View source for KSDK

{{Use American English|date=October 2025}}
{{Short description|Television station in St. Louis}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign = KSDK
| city = 
| logo = KSDK 5 On Your Side logo.svg
| logo_upright = .8
| branding = 5 On Your Side
| digital = 35 ([[UHF]])
| virtual = 5
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''5.1:''' [[NBC]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}
| owner = {{ubl|[[Tegna Inc.]]|''(sale to [[Nexstar Media Group]] pending<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Mark K. |date=August 19, 2025 |title=Nexstar Buying Tegna For $6.2 Billion |url=https://tvnewscheck.com/business/article/nexstar-buying-tegna-for-6-2-billion/ |access-date=August 19, 2025 |website=TV News Check |language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250819205146/https://tvnewscheck.com/business/article/nexstar-buying-tegna-for-6-2-billion/ |archive-date= August 19, 2025}}</ref>)''}}
| licensee = [[Multimedia, Inc.|Multimedia]] KSDK, LLC
| location = [[St. Louis]], Missouri
| country = United States
| airdate = {{start date and age|1947|2|8|p=y|br=yes}}
| callsign_meaning = Disambiguation of original KSD-TV calls
| former_callsigns = KSD-TV (1947–1979)
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:'''|5 ([[VHF]], 1947–2009)}}
| former_affiliations = {{ubl|'''All secondary:'''|[[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]] (1947–1956)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dumonthistory.com/a9.html|title=DuMont Television Network &#124; Historical Web Site|website=dumonthistory.com|access-date=February 16, 2022|archive-date=February 14, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214213720/https://dumonthistory.com/a9.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>|[[CBS]] (1947–1953)|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (1948–1953)}}
| erp = 838 [[kW]]
| haat = {{convert|339|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id = 46981
| coordinates = {{Coord|38|34|5|N|90|19|55|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
| website = {{url|https://www.ksdk.com/}}
}}

'''KSDK''' (channel 5) is a [[television station]] in [[St. Louis, Missouri]], United States, affiliated with [[NBC]] and owned by [[Tegna Inc.]] The station's studios are located on Market Street in [[Downtown St. Louis]], and its transmitter is located in [[Shrewsbury, Missouri]].

==History==
[[File:KSD-TV's_first_schedule,_February_8,_1947.jpg|thumb|left|Article in the ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'' edition dated February 8, 1947, announcing KSD-TV's first programs.]]
[[File:KSD TV Broadcast 1948.JPG|165px|thumb|right|A 1948 KSD broadcast.]]
The station first signed on the air as KSD-TV on February 8, 1947.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ksdk.com/article/entertainment/television/ksdk-70-years/5-on-your-side-and-its-place-in-st-louis-history/63-394558205|title=5 On Your Side and its place in St. Louis history|website=KSDK|date=February 6, 2017 |access-date=January 30, 2020}}</ref> It was owned by the [[Pulitzer Publishing Company]], publishers of the ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'' and owners of KSD radio (550 AM, now [[KTRS (AM)|KTRS]]). It was the ninth television station to sign on in the United States and the first television station in Missouri. The station's original studios were located adjacent to the Post-Dispatch building on Olive Street. It was the second commercial station located west of the [[Mississippi River]], following [[KTLA]] in [[Los Angeles]], which had signed on just 17 days earlier. In the early days, KSD produced much of its own programming and developed its own talent pool. Many St. Louis television pioneers from KSD-TV came from radio, including [[Frank Eschen]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/look-back/a-look-back-st-louis-crowds-gather-for-first-regular/article_9cfc03be-3422-5156-8a4b-c59e1cbec2da.html|title=A Look Back • St. Louis crowds gather for first regular TV broadcast in 1947|last=O'Neil|first=Tim|website=stltoday.com|language=en|access-date=January 30, 2020}}</ref> Kay Morton,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stlmediahistory.org/index.php/Radio/RadioArticles/kay-morton-female-st.-louis-radio-pioneer|title=St. Louis Media History|website=www.stlmediahistory.org|access-date=January 30, 2020}}</ref> Russ Severin<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.umsl.edu/~libweb/university-archives/Student%20Newspaper/Current,%201987-1989/1987/January%2029,%201987.pdf|title=Murray helps with TV celebration|last=Duggan|first=Christopher|date=January 29, 1987|website=www.umsl.edu|access-date=January 30, 2020}}</ref> and Dave Russell.<ref>[http://www.dougquick.com/stlouisTVhistory2.html "St. Louis Television, the early years"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224193734/http://www.dougquick.com/stlouisTVhistory2.html |date=December 24, 2017 }}, ''Doug Quick Online'', Doug Quick, August 14, 2013. Retrieved on 3, June 2014.</ref>

