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For the current station on virtual channel 13, see KYMA-DT.

KYMA-DT, virtual channel and VHF digital channel 11, was an NBC-affiliated television station licensed to Yuma, Arizona, United States and also serving El Centro, California. Owned by Atlanta-based Cox Media Group, it was part of a duopoly with CBS affiliate KSWT (channel 13, also licensed to Yuma). News-Press & Gazette Company operates both stations through a shared services agreement (SSA), making them sisters to El Centro-licensed Fox/ABC/CW+ affiliate KECY-TV (channel 9) and Yuma-licensed low-power Telemundo affiliate KESE-LP (then-analog channel 35). The stations share studios on South 4th Avenue in downtown Yuma, with an advertising sales office on West Main Street in El Centro; KYMA-DT's transmitter was located northwest of Yuma.

History[]

The station began broadcasting in January 1988 as an ABC affiliate, replacing a translator of KGTV in San Diego. KYMA was granted its initial license on April 29, 1988. It originally operated from studio facilities located on South Pacific Avenue in Yuma. Yuma Broadcasting sold the station to Sunbelt Communications Company in June 1989. On February 1, 1991, it became an NBC affiliate in a swap with then-KYEL, which would become KSWT that September.

In May 2013, Intermountain West Communications Company (formerly Sunbelt Communications) reached a deal to sell the station to Blackhawk Broadcasting, a company that shares ownership with the Northwest Broadcasting group. In July, Blackhawk announced that they also in the process of acquiring competing station, KSWT from Pappas Telecasting, which would require a failing station waiver. The FCC approved the KYMA transaction on August 12, while the KSWT transaction was approved on December 23. The sale of both stations was completed on February 18, 2014.

On July 2, 2014, News-Press & Gazette Company, owners of KECY-TV and KESE-LP, announced that it had agreed to form a resource sharing agreement with Blackhawk Broadcasting, giving NPG control of the big four television network affiliates in the Yuma/El Centro market. All employees of KYMA and KSWT, except for sales personnel, became employees of NPG. Blackhawk continues to operate the sales departments of its stations. As a result of the agreement, KYMA and KSWT relocated to KECY's building on 4th Avenue.

On January 13, 2020, KYMA-DT's programming and intellectual unit were moved to the channel 13 facility, which changed call letters from KSWT to KYMA-DT. The former KYMA also took the KSWT callsign from channel 13. Its license was surrendered eight days later as a condition of the acquisition of Northwest Broadcasting by Apollo Global Management in 2019.

Programming[]

Being an NBC affiliate, KYMA's schedule was dominated by network and syndicated programming, including NBC's The More You Know educational programming block on Saturday mornings. Syndicated programming featured on KYMA included Dr. Phil, Jeopardy!, Inside Edition, Wheel of Fortune and Live with Kelly and Ryan.

News operation[]

The station produced four daily newscasts on weekdays at 6 a.m., 5, 6 and 10 p.m., and two other daily newscasts on the weekends at 5 and 10 p.m. Mountain Time. Unlike most NBC affiliates in the Mountain time zone, it did not carry a full two-hour weekday morning newscast or a midday newscast. Until December 2008, it operated a news bureau in El Centro to provide additional coverage of the Imperial Valley. Following the planned relocation of KYMA-DT to the studios of KECY-TV, the station retained its current newscast times and separate news branding from KECY and KSWT.

News/station presentation[]

Newscast titles[]

  • Valley News (1960s)
  • KYMA Eyewitness News 11 (1988–1990)
  • KYMA First News (1990–1996)
  • NewsCenter 11 (1996–1999)
  • NBC NewsChannel 11 (1999–2009)
  • News 11 (2009–present)

Station slogans[]

  • "Channel 11, The Ones To Watch!" (1988–1990)
  • "KYMA, Yuma/El Centro's Station" (1991–1998)
  • "Where News Comes First" (1999–present)

On-air staff[]

Current on-air staff[]

Anchors[]

  • Jon Archuleta - managing editor; weeknights at 5, 6 p.m.
  • Rob Fram - chief weather anchor; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.; also sports anchor weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
  • Joey Norton - weekday morning meteorologist "News 11 Sunrise" (6-7 a.m.)
  • Christi Rodriguez - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
  • Michael Colaianni - weeknights 10 p.m.

