KVDA
The Telemundo network logo, a T with two circular overlapping components. To the right and under the T, the number 60. Beneath it, in a sans serif, the word Telemundo, and on another line in red, the word San Antonio.
Channels
BrandingTelemundo 60 San Antonio; Noticias 60 Telemundo (newscasts)
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
September 10, 1989 (1989-09-10)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 60 (UHF, 1989–2009)
  • Digital: 38 (UHF, 2009-2020)
Call sign meaning
Vida, the Spanish word for "life"
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID64969
ERP805 kW
HAAT451 m (1,480 ft)
Transmitter coordinates29°17′39″N 98°15′32″W / 29.29417°N 98.25889°W / 29.29417; -98.25889
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.telemundosanantonio.com

KVDA (channel 60) is a television station in San Antonio, Texas, United States, serving as the market's local outlet for the Spanish-language network Telemundo. The station is owned and operated by NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group and maintains studios on San Pedro Avenue in North Central San Antonio, near the enclave of Olmos Park; its transmitter is located off of Route 181 northeast of Elmendorf.

KVDA has been a Telemundo station since it signed on in September 1989. The network financed its construction by a group of local businessmen and then bought the station within a year of its launch. In local news ratings, KVDA has typically lagged its primary competitor, Univision station KWEX-DT.

History

In April 1985, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated a total of 13 applications for channel 60 in San Antonio for comparative hearing. Six dropped out, and seven groups were in contention during the hearing process: Vela Broadcasting, San Antonio Video Corporation, TV 60 Limited Partnership, Amistad Communications of the Southwest, Pro 60 Communications, San Antonio Broadcasting, and David A. Dávila et al. doing business as Nueva Vista Productions.[2] Two groups featured people familiar in San Antonio. San Antonio Video included U.S. representative Albert Bustamante and several San Antonio lawyers, while one of the shareholders in Nueva Vista Productions was former KENS-TV investigative reporter Ed Gonzalez.[3] The FCC's initial decision, released in November 1986, rejected four applications for inability to secure reasonable assurance of a tower site; declared San Antonio Video "not qualified to become a licensee" because of misrepresentations about its financial qualifications; and chose Nueva Vista over Vela because of greater integration of ownership and management.[2] Appeals from some of the losing applicants delayed a final grant into 1988.[4]

In June 1988, Nueva Vista Productions agreed to accept financing from the Telemundo network in exchange for affiliating with it when the station went on air, a deal announced in October 1988.[4][5] Shortly after, a general manager was named, and work began on locating the studios and transmitter.[6] Sites had been selected for both by May 1989; the 21,000 square feet (2,000 m2) studio building at San Pedro Avenue and Recoleta Street had previously housed Offices to Go.[7]

The station first signed on the air on September 10, 1989.[8] The next month, Telemundo moved to buy KVDA outright, utilizing a right of first refusal within 18 months of the station beginning broadcasting.[4] Two months after going on the air, Gonzalez challenged Telemundo's attempt to immediately buy the station, noting that Nueva Vista had been loaned money by Telemundo to build channel 60 in exchange for pledging all of its stock to the company, which he alleged represented an unauthorized transfer of control pacted before the comparative hearing had been resolved.[9][10] The FCC granted the transfer in August 1990, finding that Davila had been the principal party making decisions as to the station's construction.[4]

On October 11, 2001, NBC acquired the Telemundo network, including KVDA, from Sony and Liberty Media for $1.98 billion (increasing to $2.7 billion by the sale's closure) and the assumption of $700 million in debt, in an equal cash and stock split by NBC's then-parent General Electric. The acquisition was finalized on April 12, 2002.[11] On May 1, 2009, ZGS Communications took over the operations of KVDA and its Fresno, California, sister station KNSO under time brokerage agreements, though NBCUniversal retained the licenses to both stations.[12] In 2014, NBC reassumed the operations of KVDA.[13]

