KJLA
A Spanish-language independent television station licensed to Ventura, California, serving the greater Los Angeles area.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
KJLA is a full-power television station licensed to Ventura, California, and serving viewers in the Los Angeles market. The station broadcasts primarily Spanish-language religious programming and also carries programming from Vietnamese- and Mandarin-language services on digital subchannels. Its over-the-air signal uses virtual channel 57, with transmission facilities on Mount Wilson, while its studios are in West Los Angeles near Interstate 405. The station also operates low-power repeaters in the Central Coast region, including KFUL-LD in San Luis Obispo and KLFA-LD in Santa Maria. The station began broadcasting on October 1, 1990, under the call sign KSTV-TV. It was established by Costa de Oro Television, Inc., and initially operated as a Spanish-language affiliate of Galavisión. Its launch represented a renewed attempt to operate a television station serving Ventura after the short-lived KKOG-TV service had ceased operations in 1969. A low-power translator in Santa Maria was added in 1992, extending the station's reach toward the Central Coast. Walter Ulloa acquired Costa de Oro Television and KSTV-TV in 1994. His strategy was to improve the station's technical facilities and pursue stronger access to the Los Angeles television market. Regulatory market definitions created a major obstacle: although Ventura is geographically associated with Los Angeles, the station was treated for several purposes as part of the Santa Barbara–Santa Maria–San Luis Obispo market. Because the station could not initially secure broad Los Angeles cable carriage, it changed format and affiliation. On November 1, 1995, KSTV-TV became an English-language WB affiliate serving the Santa Barbara market. The station increased its effective radiated power in July 1997. The stronger signal helped it obtain must-carry status on many cable systems in western Los Angeles County in February 1998. However, the Los Angeles market already had KTLA as its WB affiliate, making a second WB affiliation impractical. KSTV-TV consequently left the network, moved its studios and offices from Ventura to West Los Angeles in spring 1998, and adopted the call letters KJLA on July 20, 1998. It then operated as an independent station with a mixed schedule, including Spanish-language content and financial news programming acquired from KWHY-TV under the Business News 22 and later BizNews 1 brands. KJLA's Spanish-language programming block was branded LATV beginning in 2001. LATV subsequently grew beyond a local block: in April 2007 it became a national television network distributed through digital subchannels and low-power stations. In the Los Angeles market, KJLA later relinquished the LATV affiliation to sister station KVMD at the start of 2018. From January 2018 through the end of 2021, KJLA served as the Los Angeles area's Azteca América affiliate, replacing KAZA-TV. The transition was phased in during early January, and the station initially retained some religious programming, including Cambia Tu Vida, which caused certain Azteca programs to be delayed or omitted. The religious program was removed on March 19, 2018, allowing the station to carry Azteca América's schedule in pattern. On January 1, 2022, KJLA ended its Azteca América affiliation and returned to religious programming supplied by Visión Latina and Universal Church. Azteca América subsequently moved to a KWHY-TV subchannel before the network ceased operations on December 31, 2022. KJLA has also been involved in broadcast-technology experimentation. In 2014, the FCC authorized KJLA and PBS station KLCS to conduct channel-sharing tests using H.264 compression and multiple services within a single 6 MHz television channel. The trial was relevant to the FCC's planned incentive auction and explored whether broadcasters could share spectrum while maintaining multiple over-the-air services. KJLA shut down its analog UHF channel 57 signal on August 27, 2008, retaining a digital signal on UHF channel 49 with virtual channel 57.
