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KCRA-TV
KCRA-TV (channel 3) is a television station in Sacramento, California, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Hearst Television alongside Stockton-licensed CW affiliate KQCA (channel 58). The two stations share studios on Television Circle off D Street in downtown Sacramento; KCRA-TV's transmitter is located in Walnut Grove, California.
KCRA-TV began broadcasting on September 3, 1955. An NBC affiliate from the first day on air, it was built by the Kelly and Hansen families, owners of KCRA radio, with the Kellys assuming sole control in 1962. The Kelly era was characterized by a very high level of investment into the news product in the areas of technology and personnel. The result of channeling this attention into the news department was an image as the leading news station and a dominant position in news ratings that has generally persisted throughout the station's history, making it one of NBC's leading affiliates. KCRA was first locally to use electronic news gathering and the first TV station in California to own its own news helicopter. Nationally, its Weeknight was the first local evening magazine program, predating other attempts such as Evening Magazine and PM Magazine, and it was the first station to institute local weekend morning newscasts. KCRA employees of this period included Joan Lunden, who spent 17 years as host of Good Morning America, and Maurice DuBois, since 2025 co-anchor of the CBS Evening News.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, KCRA also experimented with producing programming for national syndication; the most successful effort, the newsmagazine The West/In America, ran for three years. From 1991 to 1993, KCRA experimented with an early prime time schedule from 7 to 10 p.m., airing a 10 p.m. local newscast; when NBC forced the station to switch back to regular prime time, KCRA began producing the newscast for channel 58, which it then began programming.
Citing continued consolidation, Kelly Broadcasting concluded it could not become large enough to compete. It exited the business in 1999 and sold KCRA-TV to Hearst-Argyle Television. Under Hearst, KCRA has remained the news ratings leader in the Sacramento television market while expanding its news output to 67 hours a week across KCRA and KQCA.
On November 22, 1950, KCRA, Inc.—the owner of the KCRA radio stations at 1320 AM and 94.1 FM—filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a new television station in Sacramento, seeking to broadcast on channel 6. Channel 6 was reserved for non-commercial educational use when the FCC lifted its multi-year freeze on new TV stations in 1952, Of Sacramento's four radio stations at the time, three of them sought channel 3 after the freeze: KCRA, KROY and its owner Harmco Inc., and KXOA and its owner Sacramento Broadcasters. The latter company set up the first television studio in town to train its technicians. Harmco dropped out after selling KROY, leaving KCRA and KXOA in contention for the channel 3 permit, with hearings taking place in early 1953.
FCC examiner Thomas H. Donahue handed down his initial decision on June 7, 1954. He narrowly favored KCRA for channel 3 and found that, though both applicants had strong bids, "KCRA's showing of close and unbroken identity with the Sacramento community, plus its record of improvement of technical facilities, betokens an insurance of a stable, continuous and progressive service which Sacramento Broadcasters does not match and that this consideration outweighs Sacramento Broadcasters showing of superior management skill". The decision attracted an appeal from KXOA, which felt that Donahue's decision was too emotional, and the FCC's broadcast bureau, who found that Donahue considered criteria that were "unimportant or invalid". The matter came to the FCC's commissioners, who upheld the initial decision in a ruling giving KCRA the nod based on a slightly better past record of broadcasting.
To house KCRA radio and the new television station, KCRA president Ewing Kelly announced a new building at 10th and C streets in downtown Sacramento. The station obtained network affiliation with NBC. KCRA-TV began broadcasting on September 3, 1955, with a live program from the California State Fair. After a short period of reduced-power broadcasts, the station began full-power broadcasting on September 22 from the 573-foot (175 m) tower at the studios. In addition to network programs, KCRA-TV broadcast news; a local women's show, The Valley Playhouse; and Captain Sacto, a children's program hosted by Fred Wade. These programs originated from a studio that had previously been a warehouse for milk trucks. Within years, KCRA-TV was profitable. Bob Miller, the station's first art director, recalled talking to Ewing Kelly near the station's neon sign, which rendered the K, R, and A in red—but the C in green. Kelly admitted, "The green C stands for cash!" In 1962, KCRA joined with its two principal competitors—KXTV (channel 10) and KOVR (channel 13)—to erect a 1,549-foot (472 m) tower in Walnut Grove, designed to extend the stations' signal to distant areas.
In the beginning, KCRA, Inc. was owned by the Kelly and Hansen families, with backgrounds in advertising and the dairy industry, respectively. Ewing Kelly died in 1960, and his widow Nina and sons Robert and Jon formed the Kelly Broadcasting Company. Jon Kelly became KCRA-TV's general manager upon his father's death, and the Kelly family bought out the Hansens in 1962. Non-news local programming included the Seven Arts Theatre series of horror movies, hosted from 1966 to 1970 by Bob Wilkins, who later went on to host similar shows at Sacramento's KTXL and Oakland's KTVU.
