KCOY-TV

For current information on "NewsChannel 12" in this TV market, see KEYT-TV.

KCOY-TV
CitySanta Maria, California
Channels
Branding
  • Telemundo Costa Central
  • Fox 11 (11.2)
  • Central Coast CW (11.3)
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
  • VistaWest Media, LLC
  • (VistaWest California, LLC)
OperatorNews-Press & Gazette Company
KEYT-TV, KKFX-CD
History
First air date
March 16, 1964 (60 years ago) (1964-03-16)
Former channel number(s)
Analog: 12 (VHF, 1964–2009)
  • NBC (1964–1969)
  • CBS (secondary 1964–1969, primary 1969–2021)
  • Dabl (2021–2023)
Call sign meaning
Station was the sister station to KCOY radio, named in honor of Frank McCoy, founder of the Santa Maria Inn[1][a]
Technical information[3]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID63165
ERP130 kW
HAAT579 m (1,900 ft)
Transmitter coordinates34°54′37″N 120°11′13″W / 34.91028°N 120.18694°W / 34.91028; -120.18694
Translator(s)KKFX-CD 24 San Luis Obispo
Links
Public license information

KCOY-TV (channel 12) is a television station licensed to Santa Maria, California, United States, serving the Central Coast of California as an affiliate of Telemundo and The CW. It is owned by VistaWest Media, LLC, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with the News-Press & Gazette Company (NPG), owner of Santa Barbara–licensed ABC/CBS affiliate KEYT-TV (channel 3) and Fox affiliate KKFX-CD (channel 24). KCOY-TV and KKFX-CD share studios on West McCoy Lane in Santa Maria; KEYT-TV maintains separate facilities on TV Hill, overlooking downtown Santa Barbara. KCOY-TV's transmitter is located on Tepusquet Peak east of Santa Maria. KKFX-CD broadcasts the same subchannels in the San Luis Obispo area.

Channel 12 was added to Santa Maria as a result of the Federal Communications Commission deciding to deintermix Fresno by forcing that city's lone VHF station, KFRE-TV, to a UHF channel and removing channel 12 from Fresno. Four groups applied, and Central Coast Television—a consortium of local residents—was granted the construction permit to build the station in 1963. KCOY-TV began broadcasting as an NBC affiliate on March 16, 1964. In 1968, half of the company was purchased by Dale Moore of Missoula, Montana; the station switched affiliations to CBS the next year, and the local investors bought back Moore's stake in 1971. Under the ownership of Stauffer Communications from 1980 to 1995, KCOY-TV remained the second-rated local news outlet on the southern Central Coast in the 1980s and 1990s; the present Santa Maria studio building was completed in 1988. When Stauffer was purchased by Morris Communications in 1995, the combined firm immediately spun off its television holdings, mostly to Benedek Broadcasting; the station then changed hands three times in twelve years.

In 2013, the News-Press & Gazette Company assumed some of KCOY-TV's operations and acquired outright most of Cowles's Central Coast media holdings. The two stations' newsrooms were merged. The KCOY-TV license was sold to VistaWest Media, a company controlled by NPG's president and general manager. On January 1, 2021, NPG moved the CBS affiliation to a subchannel of KEYT-TV, still branded as "NewsChannel 12". KCOY-TV then broadcast Dabl, a diginet, until 2023, when the company acquired the Telemundo affiliation from KTAS and moved its main signal to KCOY-TV. The Telemundo channel offers regional newscasts shared with NPG's Telemundo affiliate in the Monterey–Salinas area, KMUV-LD. In 2024, The CW moved to KCOY-TV and KKFX-CD.