Because of a [[Federal Communications Commission#Freeze of 1948|freeze on new television station licenses]] imposed by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC), KSD-TV was the only television station in the St. Louis market, until WTVI (channel 54, now [[KTVI]] channel 2, a [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate) signed on in August 1953. Often known as simply "Channel 5", the station has always been an NBC affiliate, owing to KSD radio's longtime affiliation with the [[NBC Red Network]]. The station is currently the longest-tenured affiliate in the market of any major broadcast television network. In its early years, Channel 5 also carried secondary affiliations with [[CBS]], [[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]] and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. In the early 1960s, Channel 5 became the first St. Louis television station to broadcast in [[color television|color]].<ref name=":0" />

After Pulitzer sold KSD radio to Combined Communications Corporation in 1979 (prior to Combined's merger into the [[Gannett Company]] that same year), KSD-TV, in order to comply with an FCC regulation in place then that stated that TV and radio stations in the same market, but different ownership had to use different [[Call signs in North America|call signs]], modified theirs to the current KSDK on September 10, 1979.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=85398 |title= History Cards for KSDK|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]}} ([[Wikipedia:WikiProject Radio Stations/History Cards|Guide to reading History Cards]])<!--Converted from {{FCC letter}}--></ref> In 1982, the station relocated its studios from its original location on Olive Street to their present location on Market Street in Downtown St. Louis. In 1983, Pulitzer traded channel 5 to [[Multimedia, Inc.]] in return for WFBC (now [[WYFF]]) in [[Greenville, South Carolina]], and [[WXII-TV]] in [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]], in what was a rare instance of one company's [[flagship (television)|flagship]] station being traded for another. Pulitzer earned a handsome return on its original investment in KSD radio in 1922.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/83-OCR/BC-1983-03-14-Page-0161.pdf|title=Changing Hands|website=www.worldradiohistory.com|date=March 14, 1983|page=161}}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> During the 1980s and 1990s, KSDK was the highest-rated NBC affiliate in the country.

In 1990, KSDK dropped the longtime ''[[Eyewitness News]]'' branding and rebranded its newscasts as ''NewsChannel 5''; the station also began to operate on a 24-hour-a-day schedule. On July 24, 1995, Multimedia was purchased by the Gannett Company, with the acquisition finalized on December 4.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/25/business/the-media-business-expanding-in-tv-gannett-agrees-to-buy-multimedia.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Expanding in TV, Gannett Agrees to Buy Multimedia], ''[[The New York Times]]'', July 25, 1995.</ref><ref>[http://www.gannett.com/article/99999999/PRESSRELEASES17/100721008/Gannett--Multimedia-announce-merger-agreement Gannett, Multimedia announce merger agreement] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107024621/http://www.gannett.com/article/99999999/PRESSRELEASES17/100721008/Gannett--Multimedia-announce-merger-agreement |date=January 7, 2013 }}, Gannett press release, December 4, 1995.</ref> In 1998, KSDK debuted the "Window on St. Louis", a street-side studio located in the same [[central business district|downtown]] St. Louis building that also houses KSDK's other studios. The local program ''Show Me St. Louis'' used this studio for broadcasts for nearly 20 years. The Window on St. Louis was modeled on ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]''{{'}}s "Window on the World".

[[File:Ksdk.png|thumb|right|KSDK's former logo, used from 1993 to 2017, with an outline of the [[Gateway Arch]] behind the "5". The [[Helvetica]] "5" dated from 1982; until 1993 it was usually paired with the [[NBC logo]] (the 11-feather "Proud N" until 1986, and the current six-feather design thereafter).]]
In an attempt to provide St. Louisans with local and national election results during the [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 elections]], KSDK partnered with [[PBS]] [[Network affiliate#Member stations|member station]] [[KETC]] (channel 9) to [[simulcast]] election coverage. The KSDK/KETC partnership continued through September 2005, when, along with radio partners [[KYKY]] (98.1 FM) and [[KEZK]] (102.5 FM), a [[telethon]] for [[Hurricane Katrina]] relief was simulcast.

KSDK produced the first broadcast of any local program in St. Louis in [[high-definition video|high definition]], when it broadcast the St. Louis [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving Day]] Parade on November 24, 2005. Incidentally, the 2005 parade also marked the final year that the event, which had been a Thanksgiving Day tradition on KSDK, would be broadcast on the station, as the parade moved to CBS affiliate [[KMOV]] (channel 4) in 2006.

