KMOO

KMOO
Location	Big Surf Island, CA
Branding	KMOO 4 (primary) KMOO 4 ABC (secondary) KMOO 4 News (newscasts)
Slogan	Working 4 You
Channel(s)	Digital:38(UHF) Virtual:4(PSIP)
subchannel(s)	4.1-ABC4 KMOO 4.2-LAFF 4.3-Grit TV
Affiliation	ABC
First air date	August 8, 1953
Former call letters	none
Former channel number	Analog:4(1953-2009) Digital:4(1999-2009)
Former Affiliation	NBC(1953-1959)
Call letters meaning	Derived from sister station KMOO radio

KMOO is the ABC affiliate that serves the Big Surf Island, CA area. It broadcasts on channel 4. From the station's inception (66 years ago) until August 2013, KMOO-TV was owned by the now-defunct Fisher Communications.

History

Beginnings (1953-1984)

KMOO-TV began operating on August 8, 1953 as an NBC affiliate, owing to KMOO radio's longtime relationship with the NBC Radio Network. It's the oldest television station in the Big Surf Island-South East California area. KMOO also has an almost forgotten distinction as being the first station to broadcast a television signal. Whereas crosstown rival KBSR (channel 2) was the first to air (quote, unquote) wide audience television in 

KMOO 4 News Screencap from 2016

1954. KMOO had actually broadcasted a TV signal, 20 years prior to the station's launch (87 years today). In August 1959 however, NBC signed affiliation deals with rival station KBSR (which would lose their affiliation in 1968), in Big Surf, channel 4 shared both ABC and NBC programming with KBSR until September 17, 1959, when KBSR took the NBC affiliation full-time. At that point, KMOO-TV became a primary ABC affiliate.

During the 1960s, local TV personality of KMOO 4 became well known in the Big Surf-South East California market for 2 programs seen on Channel 4, KMOO-TV, were one of the only 2 ABC stations in the United States which aired Monday Night Football on an hour delay, from 1970-1975, in order to accomodate early evening newscasts on both stations. When the Big Surf Sonics joined the NFL in 1976, the stations modified this arrangement in order to broadcast the Big Surf Sonics games live. In 1996, after years of fan protests, KMOO-TV and another Fisher owned ABC station, began clearing the entire Monday Night Football schedule live regardless of the teams that we're playing each week. A decade later, the program moved to ESPN

1984-Present

In 1984, KMOO became the first TV station to broadcast daily programing in full stereo sound. 

In 1994, KMOO applied for the first test license for broadcasting new high-definition signals, in 1997. on May 5, 1999, KMOO became one of the first television stations in the United States to broadcast its daily newscasts in HDTV, as KNTT was the first television in the nation to broadcast its daily news programs in HD, 2 years earlier, on March 18, 1997. On June 1, 2000, KMOO aired it's last newscast (11AM) at the old historic KMOO News 4 studio, on the same day, KMOO broadcasted their newscasts in Keys Plaza (which isn't too far from the historic KMOO News 4 studio). On June 11, 2009, a large electrical fire that started in the electrical vault at the Keys Plaza

News open used from 1997-2000

complex at 11:59 P.M. that evening knocked KMOO's analog signal off the air after the 11 P.M. newscast, the analog signal would never be rebuilt, as it was going to be shut off anyway (It was almost June 12, 2009) The digital and cable signals were unaffected as the transmitters were powered separately, for 5 days, they decided to do their newscasts at the Historical KMOO News 4 studio (making it the first time, since 2000, that newscasts were done there) even if the last time it was renovated, was in 1998, and the last time it was changed cosmetically was in 2000. On April 10, 2013, Sinclair Broadcast Group

News open used from 2010-November 2020

announced that it would acquire Fisher Communications for $373.3 million. However, the deal was subjected to financial scrutiny; the law firm Levi & Korsinsky notified Fisher shareholders with accusations that Fisher's board of directors were breaching fiduciary duties by "failing to adequately shop the Company before agreeing to enter into the transaction", and Sinclair was underpaying for Fisher's stock. Shortly after the announcement, a lawsuit was filed by a Fisher shareholder. On August 6, the shareholders voted to approve the sale, after they approved that the shareholders would get $41 per share. The Federal Communications Commission granted approval of the deal on August 6, and the sale was consummated on August 8. On September 30, 2015, KMOO's studio was reorganized. On January 17, 2017, the station's entire studio set was renovated, gone, was most of the physical set and the painting that showed the operations office at Keys Plaza, instead replaced by green screens for the most part and multiple Television screens. On November 10, 2020, KMOO would transition to Sinclair's current graphics, after 10 years of utilizing Fisher-era graphics.

