KSMS-TV

KSMS-TV is a full-power television station licensed to Monterey, California, and serving the Monterey Bay region. The station operates as an affiliate of Univision, providing Spanish-language network programming together with local news and other programming for viewers in the Salinas–Monterey–Santa Cruz market. Its broadcast identity is closely associated with service to the area's Hispanic and Spanish-speaking communities. The station was established in 1986 by Bill Schuyler, who had previously founded KMST-TV, now known as KION-TV. Its creation responded to a major change in local television. KCBA had been the only Spanish-language television station in the area, but after its sale to the Ackerley Group it was repositioned as an English-language Fox affiliate. That change threatened to leave the market without a Spanish-language station. A former KCBA manager encouraged Schuyler, who already held a construction permit, to develop a replacement service affiliated with the Spanish International Network, the predecessor of Univision. Schuyler assembled a small team of television professionals and built the station under a tight timetable. The team renovated a building on Garden Road that had earlier served as the first home of KMST-TV. The site was converted into a television operation with a studio, production facilities, sound booth, master-control area, and supporting technical infrastructure. A transmitter and antenna were installed on Fremont Peak, providing coverage across the Salinas Valley and surrounding Monterey Bay communities. KSMS-TV went on the air on schedule on September 1, 1986. Local news became an important part of the station's identity. KSMS began producing its own newscasts in November 1987, shortly after Fidel M. Soto joined the station. Its principal local broadcasts have been the evening newscasts at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., each approximately 30 minutes long, with a combined schedule of about 10 hours per week. The station also carries national coverage and news from Latin America. KSMS has not traditionally provided local weekend newscasts. For a period beginning in 2009, it competed in Spanish-language local news with KMUV-LP; that rival operation's newscasts were discontinued in September 2025 according to the supplied reference material. KSMS-TV has also undergone the technical changes associated with the transition from analog to digital broadcasting. It ended analog transmission on UHF channel 67 on June 12, 2009, the federally designated date for the United States full-power television transition. Its digital service continued on pre-transition UHF channel 31 while retaining virtual channel 67. In June 2010, the station began broadcasting in a 16:9 high-definition format, timed in part for coverage surrounding the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The station is owned by Entravision Communications and operates alongside KDJT-CD, a Class A UniMás affiliate licensed to Salinas and Monterey. KSMS-TV and KDJT-CD share studio facilities on Garden Court near Monterey Regional Airport. Under a channel-sharing arrangement, the stations transmit using KDJT-CD's spectrum from an antenna located on Fremont Peak. KSMS-TV's principal role remains that of a Spanish-language local television service: it combines Univision programming with locally produced news and information for Monterey Bay viewers.

KSMS-TV was created in response to a gap in Spanish-language television service in the Monterey Bay region. In 1986, KCBA, then the area's only Spanish-language station, was sold to the Ackerley Group. Ackerley planned to convert KCBA into an English-language station affiliated with the emerging Fox network. That decision created an opportunity, and a potential service obligation, for a new Spanish-language broadcaster. Bill Schuyler, who held a permit to construct a station in the market and had earlier founded KMST-TV, pursued the opportunity after being encouraged by a former KCBA manager. He organized a team of four television professionals and divided the work of building a station from the ground up among them. The new operation was intended to affiliate with the Spanish International Network, which later became Univision. The team located an existing building on Garden Road that had previously housed KMST-TV. After securing a lease, they rapidly remodeled the structure. The resulting facility included a first-floor studio, a small production area, a sound booth, and master-control space. The group also acquired broadcast equipment, recruited support staff, assembled a small news team, and located a transmitter and antenna suitable for installation on Fremont Peak overlooking the Salinas Valley. KSMS-TV went on the air on September 1, 1986. Local news was added in November 1987, shortly after Fidel M. Soto joined the station. Soto became the longest-tenured personality associated with KSMS since its launch. The station's principal local news output has consisted of evening broadcasts at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., while its broader news service has included national stories and coverage from Latin America. Weekend local newscasts have not been part of its regular schedule. The station later modernized its transmission technology. On June 12, 2009, KSMS-TV shut down its analog signal on UHF channel 67 in accordance with the nationwide full-power digital television transition. Its digital signal remained on UHF channel 31, with channel 67 retained as its virtual designation. In June 2010, KSMS moved to a 16:9 high-definition format. KSMS-TV is owned by Entravision Communications and is operated alongside Class A UniMás affiliate KDJT-CD. The two stations share facilities on Garden Court south of Monterey Regional Airport in Monterey. Through a channel-sharing arrangement, their transmissions use KDJT-CD's spectrum from an antenna on Fremont Peak. KSMS-TV continues to function as a Univision-affiliated Spanish-language broadcaster serving Monterey, Salinas, and the wider Monterey Bay area.

• 2010

  High-definition broadcasting begins

  [1]KSMS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station adopted 16:9 high-definition broadcasting in June.

• 2009

  Analog television service ends

  [1]KSMS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KSMS discontinued its analog UHF 67 transmission during the United States digital television transition and continued on digital UHF 31 using virtual channel 67.

• 1987

  Local news operation begins

  [1]KSMS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KSMS introduced its local newscasts in November, shortly after Fidel M. Soto joined the station.

• 1986

  Station founded and launched

  [1]KSMS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Bill Schuyler founded KSMS-TV, which began broadcasting on September 1 as a Spanish-language station serving the Monterey Bay market.

A Spanish-language local television station focused on Hispanic and Spanish-speaking audiences in the Monterey Bay region, combining Univision network content with local, national, and Latin American news.

• Spanish-language television station · 1986

  KSMS-TV broadcast service

  The station's core offering is free over-the-air Spanish-language television for the Monterey Bay region. As a Univision affiliate, KSMS combines network programming with locally relevant content and serves viewers in Monterey, Salinas, and nearby communities.

• Local television news · 1987

  KSMS local news

  KSMS produces evening Spanish-language newscasts traditionally scheduled at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. The news operation covers local issues while also carrying national and Latin American news. The supplied reference describes approximately 10 hours of local news output per week and no regular weekend local newscasts.

• 2010

  Move to 16:9 high-definition televisionGeneration change

  Background

  The station modernized its picture format as broadcast television increasingly adopted widescreen high-definition production and transmission.

  Action taken

  KSMS-TV began broadcasting in a 16:9 HDTV format in June 2010.

  Aftermath

  Viewers received the station's programming in a widescreen high-definition format.

  Source

• 2009

  Transition from analog to digital broadcastingOther

  Background

  United States federal requirements required full-power television stations to end analog broadcasting.

  Action taken

  KSMS-TV ended its analog UHF 67 signal on June 12 and continued digital broadcasting on UHF 31 while retaining virtual channel 67.

  Aftermath

  The station continued serving its market through digital transmission.

  Source

1. 1KSMS-TVen.wikipedia.org