KFTU-DT

KFTU-DT is a full-power Spanish-language television station licensed to Douglas, Arizona, and serving the broader Tucson, Arizona, television market. It operates as an affiliate of UniMás, the Spanish-language broadcast network owned by TelevisaUnivision, and brands itself as UniMás Arizona. The station broadcasts on digital channel 36 and is identified by the KFTU-DT call sign. Although its city of license is Douglas, the station’s role is primarily connected to the Tucson market, where terrain and distance limit the direct reach of its main transmitter. The station’s transmitter is located on Juniper Flats Road northwest of Bisbee. To improve service to viewers in Tucson and surrounding areas, KFTU-DT’s programming is relayed through KFTU-CD, a low-power Class A station licensed to Tucson. KFTU-DT is also carried on the second digital subchannel of sister station KUVE-DT, the Univision station licensed to Green Valley. In a reciprocal arrangement, KUVE-DT is carried on KFTU-DT’s second digital subchannel. These arrangements allow the UniMás and Univision services to reach viewers across the market despite the geographic limitations of the individual full-power signals. KFTU-DT shares Tucson studio facilities on Forbes Boulevard with KUVE-DT. Master control and many internal operations are handled through the facilities of sister station KTVW-DT in southern Phoenix, reflecting the centralized operating model used by many television station groups. The station is owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision and forms part of the company’s Spanish-language broadcast network in Arizona, alongside other network stations such as KFPH-DT in Flagstaff and KUVE-DT in the Tucson area. The station originated with a construction permit granted in April 1998 under the call letters KBGF. Winstar Broadcasting initially held the permit, which was sold in 1999 to Douglas Broadcasting, an Equity Broadcasting subsidiary. Douglas Broadcasting completed construction and placed the station on the air under program-test authority in 2001 as an independent station. Univision acquired the facility later that year. In connection with the January 2002 launch of Telefutura, the network later renamed UniMás, Univision changed the station’s call letters to KFTU. The station subsequently used the KFTU-TV suffix before adopting KFTU-DT following the transition from analog to digital broadcasting. KFTU-DT completed its licensing process in February 2004, after several years operating under program-test authority. Because the station’s original allocation did not include a separate digital companion channel, it performed a digital flash cut at the end of the nationwide full-power analog television transition in June 2009. It selected UHF channel 36 for post-transition digital operation. The station’s history therefore combines a relatively late construction and licensing process with later network integration, digital conversion, and signal-sharing arrangements designed to serve a geographically challenging regional market.

KFTU-DT traces its origin to a full-power television construction permit granted on April 8, 1998, for a station licensed to Douglas, Arizona. The facility initially took the call letters KBGF in June 1998 and was owned by Winstar Broadcasting Corporation of New York City. In December 1999, Winstar sold the station to Douglas Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Equity Broadcasting Corporation of Little Rock, Arkansas. Douglas Broadcasting completed construction and applied for a license to cover the facility in April 2001. Before the licensing process was complete, the station began operating under program-test authority as an independent station. In October 2001, Douglas Broadcasting sold the station to Univision. Univision changed the call letters to KFTU in January 2002, aligning the station with the launch of Telefutura, a new Spanish-language network that was later renamed UniMás. The station used the KFTU-TV suffix beginning in 2004 and ultimately adopted KFTU-DT after the nationwide analog television shutdown and digital transition. The station’s formal license to cover construction was granted on February 4, 2004, following almost three years of program-test operation. KFTU-DT’s original analog allocation was in the low-VHF range. Because the facility received its original permit after the Federal Communications Commission finalized the digital television allotment plan, it did not receive a separate companion digital channel. Instead, at the end of the full-power analog transition on June 12, 2009, it performed a flash cut from analog operation to digital operation. The station selected UHF channel 36 for its digital service. KFTU’s city of license is Douglas, but its programming is associated with the Tucson television market. The main transmitter is situated on Juniper Flats Road northwest of Bisbee, and the mountainous terrain in the region restricts direct reception in parts of Tucson. To address this limitation, the station’s signal is distributed through KFTU-CD, a low-power Class A station licensed to Tucson, and through the second digital subchannel of KUVE-DT, the Univision station licensed to Green Valley. KUVE-DT is likewise carried on a KFTU-DT digital subchannel, providing reciprocal access to both Spanish-language networks across the market. KFTU-CD has a separate history. Its original construction permit was granted in August 1991 to Ponyland Broadcasting for a Tucson low-power station on UHF channel 25 under the K25EA call sign. Construction delays caused the permit and call sign to lapse, but the facility was restored and began broadcasting in August 1994; its initial license was granted later that month. The station became KTAZ-LP in December 1996. Venture Technologies Group sold it to Douglas Broadcasting in April 2001, and Douglas Broadcasting sold it to Univision in September of the same year. After the Telefutura launch, the station replaced its Home Shopping Network affiliation with Telefutura programming. The Tucson low-power station received Class A status and became KTAZ-CA in March 2002. Because its original channel 25 allocation conflicted with the planned digital operation of Fox affiliate KMSB, it applied to move to UHF channel 34. The move was approved in June 2002, and the station was operating on channel 34 by December. Univision changed the call letters to KFTU-CA in November 2004 to establish a common identity with the Douglas station. The call sign changed again to KFTU-CD in March 2012 when the station completed its transition to digital operation. The KTAZ call letters were later reused by a Phoenix Telemundo station and are not the identity of the Tucson repeater today. KFTU-DT and KUVE-DT share studio facilities on Forbes Boulevard in Tucson. Master control and much of the stations’ internal operations are based at sister station KTVW-DT’s facilities on 30th Street in southern Phoenix. KFTU is part of TelevisaUnivision’s Arizona broadcast portfolio and uses the UniMás Arizona branding, alongside the company’s UniMás outlet KFPH-DT in Flagstaff. In June 2015, the company surrendered the license for K48GX, a former analog translator that had served areas northwest of Tucson where terrain obstructed reception from KFTU-CD. The Federal Communications Commission cancelled that license on June 8, 2015.

