KUVS-DT
A Spanish-language Univision television station licensed to Modesto, California, serving the Sacramento area.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KUVS-DT is a Spanish-language television station licensed to Modesto, California, and serving the Sacramento, Modesto, Stockton, and broader Central Valley market. The station operates as an owned-and-operated Univision affiliate under TelevisaUnivision and is paired with Stockton-licensed UniMás station KTFK-DT. Although its legal license city remains Modesto, most of its operational activity is based in Sacramento, where it shares studio facilities with KTFK-DT on Arden Way near Cal Expo. Its primary transmitter is near Valley Springs, California. The station began broadcasting on August 26, 1966, as KLOC-TV, an English-language independent station established by country-and-western performer and radio owner Chester Smith with Corbett Pierce. The early business model proved difficult. Because the station was licensed to Modesto rather than Sacramento, program distributors initially charged it lower-market rates, but those rates were later increased. The resulting programming shortage forced KLOC-TV to adopt unusual cost-saving measures, including daytime simulcasts of Smith's KLOC radio station and evening Spanish-language programming. The station also carried religious programming, including material associated with the Christian Broadcasting Network. The move toward Spanish-language broadcasting became the station's defining strategic direction. KLOC-TV joined the Spanish International Network, or SIN, in 1972. SIN was later reorganized as Univision, creating a long-term network relationship that eventually led to the station's acquisition by Univision. In 1975, technical improvements, including a power increase and the beginning of color broadcasting, expanded the station's effective reach into Sacramento. During the late 1970s and 1980s, Smith developed a wider group of Spanish-language television properties in California and Nevada, using the Modesto station as part of a broader regional broadcasting strategy. The call sign changed to KCSO-TV in 1981 after Smith sold the KLOC radio operation. The new designation reflected the Chester Smith Organization. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, the station remained primarily a Spanish-language outlet and developed local news capabilities, although its newsroom operated with limited resources. Its principal local newscast was the 6 p.m. program, whose staffing and production capacity gradually expanded during the 1990s. Univision acquired the station from Smith in a transaction announced in late 1996 and completed in 1997. After the sale, the station adopted the KUVS call sign and shifted most operations from Modesto to Sacramento. Univision also discontinued the station's morning Christian programming so that it could carry the network's full Spanish-language schedule. The acquisition made KUVS the first network-owned-and-operated television station in the Sacramento market. Univision expanded local news by adding an 11 p.m. newscast and broadening coverage beyond Modesto to include Sacramento-area stories. Today, KUVS-DT combines Univision network programming with locally produced Spanish-language news and public-affairs content. Its regular local output includes morning, early-evening, and late-evening newscasts, as well as the weekly political discussion program Voz y Voto, which is distributed to Univision stations in California. The station also participates in newer broadcast technologies: its digital signal replaced its analog transmission in 2009, its subchannels are rebroadcast in the Sacramento area through KEZT-CD, and it became part of Sacramento's ATSC 3.0 deployment through KQCA in July 2021.
History
KUVS-DT traces its history to an FCC application filed on March 3, 1964, by Corbett Pierce and Chester Smith, who sought to establish a television station on channel 17 in Modesto. The FCC approved the application on November 12, 1964. A nationwide UHF channel reallocation later moved the Modesto assignment to channel 19, and the station began broadcasting on August 26, 1966, under the call sign KLOC-TV. KLOC-TV initially operated as a general-entertainment independent station. Its economics deteriorated after program distributors increased prices toward levels charged to stations in the more established Sacramento market. The station said that Stockton station KOVR had influenced distributors against doing business with the Modesto outlet, although this claim is part of the station's historical account rather than a current finding. To remain on air, KLOC-TV simulcast KLOC radio during the day, including live camera coverage of radio announcers, and broadcast Spanish-language programs during evening hours. Advertising revenues from the radio operation helped support the television station. The station's business model stabilized after it joined the Spanish International Network in 1972 and added Christian Broadcasting Network programming. SIN became the predecessor of Univision, linking the station to the Spanish-language network system that would later acquire it. In 1975, KLOC-TV increased its power and began color transmissions, improvements that made reception in Sacramento possible. The station subsequently pursued additional construction permits and regional expansion opportunities. A proposed Concord, California, satellite station was abandoned in 1976 after opposition from community groups and competing Spanish-language broadcasters. In 1979, the company obtained authorization for a Salinas station, leading to the sale of the KLOC radio station and a 1981 television call-sign change to KCSO-TV. Chester Smith continued building a regional collection of Spanish-language television outlets. Sister or related operations were developed in Nevada and along California's Central Coast, while the Modesto station continued providing Spanish-language programming and local news. Its main local news program was the 6 p.m. newscast. The newsroom was modestly resourced, but staffing increased during the 1990s. The station also developed local production and public-affairs capabilities that later became important to its identity within Univision's California station group. In late 1996, Smith announced the sale of KCSO to Univision for $40 million, with the transaction closing in 1997. Smith received Univision stock as consideration and retained the KCSO call letters for a later low-power station. Univision renamed the acquired station KUVS-TV, discontinued its morning Christian programs, and moved most station operations from Modesto to Sacramento. A former bank building near Arden Fair Mall became the Sacramento facility, while a smaller presence remained in Modesto for sales and news functions. The acquisition represented a major change in market positioning: KUVS became an owned-and-operated Univision station and expanded from a primarily Modesto-focused service into a Sacramento regional outlet. Under Univision ownership, KUVS added an 11 p.m. local newscast and extended its existing 6 p.m. broadcast to cover Sacramento-area developments. It later developed a morning newscast, A Primera Hora, and a statewide midday Edición Digital program introduced in 2017. The station also produces Voz y Voto, a weekly political roundtable distributed among Univision's California stations. The program began in 1999 in cooperation with KMEX-TV in Los Angeles and has featured political journalists and public figures, including a 2005 interview with California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. KUVS-TV completed the federally required analog shutdown on June 12, 2009, while retaining digital operations on its pre-transition UHF channel. Its subchannels are rebroadcast in the immediate Sacramento area through KEZT-CD, and KTFK-DT also rebroadcasts the Univision service to improve coverage. In July 2021, KUVS became part of the Sacramento market's ATSC 3.0 implementation through KQCA. The station remains an active TelevisaUnivision property focused on Spanish-language network programming, local journalism, public affairs, and regional advertising.
