KAVU-TV

Last updated
KAVU-TV
KAVU Logo 2021.png
Channels
Branding
  • KAVU 25
  • KAVU 25 News Now
Programming
Subchannels
Affiliations ABC (1993–present; dual primary 1990–1993)
Ownership
Owner
KMOL-LD, KVCT, KUNU-LD, KQZY-LD, KXTS-LD, KVTX-LD
History
First air date
July 21, 1982(41 years ago) (1982-07-21)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog:
  • 25 (UHF, 1982–2009)
  • Digital:
  • 15 (UHF, 2002–2020)
NBC (1982–1993)
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 73101
ERP 1,000 kW
HAAT 312 m (1,024 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 28°50′43.4″N97°7′34″W / 28.845389°N 97.12611°W / 28.845389; -97.12611
Links
Public license information
Website www.crossroadstoday.com

KAVU-TV (channel 25) is a television station in Victoria, Texas, United States, affiliated with ABC. Owned by Morgan Murphy Media, it is the largest station in the Victoria Television Group, which also includes the low-power affiliates of NBC (KMOL-LD channel 17), CBS (KXTS-LD channel 41), Univision (KUNU-LD channel 21), Telemundo (KVTX-LD channel 45), and Cozi TV (KQZY-LD channel 33); additionally, Morgan Murphy provides certain services to Fox affiliate KVCT (channel 19) under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with SagamoreHill Broadcasting. The Victoria Television Group studios are located on North Navarro Street, with transmitter facilities on Farm to Market Road 236 west of the city.

Contents

KAVU-TV was established in 1982 as the second full-service TV station in Victoria. In 1989, a bank that came to have financial interests in KAVU and its primary competitor, KVCT, consolidated the two stations' assets into KAVU-TV and spun off the other station. In the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, KAVU-TV's owners expanded with additional low-power TV stations, creating the Victoria Television Group, which provides all major over-the-air television service to the city and also houses the area's only TV news department.

History

Prior channel 25 permit and early years

In February 1969, the FCC granted a construction permit to John J. "Joe" Tibiletti, owner of radio station KTXN-FM, for a channel 25 television station—which applied for the KAVU-TV call letters. [2] Tibiletti had pushed for the commission to assign a second channel to Victoria in 1963. [3] Initially promising to operate a full-service station with possible network affiliation, Tibiletti sold the unbuilt construction permit to K-SIX Television, owners of Corpus Christi station KZTV, in 1971. [4] The sale was never closed, and the commission dismissed Tibiletti's application for more time to build in 1974. [5]

Interest around channel 25 arose again at the end of the 1970s. Two groups sought translators: Corpus Christi public television station KEDT and a husband and wife who proposed to rebroadcast KWEX-TV in San Antonio. [6] By December 1980, however, an application for a new full-service television station on channel 25 had taken precedence, from Community Broadcasting of Coastal Bend, owned by the Constant family: Dr. George and his wife Ruth. [7] This third filing snarled KEDT's plans to expand, even though the commission had granted a construction permit, because a grant of the Community Broadcasting application would bump KEDT's translator to another channel and created uncertainty around the investment; [8] the South Texas Educational Broadcasting Council, owner of KEDT, sought to have channel 25 reserved for noncommercial use. [9]

In September, the FCC awarded a construction permit to Community Broadcasting, which declared its intention to be on the air by July 4, 1982, preferably as a CBS affiliate. [10] Selecting the call letters KAVU-TV, as had Tibiletti in 1969, the station signed an affiliation contract with NBC [11] and began broadcasting July 21, 1982. [12] The studios on Navarro Road, still used by the Victoria Television Group, had previously housed a Devereux Foundation school run by founder Dr. George Constant. [13] [14]

Bank ownership and consolidation with KVCT

Several years after launching, a dispute emerged affecting Community Broadcasting of Coastal Bend, rooted in a promissory note that was issued in March 1983 in order for new investors to buy into the station. [15] In October 1987, the First Victoria National Bank sued channel 25, claiming that KAVU-TV investors had made false statements and misrepresentations in a suit they had filed against the bank two years prior. The station claimed the bank charged excessively high rates as part of its enforcement of what it called an illegal contract. [16] Even as the litigation between KAVU-TV and the bank remained under a gag order, further issues arose when former general manager Richard Lee French, who owned 10.9 percent of the company, filed a challenge to its license renewal the next year. [17] (The FCC denied the challenge, though French continued to contest several later actions. [18] )

