KSBW is a television station in the United States and is the primary NBC affiliate for the Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz, California market. Licensed to the city of Salinas, the station is owned by Hearst Television. KSBW has its studios on John Street (along Highway 68) in downtown Salinas, which is mentioned occasionally during commercial breaks and newscasts. Its news programs are entitled Action News 8. Its transmitter is located on Fremont Peak in the Gabilan Mountains above San Juan Bautista, California, over 3,100 feet above sea level. The call letters KSBW stand for "Salad Bowl of the World," which is the nickname of the city of Salinas.

The station operates the area's ABC affiliate over on its second digital subchannel. Known on-air as Central Coast ABC, in addition to over-the-air, it is offered on Comcast (channel 7), Charter (channel 7), AT&T U-verse (channel 7), Dish Network (channel 16), and DirecTV (channel 9) in most areas of the immediate region. The digital subchannel was previously used for a localized version of NBC Weather Plus.

History[link]

Early years[link]

KSBW began broadcasting on September 11, 1953. It shared the channel 8 frequency with KMBY-TV of Monterey until the two stations merged in 1955 under KSBW's license and call letters. Originally, it was affiliated with all four major networks — NBC, ABC, CBS and DuMont (DuMont folded in 1955). ABC disappeared from KSBW's programming schedule when San Jose's then-independent KNTV decided to concentrate on the Monterey-Salinas market in 1960. For the next nine years, KSBW was forced to shoehorn NBC and CBS onto its schedule. This was unusual for a two-station market (especially one of Monterey's size); in most such markets, ABC was relegated to secondary status on the CBS and NBC affiliates. When KMST-TV (now KION-TV) signed on as a full-time CBS affiliate in 1969, KSBW became an exclusive NBC affiliate.

Partnership with KSBY[link]

In 1957, KSBW's original owners bought KVEC-TV in San Luis Obispo, California and changed the calls to KSBY. For the next 22 years, KSBY simulcasted KSBW, except for producing its own local newscasts and covering CBS programming (in San Luis Obispo, KCOY provided CBS programming from adjacent Santa Maria, requiring KSBY to drop the feed from Salinas when KSBW was carrying a CBS network program). The simulcasting ended when Blair Broadcasting bought the two stations and KSBY became an NBC affiliate on its own. On November 12, 1986, Blair Broadcasting sold most of its English-language stations to Gillett Communications (which would later acquire most of Storer Broadcasting's stations).^[1]

Ownership change[link]

Gillett Holdings, a subsidiary of Vail Associates at that time, would own just the two stations, along with nearby station KSBY, two ski resorts, and a packing company. Gillett would later file for bankruptcy on August 17, 1992, after the ski area and its media company was due to emerge from bankruptcy.^[2] After Gillett restructured into SCI TV, it put KSBW and KSBY on the market. However, a buyer for both stations wasn't found until after SCI sold most of its stations to New World Communications in 1993; the following year, KSBW and KSBY were sold to EP Communications, a company co-owned by Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of News Corporation chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch.

In 1995, Smith Broadcasting and SJL Communications teamed up to purchase the EP stations, with KSBW going to Smith Broadcasting and KSBY going to SJL because Smith Broadcasting has already owned KEYT. At the time, the FCC did not allow common ownership of two stations in the same market. What was then called Hearst-Argyle Television bought KSBW, along with WPTZ in Plattsburgh, New York and its semi-satellite WNNE in White River Junction, Vermont, from Sunrise Television (at that time a subsidiary of Smith Broadcasting; now part of LIN TV) in 1998, swapping WDTN in Dayton, Ohio and the license for WNAC-TV in Providence, Rhode Island to Sunrise in the process.

Weather Plus and Central Coast ABC[link]

In early 2005, KSBW debuted its localized version of NBC Weather Plus, branded as KSBW Weather Plus. Its only local preemption was their debut of their 10pm newscasts at that time. KSBW first offered Weather Plus on its digital channel (on KSBW-DT2), as well as on Comcast cable. NBC's national Weather Plus operations were shut down on December 1, 2008 after the network's parent company, NBCUniversal, purchased The Weather Channel. However, KSBW remained one of the few to continue the use of the "L" bar Weather Plus. Additionally, although KSBW anchors Dan Green and/or Erin Clark claims that its 10 p.m. newscasts are offered on its website in addition to its second digital subchannel and Comcast, it also ran KSBW Weather Plus on its website.^[3] KSBW Prime Plus debuted on August 3, 2010, although it is broadcast Monday through Friday nights.^[4] Along with the 10pm newscast, it ran KSBW Weather Plus would still retain its branding during the time that Prime Plus is not on the air.^[5] The subchannel used the "moreTV" concept previously used by its sister station in Tampa, WMOR-TV.

