| KOAT-TV | |
|---|---|
| Albuquerque/Santa Fe, New Mexico | |
| Branding | KOAT 7 (general) Action 7 News (newscasts) |
| Slogan | Coverage You Can Count On |
| Channels | Analog: 7 (VHF) Digital: 21 (UHF) |
| Affiliations | ABC |
| Owner | Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc. |
| First air date | September 28, 1953 |
| Call letters' meaning | COAT or KO Albuquerque Television |
| Former Affiliations | Secondary: DuMont (1953-1955) |
| Transmitter Power | 87.1 kW (analog) 280 kW (digital) |
| Height | 1292 m (analog) 1243 m (digital) |
| Facility ID | 53928 |
| Website | Action 7 News' Website |
KOAT-TV is a TV station in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It's an ABC network affiliate & broadcasts on ch. 7. It's transmitter is located on Sandia Crest, east of Albuquerque.
KOAT uses a version of the Circle 7 logo used by many other ABC stations, O&O's as well as affiliates.
Weather forecaster Howard Morgan worked @ KOAT for 28 years before retiring in 1999.
History[]
KOAT signed on September 28 1953, less than a week before KGGM-TV (now KRQE). It was locally owned by AM Caldwell & Walter Stiles. The station signed on as an ABC Affiliate. In 1959 KOAT was sold to Alvarado Television & in 1962 to Steinman Stations. Steinman sold KOAT to Pulitzer, the then-owner of KSD-TV (now KSDK) in St. Louis, in 1969. This made KOAT Pulitzer's first TV station acquisition outside of it's home city of St. Louis. In 1998, Pulitzer sold it's entire broadcasting division, including KOAT, to Hearst-Argyle.
Satellite stations[]
These stations rebroadcast KOAT's signal & add local content for other parts of the broadcast market:
| Station | City of license | Channels (Analog/ Digital) |
First air date | Former callsigns | ERP (Analog/ Digital) |
HAAT (Analog/ Digital) |
Facility ID | Transmitter Coordinates |
| KOCT | Carlsbad | 6 (VHF) 19 (UHF) |
August 24, 1956 | KAVE-TV (1956-1987) KVIO-TV (1987-1993) |
100 kW 912 kW |
365.4 m 333 m |
53908 | |
| KOFT | Farmington | 3 (VHF) 8 (VHF) |
1 | 100 kW 40 kW |
126 m 165.9 m |
53904 | ||
| KOVT | Silver City | 10 (VHF) 12 (VHF) |
September 19872 | KWNM-TV (1987-1992) | 8.71 kW 62 kW |
485 m 485 m |
53911 |
Notes:
- 1. No record of analog station on air; DT station operating via Special Temporary Authorization.
- 2. The Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook says KOVT signed on September 9, while the Television & Cable Factbook says it signed on September 10.
KOCT, formerly KAVE-TV & KVIO-TV, became part of the KOAT-TV operation in 1993 after previously serving as a satellite of El Paso ABC affiliate KVIA-TV Ch. 7. The Carlsbad station began in 1956 as KAVE-TV, a CBS affiliate with studio & transmitter facilities on Church Street in Carlsbad. In 1966, when Roswell, New Mexico station KBIM-TV became the CBS affiliate for southeastern New Mexico, KAVE became a satellite station of then-ABC affiliate KMOM-TV Ch. 9 in Monahans, Texas (now NBC affiliate KWES-TV in Midland-Odessa, Texas) & then of KVIA-TV in El Paso in 1976.
In addition, there are several LP repeaters that carry KOAT's programming throughout New Mexico, northeastern Arizona & southern Colorado.
News[]
Ordinarily, KOAT produces just over 4 hours of local news each weekday, 4 1/2 hours each Saturday & 4 1/2 hours each Sunday. The station's newscasts, known as "Action 7 News", have led the ratings in New Mexico for over 30 years.
Notable Personalities[]
Current On-Air Talent[]
KOAT Anchors
- Royale Da: Weekend Morning Anchor/Reporter
- Doug Fernandez: Weekday Evening Anchor
- Mike Garofalo: Weekend Anchor/Reporter
- Christine Jones: Weekend Anchor/Reporter
- Shelly Ribando: Weekday Evening Anchor
- Melissa Mahan: Weekday Morning Anchor/Reporter
- Marisa Maez: Weekday Morning Anchor
- Natalie Swaby: Weekend Morning Anchor
KOAT Reporters
- Larry Behrens: Santa Fe Bureau Reporter
- Mitch Blacher: Target 7 Reporter
- Leigh Checkstad: General Assignment Reporter
- Dominic Garcia: General Assignment Reporter
- Rod Green: General Assignment Reporter
- Ilana Gold: General Assignment Reporter
- Matt Grubs: General Assignment Reporter
- Chris Ramirez: General Assignment Reporter
- Dr. Barry Ramo: Health Reporter
- Dave Roberts: Farmington Bureau Reporter
- Drew Rudnick: Southeast New Mexico Bureau Reporter
- AJ Smith: General Assignment Reporter, fill-in weather chick
- Natalie Swaby: General Assignment Reporter
- Melissa Vega: Target 7 Reporter
Hearst-Argyle Washington Bureau
- Sally Kidd: Washington Bureau Correspondent
- Laurie Kinney: Washington Bureau Correspondent
- Tracy Mitchell: Washington Bureau Correspondent
First Alert Weather Team
- Joe Diaz (AMS/NWA Seals of Approval): Chief Meteorologist, seen weeknights
- Byron Morton (AMS/NWA Seals of Approval): Weekend Meteorologist
- Jason Stiff (AMS Seal of Approval): Weekday Morning Meteorologist
Sports Anchors/Reporters
- Bob Brown: Sports Director/Anchor, seen weeknights
- John Salazar: Weekend Sports Anchor
Former On-Air Talent[]
- Cynthia Izaguirre: Longtime anchor/reporter (2000-2007, moved to WFAA in Dallas, TX)
- Diane Anderson: Longtime anchor/reporter (1985-2004, later moved to KRQE-TV)
- Ed Lopez: Morning Anchor (1994-2000)
- Nelson Martinez: Longtime anchor (1981-2002, later moved to KOB-TV)
- Nannette Miranda: (Reporter 1996-1999), now State Capitol Correspondent for KABC-TV in Los Angeles & KGO-TV in San Francisco
- Johnny Morris:Long Time Anchor (1969-1999)
News/Station Presentation[]
Newscast Titles[]
- Action 7 News (1970s-present)
Station Slogans[]
- New Mexico's News Leader (1980s-1990s)
- 7 On Your Side (1990s)
- Coverage You Can Count On (1990s-present)