News operation

After airing local news breaks at launch,[8] KVDA began airing a 10 p.m. local newscast in February 1990.[14] At one point, it was the only such newscast, as competitor KWEX-TV had dropped its late evening news for financial reasons.[15] After initially debuting a call-in program, Línea Directa, at 5 p.m., it was replaced with a full-on early newscast in 1994.[16][17] Ratings were generally low, particularly for the 10 p.m. news once KWEX returned to the time slot. As a result, in January 1997, the 10 p.m. news was changed to a repeat of the 5 p.m. broadcast, and a third of the news staff was fired; news director Víctor Landa also began to anchor the newscast.[18] Accompanying a revamp of the network's prime time schedule in September 1998, the station returned to producing two live newscasts.[19]

In an attempt to compete with KWEX, the newscasts were retooled in 2000 under the new moniker Sesenta Directo (60 Direct);[20] it also experimented with community journalists who received a computer and a webcam to report on stories in their areas.[21] Additionally, the station debuted a 6 a.m. morning newscast early the next year. However, in a cost-cutting move in July 2001, the morning and 5 p.m. newscasts were cancelled, leaving KVDA with only a 10 p.m. newscast on weeknights, and several on-air and production staffers were laid off.[22] The 5 p.m. news was later reinstated, but local news from San Antonio was cut back when a cost-cutting move led to the replacement of most of Telemundo's local newscasts in the western United States with a centralized program produced from KXTX-TV in Fort Worth.[23]

Under ZGS management, on May 21, 2012, KVDA relaunched in-house news operations with the debut of half-hour evening newscasts at 5:00 and 10:00 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, that are produced at the station's San Pedro Avenue studios; the locally produced newscasts have been broadcast in high definition from the news department's launch.[24][25]

Beginning in 2014, a series of local news expansions at Telemundo have added hours of news to KVDA's output. A 4:30 p.m. show debuted at KVDA and 13 other Telemundo stations in 2014.[26] A 4:00 p.m. half-hour was added in 2016, again as part of a national expansion in the group.[27][28] Weekend newscasts debuted in 2017,[29] and a midday newscast was introduced in January 2018 in San Antonio and nine other cities.[30] Despite the expansions, KVDA has failed to surpass KWEX in news ratings.[31][32][33]

In September 2022, Telemundo started the regional morning newscast Noticiero Telemundo Texas, originating in Fort Worth and airing on Telemundo's owned-and-operated stations in the state and most of its affiliates. Additionally, two Gray Television-owned Telemundo stations, in Odessa and Laredo, began simulcasting the 4 p.m. half-hour of KVDA's news as a lead-in to their own local news coverage.[34]

Notable former on-air staff

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KVDA[36]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
60.1 1080i16:9KVDA-DTMain KVDA programming / Telemundo
60.2 480i4:3ExitosTeleXitos
60.3 16:9COZICozi TV
60.4 4:3NBCLXLX
60.5 16:9OXYGENOxygen

Analog-to-digital conversion

KVDA discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 60, on June 12, 2009, the official date on 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 38, using virtual channel 60.[37] KVDA relocated its signal from RF channel 38 to RF channel 15 on May 1, 2020, as a result of the 2016 United States wireless spectrum auction.[38]

