KUNA-LD

KUNA-LD is a low-power television station licensed to Indio, California, and serving viewers across the Coachella Valley. The station operates as an affiliate of Telemundo, the Spanish-language television network, giving Spanish-speaking audiences in the Palm Springs–Indio market access to Telemundo network programming and related local broadcast distribution. Its service is centered on terrestrial television rather than on a standalone consumer product or subscription platform. The station began broadcasting on May 15, 1996, under the call sign K15EI. It later adopted the KUNA-LP call sign on March 31, 2003, reflecting its operation as a low-power analog television station. The KUNA identity has continued through the station's transition to digital broadcasting, although the call sign was changed from KUNA-LP to KUNA-LD after the Federal Communications Commission issued a digital license in February 2022. KUNA-LD is part of a cluster of stations owned by the News-Press & Gazette Company in the Coachella Valley. Its sister stations include ABC affiliate KESQ-TV, CBS affiliate KPSP-CD, Fox affiliate KDFX-CD, CW affiliate KCWQ-LD, and independent station KYAV-LD. These outlets share studio facilities on Dunham Way in Thousand Palms, California. This shared operating structure allows the stations to combine facilities and local-market resources while maintaining different network affiliations and programming identities. The station's primary over-the-air signal is transmitted from the Indio Hills. KUNA-LD is also distributed through digital simulcasts on other stations in the local group: its programming is carried in high definition on the second digital subchannel of KPSP-CD and in standard definition on the eighth digital subchannel of KESQ-TV. KESQ-TV and KPSP-CD use transmission facilities at Edom Hill, northeast of Cathedral City and Interstate 10, providing additional reach within the regional broadcast market. KUNA-LD's brand positioning is therefore defined by three attributes: Spanish-language network affiliation, local Coachella Valley availability, and low-power broadcast service supported by a broader station group. Its principal offering is television programming delivered through its own digital signal and companion multicast channels, rather than a broad portfolio of products. Publicly available reference material identifies the station's ownership, affiliation, technical distribution, and call-sign history, but does not establish a separate founding individual, a public-company listing, or a detailed roster of station executives.

KUNA-LD's broadcast history began on May 15, 1996, when the station signed on under the call sign K15EI. The original call sign reflected the station's channel designation and its status as a low-power television operation. At this stage, the station served the Indio and wider Coachella Valley area through a localized low-power broadcast signal. On March 31, 2003, the station changed its call sign to KUNA-LP. The change established the KUNA identity that would remain associated with the service through its analog and transitional digital years. As a low-power station, KUNA-LP complemented the larger full-power and Class A outlets operating in the Palm Springs–Indio television market. KUNA-LD is owned by the News-Press & Gazette Company, which also operates a group of related Coachella Valley stations. The group includes KESQ-TV, an ABC affiliate; KPSP-CD, a CBS affiliate; KDFX-CD, a Fox affiliate; KCWQ-LD, a CW affiliate; and KYAV-LD, an independent station. The stations share studios on Dunham Way in Thousand Palms, allowing them to operate from a common local broadcast facility while presenting distinct network brands and programming services. KUNA-LD is affiliated with Telemundo and functions as the group's Spanish-language network outlet. Its service is aimed at Spanish-speaking viewers in the Coachella Valley, while its technical distribution uses more than one transmission path. The station has its own digital signal transmitted from the Indio Hills. It is also simulcast in high definition through KPSP-CD's second digital subchannel and in standard definition through KESQ-TV's eighth digital subchannel. The KESQ and KPSP signals are transmitted from Edom Hill, northeast of Cathedral City and Interstate 10, extending the practical reach of the group’s digital offerings. The station's transition to digital broadcasting was formalized through a license-to-cover application filed on December 14, 2021. The digital license was issued on February 4, 2022, and the station adopted the KUNA-LD call sign. The change from the “LP” suffix to the “LD” suffix marked the station's continuing digital low-power status rather than a change to a different network or market identity. Today, KUNA-LD remains an active Telemundo affiliate serving the Coachella Valley. Its role is best understood within the News-Press & Gazette Company’s regional station portfolio: it supplies Spanish-language network television, while its sister stations provide English-language network and independent programming across the same market. Available reference material does not identify a separate founder, publicly traded ownership structure, or named executive team for the station.

1. 2022Digital license issued and call sign updated

   The digital license is issued on February 4, 2022, and the station changes its call sign from KUNA-LP to KUNA-LD.

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2. 2021Digital license-to-cover application filed

   The station files an application on December 14, 2021, to cover its digital broadcast facilities.

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3. 2003Call sign changes to KUNA-LP

   On March 31, 2003, the station adopts the KUNA-LP call sign, establishing the identity it used during its low-power analog period.

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4. 1996Station signs on as K15EI

   The low-power television station begins broadcasting on May 15, 1996, serving Indio and the surrounding Coachella Valley.

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A Spanish-language low-power television affiliate focused on serving the Coachella Valley through its own digital signal and multicast distribution on sister stations.

• KUNA-LD broadcast serviceTelevision broadcasting1996

  KUNA-LD's core offering is a low-power digital television service licensed to Indio and serving the Coachella Valley. The station operates as a Telemundo affiliate, delivering Spanish-language network television to the regional audience through its own digital transmission from the Indio Hills.

• KUNA-LD multicast distributionDigital multicast television

  In addition to its own signal, KUNA-LD is distributed through sister-station multicast channels. It is carried in high definition on KPSP-CD's second digital subchannel and in standard definition on KESQ-TV's eighth digital subchannel, providing alternate transmission paths within the local station group.

1. KUNA-LD
2. KUNA official station website