KLDO-TV
KLDO-TV is a Spanish-language Univision television station serving Laredo, Texas, and nearby communities.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KLDO-TV is a television station broadcasting on channel 27 in Laredo, Texas. It is affiliated with Univision, the Spanish-language television network, and is owned by Entravision Communications. The station operates alongside Entravision's Laredo-area low-power stations KETF-CD, a UniMás affiliate, and KXOF-CD, a Fox affiliate. The stations share studios on Monarch Drive in Laredo, while KLDO-TV's transmitter is located in Ranchos Penitas West, Texas. The station emerged from a contested early-1980s effort to add a third full-power television service to Laredo. Five groups initially sought the channel 27 allocation. In December 1982, the Federal Communications Commission selected four applications for a comparative hearing. The applicants included K-RIO Broadcasting Company, Carlos Ortiz, Tierra del Sol Broadcasting Company, and Panorama Broadcasting Company. Tierra del Sol later withdrew because of a regional economic downturn, and Panorama reached a settlement with K-RIO that reimbursed the latter's expenses and cleared the way for Panorama to receive the construction permit in April 1983. Another applicant, Oro Broadcasting Company, was disqualified because its principal owner was not a United States citizen. During construction, the station was identified as KJTB. KLDO-TV signed on December 17, 1984, as an ABC affiliate, taking the affiliation previously held by KGNS-TV. Its launch gave Laredo a full complement of the major U.S. commercial networks. The station also produced local programming, including a news operation branded Laredo Eyewitness News. In January 1987, it added Fox programming on a secondary basis. KLDO-TV shifted toward Spanish-language broadcasting in October 1988, becoming primarily affiliated with Telemundo while retaining selected ABC programming such as sports, Good Morning America, and Nightline. The transition followed a management agreement between Panorama and Francisco Javier Sánchez Campuzano, then president of Mexico City-based Grupo Siete, which operated radio stations in nearby Nuevo Laredo. The change substantially improved the station's audience performance: according to the station's historical account, KLDO-TV moved from last place to first place in the February 1989 Nielsen survey. In 1996, KLDO-TV changed networks again, moving from Telemundo to Univision. By that period, the station ranked first in total-day audience within the Laredo market. Entravision acquired KLDO-TV in 1997. The station subsequently moved from its original Riverdrive Mall location to a new facility on Loop 20 in 2000, and its operations later became integrated with Entravision's other Laredo stations. KLDO-TV remained a leading local television outlet, although KGNS-TV generated substantially more advertising revenue during the period described in the station's historical record. Until February 28, 2018, KLDO-TV produced Spanish-language local newscasts under the Noticias Univision 27 name. Entravision then discontinued the station's local news production and replaced it with a regional newscast produced by sister station KNVO in McAllen. KLDO-TV continues to serve the Laredo market as a Univision affiliate, combining network Spanish-language programming with local distribution and over-the-air broadcasting.
History
KLDO-TV's origins date to an early-1980s FCC proceeding concerning a proposed television station on UHF channel 27 in Laredo, Texas. Five applications were initially submitted. In December 1982, four applicants were designated for a comparative hearing: K-RIO Broadcasting Company, Carlos Ortiz, Tierra del Sol Broadcasting Company, and Panorama Broadcasting Company. Ortiz had proposed a Christian station but withdrew after concluding that the competing applications were primarily secular. Oro Broadcasting Company was excluded because its principal owner was not a United States citizen. Economic conditions affected the proceeding when Tierra del Sol withdrew. Panorama then reimbursed K-RIO for expenses under a settlement, helping resolve the competing applications. The FCC granted Panorama the construction permit in April 1983. A tower was erected in the parking area of Laredo's Riverdrive Mall, where the initial studios were also located. The station used the construction identifier KJTB before adopting the KLDO-TV call sign. KLDO-TV began broadcasting on December 17, 1984, as an ABC affiliate. ABC programming had previously been carried in Laredo by KGNS-TV. The new station's launch gave Laredo service from three major commercial networks. KLDO-TV also established local news production under the Laredo Eyewitness News title. In January 1987, Fox programming was added as a secondary affiliation. A major strategic change came in October 1988, when KLDO-TV became primarily affiliated with Telemundo and began emphasizing Spanish-language programming. It continued to carry selected ABC material, including sports and certain network programs. The shift was associated with a management agreement between Panorama and Francisco Javier Sánchez Campuzano, president of Grupo Siete, a Mexico City-based company with radio interests in Nuevo Laredo. The station's audience position improved sharply, moving from last place to first place in the February 1989 Nielsen survey cited in the station's historical record. In 1996, KLDO-TV changed from Telemundo to Univision. By then, it was the leading station in the Laredo market by total-day audience. Entravision Communications acquired the station in 1997. Entravision later moved KLDO-TV from the Riverdrive Mall site to a new facility on Loop 20, completed in 2000. The station eventually shared operations and facilities with Entravision's other Laredo outlets, including UniMás affiliate KETF-CD and Fox affiliate KXOF-CD. KLDO-TV's transmitter is located in Ranchos Penitas West. For much of its Spanish-language period, KLDO-TV maintained a local news operation branded Noticias Univision 27. That operation ended on February 28, 2018. Rather than continue producing a separate Laredo newscast, Entravision used a regional Spanish-language news program produced at sister station KNVO in McAllen. KLDO-TV therefore continued as a Univision broadcast outlet while its news model shifted from station-specific production to regional production. The station remains an active television service for Laredo and nearby border communities.
