KRDO-TV

KRDO (Digital Channel 24, Virtual Channel 13) is the ABC affiliate for the Colorado Springs/Pueblo area, with its studios in the southwestern part of Colorado Springs, CO. It debuted in 1953 as Colorado Springs's NBC affiliate. When the FCC combined the Colorado Springs and Pueblo areas into one television market in 1960, KRDO switched to ABC as the Pueblo market already had a dominant NBC affiliate, KCSJ-TV (now KOAA-TV). From its founding until 2006, It was owned by Harry Hoth's Pikes Peak Broadcasting, which was based in Colorado Springs. In 2006, Pikes Peak Broadcasting was sold to News-Press and Gazette Company. KRDO is now that company's flagship television station. KRDO's subchannel (24.2) carries Telemundo, whose former affiliate K49CJ Channel 49 was forced off the air so KKTV-TV could move their digital signal on that frequency.

News

KRDO was well behind KOAA and KKTV-TV in the ratings when News Press and Gazette bought the station. NPG invested heavily in KRDO's news department, and switched co-owned KRDO-AM and the former KSKX-FM (now KRDO-FM) to a newsradio format that simulcasted some of KRDO-TV's newscasts. KRDO's official branding was also changed to Newschannel 13. KRDO extended their noon newscast to an hour, and added the market's first weekend morning newscasts. KRDO now airs news from 5-7AM, 12-1PM, 5-5:30PM, 6-6:30PM, and 10-10:35PM on weekdays, as well as 6-7AM, 8-9AM, 5-5:30PM and 10-10:30PM on Weekends, and an additional 6-6:30PM newscast on Saturdays. As of November 2010, KRDO was #1 in most news time slots, although the February 2011 sweeps claims that KRDO has fallen behind KOAA in all afternoon and evening news slots. While KRDO was the first Springs area station to broadcast their news in HD in 2008, KRDO never broadcast in stereo until its digital signal was turned on.

Other Programming

KRDO carries all the ABC programming, although for years, it delayed Nightline well past its 10:35PM time slot. Syndicated programming includes Entertainment Tonight (which airs opposite The Insider on KOAA-TV), The Doctors, Judge Judy, Live with Kelly and Ryan, Coach, Frasier, and King of the Hill.