KSDK to vacate longtime location in downtown St. Louis due to security concerns
St. Louis NBC affiliate KSDK said he was planning to leave his downtown St. Louis home and move “elsewhere in the city of Saint-Louis.”
The station announced it would sell the downtown building it has operated out of for more than 40 years.
President and CEO of KSDK Alicia Elsner declined to reveal where KSDK would move, saying a lease was still being finalized for its new space. She said an announcement was likely in the coming weeks regarding its new location.
“Staying within the St. Louis city limits has been a top priority as we plan our move to a new facility,” Elsner said in a statement. “Our goal is to finalize a space that promotes collaboration and innovation, while providing security, ample parking and minimal disruption to travel. We are excited about this next chapter and will update you as soon as details are finalized.
The Tegna-owned station has operated out of downtown St. Louis since its inception in 1947. The building has an appraised value of $5.2 million, according to city real estate records.
Elsner said KSDK’s new offices will provide safe and secure parking for its employees, which was an important factor in its search for new facilities. About 75 percent of KSDK’s 135 employees park in a nearby parking lot and walk to the station. The need for secure on-site parking is important because of KSDK’s 24-hour operations, Elsner said.
1000 Market St. was near several downtown shootings last year. At least six people were shot, one fatally, after a fight turned into a shooting June 23 at 10th and Market, near the entrance to the KSDK building. A few weeks later, gunfire following a Fourth of July celebration injured several people and left several downtown buildings punctured by bullets, including Peabody Plaza, just two blocks to the east from KSDK.
This will be the second St. Louis TV affiliate to leave downtown in as many years. KMOV, owned by Gray, has moved in end of 2023 in a new studio in Maryland Heights.