Around the first week of October 2012, Gannett entered a [[Carriage dispute|dispute]] against [[Dish Network]] regarding [[Retransmission consent|compensation]] fees and Dish's [[AutoHop]] commercial-skip feature on its Hopper [[digital video recorder]]s. Gannett ordered that Dish discontinue AutoHop on the account that it is affecting advertising revenues for KSDK. Gannett threatened to suspend its contact with the satellite provider should the skirmish continue beyond October 7 and Dish and Gannett fail to reach an agreement.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Loose |first=Ashley |title=DISH customers may lose Gannett programming, including 12 News KPNX, over AutoHop feature |url=http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/central_phoenix/dish-customers-may-lose-gannett-programming-including-12-news-kpnx-over-autohop-feature |access-date=October 6, 2012 |publisher=[[KNXV-TV]] |date=October 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011013154/http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/central_phoenix/dish-customers-may-lose-gannett-programming-including-12-news-kpnx-over-autohop-feature |archive-date=October 11, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Vuong|first=Andy|title=Gannett threatening to black out stations in its dispute with Dish|url=http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_21710959/gannett-threatening-black-out-stations-its-dispute-dish|access-date=October 6, 2012|newspaper=[[Denver Post]]|date=October 6, 2012}}</ref> The two parties eventually reached an agreement after extending the deadline for a few hours.<ref>{{cite news|last=Warner|first=Melodie|title=Dish, Gannett Reach New Deal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444897304578044401930225948|access-date=October 8, 2012|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|date=October 8, 2012}}</ref>

On June 29, 2015, the Gannett Company split in two, with one side specializing in print media and the other side specializing in broadcast and digital media. KSDK was retained by the latter company, named [[Tegna Inc.|Tegna]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Separation of Gannett into two public companies completed {{!}} TEGNA|date = June 29, 2015|url = http://www.tegna.com/separation-of-gannett-into-two-public-companies-completed/|publisher=Tegna|access-date = June 29, 2015}}</ref>

In 2017, the station re-branded as "5 On Your Side".

==Local programming==

=== News operation ===
[[File:NewsChannel 5.png|thumb|right|275px|Former "5 On Your Side" news open.]]
KSDK presently broadcasts 37 hours of locally-produced newscasts each week (with six hours each weekday and {{frac|3|1|2}} hours each on Saturdays and Sundays). The station also produces five half-hour episodes of ''Show Me St. Louis'' each week.

KSDK dominated the news ratings in St. Louis for the better part of its first six decades on the air. KMOX-TV (now KMOV) took the lead in the late 1960s, but KSDK regained the #1 spot in the early 1980s and kept it for most of the next two decades, with some of the highest (and by some measures, ''the'' highest) rated newscasts in the nation. For much of that time, its main anchors stayed at the station for 10 years or more. At one point, its 6 p.m. newscast ended with local elementary schoolchildren flashing the hand signs for "5" and "1", signifying that, as a promo featuring the kids said, "Even a second grader could tell you that Channel 5 is number 1."

During the spring 2004 sweeps, it lost its first-place position at 10 p.m. to KMOV, and the two stations have traded the ratings crown in that timeslot several times since then. KMOV has also closed its ratings gap in several other timeslots, due in part to NBC's overall weaker ratings since 2004. KSDK's ratings dominance began to slip dramatically in 2009, first losing late news to KMOV, and then morning news to KTVI. In 2013, its ratings went into free fall. The November 2013 ratings book saw KSDK tumble into last place for the first time in its history. KTVI easily won the morning news and KMOV swept the rest.

[[File:KSDK-TV news van.JPG|right|thumb|KSDK-TV news van.]]

A sports wrap-up program previously aired on Sunday evenings after the 10 p.m. newscast called ''Sports Plus.'' It was originally hosted by Mike Bush until he moved from sports director to news anchor in 2004, and then hosted by sports director Rene Knott, who became the news co-anchor of ''Today in St. Louis'', KSDK's weekday morning newscast, in 2017.