First Victoria filed in April 1989 to have the license transferred to it, [19] a condition of a settlement in state court. [20] Litigation remained pending in a parallel federal case. [20]

In a late July status report in the federal case, which included one of French's filings, First Victoria's planned course of action was revealed, significantly altering the television landscape in Victoria. In addition to KAVU-TV, the bank also held a corporate interest in the ownership of KVCT, its direct competitor; the bank planned to consolidate the two stations, sell KAVU-TV to Withers Broadcasting as the only commercial television station in the market, and convert KVCT into a noncommercially operated outlet. [18] The judge in the federal case would find that the sale to the bank violated the settlement of the state suit; as a result, he also ordered KAVU-TV to pay $28,000 in unpaid royalties to ASCAP. [21]

In December 1989, sale contracts for both stations were filed with the FCC. KAVU-TV and the station's real estate assets sold for approximately $1.52 million, while KVCT sold for $1.5 million. [22] Approval of the transactions was delayed, as Withers could not retain both licenses and needed to find a buyer for KVCT; the deal was approved after striking a deal with Jerianne Medley of Friendswood in March 1990. [23]

The Withers purchase and KVCT divestiture were completed in early July 1990; on July 5, all of KVCT's sales staff and most of its news team reported to work at KAVU, [24] and two months later, channel 25 became a dual affiliate of NBC and ABC, as KVCT became an independent Christian station. [25] It would retain this status until March 1993, when it became a sole ABC affiliate, citing the difficulties of scheduling two network lineups on one station. [26]

Withers expanded its broadcasting holdings in the Victoria market when it took over the operations of KVCT, which had gone off the air for several months, under a local marketing agreement; the station reemerged in September 1994 as a Fox affiliate. [27] The next year, it leased KTXN-FM, still owned by Tibiletti, and bought KNAL (1410 AM). [28] Two years later, Withers acquired a pair of low-power television stations, on channels 27 and 59; one would offer Spanish-language programming. [29]

Saga and Morgan Murphy

Saga Communications acquired KAVU-TV from Withers in 1998, making it the company's second television property after KOAM-TV in Joplin, Missouri. [30] Channel 25 was sold, along with KNAL, for $11.875 million. [31] Withers stated the only reason he sold was the cost of converting KAVU and KVCT to high definition television. [32] The sale closed the next year, as Saga made a string of investments into the station and its local newscasts. [33]

KAVU-TV was briefly carried in Corpus Christi in 2006 when Time Warner Cable entered into a retransmission consent dispute with that city's ABC affiliate, KIII-TV. The station was not aware of the change until relatives of station employees who lived in the market told them that they enjoyed watching the KAVU morning newscast that day. [34]

Under Saga, the Victoria Television Group continued to expand its suite of channels, adding an NBC affiliate (currently KMOL-LD) in 2001 after convincing the network of the growth potential of the market; at the same time, KVTX-LP became the area's Telemundo affiliate. [35] Aided by changes made by the FCC, they also launched digital signals in time to meet the federal deadline that had prompted Withers to sell. [36] In 2011, KXTS-LD, previously carrying MyNetworkTV, relaunched as the market's first CBS affiliate, giving the group all four major network affiliations in the market, plus Univision and Telemundo. [37] In that year, KAVU alone accounted for two-thirds of all revenue among stations in the Victoria market, and its 6 p.m. local newscast earned a 47 share—representing nearly half of all households. [37]

Previous logo until March 31, 2021. KAVU.png
Previous logo until March 31, 2021.

