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KCWT-CD

KCWT-CD (channel 21) is a low-power, Class A television station licensed to McAllen, Texas, United States, serving the Lower Rio Grande Valley as an affiliate of The CW Plus. The station also carries non-commercial PBS programming on its fourth subchannel. KCWT-CD is owned by Entravision Communications alongside Harlingen-licensed Fox affiliate KFXV, channel 60 (and translators KMBH-LD and KXFX-CD), McAllen-licensed Univision affiliate KNVO (channel 48), and Class A UniMás affiliate KTFV-CD (channel 32). The stations share studios on North Jackson Road in McAllen, while KCWT-CD's transmitter is located in La Feria, Texas.

Previously, KCWT was a low-power translator of KXFX-CA and KTFV-CA. Entravision has held the rights to The CW in the market since 2007 on several stations; previous to that, it aired on a cable-only affiliate, "KMHB" (later "Rio Grande Valley's CW").

History

Until 2014, KCWT broadcast on analog channel 30. KCWT launched a digital feed on RF channel 23 that March;[1] however, the station maps to virtual channel 21, as nearby Mexican station XHAB-TDT in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, whose digital broadcasts use RF channel 30, also mapped to virtual channel 30 rather than its analog channel 7 (it now uses virtual channel 8). (Channel 23 is itself unavailable to KCWT as a virtual channel, as it is used in the Rio Grande Valley by KVEO-TV.[2]) Even before then, KCWT, as had previous CW affiliate KSFE-LD (channel 67, now Fox affiliate KMBH-LD), has long branded as "CW 21" in reflection of its channel 21 slot on area cable systems.

After sister station XHRIO-TDT (channel 15) ceased operations on December 31, 2021, KCWT became the sole CW+ affiliate in the Rio Grande Valley.

In 2020, KCWT began carrying PBS on its fourth digital subchannel. PBS had previously been provided by KMBH-TV (now KFXV) until 2018, when that station's transmitter was damaged in a power surge.[3]

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

External links

References

  1. Application for Class A Television Station Construction Permit or License CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, March 3, 2014, retrieved March 28, 2014^
  2. Hossein Hashemzadeh. Re: KCWT-CA, La Feria, TX… CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, September 30, 2013, retrieved March 28, 2014^
  3. Grace Vitaglione. PBS programming returns to South Texas after two years without over-the-air service Current, American University School of Communication, 2020-07-28, retrieved 2026-03-26^
  4. Digital TV Market Listing for KCWT^