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KXTU-LD

KXTU-LD
CityColorado Springs, Colorado
Channels
BrandingSOCO CW
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
KXRM-TV
History
FoundedMay 3, 1999
First air date
November 5, 1999 (25 years ago) (1999-11-05)[1]
Former call signs
  • K61ER (CP, 1988–1991)
  • K68BY (CP, 1999)
  • K57HR (CP, 1999)
  • KXTU-LP (1999–2010)[1]
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 57 (UHF, 1999–2010)
UPN (1999–2006)
Call sign meaning
KXRM (sister station), "TU" (2) may refer to this sister station status
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID22681
ClassLD
ERP2.9 kW
HAAT649 m (2,129 ft)
Transmitter coordinates38°44′42.9″N 104°51′41.9″W / 38.745250°N 104.861639°W / 38.745250; -104.861639 (KXRM-TV)
Translator(s)KXRM-TV 21.2 (22.4 UHF) Colorado Springs
Links
Public license information
LMS
Websitewww.fox21news.com/soco-cw/

KXTU-LD (channel 57) is a low-power television station in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, serving as the CW outlet for Southern Colorado. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group alongside Fox affiliate KXRM-TV (channel 21). The two stations share studios on Wooten Road in Colorado Springs; KXTU-LD's transmitter is located on Cheyenne Mountain.

The station is simulcast in high definition on KXRM-TV's second digital subchannel. This signal increases KXTU's broadcasting radius; KXTU did not convert to digital until 2010, and even in digital, its coverage area is effectively limited to El Paso and Pueblo counties.

History

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The station signed on as KXTU-LP on November 5, 1999,[1] as a UPN affiliate under the brand of "UPN57". For the first 4 years, UPN programming was available via Denver's KTVD.

When UPN left the air on September 17, 2006, KXTU switched to The CW, which was created by the merger of The WB (which had been available in the market by way of Denver's KWGN-TV) and UPN.

Unlike most other low-power stations, KXTU is available to viewers on DirecTV and Dish Network, as well as on cable systems throughout southern Colorado. This is because under the retransmission consent portion of the must-carry rules, KXRM has the right to require cable and satellite providers to carry KXTU as part of the compensation for carrying KXRM.

On August 30, 2010, KXTU-LP flash-cut from analog to digital on channel 57.[3] On October 27, 2010, it changed its call sign to KXTU-LD.[1]

In early 2012, the station moved from channel 57 to channel 20 and rebranded from "CW 57" to "SOCO CW".

On February 28, 2013, Barrington Broadcasting announced the sale of its entire group, including KXTU-LD, to Sinclair Broadcast Group.[4] The sale was completed on November 25.[5]

On August 20, 2014, Sinclair announced that it would sell KXRM-TV and KXTU-LD, along with WTTA in Tampa Bay and WHTM in Harrisburg, to Media General in a swap for WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island, WLUK-TV and WCWF in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and WTGS in Savannah, Georgia. The swap is part of Media General's merger with LIN Media.[6][7] WHTM's sale of Media General was explored nearly two months earlier, and it was completed, nearly three months before the Media General/LIN deal was completed.[8][9] The sale was completed on December 19.[10] A condition of the sale maintained the station's affiliation with Sinclair's American Sports Network package of college sports.[11]

News programming

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Unlike its sister station, KXTU does not air newscasts, but during a breaking news event or weather bump, it simulcasts KXRM's coverage.

Subchannels

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The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KXTU-LD[12]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
57.1 1080i 16:9 KXTU-LD Main KXTU-LD programming / The CW
57.2 480i Bounce Bounce TV
57.3 Laff Laff
57.4 Antenna Antenna TV

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Digital TV Market Listing for KXTU". Rabbit Ears.info. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KXTU-LD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ CW57 to go all digital Monday, ColoradoConnection.com, Jaryd Wilson, August 24, 2010
  4. ^ Malone, Michael (February 28, 2013). "Sinclair's Chesapeake TV Acquires Barrington Stations". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  5. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ "Media General, LIN Sell Stations In 5 Markets". TVNewsCheck. August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  7. ^ Malone, Michael (August 20, 2014). "Media General, LIN Divest Stations in Five Markets". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  8. ^ Staff (June 23, 2014). "Media General Buying WHTM For $83.4M". TV News Check. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  9. ^ "Media General Completes Acquisition of WHTM-TV in Harrisburg, PA". www.businesswire.com. September 2, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  10. ^ Sinclair Broadcast Group Closes on Certain Station Acquisitions and Divestitures with Media General Archived December 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Press Release, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Retrieved December 19, 2014
  11. ^ Minium, Harry (August 27, 2014). "ODU's opener with Hampton to be televised in 66 markets". HamptonRoads.com. The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  12. ^ RabbitEars TV Query for KXTU-LD
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