KTVZ, virtual and UHF digital channel 21, is a dual NBC/CW+-affiliated television station licensed to Bend, Oregon, United States and serving Central Oregon. Owned by the News-Press & Gazette Company (NPG), it is sister to two low-powered stations: Class A Fox affiliate KFXO-CD (channel 39) and low-powered Telemundo affiliate KQRE-LD (channel 20). The three stations share studios on Northwest O.B. Riley Road in Bend; KTVZ's transmitter is located on Awbrey Butte west of US 97.
History[]
KTVZ went on-the-air November 6, 1977. It was started by former owners Ray Johnson of KMED-AM-TV (now KTVL) in Medford and C. Howard Lane from KOIN-TV in Portland who formed Ponderosa Broadcasting, Inc. The station has always been an NBC affiliate but also began to carry CBS programming on a secondary basis. Efforts to carve out Deschutes County from the Portland television market began in 1980. By fall 1981, Nielsen formed the newly created Bend DMA. Sierra Cascade Communications sold the station to Stainless Broadcasting Company in 1986 which later became known as Northwest Broadcasting in 1997 based in Spokane, Washington.
By 1997, KTVZ discontinued CBS programing since KOIN in Portland (now seen through semi-satellite KBNZ-LD, channel 7) already had full translator and cable coverage in the Bend area. Later in 2002, Northwest Broadcasting sold KTVZ to the News-Press & Gazette Company. By 2006, they added more network affiliations to the growing Central Oregon area when The CW was added as a second digital channel. In late 2006, it was announced that Meredith would sell KFXO to the News-Press & Gazette Company which occurred on May 24, 2007. BendBroadband filed a petition with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to block the proposed sale but it still went through. KQRE-LP was originally a repeater of KTVZ. In January 2007, that station completed a transmitter move that brought it closer to Bend making the rebroadcast redundant. The station then began airing Telemundo's schedule.