ABOUT KENS 5
The KENS 5 Story
It was February 15, 1950, when a group of television pioneers went on the
air with KEYL. Broadcasting from what is now called the Tower Life
Building, the station began its rich history of serving San Antonio. In
1954, the station was purchased by the Express-News Company and the call
letters were changed to KENS, which stood for K-Express-News-Station.
For more than 70 years, the people of KENS 5 have strived to be the best,
most trusted news and entertainment source for generations of San
Antonians. The station brought many firsts to South Texas television,
including being the first station with a helicopter, the first with its own
Doppler radar and the first to air a morning news program in San Antonio.
Today, KENS 5 continues to set the standard in local broadcasting and is
recognized by its peers for excellence and innovation.
Over the years, KENS 5 has worked to transform local news. KENS 5 cameras
have brought history into San Antonio viewers' homes. Whether KENS 5 was
covering Pope John Paul II's visit to San Antonio, or the historic flooding
in South Texas, or the annual Fiesta celebrations, KENS 5 has gone to great
lengths to bring the news home to you.
Today, KENS 5 focuses on what’s really important to San Antonio, and that
often includes good news and information that you can use about our
community. Our signature franchises include Neighborhood Eats, Texas
Outdoors and Made in SA. Our news brand has been modernized and is
affectionately known within the station as The KENS Lens.
The KENS Lens
At KENS 5, we put people first. We hire the very best and work hard to make
our station a great place to work. In our news coverage, we focus on
telling the stories of the people of San Antonio.
We connect with our community with initiatives such as KENS Cares, which
focuses on helping non-profits throughout our city, such as the San Antonio
Food Bank and Communities in Schools. We are committed both as a team and
individually to serving our community. Every week, KENS 5 anchors and staff
are out in the city serving on boards, speaking to groups and volunteering.
Our newscasts are fresh and modern. We dare to be original in a world where
local news has become a bit of a cliche. By focusing less on typical news
stories that only affect a few, we make room for stories that make you
smile, make you think or make you smarter.
Finally, KENS 5 has a rich history in this community, and we honor the
pioneers who came before us by expecting and demanding excellence of
ourselves in everything we do. We push ourselves daily to be the very best
we can be. For our efforts, the station has been honored as the most
watched in San Antonio along with numerous awards for our journalism and
community engagement.
The Digital Age
KENS 5 was an early adopter of digital platforms as a way to inform and engage with our community. KENS 5’s digital team provides news updates and original content online. We invite you to join us on all of our digital channels:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kens5
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/kens5
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kens5
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/kens5
KENS5.com
and the KENS 5 app provide instant
access to the latest news in our city, and KENS 5+ extends our programming to
Roku and Fire TV.
Regardless of how you follow KENS 5 News, we know you have many choices,
and we’re proud so many in South Texas turn to and trust in KENS 5.
About TEGNA
KENS 5 is owned and operated by TEGNA Inc., an innovative media company
that serves the greater good of its communities. Across platforms, TEGNA
delivers relevant and trusted content by telling empowering stories,
conducting impactful investigations and providing innovative and
unparalleled solutions for advertisers through TEGNA Marketing Solutions.
For more information, visit www.TEGNA.com.
Mission and Coverage Priorities
MISSION
TEGNA’s purpose is to serve the greater good of our communities.
We will provide the news and information that people need to function as
effective citizens.
We will seek solutions as well as expose problems and wrongdoing.
We will provide editorial and community leadership.
We will seek to promote understanding of complex issues.
We will be advocates for our communities.
DIVERSE VOICES
At TEGNA, you will find people from all backgrounds, interests and abilities, united by a common purpose to make a difference in our work, our company and our community.
We are committed to making editorial decisions with input from a variety of voices that reflect our community. We seek sufficient understanding of the communities, individuals and stories we cover to inform the public. We are persistent in pursuit of the whole story.
DIVERSITY STAFFING REPORT
At TEGNA, we believe that attracting a talented and diverse workforce is
one of the keys to our success. We strive to create for our employees an
environment which offers professional and intellectual challenges, which
encourages innovation and creativity, and which rewards success and
effective teamwork. Read our latest
EEO Diversity Report
.
Ethics, Standards and Practices
ETHICS
TEGNA is committed to the highest ethical standards and dedicated to the principles of truth, independence, fair play and integrity. These principles apply to everything we do, from gathering content to reporting and producing content. Read TEGNA’s Principles of Ethical Journalism .
TEGNA journalists observe the following principles:
INDEPENDENCE
We will remain free of outside interests, investments, business
relationships or personal relationships that may compromise the credibility
of our news reports.
We will seek to avoid potential conflicts of interest and promptly disclose
any that arise.
We do not accept gifts, meals or entertainment from any individuals or
organizations that may be covered by our stations.
We do not allow sponsors of news to determine, change or restrict content.
We do not make political contributions, participate in political advocacy
or publicly share political views.
TRANSPARENCY
We are transparent about paid or sponsored content.
We clearly identify and differentiate commentary from news.
We will explain our journalistic processes to our audience.
PUBLIC INTEREST
We will uphold and defend the First Amendment.
We will be vigilant watchdogs of government and institutions that affect
the public.
We will fight to insure the public’s business is conducted in public.
FAIRNESS
We will treat people with dignity, respect and compassion.
We will be fair with people unaccustomed to dealing with the media. (*)
We will seek all sides relevant to a story.
(Also diverse voices)
INTEGRITY
We will act honorably, transparently and ethically in dealing with news
sources, the public and our colleagues.
We will obey the law.
We will not skew facts, distort reality or sensationalize events (ETHICS).
We will not manipulate images or sound in misleading ways.
We will not present images that are reenacted without informing the
audience.
We will use hidden cameras or similar techniques only if there is no other
way to tell a significant story effectively, and only with news management
approval.
We will respect the copyrights of others.
VERIFICATION & FACT-CHECKING
We report the news accurately, thoroughly and in context on all platforms.
We vet sources, verify facts and challenge assumptions before reporting
news. We hold factual information on all platforms to the same standards of
accuracy.
We are honest. We do not mislead sources, story subjects or the public.
We attribute information received from others, and we are transparent with
sourcing. We do not plagiarize.
We do not misstate our identity or intentions. We keep our word.
We do not intentionally slant the news.
We value being right over being fast.
UNNAMED SOURCES
We will use unnamed sources as the sole basis for reporting only as a last resort when it best serves the public’s right to know, and only with prior news management approval.
CORRECTIONS
We will make corrections promptly and proportionate to the original
reporting.
CONTACT US
MASTHEAD/EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP
Click here to meet our Editorial Leadership team
ACTIONABLE FEEDBACK
We value feedback from our community, including story ideas as well as comments and corrections on our coverage. Click on the appropriate link below to route your feedback to the correct team in our newsroom.
NEWSROOM CONTACT INFORMATION
Trust Project Participation
TEGNA is proud to be a participant in the Trust Project. The Trust Project is an international consortium of news organizations collaborating to use transparency to build a more trustworthy and trusted press. For more information visit https://thetrustproject.org/ .
For all content licensing inquiries, please contact our representatives at TEGNA@nimia.com