San Diego/Tijuana TV Timeline

[RandTV]

1949
KFMB Ch. 8 signs on as a CBS affiliate, with secondary affiliations with ABC, NBC and DuMont (May 16).

1953
XETV Ch. 6, based and licensed in Tijuana, signs on as an independent (Feb. 18).
KFSD Ch. 10 signs on as an NBC affiliate (Sept. 13).

1956
XETV Ch. 6 becomes an ABC affiliate (Apr. 5).

1957
XETV Ch. 6 opens a new facility in San Diego while it retains its Tijuana license.

1960
XEWT Ch. 12, based and licensed in Tijuana, signs on as a Spanish-language independent (July 18).

1961
KFSD Ch. 10 changes its call to KOGO (Mar. 1).

1965
KAAR Ch. 39 signs on as an independent (Nov. 14).

1967
KEBS Ch. 15 sign on as an NET affiliate (June 25).

1968
KAAR Ch. 39 briefly goes off the air, and returns as KCST on February 2.

1970
As NET becomes PBS, KEBS Ch. 15 changes its call to KPBS. (Oct. 5)

1972
KOGO Ch. 10 changes its call to KGTV (June 1).

1973
XETV Ch. 6 (ABC) and KCST Ch. 39 (Independent) swap affiliations in two stages; KCST acquires ABC's weekday programing on June 4, and its remaining programing on July 1.

1975
XEWT Ch. 12 becomes a SIN (Spanish International Network; renamed Univision in 1987) affiliate.

1977
KCST Ch. 39 (ABC) and KGTV Ch. 10 (NBC) swap affiliations (June 27).

1982
KUSI Ch. 51 signs on as an independent (Sept. 13).

1984
KTTY Ch. 69 signs on as an independent (Oct. 1).

1986
XETV Ch. 6 becomes a Fox affilate. (Oct. 9)

1988
KCST Ch. 39 changes its call to KNSD. (Sept. 16)

1990
KBNT Ch. 19 sign on, acquiring its Univision affiliation from XEWT Ch. 12. (Jan. 1)
XHAS Ch. 33, serving only Tijuana since its 1981 inception, becomes San Diego's Telemundo affiliate. (Sept.)

1995
KTTY Ch. 69 becomes a WB affiliate. (Jan. 11)
KUSI Ch. 51 becomes a UPN affiliate. (Jan. 16)

1996
KTTY Ch. 69 changes its call to KSWB. (Aug. 16)

1998
KUSI Ch. 51 drops its UPN affiliation and reverts to independent (Jan. 16). The San Diego market continues to receive UPN from Los Angeles affilate KCOP Ch. 13.

2006
KSWB Ch. 69 becomes a CW affiliate.

2008
XETV Ch. 6 (Fox) and KSWB Ch. 69 (CW) swap affiliations (Aug. 1).

2017 (post-analog era)
XETV Ch. 6 becomes a Spanish-language station as an affilate of the Mexican Canal 5 (cinco) network, while the CW affiliation moves to KFMB Ch. 8's substation KFMB-DT2 (May 31).

 

[Joey1986]

A few you missed:

1999
Tecate-licensed XHUPN channel 49 signs on (November 1). This marks the return of UPN programming to the San Diego/Tijuana market a little more than a year after KUSI channel 51 disaffiliated from the network.

2006
With the impending demise of UPN and The WB, XHUPN changes its calls to XHDTV (April 10).
Channel 49 becomes a MyNetworkTV affiliate (September 4).

2017
XHAS channel 33 becomes an Azteca América affiliate, with Telemundo moving to KNSD’s subchannel 39-20.
NBC Universal acquires KUAN-LD channel 48 from NRJ TV, LLC (September 12).
NRJ TV’s sale of KUAN-LD to NBC Universal is completed, with the station entering a channel-sharing agreement with KNSD channel 39, making KUAN-LD a Telemundo O&O (December 21).

2018
MyNetworkTV moves from XHDTV channel 49 to KFMB channel 8-2, making the subchannel a dual CW/MyNetworkTV affiliate; with the latter airing its programming in late nights (September).

 

[RandTV]

A few you missed:

1999
Tecate-licensed XHUPN channel 49 signs on (November 1). This marks the return of UPN programming to the San Diego/Tijuana market a little more than a year after KUSI channel 51 disaffiliated from the network.

