KWBA-TV

Last updated

KWBA-TV
KWBA CW Tucson 2024.svg
City Sierra Vista, Arizona
Channels
BrandingTucson CW; KGUN 9 News
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
KGUN-TV
History
First air date
December 31, 1998
(25 years ago) (1998-12-31)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 58 (UHF, 1999–2009)
  • Digital: 44 (UHF, until 2018)
The WB (1999–2006)
Call sign meaning
"The WB Arizona", after prior affiliation
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 35095
ERP 525 kW
HAAT 332.3 m (1,090 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 31°45′31.8″N110°48′5.5″W / 31.758833°N 110.801528°W / 31.758833; -110.801528
Links
Public license information
Website www.thecwtucson.com

KWBA-TV (channel 58) is a television station licensed to Sierra Vista, Arizona, United States, serving as the CW affiliate for the Tucson area. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside ABC affiliate KGUN-TV (channel 9). The two stations share studios on East Rosewood Street in East Tucson; KWBA-TV's transmitter is located atop the Santa Rita Mountains southeast of the city.

Contents

History

The first attempt at putting a station on channel 58 in Sierra Vista was KCCA-TV (call sign standing for Cochise County, Arizona). KCCA was owned by Sierra Vista Television, owned by Thomas Gramatikas. [2] The proposed station would have broadcast from a tower in the Sierra Vista area with a power of 2.38 million watts; however, the Tucson area would have been blocked by terrain from seeing it. [3] It may have desired to operate as a subscription television station, indicated by a 1982 filing where the FCC granted KCCA permission to install subscription television equipment. By 1985, the permittee was Manning Telecasting, who also held the construction permit for channel 11 in Yuma, [4] but the permit vanished the next year, and KCCA never made it to air.

The history of the current channel 58 began November 22, 1996, with a construction permit granted to KM Communications to serve Sierra Vista and Tucson on analog channel 58. The call letters were originally KAUC, but in August 1997, the station changed their call letters to KWBA to reflect their affiliation deal with The WB; the former superstation feed of Chicago's WGN-TV served as Tucson's de facto affiliate of The WB until KWBA signed on. In 1997, the station announced its existence and that it was close to securing Tucson office space. [5] The station had now changed ownership, being held by a partnership of two companies: Sierra Television (a KM subsidiary [6] ) and Tucson Communications. Its general manager was Ron Bergamo, an alumnus of the University of Arizona returning to Tucson after a six-year stint as general manager of KTSP-TV/KSAZ-TV in Phoenix. [5]

Delays in permitting for the tower site on U.S. Forest Service land [7] held up construction more than anticipated, but KWBA-TV began broadcasting on December 31, 1998. [8] WB programming was supplemented by short local features, syndicated programs, and Arizona Diamondbacks baseball. [9] It proved a success: in 2001, it tied for the highest rating among all WB affiliates in non-metered television markets (those still measured by diaries). [10] That year, Tucson Communications changed its name to Cascade Broadcasting Group, having become the sole owner. In 2006, KWBA-TV affiliated with The CW upon the merger of The WB with UPN. [11]

On March 18, 2008, Journal Broadcast Group announced it would purchase KWBA-TV, creating a duopoly with KGUN-TV. To make the $11.9 million purchase, Journal had to apply for a failing station waiver; even though Tucson had too few commercial station owners to normally permit another duopoly, it presented financial statements showing it had lost money for three years straight (with operating losses nearing $900,000 a year in 2006 and 2007 [12] ), a situation exacerbated by the loss of Diamondbacks baseball rights (the team moved all games to Fox Sports Arizona after the 2007 season), and pledged to start a local newscast from KGUN-TV for air on KWBA-TV. The FCC permitted the acquisition in June. [13] Work was carried out that fall to move KWBA-TV into KGUN-TV's studios. [14]

On July 30, 2014, it was announced that the E. W. Scripps Company would acquire Journal Communications in an all-stock transaction. The combined firm would retain its broadcast properties, including KGUN, and spin off the print assets as Journal Media Group. [15] The FCC approved the deal on December 12, 2014, and shareholders followed suit on March 11, 2015; the merger was completed on April 1. [16] [17] On April 19, 2024, CW majority owner Nexstar Media Group announced that the network would not renew its affiliations with Scripps-owned stations, including KWBA-TV. [18]

Programming

Newscasts

In 2003, KWBA entered into an agreement with local CBS affiliate KOLD-TV (channel 13) and launched a 9 p.m. newscast in April of that year; Fox affiliate KMSB-TV soon followed with their own 9 p.m. newscast. [19] Within a year, KMSB's offering edged out KWBA's in the ratings. [20] The KOLD-produced newscast was short-lived, as it went off the air on December 15, 2005, after the contract with KOLD-TV expired and the two parties could not agree on a new direction for the newscast. [21]

In September 2008, KGUN began rebroadcasting its 6 p.m. newscast on KWBA at 9 p.m. [14] KGUN began producing a live weeknight-only 9 p.m. newscast for KWBA-TV on March 9, 2009.