From August 1989 until September 2011, ''Today in St. Louis'' co-anchors Jennifer Blome and Art Holliday had one of the longest anchor pairings in U.S. local television history. In 2011, Holliday was reassigned to co-anchor a new half-hour 4 p.m. newscast alongside Kay Quinn that debuted on September 12, 2011,<ref name="KSDK schedule" /> while Blome was paired with Pat McGonigle (formerly of [[WHEC-TV]] in [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]]) on the morning newscast.<ref name="Splitting">[https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/television/gail-pennington/article_25b207dc-d276-11e0-a47b-001a4bcf6878.html KSDK splitting up Jennifer and Art after 22 years], ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'', August 29, 2011.</ref>

On September 12, 2005, KSDK debuted a half-hour weekday newscast at 10 a.m., following the third hour of NBC's ''Today''; the newscast was discontinued in September 2009, but returned on September 12, 2011, as an hour-long program (as a result, the fourth hour of ''Today'' airs on a one-hour delay at 11 a.m.). On February 6, 2006, KSDK became the first television station in St. Louis, and the seventh station in the United States, to broadcast all newscasts and locally produced programming in [[High-definition television|high definition]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=KSDK NewsChannel 5 - HDTV |url=http://www.ksdk.com/life/programming/hdtv/default.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060417222242/http://www.ksdk.com/life/programming/hdtv/default.aspx |archive-date=April 17, 2006 |access-date=September 30, 2025 |website=KSDK.com}}</ref> it also became the first St. Louis area station to [[streaming media|stream]] all of its newscasts online. On August 13, 2007, KSDK debuted ''Online @ 9'', a 10-minute news [[webcast]] on the station's website that was tailored to an online audience. That online newscast has been discontinued.

On November 11, 2010, KSDK entered into a news share agreement with [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]]–owned ABC affiliate [[KDNL-TV]], to produce two pre-recorded half-hour newscasts at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. weeknights for that station starting on January 3, 2011 (prior to the agreement, KDNL had not run any local newscasts since it shut down its news department in October 2001); in addition, KDNL also aired weekend rebroadcasts of KSDK's entertainment/features program ''Show Me St. Louis''. KDNL general manager Tom Tipton stated that the station did not want to run simulcast or repurposed newscasts in its efforts to return daily newscasts to channel 30.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 12, 2010 |title=KSDK to produce newscasts for KDNL |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2010/11/12/ksdk-to-produce-newscasts-for-kdnl.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101118035247/https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2010/11/12/ksdk-to-produce-newscasts-for-kdnl.html |archive-date=November 18, 2010 |access-date=April 1, 2025 |website=St. Louis Business Journal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Lisa |date=November 13, 2010 |title=KSDK to produce newscasts for KDNL |url=https://www.stltoday.com/life-entertainment/local/movies-tv/ksdk-to-produce-newscasts-for-kdnl/article_2e5d4a71-38ce-5d1a-933f-659ce0af54ce.html |access-date=April 1, 2025 |website=STLtoday.com}}</ref> The arrangement was unusual given that KSDK and KDNL are both "[[Big Three television networks|Big Three]]" network affiliates, and the fact that the newscasts on both stations competed against one another. The agreement with KDNL was to have ended on December 31, 2013;<ref name="slpd-ksdkonkdnlend">{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Lisa|title=KSDK to stop producing newscasts for KDNL|url=https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/ksdk-to-stop-producing-newscasts-for-kdnl/article_1f7db579-5ba9-55c7-ab4e-1dc5c33771dc.html|access-date=June 22, 2013|newspaper=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]|date=June 20, 2013}}</ref> however, it was extended for another month until January 31, 2014. 
 
On September 12, 2011, along with the relaunch of its 10 a.m. newscast and the addition of a 4 p.m. newscast, ''Today in St. Louis'' expanded from {{frac|2|1|2}} to three hours on weekday mornings, now running from 4 to 7 a.m.; while the noon newscast was reduced to a half-hour with ''Show Me St. Louis'' being moved to fill the remaining half-hour. With these additions, KSDK was reduced to only three hours of syndicated daytime shows to back up its newscasts outside of NBC network programming.<ref name="KSDK schedule">{{Cite web|url=https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/television/gail-pennington/ksdk-sets-post-oprah-schedule/article_1c42d57a-862a-11e0-a3c7-001a4bcf6878.html|title=KSDK sets post-'Oprah' schedule|first=Gail|last=Pennington|website=STLtoday.com|date=May 24, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mediabistro.com/|title=Creative Jobs :: Careers for Graphic Designers, Copywriters, Social Media Managers, Proof Readers and More.|website=www.mediabistro.com}}</ref>