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for KVDA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. 1 2 Kuhlmann, Edward J. (November 17, 1986). "Initial Decision (FCC 86D-64)". p. 637. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  3. ↑ Gonzales, Rick (November 18, 1986). "Bustamante & Co. loses TV bid to Gonzalez group". San Antonio Light. pp. A1, A8. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Kreisman, Barbara A. (August 9, 1990). "DA 90-1075 Memorandum Opinion and Order (5 FCC Rcd 17)". pp. 5222–5227. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Morning Report". The Los Angeles Times. October 26, 1988. p. VI:2. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Tedesco, Richard (November 10, 1988). "Arthur Emerson is named to post". San Antonio Light. p. F1.
  7. ↑ Saporito, Susan (May 2, 2014). "Joe Straus Jr. is off and running". San Antonio Business Journal.
  8. 1 2 Tedesco, Richard (September 10, 1989). "KVDA's mission is to reach young Hispanics". San Antonio Light. p. TV Week 42. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Nueva Vista deal up for FCC review". The Hollywood Reporter. November 13, 1989. pp. 7, 16. ProQuest 2610464284.
  10. ↑ Wynne, Robert (November 9, 1989). "Shareholder moves to block sale of Spanish TV station". San Antonio Express-News. p. G2. ProQuest 261323390.
  11. ↑ James, Meg (October 12, 2001). "NBC to Acquire Telemundo Network for $1.98 Billion". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  12. ↑ "On air". ZGS Communications. May 2009. Archived from the original on September 17, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
  13. ↑ Villafañe, Veronica (November 10, 2015). "Hernández out as GM of KVDA". Media Moves. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  14. ↑ Burr, Ramiro (September 30, 1990). "Spanish TV tuning in to changes in the market". San Antonio Light. p. J11. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  15. ↑ Jakle, Jeanne (November 7, 1990). "TV". San Antonio Express-News. p. 1F.
  16. ↑ Tavera King, Ben (May 17, 1992). "'Linea Directa' finding its niche". San Antonio Express-News. p. 5K.
  17. ↑ Jakle, Jeanne (May 12, 1994). "Jakle is not deaf to valid squawks". San Antonio Express-News. p. 1G.
  18. ↑ Jakle, Jeanne (January 4, 1997). "KVDA loses anchor team in big shakeup". San Antonio Express-News. p. 5D.
  19. ↑ Jakle, Jeanne (June 27, 1998). "Telemundo lineup has a 'deja vu' look". San Antonio Express-News. p. 5D.
  20. ↑ Davis Hudson, Eileen (January 29, 2001). "San Antonio". Mediaweek. pp. 16–19. ProQuest 213631954.
  21. ↑ Freidkin, Don (June 27, 2001). "Pass the microphone to the people: KVDA's foray into community journalism". San Antonio Current. p. 7. ProQuest 362683907.
  22. ↑ "KVDA cuts staff, ends 2 newscasts". San Antonio Express-News. July 4, 2001. p. 2B.
  23. ↑ Garcia, Gilbert (December 6, 2006). "NBC shrinks Telemundo's staff and consolidates its news coverage". San Antonio Current. p. 7. ProQuest 362689222.
  24. ↑ "KVDA in San Antonio to Launch Evening Newscasts". TVSpy. May 18, 2012. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  25. ↑ "Telemundo San Antonio lanza nuevo noticiero local" [Telemundo San Antonio launches new local newscast]. HolaCiudad. May 17, 2012. Archived from the original on May 23, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  26. ↑ Villafañe, Veronica (September 18, 2014). "Telemundo adds new 30 min newscast at 14 local stations". Media Moves. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  27. ↑ Villafañe, Veronica (September 18, 2014). "Telemundo adds new 30 min newscast at 14 local stations". Media Moves. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Telemundo Stations To Launch 5 PM News". TVNewsCheck. June 21, 2016. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  29. ↑ Miller, Mark K. (June 9, 2017). "KVDA Set To Roll Out New Weekend Newscasts". TVNewsCheck. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  30. ↑ Villafañe, Veronica (January 9, 2018). "Telemundo network & local stations to launch livestreamed noon newscast; announce anchors". Media Moves. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  31. ↑ Jakle, Jeanne (May 24, 2013). "KSAT atop the TV news ratings". San Antonio Express-News. p. 1B.
  32. ↑ Jakle, Jeanne (May 26, 2016). "KSAT sweeps news ratings despite 10 p.m. absences". San Antonio Express-News.
  33. ↑ Jakle, Jeanne (March 2, 2018). "KENS edges out KSAT at 5 p.m.". San Antonio Express-News. p. 1B.
  34. ↑ "Gray Television & NBCU Local's Telemundo Stations Expand Texas News Collaboration". TVNewsCheck. October 5, 2022. Archived from the original on October 23, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  35. ↑ Jakle, Jeanne (January 13, 1993). "Lovefest for Henry just too, too much". San Antonio Express-News. p. 1F.
  36. ↑ "RabbitEars TV Query for KVDA". RabbitEars. Archived from the original on March 18, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  37. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. May 23, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  38. ↑ "FCC TV Spectrum Phase Assignment Table" (CSV). Federal Communications Commission. April 13, 2017. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
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