KTVW-DT
KTVW-DT is a TelevisaUnivision-owned Spanish-language television station serving the Phoenix, Arizona market as the local Univision affiliate.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KTVW-DT is a full-power Spanish-language television station serving Phoenix, Arizona, and surrounding communities as the local outlet for the Univision network. The station broadcasts on digital channel 33 and operates from studios on 30th Street in southern Phoenix. Its transmitter is located on South Mountain, giving the station a central transmission position for the Phoenix market. KTVW-DT is owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision and is closely integrated with the company's other Arizona broadcast properties. The station's service footprint extends beyond Phoenix through a network of relays and related stations. KTVW-CD serves the Flagstaff area, while KDOS-LD serves Globe. Univision programming is also carried on the second digital subchannel of KFPH-DT, a Flagstaff-licensed UniMás station associated with the same operation. In Southern Arizona, KUVE-DT and KUVE-CD operate as semi-satellites of KTVW-DT, extending Univision coverage into the Tucson and Green Valley area. Those stations generally simulcast network and local programming supplied by KTVW, while retaining separate commercial inserts and legal identifications. KTVW's facilities provide master control and much of the internal operational support for the Southern Arizona outlets. KTVW began broadcasting on September 2, 1979, becoming Arizona's first full-time Spanish-language television station. Its launch followed several years of regulatory and construction activity. The original construction-permit application was filed in 1976 by the Legend of Cibola Television Company, which was reorganized as the Seven Hills Television Company before the station launched. The project shared portions of its facility development with another Phoenix television construction project and received approval for a South Mountain tower in the late 1970s. A Tucson translator followed in 1980, reflecting the owners' early intention to build a broader Spanish-language service across Arizona. For much of its early history, KTVW was the only full-power Spanish-language television station in Phoenix. That position gave it substantial market influence among Spanish-speaking viewers and made the station an important local platform for Spanish-language news, entertainment, network programming, and advertising. Its competitive position changed in 2006 when Phoenix gained a commercial Telemundo station after a transaction involving NBCUniversal and the Daystar Television Network converted a formerly noncommercial facility into KTAZ. Local news has been a central part of the station's identity. KTVW introduced a brief late-night local news update in the early 1980s and replaced it with an evening newscast in 1984. Its local news operation is branded Noticias Univision 33, also referenced as Noticias 33, and its broadcasts are simulcast by the related Southern Arizona stations. The station has historically positioned its Spanish-language newscasts as a major source of local information for Arizona's Hispanic audience. Weather material has been supplied by a Univision sister station in Houston rather than by a dedicated KTVW on-air weather staff. KTVW completed the federally mandated transition from analog to digital broadcasting on June 12, 2009. The analog service on UHF channel 33 ended late that evening, while the station's digital operation continued on channel 33 after the transition. The station also provides access to UniMás programming in the broader market through its relationship with KFPH-DT and related low-power facilities. Overall, KTVW-DT functions both as a local television brand and as the principal Univision broadcast platform for a substantial portion of Arizona.
History
KTVW-DT traces its origins to a construction-permit application filed on March 12, 1976, for a new Phoenix television station on channel 33. The application was submitted by the Legend of Cibola Television Company, which was reorganized before launch as the Seven Hills Television Company. The ownership group was connected to principals associated with the Spanish International Network, the predecessor organization of the Spanish-language network that later became Univision. The original application included only one local stockholder, Julia Zozaya, who later became associated with another Arizona radio property. The Federal Communications Commission granted the construction permit on August 17, 1977. Facility development was coordinated in part with the construction of KNXV-TV, and the two projects received approval in 1978 to build a new tower on South Mountain. This site became the principal transmission location for KTVW's Phoenix service. The station signed on as KTVW-TV on September 2, 1979, becoming Arizona's first full-time Spanish-language television station. Earlier, KPAZ-TV had carried some Spanish-language programming, but that service had been reduced after financial difficulties and a change in ownership. KTVW therefore entered a market where a consistent full-time Spanish-language broadcast service was not yet available. The station's owners planned regional expansion from the beginning. A translator serving Tucson launched on November 1, 1980. KTVW remained associated with Spanish International Network interests but was not directly owned by the network until Hallmark Cards acquired the station from Seven Hills in 1989. The Tucson service later developed into the KUVE operation, which became a semi-satellite structure carrying KTVW's Univision programming into Southern Arizona while retaining some separate local operational elements. During its first decades, KTVW had a powerful competitive position in Phoenix because it was the market's only full-power Spanish-language television station. That exclusivity ended in 2006, when a transaction involving NBCUniversal and the Daystar Television Network converted Phoenix's former noncommercial channel 39 into the commercial Telemundo station KTAZ. KTVW nevertheless remained an important Spanish-language broadcaster in the market and continued to operate as part of the Univision station group. Local news developed soon after the station's launch. In the early 1980s, KTVW produced a ten-minute local news update at 10:30 p.m., scheduled before the Mexico City-produced program 24 Horas. In 1984, the short update was replaced by a 6 p.m. newscast. The local operation later became known as Noticias Univision 33, with broadcasts at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. The station's newscasts have also been simulcast by KUVE-DT and KUVE-CD in Southern Arizona. KTVW has produced the local news programming while relying on a Univision sister station in Houston for weather segments rather than maintaining its own dedicated on-air weather staff. The local newscasts have historically ranked strongly among Phoenix news programs, including among younger adult and Hispanic-viewer audiences. The station's broadcast infrastructure expanded through additional relays and relationships with related Arizona stations. KTVW-CD serves Flagstaff, and KDOS-LD serves Globe. KTVW programming is also carried on the second digital subchannel of KFPH-DT, a Flagstaff-licensed UniMás outlet associated with the Phoenix-market operation. KUVE-DT in Green Valley and KUVE-CD in Tucson function as semi-satellites, generally carrying the same Univision schedule while inserting their own commercials and legal identifications. KTVW supplies master-control and much of the internal operational support for these Southern Arizona facilities, although KUVE maintains a separate Tucson studio location. KTVW ended analog broadcasting at 10:59 p.m. on June 12, 2009, the federally designated date for the full-power United States television transition to digital transmission. Its digital service continued on UHF channel 33 after the transition. The station provided viewers with information about digital converters before the shutdown. In its present form, KTVW-DT is owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision, shares operational resources with other Univision and UniMás properties in Arizona, and combines national Spanish-language programming with locally produced Phoenix news under the Noticias Univision 33 identity.