Between July 2000 and April 2011, the Monterey area was without an ABC affiliate after KNTV disaffiliated with the network. Viewers who wanted to view ABC programming had to rely mainly on "ABC 7", a localized version of San Francisco's KGO-TV for ABC programming which was exclusively cable and satellite-only. With KSBW keeping its NBC affiliation, the station announced in December 2010 that they will add ABC affiliation as well. KSBW began a test of its subchannel on April 1, 2011. The subchannel officially launched on April 18, 2011, ahead of NBC affiliate WALB, in Albany, Georgia, who launched their ABC affiliation on their second digital subchannel on April 27, as WALB was originally scheduled to launch on January 1, 2011. With the launch of the ABC affiliation, KSBW-DT2 becomes the third station to serve Monterey Bay as an ABC affiliate, and the first ABC affiliate based from within the immediate region.

Syndicated shows and programming[link]

In March 2010, KSBW started broadcasting non-network syndicated programming in HD, although a limited amount of syndicated programming were in HD. That changed on April 6, 2011, when KSBW added more non-network programming in HD, along with selected local promos using elements from NBC. With a dual affiliation, the station airs cross promos to promote newscasts and ABC programming over on its second digital subchannel.

KSBW is also the first station in the market to have its syndicated logo bug on the bottom-right hand corner of the screen since June 2010. With Oprah bidding farewell to viewers after the 2010-11 season, the station announced that Ellen will fill the 4 p.m. slot starting in Fall 2011, with Anderson Cooper to fill in the 10 a.m. slot.^[6]

As of 2011, KSBW airs a high profile of syndicated programming on weekdays, with Anderson after the third hour of Today and The Rachael Ray Show preceding the noon newscast, The Doctors, Dr. Phil, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show during the mid-afternoons, along with Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune before primetime. During the overnight hours, Access Hollywood airs before Early Today. Weekend programming includes P. Allen Smith Gardens, The Chris Matthews Show, weekend editions of Access Hollywood, and reruns of Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, and The Unit. In the past, KSBW has broadcast sitcoms before primetime, most notably Family Ties and Barney Miller. In addition to syndicated programming, KSBW clears all NBC programming except for the fourth hour of the Today Show in order to make room for Anderson.

With the launch of Central Coast ABC on KSBW-DT2, additional airings of new and syndicated programming are seen on the channel, with Dr. Phil after Good Morning America, The Doctors before the ABC soap lineup, Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Anderson preceding the 5 p.m. newscast, and Access Hollywood and Extra before ABC primetime. Weekend programming includes Whacked Out Sports, Travels with Romney, Storm Stories, and weekend editions of Extra.

KSBW currently carries over three hours of E/I programming per week. On weekends, in addition to children's programming carried by NBC (via qubo) on Saturdays, KSBW also airs Teen Kids News, Eco Company, and Animal Exploration with Jarod Miller at different times on both Saturday and Sunday. KSBW airs the third hour of qubo programming during the 4-5pm hour on Saturdays due to its weekend morning newscast airing between 7-9 a.m.

Locally produced programs[link]

Feedback at Five[link]

Theresa Wright hosts a public affairs show called Feedback at Five,^[7] which is a weekend discussion show interviewing with selected interviewee. In most cases, most of the interviews are informational and educational to the viewer. Feedback at Five, like Sunday's 6pm newscasts, are subject to preemption due to special programming.

Lifeline TV[link]

KSBW also broadcasts "Lifeline TV", which is a local program produced by the Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital and hosted by former KSBW anchor Kate Callaghan. Callaghan previously anchored KSBW's morning newscasts until her departure from the station in 2008. It is a program that addresses health issues and occasional questions being answered. It also follows the team of trained doctors and physicians there and keeps viewers informed of their progress. This program generally airs before weekend editions of NBC Nightly News,^[8] however, it can be delayed or preempted due to special programs.

Editorial[link]

KSBW produces a three-minute editorial session since 1999, called "KSBW Editorial", which is broadcast after Friday's 6pm newscast, weekend newscasts, and Monday morning newscast. It is hosted by KSBW president and general manager, Joseph W. Heston. The format of the editorial is primarily a commentary by Heston and occasional viewer's comments. The commentary may also provide information on upcoming events by the station itself. With the addition of Central Coast ABC, KSBW also simulcasts the editorial on both stations, though as in the case of all newscasts, it can be subjected to preemption or delay on either channel under network obligations.