By 2014, KSDK had canceled its 10 a.m. newscast, with a now hour-long ''Show Me St. Louis'' taking up the 10 a.m. hour, with the noon newscast also expanding back to 60 minutes in length. By 2017, ''Show Me St. Louis'' was again only 30 minutes, with [[infomercial]]s filling the 10:30 half hour. The noon news was typically 30 minutes long with occasional extensions to 60 minutes, with another infomercial filling the 12:30 slot. In 2017, KSDK's noon news was discontinued, and replaced with a second run of ''[[Jeopardy!]]''<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/columns/joe-holleman/ksdk-discontinues-noon-newscast-because-of-poor-ratings/article_64229d3d-9704-5300-a7f6-8aed0d697aaa.html|title=KSDK discontinues noon newscast because of poor ratings|last=Holleman|first=Joe|work=stltoday.com|access-date=October 25, 2017|language=en}}</ref> In 2018, ''Today in St. Louis'' was reduced to two hours on weekday mornings, running from 5 to 7 a.m. In 2020, KSDK expanded ''Today in St. Louis'' back to {{frac|2|1|2}} hours, running from 4:30 to 7 a.m. In addition, KSDK revived its 10 a.m. newscast for a third time and has moved ''Show Me St. Louis'' to 10:30&nbsp;a.m.

In October 2021, KSDK revived its noon newscast and moved their first of 2 ''Jeopardy!'' slots to 12:30 where it remained until ''[[The Ellen DeGeneres Show]]'' ended in May 2022. After which, ''[[Inside Edition]]'' moved to 3 p.m. on KSDK from 4:30 on KMOV and ''Jeopardy!'' reruns moved to 3:30 while new episodes continue to air at 4:30.

KSDK used to operate a [[Bell 206|Bell 206B3 JetRanger]] helicopter called "Chopper 5", that was used for breaking news and severe weather coverage. To save money, the station began paying market leader KMOV to use video from its chopper in 2010. Its news reporting has also won the station a [[List of KSDK awards|multitude of journalism awards]] including [[Emmy Award#Regional Emmys|Regional Emmys]], [[Gabriel Award]]s and Regional [[RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Award|Edward R. Murrow Awards]].

====2014 school security controversy====
In January 2014, KSDK faced criticism from educators and the community for an undercover piece on school security. On January 16, a KSDK [[videojournalist]] entered [[Kirkwood High School]] in [[Kirkwood, Missouri|Kirkwood]] to test the school's security, wearing a hidden camera. This followed several other tests at local single-building elementary schools, whereas Kirkwood High School is a multi-building campus. Thus, Kirkwood was the only school where the employee entered without being questioned.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/ksdk-reporter-working-on-school-safety-story-prompted-kirkwood-high-lockdown/article_aa2ef2de-9905-5b26-a500-1105ae4b0df5.html|title=KSDK reporter working on school safety story prompted Kirkwood High lockdown|first=Jessica|last=Bock|website=STLtoday.com|date=January 17, 2014 }}</ref> School personnel became concerned when the KSDK employee asked to use a restroom and left the office in the opposite direction, and when the station would not confirm with the school that the employee's visit was only a test, the school was placed on [[lockdown]] for 40 minutes, when a station representative finally confirmed that the employee's presence was for a story.<ref name="auto"/> [[Investigative reporter]] Leisa Zigman apologized on-air for the chain of events leading to the lockdown, but the station stood by its story, claiming the lockdown did not occur until an hour after the videojournalist left.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/01/16/newschannel-5-statement-school-safety/4531859/|title=NewsChannel 5 Report on School Safety|access-date=April 10, 2014|archive-date=April 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413124037/http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/01/16/newschannel-5-statement-school-safety/4531859/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Despite a school spokesperson admitting changes to security needed to be made, KSDK was strongly criticized by viewers raising questions about [[journalistic ethics]], and anchor Mike Bush led the 10 p.m. newscast on January 20 with a more formal apology, stating that the station was reviewing its procedures to ensure a similar incident would not occur again.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/ksdk-apologizes-again-for-role-in-kirkwood-high-school-lockdown/article_471de79c-76dd-5e47-b840-0b5412078beb.html|title=KSDK apologizes again for role in Kirkwood High School lockdown|first=Margaret S.|last=Gillerman|website=STLtoday.com|date=January 21, 2014 }}</ref>

