KTVW-DT

KTVW-DT, virtual and UHF digital channel 33, is a Univision owned-and-operated television station licensed to Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Owned by the Univision Local Media subsidiary of TelevisaUnivision USA, it is part of a duopoly with Flagstaff-licensed UniMás owned-and-operated station KFPH-DT, channel 13 (which KTVW-DT simulcasts on its second digital subchannel). Both stations share studios on 30th Street in southern Phoenix, while KTVW-DT's transmitter is located atop South Mountain on the city's south side.

The station's signal is relayed on two low-power translators: Class A station KTVW-CD (UHF digital channel 27, virtual channel 6) in Flagstaff, and KDOS-LD (UHF digital channel 19, virtual channel 50) in Globe. KTVW is also rebroadcast on the second digital subchannel of KFPH, whose transmitter is located atop Mormon Mountain, about 20 miles (32 km) south of Flagstaff in the Coconino National Forest.

In addition, KUVE-DT (channel 46) in Green Valley and KUVE-CD (channel 42) in Tucson operate as semi-satellites of KTVW-DT, expanding the Univision signal into Southern Arizona. As such, they simulcast all Univision programming as provided through their parent, and share a website with KTVW. However, the Tucson stations air separate commercial inserts and legal identifications. There is also a three-hour overnight segment on Monday mornings, in which the Tucson stations broadcast locally produced programming in accordance with KUVE-CD's Class A license. Local newscasts, produced by KTVW and branded as Noticias 33, are simulcast on KUVE and KUVE-CD. Although KUVE maintains its own studios on Forbes Boulevard in Tucson, master control and most internal operations are based at KTVW's facilities.

History[]

KTVW-TV was granted an original construction permit on September 15, 1977 and applied for its license on September 4, 1979, two days before it first signed on the air as Arizona's first full-time Spanish-language television station on September 2. From the day it signed on, KTVW-TV has been owned and operated by the same company: the Spanish International Network (SIN), which became Univision in 1987. Prior to being used by channel 33 in Phoenix, the KTVW call letters were once allocated to channel 13 in Tacoma, Washington, (now Fox O&O KCPQ). Channel 33 was the only full-powered Spanish-language station in the Phoenix metropolitan area from its sign-on until July 2006, when Telemundo station KTAZ began operations in Phoenix after a license transfer with KDTP. This head start has solidified its dominance in Spanish-language television in Phoenix.

KTVW-DT also operates the UniMás station for the Phoenix market on low-powered KFPH-CD (channel 35), which broadcasts on full-powered KFPH-DT (channel 13) in Flagstaff (also a part of the Phoenix market), giving it "must-carry" broadcast station status on satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network.

Early years[]

On March 12, 1976, the Legend of Cibola Television Company (reorganized before launch as the Seven Hills Television Company), owned by a series of principals of the Spanish International Network, filed for a construction permit for a new television station on channel 33 in Phoenix, which was granted on August 17, 1977. The original applicant had just one local stockholder, Julia Zozaya (who later built and owned KNNN-FM 99.9). Facilities were jointly constructed with another construction permit, KNXV-TV; the two stations won approval to construct a new tower on South Mountain in 1978.

KTVW-TV signed on as Arizona's first full-time Spanish-language television station on September 2. Previously, KPAZ-TV channel 21 had aired some Spanish-language programming from 1967 to 1977, but this was curtailed by financial woes and its sale to the Trinity Broadcasting Network. From the beginning, the plan was to build a translator for KTVW in Tucson: this launched November 1, 1980. While owned by SIN-aligned interests, it was not owned by the network proper until then-owner Hallmark Cards acquired it from Seven Hills in 1989.

For 27 years, KTVW was the only full-power Spanish-language television station in Phoenix, which gave it considerable market dominance. In 2006, this came to an end when NBCUniversal and the Daystar Television Network agreed to a trade that converted Phoenix's noncommercial channel 39 into commercial Telemundo outlet KTAZ.

KTVW-DT also operates the UniMás station for the Phoenix market on low-powered KFPH-CD (channel 35), which broadcasts on full-powered KFPH-DT (channel 13) in Flagstaff (also a part of the Phoenix market), giving it "must-carry" broadcast station status on satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network.

News operation[]

KTVW presently broadcasts ten hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with one hour each day, consisting of two half-hour newscasts at 5 and 10 p.m. seven nights a week). The station does not have any on-air weather staffers of its own, instead weather segments during KTVW's newscasts are produced by Los Angeles sister station KMEX-DT. The station's local newscasts (currently known as Noticias Univision 33) rank among the top-rated local news programs in the market, either English or Spanish. The station had the highest-rated newscast in Phoenix among the demographics of adults between the ages of 18-34 and 18-49 in 2004.

News team[]

Current on-air staff[]

Anchors[]

Felipe Corral - weekends at 5 and 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
Mary Rabago - weeknights at 5 and 10 p.m.

Weather[]

Guillermo Quiroz - lead meteorologist; nightly at 5 and 10 p.m.

Sports[]

Felipe Corral Nava - lead sports anchor; nightly at 5 and 10 p.m.

Reporters[]

Alejandra Espinoza - general assignment reporter
Erick Iglesias - general assignment reporter
Rubén Pereida - general assignment reporter
Víctor Hugo Rodríguez - general assignment reporter

Weekdays[]

Noticias Arizona: Hoy a las Cinco - 5–5:30 p.m.
Noticias Arizona: Solo a las Diez - 10–1-:35 p.m.

Sunday[]

Noticias Arizona: Fin de Semana - 5-5:30 p.m. and 5–5:30 p.m.