In April 2014, KGUN began airing a one-hour extension of its weekday morning newscast on KWBA from 7 to 8 a.m., titled Good Morning Tucson Extra. [22]

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KWBA-TV [23]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
58.1 1080i 16:9 KWBA-HD The CW
58.2 480i GRIT Grit
58.4CourtTV Court TV
58.5DeFy TV Defy TV
58.6JTV Jewelry Television
9.1 720p KGUN-HD ABC (KGUN-TV)
  Simulcast of subchannels of another station

Analog-to-digital conversion

KWBA-TV discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 58, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television; the digital signal continued on UHF channel 44, using virtual channel 58. [24] The station was then moved to channel 21 in the repack. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTVK</span> Independent TV station in Phoenix, Arizona

KTVK is an independent television station in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is owned by Gray Television alongside CBS affiliate KPHO-TV and low-power station KPHE-LD, a grouping known as "Arizona's Family". The three stations share studios on North Seventh Avenue in Uptown Phoenix; KTVK's transmitter is located on South Mountain on the city's south side. The station's signal is relayed across northern Arizona on a network of translator stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMTV-TV</span> CBS affiliate in Omaha, Nebraska

KMTV-TV is a television station in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, affiliated with CBS. Owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, the station has studios on Mockingbird Drive in southwest Omaha, and its transmitter is located on a "tower farm" near North 72nd Street and Crown Point Avenue in north-central Omaha. It also doubles as a secondary CBS station in the Platte Purchase area alongside local affiliate KCJO-LD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMYD</span> CW affiliate in Detroit, Michigan

WMYD is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV. The two stations share studios at Broadcast House on 10 Mile Road in Southfield; WMYD's transmitter is located on Eight Mile Road in Oak Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E. W. Scripps Company</span> American media company

The E. W. Scripps Company, also known as Scripps Howard, is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglomerate. The company is headquartered at the Scripps Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its corporate motto is "Give light and the people will find their own way", which is symbolized by the media empire's longtime lighthouse logo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KPHO-TV</span> CBS affiliate in Phoenix, Arizona

KPHO-TV is a television station in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside independent stations KTVK and KPHE-LD, a group known together as "Arizona's Family". The three stations share studios on North Seventh Avenue in Uptown Phoenix; KPHO-TV's transmitter is located on South Mountain on the city's south side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KNXV-TV</span> ABC affiliate in Phoenix, Arizona

KNXV-TV is a television station in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside independent station KASW. The two stations share studios on 44th Street on the city's east side; KNXV-TV's transmitter is located atop South Mountain. KNXV-TV's signal is relayed across northern Arizona through a network of low-power translators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KASW</span> TV station in Phoenix, Arizona

KASW, branded on-air as Arizona 61, is an independent television station in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside ABC affiliate KNXV-TV. The two stations share studios on North 44th Street on the city's east side; KASW's primary transmitter is located on South Mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSKN</span> CW affiliate in Spokane, Washington

KSKN is a television station in Spokane, Washington, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside CBS affiliate KREM. Both stations share studios on South Regal Street in Spokane, while KSKN's transmitter is on Krell Hill southeast of Spokane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KUPX-TV</span> Independent TV station in Provo, Utah

KUPX-TV, branded Utah 16, is an independent television station licensed to Provo, Utah, United States, serving Salt Lake City and the state of Utah. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Fox affiliate KSTU. KUPX-TV's offices are located on Lawndale Drive in the southern section of Salt Lake City, and its transmitter is located on Farnsworth Peak in the Oquirrh Mountains, southwest of Salt Lake City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KNIN-TV</span> Fox affiliate in Caldwell, Idaho

KNIN-TV is a television station licensed to Caldwell, Idaho, United States, serving as the Fox affiliate for the Boise area. The station is owned by Marquee Broadcasting. KNIN-TV's transmitter is located at the Bogus Basin ski area summit in unincorporated Boise County, with its technical and news operations based out of the studios of Sinclair Broadcast Group–owned KBOI-TV on North 16th Street in Boise under a facilities and services agreement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTTU (TV)</span> Television station in Arizona, United States

KTTU is a television station in Tucson, Arizona, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Fox affiliate KMSB ; Tegna maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Gray Television, owner of CBS affiliate KOLD-TV, for the provision of studio space and technical services while maintaining control of programming and sales. The three stations share studios on North Business Park Drive on the northwest side of Tucson ; KTTU's transmitter is located atop Mount Bigelow.

KMSB is a television station in Tucson, Arizona, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate KTTU ; Tegna maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Gray Television, owner of CBS affiliate KOLD-TV, for the provision of studio space and technical services and the production of local newscasts for KMSB. The three stations share studios on North Business Park Drive on the northwest side of Tucson. KMSB's lone transmitter is located atop Mount Bigelow; as a result of the transmitter's location, residents in the northern part of Tucson, Oro Valley, and Marana do not receive adequate reception of the station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KVOA</span> NBC affiliate in Tucson, Arizona

KVOA is a television station in Tucson, Arizona, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Allen Media Broadcasting. The station's studios are located on West Elm Street north of downtown Tucson, and its primary transmitter is located atop Mount Bigelow, northeast of the city, supplemented by translators in the Tucson Mountains and in Sierra Vista.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KGUN-TV</span> ABC affiliate in Tucson, Arizona

KGUN-TV is a television station in Tucson, Arizona, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Sierra Vista–licensed CW affiliate KWBA-TV. The two stations share studios on East Rosewood Street in east Tucson; KGUN-TV's transmitter is located atop Mount Bigelow, northeast of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KXXV</span> ABC affiliate in Waco, Texas

KXXV is a television station in Waco, Texas, United States, serving Central Texas as an affiliate of ABC. Owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, the station maintains studios on South New Road in Waco, and its transmitter is located near Moody, Texas. KXXV and co-owned KRHD-CD in Bryan split the market; KRHD-CD is a semi-satellite of KXXV with separate local news programming for the Brazos Valley.

