KINT-TV

KINT-TV is a Spanish-language television station serving the El Paso, Texas, metropolitan area and the wider cross-border region that includes southern New Mexico and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. The station operates on virtual channel 26 and is affiliated with Univision, the major U.S. Spanish-language broadcast network. Its programming combines nationally distributed Univision entertainment, news, sports, and special-event content with locally produced news for viewers in the El Paso market. The station first went on the air on May 5, 1984. It was established by a group of local businesspeople led in part by Larry Daniels, a former manager of KROD-TV, the station now known as KDBC-TV, and Jose Angel Silva Sr., an El Paso grocery-store owner. Daniels also had prior involvement in local radio and other businesses. The founders initially considered KEHB-TV as the station's call sign, but adopted KINT before launch. The call letters were associated with the phrase “K-Internacional,” reflecting the station's intended connection to El Paso's international and bilingual border market. For much of its early history, KINT-TV was the only Spanish-language television station in the El Paso market. That position gave it a distinctive role among local broadcasters: in addition to carrying network programs, it offered Spanish-language local information and news to a substantial Hispanic audience on both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border. The station's facilities were developed in the context of El Paso's unusual mountain geography. The Franklin Mountains separate parts of the metropolitan area and host the transmission sites used by the market's major television broadcasters. KINT-TV is owned by Entravision Communications and operates alongside sister station KTFN, an affiliate of UniMás on channel 65. The stations share studios on North Mesa Street, also identified as Highway 20, in northwest El Paso. KINT-TV's transmitter is located on the Franklin Mountains at the El Paso city limits. The shared operating structure allows the two stations to coordinate facilities, technical resources, and local programming while maintaining separate network identities. The station has continued to maintain a local news operation. The cited station profile describes 12 hours of locally produced newscasts each week, consisting of two hours on weekdays and one hour each on Saturday and Sunday. KINT-TV's studios have also been used to produce newscasts for Entravision's stations serving the Midland–Odessa and San Angelo markets, extending the facility's role beyond the El Paso signal area. KINT-TV completed important technical changes during the transition from analog to digital broadcasting. Its analog UHF channel 26 transmission ended on June 12, 2009, the federally designated date for the full-power U.S. digital television transition. The station retained channel 25 for its digital transmission while continuing to use virtual channel 26. In 2010, its main service was upgraded to 1080i high definition to support Univision programming produced in HD. The station also experimented with and revised the contents of its digital subchannels, including simulcasts of sister station KTFN and LATV carriage. These changes positioned KINT-TV as a multi-channel local broadcaster rather than a single-program stream.

KINT-TV began broadcasting on May 5, 1984, as a locally established Spanish-language television outlet in El Paso, Texas. Its founding group included Larry Daniels, who had managed KROD-TV, the predecessor of KDBC-TV, and Jose Angel Silva Sr., a local grocery-store owner. Daniels was also associated with the KINT radio call sign and other El Paso businesses. The station's organizers initially planned to use KEHB-TV, but changed the call letters to KINT before the launch. The new calls were connected with “K-Internacional,” a name appropriate to El Paso's border-market identity. At launch, KINT-TV filled a major gap in the local television landscape. For many years it was the only Spanish-language television station serving the El Paso market. Its broadcast footprint reached an audience living in a region shaped by constant movement between El Paso, southern New Mexico, and Ciudad Juárez. The station's Univision affiliation gave it access to a national Spanish-language schedule, while its local operation provided market-specific news and information. The construction and transmission arrangements reflected the geography of El Paso. The Franklin Mountains form a prominent ridge through the area, and the market's principal television broadcasters use elevated sites there for antennas and transmitter facilities. In developing KINT-TV, Daniels arranged a partnership involving KDBC-TV and a local two-way communications company associated with Larry Gallatin. A new self-supporting tower was erected, with channel 4 equipment at the top and KINT-TV's antenna mounted on a lower structure that had previously been vacant. The location later became associated with other radio and communications facilities as well. KINT-TV eventually became part of Entravision Communications' El Paso broadcast group. Entravision owns KINT-TV alongside KTFN, the market's UniMás affiliate. The two stations share studios on North Mesa Street, also designated Highway 20, in northwest El Paso. KINT-TV's transmitter remains on the Franklin Mountains near the El Paso city limits. The shared facility supports both stations' local operations and also serves as a production base for newscasts aimed at the Midland–Odessa and San Angelo markets. The station's local news schedule has been described as 12 hours per week: two hours on each weekday and one hour on both Saturday and Sunday. This schedule complements Univision's national programming and helps KINT-TV maintain a local-service role within a network-affiliated format. Its identity is therefore based on three linked elements: Spanish-language broadcasting, local El Paso reporting, and access to Univision's national programming and brand. KINT-TV's technical history includes the U.S. conversion from analog to digital television. On June 12, 2009, the station shut down its analog UHF channel 26 transmission, following the nationwide full-power transition deadline. Its digital signal remained on UHF channel 25 while viewers continued to identify the service through virtual channel 26. KINT-TV and KTFN used a repeated Spanish-language crawl to explain the change and provide guidance for viewers. In 2010, KINT-TV upgraded its principal digital service to 1080i high definition. The change was intended to support Univision programs produced in HD. The station also adjusted its digital multicast configuration. A second digital channel carried a simulcast of KTFN, was briefly replaced by LATV, and then returned to the KTFN simulcast while LATV moved to another subchannel. These changes illustrate the station's adaptation from a single analog service to a multi-channel digital operation.