====Notable former on-air staff====
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Fran Charles]] – reporter (1991–1992)
* [[Denise D'Ascenzo]] – reporter and [[talk show]] host (1980s)
* [[Karen Foss]] – anchor (1979–2006)
* [[Paul Goodloe]] – chief meteorologist (1997–1999)
* [[Janice Huff]] – meteorologist (1987–1991)
* [[Julius Hunter]] – reporter (1966–1974)
* [[Stan Kann]] – personality (became frequent guest to ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson|The Tonight Show]]'' and other programs with his presentations of gadgets)
* [[George Noory]] – news director (early to mid-1980s)
* [[Cindy Preszler]] ([[American Meteorological Society|AMS]] and [[National Weather Association|NWA]] Seals of Approval) – chief meteorologist (October 1998–April 22, 2016)
* [[Jay Randolph]] – sports director/reporter
* [[Sonny Randle]] – sports reporter (1965–1970)
* [[Bob Richards (meteorologist)|Bob Richards]] – chief meteorologist (1983–1994)
* [[Anne Thompson (TV journalist)|Anne Thompson]] – consumer reporter (1983–1986)
* [[Debbye Turner]] – ''Show Me St. Louis'' anchor/feature reporter (1995–2001)
* [[Matt Winer]] – sports reporter
* [[Trey Wingo]] – sports reporter (1991–1997)
{{div col end}}

===Sports programming===
When KSD-TV signed on in 1947, it began a longtime association with the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] as the team's [[flagship (broadcasting)|flagship]] station. On May 8, 1966, during ceremonies for the opening of [[Busch Memorial Stadium]], Bill Houska Sr. flew home plate from [[Sportsman's Park]] to the new downtown stadium in "Chopper 5". The station aired Cardinals games from [[1947 St. Louis Cardinals season|1947]] to [[1958 St. Louis Cardinals season|1958]], before losing the rights to [[KPLR-TV]] (channel 11) for the next four seasons. The Cardinals returned in [[1963 St. Louis Cardinals season|1963]] and remained on channel 5 until [[1987 St. Louis Cardinals season|1987]] – long after many other "Big Three" network affiliates dropped local sports event coverage. KSDK lost the rights to KPLR again after the 1987 season; the station also aired any Cardinals games as part of [[Major League Baseball on NBC|NBC's broadcast contract]] with Major League Baseball from 1947 to [[1989 St. Louis Cardinals season|1989]], including the team's [[World Series]] victories in [[1964 World Series|1964]], [[1967 World Series|1967]] and [[1982 World Series|1982]].

On December 7, 2006, KSDK re-obtained the television rights to Cardinals games effective with the [[2007 St. Louis Cardinals season|2007 season]], ending a 19-year run on KPLR. KSDK aired an average of 20 locally produced Cardinals games each year, with most other games airing on [[Fox Sports Midwest]] outside the St. Louis market. KSDK lost the broadcast rights on July 15, 2010, when Fox Sports Midwest signed an exclusive contract with the team beginning with the [[2011 St. Louis Cardinals season|2011 season]], ending the Cardinals' over-the-air telecasts.<ref>[http://www.multichannel.com/article/454824-FS_Midwest_To_Air_All_St_Louis_Cardinals_Games_Locally_In_2011.php FS Midwest To Air All St. Louis Cardinals Games Locally In 2011], ''Multichannel News'', July 15, 2010.</ref> The final Cardinals telecast on channel 5 aired on October 3, [[2010 St. Louis Cardinals season|2010]], with a game against the [[Colorado Rockies]].

KSD-TV/KSDK has also been involved in airing games of St. Louis' two former NFL teams, the [[Arizona Cardinals|Cardinals]] and [[Los Angeles Rams|Rams]]; the station broadcast the Cardinals' home interconference contests from [[1970 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season|1970]] to [[1987 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season|1987]], when the Cardinals relocated to Phoenix, and again with the Rams from their arrival in St. Louis in [[1995 St. Louis Rams season|1995]] until [[1997 St. Louis Rams season|1997]], when [[NFL on CBS|CBS]] acquired the [[American Football Conference|AFC]] package from [[NFL on NBC|NBC]]. It has aired all ''[[NBC Sunday Night Football|Sunday Night Football]]'' games through NBC since 2006; all Sunday night games that the Rams took part in from then until their return to Los Angeles after the 2015 season were aired on Channel 5.

From 2006 to 2021, KSDK broadcast [[St. Louis Blues]] games that aired via the ''[[NHL on NBC]]''; this included the team's victory in the [[2019 Stanley Cup Final]].

===Other locally produced programming===
KSDK has had a long history of producing local programs, including the ''Wranglers Club'' with Texas Bruce (1950–1963), ''Corky's Colorama'' with Clif St. James playing Corky the [[Clown]] (1963–1980), ''Newsbeat'' hosted by Dick Ford and John Auble (1976–1984), and ''Midday A.M.'' (c. 1979–1986).

