SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

The engineers had worked through the night, surrounded by racks of equipment, vacuum tubes glowing bright orange, oscilloscopes showing waveforms and wires strewn all across the floor. The building, off of Eighth and D streets, was renovated, originally part of an old dairy and creamery facility.

At 9 a.m. on Sept. 3, 1955, the engineers switched on a transmitter. The first television signal in Northern California spread across the air.

To start they sent off a test pattern for the now-broadcasting KCRA Television, the frequency being on the VHF (Very High Frequency) signal, Channel 3. It was the first step in the station's history.

The steps forward never stopped after that.

From the beginning, technology, creativity, community and coverage were the themes.

The

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