History

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Channel 12 comes to Santa Maria

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In July 1960, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ordered television station KFRE-TV in Fresno to move from channel 12 to channel 30 as part of a years-long debate over deintermixture—the conversion of markets with both very high frequency (VHF) and ultra high frequency (UHF) stations to all-UHF. The FCC then sought to relocate channel 12 to a city on the southern Central Coast: it listed Lompoc, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Maria as options.[4][5] By November 1961, the FCC had designated a comparative hearing for the four groups which had applied for the channel: the Santa Maria Telecasting Corporation, M & M Telecasters, Thomas B. Friedman, and Central Coast Television Corporation.[6] In May 1962, Friedman withdrew from the contest, citing work; M & M had already withdrawn, leaving Santa Maria Telecasting and Central Coast Television competing for the channel.[7]

Central Coast Television was favored in the initial decision by FCC hearing examiner Herbert Sharfman, released in December 1962, on the grounds of its local ownership and their involvement in civic affairs.[8] Santa Maria Telecasting appealed, but the commission affirmed Sharfman's decision and awarded the construction permit to Central Coast Television in September 1963.[9] The company stated that it would be on air in January 1964 from a transmitter site on Tepusquet Peak.[10] The station took the call sign KCOY-TV; two of the partners in Central Coast Television, James Ranger and Ed Zuchelli, owned KCOY radio.[11]

KCOY-TV signed on March 16, 1964.[12] It was an affiliate of NBC that also carried some CBS programs,[12][13] but it was not a regular affiliate of NBC until September 1965.[14]: 994  The next year, ownership in the company changed twice; Ed Zuchelli exited the operating partnership, while Helen Pedotti joined it.[15] Pedotti did not have television at her home when she bought into the station.[16]

Also in 1965, KCOY-TV filed with the FCC to relocate its transmitter to Broadcast Peak, northwest of Goleta.[15] This site was further from Santa Maria than Tepusquet Peak by some 25 miles (40 km). On these grounds, KEYT, the television station in Santa Barbara, protested to the FCC, believing that it encroached on their coverage area and represented a turn away from the owners' original promise to serve Santa Maria when they filed for the channel.[17] The matter was designated for hearing in February 1966,[18] and in November 1967, an FCC hearing examiner recommended approval of this application.[19] KEYT appealed this decision to the FCC's review board. Central Coast Television asked for expedited processing of the appeal and a bypass of the review board, saying that it had lost money for its entire existence and could be forced to go off the air soon.[15]

With the Broadcast Peak move still pending at the review board, Central Coast Television filed in April 1968 to sell the station to Central Coast Broadcasters, a company half-owned by the local investors and half by Dale G. Moore of Missoula, Montana.[20] Six months later, the review board denied KCOY-TV's application to move its transmitter.[15] In doing so, it also cited the degradation of the proposed KCOY-TV signal in part of the Santa Maria area, which Central Coast claimed consisted of a trailer park and airport, and ascribed KCOY-TV's losses not to poor coverage but to undercapitalization and a "very heavy debt structure".[14] On January 12, 1969, KCOY-TV became a primary CBS affiliate, though it continued to carry some NBC shows; KSBY in San Luis Obispo did the opposite.[21]

Stauffer Communications ownership

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In 1980, Stauffer Communications of Topeka, Kansas, acquired KCOY-TV from Central Coast Broadcasters for $7 million. For Stauffer, the deal marked a return to Santa Maria, as the company had owned the Santa Maria Times newspaper between 1948 and 1957.[22]

A one-story office building with KCOY-TV signage
The KCOY studios at the corner of Skyway Drive and McCoy Lane in Santa Maria

Having outgrown the original studios on McClelland Street, Stauffer began planning a new studio facility in 1987; the new site would offer room for more staff and another satellite dish.[23] Construction took place in 1988.[24]

As the southern Central Coast did not have a Fox affiliate, KCOY continued to carry NFL football from the NFL on Fox beginning in 1994, after CBS had lost football rights.[25] This continued until January 1997, when a new low-power station in San Luis Obispo, KKFX-LP (channel 11), was launched by KEYT owner Smith Broadcasting.[26]

KCOY made local news in 1995 when it hired Rick Martel, who had been a popular anchor at market-leading KSBY-TV,[27] to anchor its evening newscasts. Martel had left the San Luis Obispo station after it was purchased by Elisabeth Murdoch.[28]