- 2018
Local news operation discontinued
[1]Noticias Univision 27 ended on February 28, with regional news production supplied by KNVO in McAllen.
- 2000
Move to Loop 20 facility
[1]The station moved from its original Riverdrive Mall location to a new facility on Loop 20.
- 1997
Entravision acquisition
[1]Entravision Communications acquired KLDO-TV.
- 1996
Univision affiliation begins
[1]KLDO-TV replaced Telemundo with Univision and was reported as the Laredo market's total-day audience leader.
- 1988
Telemundo transition
[1]The station became primarily affiliated with Telemundo and expanded its Spanish-language focus.
- 1987
Secondary Fox affiliation
[1]KLDO-TV added Fox programming while continuing its principal ABC affiliation.
- 1984
Broadcast launch
[1]KLDO-TV began operations on December 17 as an ABC affiliate.
- 1983
Construction permit granted to Panorama
[1]Following an applicant withdrawal and a settlement with K-RIO, Panorama Broadcasting Company received the construction permit in April.
- 1982
FCC comparative proceeding begins
[1]The FCC designated four applications for a hearing concerning a proposed Laredo television station on UHF channel 27.
Products and positioning
A Spanish-language broadcast television station focused on Univision programming and Hispanic audiences in Laredo and the surrounding South Texas border region.
Broadcast television station · 1984
KLDO-TV Univision service
KLDO-TV's principal offering is over-the-air Spanish-language television on channel 27 for Laredo and surrounding communities. The service is affiliated with Univision and carries the network's entertainment, news, sports, and other programming, supplemented by station and regional content.
Local television news
Noticias Univision 27
Noticias Univision 27 was KLDO-TV's Spanish-language local news operation. It provided station-branded news programming for the Laredo market until February 28, 2018, when Entravision discontinued the local production and shifted to a regional newscast produced by KNVO in McAllen.
Brand decisions
2018
Regionalization of news productionStrategyBackground
KLDO-TV had produced Noticias Univision 27 as a station-specific Spanish-language newscast.
Action taken
Entravision discontinued the local news operation on February 28 and replaced it with a regional newscast produced by sister station KNVO in McAllen.
Aftermath
KLDO-TV continued as a Univision affiliate, but its news supply shifted from locally produced programming to regional production.
1996
Change from Telemundo to UnivisionStrategyBackground
After establishing a primarily Spanish-language identity, KLDO-TV changed its network relationship in the increasingly competitive Spanish-language television market.
Action taken
KLDO-TV ended its Telemundo affiliation and became affiliated with Univision.
Aftermath
The station was reported to be the leading Laredo outlet by total-day audience around this period.
1988
Shift to primarily Spanish-language broadcastingStrategyBackground
KLDO-TV operated as an ABC affiliate in a bilingual border market and had added Fox programming on a secondary basis. A management arrangement involving Panorama Broadcasting and Grupo Siete preceded a change in the station's programming strategy.
Action taken
The station made Telemundo its primary affiliation in October 1988 while retaining selected ABC programs, including sports and certain network shows.
Aftermath
The station's audience performance improved substantially, reaching first place in the February 1989 Nielsen survey described in the historical record.
Sources2 sources
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