- 2021
Participation in ATSC 3.0 deployment
[1]KUVS joined Sacramento's NextGen TV deployment through KQCA.
- 2017
Edición Digital introduced
[1]The station began carrying Univision's statewide midday digital news edition.
- 2009
Analog transmission ends
[1]The station shut down its analog signal on June 12 as part of the United States digital television transition.
- 1999
Voz y Voto launches
[1]KUVS began producing the California-focused political roundtable program Voz y Voto.
- 1997
Univision ownership begins
[1]Univision completed its acquisition, renamed the station KUVS-TV, and shifted most operations to Sacramento.
- 1981
Call sign changes to KCSO-TV
[1]After the KLOC radio station was sold, the television station adopted the KCSO-TV call sign.
- 1975
Power increase and color broadcasting
[1]Technical upgrades improved coverage and enabled viewers in Sacramento to receive the station.
- 1972
Joins the Spanish International Network
[1]KLOC-TV affiliated with SIN, the predecessor of Univision, establishing its long-term Spanish-language network direction.
- 1966
KLOC-TV begins broadcasting
[1]The station launched on August 26 on UHF channel 19 as an independent general-entertainment outlet.
- 1964
FCC application filed
[1]Corbett Pierce and Chester Smith applied to build a television station in Modesto, initially seeking a channel 17 assignment.
Products and positioning
A Spanish-language network-owned local television station serving Hispanic audiences across the Sacramento and Central Valley markets, combining national Univision programming with regional news, political coverage, and community-oriented content.
Spanish-language television network service · 1997
Univision network programming
KUVS-DT's core offering is the Spanish-language schedule supplied by Univision. The station became a full Univision outlet after its acquisition from Chester Smith, replacing the earlier mixed schedule of Spanish-language, religious, and independent programming. Network programming forms the central audience and advertising platform for the Sacramento and Central Valley market.
Local television news · 1970
Local newscasts
KUVS produces Spanish-language local news for its regional audience, including morning, early-evening, and late-evening broadcasts. The station's established 6 p.m. newscast was expanded to cover Sacramento after the move to Univision ownership, and an 11 p.m. edition was added after the acquisition.
Morning news
A Primera Hora
A Primera Hora is KUVS's one-hour Spanish-language morning newscast, scheduled at 6 a.m. It provides local and regional news within the station's morning schedule and extends KUVS's local information service beyond the evening broadcasts.
Digital news · 2017
Edición Digital
Edición Digital is a statewide Univision news product carried at midday. KUVS began airing the program in 2017, adding a California-wide digital news format to its locally focused schedule.
Public affairs · 1999
Voz y Voto
Voz y Voto is a weekly Spanish-language political roundtable produced by KUVS and distributed to Univision stations in California. It began in 1999 with participation from Los Angeles station KMEX-TV and has featured journalists, political commentators, and public officials.
Brand decisions
2021
Participation in NextGen TV deploymentGeneration changeBackground
Sacramento broadcasters began deploying the ATSC 3.0 digital television standard.
Action taken
KUVS became part of the market's ATSC 3.0 service through KQCA.
Aftermath
The station gained participation in the region's newer broadcast transmission platform while maintaining its established network and local programming role.
2009
Transition from analog to digital transmissionGeneration changeBackground
The United States implemented a federally mandated transition from analog television broadcasting to digital transmission.
Action taken
KUVS-TV ended its analog transmission on UHF channel 19 and continued digitally on its pre-transition UHF channel 18.
Aftermath
The station became a fully digital terrestrial broadcaster.
1997
Univision acquisition and Sacramento relocationM&ABackground
Chester Smith announced the sale of KCSO to Univision in late 1996, with the transaction closing in 1997.
Action taken
Univision acquired the station, changed its call sign to KUVS, ended the morning Christian block, and moved most operations from Modesto to Sacramento.
Aftermath
KUVS became a network-owned station serving the wider Sacramento market and expanded its local news schedule.
Acquisition price. $40 million (1996 announcement and 1997 transaction)
1972
Affiliation with the Spanish International NetworkStrategyBackground
The station needed a stable programming and revenue model after struggling as a general-entertainment independent outlet.
Action taken
KLOC-TV joined the Spanish International Network, later known as Univision, while continuing to carry selected religious programming.
Aftermath
The affiliation strengthened the station's Spanish-language identity and connected it to the network that ultimately became its owner.
1967
Adoption of radio simulcasts and Spanish-language evening programmingStrategyBackground
KLOC-TV faced higher-than-expected programming costs after distributors adjusted its rates toward those charged to Sacramento-market stations.
Action taken
The station simulcast co-owned KLOC radio during the day and used evening hours for Spanish-language programs, supplementing the schedule with religious programming.
Aftermath
The low-cost schedule helped keep the station operating and established Spanish-language broadcasting as a durable part of its business.
Sources2 sources
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