KFVE
A Hawaii television station licensed to Kailua-Kona that relays programming from Honolulu NBC affiliate KHNL.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
KFVE is a television station licensed to Kailua-Kona on Hawaii Island. It operates within the Hawaii broadcast group associated with Honolulu stations KHNL and KGMB and is owned by Gray Media. Rather than functioning primarily as a separately programmed full-service station, KFVE relays the second and sixth digital subchannels of KHNL, extending programming from the Honolulu market to viewers on Hawaii Island. Its transmitter is near Kalaoa, while the related stations share studio facilities on Waiakamilo Road in Honolulu's Kapalama neighborhood. The station's lineage began in 1988, when it signed on as KVHF. At that stage it operated as a satellite of Mauna Kea Broadcasting's KMGT, channel 26. The station changed its call sign to KLEI in 1992 and subsequently went through several affiliation and ownership arrangements. It carried Pax TV, later known as i and Ion, as a satellite of KPXO-TV, and it was affiliated with The Family Channel by 2011. A significant distribution development occurred in 2012, when KLEI received statewide must-carry status on Oceanic Time Warner Cable, now Spectrum, and Hawaiian Telcom systems. The status was conditional on the station supplying a signal of sufficient quality to participating cable headends. This decision expanded the station's potential reach beyond its terrestrial coverage and made carriage across Hawaii an important part of its operating model. In late 2017, KLEI ended its Family Channel affiliation and became Hawaii's first over-the-air affiliate of Telemundo, the Spanish-language network. The change addressed a gap in Hawaii's Spanish-language television market that had emerged after Univision affiliate KHLU-CD ceased operations in 2016. Following the affiliation change, the station was carried on all Hawaii cable systems for the first time, improving access to its programming across the islands. The call sign changed again in December 2018, when KLEI became KSIX-TV. In July 2020, Gray Television agreed to acquire KSIX-TV for $1 million, subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission. The deal excluded the Maui-based satellite KLEI, which was owned by Mango Broadcasting. The acquisition closed in September 2020. In November of that year, the call signs of KSIX-TV and the Hilo station then known as KFVE were exchanged, resulting in the current KFVE identity for the Kailua-Kona-licensed station. KFVE serves a large geographic area of approximately 7,954 square miles, or 20,601 square kilometers, with an estimated population of about 71,400. Its service is supplemented by programming carried on satellite station KLEI, channel 21 in Wailuku. KLEI is owned by Mango Broadcasting and operated by Gray under a local marketing agreement. The station's role is therefore best understood as part of an interconnected Hawaii television distribution network rather than as an independent national consumer brand. The published reference material also identifies plans for KFVE and sister stations KHNL and KGMB to carry Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine athletics contests in 2026.
History
KFVE's broadcast history began in 1988, when the station signed on as KVHF. It was established as a satellite operation of Mauna Kea Broadcasting's KMGT, channel 26, serving viewers on Hawaii Island from a separate licensed facility. The station adopted the KLEI call sign on March 9, 1992. During its early development, it operated within a satellite-oriented model, carrying programming associated with larger stations and networks rather than maintaining the full local-programming profile of a major metropolitan station. KLEI later carried Pax TV, which subsequently became i and then Ion, as a satellite of KPXO-TV. By 2011, it was affiliated with The Family Channel. Its distribution position changed in 2012, when the Federal Communications Commission granted the station statewide must-carry status on Oceanic Time Warner Cable, now Spectrum, and Hawaiian Telcom. The carriage authorization depended on KLEI providing an adequate signal to the cable operators' headends. This helped integrate the station into Hawaii's broader multichannel television system. The most consequential programming change came in late 2017. KLEI ended its Family Channel affiliation and became an over-the-air affiliate of Telemundo. The move was notable because it made the station Hawaii's first over-the-air Telemundo outlet and supplied Spanish-language network programming after KHLU-CD, a Univision affiliate, ceased operations in 2016. The station subsequently became available on every cable system in Hawaii, expanding its practical reach beyond the over-the-air footprint. KLEI changed its call sign to KSIX-TV on December 3, 2018. Gray Television, which already owned Honolulu stations KHNL and KGMB and their satellite operations, agreed in July 2020 to purchase KSIX-TV for $1 million. The transaction was subject to FCC approval and did not include the Maui-based KLEI. The purchase closed on September 9, 2020. On November 13, the call signs of KSIX-TV and the Hilo station then known as KFVE were exchanged. The Kailua-Kona-licensed station consequently became KFVE. Under Gray ownership, KFVE became part of a linked Hawaii station structure centered on KHNL and KGMB. The current station is licensed to Kailua-Kona, has a transmitter near Kalaoa, and relays the second and sixth digital subchannels of KHNL. The related stations share studios on Waiakamilo Road in Honolulu's Kapalama neighborhood. KFVE's published service area covers approximately 7,954 square miles and an estimated population of 71,400. Programming associated with the station is also seen on KLEI, channel 21 in Wailuku, which is owned by Mango Broadcasting and operated by Gray under a local marketing agreement. The station's identity has therefore evolved through multiple call signs, affiliations, and distribution arrangements: from KVHF, to KLEI, to KSIX-TV, and back into the KFVE identity after the 2020 call-sign exchange. Its present role is primarily that of a relay and distribution outlet within Gray Media's Hawaii television portfolio. Reference material also identifies a planned 2026 expansion of sports programming, with KFVE, KHNL, and KGMB expected to carry Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine athletics contests.
