KKCO

KKCO (channel 11) is a television station in Grand Junction, Colorado, United States, affiliated with NBC and Telemundo. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power dual ABC/CW+ affiliate KJCT-LP (channel 8). Both stations share studios on Blichmann Avenue in Grand Junction, while KKCO's transmitter is located at the Black Ridge Electronics Site at the Colorado National Monument west of the city.

KKCO
Channels
BrandingKKCO 11 News
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
KJCT-LP, KKTV
History
First air date
July 1996 (1996-07)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 11 (VHF, 1996–2009)
DT2: The CW (2006−2008)
Call sign meaning
Colorado
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID24766
ERP5.3 kW
HAAT452 m (1,483 ft)
Transmitter coordinates39°3′59.9″N 108°44′47.4″W
Translator(s)9 (VHF) Paonia
(for others, see below)
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.nbc11news.com

The station signed on in July 1996, providing Grand Junction its first in-market NBC affiliate. Its local newscasts rose to number one in the market shortly after debuting. Originally owned by Eagle III Broadcasting, it was purchased by Gray in 2005.

History

In 1994, multiple groups applied for a construction permit to build channel 11 in Grand Junction. However, the process of awarding such permits through the comparative hearing process long used by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had been forcibly derogated by a court ruling finding its criteria "arbitrary and capricious". In 1995, the commission opened a 90-day settlement window to encourage settlements or mergers among applicants for channels with multiple applicants. Among the settlements received was a merger of Uhlmann/Latshaw Broadcasting LLC and Grand Junction Television Partners.[2] The lead partner in the merged corporation, Bill Varecha, had previously run a radio station in Vail, where he noticed the lack of a local NBC affiliate; he had previously built and sold WCEE-TV in Mount Vernon, Illinois, in the 1980s,[3][4] as well as WAYK in Melbourne, Florida.[5]

KKCO began broadcasting in July 1996; in addition to broadcasting NBC, the station also served as a secondary affiliate of UPN.[3] Its launch had the effect of removing Denver NBC affiliate KUSA from cable systems on the Western Slope.[6] This led to letters to the editor in publications including The Denver Post and Broadcasting & Cable from viewers who were upset at the removal of the Denver station's newscasts and Denver Broncos preseason games.[7][8] At the crux of the station's inability to air the Broncos was the team's unwillingness to share preseason television revenue with the National Football League, which stipulated that any sale to a station outside a 75-mile (121 km) radius from the main city was shared revenue.[9] The Grand Junction cable system was able to broadcast the Broncos preseason games beginning in 1998 by arrangement with KUSA,[10] and KKCO itself gained the rights in 2003.[11]

Though the station initially rebroadcast some of KUSA's news programs while it developed its own,[9] the station's own local newscasts soon debuted; within 18 months, KKCO had risen to number one in the market in ratings and revenue.[12]

In 2004, Gray Television bought the station and its translator in Montrose from Eagle III Broadcasting LLC for $13.5 million.[13] Gray closed on the purchase in February 2005.[14] At the time of the purchase, Varecha was working for Gray as its general manager in Charlottesville, Virginia, where it was starting up WCAV and WVAW-LP.[12]

Gray acquired the programming assets of KJCT in 2014; unable to program the full-power station due to new scrutiny of joint sales agreements, its programming moved to a low-power station. The KJCT and KKCO newsrooms were combined.

Notable alumni

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KKCO[16]
Channel Video Aspect Short name Programming
11.1 1080i16:9KKCO-DTMain KKCO programming / NBC
11.2 480i4:3MeTVMeTV
11.3 720p16:9TELE-HDTelemundo
11.4 480i4:3CircleCircle

Translators
City of license Call sign Channel ERP HAAT Facility ID Transmitter coordinates Owner
AspenK08HN-D 80.006 kW4 m (13 ft)5669639°13′32.8″N 106°50′10.1″WPitkin County Translator Department
BasaltK17JA-D 170.075 kW155 m (509 ft)16853439°21′9.9″N 107°5′35.1″W
CollbranK13RD-D 130.005 kW−346 m (−1,135 ft)4129239°14′34.9″N 107°57′55.2″WMesa County
GatewayK16MR-D 160.1 kW570 m (1,870 ft)4128838°43′29.9″N 108°48′33.8″W
Grand JunctionK25FZ-D 2515 kW417 m (1,368 ft)7010339°3′59.7″N 108°44′43.1″WGray Television
MesaK09ZS-D 90.02 kW570 m (1,870 ft)19810238°43′29.9″N 108°48′33.8″WMesa County
K36NQ-D 360.75 kW933 m (3,061 ft)4128239°5′17.9″N 108°13′32.8″W
MontroseK23NW-D 2311.7 kW561 m (1,841 ft)16715538°18′55″N 108°12′17.4″WGray Television
PaoniaKKCO (DRT) 90.007 kW−44.5 m (−146 ft)2476638°52′28.3″N 107°39′42.6″W
Redstone, etc.K26IT-D 260.02 kW−147 m (−482 ft)16852739°14′19.9″N 107°13′4.1″WPitkin County Translator Department
Snowmass VillageK36LV-D 360.045 kW−155 m (−509 ft)18810339°13′8.4″N 106°54′35.1″W
ThomasvilleK11LM-D 110.016 kW−393 m (−1,289 ft)5670339°21′11.9″N 106°41′2.1″W

References
  1. "Facility Technical Data for KKCO". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. McConnell, Chris (January 22, 1996). "FCC moving to grant new TVs". Broadcasting & Cable. p. 14. ProQuest 1040354364.
  3. Perry, Erin (July 6, 1996). "New NBC affiliate aims to be on air this month". The Daily Sentinel. p. 11B. Retrieved July 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. DeWitte, Dave (October 20, 1985). "Varecha sells WCEE-TV". Southern Illinoisan. p. 12. Retrieved July 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Solomon, Scott (July 15, 1990). "Troubled waters: Palm Bay's WAYK Television fights for recognition". Florida Today. pp. E1, E2. Retrieved July 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Effective September 3, 1996, Notice: TCI Customers in the Grand Valley". The Daily Sentinel. August 15, 1996. p. 2B. Retrieved July 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Linko, John J. (October 19, 1998). "Open Mike: Don't diss distant signals". Broadcasting & Cable. p. 87. ProQuest 1014768122.
  8. Kastella, Kenneth G. (August 25, 1997). "Broncos shut out". The Denver Post.
  9. Zimmer, Kurt (September 3, 1999). "Broncos fans blacked out". Montrose Daily Press.
  10. "Broncos to play on TV after all". The Daily Sentinel. August 14, 1998. pp. 1A, 12A. Retrieved July 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Saunders, Dusty (June 23, 2003). "Sardella interview offers a revealing look at Logan". Rocky Mountain News. p. 3C.
  12. Hite, Patrick (May 26, 2004). "Charlottesville to get yet another TV station". The Observer. pp. A-1, A-2. Retrieved July 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Changing Hands". Broadcasting & Cable. November 1, 2004. p. 24. ProQuest 225293512.
  14. "KKCO-TV names new manager". The Daily Sentinel. February 19, 2005. p. 9A. Retrieved July 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Moran, Mike (November 24, 2010). "Local stations compete in television ratings race". The Business Times.
  16. "TV Query for KKCO". RabbitEars.
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