KGMC (TV)
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|---|---|
| City | Merced, California |
| Channels | |
| Branding |
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| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner | Cocola Broadcasting CompaniesLLC |
| KVHF-LD,KKDJ-CD, KHSC-LD, KJKZ-LD,KBNK-LD,KSDI-LD,KMSG-LD,KVVG-LD | |
| History | |
First air date | March 22, 1996 |
Former call signs | KNSO (1996–2020) |
Former channel number(s) |
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Call signmeaning | Gary Morris Cocola (name of owner) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 58608 |
| ERP | 45kW |
| HAAT | 589 m (1,932 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 37°4′26.8″N119°25′56.8″W/ 37.074111°N 119.432444°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
KGMC(channel 43) is atelevision stationlicensed toMerced, California,United States, serving theFresnoarea as an affiliate of the Spanish-language networkEstrella TV.It is theflagshiptelevision property of owner Cocola Broadcasting, and issisterto eight low-power stations. KGMC's studios are located on West Herndon Avenue in thePinedale areaof Fresno, and its transmitter is located on Bald Mountain, south ofMeadow LakesinFresno County.
A live simulcast of some of KGMC's non-network programming can be seen on the Cocola Broadcasting homepage.
History[edit]
The station first signed on the air on March 22, 1996, as KNSO on channel 51; originally operating as anindependent station,it was owned bySainte Partners II, L.P.During its first two years on the air, KNSO airedreligious programmingduring the morning hours and Asian language programming in the afternoons, as well as programming from theCalifornia Music Channel.These programs were largely simulcast viaSan Franciscoindependent stationKTSF-TV.
In July 1998, KNSO entered into alocal marketing agreement(LMA) withPappas Telecasting Companies,then-owner ofFoxaffiliateKMPH-TV(channel 26); Pappas then signed an affiliation agreement to make KNSO the market'sWBaffiliate, taking the affiliation fromClovis-based KGMC (channel 43). OnJanuary 1,2001, KNSO swapped affiliations withKFRE-TV(channel 59), becoming aTelemundoaffiliate; shortly beforehand, Pappas entered into an LMA with KFRE, resulting in the WB affiliation being relocated to KFRE. The station became a Telemundo owned-and-operated station, when the network's then-new parent companyNBCbought the station in May 2003.
In March 2004, KNSO vacated its McKinley Road studios and moved to a new facility in North Fresno at 30 River Park Place. The station also implemented an advanced operational environment, making KNSO one of the most advanced television stations in the country. This experimental operation system allowed for a "limited intervention"master controlcenter, which involves a highly automated system of operation. The station automation systems are almost completely self-reliant and provide for little to no assistance by the station personnel in running the on-air switching, monitoring and logging. This system utilizes the Florical Airboss, centralized sales and traffic systems, and variousGrass Valley Groupbroadcast systems, including the Profile XP and Concerto. This experimental operation system has proved successful, and has now been implemented in other station operation control centers.
ZGS Communicationstook over the operations of KNSO (as well asSan Antoniosister stationKVDA) on May 1, 2009, although NBC retained the licenses to both stations.[2]Serestar Communications assumed the operations of the station on May 1, 2014, under a joint sales and time brokerage agreement that was to run through December 31, 2020, NBCUniversal retained the KNSO license.[3]
On December 6, 2018, it was announced that NBCUniversal would terminate its local marketing agreement with Serestar in early 2019, making KNSO a full Telemundo O&O for the first time since 2009. This was in conjunction with NBCUniversal's purchase of Serestar-owned Telemundo affiliatesKTMWandKULX-CDinSalt Lake CityandKCSO-LDinSacramento.[4]The transaction was completed and the LMA terminated on March 5, 2019.[5]
On February 27, 2020, Cocola agreed to transfer the license assets of KGMC to NBCUniversal'sTelemundo Station Groupin exchange for acquiring theKNSOlicense.[6]The sale was completed on September 1.[7]Upon completion of the transfer in which the callsigns were also swapped,[8]KGMC now operates on VHF channel 11, while KNSO operates on UHF channel 27.
Technical information[edit]
Subchannels[edit]
The station's signal ismultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43.1 | 720p | 16:9 | Estrella | Estrella TV |
| 43.5 | 480i | 4:3 | TOONS | MeTV Toons |
| 43.6 | 16:9 | Me-TV | MeTV | |
| 43.8 | Cozi | Cozi TV | ||
| 43.9 | Laff | Laff | ||
| 43.10 | StartTV | Start TV |
Analog-to-digital conversion[edit]
KGMC (as KNSO) ended regular programming on its analog signal, overUHFchannel 51, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United Statestransitioned from analog to digital broadcastsunder federal mandate. The station moved its digital signal from its pre-transitionVHFchannel 5 to channel 11,[10]usingvirtual channel51.
As part of theSAFER Act,[11]the station kept its analog signal on the air until June 26 to inform viewers of thedigital television transitionthrough a loop ofpublic service announcementsfrom theNational Association of Broadcasters.
References[edit]
- ^"Facility Technical Data for KGMC".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^"On air".ZGS Communications.May 2009. Archived fromthe originalon September 17, 2017.RetrievedMarch 15,2019.
- ^"Joint Sales and Time Brokerage Agreement"(PDF).KNSO Public Inspection File.Federal Communications Commission.April 2014.RetrievedMarch 15,2019.
- ^"Telemundo to buy Serestar stations in Sacramento and Salt Lake City for $21M".MediaMoves.com.December 6, 2018.RetrievedDecember 7,2018.
- ^Miller, Mark K. (March 6, 2019)."NBCU Closes On Serestar Stations".TVNewsCheck.NewsCheckMedia LLC.RetrievedMarch 6,2019.
- ^"Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License".CDBS Public Access.Federal Communications Commission.RetrievedMarch 12,2020.
- ^"Consummation Notice",CDBS Public Access,Federal Communications Commission,September 2, 2020, Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- ^"Call Sign History",CDBS Public Access,Federal Communications Commission,September 2, 2020, Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- ^"RabbitEars TV Query for KGMC".RabbitEars.info.RetrievedJune 22,2024.
- ^"DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on August 29, 2013.RetrievedMarch 24,2012.
- ^"UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program"(PDF).Federal Communications Commission. June 12, 2009.RetrievedJune 4,2012.