Saga exited the television business in 2017 and sold its stations to Morgan Murphy Media. [38]

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KAVU-TV [39]
Channel Video Aspect Short nameProgramming [40]
25.1 720p 16:9 KAVU-HDMain KAVU-TV programming / ABC
25.2 480i KMOL-SDSimulcast of KMOL-LD / NBC
25.3 KXTS-SDSimulcast of KXTS-LD / CBS
25.425-NOW 25 Now
25.5ION Ion Television

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WIFR-LD</span> CBS affiliate in Rockford, Illinois

WIFR-LD is a low-power television station in Rockford, Illinois, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. The station is owned by Gray Television, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on North Meridian Road in Rockford.

The Evening Telegram Company, d/b/a Morgan Murphy Media, is an American television and radio company based out of Madison, Wisconsin. The company is named for publisher Morgan Murphy, who expanded the business after he took over from his grandfather, who founded the Superior Evening Telegram.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KBOI-TV</span> CBS affiliate in Boise, Idaho

KBOI-TV is a television station in Boise, Idaho, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside low-power CW+ affiliate KYUU-LD. Both stations share studios on North 16th Street in downtown Boise, while KBOI-TV's transmitter is located at the Bogus Basin ski area summit in unincorporated Boise County.

KTTW is a religious television station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States, owned and operated by Tri-State Christian Television (TCT) with transmitter in Rowena, South Dakota. It is rebroadcast on KTTM in Huron, whose transmitter is located near Alpena, South Dakota. KTTM covers areas of south-central and southeastern South Dakota that receive a marginal to non-existent over-the-air signal from KTTW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTCL-LD</span> Low-power Telemundo affiliate in Cleveland

WTCL-LD is a low-power television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, affiliated with Telemundo. It is owned by Gray Television alongside two full-power sister stations: Shaker Heights–licensed CBS affiliate WOIO and Lorain–licensed CW affiliate WUAB ; WTCL-LD also functions as an ultra high frequency (UHF) repeater for WOIO and WUAB. All three stations share studios at Reserve Square in downtown Cleveland; WTCL-LD's transmitter is located in suburban Parma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KOSA-TV</span> CBS affiliate in Odessa, Texas

KOSA-TV is a television station licensed to Odessa, Texas, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Permian Basin area. It is owned by Gray Television alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate KWWT, Big Spring–licensed CW+ affiliate KCWO-TV, Telemundo affiliate KTLE-LD and Antenna TV affiliate KMDF-LD. The stations share studios inside the Music City Mall on East 42nd Street in Odessa, with a secondary studio and news bureau in downtown Midland; KOSA-TV's transmitter is located on FM 866 west of Odessa. The station is relayed on low-power translator K31KJ-D in Big Spring.

KSTV-LD is a low-power television station in Sacramento, California, United States, affiliated with LATV. The station is owned by Lazer Broadcasting, the company's only television station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KUNU-LD</span> Univision affiliate in Victoria, Texas

KUNU-LD is a low-power television station in Victoria, Texas, United States, affiliated with the Spanish-language Univision network. It is owned by Morgan Murphy Media alongside ABC affiliate KAVU-TV and four other low-power stations: NBC affiliate KMOL-LD, CBS affiliate KXTS-LD, Cozi TV affiliate KQZY-LD, and Telemundo affiliate KVTX-LD. Morgan Murphy Media also provides certain services to Fox affiliate KVCT under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with SagamoreHill Broadcasting. All of the stations share studios on North Navarro Street in Victoria and transmitter facilities on Farm to Market Road 236 west of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KVCT</span> Television station in Texas, United States

KVCT is a television station in Victoria, Texas, United States, affiliated with Fox and The CW Plus. It is owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Morgan Murphy Media, owner of ABC affiliate KAVU-TV, for the provision of certain services. KVCT is also sister to five low-power stations owned by Morgan Murphy Media: NBC affiliate KMOL-LD, Univision affiliate KUNU-LD, Cozi TV affiliate KQZY-LD, CBS affiliate KXTS-LD, and Telemundo affiliate KVTX-LD. All of the stations share studios on North Navarro Street in Victoria; KVCT's transmitter is located on Farm to Market Road 236 west of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WYDC</span> Fox affiliate in Corning, New York

WYDC is a television station licensed to Corning, New York, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Elmira area. It is owned by Coastal Television Broadcasting Company LLC alongside low-power MyNetworkTV affiliate WJKP-LD. The two stations share studios on East Market Street in Downtown Corning; WYDC's transmitter is located on Higman Hill.

