KYMA-DT
KYMA-DT is a Yuma, Arizona television station broadcasting CBS and NBC programming to the Yuma–El Centro market.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KYMA-DT is a commercial television station licensed to Yuma, Arizona, serving viewers across the Yuma–El Centro, Arizona–California media market. Its current operation combines the programming streams and broadcast infrastructure associated with two historically separate Yuma stations: the former KSWT and the former KYMA-DT. The station currently distributes CBS and NBC programming through separate digital subchannels, with distinct local-news schedules and branding for each service. The station’s history began with KBLU-TV, which signed on in December 1963 after Desert Telecasting received federal authorization to build a second television station in Yuma. The station was created as a CBS affiliate and expanded its reach into California’s Imperial Valley in the middle of the 1960s by increasing transmitter power, relocating its transmitter to a higher site northwest of Yuma, and opening facilities in El Centro. Ownership changed several times. The station passed to Eller Telecasting, became part of Combined Communications, and was later sold to Chapman Television. Because the associated KBLU radio station retained the call letters, the television station adopted KYEL-TV in 1978. KYEL-TV remained an NBC affiliate until 1991, when the separate KYMA station took the NBC affiliation and KYEL-TV assumed ABC programming. In September 1991, the station became KSWT, a call sign referencing the Southwest Triangle formed by Yuma, El Centro, and Mexicali. It returned to CBS in 1994 after KECY-TV switched from CBS to Fox. During the 1990s and early 2000s, KSWT also carried limited Telemundo and Pax programming before returning to a full-time CBS schedule. It added a CW digital subchannel in 2006, but that service later moved to a KECY-TV subchannel. In 2014, Blackhawk Broadcasting acquired both KSWT and the separate KYMA-DT, while News-Press & Gazette Company entered a resource-sharing arrangement that provided operational services for the stations. The stations moved into shared facilities in downtown Yuma, and most employees other than sales staff became NPG employees. A regulatory remedy following Apollo Global Management’s 2019 acquisition of Northwest Broadcasting required the consolidation of the two Yuma operations. On January 13, 2020, the KSWT call sign was transferred to the license being surrendered, while the surviving operation adopted KYMA-DT. The station’s former KYMA programming streams were also moved onto the channel 13 multiplex, requiring viewers to rescan their antennas. Ownership later moved from Apollo-related control to Imagicomm Communications in 2022 and then to Rincon Broadcasting Group in 2025. KYMA-DT continues to operate as a local broadcast outlet with separate CBS and NBC news services. The NBC service uses News 11 branding and airs morning, early-evening, and late-evening newscasts. The CBS service uses 13 On Your Side branding and concentrates its local-news output in afternoon and evening time periods. The station’s shared-services relationship with News-Press & Gazette Company remains significant because NPG owns the market’s KECY-TV and KESE-LD operations and provides certain services under agreement.
History
The television operation now known as KYMA-DT traces its principal lineage to KBLU-TV, which was established by Desert Telecasting in Yuma, Arizona. After the Federal Communications Commission opened additional television-channel opportunities in the early 1950s, competing efforts were made to develop a station on channel 13. Desert Telecasting, led by local radio owner Robert Crites, received the construction permit in 1962. Despite opposition from the owner of Yuma’s first television station and local cable system, KBLU-TV began broadcasting on December 2, 1963, as a CBS affiliate. The station broadened its market in 1965 by improving its technical facilities and moving its transmitter to a higher location northwest of Yuma. It also established an El Centro office and studio, recognizing that the Imperial Valley in southeastern California was an important part of the station’s service area. Ownership transferred to Eller Telecasting in the late 1960s, and the station subsequently became part of Combined Communications. When Yuma’s original station, KIVA, ceased operations in 1970, KBLU-TV obtained the NBC affiliation, while CBS moved to the newly established KECC-TV, now KECY-TV. KBLU-TV also took over KIVA’s former studio facilities. Combined Communications sold the television station to Chapman Television in 1978. Since the KBLU call letters remained with the separately sold radio station, the television outlet adopted KYEL-TV. It was later sold to Service Broadcasters and then to Beam Broadcasters, subsequently known as Beacon Broadcasters. In 1991, the station’s network relationship changed again: KYMA became the NBC affiliate, while KYEL-TV took ABC programming. KYEL-TV adopted the KSWT call sign in September 1991. The name referred to the Southwest Triangle, the regional area connecting Yuma, El Centro, and Mexicali. KSWT returned to CBS in 1994 after KECY-TV moved from CBS to Fox. This left the market without a conventional ABC affiliate for several years; viewers received ABC programming through cable carriage of stations from San Diego and Phoenix until KECY introduced an ABC digital subchannel in 2007. During the 1990s and early 2000s, KSWT also carried some Telemundo programming overnight and later aired limited Pax programming, but it ultimately returned to a full-time CBS schedule. The station entered the digital-multicast era by carrying The CW on its second digital subchannel beginning in 2006. A dispute over the cable tier and channel placement was resolved later that year, allowing the service to move to a more widely available basic cable position. The CW programming moved to a KECY-TV subchannel in 2010, after which KSWT’s second digital stream became a standard-definition simulcast and eventually went dark. The station’s analog service ended on June 12, 2009, as part of the nationwide transition to digital television, and its post-transition digital operation used VHF channel 13. In 2013–2014, Blackhawk Broadcasting acquired KSWT and the separate KYMA-DT operation. News-Press & Gazette Company, which owned KECY-TV and KESE-LD, then entered into a resource-sharing agreement covering the market’s stations. Shared facilities were established on South 4th Avenue in downtown Yuma, while an advertising-sales office operated in El Centro. The two station brands continued to maintain separate network identities and newscasts. A major structural change followed Apollo Global Management’s acquisition of Northwest Broadcasting and Cox Media Group in 2019. Because the transaction created regulatory issues involving multiple licenses in certain markets, one of the two Yuma licenses had to be surrendered. On January 13, 2020, the surviving KSWT operation took the KYMA-DT call sign, while the other KYMA license was assigned the KSWT call sign before surrender. The surviving operation also consolidated the former KYMA streams onto the channel 13 multiplex and asked viewers to rescan their receivers. The station was sold with other assets to Imagicomm Communications in 2022 and to Rincon Broadcasting Group in 2025. Today, KYMA-DT provides CBS and NBC services through separate digital streams. The NBC service, branded News 11, carries a weekday morning newscast and evening broadcasts at 5, 6, and 10 p.m., along with weekend programs. The CBS service, branded 13 On Your Side, carries evening newscasts at 4, 6, and 10 p.m. The operation remains focused on local news and advertising for communities on both sides of the Arizona–California border.