Controversy[link]

In February 2009, KSBW was involved in a controversy that after Heston gave an editorial that angered then-Salinas police chief Daniel Ortega. It came after an interview conducted by anchorman Dan Green interviewing Salinas mayor Dennis Donahue that Ortega described as the following, as well as how he described what Heston was doing. Ortega asked all media to come in and he gave a speech that addresses KSBW, saying:^[9]

Ortega went on and asked KSBW to report with "more objectivity." He also asked KSBW to apologize to their sponsors that pay for their existence and their bias reporting.^[10] A follow-up editorial by Heston have addressed the issue and admits that Ortega should be treated as a friend.

"Share Your Holiday"[link]

KSBW broadcasts a live telethon each December which is called "Share Your Holiday".^[11] The station partners with the local chapters of the Salvation Army to help the people in need, through donations, live entertainment, and music throughout the telethon. Local newscasts at noon, 5, and 6 p.m. are shortened to accommodate the telethon; the latter two are normally with the weekend anchor team. Both Days of our Lives and NBC Nightly News still air at its regular time, as KSBW is still obliged to carry NBC programming, while syndicated programming is either delayed or preempted. Hosts of the telethon includes anchors Dan Green and Erin Clark, who broadcasts live from outside the KSBW studios, with additional personnel stationed throughout the viewing area at convenient locations. The 2010 version of the telethon made a change to accommodate the HD broadcast, with the information about the telethon posted on the bottom sixth of the screen during the broadcast.

Digital channels[link]

KSBW is currently the only station in the market and the only station owned by Hearst to have all subchannels broadcast in HD. KSBW's digital channels are multiplexed, broadcasting on "virtual" channel 8.

KSBW has been digital-only since June 12, 2009 and remained on digital channel 8.

Coverage area[link]

KSBW's coverage area includes most of the immediate part of the market, but is also easily received in southern Santa Clara County, including Gilroy and Morgan Hill, San Martin, and parts of San Jose due to the transmitter location,^[12] however, Santa Clara County itself is not part of the market, as it is primarily served by KNTV and KGO-TV.

News operation[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2010)

KSBW currently broadcasts more local news than any other station in the market, with 28.5 hours total (4.5 hours of news on weekdays and 3 hours on weekends). On weekdays, a two-hour morning newscast is shown at 5 a.m., followed by a half-hour news blocks at noon and 5 p.m., one hour at 6 p.m., and a 35-minute wrap-up at 11 p.m. On weekends, with the addition of ABC programming on KSBW-DT2, all weekend newscasts are simulcasted, subject to preemption due to network obligations. The market's only two-hour, early-morning weekend newscast begins at 7 a.m., followed by half-hour blocks at 6 and 11 p.m. (It is noted that KSBW is currently the only station in the entire Central Coast to carry both a noon newscast on weekdays and a weekend morning newscast on weekends, as fellow NBC affiliate KSBY, as well as rivals KCBA, KION, KCOY, KKFX, and KEYT do not currently offer a noon or a weekend morning newscast.)

KSBW also operates a Santa Cruz newsroom to this day. The newsroom was destroyed during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in which one reporter was working there.^[13] The station started to broadcast live coverage of the earthquake from the time it struck until just after midnight, then from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. the following day.^[14] In both cases, it included a live broadcast from Santa Cruz.

Between 2005 and January 31, 2011, KSBW had started local newscasts on KSBW-DT2, beginning with their debut of KSBW's 10 p.m. newscast on its second digital subchannel, as well as its 6 p.m. Sunday evening newscasts when NBC Sunday Night Football is carried on KSBW. However, those newscasts were broadcast with limited functionality. With a dual NBC/ABC affiliation, all newscasts, especially on weekends, are subject to preemption under network obligations.

KSBW's notably stable weekday-evening anchor team are Dan Green and Erin Clark, who have worked together since 1998 and anchors the 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts. Jim Vanderzwaan, known more commonly as "Lead Forecaster" rather than being called "Chief Meteorologist", have been with the station since 1983.^[15] The other anchor teams and reporting staff have less longevity, but field reporters Felix Cortez^[16] and Phil Gomez^[17] are station veterans, having been with the station since the late 1990s. The most recent addition to the weekday-evening team is Dina Ruiz-Eastwood, who first came to KSBW in 1991. Eastwood, the wife of actor Clint Eastwood, retired in 1997, but returned to the station on February 8, 2011 and occasionally anchors the 5 p.m. newscasts.

