KWEX-DT
KWEX-DT is a Univision-affiliated Spanish-language television station serving San Antonio, Texas, and surrounding South Texas communities.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KWEX-DT is a full-power television station serving the San Antonio, Texas, market as the local outlet of the Spanish-language Univision network. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 41 and is owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision alongside KNIC-DT, the market's UniMás outlet. KWEX's principal facilities are located at the Univision Broadcast Center on Network Boulevard in northwest San Antonio, while a secondary production facility operates at the Texas A&M University–San Antonio Educational and Cultural Arts Center in the city's downtown Market Square area. The station has an important place in American broadcasting history. It began broadcasting on June 10, 1955, as KCOR-TV, using the call letters of its radio sister station KCOR. Established by Raoul A. Cortez, the station was the first Spanish-language commercial television station in the United States and the first television station in South Texas to use the UHF band. Its launch extended Cortez's earlier Spanish-language radio work into television and created a platform for locally produced Spanish-language programming in San Antonio. After sustained financial losses, Cortez sold the station in 1961 to a group led by his son-in-law Emilio Nicolas, together with Rene Anselmo, Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta, Julian Kaufman and Frank Fouce. The station became KUAL-TV. Nicolas had been closely involved in its operation and programming from the beginning, including the production of variety programs. New ownership gave the station access to programming associated with Mexico's Telesistema Mexicano, the predecessor of Televisa, and helped improve its commercial prospects. In 1962, KUAL-TV changed its call letters to KWEX-TV and became a charter affiliate of the Spanish International Network. KWEX and the newly established KMEX-TV in Los Angeles formed the core of what became the first Spanish-language television network in the United States. The Spanish International Network was relaunched as Univision in 1987, linking KWEX's local identity to one of the country's largest Spanish-language television groups. KWEX has continued to combine nationally supplied Univision programming with locally produced news and community-oriented segments. Its local schedule includes weekday, Saturday and Sunday newscasts, along with Despierta San Antonio, a series of locally produced inserts carried during the national Despierta América morning program. The station expanded its local news portfolio with Edición Digital San Antonio in 2017 and Noticias Texas Central Primera Hora in 2019, the latter also airing on Univision's Austin station KAKW-DT. KWEX became the fifth San Antonio television station to present its local newscasts in high definition in 2013. The station completed a major facilities transition in 2013, moving from its long-standing Southtown location on Durango Boulevard to a 43,200-square-foot Network Boulevard facility. The building incorporated newsroom and master-control expansions, two production studios and a kitchen set for food-related segments. Univision's San Antonio radio operations also moved into the complex. In 2014, KWEX opened a smaller downtown studio developed through a lease arrangement with Texas A&M University–San Antonio, providing a location for live news segments and giving communications students access when the studio was not being used by the station. KWEX completed the United States television industry's analog-to-digital transition in 2009. Its digital signal ultimately moved to UHF channel 41, corresponding to its virtual channel identity. Today, the station's role is primarily that of a local Spanish-language news and programming outlet within the Univision network, serving San Antonio's Hispanic and broader South Texas audience.
History
KWEX-DT traces its origins to June 10, 1955, when it signed on in San Antonio as KCOR-TV. The station was established by Raoul A. Cortez, whose KCOR radio station had already served as a pioneering Spanish-language broadcasting operation. KCOR-TV became the first Spanish-language commercial television station in the United States and the first South Texas television station to broadcast on the UHF band. Its original facilities were on Network Boulevard in northwest San Antonio. The station struggled financially during its early years. In 1961, Cortez sold it to a consortium led by Emilio Nicolas, his son-in-law, along with Rene Anselmo, Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta, Julian Kaufman and Frank Fouce. The new ownership changed the call letters to KUAL-TV. Nicolas had worked with Cortez from the station's beginning and was involved in both management and the production of local variety programming. The group's connection to Telesistema Mexicano, later known as Televisa, improved access to Mexican programming and helped establish a more sustainable business model. In 1962, the station adopted the KWEX-TV call letters and became a charter affiliate of the Spanish International Network. Together with KMEX-TV in Los Angeles, KWEX served as a founding component of the first Spanish-language television network in the United States. The Spanish International Network was relaunched as Univision in 1987, making KWEX one of the network's historically significant local affiliates. For many years, KWEX operated from studios on Durango Boulevard in San Antonio's Southtown district. On July 29, 2013, it moved to a newly built, 43,200-square-foot facility on Network Boulevard. The center added expanded newsroom and master-control space, two production studios and a kitchen set for food segments. Univision's San Antonio radio stations moved into the same facility later that summer. Plans to demolish the old studio building and redevelop the property generated opposition from preservation groups, including the San Antonio Conservation Society and the Texas Historical Commission, which advocated restoring and incorporating the structure into the redevelopment. On August 10, 2013, KWEX entered a three-year lease arrangement with Texas A&M University–San Antonio for space at the university's Educational and Cultural Arts Center in the former Museo Alameda site in the Market Square area. KWEX constructed a 1,200-square-foot high-definition studio there for live portions of its evening newscasts and the Despierta San Antonio morning inserts. The facility opened on February 18, 2014, and was also made available to university communications students when it was not being used for station production. KWEX expanded its local news output over the following years. The station introduced Edición Digital San Antonio at 11:30 a.m. on June 26, 2017. On March 11, 2019, it began Noticias Texas Central Primera Hora, a morning newscast also carried by KAKW-DT in Austin. The station's local news operation includes weekday, Saturday and Sunday broadcasts, as well as locally produced interview and community segments inserted into Univision's national morning programming. The station completed its transition from analog to digital broadcasting on June 12, 2009, when regular analog programming on UHF channel 41 ended under the nationwide federal transition. Its digital signal subsequently moved from its transitional UHF channel 39 allocation to channel 41. KWEX-DT remains a TelevisaUnivision-owned Univision station serving San Antonio and the surrounding South Texas region.