2006
With the impending demise of UPN and The WB, XHUPN changes its calls to XHDTV (April 10).
Channel 49 becomes a MyNetworkTV affiliate (September 4).

2017
XHAS channel 33 becomes an Azteca América affiliate, with Telemundo moving to KNSD’s subchannel 39-20.
NBC Universal acquires KUAN-LD channel 48 from NRJ TV, LLC (September 12).
NRJ TV’s sale of KUAN-LD to NBC Universal is completed, with the station entering a channel-sharing agreement with KNSD channel 39, making KUAN-LD a Telemundo O&O (December 21).

2018
MyNetworkTV moves from XHDTV channel 49 to KFMB channel 8-2, making the subchannel a dual CW/MyNetworkTV affiliate; with the latter airing its programming in late nights (September).

Thanks for that addendum.

 

[RF101]

So .. Are there any XH/XE TV stations in that area still carrying English-language content? Also, I think there may be some lower powered repeaters on the Mexican side relaying content from national or regional Mexican TV networks..

 

[Mauro1515]

I read in the San Diego Evening Tribune that KEBS changes its call letters to KPBS beginning on October 1, 1970 from a September 30, 1970 article!!
Then it changed from a NET affiliate to PBS(Public Broadcasting Service) on October 5, 1970!!
Then it publishes a monthly program guide(On Air Magazine-October 1970 through July 2008), and then started a membership Campaign on February 14, 1971!!!
What great moments and memories of KPBS San Diego!!!

 

[RandTV]

So .. Are there any XH/XE TV stations in that area still carrying English-language content? Also, I think there may be some lower powered repeaters on the Mexican side relaying content from national or regional Mexican TV networks..

I wouldn't know.

 

[Gregg.]

Interesting that there are four English language radio stations from the Mexican side:

1090 XEPRS -- Sports

90.3 XHITZ -- Top 40

91.1 XETRA-FM -- Alternative Rock

92.5 XHRM -- Rhythmic AC

Previously there were:

1700 XEPE -- ESPN Sports and some midday business shows

104.9 XHLNC -- Classical Music (announcements in both English and Spanish)

105.7 XHPRS -- Classic Hits

And if you go back a few decades:

690 XETRA -- once Beautiful Music, then Top 40, targeting both San Diego and Los Angeles

But apparently no more English language TV stations on the Mexican side.

 

[RandTV]

Interesting that there are four English language radio stations from the Mexican side:

1090 XEPRS -- Sports

90.3 XHITZ -- Top 40

91.1 XETRA-FM -- Alternative Rock

92.5 XHRM -- Rhythmic AC

Previously there were:

1700 XEPE -- ESPN Sports and some midday business shows

104.9 XHLNC -- Classical Music (announcements in both English and Spanish)

105.7 XHPRS -- Classic Hits

And if you go back a few decades:

690 XETRA -- once Beautiful Music, then Top 40, targeting both San Diego and Los Angeles

But apparently no more English language TV stations on the Mexican side.

Si, muy interesante!

 

[RandTV]

A few you missed:

1999
Tecate-licensed XHUPN channel 49 signs on (November 1). This marks the return of UPN programming to the San Diego/Tijuana market a little more than a year after KUSI channel 51 disaffiliated from the network.

2006
With the impending demise of UPN and The WB, XHUPN changes its calls to XHDTV (April 10).
Channel 49 becomes a MyNetworkTV affiliate (September 4).

2017
XHAS channel 33 becomes an Azteca América affiliate, with Telemundo moving to KNSD’s subchannel 39-20.
NBC Universal acquires KUAN-LD channel 48 from NRJ TV, LLC (September 12).
NRJ TV’s sale of KUAN-LD to NBC Universal is completed, with the station entering a channel-sharing agreement with KNSD channel 39, making KUAN-LD a Telemundo O&O (December 21).

2018
MyNetworkTV moves from XHDTV channel 49 to KFMB channel 8-2, making the subchannel a dual CW/MyNetworkTV affiliate; with the latter airing its programming in late nights (September).

I don't follow the more recent transitions, with all these stations' subchannels, as much as I do from the earlier eras.

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

I believe that with KCST-39 on the air in San Diego, the FCC probably forced ABC to disaffilate with XETV-6 and instead go with KCST.

