KTMW

KTMW is a full-power television station serving Salt Lake City and the wider Utah market. The station broadcasts the Spanish-language Telemundo network and is owned and operated by NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group. Its studios are located on South Redwood Road in northwestern Salt Lake City, while its primary transmitter is located on Farnsworth Peak in the Oquirrh Mountains southwest of the city. The station's programming reach is extended through a group of low-power digital translators serving Ogden, Salt Lake City, Park City, and Logan. The current KTMW license traces its origin to a filing made on December 8, 1997. The channel 20 allocation had previously been used by KSTU from 1978 until 1987, but that earlier license was deleted after KSTU's intellectual unit moved to channel 13. Alpha & Omega Broadcasting, formerly associated with KOOG, received authorization for the new channel 20 facility in 1998. KTMW began broadcasting on March 31, 2001, with a religious programming format. The station's call letters were originally associated with the phrase “The Master's Way.” Its schedule included nationally distributed religious programs such as The 700 Club, Joyce Meyer programming, and James Robison programming, along with other ministry-produced shows. It later carried FamilyNet programming, including classic television material for part of the broadcast day. During the Alpha & Omega era, KTMW also aired locally produced religious and public-affairs programs. These included Heart for the Lost with Andy Bird, Heart of the Matter with Shawn McCraney, Polygamy: What Love Is This? with Doris Hanson, The Ancient Paths with Jason Wallace, This Week in the Word with Greg Johnson, and Word of the Kingdom with Ernest Khokhar. One notable programming change occurred in January 2013, when Heart of the Matter was abruptly discontinued after local evangelical pastors reportedly objected to the direction and possible criticism of fellow religious leaders on the program. The station changed ownership and identity in the middle of the 2010s. Alpha & Omega Communications agreed to sell KTMW to Serestar Communications in 2015, with regulatory approval arriving in August and the transaction closing on August 31 of that year. Serestar also acquired KULX-CD and KULU-CD and initially operated them under a time brokerage arrangement. Later in October 2015, KTMW adopted Telemundo programming and simulcast the network through KULX-CD, marking the station's transition from a religious independent outlet to a Spanish-language network affiliate. In November 2018, Serestar agreed to sell KTMW and related Utah low-power properties to NBCUniversal for $21 million. The transaction closed on March 5, 2019. NBCUniversal already held the license for KEJT-CD, another low-power Utah station that had been operated by Serestar under a brokerage arrangement. After the acquisition, the stations became part of NBCUniversal's broader Telemundo Station Group presence. KTMW remains focused on serving Utah's Spanish-speaking audience through network entertainment, news, sports, and other Telemundo programming, supplemented by its translator network. KTMW completed its transition from analog to digital broadcasting on June 12, 2009. Because its construction permit was granted after the Federal Communications Commission finalized the digital television allotment plan, the station did not receive a separate companion digital channel. Instead, it performed a flash cut from analog UHF channel 20 to digital operation on the same channel, using NVerzion automation to manage the transition.

KTMW is a Salt Lake City television station whose current license originated in the late 1990s. Channel 20 had earlier been used by KSTU from 1978 to 1987. Under an arrangement approved by the Federal Communications Commission, KSTU moved to channel 13, and the earlier channel 20 license was deleted. The present KTMW license was filed for on December 8, 1997, and Alpha & Omega Broadcasting received the authorization in 1998. KTMW began broadcasting on March 31, 2001. Under Alpha & Omega ownership, it operated primarily as a religious station. Its schedule included nationally syndicated ministry programs and locally produced religious discussions, including programs focused on evangelism, theology, interfaith questions, and Utah's polygamous communities. The station later carried FamilyNet programming, including classic television shows during part of the day. The call-sign identity was originally connected with “The Master's Way.” A notable local-programming event occurred in January 2013, when Heart of the Matter with Shawn McCraney was canceled. The program had addressed differences between Mormon and evangelical Christian perspectives, and reference material reports that local evangelical pastors applied pressure because of concerns about possible criticism of their leadership and practices. In 2015, Alpha & Omega Communications filed to sell KTMW to Serestar Communications. The FCC approved the transaction on August 13, and the deal closed on August 31. Serestar also acquired KULX-CD and KULU-CD, initially operating the stations under a time brokerage agreement. In October 2015, KTMW changed its format and became a Telemundo outlet, simulcasting programming with KULX-CD. This was the station's major strategic shift, replacing its earlier religious identity with Spanish-language network television. Serestar agreed in November 2018 to sell KTMW, KULX-CD, and KULU-CD to NBCUniversal in a transaction reported at $21 million. The deal closed on March 5, 2019. NBCUniversal already owned the KEJT-CD license, which had been operated by Serestar under a brokerage arrangement. KTMW subsequently operated as part of NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group. The station's primary facilities are in Salt Lake City, with a transmitter on Farnsworth Peak in the Oquirrh Mountains. Its signal is supplemented by four low-power digital translators: KULX-CD in Ogden, KEJT-CD in Salt Lake City, KULU-LD in Park City, and K17II-D in Logan. KTMW completed its digital transition on June 12, 2009, shutting down its analog UHF 20 signal and flash-cutting its digital service to the same channel. The station uses its broadcast signal and translator network to distribute Telemundo's Spanish-language programming throughout Utah.