- 2025
Acquisition by Rincon Broadcasting Group
[1]Rincon Broadcasting Group completed its acquisition of KYMA-DT on July 18.
- 2022
Acquisition by Imagicomm Communications
[1]The station was sold to Imagicomm Communications in a transaction completed on August 1.
- 2020
KSWT operation adopts KYMA-DT identity
[1]The surviving station adopted the KYMA-DT call sign as part of a regulatory license-consolidation process.
- 2014
Shared-services operation begins
[1]Blackhawk’s Yuma stations entered a resource-sharing arrangement with News-Press & Gazette Company and moved into shared facilities.
- 2009
Digital transition completed
[1]The station ended analog broadcasting on June 12 and continued with a digital VHF operation.
- 2006
CW digital subchannel launched
[1]KSWT added The CW to digital subchannel 13.2 and later secured broader local cable carriage.
- 1994
CBS affiliation restored
[1]KSWT became a CBS affiliate again after KECY-TV switched to Fox.
- 1991
Station becomes KSWT
[1]KYEL-TV adopted the KSWT call sign and assumed ABC programming after KYMA became the NBC affiliate.
- 1978
Call sign changes to KYEL-TV
[1]After the television and radio stations were sold separately, the television station changed its call sign from KBLU-TV to KYEL-TV.
- 1970
NBC affiliation acquired
[1]Following KIVA’s closure, KBLU-TV became the Yuma market’s NBC affiliate.
Products and positioning
A regional broadcast television station serving the geographically dispersed Yuma–El Centro market through local news, CBS and NBC network programming, digital multicast services, and local advertising.
Local news
News 11
The station’s NBC-branded local-news service. It includes a weekday morning broadcast, evening newscasts at 5, 6, and 10 p.m., and weekend early-evening and late-evening editions. The service is aimed at viewers throughout Yuma, the Imperial Valley, and surrounding communities.
Local news
13 On Your Side
The CBS-branded local-news service carried by KYMA-DT. Its schedule includes evening newscasts at 4, 6, and 10 p.m., with a more limited weekend schedule. The brand provides local reporting and community information for the Yuma–El Centro market.
Network television · 1994
CBS digital service
KYMA-DT’s CBS programming stream provides national network entertainment, news, sports, and daytime programming alongside the station’s locally produced 13 On Your Side newscasts.
Network television · 1970
NBC digital service
The NBC programming stream supplies national NBC content and the station’s News 11 local-news operation. It represents the network service historically associated with KYMA and the earlier KBLU-TV operation.
Brand decisions
2020
Consolidation of the two Yuma television operationsStrategyBackground
The acquisition of Northwest Broadcasting and related media assets created a regulatory requirement to address overlapping licenses in the Yuma market.
Action taken
The KSWT-operated station adopted the KYMA-DT call sign, while the separate KYMA license received the KSWT call sign before being surrendered. Former KYMA programming streams were moved onto the surviving station’s channel 13 multiplex.
Aftermath
The consolidated operation continued with separate CBS and NBC subchannels and separate local-news identities.
2006
Launch of the CW digital subchannelProduct launchBackground
The nationwide launch of The CW created an opportunity to add another network service to the Yuma station’s digital capacity.
Action taken
KSWT placed CW programming on digital subchannel 13.2 and negotiated for improved local cable placement.
Aftermath
The CW service later moved to a KECY-TV digital subchannel in 2010, and KSWT’s former CW stream was replaced by a standard-definition simulcast before going dark.
Recent events
- 2025
KYMA-DT sold to Rincon Broadcasting Group[1]
M&A
Imagicomm Communications announced the sale of KYMA-DT and six other stations to Rincon Broadcasting Group. The transaction was completed on July 18, 2025.
- 2022
KYMA-DT sold to Imagicomm Communications[1]
M&A
Cox Media Group announced the sale of KYMA-DT and other stations to Imagicomm Communications; the transaction closed on August 1, 2022.
- 2020
KSWT becomes KYMA-DT after license consolidation[1]
M&A · Other
As a condition associated with the acquisition of Northwest Broadcasting, the two Yuma licenses were consolidated. The surviving operation adopted the KYMA-DT call sign, while the KSWT call sign moved to the license designated for surrender.
- 2014
KSWT and KYMA-DT acquired by Blackhawk Broadcasting[1]
M&A
Blackhawk Broadcasting completed its acquisition of KSWT and KYMA-DT after receiving regulatory approval, bringing the two Yuma television licenses under common ownership.
- 2014
News-Press & Gazette establishes a resource-sharing arrangement[1]
Other
News-Press & Gazette Company announced an agreement to provide shared operational resources for KSWT and KYMA-DT, while retaining separate sales operations for the Blackhawk stations.
Sources2 sources
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