KCWT-CD (channel 21) is a low-power, Class A television station licensed to McAllen, Texas, United States, serving the Lower Rio Grande Valley as an affiliate of The CW Plus. The station also carries non-commercial PBS programming on its fourth subchannel. KCWT-CD is owned by Entravision Communications alongside Harlingen-licensed Fox affiliate KFXV, channel 60 (and translators KMBH-LD and KXFX-CD), McAllen-licensed Univision affiliate KNVO (channel 48), and Class A UniMás affiliate KTFV-CD (channel 32). The stations share studios on North Jackson Road in McAllen, while KCWT-CD's transmitter is located in La Feria, Texas.
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| Channels | |
| Branding | Rio Grande Valley's CW 21 PBS Rio Grande Valley (CD4) |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | 21.1: CW+ 21.3: Laff 21.4: PBS |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KNVO, KMBH-LD, KTFV-CD, KXFX-CD, KFXV | |
| History | |
| Founded | August 11, 1997 |
First air date | May 21, 1998 |
Former call signs | K30FF (1997–2000) KFTN-LP/CA (2000–2012) KCWT-CA (2012–2014) |
Former channel number(s) | Analog: 30 (UHF, 1998–2014) |
| Spanish Independent (1998–2002) Telefutura (via KXFX-CD and KTFV-CD, 2002–2011) | |
Call sign meaning | The CW Texas |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 40058 |
| ERP | 5 kW |
| HAAT | 266.8 m (875 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 26°8′28″N 97°50′4″W / 26.14111°N 97.83444°W |
| Translator(s) | KMBH-LD 67.2 (20.2 UHF) McAllen |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www.yourcwriograndevalley.com |
Previously, KCWT was a low-power translator of KXFX-CA and KTFV-CA. Entravision has held the rights to The CW in the market since 2007 on several stations; previous to that, it aired on a cable-only affiliate, "KMHB" (later "Rio Grande Valley's CW").
History edit
Until 2014, KCWT broadcast on analog channel 30. KCWT launched a digital feed on RF channel 23 that March;[2] however, the station maps to virtual channel 21, as nearby Mexican station XHAB-TDT in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, whose digital broadcasts use RF channel 30, also mapped to virtual channel 30 rather than its analog channel 7 (it now uses virtual channel 8). (Channel 23 is itself unavailable to KCWT as a virtual channel, as it is used in the Rio Grande Valley by KVEO-TV.[3]) Even before then, KCWT, as had previous CW affiliate KSFE-LD (channel 67, now Fox affiliate KMBH-LD), has long branded as "CW 21" in reflection of its channel 21 slot on area cable systems.
After sister station XHRIO-TDT (channel 15) ceased operations on December 31, 2021, KCWT became the sole CW+ affiliate in the Rio Grande Valley.
Technical information edit
Subchannels edit
The station's signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | Short name | Programming[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KCWT-DT | Rio Grande Valley CW 21 |
| 21.3 | 480i | Laff | Laff | |
| 21.4 | 1080i | PBS | PBS |
References edit
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KCWT-CD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Application for Class A Television Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. March 3, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ^ Hashemzadeh, Hossein (September 30, 2013). "Re: KCWT-CA, La Feria, TX…" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ^ "Digital TV Market Listing for KCWT". RabbitEars.
External links edit
- YourCWRioGrandeValley.com - Official website
- PBS.org website regarding DT4 PBS feed
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