KNXT
A religious television station serving California's Central Valley that operated under the KNXT call sign before becoming KIFR.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KNXT was the former call-sign brand of a full-power religious television station licensed to Visalia, California, and serving the Fresno-area and broader Central Valley audience. The station began broadcasting on November 2, 1986, after the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno secured the channel 49 allocation from the Federal Communications Commission as a noncommercial educational facility. Its transmitter was built on Blue Ridge in rural Tulare County, while its studios were located on North Fresno Street in Fresno. The station's development involved both technical and civic controversy: the transmitter site required environmental review because it was associated with California condor roosting, and Native American groups objected to construction on land they considered sacred and historically important for intertribal communication. Under diocesan ownership, KNXT developed a distinctly Catholic programming identity. Its schedule included locally produced daily and Sunday Masses, the Rosary, Catholic discussion and talk programs, music and variety shows, children's programming, Catholic-oriented films, and material supplied by the Eternal Word Television Network. It also carried selected Protestant-produced programs that avoided doctrinal conflict, along with limited secular and arts content. By 1996, the station reported producing 14 in-house programs in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, in addition to broadcasts from St. Anne's Chapel, EWTN programming, and Classic Arts Showcase. A Bakersfield translator, KNXT-LP, extended the station's reach after its acquisition by the Diocese of Fresno in 2007. The station's noncommercial religious model created persistent financial pressure. In 1988, priests called for an examination of diocesan finances amid allegations that money intended for parish building improvements had been redirected toward diocesan operations, including KNXT. The station also reported a $263,000 deficit that year. The diocese considered selling the facility several times, including discussions in 1990 and 1992, but prospective bids were regarded as inadequate and the station was retained and upgraded. A further sale effort began in 2016, followed by an operating partnership with the CatholicTV network. In 2019, the diocese disclosed negotiations with a prospective buyer and warned that failure to complete a transaction could result in the station leaving the air. The Diocese of Fresno ultimately announced that it could no longer sustain the station's operating costs. KNXT went silent on June 30, 2020, after 33 years of broadcasting. In 2021, the station was sold to the nonprofit Vita Broadcasting for $50,000, remained licensed as a noncommercial educational station, and returned to the air on June 29 with Classic Arts Showcase programming. The call sign changed from KNXT to KIFR on November 8, 2021. Accordingly, KNXT is best understood as the historical brand and call-sign identity of the station now documented under the KIFR (TV) article, rather than as the current broadcast call sign.
History
The history of KNXT is the history of a Catholic television service later identified by the KIFR (TV) call sign. In 1985, the Federal Communications Commission granted the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno permission to construct a new noncommercial educational station on the channel 49 allocation in Visalia. The diocese had learned about the opening shortly before the filing deadline and prevailed over competing proposals from the Trinity Broadcasting Network and the Tulare County board of education. Construction of the transmitter on Blue Ridge in Tulare County presented unusual environmental and cultural challenges. The location was associated with roosting California condors and therefore required environmental approval. Native American groups also opposed the project, arguing that the ridge was sacred and had historically served as a communication point for smoke signals between communities on opposite sides of the Sierra Nevada. Despite the objections, the tower was approved and the station began broadcasting on November 2, 1986. The new station quickly became a financial burden for the Diocese of Fresno. Its approval had arrived sooner than anticipated, while the withdrawal of the Trinity Broadcasting Network's application altered the competitive and planning environment. In 1988, priests sought an investigation into diocesan finances, alleging that donations intended for building improvements had been used for general diocesan operations, including the television station. KNXT reported a $263,000 deficit that year. During the following years, the diocese examined whether to sell the station. A proposal in 1990 recommended a sale to Community Educational Television, the noncommercial arm associated with the Trinity Broadcasting Network, while negotiations in 1992 involved another prospective buyer who intended to preserve Catholic programming. The diocese ultimately retained the station because the offers were considered too low and instead pursued improvements. By 1996, KNXT had expanded its local production activity. It reported 14 in-house programs in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, alongside a weekly Mass from St. Anne's Chapel, programming from the Eternal Word Television Network, and Classic Arts Showcase. Its wider schedule included daily and Sunday Mass, the Rosary, Catholic talk programs, music and variety shows, children's content, Catholic-themed films, selected Protestant programs without doctrinal controversy, and limited secular programming. The station's signal was also extended into Bakersfield through KNXT-LP, a translator acquired by the Diocese of Fresno from Cocola Broadcasting in 2007. KNXT occupied a distinctive position in American religious broadcasting as a full-power, 24-hour Catholic-owned station that was not a PBS member station. Unlike many diocesan television initiatives that relied on cable or closed-circuit distribution, it operated as an over-the-air broadcast facility. Nevertheless, the economics of running a full-power noncommercial station remained difficult. In 2016, the diocese attempted to sell KNXT but did not find a nonprofit purchaser willing to acquire the noncommercial educational station. It subsequently operated the service through a partnership with the CatholicTV network. The diocese disclosed renewed negotiations with a prospective buyer in early 2019 and warned that the station might leave the air if the talks failed. The identified prospective buyer was Ventura TV Video and Appliance Center, which owned low-power Fresno-area stations. The parties petitioned the FCC in August 2019 to remove the noncommercial reservation from the channel allocation, but the transaction did not result in a completed transfer at that time. On June 18, 2020, Bishop Joseph Vincent Brennan announced that the Diocese of Fresno could no longer afford KNXT's high operating costs. The station went silent on June 30, ending its first period of operation after 33 years. A new sale was announced on May 3, 2021, when nonprofit Vita Broadcasting agreed to purchase the station for $50,000. The sale closed on June 21, and broadcasting resumed on June 29 with Classic Arts Showcase. The station retained its noncommercial educational status under its new owner. On November 8, 2021, its call sign changed to KIFR. The active station is therefore KIFR, while KNXT remains the former brand under which the Catholic station was widely identified.
