KCVU

KCVU


Redding / Chico / Eureka, California
United States
City Paradise, California
Branding Fox 20 (Chico & Redding)
Fox 28 (Eureka)
Slogan The Northstate's Sports Leader
Channels Digital:
KCVU: 20 (UHF)
KBVU: 28 (UHF)
Virtual:
KCVU: 20 (PSIP)
KBVU: 28 (PSIP)
Subchannels xx.1 Fox
xx.2 This TV
Translators K08NH Oroville (Analog signal for Chico)
K38FQ Anderson (Analog signal for Redding)
K14MN Fortuna (Analog signal for Eureka)
Affiliations Fox (1994–present)
Owner Esteem Broadcasting, LLC
(operated through LMA
by Bonten Media Group)
Founded KCVU: May 14, 1986
KBVU: July 10, 1991
First air date KCVU: November 14, 1990 (1990-11-14)
KBVU: July 20, 1994 (1994-07-20)
Call letters' meaning KCVU:
Chico
View (U)
-or-
Chico/Sacramento Valley UHF
KBVU:
Best
View
(both possible rhyming variations of San Francisco station KTVU)
Sister station(s) KRCR-TV
KRVU-LD
KECA-LD
KUCO-LP
KXVU-LP
KKTF-LD
Former callsigns KCVU:
KBCP (1990–1992)
KBVU:
KZJA (CP)
Former channel number(s) Analog:
KCVU:
30 (UHF, 1990–2008)
KBVU:
29 (UHF, 1994–2008)
Former affiliations Primary:
Independent (1990–1994)
Secondary:
UPN (1995–1997)
The WB (1995–1998)
Transmitter power K08NH: 3 kW
K38FQ: 150 kW
K14MN: 22 kW
KCVU-DT: 172 kW
KBVU-DT: 50 kW
Height KCVU: 449 m
KBVU: 513 m
Facility ID KCVU: 58605
KBVU: 58618
Transmitter coordinates

KCVU:
39°57′42.8″N 121°42′43.1″W / 39.961889°N 121.711972°W / 39.961889; -121.711972

KBVU:
40°43′41.9″N 123°58′21.4″W / 40.728306°N 123.972611°W / 40.728306; -123.972611 (KBVU)
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Profile
CDBS
Website kcvufox20.com

KCVU Fox 20 is a Fox Network affiliated television station based in Chico, California. Owned by Esteem Broadcasting of California, the station is operated by Bonten Media Group under a joint sales and shared service agreements. The station's vice president and general manager is Andrew Stewart.

Fox 20 is seen on cable channel 2 on Comcast in Chico, Charter Cable in Redding, and Suddenlink in Eureka by way of KBVU, a semi-satellite in Eureka.

History

KCVU FOX 20 logo, used from 2008-2013.

KCVU was founded by Chester Smith and his company Sainte Partners II, L.P. of Modesto, California, in 1986 and started broadcasting as KBCP in 1990. It was a home shopping channel until 1994, when KBCP flipped the call sign to KCVU reflecting its new Fox affiliation. It replaces an affiliation on KRCR-TV seen on non-ABC hours since the network's inception in 1986. KRCR's other two satellites in Eureka and Fort Bragg had Fox as well as ABC. More Fox coverage was provided by KTXL and KTVU on Chico and Redding cable systems.

Its transmitter and license is located near Paradise, California. KCVU's sister stations include KRVU 21 Redding, KZVU 22 Chico, KUCO-TV Univision 27, KXVU-TV Antenna TV 17 (formerly affiliated with Telemundo), and KKTF-TV UniMas 30 (formerly TeleFutura).

KCVU terminated analog channel 30 on December 22, 2008. The station was re-branded to Fox 20 (for its physical digital channel; this differs from most digital signals, which identify using their analog channel). It still may be seen in analog via translator on channel 8 in Oroville and channel 38 in Redding until both translators go digital in the near future.

KBVU and KVIQ went digital on November 28, 2008, and were rebranded from Fox 29 and CBS 6 to Fox 28 and CBS 17, respectively.

On August 21, 2009, KCVU and KBVU replaced the digital simulcast of MyNetworkTV with This TV on their DT2 subcarriers.

Programming

Fox 20 has a sister station, KBVU FOX 28 in Eureka. KBVU is a stand along full power digital station. KRVU MY 21 in Chico and KECA-LD2 My 29.2 are the same station designed to cover both the Chico-Redding and Eureka DMAs.

