History
The station was founded in 1956 as KVIP (adding the "-TV" suffix to its callsign on August 15, 1957) by William B. Smullin of California Oregon Broadcasting, Inc. (COBI), owners of KOBI in Medford, Oregon, and satellite station KOTI in Klamath Falls, as a primary NBC affiliate with a secondary ABC affiliation. By 1963, network emphasis had shifted towards ABC, as only the Saturday morning and Sunday night prime time schedules, a few daytime game shows and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson were carried in NBC's schedule pattern.[5] The full ABC schedule was available by way of translators of Stockton's KOVR in Chico and Redding. Channel 7 became KRCR in 1963.
It dropped NBC and took on a full-time ABC affiliation in 1978, which in turn started the seven-year process for building KCPM (channel 24, now KNVN). This was an unusual arrangement for a two-station market especially one of the size of Chico–Redding, but after 15 years of unsuccessful attempts the area was served by a local ABC affiliate.
Under COBI ownership, KRCR used a logo consisting of an Interstate shield sign like its sister stations, placing "7R" where the number would be. 7R was adapted as branding for the station at that time, as the Northern California TV Guide edition identified it with a "7R" 'channel bullet' to differentiate it from ABC owned-and-operated station KGO-TV in San Francisco and its similar network schedule.
KRCR, KAEF, and KFWU in Fort Bragg (now KQSL in Cloverdale, part of the San Francisco TV market), aired Fox full-time on off-network hours from the network's launch in 1986 until 1994 when now-sister station KCVU switched to Fox and KBVU signed on.
KRCR was purchased by Lamco Communications of Texas in 1995 and was rebranded News Channel 7, which remains the branding for the newscasts. The station was operated by California Broadcasting, Inc., and run by general manager Bob Wise (now of KOBI) until 2004 when the station was sold to Bluestone Television. In December 2006, the station was sold (along with 12 other Bluestone stations) to Diamond Castle Holdings, a New York-based private equity firm, which later became Bonten Media Group.
The station also operates a semi-satellite in Eureka, KAEF-TV (channel 23). It operated a local cable-only WB affiliate KIWB, but that station was sold to Catamount Broadcasting following the merger between the WB and UPN to form the new CW Network. KRVU-LD was previously a UPN affiliate but is now a MyNetworkTV affiliate.
KRCR was one of a select few ABC affiliates that broadcast on channel 7, but chose not to license the network's Circle 7 logo, until April 11, 2006, when the station rebranded and introduced its new set, along with the digital age allowing clear differentiation of both KRCR and KGO's signals via virtual channel data if a viewer was in position to receive both stations.
Merger with KCVU and KBVU
In December 2012, KRCR/KAEF took over sales operations of KCVU in Chico, as well as KVIQ and KBVU in Eureka. They still maintain separate operations.
In August 2012, Bonten Media announced that KCVU and KBVU would be sold to Esteem Broadcasting, effectively merging both the ABC and Fox affiliates' operations to create a media powerhouse north of Sacramento and south of the Oregon border.
On April 21, 2017, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced its intent to purchase the Bonten stations (including KRCR) for $240 million.[6] Sinclair's sidecar Cunningham Broadcasting acquired the Esteem stations (including KCVU).[7] The sale was completed September 1.[8]
On December 9, 2025, the Fox affiliation was moved from KCVU to KRCR-TV's second subchannel, while KCVU's main channel flipped to Roar.[9]