KTMF is a television station in Missoula, Montana, United States, affiliated with ABC and Fox. Owned by the Cowles Company, the station has studios on Stephens Avenue in Missoula, and its transmitter is located on TV Mountain north of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFXV (TV)</span> Fox affiliate in Harlingen, Texas

KFXV is a television station licensed to Harlingen, Texas, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Lower Rio Grande Valley. It is owned by Entravision Communications alongside McAllen-licensed Univision affiliate KNVO, Class A primary CW+ affiliate and secondary PBS member KCWT-CD, and Class A UniMás affiliate KTFV-CD. The stations share studios on North Jackson Road in McAllen, while KFXV's transmitter is located near La Feria, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SagamoreHill Broadcasting</span>

SagamoreHill Broadcasting LLC is a privately held American holding company that owns 13 television stations based in the Great Lakes and southern United States regions. The company is a joint venture of the investment firm Duff Ackerman & Goodrich of San Francisco, California and former Benedek Broadcasting and Spartan Communications executive Louis Wall.

KUVM-CD is a low-power, Class A television station in Houston, Texas, United States. Owned by HC2 Holdings, the station maintains affiliations with multiple digital networks. KUVM-CD's transmitter is located near Missouri City, in unincorporated northeastern Fort Bend County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMOL-LD</span> NBC affiliate in Victoria, Texas

KMOL-LD is a low-power television station in Victoria, Texas, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Morgan Murphy Media alongside ABC affiliate KAVU-TV and four other low-power stations: Univision affiliate KUNU-LD, Cozi TV affiliate KQZY-LD, CBS affiliate KXTS-LD, and Telemundo affiliate KVTX-LD. Morgan Murphy Media also provides certain services to Fox affiliate KVCT under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with SagamoreHill Broadcasting. All of the stations share studios on North Navarro Street in Victoria and transmitter facilities on Farm to Market Road 236 west of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KXTS-LD</span> Television station in Texas, United States

KXTS-LD is a low-power television station in Victoria, Texas, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Morgan Murphy Media alongside ABC affiliate KAVU-TV and four other low-power stations: NBC affiliate KMOL-LD, Univision affiliate KUNU-LD, Cozi TV affiliate KQZY-LD, and Telemundo affiliate KVTX-LD. Morgan Murphy Media also provides certain services to Fox affiliate KVCT under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with SagamoreHill Broadcasting. All of the stations share studios on North Navarro Street in Victoria and transmitter facilities on Farm to Market Road 236 west of the city.

KVTX-LD is a low-power television station in Victoria, Texas, United States, affiliated with the Spanish-language Telemundo network. It is owned by Morgan Murphy Media alongside ABC affiliate KAVU-TV and four other low-power stations: NBC affiliate KMOL-LD, CBS affiliate KXTS-LD, MeTV affiliate KQZY-LD, and Univision affiliate KUNU-LD. Morgan Murphy Media also provides certain services Fox affiliate KVCT under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with SagamoreHill Broadcasting. All of the stations share studios on North Navarro Street in Victoria and transmitter facilities on Farm to Market Road 236 west of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WOHZ-CD</span> Class A TV station based in Canton, Ohio

WOHZ-CD is a low-power, Class A television station in Canton, Ohio, United States. Owned by Gray Television, it serves as an ultra high frequency (UHF) translator of Cleveland–licensed Telemundo affiliate WTCL-LD, which itself is a repeater for Shaker Heights–licensed CBS affiliate WOIO and Lorain–licensed CW affiliate WUAB.

