KKFX-CD
 | |
| |
|---|---|
| City | San Luis Obispo, California |
| Channels | |
| Branding |
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| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KEYT-TV, KCOY-TV | |
| History | |
First air date | January 20, 1997 |
Former call signs |
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Former channel number(s) | Analog: 24 (UHF, 1998–2015) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 33870 |
| ERP | 0.325 kW |
| HAAT | 445 m (1,460 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 35°21′37.9″N 120°39′24.6″W / 35.360528°N 120.656833°W |
| Translator(s) | KCOY-TV 12.2 Santa Maria |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
KKFX-CD (channel 24, cable 11) is a low-power, Class A television station licensed to San Luis Obispo, California, United States, serving the Central Coast of California as an affiliate of the Fox network. It is owned by the News-Press & Gazette Company (NPG) as part of its News Channel cluster alongside Santa Barbara–based ABC and CBS affiliate KEYT-TV (channel 3) and Santa Maria–licensed Telemundo and CW affiliate KCOY-TV (channel 12), which it manages. KKFX-CD and KCOY-TV share studios at West McCoy Lane and Skyway Drive in Santa Maria north of Santa Maria Public Airport; KEYT-TV maintains separate facilities on Miramonte Drive on TV Hill, overlooking downtown Santa Barbara. KKFX-CD's transmitter is located atop Cuesta Ridge north of San Luis Obispo; it and KCOY-TV, which covers the southern portion of the market from Tepusquet Peak in the Los Padres National Forest, carry the same major subchannels.
History
[edit]The Fox television network had no affiliate on the southern Central Coast, but KTTV of Los Angeles was available on cable.[2] When Fox gained the rights to telecast NFL football from CBS in 1994, Santa Maria–based CBS affiliate KCOY-TV reached a secondary affiliation agreement to continue presenting football to its viewers.[3] To fill this gap and provide a regional Fox affiliate, attorney William Reyner and the Smith Broadcasting Group, owner of Santa Barbara ABC affiliate KEYT-TV, teamed in December 1996 to launch KKFX. Originally broadcast on channel 11 and appearing on channel 11 or 24 on cable, the station debuted on January 20, 1997—in time to carry Super Bowl XXXI.[2][4] This had the effect of putting Fox football telecasts out of reach of non-cable homes in San Luis Obispo County.[5]
In 2000, Reyner sold KKFX to the Ackerley Group, owner of KCOY-TV,[6] for $15.4 million.[7] At the time of the sale, KKFX was airing a 10 p.m. newscast.[8] In 2002, Ackerley was bought out by Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia).[9]
Clear Channel sold its television stations in a deal announced in 2007 to Newport Television, a broadcasting holding company controlled by the private equity firm Providence Equity Partners. The sale was finalized on March 14, 2008;[10] however, Providence Equity Partners owned 19 percent of Univision and thus had to sell stations in multiple California markets. The Cowles Company of Spokane, Washington, had agreed months before the deal closed to acquire KCOY, KKFX-CA, and the Clear Channel TV station in Monterey (KION-TV); this transaction closed on May 7, 2008.[11][12]
In January 2012, Cowles announced a round of cost-cutting measures at its California stations. KCOY–KKFX bore the brunt of the cutbacks; sports coverage was eliminated, the morning show was pared back to an hour in length, and the evening newscasts began to be presented from Salinas. Thirteen employees were laid off,[13] including chief meteorologist Jim Byrne and sports anchor Kevin Roose, although weeknight anchor Arturo Santiago[14] and sports anchor Dave Alley each remained as Santa Maria-based reporters.[15] The move came just seven months after Cowles invested in converting the Santa Maria newsroom to high-definition, making KCOY–KKFX the first high-definition newscasts in the market.[16] Byrne sued Cowles, claiming breach of contract; the parties settled out of court.[17]
On September 20, 2013, News-Press & Gazette Company, owner of KEYT-TV, announced that it would take over some of KCOY's operations (including its news operation) under a shared services agreement. NPG acquired KKFX-CA directly.[18] The sale was completed on December 13.[19]
On January 20, 2015, KKFX began broadcasting over the air in high definition[20] and providing a high-definition feed directly to cable and DirecTV. On that same date, KKFX-CA returned to the airwaves in Santa Barbara on low-power KSBB-CD channel 17.[20]
Newscasts
[edit]Fox 11 News in the Morning airs weekdays on KKFX from 7 to 8 a.m. A nightly hour-long newscast is included.
Subchannels
[edit]The station's signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.1 | 720p | 16:9 | FOX-HD | Fox |
| 24.2 | 480i | KCOY-TV | Telemundo (KCOY-TV) | |
| 24.3 | Grit TV | The CW Plus (KCOY-TV) |
See also
[edit]- Channel 11 branded TV stations in the United States
- Channel 24 low-power TV stations in the United States
References
[edit]- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KKFX-CD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ a b Murphy, Tom (December 29, 1996). "Fox broadcast channel will soon come to Central Coast". Santa Maria Times. Santa Maria, California. p. A-1. Retrieved November 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "KCOY set to telecast NFL games again". Times-Press-Recorder. Arroyo Grande, California. August 10, 1994. p. 15. Retrieved November 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Davies, Jonathan (December 23, 1996). "Fox ashore at Santa Barbara". The Hollywood Reporter. pp. 3, 30. ProQuest 2393595694.
- ^ Lyons, Silas (January 3, 1997). "Got rabbit ears? Then forget about watching pro football next year". San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune. San Luis Obispo, California. p. B-1. Retrieved November 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Larson, Megan (April 10, 2000). "Ackerley buys two". Mediaweek. p. 24. ProQuest 213616084.
- ^ Bishop, Todd (March 16, 2001). "Broadcasters clustering acquisitions by region". Puget Sound Business Journal. p. 8B. ProQuest 226904595.
- ^ The Ackerley Group (March 31, 2000). "The Ackerley Group Expands Its New York and California Television Holdings" (Press release). PR Newswire. ProQuest 449367594.
- ^ "Clear Channel completes merger with Ackerley Group". San Antonio Business Journal. June 14, 2002. Archived from the original on September 29, 2004. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
- ^ "Clear Channel Agrees to Sell Television Station Group to Providence Equity Partners" (Press release). Clear Channel Communications. April 20, 2007. Archived from the original on April 25, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
- ^ "Deals". Broadcasting & Cable. October 5, 2007. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ "Cowles Company expands into California". KHQ-TV. May 8, 2008. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008 – via MSNBC.
- ^ "Weatherman Jim Byrne among 13 laid off at KCOY, KKFX". The Tribune. January 5, 2012. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
- ^ "KCOY lays off 13 people". Cal Coast News. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
- ^ "KCOY, KKFX lays off employees". Santa Maria Times. Archived from the original on January 9, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
- ^ Shen, Catherine (June 26, 2011). "KCOY first Central Coast station going high-def". Santa Barbara News-Press. p. A8. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ Miller, Ryan; Asman, Amy (November 1, 2012). "Broadcast company, former meteorologist come to terms". Santa Maria Sun. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ "KCOY to 'share services' with KEYT parent company under planned station purchases". Santa Maria Times. September 23, 2013. Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
- ^ "NewsChannel 3 Owner Completes Purchase of Fox 11". KEYT. December 13, 2013. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
- ^ a b Scholl, Claire (January 20, 2015). "CBS, Fox Now Over-The-Air in Most of SB, SLO Counties". KEYT. Archived from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for KKFX