The anchors take a decidedly informal approach to the newscast, with much light-hearted cross-talk among the personalities. Much of KSBW's national news comes from syndicated reports from other Hearst-owned affiliates and/or NBC stations, and state-capitol reports originate from Sacramento Hearst NBC station KCRA. The newscasts incorporate typical business segments (under "Project Economy"), consumer, and health segments, and place considerable emphasis on crime reporting, focusing on the persistent gang-violence problem in the Salinas area (under the segment title, "Crime Watch"). During the 6 p.m. newscast, weather and sports quizzes are given, as well as an "Animal Stories" segment that Green presents to conclude the newscast.^[18] On weekend morning newscasts, in addition to segments regularly shown on newscasts, a movie preview segment (titled as "Movie Buzz") is also shown. Although KSBW is well known for its local and statewide political coverage under the Hearst-mandated "Commitment" banner, KSBW simulcasts the live televised debates from KCRA, superimposing the KSBW logo over the KCRA logo due to the fact that the debates are often held near Sacramento.^[19]

In June 2010, with NBC carrying the US Open at Pebble Beach, KSBW is one of two stations that carried newscasts immediately after the coverage accompanied by live reports from Peeble Beach (the other is KNTV). KSBW currently uses the mandated Hearst news music package for its newscasts since September 2004. In the early years being owned by Hearst, KSBW was one of the stations using the Image music package. Some segments shown on Action News 8 would continue to use the Image music package until August 25, 2010.

Format change[link]

KSBW underwent a major format change in 1987. On weekdays, newscast time doubled from 90 minutes to over 180 minutes. Previously, weekday newscasts were at 6-7 p.m. and 11-11:30 p.m. In early 1987, KSBW began producing five-minute newscasts during the Today program at 7:25 a.m. and 8:25 a.m. In August 1987, thirty-minute newscasts were added at 6:30-7 a.m., 11:30 a.m.-noon, and 5-5:30 p.m. Also in August 1987, KSBW adopted a new "8" logo which incorporated a right triangle (identical to one used by WGHP, but it was bluish-tinted purple as opposed to reddish-tinted purple in WGHP's) and began use of a new news music package.^{[citation needed]} The next major format change occurred in late 1991. Upon its current ownership by Hearst Television (then-called Hearst-Argyle Television) in 1999, KSBW had made another change to its studios, along with a new voiceover, Bill Ratner, in which Ratner is currently the main voiceover for the station.

In January 2010, KSBW underwent another format change and minor renovations were made to the KSBW studios, the first such change in over a decade. KSBW anchors had to present their newscasts from the newsroom for several days before the station debuted the new look. During Healthwatch 8 segments, anchor Erin Clark had to present her segment in front of a green screen. New flatscreen televisions were also installed behind the news set of KSBW, which replaced the old set. Additionally, "KSBW" replaced "Action News 8" inside the studio to reflect the studio's name and not the news branding, while two additional monitors were installed for better presentations. The in-studio cameras also made a change, with the cameras no longer being shown during editorial segments. The debut was during the midday newscasts when anchor Dale Julin presented the new look after Lee Solomon was finished with his weather update.

On February 17, 2012, the station debuted a new look to its website, which includes a redesign of the page to report local and national news faster.

Widescreen and High Definition[link]

KSBW has made many changes since September 2009 to accommodate the changes made at the studio. It first started with KSBW became the first station on the Central Coast to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in 16:9 widescreen; however in that case, they were merely in widescreen standard definition with only the news tickers shown during morning newscasts, though no pillarboxes were inserted until after the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. At the same time, KSBW did a test version of the Hearst HD package during Dr. Phil when previewing the 5pm newscasts, which its graphics and block letters are similar to those of Hearst NBC affiliate KCRA. (KSBW would later become the only station owned by Hearst to use two different types of the Hearst HD package.) Though not true high definition, the format of the KSBW newscasts matched those of HD television screens. New weather graphics and some field reports were still in 4:3 ratio and then pillarboxed to fill the 16:9 screen. This is only before KSBW's chief rival KION-TV and its sister station KCBA started to present their local newscasts in high definition from the studio a few weeks later.

KSBW continued to use its old graphics until August 25, 2010, when KSBW began broadcasting the majority of its local newscasts in full high definition, however, HD is not mentioned in the news openings and talents at the time when the newscasts carried on KSBW-DT2 is in 4:3 standard definition due to its signal. Upon the switch, new graphics and elements from its previous graphics and from Hearst stations WCVB, KMBC-TV, and KOAT were introduced, while the graphics utilizes a blue background in contrast to the red background of which WCVB and KMBC uses. The upgrade also includes a new animated logo bug and a revised Hearst music package. KSBW uses HD studio cameras and HD field cameras for its newscasts; however, the field video is downconverted to widescreen SD in the control room due to its editing equipment only being capable of SD. KSBW now becomes the smallest DMA market among all Hearst stations to broadcast local news in widescreen or HD, as well as becoming the seventh Hearst-owned station to broadcast local news in HD. While its live newscast is in HD, other local programming (e.g. public affairs, editorials) except for syndicated programming were in 4:3 standard definition.