1. 2019NBCUniversal acquisition closes

   NBCUniversal completed its acquisition of KTMW and related Utah stations on March 5.

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2. 2015Serestar ownership begins

   The sale from Alpha & Omega Communications to Serestar Communications closed on August 31.

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3. 2015Telemundo affiliation

   KTMW switched to Telemundo programming in October and began simulcasting with KULX-CD.

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4. 2009Digital flash cut

   The station ended analog broadcasting and began digital operation on UHF channel 20 on June 12.

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5. 2001Broadcast launch

   KTMW began broadcasting on March 31 with a religious programming format.

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6. 1998Alpha & Omega receives authorization

   Alpha & Omega Broadcasting was granted the license for the new channel 20 facility.

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7. 1997Current KTMW license filing

   The license associated with the present KTMW operation was filed for on December 8, 1997.

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A Spanish-language broadcast television outlet serving Utah, positioned as the local Telemundo network service for Salt Lake City and surrounding communities.

• Telemundo UtahSpanish-language television station2015

  KTMW's principal consumer-facing offering is its Telemundo network service for Utah. The station distributes Spanish-language entertainment, news, sports, specials, and other network programming from its Salt Lake City facility. Its over-the-air reach is expanded through translators in Ogden, Salt Lake City, Park City, and Logan, allowing the service to cover communities beyond the main transmitter footprint.

• Former religious programming serviceReligious television programming2001

  Before adopting Telemundo, KTMW carried a religious format under Alpha & Omega ownership. The schedule included nationally distributed ministry shows and locally produced programs dealing with evangelism, theology, Christian apologetics, interfaith dialogue, and polygamy-related issues in Utah. This format is historical rather than a current KTMW offering.

• 2018Sale to NBCUniversalM&A

  Serestar sought to sell KTMW and related Utah low-power stations after establishing the Telemundo operation.

  What changed. Serestar agreed to sell KTMW, KULX-CD, and KULU-CD to NBCUniversal in a transaction reported at $21 million.

  Aftermath. The transaction closed in March 2019, bringing KTMW under NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group.

  Reported transaction value. $21 million (2018 agreement; transaction closed March 5, 2019)

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• 2015Transition to Telemundo programmingStrategy

  After Serestar Communications acquired KTMW and related low-power stations, the station moved away from its previous religious format.

  What changed. KTMW adopted Telemundo programming and simulcast the network service with KULX-CD.

  Aftermath. The change repositioned KTMW as a Spanish-language television service for Utah and preceded its eventual integration into NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group.

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• 2019NBCUniversal completes acquisition of KTMW

  The sale of KTMW and associated Utah stations to NBCUniversal closed on March 5, 2019, placing the station within the Telemundo Station Group.

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• 2018NBCUniversal agrees to acquire KTMW and related stations

  Serestar agreed to sell KTMW, KULX-CD, and KULU-CD to NBCUniversal in a transaction reported at $21 million.

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• 2015KTMW is sold to Serestar Communications

  Alpha & Omega Communications sold KTMW to Serestar Communications after Federal Communications Commission approval. The transaction closed on August 31, 2015.

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• 2015KTMW adopts Telemundo programming

  After Serestar acquired related low-power stations, KTMW switched from its previous religious-oriented format to Telemundo programming and began simulcasting with KULX-CD.

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• 2013Heart of the Matter is canceled

  KTMW discontinued the locally produced religious program Heart of the Matter amid reported pressure from local evangelical pastors concerned about the program's treatment of religious leaders and methods.

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• 2009KTMW completes analog-to-digital transition

  KTMW ended analog broadcasting on UHF channel 20 and moved directly to digital operation on the same channel through a flash-cut transition.

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1. KTMW
2. Telemundo Utah official website