Since September 5, 1995, KSDK has aired ''Show Me St. Louis'', which highlights local entertainment and other (mostly family-oriented) attractions around the St. Louis area. The program usually broadcasts from the "Window on St. Louis", where local groups and organizations are allowed to bring signs to advertise their events, though it occasionally leaves the studio to broadcast from local attractions (such as the [[St. Louis Zoo]], [[Busch Stadium]], the [[Fox Theatre (St. Louis)|Fox Theatre]]) or from surrounding communities (such as [[Waterloo, Illinois]] and [[Florissant, Missouri|Florissant]]) that have uncommon or unknown attractions that may be of interest to viewers; these "Great Escapes" (as the segment within the show is titled) usually occur during summer months. The program is sponsored and has [[advertorial]] segments which are disclaimed to be from the advertisers which sponsor them, which are then disclaimed at the end of each episode. Another short advertorial feature, ''Simply Irresistible'' is carried in some prime time ad breaks.

During the 1980s, the syndicated daytime talk show ''[[Sally (1983 TV series)|Sally]]'' (hosted by [[Sally Jessy Raphael]]) originated from KSDK's studios ([[Multimedia Entertainment]], a subsidiary of former KSDK owner Multimedia, Inc., distributed the program nationally until the company's 1995 merger with Gannett, with the distribution rights held by [[NBCUniversal Syndication Studios|Universal Television Enterprises]] and then [[Universal Television|Studios USA]] Television until the show's 2002 cancellation).

==KSDK in the community==
KSDK is active in several community-based and charitable projects. Here are some of the most well-known:
*''A Place to Call Home'' is an [[Emmy Award]]-winning weekly segment which profiles one child placed within the [[foster care]] system who is in need of adoption. KSDK has partnered with the [https://www.foster-adopt.org/ Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition] for the segment, which debuted in 2002. In September 2018, The Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition announced KSDK's ''A Place to Call Home'' segment had found 400 children forever homes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://2yx13r25cnad1c1ctp43305d-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/2018_FosteringHope_Fall.pdf|title=Anyaii's Adoption Day|date=September 2018|website=Fostering Hope Coalition Newsletter|access-date=January 30, 2020|archive-date=October 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020000256/https://2yx13r25cnad1c1ctp43305d-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/2018_FosteringHope_Fall.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/FosterAdopt/posts/10155470249797691 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/39872367690/10155470249797691 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |url-access=limited|title=Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|access-date=January 30, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> A secondary program, ''Little Wishes'', allows viewers who are unable to adopt a foster child to add a little happiness to their life by purchasing a gift for him or her during the holiday season.
*''Friend to Friend'' was a program that reminded viewers on the fifth of each month to perform a [[breast self-exam]] to detect [[breast cancer]] in its early, treatable stages. Viewers could also contact KSDK for an informational packet that included reminders on performing a self-exam. The station remains a sponsor for the Komen St. Louis More Than Pink Walk, which raises money for breast cancer research for [[Susan G. Komen for the Cure]]. In 2006, the St. Louis fundraiser overtook Denver as the largest Race for the Cure event in the country with more than 64,000 participants, with more than $2.5 million raised with over 65,000 participants in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.mayorslay.com/article/komen-race-cure-june-10|title=Komen Race For The Cure, June 10 {{!}} Mayor Slay: Standing up for St. Louis|website=MayorSlay|language=en|access-date=January 30, 2020}}</ref>
*''Volunteer 5'' was a weekly, week-long program that collected donations for a particular local charity or community organization. It operated as a telethon, with phone operators taking calls between 4 and 7 p.m. each weeknight from anyone wishing to donate time or a monetary payment. ''Volunteer 5'' provided more than $5 million annually in services and hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours to local [[non-profit organization]]s. The program began in 1993 to help those affected by the [[Great Flood of 1993]], and ended in November 2005.
*The ''[[Jerry Lewis]] [[MDA Telethon]]'' aired each [[Labor Day]] weekend on KSDK until 2012 (having aired only in prime time on the Sunday before the holiday in 2011 and 2012), benefiting the [[Muscular Dystrophy Association]] to fund research to find a cure for [[muscular dystrophy]] and other diseases affecting the [[nervous system|nervous]] and [[muscular system]]s. Anchor Mike Bush served as host of the telethon's local segments, whose donations benefit the St. Louis chapter of the MDA. KSDK lost its status as St. Louis' "Love Network" station when the telethon abandoned its syndication model, changed its name to the ''MDA Show of Strength'' and became a two-hour network telecast on ABC (airing locally on [[KDNL-TV]], channel 30) in 2013 and 2014; the event was discontinued in 2015. The station re-launched the ''MDA Show of Strength'' in 2017,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/mda-labor-day-telethon-is-back/63-466503453|title=MDA Labor Day 'telethon' is back!|last=Piper|first=Brandie|date=September 4, 2017|website=KSDK|access-date=January 30, 2020}}</ref> raising money for MDA St. Louis. That year the telethon was hosted by Mike Bush and Heidi Glaus, and streamed on the station's website and on [[Facebook Live]] for three hours. In 2018, Mike and Heidi hosted the telethon for a longer period of time, streaming it online and on KSDK. In 2019, Anne Allred joined the telethon as Mike's co-host. That year the pair raised more than $135,000 for the St. Louis chapter of the MDA.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/5-on-your-side%27s-mda-telethon-raises-more-than-$135,000/63-a3a2055e-214d-4208-88c9-7a422b9914e1|title=5 On Your Side's MDA Telethon raises more than $135,000|website=KSDK|access-date=January 30, 2020}}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> All money raised during the annual ''MDA Show of Strength'' stays in St. Louis.

