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KUTP, channel 45, is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated station in Phoenix, Arizona. It is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox outlet KSAZ-TV (channel 10). The two stations share studio facilities in Phoenix, and KUTP's transmitter is located on South Mountain. KUTP is carried on channel 9 on most Phoenix cable systems, and can also be seen throughout Arizona via cable and on several over-the-air translator stations. Syndicated programming on KUTP includes: Family Guy, 30 Rock, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Divorce Court, The Wendy Williams Show, The Big Bang Theory, The Steve Wilkos Show, as well as rights to broadcast other series.

History[link]

KUTP was granted an original construction permit on December 20, 1984, and began broadcasting on January 1, 1986, as an independent station. The station was owned by United Television, a subsidiary of Chris-Craft Industries. It ran a general entertainment format consisting of cartoons, drama shows, and old movies. Eventually it added off-network sitcoms as well as first-run talk and reality shows. The station was granted its initial license on November 17, 1986, over ten months after beginning operations. KUTP was the only station built from the ground up by Chris-Craft.^[1]

As a part of United Television, the station became an affiliate of the Prime Time Entertainment Network from 1993 to 1995.^[2]

The station joined UPN in January 1995, becoming the first network-owned station in the market (United Television was, early on, the sole owner of UPN; Viacom would purchase half of the network the next year). It picked up several sitcoms from KNXV in the wake of the affiliation switch in the market. As a UPN station, KUTP began to add more syndicated first-run talk and reality shows.

In 2001, the station was bought by Fox, making it a sister station of KSAZ (who had taken the Fox affiliation from the aforementioned KNXV in 1995). This makes the duopoly the only network O&Os in the Phoenix market.

From 1988 until the end of the 2010–11 season, KUTP had been the long-time television home of the NBA's Phoenix Suns, televising all road games not exclusive for national broadcast, as well as selected home games, averaging at least 45 games a season. Until the 2010-11 NBA season, KUTP, in conjunction with the Suns, produced its own broadcast graphics; this role has since been taken over by corporate sibling Fox Sports Arizona. However, the 'burning sun' graphic is still used in lieu of the FSAZ graphics before and after instant replay reviews. Fox Sports Arizona will take over as the sole regional telecaster of Suns games, beginning with 2011-12 season.

The station was also featured in the movie Waiting to Exhale as the workplace of Whitney Houston's character Savannah Jackson.

From UPN to My Network TV[link]

On January 24, 2006, UPN and The WB announced that they would merge into a new network called The CW. KASW, which had been a WB affiliate since 1995, was announced as The CW's Phoenix affiliate.

Shortly after the announcement of the CW network, KUTP changed its branding from UPN 45 to PHX 45. The station also stopped promoting UPN programming. Similar changes were also made to Fox's other UPN affiliates, as The CW did not name any of the Fox-owned UPN stations as affiliates. The formation of MyNetworkTV, of which KUTP and the other Fox-owned UPN stations have become affiliates, was announced on February 22, 2006, less than a month later. With the impending switch to MyNetworkTV, KUTP's on-air branding was changed to My 45 in June 2006.

Despite the announced launch date of MyNetworkTV on September 5, 2006, UPN continued to broadcast on stations across the country until September 15, 2006. While some UPN affiliates who switched to MyNetworkTV aired the final two weeks of UPN programming outside its regular primetime period, the Fox-owned stations, including KUTP, dropped UPN entirely on August 31, 2006.

From April 29, 1999 to September 15, 2006 and from October 3, 2008 to September 24, 2010, KUTP aired WWE's Friday Night Smackdown while under both the UPN and MyNetwork TV affiliations.

Occasionally KUTP carries Fox programming when KSAZ preempts it in the event of a local special or an emergency such as a breaking news story.

Digital television[link]

Following its sister station, KSAZ, KUTP ceased its analog broadcasts at 8:30AM on June 12, 2009, the day mandated by the Federal government for TV stations to cease analog transmissions across the country. After the transition was complete, KUTP remained on its pre-transition channel number, 26. However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers still display KUTP's virtual channel as 45.

Translators[link]

• K18CB Bullhead City
• K16BP Cottonwood
• K65CM Duncan
• K28CW Flagstaff
• K14HG Kingman
• K15CR Lake Havasu City
• K14HC Prescott

References[link]

1. ^ "BHC Communications, Inc. Companies History". Company Histories. Funding Universe. 1997. http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/BHC-Communications-Inc-Company-History.html. Retrieved 2009-07-20. 
2. ^ Susan, King (January 23, 1994). "Space, 2258, in the Year 1994". Los Angeles Times. pp. 4. http://articles.latimes.com/1994-01-23/news/tv-14354_1. Retrieved June 25, 2009. 

External links[link]

• My45.com (Official Website)
• MyFOXPhoenix.com (KSAZ-TV Website)

• Query the FCC's TV station database for KUTP
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KUTP-TV
• Program Information for KUTP at TitanTV.com