KCVU


KCVU, virtual channel 20, is a Fox-affiliated television station serving Chico and Redding, California, United States that is licensed to Paradise. Owned by Cunningham Broadcasting, it is operated under a local marketing agreement by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, making it a sister station to Redding-licensed ABC affiliate KRCR-TV. However, Sinclair effectively owns KCVU as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. It is also sister to five low-power stations owned by Sinclair: Chico-licensed Antenna TV affiliate KXVU-LP ; MyNetworkTV affiliates Chico-licensed KRVU-LD and Redding-licensed KZVU-LD ; Chico-licensed Univision affiliate KUCO-LD ; and Chico-licensed UniMás affiliate KKTF-LD. The stations share studios on Auditorium Drive east of downtown Redding and maintain a news bureau and sales office at the former Sainte Television Group facilities on Main Street in downtown Chico. KCVU's transmitter is located along Cohasset Road northeast of Chico.
KBVU in Eureka operates as a semi-satellite of KCVU. As such, it clears all network programming as provided through its parent station but airs a separate offering of syndicated programming; there are also separate local newscasts, commercial inserts and legal station identifications. Although KBVU maintains its own studios on Sixth Street in downtown Eureka, master control and some internal operations are based at KCVU's facilities.

History

The station was founded in 1986 by Chester Smith and his company Sainte Partners II, L.P. of Modesto, California, and started broadcasting as KBCP on channel 30 in 1990. It was a home shopping channel until 1994, when KBCP obtained a Fox affiliation. It replaced an affiliation on KRCR-TV seen on non-ABC hours since the network's inception in 1986. KRCR's other two satellites in Eureka and Fort Bragg carried both Fox and ABC programming. Additional Fox coverage was provided by KTXL and KTVU on Chico and Redding cable systems. With the new affiliation, the station changed its callsign to KCVU.

Carriage dispute with Northland Cable

On May 6, 2007, KCVU replaced Medford Fox affiliate KMVU on Northland Cable Television channel 13 in both Mt. Shasta and Yreka when KMVU and Northland could not come to an agreement for KMVU to remain on the cable system. As a result, Northland was blocked from airing Fox network programming.
On February 8, 2008, the Siskiyou Daily News reported that the dispute was being resolved and Northland was working with KMVU and KCVU to return either channel to both cable systems. KNVN replaced KMVU on channel 13 in Mt. Shasta and channel 11 in Yreka. KHSL-TV started to air on channel 6 in Yreka and KDRV is also on channel 6 in Mt. Shasta.
KMVU won the carriage dispute, and KCVU is no longer available on either cable system because all Fox affiliates are under syndex. KMVU and all other local stations are fed to Yreka via OTA translator. These stations all have fiber optic links to Mt. Shasta, except for KNVN, which uses a Dish Network feed.

Death of Chester Smith

The Sacramento Bee and Chico Enterprise Record reported that the founder of Sainte Partners, Chester Smith, died on August 8, 2008, at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, California, at the age of 78. He was survived by his wife and his children. Despite Smith's death, Sainte continued to own and operate KCVU and its sister stations in the Sainte family. The family continued to operate the station group despite poor financial practices.
On November 28, 2008, KBVU and KVIQ converted to digital broadcasting and were re-branded from Fox 29 and CBS 6 to Fox 28 and CBS 17, respectively.
In August 2012, it was announced that Sainte would sell KCVU and KBVU to Esteem Broadcasting of California and would fully merge its operations with ABC affiliates KRCR and KAEF.

Sale to Cunningham

On April 21, 2017, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced its intent to purchase the Bonten stations, including KRCR, for $240 million. As part of the deal, Sinclair's sidecar Cunningham Broadcasting acquired the Esteem stations, including KCVU. The sale was completed September 1, 2017.

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
ChannelVideoAspectPSIP Short NameProgramming
20.1720pKCVU-DTMain KCVU programming / Fox
20.2480iCOMETComet
20.3480iCHARGECharge!
20.4480iSTADIUMStadium

On August 21, 2009, KCVU and KBVU replaced the digital simulcast of MyNetworkTV with This TV on their DT2 sub-carriers. This was later replaced with Cozi TV.

Analog-to-digital conversion

On December 22, 2008, KCVU shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 30, due to lack of funding; KCVU used its existing digital facilities, as did its other debt-ridden rivals KHSL and KNVN. The virtual channel was changed from 30 to 20 and the station was re-branded as "Fox 20 Digital".

High definition

Fox programs broadcast from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in high definition, as are sporting events such as Major League Baseball, NASCAR, and NFL Football. Unlike co-owned market competitors KHSL and KNVN, however, none of KCVU's syndicated programming is broadcast in HD. It is unknown when this will be changed.

Programming

Regionally distributed, locally produced programs

KCVU provides facilities and services to tape local programs from its studios in Chico. There are currently no local programs scheduled. Two of the station's longtime regional programs, Issues & Answers and Pray Northstate, were cancelled in 2010 by management.

Regional programs formerly produced by or at KCVU

From February 2004 to June 2005, Fox 30 News at 10:00 pm was produced by KRCR-TV, utilizing that station's news department.
On April 1, 2013, KCVU relaunched its local news coverage with KRCR News Channel 7 at 10 on FOX 20, which airs weeknights at 10 p.m. with Tracey Leong and Mark Mester as anchors.

Cable systems

Cable ProviderArea20.120.2
ComcastButte & Glenn Counties2 & 702 198
CharterShasta & Tehama Counties2 & 780 285
Suddenlink Humboldt County2 & 102 128
New Day BroadbandPalo Cedro/Weaverville2
Windjammer Burney8

Translators

KCVU has one translator station:
StationCity of licenseChannelFoundedERPHAATFacility IDTransmitter Coordinates
K38FQ1Anderson/Central Val
38 1December 22, 1997150 kW387 m58611

KCVU and all of its sister stations no longer broadcast north of Shasta County or south of Butte County.