At the time the FCC allowed XETV to affiliate with ABC, it was the only way that network could have a full-time affiliate in the market. With an independent on the U.S. side of the border by 1973, it no longer made sense to the FCC to allow XETV to carry ABC programming.

Wasn't/isn't the XETV tower right on the border?

 

[KeithE4]

I believe that with KCST-39 on the air in San Diego, the FCC probably forced ABC to disaffilate with XETV-6 and instead go with KCST.

At the time the FCC allowed XETV to affiliate with ABC, it was the only way that network could have a full-time affiliate in the market. With an independent on the U.S. side of the border by 1973, it no longer made sense to the FCC to allow XETV to carry ABC programming.

Wasn't/isn't the XETV tower right on the border?

Read this article: https://uhfhistory.com/articles/kaar.html

 

[DavidEduardo]

Read this article: https://uhfhistory.com/articles/kaar.html

Thanks for the mention of uhfhistory.com, hosted by www.worldradiohistory.com and administered by K.M.Richards.

 

[blackgold]

By the way, the English language radio stations owned by Mexico have to stop their English programs at 10 p.m. every Sunday night to carry the "Hora Nacional" from the Mexican government.

 

[powers]

Previously there were:

1700 XEPE -- ESPN Sports and some midday business shows

104.9 XHLNC -- Classical Music (announcements in both English and Spanish)

105.7 XHPRS -- Classic Hits

And if you go back a few decades:

690 XETRA -- once Beautiful Music, then Top 40, targeting both San Diego and Los Angeles

I moved here in 1989 to go to San Diego State and I was a parttimer for a few months at XHITZ, working from the transmitter in TJ - there were a few more stations that I remember that at least partially catered to the English speaking San Diego market. I just don;t remember the exact timelines:

In 1989 or 1990 XEKAM (950) was running a short lived all-news format. One unique thing was that at the top of the hour ID, they made no secrets where they were from. They said in English..."This is 950, XEKAM, TIjuana."

I recall in the 70s when I was a kid that XEMO (860) had English language programs at night, much like XEPRS did, but I don't remember if it was music, talk, or all-religious. I lived in Monterey then and picked them up a few times.

In the 90s and 2000s there was also:

XHTIM - 103.3, playing the Stereo Rey format, which was Soft AC English music with both English and Spanish announcements and a 2-hour Spanish language news block in the afternoon from like 4 to 6. They later moved to 91.7 which then later became....

XHGLX - Galaxy 91.7, still mostly AC but a little hotter, and if I recall they were full time in English, but sounded very small-town.

XHOCL was "Cool 99.3" which was owned by then-Clear Channel for awhile and carried a Classic Hits format.

XHMORE (More FM) was "Blazin 98.9" for a few years and took over the hip hop crown for at least a while. In the early 90s they were XHQF, Sensacion... Spanish language but with mostly English hits and Alternative. The first couple of years I lived here I had buttons on my radio for 98.9 and 103.3 (which was still very hard to hear because of KRUZ in Santa Barbara - driving down College Avenue from Del Cerro to SDSU the two stations would fight it out as you went up and down those hills.) because they played better music IMHO.

Also, the aforementioned 690 also served the SoCal audience with oldies, news, talk, sports and back to beautiful music (Standards) before going back to the Spanish, and later....Chinese!

 

[Ccook55]

When I was a tyke in Escondido (1962-65), 690 was XTRA and was all news, switching to Mexican music at sundown.

 

[KilowattKat]

Very curious what the timeframe was for XHTIM as English Soft AC and news blocks in Spanish. That was the same format that 95.3 XHHIT Tijuana had from about 2010 to 2012. Called "Milenio Radio", the goal was a radio version of the TV news organization. Outside of an occasional weekday news block during the day, it was an interesting selection of music of English Soft AC popular in Mexico, some songs like Marianne Faithful's "Beautiful People" weren't even hit songs here in the US. It never took off, and Milenio began pulling the plug on one station after another across Mexico, with XHHIT flipping to Regional Mexican.

 

[RandTV]

I see some of you people replying about the radio history, and I want to remind you that this is a TV timeline.

 

[Ccook55]

Rorry, Raggy. Got carried away. To get back on track, we simply had 6, 8, 10 and 12 in the early 60s Escondido, so dad turned the antenna on the roof towards Los Angeles to see what we could get. The forecast was snow on the screen. We could get only 2, 4 and 5 and even those were dicey.