- 2026
Planned Hawaii university athletics coverage
[1]KFVE, KHNL, and KGMB are identified as acquiring rights to Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine contests.
- 2020
Gray Television acquisition closes
[1]Gray completes its purchase of KSIX-TV after agreeing to acquire the station for $1 million; KLEI is excluded.
- 2020
KFVE call sign returns to the Kona-licensed station
[1]The call signs of KSIX-TV and the Hilo station then known as KFVE are exchanged on November 13.
- 2018
Call sign changes to KSIX-TV
[1]The station changes its call sign from KLEI to KSIX-TV on December 3.
- 2017
Telemundo affiliation begins
[1]KLEI drops The Family Channel and becomes Hawaii's first over-the-air Telemundo affiliate.
- 2012
Statewide must-carry status
[1]KLEI receives statewide must-carry status on Oceanic Time Warner Cable and Hawaiian Telcom, subject to signal-quality requirements.
- 2011
Family Channel affiliation
[1]KLEI is identified as an affiliate of The Family Channel.
- 1992
Call sign changes to KLEI
[1]The station adopts the KLEI call sign on March 9.
- 1988
Station signs on as KVHF
[1]KVHF begins broadcasting as a satellite of Mauna Kea Broadcasting's KMGT, channel 26.
Products and positioning
A locally licensed Hawaii television outlet within Gray Media's statewide station network, focused on extending KHNL programming to Hawaii Island viewers and supporting broad terrestrial, cable, and satellite distribution.
Digital multicast television
KHNL digital subchannel 2
KFVE relays the second digital subchannel of Honolulu-based NBC affiliate KHNL to viewers in its Hawaii Island service area. The offering is part of the station's current role as a relay outlet within Gray Media's Hawaii television network rather than a standalone national channel.
Digital multicast television
KHNL digital subchannel 6
KFVE also relays KHNL's sixth digital subchannel. Together with the second subchannel, it provides the principal programming streams associated with KFVE's current broadcast operation.
Spanish-language network television · 2017
Telemundo affiliation
From late 2017, the station operated as an over-the-air Telemundo affiliate under the KLEI identity. The affiliation expanded Spanish-language television availability in Hawaii and supported the station's first placement on all Hawaii cable systems.
Brand decisions
2020
Gray Television acquires KSIX-TVM&ABackground
Gray already owned KHNL, KGMB, and related Hawaii satellite operations and sought to add KSIX-TV to its Hawaii portfolio.
Action taken
Gray agreed to buy KSIX-TV for $1 million, subject to FCC approval; the transaction closed on September 9, while Maui-based KLEI was excluded.
Aftermath
The station became part of Gray's interconnected Hawaii station group. The call sign was later exchanged with the Hilo station then using KFVE.
Acquisition price. $1 million (2020 transaction)
2020
Exchange call signs with the Hilo stationOtherBackground
Following Gray's acquisition of KSIX-TV, the station's identity was reorganized within the Hawaii station group.
Action taken
On November 13, the call signs of KSIX-TV and the Hilo station then known as KFVE were switched.
Aftermath
The Kailua-Kona-licensed relay station adopted the KFVE identity used in this dossier.
2017
Adopt a Telemundo affiliationStrategyBackground
The station's Family Channel affiliation ended amid a gap in Hawaii's Spanish-language television market following the closure of KHLU-CD.
Action taken
KLEI became Hawaii's first over-the-air Telemundo affiliate and later gained carriage on all Hawaii cable systems.
Aftermath
The change broadened the station's language offering and improved its multichannel distribution across the state.
Recent events
- 2026
Hawaii athletics programming planned for Gray stations[1]
Product launch · Other
KFVE, KHNL, and KGMB are identified as acquiring rights to Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine athletics contests.
- 2020
Gray agrees to acquire KSIX-TV[1]
M&A
Gray Television agreed to purchase KSIX-TV for $1 million in a transaction requiring FCC approval. The Maui satellite KLEI was excluded.
- 2020
Call signs are exchanged between KSIX-TV and KFVE[1]
Leadership change · Other
Following the Gray acquisition, the call signs of KSIX-TV and the Hilo station then carrying KFVE were switched, giving the Kailua-Kona-licensed station the KFVE identity.
- 2017
KLEI becomes Hawaii's first over-the-air Telemundo affiliate[1]
Other
The station dropped The Family Channel and adopted a Telemundo affiliation, filling a Spanish-language television gap after KHLU-CD stopped operating.
- 2012
KLEI receives statewide cable must-carry status[1]
Regulation
KLEI was granted statewide must-carry status on Oceanic Time Warner Cable and Hawaiian Telcom systems, subject to delivering a suitable signal to cable headends.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/kfve · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled