KUCO-LD

KUCO-LD (channel 27) is a low-power television station licensed to Chico, California, United States, serving the Chico–Redding market as an affiliate of the Spanish-language network Univision. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group alongside ABC/Fox affiliate KRCR-TV (channel 7), KCVU (channel 20), and four other low-power stations: Antenna TV affiliate KXVU-LD (channel 17); MyNetworkTV affiliates KRVU-LD (channel 21) and KZVU-LD (channel 22), and UniMás affiliate KKTF-LD (channel 30). 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. 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 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 2002 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.

In 2016, KUCO-LP conducted an unauthorized test of the Emergency Alert System. 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.

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed: {{legend|#E6FFF7|Simulcast of subchannels of another station}}

On October 13, 2021, KUCO-LD gained two additional subchannels: TBD (now Roar) moved over from KXVU-LD; and Rewind TV was added.

External links