC.
In its first 24 years, Liberty grew exponentially, becoming one of the nation's largest cable system operators. In 1983, Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI) purchased Liberty's cable and television assets for $186 million.
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