KSNL-LD is a low-power television station in Salina, Kansas, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located on North Santa Fe Avenue in downtown Salina, and its transmitter is located on State Street and Halsted Road in unincorporated Saline County.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for KAVU-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "TV Station Bid Approved". Victoria Advocate. February 28, 1969. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Victorian Mum on Bid For UHF TV channel". Victoria Advocate. December 27, 1963. pp. 1, 10. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Public Notice". Victoria Advocate. September 21, 1971. p. 15. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Dismissed" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 2, 1974. p. 49. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Programming Bids Submitted". Victoria Advocate. April 19, 1980. p. 7A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  7. ↑ "License for TV Station Asked by Third Group". Victoria Advocate. December 19, 1980. p. 5A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  8. ↑ "New TV Channel Awaiting Approval". Victoria Advocate. May 2, 1981. p. 2A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  9. ↑ "FCC Review Schedule Delay for TV Station". Victoria Advocate. May 8, 1981. p. 10A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  10. ↑ "New TV Station To Open in '82". Victoria Advocate. September 29, 1981. p. 5A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Television Station Becomes Affiliate". Victoria Advocate. May 21, 1982. p. 9A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Third TV Station Operating Here". Victoria Advocate. July 23, 1982. p. 5A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  13. ↑ KAVU-TV (2017). 25 @ 35 (Video).[ dead YouTube link ] (Note: Ruth Constant calls it a "nursing home", which is not backed up by newspaper references.)
  14. ↑ "Devereux School Plans Early Summer Move". Victoria Advocate. April 10, 1960. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  15. ↑ "To TV Station Lawsuit: Stockholders Respond". Victoria Advocate. January 24, 1986. p. 5A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Cross-Action Filed by Local Bank". Victoria Advocate. October 18, 1987. p. 2A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  17. ↑ Brown, Don (July 6, 1988). "By Former General Manager: KAVU-TV License Challenged". Victoria Advocate. p. 1A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  18. 1 2 "Plans for TV Station Sale Outlined to Judge". Victoria Advocate. August 4, 1989. p. 6A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Application Filed To Move KAVU License". Victoria Advocate. April 8, 1989. p. 7A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  20. 1 2 "TV License Transfer Expected". Victoria Advocate. May 10, 1989. p. 7A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Judge Orders Payment for Use of Music". Victoria Advocate. August 16, 1989. p. 9A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  22. ↑ Brown, Don (December 2, 1989). "City TV Stations Await OK of Sale". Victoria Advocate. pp. 1A, 12A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Agreement Reached On TV Station Plan". Victoria Advocate. March 8, 1990. p. 6A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Station Sale Completed". Victoria Advocate. July 4, 1990. p. 5A. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  25. ↑ "By TV Station: Changes Noted". Victoria Advocate. September 5, 1990. p. 7A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Victoria TV station drops NBC affiliation". March 9, 1993. p. 8A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Fox station hits airwaves". Victoria Advocate. September 11, 1994. p. 8B. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Withers leases KTXN-FM". Victoria Advocate. May 13, 1995. p. 5B. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  29. ↑ Moulder, Marsha (April 22, 1997). "Broadcasting firm outlines plans to buy 2 TV stations". Victoria Advocate. p. 5A. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  30. ↑ "Saga doubles TV stable" (PDF). July 13, 1998. p. 13 (27). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  31. ↑ "Dealing for Dollars" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. February 15, 1999. p. 36. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  32. ↑ Jares, Andrea (July 9, 1998). "Michigan firm to purchase KAVU". Victoria Advocate. pp. 1A, 12A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  33. ↑ Overton, Melony (April 7, 1999). "New owners to upgrade TV stations". Victoria Advocate. p. 3A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  34. ↑ Doyle, Thomas (February 3, 2006). "Time Warner cable broadcasts KAVU in place of Corpus station". Victoria Advocate. p. 3A. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  35. ↑ Castaneda, Katania (February 3, 2002). "Cox adds 2 TV channels". pp. 1C, 8C. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  36. ↑ Gruszka, Mary C. (July 10, 2002). "Saga Meets the Deadline". TV Technology. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  37. 1 2 Malone, Michael (September 12, 2011). "Market Eye: CBS 'Boots' Up In Tiny Texas Market". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  38. ↑ Miller, Mark (May 10, 2017). "Morgan Murphy Buying 6 Saga Stations". TVNewsCheck. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  39. ↑ "RabbitEars query for KAVU-TV". rabbitears.info. Archived from the original on August 16, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  40. ↑ "RabbitEars TV Query for KAVU". Archived from the original on 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.