History
KJLA began broadcasting on October 1, 1990, as KSTV-TV. The station was created by Costa de Oro Television, Inc., and launched with Spanish-language programming as a Galavisión affiliate. Its first low-power translator in Santa Maria went on the air in 1992. The new station was the second attempt to establish a television service in Ventura, following the brief operation of KKOG-TV from 1968 to 1969. In 1994, Walter Ulloa acquired Costa de Oro Television and KSTV-TV. Ulloa sought to increase the station's power and extend its reach toward Los Angeles. The effort was complicated by FCC market definitions that placed the station within the Santa Barbara–Santa Maria–San Luis Obispo market for relevant regulatory purposes, even though Ventura is commonly associated with the Los Angeles region. The resulting difficulty in obtaining Los Angeles cable carriage led the station to change direction. On November 1, 1995, KSTV-TV adopted an English-language format and became a WB affiliate for the Santa Barbara market. KSTV-TV raised its effective radiated power in July 1997. The technical improvement helped it secure must-carry treatment on many cable systems in western Los Angeles County in February 1998. Yet the Los Angeles market already had KTLA as its WB station, so KSTV-TV could not retain the network affiliation while pursuing a Los Angeles identity. In spring 1998, the station moved its studios and offices from Ventura to West Los Angeles. On July 20, 1998, it changed its call letters to KJLA, became an independent station, and adopted a split schedule. One component was financial news programming acquired from KWHY-TV, initially branded Business News 22 and later BizNews 1. That service eventually returned to KWHY-TV's digital signal and was later discontinued by KJLA. The station also developed a Spanish-language programming identity. In 2001, it began branding its Spanish-language block as LATV. In April 2007, LATV became a national network rather than remaining solely a KJLA programming block. It was distributed through digital subchannels and low-power stations, including outlets affiliated with Entravision Communications and Post-Newsweek Stations. KJLA continued to function as an important origin and distribution point for the service, but LATV later moved to sister station KVMD in the Los Angeles market at the beginning of 2018. KJLA's transmission footprint evolved through a series of translator and facility changes. A Simi Valley translator moved to Mount Wilson in 2001 and operated as KSMV-LP. Subsequent channel-allocation and interference issues involving other stations led to changes in its channel assignment and eventual rebroadcasting of KVMD. KJLA also made an early transition away from analog broadcasting: it ended its analog UHF channel 57 signal on August 27, 2008, while maintaining its digital signal on UHF channel 49 and continuing to identify virtually as channel 57. In February 2014, KJLA and PBS member station KLCS received special temporary authority from the FCC to conduct a channel-sharing trial. The experiment tested H.264 video compression and the ability of two stations to carry multiple television services within the same 6 MHz allocation. The work was connected to the FCC's planned incentive-auction framework, which contemplated voluntary spectrum sales by broadcasters and possible channel-sharing arrangements. A major affiliation change occurred in 2018. KJLA became the Los Angeles-market affiliate of Azteca América, replacing KAZA-TV. The transition began at the start of January, although some religious programs remained temporarily in the schedule. KJLA's program Cambia Tu Vida caused selected Azteca programs to be delayed or omitted until the religious program was removed on March 19, 2018. After that date, KJLA carried the Azteca schedule in pattern. On January 1, 2022, KJLA ended its Azteca América relationship and returned to religious programming supplied by Visión Latina and Universal Church. Azteca América moved to a subchannel of KWHY-TV and subsequently ceased operations on December 31, 2022. KJLA remains an active multilingual television station serving Southern California through its main signal, digital subchannels, and low-power repeaters.
- 2022
Religious programming restored
[1]KJLA ends its Azteca América affiliation and begins carrying programming from Visión Latina and Universal Church.
- 2018
Azteca América affiliation begins
[1]KJLA becomes the Los Angeles-market Azteca América affiliate, while LATV shifts to sister station KVMD.
- 2014
Channel-sharing trial authorized
[1]The FCC authorizes a joint KJLA–KLCS trial examining H.264 transmission and shared use of a 6 MHz television channel.
- 2008
Analog transmission ends
[1]KJLA shuts down its analog channel 57 signal and continues digitally on UHF channel 49 using virtual channel 57.
- 2007
LATV becomes a national network
[1]LATV expands beyond KJLA into a nationally distributed network carried by digital and low-power television outlets.
- 2001
LATV brand introduced
[1]KJLA begins branding its Spanish-language programming block as LATV.
- 1998
KJLA identity established
[1]The station adopts the KJLA call sign, moves its facilities to West Los Angeles, leaves The WB, and becomes independent.
- 1997
Transmission power increased
[1]KSTV-TV increases effective radiated power to improve its regional signal.