Changing owners

[edit]

In 1995, Stauffer sold its holdings to Morris Communications. Morris kept the company's newspapers and spun off most of the television stations to Benedek Broadcasting of Rockford, Illinois, for $60 million.[29] One of Benedek's first moves was to fire Martel as anchor, even though Morris had renewed his contract just two months prior.[30] Martel had increased the station's news ratings, but only slightly,[31] and Benedek wished to go in a new direction.[30]

Benedek reached an agreement to swap with the Ackerley Group in December 1998; Ackerley acquired KCOY-TV, while Benedek acquired KKTV in Colorado Springs, Colorado. KCOY-TV was the primary prize for Ackerley, which owned stations in other central California markets. For Benedek, the move made geographic sense, as the Santa Maria station was its only outlet in the Pacific Time Zone.[32] Ackerley acquired KKFX in 2000.[33] In 2002, Ackerley was bought out by Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia).[34]

Cowles ownership

[edit]

Clear Channel sold its television stations in a deal announced in 2007 to Newport Television, a broadcasting holding company controlled by the private equity firm Providence Equity Partners. The sale was finalized on March 14, 2008;[35] however, Providence Equity Partners owned 19 percent of Univision and thus had to sell stations in multiple California markets. The Cowles Company of Spokane, Washington, had agreed months before the deal closed to acquire KCOY, KKFX-CA, and the Clear Channel TV station in Monterey (KION-TV); this transaction closed on May 7, 2008.[36][37]

In January 2012, Cowles announced a round of cost-cutting measures at its California stations. KCOY–KKFX bore the brunt of the cutbacks; sports coverage was eliminated, the morning show was pared back to an hour in length, and the evening newscasts began to be presented from Salinas. Thirteen employees were laid off,[38] including chief meteorologist Jim Byrne and sports anchor Kevin Roose, although weeknight anchor Arturo Santiago[39] and sports anchor Dave Alley each remained as Santa Maria-based reporters.[40] The move came just seven months after Cowles invested in converting the Santa Maria newsroom to high-definition, making KCOY–KKFX the first high-definition newscasts in the market.[41] Byrne sued Cowles, claiming breach of contract; the parties settled out of court.[42]

Consolidation with NPG

[edit]

On September 20, 2013, News-Press & Gazette Company, owner of KEYT-TV in Santa Barbara, announced that it would take over some of KCOY's operations (including its news operation) under a shared services agreement. NPG acquired KKFX-CA, as well as KION-TV and Telemundo affiliate KMUV-LP in the Monterey–Salinas market, directly.[43] The sale was completed on December 13.[44] On December 26, Cowles composed a deal to sell KCOY to VistaWest Media, a company based in St. Joseph, Missouri (where NPG is also based); the station was to remain operated by NPG under a shared services agreement.[45] VistaWest's president, Lyle Leimkuhler, had previously been an NPG employee.[46] The sale was completed on January 30, 2015.[47]

On January 1, 2021, the CBS affiliation was moved to the second subchannel of ABC-affiliated sister station KEYT-TV, with Dabl moving from 12.4 to the main 12.1 channel.[48] KCOY's main channel (and the second subchannel of KKFX-CD) switched on February 1, 2023, from Dabl to the Spanish-language Telemundo network, with NPG taking over the affiliation from KTAS, a Spanish-language station based in Santa Maria.[49] In addition, NPG began broadcasting its existing Telemundo newscasts from the Monterey–Salinas market on the southern Central Coast.[50]

On July 31, 2024, it was announced that KCOY-TV would affiliate with The CW, taking the affiliation from KSBY.[51] Previously, the E. W. Scripps Company—owner of KSBY—had opted not to renew any of its remaining CW affiliations in seven markets.[52]

Notable former on-air staff

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Technical information

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Subchannels

[edit]