Technical information[]

Subchannels[]

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KTVW-DT
Channel	Video	Aspect	Short Name	Programming
33.1	720p	16:9	KTVW-DT	Main KTVW-DT programming / Univision
33.2	720p		UniMas	Simulcast of KFPH-DT
33.3	480i		Grit	Grit
33.4			Bounce	Bounce TV
33.5		4:3	DIGI-TV	Digi TV

Subchannels of KTVW-CD
Channel	Video	Aspect	Short Name	Programming
06.1	720p	16:9	KTVW-CD	Simulcast of KTVW-DT
06.2	720p	16:9	KFPH-HD	Simulcast of KFPH-DT

Subchannels of KDOS-LD
Channel	Video	Aspect	Short Name	Programming
50.1	720p	16:9	KDOS-HD	Simulcast of KTVW-DT
50.2	720p		KFPH-HD	Simulcast of KFPH-DT
50.3	480i		Grit	Grit
50.4			Bounce	Bounce TV
50.5		4:3	DIGI-TV	Digi TV

Former Subchannels[]

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Former Subchannels of KTVW-DT
Channel	Video	Aspect	Short Name	Programming
33.1	720p	16:9	KTVW-DT	Main KTVW-DT programming / Univision
33.2	720p		KFPH-HD	Simulcast of KFPH-DT
33.3	480i		Grit	Grit
33.4	480i		Bounce	Bounce TV

Former Subchannels of KTVW-CD
Channel	Video	Aspect	Short Name	Programming
06.1	1080i	16:9	KTVW-CD	Simulcast of KTVW-DT
06.2	720p	16:9	KFPH-HD	Simulcast of KFPH-DT

Former Subchannels of KDOS-LD
Channel	Video	Aspect	Short Name	Programming
50.1	720p	16:9	KDOS-HD	Simulcast of KTVW-DT
50.2	720p		KFPH-HD	Simulcast of KFPH-DT
50.3	480i		Grit	Grit
50.4	480i		Bounce	Bounce TV

Analog-to-digital conversion[]

KTVW shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 33, at 10:59 p.m. on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 34 to channel 33 for post-transition operations. Prior to the shutdown of its analog signal, the station's personnel gave information on how to connect and operate their digital converters, and then counting down the last 15 seconds.

Translators[]

KTVW-DT's signal is relayed on the following translator stations:

City of license	Callsign	Translating	Channel	ERP	HAAT	Facility ID	Transmitter coordinates	Owner
Globe	K18NN-D	KTVW-DT 33.1	16 (16.2)	0.5 kW	m ( ft)	127930	33° 17' 20.7", W 110° 49' 47.7" (K18NN-D)	TelevisaUnivision USA
Globe	KDOS-LD	KTVW-DT	19	4 kW	0.5 m ( ft)	129078	33°17′20.7″N 110°49′47.7″W	TelevisaUnivision USA
Flagstaff and Doney Park	KTVW-CD	KTVW-DT	27	15 kW	0.5 m ( ft)	29464	34°58′5.8″N 11°30′36.1″W (KTVW-CD )	TelevisaUnivision USA

Formerly, KTVW was on channels 17 and 52 in Tucson before the launch of its locally operated Univision affiliate KUVE-DT 38/46.

Former Translators[]

City of license	Callsign	Translating	Channel	ERP	HAAT	Facility ID	Transmitter coordinates	Owner
Duncan	K33DA	KTVW-DT					(K33DA)	Univision Communications Inc.
Safford	KZOL-LP	KTVW-DT	16	7.2 kW		128896	32° 39' 1.2", W 109° 50' 55.2" (KZOL-LP)	Univision Communications Inc.
Safford	K21GC	KTVW-DT	34	15 kW	55.5 m ( ft)	128900	32° 39' 1" (32.65), W 109° 50' 53" 32° 38' 58.8" (32.65), W 109° 50' 56.1"	Univision Communications Inc.

Semi-satellite[]

KTVW-DT's signal is relayed on the following semillite stations:

City of license	Callsign	Channel	ERP	HAAT	Facility ID	Transmitter coordinates	Owner
Green Valley	KUVE-DT	46	8.69 kW	13.28 m (185 ft)	63927	32°24′54″N 110°42′57.9″W (KUVE-Dt)	TelevisaUnivision USA
Tucson	KUVE-CD	42	4.5 kW	0.54 m (14.44 ft)	78036	32°14′55.8″N 111°6′59.9″W	TelevisaUnivision USA

Cable and satellite availability[]

Provider	Area	33.1 (Uni)
Cable One	Phoenix	N/A
Cox	Valley Metro Area/Pinal County	19 (SD) & 1019 (HD)
DirecTV	Phoenix	33 (HD/SD)
Dish	Phoenix	33 (HD/SD)

TV stations in Arizona
Telemundo affiliates	UniMás affiliates	Univision affiliates	Azteca affiliates	Other stations
KTAZ, Phoenix	KFTU-DT/KFTU-CD, Douglas/Tucson	KTVW-DT/KTVW-CD, Phoenix/Flagstaff/Doney Park	KMOH/KEJR-LD, Kingman/Phoenix	KYUM-LD, Yuma
KHRR, Tucson	KFPH-DT/KFPH-CD, Flagstaff/Phoenix	KUVE-DT/KUVE-CD, Green Valley/Tucson	KUDF-LP, Tucson	KYMA-DT3, Yuma

KESE-LD, Yuma	KPDF-CD, Phoenix
				K38IZ-D, Phoenix
				KVPA-LD, Phoenix
				KPHE-LD, Phoenix
				KFPB-LD, Globe
				KPHE-LD, Phoenix