- 1995
KSTV-TV becomes a WB affiliate
[1]The station changes to an English-language format and affiliates with The WB for the Santa Barbara market.
- 1994
Walter Ulloa acquires the station
[1]Walter Ulloa purchases Costa de Oro Television and KSTV-TV, initiating efforts to improve its power and Los Angeles-area reach.
Products and positioning
A multilingual, independent broadcast outlet serving Southern California, with a current emphasis on Spanish-language religious programming and digital-subchannel services.
Television programming · 2022
Spanish-language religious programming
KJLA's principal current offering is Spanish-language religious programming. The schedule includes content supplied by Visión Latina and Universal Church, reflecting the station's post-2021 positioning as a religious independent outlet rather than a general entertainment network affiliate.
Spanish-language television network · 2001
LATV
LATV began as a Spanish-language programming block on KJLA in 2001 and became a nationally distributed network in 2007. It used digital subchannels and low-power stations to reach a broader audience. In the Los Angeles market, the affiliation moved from KJLA to sister station KVMD at the beginning of 2018.
Television network affiliation · 2018
Azteca América affiliation
KJLA carried Azteca América as the Los Angeles-market affiliate from January 2018 through December 2021. The station initially blended network programming with religious content, then carried the Azteca schedule in pattern after March 19, 2018. The affiliation ended on January 1, 2022.
Digital television services
Multilingual digital subchannels
In addition to its main Spanish-language service, KJLA carries programming from Vietnamese- and Mandarin-language networks on separate digital subchannels. These services broaden the station's relevance to Southern California's multilingual audience.
Brand decisions
2022
End Azteca América affiliationStrategyBackground
The station changed direction after several years as an Azteca América affiliate.
Action taken
Beginning January 1, 2022, KJLA dropped Azteca América and adopted religious programming from Visión Latina and Universal Church.
Aftermath
Azteca América moved to a KWHY-TV subchannel and ceased operations at the end of 2022, while KJLA continued as a religious independent station.
2018
Adopt Azteca América and transfer LATV to KVMDStrategyBackground
Azteca América needed a new Los Angeles-market outlet after its affiliation with KAZA-TV, while the LATV service had an available sister-station destination.
Action taken
KJLA became an Azteca América affiliate on January 3, 2018, with most network programming beginning January 1; LATV moved to KVMD.
Aftermath
KJLA temporarily combined Azteca programming with religious content before removing Cambia Tu Vida on March 19, 2018 and carrying the network schedule in pattern.
2014
Participation in FCC channel-sharing trialOtherBackground
The FCC was evaluating spectrum-sharing options in connection with a planned incentive auction.
Action taken
KJLA and KLCS tested H.264 compression and the ability to transmit two sets of television services within a shared 6 MHz allocation.
Aftermath
The trial contributed practical evidence for evaluating channel sharing as a way for broadcasters to participate in spectrum reallocation while retaining over-the-air services.
2001
Launch of the LATV programming identityProduct launchBackground
KJLA sought to develop a distinctive Spanish-language service alongside its independent-station schedule.
Action taken
The station branded its Spanish-language programming block as LATV.
Aftermath
LATV expanded into a national network in 2007 and was later carried in Los Angeles by sister station KVMD.
1998
Rebrand as KJLA and pursue a Los Angeles identityStrategyBackground
Improved transmission power and expanded cable carriage made a stronger Los Angeles-market orientation possible, while the existing KTLA affiliation prevented continuation with The WB.
Action taken
The station changed its call letters to KJLA, moved its facilities to West Los Angeles, and operated as an independent station.
Aftermath
KJLA developed mixed programming, including Spanish-language content and financial news, before later becoming a platform for LATV and other network affiliations.
1995
Switch from Spanish-language programming to an English-language WB formatStrategyBackground
Limited access to Los Angeles-area cable systems and the station's regulatory placement in the Santa Barbara market constrained its original Spanish-language strategy.
Action taken
KSTV-TV adopted an English-language format and became a WB affiliate on November 1, 1995.
Aftermath
The station later left The WB after strengthening its Los Angeles-area signal because KTLA already held the network affiliation in Los Angeles.
Sources2 sources
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