KTVU History Main Page Beginnings Signing On The Moose Club Studios "Big Sam" The First Programs The Early Years The New Building Local Religious Coverage Japanese Sister Station Growing Up Creature Features The Jack Carney Show Sports Flashbacks Roller Derby

In another pioneering move, in late 1962 KTVU initiated a "sister station" agreement with TV stations in Fukuoka and Osaka, Japan.

This pioneering move was greeted by Television Age in its November 12, 1962 edition: "At a time when international relations are generally strained, television strides are being made in the direction of international harmony. KTVU San Francisco-Oakland is a case in point. As a first step in its new 'sister station' affiliation with television station RKB in Fukuoka, Japan, KTVU sent a news unit to Japan to film the colorful ceremonies making the 'sister city' relationships between Oakland and Fukuoka, and between San Francisco and Osaka. This official linking between a foreign and an American television station is believed to be the most complete and possibly a forerunner of events to come."

The relationship was reinforced in September 1966, when KTVU sponsored a weeklong Japanese Television festival.

The station broadcast at least 30 programs with a Japanese theme, including travelogues of Japan, Japanese documentaries, and episodes of the Tokyo version of Romper Room. The president of Cox Broadcasting Corp. even presented a documentary made during his visit to Japan.