==Technical information==

===Subchannels===
The station's digital signal is [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of KSDK<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KSDK|title=RabbitEars TV Query for KSDK|website=[[RabbitEars]]|accessdate=March 20, 2025}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 5.1 
| [[1080i]] || [[16:9]] || KSDK-5 || [[NBC]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 5.2 
| rowspan=5 |[[480i]] || [[4:3]] || GetTV || [[Get (TV network)|Get]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 5.3 
| rowspan=4|16:9 || Crime || [[True Crime Network]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 5.4 
| Quest || [[Quest (American TV network)|Quest]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 5.5 
| Nosey || Nosey
|-
! scope = "row" | 5.6 
| CONFESS || Confess
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6; border-top: 2px solid #003399;"
! scope = "row" | [[KPLR-TV|11.3]] 
| 480i || 16:9 || Comet || [[Comet (TV network)|Comet]] ([[KPLR-TV]]) 
|}
{{legend|#DFEBF6|Broadcast on behalf of another station}}

Subchannel 5.2 debuted in June 2005 as an affiliate of [[NBC Weather Plus]] (under the name "NewsChannel 5 Weather PLUS"), before affiliating with [[The Local AccuWeather Channel]] in December 2008, after NBC Weather Plus discontinued operations. On August 28, 2013, 5.2 started carrying [[Bounce TV]]. A few years later, {{When|date=March 2025}} it stopped carrying Bounce and started carrying [[Get (TV network)|Get]].

On January 20, 2015, KSDK launched subchannel 5.3, carrying [[True Crime Network]], which launched the same day. 

On January 17, 2018, KSDK launched digital subchannel 5.4, which carried clips promoting [[Quest (American TV network)|Quest]], a new multicast network which made its debut on January 29, 2018. 

Subchannel 5.5 launched in 2021 to carry [[Twist (TV network)|Twist]]. When Twist shut down on December 31, 2023, the subchannel switched to duplicating the 5.3 program feed (True Crime Network), until Nosey launched sometime{{When|date=March 2025|reason=What month and day in 2024?}} in 2024. 

Subchannel 5.6 carried [[This TV]],{{When|date=March 2025|reason=When did 5.6 launch?}} until the network shut down in 2024. After that, the subchannel remained blank for a few months, until the launch of Confess later that year{{When|date=March 2025|reason=What month and day in 2024?}}.

===Analog-to-digital conversion===
KSDK ended regular programming on its analog signal, over [[VHF]] channel 5, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States [[Digital television transition in the United States|transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts]] under federal mandate. The station's digital signal continued to broadcasts on its pre-transition UHF channel 35, using [[virtual channel]] 5.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds |access-date=March 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 }}</ref><ref name="FCCForm387">{{Cite web|url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101308343&formid=387&fac_num=46981|title=CDBS Print|website=licensing.fcc.gov}}</ref>

As part of the [[SAFER Act]], KSDK kept its analog signal on the air until July 12 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop of [[public service announcement]]s from the [[National Association of Broadcasters]].<ref name="FCC Nightlight">{{cite web|url=https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-291375A1.pdf|title=UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|date=June 12, 2009|access-date=June 3, 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|http://www.ksdk.com/}}

{{St Louis TV}}
{{Missouri TV}}
{{Illinois TV}}
{{Tegna}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ksdk}}
[[Category:1947 establishments in Missouri]]
[[Category:Get (TV network) affiliates]]
[[Category:NBC affiliates]]
[[Category:Quest (American TV network) affiliates]]
[[Category:Tegna Inc.]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1947]]
[[Category:Television stations in St. Louis]]
[[Category:True Crime Network affiliates]]