KKCO


KKCO, virtual channel 11, is an NBC-affiliated television station licensed to Grand Junction, Colorado, United States and serving Colorado's Western Slope region. Owned by Gray Television, it is a sister station to low-powered dual ABC/CW+ affiliate KJCT-LP. The two stations share studios on Blichmann Avenue in Grand Junction; KKCO's transmitter is located at the Black Ridge Electronics Site at the Colorado National Monument west of the city.

History

KKCO signed on the air on May 5, 1996. Prior to then, some NBC programs had been available by way of off-hours clearance on KREX-TV. The network's full schedule was available only on cable from the network's Denver affiliates. Its sign-on made Grand Junction one of the last markets in the country with full service from the Big Three networks.
KKCO was owned by Eagle III Broadcasting L.L.C. from 1996 to 2005, when current owner Gray Television bought the station.
Soon after signing on, KKCO's newscast shot to the top of the ratings, past longer-established KREX and KJCT. It has remained atop the ratings for most of the time since then.
In September 2006, its DT2 subcarrier became the area's new affiliate for The CW Television Network. Sometime in late 2008, KKCO-DT dropped the CW affiliation when KJCT picked up The CW. KKCO has been digital-only since February 17, 2009.

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
ChannelVideoAspectPSIP short nameProgramming
11.11080iKKCO-DTMain KKCO programming / NBC
11.2480iMeTVMeTV
11.3720p16:9TELE-HDTelemundo

News operation

KKCO currently carries 24½ hours of local news a week, with 4½ hours each weekday and two hours on weekends.

Notable current on-air staff