KOLD-TV is a television station in Tucson, Arizona, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Gray Television, which provides certain services to Fox affiliate KMSB and MyNetworkTV affiliate KTTU under a shared services agreement (SSA) with Tegna Inc. The three stations share studios on North Business Park Drive on the northwest side of Tucson. KOLD-TV's primary transmitter is atop Mount Bigelow, with a secondary transmitter atop the Tucson Mountains west of the city to fill in gaps in coverage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KNAZ-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Flagstaff, Arizona

KNAZ-TV is a television station licensed to Flagstaff, Arizona, United States, affiliated with NBC. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains a news bureau on the campus of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, and its transmitter is located southeast of the city in rural Coconino County.

There were two companies under the name Cascade Broadcasting Company:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRIS-TV</span> NBC/CW affiliate in Corpus Christi, Texas

KRIS-TV is a television station in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside low-power dual Telemundo affiliate/independent station K22JA-D; Scripps also provides certain services to CBS affiliate KZTV under a shared services agreement (SSA) with SagamoreHill Broadcasting. The three stations share studios on Artesian Street in downtown Corpus Christi; KRIS-TV's transmitter is located in Robstown, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRHD-CD</span> Class A ABC affiliate in Bryan, Texas

KRHD-CD is a low-power, Class A television station in Bryan, Texas, United States, serving the Brazos Valley as an affiliate of ABC. Owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, the station maintains a news bureau and advertising sales office on Briarcrest Road in Bryan; its transmitter is located on US 190 northwest of the city in unincorporated Robertson County. KRHD-CD is a semi-satellite of KXXV in Waco; the stations share network and syndicated programming but have partially split local newscasts and separate local advertising.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for KWBA-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "Broadcasting Yearbook" (PDF). 1983. p. C-4. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  3. ↑ Hatfield, David (January 7, 1982). "Cochise County to get its first TV station". Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. p. 1A. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Broadcasting Yearbook" (PDF). 1985. p. C-4. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Fischer, Alan D. (August 23, 1997). "TV channel will air from Sierra Vista". Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. p. 1A, 3A. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Clemens, William G. (August 29, 1997). "Station's start-up costs to hit $10M". Tucson Citizen. Tucson, Arizona. p. 2B. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Higuera, Jonathan J. (October 22, 1998). "December debut set for new TV station here". Tucson Citizen. Tucson, Arizona. p. 11C. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "WB affiliate Channel 58 goes on the air today". Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. December 31, 1998. p. 1A, 5A. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Wagner, Raina (December 31, 1998). "Making airWAVES: Tucson affiliate in WB network powers up today". Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. p. 1C. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Stewart, Michele (April 7, 2001). "KWBA-TV ties for win in Nielsen sweeps". Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. p. E7. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Pittman, David (March 23, 2006). "Tucson's KWBA-TV will join the new CW network in fall". Tucson Citizen. Tucson, Arizona. p. 1D. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Hatfield, David (March 28, 2008). "Purchase price: $11.9 million CW affiliate KWBA in danger of failing if not combined with KGUN 9". Inside Tucson Business. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  13. ↑ Gay, Gerald M. (June 5, 2008). "FCC grants waiver for purchase of KWBA". Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. p. D1. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  14. 1 2 Hatfield, David (October 3, 2008). "Technical glitches leave KGUN 9 with no high-def". Inside Tucson Business. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  15. ↑ Glauber, Bill (July 30, 2014). "Journal, Scripps deal announced". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Archived from the original on July 31, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Scripps, Journal Merger Complete". broadcastingcable.com. April 2015. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Scripps, Journal Communications Complete Merger And Spinoff". netnewscheck.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  18. ↑ Lafayette, Jon (April 19, 2024). "Nexstar Dropping Scripps-Owned The CW Affiliates in 7 Markets". Broadcasting & Cable . Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  19. ↑ Jett, Jennifer (June 5, 2003). "WB was first at 9 but will soon have company". Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. p. 1E. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ Hatfield, David (May 2, 2004). "KVOA falls to KOLD in news race". Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. p. E1, E3. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved June 25, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ White, Erin (December 11, 2005). "WB News at 9 signing off after Thursday". Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. p. E6. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ "KWBA Tucson To Launch New Morning Newscast". TVNewsCheck. April 16, 2014. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  23. 1 2 "RabbitEars query for KWBA-TV". rabbitears.info. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  24. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. May 23, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
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.