NBC television's San Diego affiliate plans to move its offices and studios out of downtown by the end of 2016 to an undisclosed suburban location.
The network-owned station has been located in a downtown high-rise adjacent to Horton Plaza since 2001, and its news studio is backed by windows open to a plaza area. The NBC logo atop the building is visible across downtown.
After news broke on the commercial real estate firm Hughes Marino's website, NBC San Diego president and general manager Richard Kelley released a statement confirming the station's plans to move in the fourth quarter of 2016.
"KNSD will not be renewing our lease at 225 Broadway when it expires in 2021," Kelley said.
"Because of the inevitability of the move, we are accelerating our plans to find a new location that provides our employees with affordable amenities and an improved workspace, along with an updated, more versatile facility for news," he said. "Additionally, we are looking for better access to the county's main thoroughfares, which will provide more comprehensive and timely local news coverage for our viewers."
No information was provided on what would happen to the space between 2016 and 2021. He said employees would receive details at a meeting scheduled for Monday.
The station formerly was located in Kearny Mesa.
The Hughes Marino blog post also said Bridgepoint Education, the San Diego-based for-profit company that operates Ashford University and University of the Rockies, planned to vacate the two floors it leases downtown at 600 B St.
However, Bridgepoint spokeswoman Marianne Perez denied the report to City News Service.