• 2015

  K48GX translator license cancelled

  [1]KFTU-DTen.wikipedia.org

  The former KFTU translator’s license was surrendered and subsequently cancelled by the FCC.

• 2012

  KFTU-CD completes digital conversion

  [1]KFTU-DTen.wikipedia.org

  The Tucson Class A repeater changed its call sign from KFTU-CA to KFTU-CD in connection with its digital operation.

• 2009

  Digital flash cut on UHF channel 36

  [1]KFTU-DTen.wikipedia.org

  KFTU ended its analog operation and began digital broadcasting on channel 36 during the nationwide full-power television transition.

• 2004

  License to cover granted

  [1]KFTU-DTen.wikipedia.org

  The station received its formal license to cover construction on February 4 after operating under program-test authority.

• 2002

  KFTU identity introduced with Telefutura

  [1]KFTU-DTen.wikipedia.org

  The station changed from KBGF to KFTU as Univision launched Telefutura, the network later renamed UniMás.

• 2001

  Construction completed and Univision acquisition

  [1]KFTU-DTen.wikipedia.org

  Douglas Broadcasting completed construction and placed the station on the air under program-test authority. Univision acquired it in October.

• 1999

  Station sold to Douglas Broadcasting

  [1]KFTU-DTen.wikipedia.org

  Winstar Broadcasting sold the permit and developing station to Douglas Broadcasting, an Equity Broadcasting subsidiary.

• 1998

  Original construction permit granted

  [1]KFTU-DTen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC granted the original construction permit for the Douglas television station on April 8, 1998. The facility adopted the KBGF call letters in June.

A Spanish-language network station serving the Tucson and southeastern Arizona market under the UniMás Arizona identity. Its market proposition depends on combining a full-power Douglas signal with low-power and digital-subchannel distribution in Tucson.

• Spanish-language television station · 2002

  KFTU-DT UniMás Arizona

  KFTU-DT is the principal full-power UniMás station licensed to Douglas and serving the Tucson market. It carries the network’s Spanish-language entertainment, sports, news, and syndicated programming through a digital transmission on UHF channel 36. Its branding emphasizes regional service as UniMás Arizona.

• Low-power Class A repeater · 1994

  KFTU-CD

  KFTU-CD is a Tucson-licensed low-power Class A station that rebroadcasts KFTU-DT programming. It supplements the main station because the Douglas transmitter’s coverage does not adequately reach Tucson proper. The facility operates on UHF channel 34 and completed its transition to digital broadcasting in 2012.

• 2015

  Retirement of K48GX translatorStrategy

  Background

  K48GX had provided additional analog coverage in areas northwest of Tucson that were obstructed by terrain from the KFTU-CD signal.

  Action taken

  Univision surrendered the translator’s license, and the FCC cancelled it.

  Aftermath

  KFTU’s Tucson-area distribution continued through KFTU-CD and digital-subchannel carriage on KUVE-DT.

  Source

• 2009

  Conversion from analog to digital transmissionGeneration change

  Background

  KFTU did not receive a separate digital companion channel and was required to complete a full-power digital transition through a flash cut.

  Action taken

  The station shut down its analog service and began digital broadcasting on UHF channel 36.

  Aftermath

  KFTU continued as a digital full-power station, with additional market reach supported by KFTU-CD and KUVE-DT subchannel carriage.

  Source

• 2002

  Adoption of Telefutura affiliationProduct launch

  Background

  Univision was establishing Telefutura as a new Spanish-language broadcast network, later renamed UniMás.

  Action taken

  KFTU replaced its independent positioning with Telefutura network programming and adopted the KFTU call sign.

  Aftermath

  The station became the Tucson-area UniMás outlet and later adopted the UniMás Arizona regional identity.

  Source

1. 1KFTU-DTen.wikipedia.org