KWBA-TV
KWBA-TV is a television station licensed to Sierra Vista, Arizona, serving the Tucson market and operating under the Arizona 58 brand.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KWBA-TV is a full-power television station licensed to Sierra Vista, Arizona, and serving viewers in the Tucson television market. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 58 and has operated under several identities during its history, including its original KWBA branding, The WB affiliate branding, The CW affiliation, and the Arizona 58 identity adopted in 2024. Its studios are shared with ABC affiliate KGUN-TV on East Rosewood Street in East Tucson, while its transmitter is located atop the Santa Rita Mountains southeast of Tucson. The current station traces its origins to a construction permit granted on November 22, 1996, to KM Communications for an analog channel 58 facility serving the Sierra Vista and Tucson areas. The proposed station initially used the call sign KAUC, but adopted KWBA in August 1997 after securing an affiliation agreement with The WB. Before KWBA began broadcasting, Tucson viewers generally received WB programming through the former superstation feed of Chicago station WGN-TV. Construction was delayed by permitting issues involving the planned transmitter site on United States Forest Service land, and KWBA ultimately began broadcasting on December 31, 1998. KWBA launched as a WB affiliate with a schedule combining network programs, syndicated entertainment, local features, and Arizona Diamondbacks baseball. The station performed strongly for a new outlet and in 2001 tied for the highest rating among WB affiliates in non-metered television markets. Ownership subsequently consolidated under Tucson Communications, which changed its name to Cascade Broadcasting Group in 2001. When The WB and UPN were combined to form The CW in 2006, KWBA became Tucson's CW affiliate. The station experienced financial pressure after losing the rights to broadcast Arizona Diamondbacks games following the 2007 season. On March 18, 2008, Journal Broadcast Group announced an agreement to acquire KWBA and operate it alongside KGUN-TV. Because the Tucson market did not ordinarily qualify for another television duopoly, Journal sought and received a failing-station waiver from the Federal Communications Commission. Journal cited several years of losses and committed to developing local news programming for KWBA using KGUN resources. The transaction was approved in June 2008, and KWBA moved its operations into KGUN's studios later that year. The E. W. Scripps Company acquired Journal Communications in a transaction announced in 2014 and completed on April 1, 2015, making KWBA part of the Scripps broadcast portfolio. KGUN-TV and KWBA continued to operate as sister stations. KWBA also carried news produced by KGUN, including a 9 p.m. newscast and a morning-news extension. Its earlier 9 p.m. newscast, produced by KOLD-TV, had begun in 2003 but ended in December 2005 after the production agreement expired. In 2024, Nexstar Media Group announced that it would not renew CW affiliations at Scripps-owned stations, including KWBA-TV. A subsequent agreement moved the Tucson CW affiliation to KTTU-TV, a MyNetworkTV station owned by Tegna. KWBA rebranded as Arizona 58 on September 1, 2024. Under the new identity, the station was positioned as an independent local television outlet, with selected Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Mammoth game broadcasts supplied through Scripps Sports and syndicated programming such as GMFB: Overtime. The station remains part of Scripps' Tucson broadcast operations.
History
KWBA-TV's channel allocation has an earlier history than the station itself. A proposed Sierra Vista outlet called KCCA-TV received regulatory attention in the 1980s, including permission to install subscription-television equipment, but the proposed facility never reached the air. The permit later disappeared, leaving channel 58 without an operating station. The modern KWBA project began when the Federal Communications Commission granted KM Communications a construction permit on November 22, 1996, for an analog channel 58 station serving Sierra Vista and Tucson. The call sign was initially KAUC. In August 1997, the station changed to KWBA to reflect its planned affiliation with The WB. At the time, Tucson lacked a conventional local WB affiliate and viewers relied in part on WGN-TV's former superstation distribution of WB programming. Ownership arrangements changed during the construction period. The station was held by Sierra Television, a KM Communications subsidiary, and Tucson Communications. Ron Bergamo served as general manager during the launch phase. Construction took longer than expected because of delays in obtaining approval for the transmitter site on Forest Service land. KWBA finally began broadcasting on December 31, 1998, from a facility designed to serve both its community of license, Sierra Vista, and the larger Tucson market. The station's early schedule consisted of WB programming supplemented by syndicated shows, short locally oriented features, and Arizona Diamondbacks baseball. KWBA developed a notable position among WB affiliates and in 2001 tied for the highest rating among WB stations in non-metered markets. Tucson Communications became the sole owner and changed its corporate name to Cascade Broadcasting Group in 2001. Following the 2006 consolidation of The WB and UPN into The CW, KWBA became the Tucson area's CW affiliate. KWBA's economics weakened after the station lost its Diamondbacks broadcast rights when the team's games moved to Fox Sports Arizona after the 2007 season. Journal Broadcast Group announced in March 2008 that it would buy KWBA and pair it with KGUN-TV, its ABC affiliate in Tucson. The transaction required a failing-station waiver because the local ownership rules normally prevented another commercial television duopoly in the market. Journal submitted financial information indicating that KWBA had lost money for several consecutive years and argued that combining operations with KGUN would provide a viable future for the station. The FCC approved the transaction in June 2008, and KWBA moved into KGUN's East Tucson facilities. Local news became a recurring part of KWBA's schedule. In 2003, KOLD-TV produced a 9 p.m. newscast for the station, but that arrangement ended in December 2005. After the Journal acquisition, KGUN began rebroadcasting its 6 p.m. newscast on KWBA at 9 p.m. in September 2008 and launched a live weekday 9 p.m. program on March 9, 2009. In April 2014, KGUN added a one-hour morning-news extension on KWBA called Good Morning Tucson Extra. Scripps announced its all-stock acquisition of Journal Communications in 2014. The FCC approved the transaction in December 2014, shareholders approved it in March 2015, and the merger closed on April 1, 2015. Scripps retained the broadcast stations, including KWBA and KGUN, while Journal's publishing assets were separated into Journal Media Group. The next major change came in 2024. Nexstar Media Group, the majority owner of The CW, announced on April 19 that it would not renew CW affiliations at Scripps-owned stations including KWBA. Tegna later announced an agreement under which KTTU-TV would take the Tucson CW affiliation. KWBA responded by adopting the Arizona 58 brand on September 1, 2024. The station's revised programming plan included selected Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Mammoth games through Scripps Sports, as well as syndicated programming such as GMFB: Overtime. KWBA completed the federally mandated analog-to-digital transition on June 12, 2009. Its digital service initially used UHF channel 44 while retaining virtual channel 58, and the physical digital assignment later changed to channel 21 during the broadcast-spectrum repack. The station continues to operate from shared Tucson facilities, with its transmitter on the Santa Rita Mountains.