A new logo for KSBW's newscasts debuted on April 6, 2011, during their 5pm newscast. The logo mirrors those of KCRA, but uses a navy blue background instead of the green background used by KCRA while retaining their "8" logo and without mention of its affiliation. The news opens were redone to accommodate the ABC affiliation on its second digital subchannel, while retaining the current graphics used by the station. Due to their current primary NBC affiliation, though, KSBW will retain their current logo for general programming.

Promotions and slogans[link]

Since 1957, KSBW has used "Action News 8" on all of its newscasts and promos. The general branding was "KSBW 8" before ownership by Hearst, although since then, that branding is used occasionally, often using the call letters as the default branding. With the addition of ABC on KSBW-DT2, the station also may brand itself "KSBW 8 NBC", when referring to the main subchannel and primary affiliation, as well as selected programming on NBC. During newscasts, although the branding is "Action News 8", the call letters are often inserted, but omitted from the news branding, to refer to the stations name and newscast title.

Although KSBW's current primary news-intensive slogan is "Coverage You Can Count On," there were variants of that slogan to promote its news, weather, sports, and other programming on Action News 8, including "Weather Coverage You Can Count On," "Sports Coverage You Can Count On," and "Traffic Coverage You Can Count On." As of 2011, those slogans can be seen during station identification in the form of five-second promos to promote news, weather, traffic, and sports anchors. The other variant slogans include, but not limited to, "Community Coverage You Can Count On" and "Mobile Coverage You Can Count On", a promo during commercial breaks not seen during station identification. Hearst stations KOAT, WGAL, KMBC-TV, and WCVB also use this slogan though the latter two use their own variant of the slogan, adding "Live" and "Local" before the main slogan.

Success by 6, a children's reading program, has long been promoted since KSBW was owned by Hearst. The promotions include child safety, eating, early education, and important information from trusted people such as doctor's advice. Another promotion, "Central Coast Pros," is a promo that includes commercials and advices from various retailers and companies.

In February 2010, during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, KSBW introduced a new slogan, "It's how you know." This features people in a promo wondering about the latest news, weather, and other ideas of interests that would lead to KSBW's website. Among the notable topics presented on the promo included breaking news, local news, local weather, sports, and its picture sharing site, "uLocal" which is being rolled out to all of Hearst's TV stations. A few weeks later, the slogan is seen at the beginning of each video segments on YouTube, along with Hearst stations KCRA and WMUR, but eventually was updated upon the launch of its HD newscasts to fit 16:9 screens. The news slogan is still retained during newscasts.

Sports[link]

Dennis Lehnen, currently the sports director for KSBW, has been with the station since December 1981.^[20] Lehnen was first the weekend sports anchor before he assumed his current position a few years later. While at the station, Lehnen has covered many playoffs, such as when the Oakland Raiders were in the Super Bowl. The weekend anchor currently acts as the weekend sports anchor in addition to anchoring the news, however, if a major sporting event is held within the area, a sports anchor would broadcast the highlights instead.

High School Playbook[link]

On autumn Friday nights, a special sports segment called "High School Playbook Blitz" follows Central Coast high-school teams through their seasons. A preview of upcoming high school football games is announced by sports anchors during the 5 and 6pm newscasts, as well as any final scores from any game in the area. During their 11pm newscasts, and only after a weather update, sports anchors would go through the highlights and final scores between two teams. KSBW also covers other sports from high school, including basketball, and those are included in a separate segment of High School Playbook. KSBW previously had its segments called "Operation Football" upon ownership by Hearst, then later called "Operation Football Blitz" in the early 2000s before the current title change somewhere around September 2008. (It is noted that KION and its sister station KCBA uses a similar title, but the branding is currently called "Friday Night Blitz.")

On-air staff[link]

Current Personalities[link]

Anchors[link]

• Jacqueline Mazur - weekend mornings "Action News 8 Sunrise" (7-9 a.m.); also reporter
• Erin Clark - weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.; also "Health Watch" reporter
• Dan Green - weeknights at 5, 6, and 11 p.m., and weekday morning fill-in
• Michelle Imperato - weekday mornings "Action News 8 Sunrise" (5-7 a.m.); also reporter
• Dale Julin - weekday mornings "Action News 8 Sunrise" (5-7 a.m.) and noon; also noon producer
• Brittany Nielsen - weekends at 6 and 11 p.m. and sports anchor; 11 p.m. producer; also weekday reporter and fill-in anchor

KSBW Weather Team[link]

• Jim Vanderzwaan (member, AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6, and 11 p.m.
• Phil Frame - meteorologist; fill-in
• Art Jarrett - meteorologist; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.
• Carl Thormeyer - meteorologist; weekend mornings "Action News 8 Sunrise" (7-9 a.m.)
• Lee Solomon - meteorologist, weekday mornings "Action News 8 Sunrise" (5-7 a.m.) and noon

