Local News Close-Up: California’s Capital Is a Vast and Varied Market

There’s long been a clear market leader in Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, California, but KCRA’s rivals are trying a number of things to poach ratings points. That includes a new 10 p.m. weeknight newscast on independent KMAX and rookie 12 p.m. regional newscasts on the two Spanish-language entrants, KNTV and KUVS.

But KCRA won’t be knocked off its sky-high perch any time soon. Ariel Roblin, president and general manager , said it all comes down to the people who work there. “People talk about how they watch KCRA, and they say, ‘These are great people who care about their community, and their coverage is heartfelt,’ ” she said.

Hearst Television owns NBC affiliate KCRA and KQCA. Known as My58, KQCA became The CW’s Sacramento affiliate on September 1, 2023. CBS News and Stations has KOVR and KMAX; the latter had been the CW station. Tegna holds ABC outlet KXTV and Nexstar Media Group owns the Fox affiliate, KTXL.

Also Read: Check Out Our Local News Close-Up Profiles on Dozens of U.S. Markets

Univision owns KUVS, known as Univision 19, and KTFK, while NBCUniversal Local has the Telemundo station KCSO, known as Telemundo 33, and KNSO.

Comcast is the major pay TV operator in DMA No. 20.

KCRA has some other advantages, including the only station helicopter in the market. That is key in a vast DMA that spans over 20,000 square miles, according to Roblin, especially when there’s a wildfire happening, such as the Park Fire that ranged this summer north of Sacramento.

The Hearst station was a beast in May. KCRA easily won the 6 a.m. race in households and viewers 25-54, as well as the 5 and 6 p.m. battles in both groups, with KOVR the runner-up.

KMAX beat KQCA and KTXL in the 10 p.m. newscast race, and KCRA won both races at 11. In households, KCRA had 43% of household viewing, KOVR 29%, KXTV and KUVS 10% and KTXL 8%. In viewers 25-54, KCRA had 44%, KOVR 32%, KXTV and KUVS 10%, and KTXL 4%.

Sacramento is the California capital, which means government is a giant economic driver. Agriculture is substantial as well — the GMs here often echo the region’s “farm to fork” motif — as are the military and the medical industry.

The general managers said the local economy ranges from lukewarm to a little cooler these days. “There are challenges,” said Chris Morris, regional president and general manager, KUVS-KTFK. “We’d be crazy to think there aren’t.”

8 P.M. Weekday News

Stations are hustling to get ahead. When KMAX went independent late last year, Deborah Collura, KOVR-KMAX president and general manager, wondered how to fill the two prime hours per night. She could not recall Sacramento ever having an 8 p.m. weeknight newscast, and decided to give it a shot. Launching in September with Tony Lopez anchoring, Primetime Sacramento is “a new, fresh, contemporary show with new franchise pieces,” she said.

It came out of the gate “gangbusters,” Collura added, doubling ratings over its predecessors in the 8 p.m. slot.

KOVR also debuted an initiative that sees eight multimedia journalists embedded in counties within the DMA, and ones that may not have been getting stations’ full attention before. Launching six months ago, the Community Journalism project “gives voice to the communities that are traditionally underserved,” Collura said.

KOVR got pointers from what CBS News and Stations cousin KCNC Denver had done with reporters living and working in specific parts of the market . “It’s working out great,” Collura said. “We get tips from viewers inside those counties, who tell us, you haven’t been telling our stories in the past, and we’re so glad you’re here. And they’re giving us stories.”

KOVR has a vital source in covering the Park Fire. Chief meteorologist Nick Merianos’s background includes both firefighting and flying airplanes.

KXTV, where the branding is We Stand For You, has brought back its “10 On Your Side” franchise, which had been sidelined for years. Chris Thomas fronts the segments, which have focused on energy bills skyrocketing, a charter school with a lavish budget, and how California’s Department of Developmental Services may be failing people with disabilities, among other community issues.

“It helps viewers with issues that are not being addressed by companies and government agencies,” explained Risa Omega, KXTV president and general manager. “In a short amount of time, we’ve had a lot of impact. We’re getting an overwhelming response from the community.”

KXTV recently launched Take a Look , a weekly program hosted by entertainment reporter Marcus S. Allen that features celebrity interviews, movie reviews and entertainment news. The show airs 9:30 a.m. Fridays.

To the Point With Alex Bell is on weeknights at 6:30 p.m. “We go beyond the headlines and take deeper dives into the issues that affect our communities,” be it homelessness, climate change or water resources, Omega said.

New News at Noon

The Spanish-language stations pay special attention to Stockton and Modesto, where a large number of their viewers live and work. Stacy Owen, president and general manager of KCSO-KNSO, along with KNTV-KSTS San Francisco, called them “very big, vibrant cities on their own.”

KUVS launched its noon newscast July 15. It is produced in Sacramento, with stations in the Bay Area, Fresno and Bakersfield pitching in.

“It has been extremely well received,” Morris said. “It’s not your typical hard news. It is very community-driven, very locally-driven, very digitally-focused.”

In addition to the noon newscast, KUVS, with Contigo (With You) branding, features weekday news 6-7 a.m., 6 and 11 p.m. weekdays, along with Sundays 6 and 11 p.m.

A key figure in covering state news is Roxanna Calderon, KUVS director of community empowerment. “She covers not only the capital, but the community leaders and influencers,” Morris said. “We make sure we provide a platform for them, from a nonpartisan standpoint, to communicate with.”

KCSO’s noon news began in November and is a partnership between stations in Sacramento, the Bay Area and Fresno. KCSO offers weekday news 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m.

Owen said everyone in the newsroom hustles to live up to the Sacramento stations’ Working For You (Trabajando Para Ti) branding. “We’re really leaning into the responsibility we have in this marketplace,” said Owen. “Our viewers literally feed the Central Valley, put roofs in, put ACs in.”

Candy Duran came on as KCSO news director in April. She’d been an executive producer at Univision’s KFTV Fresno, and began her career in local TV as an intern at KSTS San Francisco. “She has real central Valley roots, so she understands our market,” said Owen.

KCSO is a partner at the California State Fair and delivered the 5:30 news from the fair one day this summer.

Farm to Fork

Those working in Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto love the farm-to-fork dining scene, the diversity and the access to the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe (San Francisco is roughly 90 miles southwest of Sacramento.) Many look forward to the Oakland A’s moving to Sacramento for the 2025-2027 seasons ahead of an intended move to Las Vegas.

Collura describes herself as “a Midwest girl at heart,” and feels a similar vibe in the California capital. “Sacramento feels like it has the same Midwest sensibility as Chicago,” she said. “There’s a down to earth feeling here. People are real, they are authentic, they are very proud.”

The market is very unique in that four of the general managers are female. “We’re definitely hard-core competitors, but at the end of the day, we have a lot in common,” Roblin said. “It’s been a great experience.”

Omega noted the “mutual respect” among the female GMs as they battle every day. “I love that we are definitely competitive as local broadcasters,” she said. “As women in leadership roles, we bring a unique perspective to our stations.”