Reporters[]

  • Milrose Basco - Imperial Valley multimedia journalist
  • Raquel Estupinan - multimedia journalist
  • Aisha Morales - weekend anchor; weeknight multimedia journalist
  • Ernesto Romero - News Director
  • Nico Santos - multimedia journalist

Former on-air staff[]

(In alphabetical order)

Personality Position Years at KYMA Currently
Sergio Avila El Centro Bureau Chief 2004–2008 Reporter KSNV-DT Las Vegas, NV
Jake Bell Sports Reporter/Weekend Anchor 1999-2000 Children's Author
Natasha Curry Anchor/Reporter 2001–2002 Anchor CNN Headline News Atlanta, GA
Alexis DelChiaro Morning Anchor/Reporter 2004–2006 Anchor "Good Morning San Diego" KUSI San Diego, CA
Melissa Mecija Anchor/Reporter 2004-2007 KGTV (ABC), San Diego, CA
Evanka Osmak Anchor/Reporter 2000s Anchor Rogers Sportsnet Canada
Sara Sandrik Anchor/Reporter/Producer 2004–2006 Sub-Anchor/North Valley Bureau Chief KFSN Fresno, CA
Ashlee Tate Midday anchor and weather 2003–2005 now Ashlee Tate DeMartino was Weekend Weather Anchor KTNV Las Vegas, NV (2008-2013), now weekend morning anchor at KGTV San Diego, CA
Patrick Walker Weeknight Anchor/Reporter 2010-2012 Multimedia Journalist/Reporter KXTV Sacramento, CA

Technical information[]

Subchannels[]

The station's digital signal was multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect Short Name Programming
11.1 1080i 16:9 KYMA-DT Main KYMA-DT programming / NBC
11.2 720p ION Ion Television

In May 2007, KYMA added LATV on digital subchannel 11.2. The affiliation lasted until late 2009, when KYMA replaced it with This TV. In 2017, 11.2 subchannel was replaced with Ion.

Former Subchannel[]

The station's digital signal was multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect Short Name Programming
11.1 1080i 16:9 KYMA-DT Main KYMA-DT programming / NBC

Analog-to-digital conversion[]

On April 3, 1997, the FCC assigned UHF channel 41 as the digital companion channel for KYMA, and on May 25, 2000, granted a construction permit. KYMA applied for Special Temporary Authorization (STA) for reduced-power operations in order to get a digital signal on the air quickly. The STA was granted on June 7, 2002 and the station built temporary digital facilities, to eventually be replaced by full-power operations. In 2005, KYMA elected and was approved for channel 11 as its permanent digital channel, meaning its license for channel 41 would be returned to the FCC after the analog shut-off, at the time scheduled for February 17, 2009.

Since operations on channel 41 would be temporary, KYMA requested to specify its low-power operation as its final pre-transition DTV facilities. The request was approved and the station was granted a license for its digital channel on September 20, 2006. KYMA was granted a construction permit for its post-transition operations on channel 11 on August 19, 2008. The station shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 11, 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 relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 41 to VHF channel 11 for post-transition operations.

TV Stations in Yuma County, Arizona and Imperial County, California, including Yuma and El Centro
Yuma, Arizona/El Centro, California: Mexicali, BC/San Luis, Son.:
KVYE 7 (UNI) XHAQ-TDT 1 (A1)
K19CX-D 8 (PBS) XHBM-TDT 2 (Las Estrellas)
KECY 9 (Fox/MNTV) XHLRT-TDT 2 (Las Estrellas)
KYMA-DT2 11 (NBC) XHCTME-TDT 3 (Imagen)
KYMA-DT 13 (CBS) XHBC-TDT 4 (Televisa Regional)
K17LM-D 17 (3ABN) XHMEX-TDT 5 (Canal 5)
KESE-LD 35 (TLM) XHMEE-TDT 10 (Nu9ve)
K39KW-D 39 (GNTV) XHRCS-TDT 15 (Telemax)
KBFY-LD 41 (Blank) XHEXT-TDT 20 (A7)
KAJB 54 (UMas) XHILA-TDT 66 (Intermedia)
Defunct stations
KVFA-LP 6 (Ind)
KIVA 11 (ABC/CBS/NBC/DuMont)
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