Sports Team[link]

• Dennis Lehnen - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.
• Mike Furutani - sports anchor; on-call
• Michelle Runzler (née Phalen) - sports anchor; fill-in

Reporters[link]

• Michele Allen - traffic reporter
• Felix Cortez - general assignment reporter
• May Chow - general assignment reporter and fill-in news anchor
• Margot Dunphy - general assignment reporter, primarily seen weekends; also announcer
• Phil Gomez - Santa Cruz bureau reporter
• Tom Miller - general assignment reporter
• Gene Allen - "Movie Buzz" critic
• Gordy Allen - "Movie Buzz" critic
• Snick Farkas - "Movie Buzz" critic
• Kate Amara - Hearst Washington Bureau reporter
• Sally Kidd - Hearst Washington Bureau reporter
• Nichole Killon - Hearst Washington Bureau reporter

Local Program Hosts[link]

• Teresa Wright - "Feedback @ Five" host

Former personalities[link]

• Miguel Almaguer - reporter (1999–2003), later at KCRA,^[21] now west coast correspondent for NBC News^[22]
• Kate Callaghan^[23]
• Sharon Chin - reporter/anchor (1992–1997), now at KPIX^[24]
• Mae Fasai - weekend anchor (2006–2009), now at KCRA/KQCA^[25]
• Jay Galle - weekend meteorologist, now morning meteorologist at WDSU^[26]
• Lawrence Karnow - weekend meteorologist (1993–1997), now weekend meteorologist at KPIX^[27]
• Scott Mace - morning meteorologist, now chief meteorologist at KGPE^[28]
• Allen Martin - anchor/reporter (1991–1995), now at KPIX^[29]
• Aaron Pickering - weekend meteorologist, now at KOLD^[30]
• Lee Stansbury - sports reporter
• Del Rodgers - sports anchor, now sports director at KCRA-TV^[31]

News/station presentation[link]

Newscast titles[link]

• Action News 8 (1957–present)

Station slogans[link]

• Action 8 is Total News (late 1970s)
• The Most Watched Station on the Central Coast (1987–1996)
• Come Home To The Best, Only on Channel 8
• Coverage You Can Count On (1996–present; primary slogan)
• It's How You Know (2010–present; secondary slogan, website promo)

This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

References[link]

External links[link]

• KSBW Official website
• Central Coast ABC
• KSBW's High School Playbook
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KSBW
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KSBW-TV

Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler at the Berlin Film Festival 2011
Born	Gerard James Butler (1969-11-13) 13 November 1969 (age 42) Paisley, Scotland
Occupation	Actor/singer
Years active	1997–present

Gerard James Butler (born 13 November 1969) is a Scottish actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television. A trained lawyer, Butler turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), which he followed with steady work on television, most notably in the American miniseries Attila (2001). He garnered critical acclaim for his work as the lead in Joel Schumacher's 2004 film adaptation of the musical The Phantom of the Opera. In 2007, Butler gained recognition through his portrayal of King Leonidas in the film 300. Since then, he has appeared in projects including P.S. I Love You (2007), Nim's Island (2008), RocknRolla (2008), The Ugly Truth (2009), Gamer (2009), Law Abiding Citizen (2009), The Bounty Hunter (2010), and as a voice actor in How to Train Your Dragon (2010).

Early life[link]

Butler was born in Paisley, which is in Renfrewshire, Scotland,^[1] the youngest of three children of Margaret and Edward Butler, a bookmaker.^[2][3][4] Of Irish descent,^[5] he was brought up in a strict Roman Catholic family.^[6] Butler spent the first few years of his life in Montreal, Quebec,^[7] before the family returned to live in Scotland.^[8]

His mother Margret Butler returned from Quebec when her marriage broke down, when Gerard was aged 18 months.^[9] He attended High School in Paisley, achieved respectable grades - good enough to win a place at Glasgow University to study law - and rose to position of Head Boy at St Mirin's High School. He also attended Scottish Youth Theater whilst a teen. He did not see his father again until he was 16 years old, when Edward Butler called to meet him at a Glasgow restaurant. After this meeting, Butler cried for hours, and recalled of it later:

"That emotion showed me how much pain can sit in this body of yours; pain and sorrow that you don’t know you have until it is unleashed."^[9]

Butler came close to his father after this reunion, and accepted his offer to study law at Glasgow University. During his time as a student, he became the convener of the Law Society^[10] and sang in a rock band called Speed.^[11][12] He would ultimateley graduate with a 2-2 LLB degree in 1991.