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of KCOY-TV[58]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
12.1 1080i 16:9 KCOY-TV Telemundo
12.2 720p FOX-HD Fox (KKFX-CD)
12.3 480i Laff The CW Plus
12.4 DEFY Ion Plus
12.5 Mystery Ion Mystery
12.6 DABL Dabl
  Simulcast of subchannels of another station

Analog-to-digital conversion

[edit]

KCOY-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 12, on February 17, 2009, the original target date on which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts.[59] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 19, using virtual channel 12.[60]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Frank McCoy is also the namesake of McCoy Lane, on which the station's main studio is located.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "S.B. Paper Announces Purchase, Plans for Santa Maria Weekly". Santa Maria Times. June 28, 1946. p. 8. Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "County Names Oilfield Road For Inn Chief". Santa Maria Times. February 14, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KCOY-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ^ "FCC Orders All Fresno TV To Be UHF By April". The Fresno Bee. July 8, 1960. p. 1-A. Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Tri-Counties May Gain New Television Station". Santa Barbara News-Press. August 2, 1960. p. B-2. Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Santa Maria TV Channel Hearing Set". Santa Barbara News-Press. November 19, 1961. p. B-5. Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Friedman drops out of contest for ch. 12". Broadcasting. May 21, 1962. p. 58. ProQuest 1016850257.
  8. ^ "Central Coast favored for ch. 12 Santa Maria". Broadcasting. December 24, 1962. pp. 52–53. ProQuest 962782201.
  9. ^ "Santa Maria TV grant made final by FCC". Broadcasting. September 16, 1963. p. 10. ProQuest 1014476246.
  10. ^ "FCC Grants TV License for SM". Santa Maria Times. September 13, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "County Planners OK Tepusquet Peak TV Transmitter". Santa Barbara News-Press. November 15, 1963. p. A-15. Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b "Channel 12 Takes To The Air". Santa Maria Times. March 16, 1964. p. 10. Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Merrill, King (March 6, 1964). "Memo Pad: Channel 12 Set to 'Go'". Santa Ynez Valley News. p. 12. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b "Decision". FCC Reports, Second Series. October 17, 1968. pp. 985–1016. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  15. ^ a b c d "History Cards for KCOY-TV". Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  16. ^ Isaacson, Robert A. (February 18, 2010). "Helen Pedotti 1916-2010". Santa Barbara Independent. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  17. ^ "KEY-T Protests KCOY-TV Plan to Move Transmitter". Santa Barbara News-Press. July 11, 1965. p. C-7. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "KCOY-TV Hearing Set Before FCC". Santa Ynez Valley News. February 3, 1966. p. 3B. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "For the Record". Broadcasting. November 13, 1967. p. 77. ProQuest 1016840592.
  20. ^ "KCOY-TV Files For Change Of Ownership". Santa Maria Times. April 25, 1968. p. 10. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Media reports: Network changes". Broadcasting. January 13, 1969. p. 47. ProQuest 1016853512.
  22. ^ "New KCOY-TV owners". Santa Maria Times. August 7, 1980. p. 6. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Siegel, Amy (November 1, 1987). "Stations on the move: New facilities for KSMA Radio, KCOY in the works". Santa Maria Times. p. 22. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Ground broken for new KCOY television faciliity on McCoy". Santa Maria Times. February 28, 1988. p. 37. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "KCOY set to telecast NFL games again". Five Cities Times-Press-Recorder. August 10, 1994. p. 15. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Murphy, Tom (December 29, 1996). "Fox broadcast channel will soon come to Central Coast". Santa Maria Times. p. A-1. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "KSBY in transition with more changes on horizon". San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune. December 7, 1994. pp. B-1, B-4. Retrieved October 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Eddy, David (June 24, 1995). "KCOY horse slowly gaining in evening news ratings race". San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune. p. C-6. Retrieved October 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ "KGWC-TV sold to Illinois company". Casper Star-Tribune. December 6, 1995. p. C1. