SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Wednesday is a special day for KGTV as the station marks its 70th anniversary.
On September 13, 1953, KGTV went on the air for the very first time.
The station was launched by Airfan Radio Corporation, which also owned NBC Radio Network affiliate KFSD, now known as KOGO.
Channel 10 produced everything from newscasts to talk and variety programs.
One of those was hosted by a young man named Regis Philbin. In 1961 -- he started a four- year- run on the "Regis Philbin Show."
That same year, we changed the call letters of the TV and AM radio station to KOGO. Then in 1962 the stations were sold to Timelife.
A decade later, we were purchased by Mcgraw Hill, yes the same Mcgraw hill that published many of your text books as a kid. That same year, the radio stations were sold off and KOGO-TV became KGTV.
Despite having more than a year remaining in its current agreement with NBC, KGTV announced it was joining ABC in June 1977.
TV technology was also booming. In 1986, we said goodbye to typewriters and installed San Diego TV's first electronic newsroom system.
In 1993, we got even more high tech with the debut of robotic studio cameras. Then in 1996 -- the launch of NewsChannel 15 provided San Diegans with local news around the clock.
The mid 90's also saw the creation of kgtv.com. which later became 10news.com.
In the early 2000s we debuted digital correspondents, which are reporters and photojournalists who would shoot, write, edit and present their own stories. It's now known as Multi-media Journalists which have become the industry standard.
Our reach also extended into Spanish language broadcasting with the launch Aztec America San Diego in 2006.
KGTV became a member of the E.W. Scripps family in 2012. Joining the company's rich history of quality journalism which dates back more than a century.
That commitment to quality journalism remains our foundation today as we look forward to the next 70 years.