Whilst a 22 year old student, his father was diagnosed with cancer, and died. This caused Butler's lifestyle to spiral out of control. He would say of this period in his life:

"I had gone from a 16-year-old who couldn’t wait to grasp life to a 22-year-old who didn’t care if he died in his sleep."^[13]

Upon graduation, he won a position as a trainee lawyer at an Edinburgh law firm. However, his lifestyle remained unrestrained and he frequently missed work due to his partying antics. One week before he qualified as a lawyer, he was fired.

Now, aged 25, and an unqualified lawyer, Butler moved to London to pursue his dream of becoming famous. He admitted,

"When I started out, I'm not sure I was actually in it for the right reasons. I wanted very much to be famous."^[9]

Unable to win any acting roles immediately, he was forced to accept blue collar jobs, which included being a waiter, a telemarketer and a demonstrator of how toys work at fairs. Whilst in London, he met an old friend from his teenage days in the Scottish Youth Theater, who was now a London casting agent, and was for a time her boyfriend and her assistant. She took him to an audition for Steven Berkoff's play of Coriolanus.^[10] The director said of Butler's audition:

"When he read, he had such vigour and enthusiasm – so much that it made the other actors seem limp – that I decided to cast him in the ensemble."^[13]

Now aged 27, Butler had his first professional acting job. Less than a year later, he won a part in a theater adaptation of Trainspotting, which he performed at the Edinburgh Festival. By age 30, Butler decided to move to Los Angeles to make it in the big league; where he won parts in Dracula 2000, Tomb Raider 2, Dear Frankie, and Phantom of the Opera. The director Vadim Jean said:

"I have never seen anybody work so hard to make their career happen."^[13]

Despite the early yearnings for fame, Butler would tell London's Daily Telegraph in a 2009 interview, when aged 39:

"I did expect to succeed and I did have faith that I would. In reality, though, it has turned out to be something very different to what I wanted. It’s the work and not the adulation that has proved to be the most fulfilling."^[13]

Career[link]

In London, Butler held a series of odd jobs until being cast by actor and director Steven Berkoff (who later appeared alongside him in Attila (2001)) in a stage production of Coriolanus. He was cast as Ewan McGregor's character Renton in the stage adaptation of Trainspotting, the same play that had inspired him to become an actor. His film debut was as Billy Connolly's character's younger brother in Mrs. Brown (1997).

His film career continued with small roles, first in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and then Russell Mulcahy's Tale of the Mummy (1998). In 2000, Butler was cast in two breakthrough roles, the first being Attila the Hun in USA film Attila (2001/I) (TV). The film's producers wanted a known actor to play the part but kept coming back to Butler's screen tests and decided he was their man. He was cast as Dracula in Dracula 2000 (2000).

He then appeared in Reign of Fire (2002) as Creedy and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) as Terry Sheridan, alongside Angelina Jolie. In the role of Andre Marek in the big-screen adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel Timeline (2003), Butler played an archaeologist who was sent back in time with a team of students to rescue a colleague.

In 2003, director Joel Schumacher was deciding on the principal casting for the film The Phantom of the Opera, a film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical of the same name, and thought of Butler, whom he had seen earlier in the film Dracula 2000, to play the title character. Butler, who had had no musical experience other than singing in a rock band while he was studying to be a lawyer, was surprised at the interest, but immediately began taking singing lessons with a vocal coach.^[14] He then did an acting audition with Schumacher, and a singing audition with Lloyd Webber, both of whom were impressed by his performance.^[15] Despite the film receiving mixed reviews, Butler was praised for his performance.

Other projects that followed include Dear Frankie (2005), The Game of Their Lives (2005) and Beowulf & Grendel (2005).

In 2007, he starred as Spartan King Leonidas in the Warner Bros. production 300, which is often described as his breakthrough role.^[16] Butler, who said he "wanted to look really strong" in the film, trained with a high-intensity workout for four months prior to the film's shooting.^[17]

Gerard Butler on the set of the film, The Bounty Hunter, 2010

In 2007, he also appeared in Butterfly on a Wheel co-starring Pierce Brosnan and Maria Bello, which aired on network TV under the title Shattered, and in the romantic comedy P.S. I Love You with Hilary Swank. In 2008, he appeared in Nim's Island and RocknRolla. In 2009, he starred in the Mark Neveldine/Brian Taylor film Gamer, The Ugly Truth and Law Abiding Citizen, which he also co-produced. In 2010 he starred in the action/comedy The Bounty Hunter with Jennifer Aniston, and did a voice-over in the 2010 animated film How to Train Your Dragon as Stoick the Vast.

On 15 and 16 October 2010, thanks to the popularity of his role as Spartan King Leonidas and the use of his lines during athletic events at Michigan State University, he was a guest at their Midnight Madness and homecoming football game, respectively.