• 2010

  Primary digital service moves to HD

  [1]KINT-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KINT-TV upgrades its main service to 1080i high definition.

• 2010

  Digital subchannel lineup is reorganized

  [1]KINT-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station changes the placement of the KTFN simulcast and LATV across its digital subchannels.

• 2009

  Analog transmission ends

  [1]KINT-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The analog channel 26 signal is discontinued during the U.S. digital television transition; digital broadcasting continues on channel 25 with virtual channel 26.

• 1984

  KINT-TV signs on

  [1]KINT-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KINT-TV begins broadcasting on May 5 as a Spanish-language television station serving El Paso.

• 1984

  Call sign changes from the proposed KEHB-TV

  [1]KINT-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station adopts KINT-TV before launch, associated with the “K-Internacional” identity.

A Spanish-language Univision affiliate serving the bilingual and cross-border El Paso television market, with locally produced news and shared regional broadcast operations.

• Spanish-language broadcast television · 1984

  Univision network service

  KINT-TV's principal offering is its Univision-affiliated broadcast service on virtual channel 26. It carries Spanish-language network programming while providing the local transmission infrastructure and market presence required of a full-power affiliate in the El Paso region.

• Local television news

  KINT-TV local news

  The station produces Spanish-language local newscasts for El Paso. The referenced station profile describes 12 hours of locally produced news each week, distributed across weekdays and weekends. The same studios also produce newscasts for Entravision stations in Midland–Odessa and San Angelo.

• Digital television · 2009

  Digital multicast services

  Following the digital transition, KINT-TV operated additional subchannels that included a simulcast of sister station KTFN and LATV at different points in the lineup. The multicast configuration was revised during 2010.

• 2010

  Upgrade the main service to high definitionGeneration change

  Background

  Univision programming was increasingly produced in high definition, creating a need for compatible local transmission.

  Action taken

  KINT-TV upgraded its principal digital channel to 1080i HD.

  Aftermath

  The station could carry Univision HD programming in the corresponding high-definition format.

  Source

• 2009

  Complete the analog-to-digital broadcast transitionGeneration change

  Background

  U.S. full-power television stations were required to transition from analog broadcasting under a federal timetable.

  Action taken

  KINT-TV ended its analog UHF channel 26 transmission and continued digitally on UHF channel 25 using virtual channel 26.

  Aftermath

  The station used Spanish-language viewer information during the transition and continued as a digital broadcaster.

  Source

• 2010

  KINT-TV upgrades its primary service to high definition[1]KINT-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Product generation · Other

  The station upgraded its main digital channel to 1080i HD to accommodate Univision programming produced in high definition.

• 2010

  KINT-TV revises its digital multicast lineup[1]KINT-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Product generation

  During 2010, KINT-TV introduced a digital subchannel carrying a KTFN simulcast, temporarily replaced it with LATV, and subsequently restored the KTFN simulcast while moving LATV to an additional subchannel.

• 2009

  KINT-TV ends analog broadcasting during the U.S. digital television transition[1]KINT-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Other · Product generation

  KINT-TV discontinued its analog UHF channel 26 signal on June 12, 2009. Its digital transmission continued on pre-transition UHF channel 25 while retaining virtual channel 26. The station and sister station KTFN broadcast Spanish-language information explaining the transition and reception options.

1. 1KINT-TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Univision 26 official websiteunivision26.com