KDKA goes O&O

I think it was June, 2003; KDKA finally gave in to the CBS style and replaced the Westinghouse style logo with a Helvetica KCBS-style logo. Despite what the gossip of the day said, KDKA did not begin to refer to themselves at "CBS 2" or "CBS 2 KDKA," and yet this was still a major step backwards and a slap in the face to KDKA's heritage.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• kdka
• tv2
• pittsburgh
• open
• kcbs
• viacom
• mandate

[thyssenelevator95]

The logo they used at that time was one of the worst. It's so tasteless. CBS stripped KDKA of their Westinghouse roots. Even their new logo is bland and boring. I think their logo should at least include a Group-W styled 2.

[tbear4pa]

Notice the van in the background, it still carried the Westinghouse font along with the CBS Eye which means the switchover had just occured with the logo here in this video. That came to a shock as Westinghouse was their mainstay for 40 years.

[tbear4pa]

That was when the familiar Westinghouse typeface numeral "2" was discontinued which lasted about 40 years total(1963-2003).

[char615]

I didn't know that KDKA adopted the 2003-style KCBS, KCAL, and KCNC CBS logo.

[buckeyedej]

There are three K calls east of the Mississippi -- six, really, if you count the derivative TVs and FM. KDKA, KDKA-TV, KDKA-FM and KQV in Pittsburgh and KYW and KYW-TV in Philadelphia. Just for the record.

[baltomd1]

@darkpowrjd Actually there is one other station east of the Mississippi River that starts with a K, and that's KYW-TV in Philadelphia (which is a sister station to KDKA-TV). However, I believe that they brand themselves as CBS 3. WJZ-TV CH. 13 here in Baltimore (another sister station) also goes by their call letters though, like KDKA. I believe it's for similar reasons as KDKA's.

[godgundam10]

@darkpowrjd There's also KYW in Philadelphia, which CBS also owns, yet they call it CBS 3.

[darkpowrjd]

@godgundam10 Yeah, I think that was the case (and why they revamped the logo shortly after going O&O). KDKA is so infused into Pittsburgh's history that they feel like it would lose something sentimental if it was mandated fully. KOVR probably had no issues as long as they weren't that cemented into Sac's history as KDKA is to the Steel Ciry's (not meaning that as an insult to Sac or KOVR, btw). It's the only east coast station with a K prefix (I think), which is another historical thing to add.

[PittNick95]

huh???

[ethelcorp]

I did follow the conversation, you didn't.

What do TOH ID requirements have to do with whether KDKA brands themselves as CBS 2 or KDKA?

The comment was about branding, not about how KDKA identifies.