On 18 December 2011, while filming Of Men and Mavericks, Butler was hospitalised after he was pulled under big waves. A safety patrolman spotted Butler and quickly rushed to his aid. He was taken to Stanford University Medical Center where he was observed and then later released.^[18]

Personal life[link]

Butler has been open in interviews about struggling with alcoholism. In February 2012, Butler's publicist announced that Butler had completed a course of treatment for substance abuse of pain killers, at a rehab-centre.^[19] This was after Butler was concerned he was too reliant on prescribed pain relief medication which escalated when he was involved in a surfing incident before Christmas 2011.^[19][20][21]

A fan of the Glasgow football club Celtic F.C. and played a charity match with them in 2011, Butler regularly attended Celtic Park as a supporter, but has found that moving to Hollywood can be a problem when trying to keep up with the results due to the time difference between Los Angeles and Glasgow.^[22]

Despite his sometimes turbulent personal life and the often violent characters he plays, Butler is well known to be a kind and very nice person in real life. He is known to be very friendly with fans and co-workers, and socializes with everyone on set.

Filmography[link]

Butler at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gerard Butler

• Gerard Butler at the Internet Movie Database

Jay Moriarity
Personal information
Born	(1978-06-16)June 16, 1978 Georgia, U.S.
Died	June 15, 2001(2001-06-15) (aged 22)
Residence	Santa Cruz, California
Surfing career
Years active	1987-2001
Sponsors	O'Neill
Surfing specifications
Stance	Regular (natural) foot
Favorite waves	Mavericks (Half Moon Bay, California), Pleasure Point, (Santa Cruz, California)

Jay Moriarity (June 16, 1978–June 15, 2001) was a surfer from Santa Cruz, California.^[1] He was an accomplished surfer, waterman, and adventurer. As a surfer, he made his reputation surfing Mavericks in Half Moon Bay, California. At age 16, he was made internationally famous when his wipeout at Mavericks was caught on film and made the cover of Surfer (magazine).^[2] Four days later at Mavericks, on a smaller wave, legendary Hawaiian big wave surfer Mark Foo drowned. ^[3] Although a successful competitor, Jay is remembered as a soul surfer, winning many sportsmanship awards throughout his career.

Life[link]

Born in Georgia in 1978, Moriarity and his family moved to Santa Cruz, California, soon after his birth. His father was Green Beret parachutist and a surfer, who introduced his son to surfing when he was 9 years-old. He immediately took to surfing and quickly became a respected surfer in Santa Cruz. Not limited to either a shortboard or a longboard, he was known as a versatile surfer who appreciated all aspects of surfing. This appreciation was rooted in an overall love for the ocean, seen in his accomplishments as a swimmer, paddler, diver, and fisherman.^[4] Achieving success in surfing as a youngster, he became increasingly interested in surfing Mavericks, north of Santa Cruz in Half Moon Bay. After intense physical and mental training he began surfing Mavericks at 16 years of age, and soon became a respected regular in the line-up.

He died on June 15, 2001, in the Indian Ocean off the coast of the island Lohifushi in the Maldives, drowning in an apparent diving accident. In Lohifushi for an O'Neill photo shoot, he went free-diving with members of the Brazilian crew but was not seen after. Details of his death are uncertain but he was reported to have gone farther down the buoy rope than the others, practicing his breath holding and meditating on the ocean floor 45 feet below the surface.^[1] His body was recovered later that evening on the surface near the dive site.

In 2001, Moriarity co-authored a book with Chris Gallagher entitled, The Ultimate Guide to Surfing. A biographical film, "Of Men and Mavericks" directed by Curtis Hanson chronicling the life of Jay has an estimated release date of October 26, 2012. Actor Gerard Butler has been cast as Rick "Frosty" Hesson, Moriarty's mentor, in the film. Twin sisters Christina and Mary LoFranco are rumored to appear in several scenes, playing surfer girls. And star-on-the-rise Jonny Weston will be playing the roll of Jay. ^[5]

Memorial surfing invitational[link]

The Jay at Mavericks Big Wave Invitational is an annual big wave surfing event, part of the Big Wave World Tour. Held at Mavericks, it is one of the most respected big wave contests in the world. The contest is held between the months of December–February, depending on conditions. By invitation-only, the contest attracts the famous big wave surfers from all over the world. Invitees are given 48 hours notice before the contest is held. Known as "The Jay," the event's name is inspired the famous annual Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay, commonly known as "The Eddie." Moriarity also has an annual paddleboard race in his memory, the annual Jay Moriarity Paddle Race in Santa Cruz, from New Brighton Beach to Pleasure Point and back.

See also[link]

• Mavericks
• Of Men and Mavericks (2012 film)

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Jay at Mavericks Big Wave Invitational^{[dead link]}