KUCO-LD


KUCO-LD, virtual and UHF digital channel 27, is a low-powered Univision-affiliated television station licensed to Chico, California, United States. Owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, it is sister to Redding-licensed ABC affiliate KRCR-TV and four other low-power stations: Chico-licensed Antenna TV affiliate KXVU-LP ; MyNetworkTV affiliates Redding-licensed KRVU-LD and Chico-licensed KZVU-LD, and Chico-licensed UniMás affiliate KKTF-LD. Sinclair also operates Paradise-licensed Fox affiliate KCVU through a local marketing agreement with owner Cunningham Broadcasting. However, Sinclair effectively owns KCVU as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. 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. KUCO-LD's transmitter is located along Cohasset Road northeast of Chico.
KEUV-LP in Eureka operates as a semi-satellite of KUCO-LD. As such, it simulcasts all Univision programming as provided through KUCO but airs separate local commercials and legal station identifications. Although KEUV maintains its own studios on Sixth Street in downtown Eureka, master control and some internal operations are based at KUCO's facilities.

History

KUCO-LP was founded by country-western singer Chester Smith's broadcast company Sainte Partners II, L.P. and first hit the air in 1998 to help bring Spanish-language television to the growing Spanish-speaking population in Northern California. It was the first Spanish-language station to air in the Chico/Redding market. It would soon be joined by Telemundo affiliate KXVU-LP and UniMás affiliate KKTF-LD, both also founded by Smith's company.
In 2014, six years after Smith's death, his company sold KUCO-LP and the remaining stations to Bonten Media Group, owners of ABC affiliate KRCR-TV in Redding.
On an unknown date in either 2016 or 2017, KUCO-LP conducted an unauthorized test of the EAS. However, the message read that the activation was for an Emergency Action Notification. It is unknown if any panic from residents followed.
On April 21, 2017, Sinclair Broadcast Group announced its intent to purchase the Bonten stations for $240 million. The sale was completed September 1, 2017.
The station changed its call sign to KUCO-LD on April 5, 2019, coincident with receiving its license for digital operations.