- 2009
Analog transmission ends
[1]KTVW shut down its analog UHF channel 33 signal on June 12 and continued as a digital full-power station.
- 2006
Phoenix gains a commercial Telemundo competitor
[1]A transaction involving NBCUniversal and Daystar converted a former noncommercial Phoenix facility into commercial Telemundo outlet KTAZ.
- 1989
Hallmark Cards acquires the station
[1]Hallmark Cards acquired KTVW from the Seven Hills Television Company, bringing the station into Hallmark's ownership structure.
- 1984
Regular evening local news introduced
[1]KTVW replaced its short late-night news update with a 6 p.m. local newscast.
- 1980
Tucson translator begins service
[1]A translator launched on November 1, extending KTVW's Spanish-language service toward Southern Arizona.
- 1979
Station signs on
[1]KTVW-TV began broadcasting on September 2 as Arizona's first full-time Spanish-language television station.
- 1978
South Mountain tower approved
[1]KTVW's facility project received approval for a South Mountain tower developed in conjunction with another Phoenix television construction project.
- 1977
Phoenix channel 33 construction permit granted
[1]The Federal Communications Commission granted the construction permit for the proposed Phoenix station.
- 1976
Construction permit application filed
[1]The Legend of Cibola Television Company filed for authorization to build a new television station on Phoenix channel 33.
Products and positioning
A locally focused Spanish-language Univision station serving Phoenix and acting as an operational hub for related Arizona broadcast outlets.
Local television news · 1984
Noticias Univision 33
KTVW's locally produced Spanish-language news service for the Phoenix market. The operation developed from a short late-night news update in the early 1980s into regular evening newscasts, including broadcasts at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. The programs are also carried by the related Southern Arizona Univision outlets and are positioned as the station's principal local-information offering.
Spanish-language network television · 1979
Univision Arizona broadcast service
The station's main programming service consists of Univision's Spanish-language network schedule, including entertainment, news, sports, and special programming, combined with KTVW-produced local content. The service is distributed across a wider Arizona footprint through translators, related digital subchannels, and semi-satellite stations.
Broadcast distribution · 1980
Arizona relay and simulcast network
KTVW's wider distribution structure includes KTVW-CD in Flagstaff, KDOS-LD in Globe, the second digital subchannel of KFPH-DT, and the KUVE stations serving Southern Arizona. These facilities extend Univision programming beyond the primary Phoenix transmitter and allow the operation to serve multiple Arizona population centers.
Brand decisions
2009
Transition from analog to digital broadcastingGeneration changeBackground
United States full-power television stations were required to end analog broadcasting under the federal digital television transition.
Action taken
KTVW ended its analog channel 33 transmission on June 12, 2009, while retaining channel 33 for its post-transition digital operation. Station personnel provided viewers with information about digital converter equipment before the shutdown.
Aftermath
KTVW continued as a full-power digital Spanish-language station serving Phoenix and maintained its role as the operational center of related Arizona Univision facilities.
1984
Expansion of regularly scheduled local newsStrategyBackground
KTVW's initial local news service consisted of a brief late-night update scheduled before a national Spanish-language program.
Action taken
The station replaced the ten-minute update with a regular 6 p.m. newscast, creating a more substantial local news presence.
Aftermath
The local news operation developed into Noticias Univision 33, which became a core part of KTVW's identity and was later simulcast by Southern Arizona sister stations.
Recent events
- 2009
KTVW completes Phoenix analog-to-digital television transition[1]
Regulation
KTVW ended its analog transmission on June 12, 2009, and continued its full-power service digitally on channel 33 in accordance with the United States digital television transition.
- 1984
KTVW expands its local news operation[1]
Product generation
The station replaced its early brief late-night news update with a regular 6 p.m. local newscast, strengthening its locally produced Spanish-language news offering.
- 1980
Tucson-area Spanish-language relay service launches[1]
Other
A Tucson translator began operation, extending KTVW's Spanish-language television service beyond Phoenix and supporting the station's broader Arizona coverage strategy.
- 1979
KTVW-TV begins full-time Spanish-language broadcasting in Arizona[1]
Other
KTVW-TV signed on in Phoenix as Arizona's first full-time Spanish-language television station, establishing the foundation of the station's long-running Univision service.
Sources1 sources
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