KUCO-LD
KUCO-LD, virtual and UHF digital channel 27, is a low-powered Univision-affiliated television station licensed to Chico, California, United States. Owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, it is sister to Redding-licensed ABC affiliate KRCR-TV (channel 7) and four other low-power stations: Chico-licensed Antenna TV affiliate KXVU-LD (analog channel 17); MyNetworkTV affiliates Redding-licensed KRVU-LD (channel 21) and Chico-licensed KZVU-LD (channel 22), and Chico-licensed UniMás affiliate KKTF-LD (channel 30). Sinclair also operates Paradise-licensed Fox affiliate KCVU (channel 20) through a local marketing agreement (LMA) with owner Cunningham Broadcasting. However, Sinclair effectively owns KCVU as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith.
 | |
| Chico, California United States | |
|---|---|
| Channels | Digital: 27 (UHF) Virtual: 27 |
| Branding | Univision 27 |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | 27.1: Univision 27.4: Rewind TV |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Sinclair Broadcast Group (Sinclair-California Licensee, LLC) |
| KRCR-TV, KCVU, KXVU-LD, KRVU-LD/KZVU-LD, KKTF-LD | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1998 |
First air date | May 21, 2002 |
Former call signs | K27HC (2002–2003) KUCO-LP (2003–2019) |
Former channel number(s) | Analog: 27 (UHF, 2002–2019) |
Call sign meaning | Univision Chico |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 127046 |
| Class | LD |
| ERP | 15 kW |
| HAAT | 373.6 m (1,226 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 39°57′45″N 121°42′44″W |
| Translator(s) | K15KO-D 46 (15 UHF) Redding KEUV-LD 35 (31 UHF) Eureka |
| Links | |
Public license information | Profile LMS |
The stations share studios on Auditorium Drive east of downtown Redding and maintain a news bureau and sales office at the former Sainte Television Group facilities on Main Street in downtown Chico. For FCC and other legal purposes, the Chico/Paradise-licensed stations still use the Chico address and Redding-licensed stations use the Redding address. KUCO-LD's transmitter is located along Cohasset Road northeast of Chico.
KEUV-LD (channel 35) in Eureka operates as a semi-satellite of KUCO-LD. As such, it simulcasts all Univision programming as provided through KUCO but airs separate local commercials and legal station identifications. Although KEUV-LD maintains its own studios (shared with KAEF-TV and LMA partner KBVU) on Sixth Street in downtown Eureka, master control and some internal operations are based at KUCO's facilities.
History
KUCO-LP was founded by country-western singer Chester Smith's broadcast company Sainte Partners II, L.P. and first hit the air in 1998 to help bring Spanish-language television to the growing Spanish-speaking population in Northern California. It was the first Spanish-language station to air in the Chico/Redding market. It would soon be joined by Telemundo affiliate KXVU-LP and UniMás affiliate KKTF-LD, both also founded by Smith's company.
In 2014, six years after Smith's death, his company sold KUCO-LP and the remaining stations to Bonten Media Group, owners of ABC affiliate KRCR-TV in Redding.
On an unknown date in either 2016 or 2017, KUCO-LP conducted an unauthorized test of the EAS. However, the message read that the activation was for an Emergency Action Notification.[1] It is unknown if any panic from residents followed.
On April 21, 2017, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced its intent to purchase the Bonten stations (including KUCO-LP) for $240 million.[2][3] The sale was completed September 1, 2017.[4]
The station changed its call sign to KUCO-LD on April 5, 2019, coincident with receiving its license for digital operations.
Technical information
References
- Spanish EAS? - YouTube (uploaded May 24, 2017)
- "Sinclair Buying Bonten Stations For $240M". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
- SINCLAIR BROADCAST GROUP ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT TO PURCHASE BONTEN MEDIA GROUP TV STATIONS - Sinclair Broadcast Group
- Consummation Notice, CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, Retrieved 6 September 2017.