- 2019
Noticias Texas Central Primera Hora launches
[1]KWEX adds a morning newscast shared with KAKW-DT in Austin.
- 2017
Edición Digital San Antonio launches
[1]KWEX adds a weekday midday local newscast.
- 2014
Downtown secondary studio opens
[1]The station opens its Texas A&M University–San Antonio studio for live news segments and local productions.
- 2013
Relocation to Network Boulevard
[1]KWEX moves into a new broadcast center and begins presenting local newscasts in high definition.
- 2009
Digital television transition
[1]KWEX ends regular analog broadcasts and moves its digital operation to UHF channel 41.
- 1962
KWEX-TV joins the Spanish International Network
[1]The station changes its call letters to KWEX-TV and becomes a charter affiliate of the network that later becomes Univision.
- 1961
Ownership changes and call letters become KUAL-TV
[1]Raoul A. Cortez sells the station to a consortium led by Emilio Nicolas, and the station adopts the KUAL-TV call sign.
- 1955
KCOR-TV begins broadcasting
[1]The station signs on in San Antonio and becomes the first Spanish-language commercial television station in the United States.
Products and positioning
A locally rooted Spanish-language broadcast station that combines Univision network programming with San Antonio news, weather, community coverage and audience-focused local segments.
Television news
Local news broadcasts
KWEX produces Spanish-language local newscasts covering San Antonio and surrounding Central and South Texas communities. Its schedule includes weekday evening coverage as well as weekend broadcasts, with reporting, weather, traffic and community-oriented segments supplied for the local Univision audience.
Morning interview and community programming
Despierta San Antonio
Despierta San Antonio consists of locally produced interview and feature inserts carried during Univision's national Despierta América morning program. The segments provide a local window into San Antonio events, people, public-interest subjects and community activities.
Midday television news · 2017
Edición Digital San Antonio
Edición Digital San Antonio is a weekday midday newscast introduced by KWEX in 2017. It expanded the station's local news presence beyond the traditional morning and evening schedule and was positioned for viewers seeking a concise Spanish-language update during the middle of the day.
Morning television news · 2019
Noticias Texas Central Primera Hora
Noticias Texas Central Primera Hora is a morning local news program launched by KWEX in 2019. The program is also broadcast by KAKW-DT in Austin, extending the regional Central Texas news format across two Univision stations.
Spanish-language broadcast television · 1962
Univision network programming
As a Univision affiliate, KWEX carries nationally distributed Spanish-language entertainment, news and other network programming alongside its locally produced content. The network relationship is central to the station's programming identity and market reach.
Brand decisions
2019
Launch of Noticias Texas Central Primera HoraProduct launchBackground
The Univision group sought to strengthen early-morning local news coverage in Central Texas.
Action taken
KWEX began broadcasting Noticias Texas Central Primera Hora, with the program also carried by KAKW-DT in Austin.
Aftermath
The shared format extended the station's morning news reach across the San Antonio and Austin Univision markets.
2017
Launch of Edición Digital San AntonioProduct launchBackground
KWEX expanded its local news schedule to provide a Spanish-language midday information service.
Action taken
The station introduced Edición Digital San Antonio on weekdays at 11:30 a.m.
Aftermath
The launch broadened KWEX's daily local-news offering beyond its established morning and evening programming.
2013
Move to a consolidated high-definition broadcast centerStrategyBackground
KWEX had operated for many years from its Southtown studios and needed expanded production, newsroom and technical capacity.
Action taken
The station moved to a new 43,200-square-foot facility on Network Boulevard, adding production studios, expanded master control and newsroom space. Univision's local radio operations also moved into the complex.
Aftermath
The move supported high-definition local newscasts and consolidated the group's San Antonio media operations. Preservation groups objected to proposed redevelopment involving the former studio site.
2013
Establish a downtown secondary studioStrategyBackground
KWEX sought a visible downtown production location for live local-news segments and educational collaboration.
Action taken
The station signed a three-year lease with Texas A&M University–San Antonio and built a 1,200-square-foot high-definition studio at the university's Educational and Cultural Arts Center.
Aftermath
The studio opened in February 2014 and supported evening news, morning inserts and student access when not occupied by station productions.
Sources1 sources
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