- 2024
Rebrands as Arizona 58
[1]KWBA adopted the Arizona 58 identity after the planned end of its CW affiliation.
- 2015
Scripps ownership begins
[1]The E. W. Scripps Company completed its merger with Journal Communications and retained KWBA-TV.
- 2009
Digital transition
[1]KWBA ended regular analog broadcasting on June 12 as part of the United States digital television transition.
- 2008
Journal Broadcast Group acquisition
[1]Journal acquired KWBA after receiving a failing-station waiver and moved its operations into KGUN-TV's facilities.
- 2006
Becomes a CW affiliate
[1]KWBA joined The CW following the combination of The WB and UPN.
- 2001
Ownership consolidates under Cascade Broadcasting Group
[1]Tucson Communications became the station's sole owner and adopted the Cascade Broadcasting Group name.
- 1998
Station begins broadcasting
[1]KWBA-TV signed on December 31 as a WB affiliate serving the Tucson area.
- 1997
Call sign changes to KWBA
[1]The proposed station changed its call sign from KAUC to KWBA in connection with its planned WB affiliation.
- 1996
Construction permit granted
[1]KM Communications received a construction permit for a channel 58 station intended to serve Sierra Vista and Tucson.
Products and positioning
A Tucson-area over-the-air television station licensed to Sierra Vista, positioned since 2024 as Arizona 58, an independent local broadcast outlet carrying syndicated entertainment and selected sports programming.
Local television station · 2024
Arizona 58
The station's post-CW broadcast identity, introduced on September 1, 2024. Arizona 58 presents a mix of syndicated entertainment, selected sports supplied through Scripps Sports, and locally relevant over-the-air programming for the Tucson and Sierra Vista service area.
Over-the-air television · 2009
KWBA-TV digital broadcast service
KWBA's digital terrestrial service uses virtual channel 58 and serves the Tucson market from a transmitter on the Santa Rita Mountains. The station completed its analog shutdown in 2009 and later moved its physical digital assignment as part of the spectrum repack.
News broadcasting · 2003
Local news programming
KWBA has carried locally produced news under arrangements with KOLD-TV and later KGUN-TV. These efforts included a 9 p.m. newscast, a rebroadcast of KGUN's evening news, a live weekday evening program, and a morning-news extension.
Brand decisions
2024
Transition from The CW to Arizona 58StrategyBackground
Nexstar announced that The CW would not renew its affiliation with Scripps-owned stations, including KWBA-TV. Tegna arranged for KTTU-TV to become the Tucson CW outlet.
Action taken
KWBA rebranded as Arizona 58 and added selected Scripps Sports broadcasts and syndicated programming to its planned schedule.
Aftermath
The station moved from a network-affiliate model to an independent branded service while remaining owned by Scripps.
2008
Journal seeks failing-station waiver for KWBA acquisitionM&ABackground
Journal Broadcast Group proposed acquiring KWBA and pairing it with KGUN-TV, although Tucson ownership rules ordinarily limited the formation of another commercial television duopoly.
Action taken
Journal submitted financial evidence of repeated operating losses and committed to supporting KWBA with KGUN-produced local news. The FCC approved the transaction in June 2008.
Aftermath
KWBA moved into KGUN's studios and continued as a sister station within the Journal broadcast group.
Purchase price. $11.9 million (2008 transaction announcement)
Recent events
- 2024
Nexstar declines to renew Scripps-owned CW affiliations[1]
Leadership change
Nexstar announced that the CW would not renew its affiliation agreement with Scripps-owned stations including KWBA-TV, prompting a change in the Tucson network affiliation.
- 2024
KWBA-TV adopts Arizona 58 identity[1]
Campaign · Product launch
KWBA-TV rebranded as Arizona 58 after the planned end of its CW affiliation. The revised schedule included selected Scripps Sports broadcasts and syndicated programming.
- 2015
E. W. Scripps completes Journal Communications merger[1]
M&A
Scripps completed its acquisition of Journal Communications, retaining the company's broadcast properties and adding KWBA-TV and KGUN-TV to its station portfolio.
- 2008
Journal Broadcast Group announces acquisition of KWBA-TV[1]
M&A
Journal Broadcast Group announced plans to purchase KWBA-TV and operate it with KGUN-TV. The proposed transaction required a failing-station waiver because of ownership limits in the Tucson market.
- 2008
FCC approves Journal acquisition of KWBA-TV[1]
M&A · Regulation
The Federal Communications Commission approved Journal's acquisition after the company presented evidence of sustained losses and proposed using KGUN-TV resources to provide local news for KWBA.
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