Newscast titles

• KMOO 4 News (1970-1987 and 1998–Present)
• KMOO News 4 (1987-1998)

News themes

• KMOO 1970 News theme (1970-1982)
• KOMO 1983 News theme - Dan Dean Productions (1982-1984)
• KMOO 1984 News Theme (1984-1987)
• KOMO 1987 News theme - Dan Dean Productions (1987-1993)
• KOMO 1993 News theme - Dan Dean Productions (1993-1998. Later used exclusively for Morning & Noon News Closes until 2000)
• ABC News Affiliate Music Package, Main theme - Score Productions (1998-2003)
• ABC News Affiliate Music Package, alternate theme - Score Productions (2003-2006)
• Battery, V.1 main theme - 615 Music (2006-2020)
• Battery, V.1 late theme - 615 Music (2006-2020)
• Battery, V.4 - 615 Music (2006-2018)
• Sinclair: Curves and Glass - Warner Chappell Production Music (2018–Present)

Announcers

• Unknown Announcer (1970-1987)
• Ernie Anderson (1987-1997)
• Charlie Van Dyke (1997-1998)
• Al Vanik (1998–present)

Voiceover History

• From Big Surf, the Southeast lands and the world, KMOO 4 News (1982-1984)
• Live from Big Surf, KMOO 4 News Nightcast (1982-1984)
• You're watching KMOO-TV 4, in Big Surf...... Live from big surf, this is KMOO 4 News (1984-1987)
• You're watching KMOO-TV 4, in Big Surf. Live from Big Surf, this is KMOO News 4 (1987-1993)
• You're watching KMOO-TV 4, in Big Surf. Good morning, Live from Big Surf, this is KMOO News 4 (1993-1997)
• You're watching KMOO-TV 4, in Big Surf. Now, live at (11AM, 4 O'clock, 5 O'clock , 6:30, 11 O'clock), KMOO News 4 (1993-1997)
• You're watching, KMOO-TV 4, in Big Surf. Now, KMOO News 4 (1993-1997)
• Now, KMOO News 4, at (11AM, 4 O'clock, 5 O'clock , 6:30, 11 O'clock) (1997-1998)
• Good morning, this is KMOO 4 News (1997-2000)
• First for Local news. KMOO 4 News at (11AM, 4 O'clock, 5 O'clock , 6:30, 11 O'clock) (1998-1999)
• First in Big Surf Island to broadcast in digital High Definition Television, KMOO 4 News, first for local news (1999-2000)
• Now the team that brings you more local news, live from Keys Plaza, KMOO 4 News, first for local news. (2000-2003 and 2005-2006)
• Now, live from the KMOO 4 Newsroom, this is First news at 4. (2003-2006)
• Now, first for local news, KMOO 4 News (2003-2005)
• Working 4 You, KMOO 4 News starts right now. (2006–present)

Digital Television

The station's digital channel is multiplexed

Channel	Video	Aspect	Short Name	Program
4.1	1080p	16:9	KMOO	Main KMOO programming / ABC
4.2	720p	16:9	KMOO-2	LAFF
4.3	480i	16:9	Grit TV	Grit

KMOO-TV's analog signal was already destroyed on June 11, 2009, and as such, only moved its Digital signal to channel 38, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television. The station's digital signal changed to its post-transition UHF channel 38, using PSIP to display KMOO-TV's virtual channel as 4 on digital TV recivers. In 2009, KMOO-TV became one of 4 TV stations in the nation to be the first to launch mobile DTV signals.

Gallery

KMOO's former logo (1987-1997)

Logo used from 1997-2000

KMOO's logo (2000-2006)

News open used from 2000-2003

News open used from 2003-2006

First News At 4 open (2006-2010)

News open used from 2006-2010

News Open as of Nov 2020

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