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KCRA-TV
KCRA-TV (channel 3) is a television station in Sacramento, California, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Hearst Television alongside Stockton-licensed CW affiliate KQCA (channel 58). The two stations share studios on Television Circle off D Street in downtown Sacramento; KCRA-TV's transmitter is located in Walnut Grove, California.
KCRA-TV began broadcasting on September 3, 1955. An NBC affiliate from the first day on air, it was built by the Kelly and Hansen families, owners of KCRA radio, with the Kellys assuming sole control in 1962. The Kelly era was characterized by a very high level of investment into the news product in the areas of technology and personnel. The result of channeling this attention into the news department was an image as the leading news station and a dominant position in news ratings that has generally persisted throughout the station's history, making it one of NBC's leading affiliates. KCRA was first locally to use electronic news gathering and the first TV station in California to own its own news helicopter. Nationally, its Weeknight was the first local evening magazine program, predating other attempts such as Evening Magazine and PM Magazine, and it was the first station to institute local weekend morning newscasts. KCRA employees of this period included Joan Lunden, who spent 17 years as host of Good Morning America, and Maurice DuBois, since 2025 co-anchor of the CBS Evening News.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, KCRA also experimented with producing programming for national syndication; the most successful effort, the newsmagazine The West/In America, ran for three years. From 1991 to 1993, KCRA experimented with an early prime time schedule from 7 to 10 p.m., airing a 10 p.m. local newscast; when NBC forced the station to switch back to regular prime time, KCRA began producing the newscast for channel 58, which it then began programming.
Citing continued consolidation, Kelly Broadcasting concluded it could not become large enough to compete. It exited the business in 1999 and sold KCRA-TV to Hearst-Argyle Television. Under Hearst, KCRA has remained the news ratings leader in the Sacramento television market while expanding its news output to 67 hours a week across KCRA and KQCA.
On November 22, 1950, KCRA, Inc.—the owner of the KCRA radio stations at 1320 AM and 94.1 FM—filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a new television station in Sacramento, seeking to broadcast on channel 6. Channel 6 was reserved for non-commercial educational use when the FCC lifted its multi-year freeze on new TV stations in 1952, Of Sacramento's four radio stations at the time, three of them sought channel 3 after the freeze: KCRA, KROY and its owner Harmco Inc., and KXOA and its owner Sacramento Broadcasters. The latter company set up the first television studio in town to train its technicians. Harmco dropped out after selling KROY, leaving KCRA and KXOA in contention for the channel 3 permit, with hearings taking place in early 1953.
FCC examiner Thomas H. Donahue handed down his initial decision on June 7, 1954. He narrowly favored KCRA for channel 3 and found that, though both applicants had strong bids, "KCRA's showing of close and unbroken identity with the Sacramento community, plus its record of improvement of technical facilities, betokens an insurance of a stable, continuous and progressive service which Sacramento Broadcasters does not match and that this consideration outweighs Sacramento Broadcasters showing of superior management skill". The decision attracted an appeal from KXOA, which felt that Donahue's decision was too emotional, and the FCC's broadcast bureau, who found that Donahue considered criteria that were "unimportant or invalid". The matter came to the FCC's commissioners, who upheld the initial decision in a ruling giving KCRA the nod based on a slightly better past record of broadcasting.
To house KCRA radio and the new television station, KCRA president Ewing Kelly announced a new building at 10th and C streets in downtown Sacramento. The station obtained network affiliation with NBC. KCRA-TV began broadcasting on September 3, 1955, with a live program from the California State Fair. After a short period of reduced-power broadcasts, the station began full-power broadcasting on September 22 from the 573-foot (175 m) tower at the studios. In addition to network programs, KCRA-TV broadcast news; a local women's show, The Valley Playhouse; and Captain Sacto, a children's program hosted by Fred Wade. These programs originated from a studio that had previously been a warehouse for milk trucks. Within years, KCRA-TV was profitable. Bob Miller, the station's first art director, recalled talking to Ewing Kelly near the station's neon sign, which rendered the K, R, and A in red—but the C in green. Kelly admitted, "The green C stands for cash!" In 1962, KCRA joined with its two principal competitors—KXTV (channel 10) and KOVR (channel 13)—to erect a 1,549-foot (472 m) tower in Walnut Grove, designed to extend the stations' signal to distant areas.
In the beginning, KCRA, Inc. was owned by the Kelly and Hansen families, with backgrounds in advertising and the dairy industry, respectively. Ewing Kelly died in 1960, and his widow Nina and sons Robert and Jon formed the Kelly Broadcasting Company. Jon Kelly became KCRA-TV's general manager upon his father's death, and the Kelly family bought out the Hansens in 1962. Non-news local programming included the Seven Arts Theatre series of horror movies, hosted from 1966 to 1970 by Bob Wilkins, who later went on to host similar shows at Sacramento's KTXL and Oakland's KTVU.
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