Contract dispute with Northland Cable

On May 6, 2007, KCVU replaced Medford Fox affiliate KMVU on Northland Cable Television channel 13 in both Mt. Shasta and Yreka when KMVU and Northland could not come to an agreement to remain on the cable system. (Northland also carried sister station MyTV Northern California on cable channel 2, but will be replaced with KFBI-LP of Medford) Northland had been blocked from airing Fox Network programming as a result. However, in a report from the Siskiyou Daily News on February 8, 2008, it appears that the dispute is settling down and Northland is working with KMVU and KCVU to return either channel to both cable systems. KNVN replaced KMVU on channel 13 in Mt. Shasta and channel 11 in Yreka. KHSL-TV started to air on channel 6 in Yreka and KDRV is also on channel 6 in Mt. Shasta. KMVU finally won the contract dispute and KCVU will no longer air on both cable systems because all Fox affiliates are under syndex. KMVU and all the other local stations are fed to Yreka via OTA translator and has a fiber-optic link to Mt. Shasta except for KNVN which uses a Dish Network feed.

KCVU or any of its sister stations no longer broadcast north of Shasta County or south of Butte County.

Regionally distributed, locally produced programs

Fox 20 provides facilities and services to tape local programs from its studios in Chico. There are currently no local programs scheduled. (Two of the station's longtime regional programs, Issues & Answers and Pray Northstate, were cancelled in 2010 by management.)

Regional Programs formerly produced by or at Fox 30/Fox 20

Local news & relationship to KRCR

From February 2004 to June 2005, Fox 30 News at 10:00 pm was produced by KRCR-TV, utilizing that station's news department.

In August 2012, it was announced that Sainte would sell KCVU & KBVU to Esteem Broadcasting of California, and would fully merge its operations with ABC affiliates KRCR & KAEF.[1]

On April 1, 2013, KCVU relaunched its local news coverage with KRCR News Channel 7 at 10 on FOX 20, which airs weeknights at 10pm with Tracey Leong and Mark Mester as anchors. As of November 2014, KBVU airs a separate 10 pm newscast for the Eureka market.

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[2][3]
xx.1 720p 16:9 KCVU-DT
KBVU-DT 		Main programming / Fox
xx.2 480i 4:3 THISTV This TV
xx.3 480i 4:3 Cozi TV Launches Fall 2015

Analog-to-digital conversion

KCVU shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 30, on December 22, 2008, due to lack of funding and used its existing digital facilities, as did its other debt-ridden rivals KHSL and KNVN.[4] The virtual channel was changed from 30 to 20 and the station was rebranded as "Fox 20 Digital." KBVU was also rebranded as "Fox 28" and is also seen on an analog translator.

Early switch

KCVU, KHSL-TV, and KNVN ceased analog operations on December 22, 2008.

Cable systems

Cable Provider Area 20.1 / 28.1 (Fox) 20.2 / 28.2 (This TV) MyTV Univision 27 Telemundo 17 Telefutura 35
Comcast Butte & Glenn Counties 2 & 702 (HD) 198 13 5 20 19
Charter Shasta & Tehama Counties 2 & 780 (HD) 285 13 5 28 Coming Soon
Suddenlink (via KBVU) Humboldt County 2 & 102 (HD) 128 5 78 National Feed Coming Soon
New Day Broadband Palo Cedro/Weaverville 2 13
Windjammer (via Satellite) Burney 8 13

Dish Network launched Chico/Redding HD locals on May 6, 2009. DirecTV will do the same later in 2011.

Like many other HD channels on Charter Cable in Redding, KCVU-DT can be picked up on basic cable by connecting the cable directly into an HDTV with a built-in QAM tuner, channel 104.4, This TV can be picked up on 104.7. It can also be picked up the same way on Comcast Cable in Chico, corresponding directly to the over the air number.

The Eureka television market (DMA #195)[5] was the only TV market in California not available on DISH Network until June 3, 2010, at which time it became available.[6] The Eureka local channels are not yet available on DirecTV, but were to be by the end of 2011.

High definition

Fox programs broadcast from 8-10 pm are broadcast in high definition, as are sporting events on such as Major League Baseball, NASCAR and NFL Football. Unlike co-owned market competitors KHSL and KNVN, however, none of KCVU's syndicated programming (most of which is distributed in high definition) is broadcast in HD. It is unknown when this will change.

Death of Chester Smith

The Sacramento Bee and Chico Enterprise Record reported that Chester Smith, founder of Sainte Partners, died on August 8, 2008, at Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto, California at age 78. He was survived by his wife Ann and his children. Despite Smith's death, Sainte continued to own and operate KCVU and its sister stations in the Sainte family.[7][8] The family continued to operate the station group despite poor financial practices until its sale to Esteem Broadcasting in 2012.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Clash of the broadcasts, Tom Gascoyne, Chico News & Review, January 3, 2013
  2. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for KCVU
  3. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for KBVU
  4. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  5. ↑ Inside TV Ratings | Nielsen Media Research
  6. ↑ DISH Network to Become First Pay-TV Provider to Offer Local Broadcast Channels in All 210 Local Television Markets in the United States
  7. ↑ Obituary: Chester Smith, Modesto-area country music singer and radio broadcaster (The Sacramento Bee: August 11, 2008)
  8. ↑ TV station owner Chester Smith dies (Chico Enterprise Record: August 11, 2008)

External links

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