KOVR, channel 13, is a CBS affiliate in Stockton, California, although it also covers the Sacramento area and most of the San Joaquin Valley. Its transmitter is located in Walnut Grove, California.
KOVR first hit the airwaves in September, 1954 from the California State Fair . It was also originally an independent station, until a few years later when it became an affiliate of ABC. In 1960, the station expanded its operations and added studios in Sacramento.
KOVR 13 was the first station in Northern California to use videotape (rather than film) for its newscasts, and was the first station in the Sacramento/Stockton area to broadcast in stereo.
In 1995, KOVR 13 decided to end its long association with ABC and became a CBS station. KOVR 13 operates with a small-to-moderate news staff. Also, it dropped the network soap opera Guiding Light because of very poor ratings.
KOVR 13 runs its weeknight primetime schedule an hour earlier than the scheduled CBS schedule. This means that, unlike most stations in its market, it runs primetime programming from 7 PM to 10 PM, instead of from 8 PM to 11 PM.
Originally owned by the Gannett Corporation and later by McClatchy Newspapers (which also owns the Sacramento Bee newspaper), the station is currently owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group. However, as of December 2,2004, it was announced that the station would be sold to CBS parent Viacom, pending regulatory approval.
The station's transmitter, the KXTV/KOVR Tower shared with KXTV channel 10, is located in Walnut Grove, California. The tower is among the tallest in the world and is likely the tallest structure in California.
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