- 2021
Vita Broadcasting acquisition and return to air
[1]Vita Broadcasting purchases the station, which resumes service on June 29 and later adopts the KIFR call sign.
- 2020
Station goes silent
[1]KNXT stops broadcasting on June 30 after the diocese determines that it can no longer sustain operating costs.
- 2016
Diocese begins another sale effort
[1]The Diocese of Fresno seeks a nonprofit buyer but does not find an organization willing to acquire the noncommercial station.
- 2009
Analog transmission ends
[1]KNXT shuts down its analog signal during the federally mandated digital television transition.
- 2007
Bakersfield translator acquired
[1]The Diocese of Fresno acquires KNXT-LP from Cocola Broadcasting to retransmit the station in Bakersfield.
- 1996
Expansion of local production
[1]The station reports 14 locally produced programs in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, in addition to Catholic and arts programming.
- 1988
Financial deficit and diocesan scrutiny
[1]KNXT reports a $263,000 deficit as priests call for scrutiny of diocesan finances and the station's funding.
- 1986
KNXT begins broadcasting
[1]The station signs on November 2 from its Central Valley facility.
- 1985
FCC grants channel 49 construction authorization
[1]The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno receives approval to build a noncommercial educational station on the Visalia channel 49 allocation.
Products and positioning
A noncommercial, Catholic-oriented television service for California's Central Valley, combining locally produced religious programming with national Catholic content and selected arts, family, and community programs.
Religious television broadcasting · 1986
KNXT television service
The station's core offering was free, over-the-air noncommercial television for the Fresno-area and Central Valley audience. Its programming centered on Catholic worship and religious education, while also incorporating local talk, music, variety, children's, arts, and selected community content. Local production was available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the region.
Religious programming · 1986
Local Mass and devotional programming
KNXT broadcast daily and Sunday Masses, including programming from St. Anne's Chapel, as well as the Rosary and other Catholic devotional material. These programs formed the station's principal service to viewers seeking local access to Catholic worship and religious observance.
Television programming · 1986
Catholic and cultural programming
The schedule included Catholic talk shows, music and variety programs, children's content, Catholic-targeted films, EWTN-sourced material, and Classic Arts Showcase. KNXT also carried a limited selection of Protestant and secular programs where the content did not conflict with its Catholic orientation.
Controversies
1988
Questions over diocesan funding of KNXT
Priests called for an investigation into diocesan finances amid allegations that parishioner donations intended for building improvements had been redirected to diocesan operations, including KNXT. The station reported a $263,000 deficit that year. The available account does not establish a final finding of wrongdoing.
Brand decisions
2021
Station transferred to Vita BroadcastingM&ABackground
After the diocese stopped broadcasting, a nonprofit buyer emerged for the noncommercial educational facility.
Action taken
Vita Broadcasting acquired the station for $50,000, with the transaction closing on June 21.
Aftermath
Broadcasting resumed on June 29 with Classic Arts Showcase, and the call sign changed to KIFR in November.
Acquisition price. $50,000 (2021)
2020
Broadcasting suspendedStrategyBackground
The diocese concluded that the station's operating costs were no longer sustainable.
Action taken
KNXT was taken silent on June 30, 2020.
Aftermath
The station remained off the air until its acquisition by Vita Broadcasting and subsequent return to service.
2016
Diocese attempts another saleM&ABackground
The Diocese of Fresno sought to transfer the noncommercial educational station because of the continuing difficulty of operating it.
Action taken
The diocese searched for a nonprofit purchaser and later partnered with CatholicTV.
Aftermath
No nonprofit buyer was found at that stage, and the station continued under a partnership arrangement.
1990
Diocese considers sale to Community Educational TelevisionM&ABackground
The station's financial burden led the Diocese of Fresno to explore a sale.
Action taken
A sale to Community Educational Television was recommended at a reported price of $1 million, but no completed transaction is described.
Aftermath
The diocese retained KNXT and continued operating it.
Proposed sale price. $1 million proposed price (1990)
Sources1 sources
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