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  30. ^ a b Wilcox, Dave (June 29, 1996). "Martel off the air again". San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune. pp. B-1, B-2. Retrieved October 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ Eddy, David (September 2, 1995). "Did Rick make a difference? Well, sort of". San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune. p. C-6. Retrieved October 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ Firpo, Eric (December 23, 1998). "KCOY may change hands; fourth time in four years". Santa Maria Times. pp. A-1, A-4. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ Read, John A. (May 21, 2000). "Television buy solidifies Ackerley role on Central Coast". Santa Maria Times. pp. B-10, B-11. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "Clear Channel completes merger with Ackerley Group". San Antonio Business Journal. June 14, 2002. Archived from the original on September 29, 2004. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  35. ^ "Clear Channel Agrees to Sell Television Station Group to Providence Equity Partners" (Press release). Clear Channel Communications. April 20, 2007. Archived from the original on April 25, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2007.
  36. ^ "Deals". Broadcasting & Cable. October 5, 2007. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  37. ^ "Cowles Company expands into California". KHQ-TV. May 8, 2008. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008 – via MSNBC.
  38. ^ "Weatherman Jim Byrne among 13 laid off at KCOY, KKFX". The Tribune. January 5, 2012. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  39. ^ "KCOY lays off 13 people". Cal Coast News. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  40. ^ "KCOY, KKFX lays off employees". Santa Maria Times. Archived from the original on January 9, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  41. ^ Shen, Catherine (June 26, 2011). "KCOY first Central Coast station going high-def". Santa Barbara News-Press. p. A8. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  42. ^ Miller, Ryan; Asman, Amy (November 1, 2012). "Broadcast company, former meteorologist come to terms". Santa Maria Sun. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  43. ^ "KCOY to 'share services' with KEYT parent company under planned station purchases". Santa Maria Times. September 23, 2013. Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  44. ^ "NewsChannel 3 Owner Completes Purchase of Fox 11". KEYT. December 13, 2013. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  45. ^ "Application For Consent To Assignment Of Broadcast Station Construction Permit Or License". Consolidated Database System. Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  46. ^ Nellis, Stephen (April 25, 2014). "Shell company holds key to Central Coast TV station rollup". Pacific Coast Business Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2014.
  47. ^ "Consummation Notice". Consolidated Database System. Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  48. ^ "How to find NewsChannel 12". KEYT. January 1, 2021. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  49. ^ "¡Buenas Noticias!" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2023. A partir del miércoles 1 de febrero Telemundo Costa Central estrenara una nueva casa. Podrás seguir disfrutando de tu programación favorita por KCOY en el canal 12.1 en alta definición. La señal de KCOY también estára disponible en el canal 24.2 en San Luis Obispo.
  50. ^ Olivares, Edgar (February 1, 2023). "El Noticiero Telemundo Costa Central ahora en los condados de San Luis Obispo y Santa Barbara". Facebook (Video) (in Spanish). Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  51. ^ "The CW Network Announces New Affiliates In Tucson, Arizona, Santa Barbara, California, And Corpus Christi, Texas". Nexstar. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  52. ^ Lafayette, Jon (April 19, 2024). "Nexstar Dropping Scripps-Owned The CW Affiliates in 7 Markets". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  53. ^ "News at Noon". Santa Maria Times (Advertisement). September 19, 1993. p. C-8. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  54. ^ Stelter, Brian (December 11, 2011). "Osgood Signs to Stay on 'CBS Sunday Morning'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 18, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  55. ^ "News Media in Special Race: Full Program at Speedway". Times-Press-Recorder. July 28, 1978. p. 9. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  56. ^ "McEachern sports director". The Lompoc Record. August 1, 1982. p. 9. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  57. ^ "TV reporter Kerley off to ABC in D.C." Seattle Post-Intelligencer. February 10, 2004. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  58. ^ "TV Query for KCOY". RabbitEars. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  59. ^ "List of TV stations ending analog broadcasts". NBC News. Associated Press. February 17, 2009. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  60. ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. May 23, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
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