KEMO-TV
KEMO-TV is a television station licensed to Fremont, California, serving the San Francisco Bay Area and currently carrying QVC programming.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KEMO-TV is a broadcast television station serving the San Francisco Bay Area from a license based in Fremont, California. The station transmits from San Francisco's Sutro Tower and maintains studio facilities on Christie Avenue in Emeryville. Its current programming affiliation is with QVC, placing the station within the television-shopping category rather than the local-news or general-entertainment formats that characterized several earlier periods of its history. The station first went on the air in 1972 under the call sign KFTY, using channel 50 and originally serving Santa Rosa and the wider North Bay. Its initial attempt at operation was short-lived and financially weak. A second, more durable incarnation began in 1981 after newspaper and radio owner Wishard Brown revived the station. Under general manager Jim Johnson and news director Bob Sherwood, KFTY developed a local-news operation that focused on Sonoma, Marin, Napa, and Mendocino counties. The station became known for its regional coverage and for helping launch or develop the careers of broadcasters who later worked in larger markets. Its news programming was promoted with the slogan “We do it twice, every night,” referring to its two weekday evening newscasts. KFTY changed ownership several times. The station was acquired by the Ackerley Group in 1996 and later became part of Clear Channel Communications' television operations. Clear Channel announced plans to divest its television stations in 2006, and the KFTY news department was closed on January 26, 2007, because management said the operation could no longer be supported by advertising revenue. The station subsequently passed through arrangements involving Newport Television, High Plains Broadcasting, and a joint-sales agreement under which Newport managed some operational functions while High Plains controlled programming. The station's identity changed substantially in the 2010s. It affiliated with MeTV in 2011, then was sold to Una Vez Más Holdings and changed its call sign from KFTY to KEMO-TV as it adopted Azteca programming. Una Vez Más' television assets were sold to Northstar Media in 2014, and HC2 Holdings acquired Northstar and Azteca América in 2017, making KEMO an Azteca owned-and-operated station. In 2021, the station moved Estrella TV to its main channel and Azteca programming to a digital subchannel. It later carried ShopHQ, Fubo Sports Network, and, according to the referenced station history, QVC2 from May 2026. The station's programming history illustrates the evolution of a local independent broadcaster into a multilingual network affiliate and, later, a national specialty-programming outlet. KEMO-TV no longer operates a conventional local-news department. Its technical history also includes the nationwide digital transition: the station ended analog broadcasting on UHF channel 50 and moved its digital operation to UHF channel 32 while retaining virtual channel 50.
History
KEMO-TV began broadcasting in 1972 as KFTY, a channel 50 station licensed to Santa Rosa. The first operation was an ambitious attempt to establish a local North Bay television service, but it was undercapitalized and unstable. The station spent substantial periods off the air and ceased operating after roughly a year. The channel was revived in 1981 by Wishard Brown, who had owned the Marin Independent Journal and radio station KTIM. The relaunched KFTY began broadcasting on May 15, 1981, from a converted furniture store on Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa. Jim Johnson served as general manager, while Bob Sherwood, formerly of KGO-TV, established the news department. Rod Sherry, a former KPIX anchor, became a weekend anchor and later a news producer. During the 1980s, KFTY expanded its news operation and concentrated on communities in Sonoma, Marin, Napa, and Mendocino counties. Its coverage addressed North Bay stories that larger San Francisco stations often treated less extensively. The station also shared videotaped local reports with other broadcasters. Its weekday evening newscasts were promoted as “We do it twice, every night,” reflecting the station's two daily local-news editions. KFTY became an informal training ground for broadcasters including Jon Miller, Stan Atkinson, Bill Martin, Manuel Gallegos, Fred Wayne, and Dale Julian, although their later careers were outside the station. Ownership changed in 1996, when the Ackerley Group acquired KFTY. In 2002, the station became part of Clear Channel Communications' television group. After Clear Channel announced the sale of its television stations in 2006, KFTY's local-news department was shut down on January 26, 2007. Management attributed the decision to insufficient revenue. The station retained hourly local updates for a period but no longer produced a full local newscast. Clear Channel entered an agreement in 2007 to sell its television group to Providence Equity Partners' Newport Television. KFTY was initially expected to be transferred to LK Station Group, but that transaction did not proceed because LK could not obtain financing. The station instead went to High Plains Broadcasting, while Newport managed it under a joint-sales agreement. High Plains retained control over programming. KFTY affiliated with MeTV on April 25, 2011, and marketed the service as MeTV Bay Area. Its schedule combined MeTV programs with syndicated and locally produced material, including a radio simulcast, news and weather updates, a sports discussion program, community-affairs programming, and paid programming. Later in 2011, High Plains announced a sale to Una Vez Más Holdings. The station adopted Azteca programming on September 29, 2011, and changed its call sign to KEMO-TV. The new call sign had previously been used by KOFY-TV before 1986. Una Vez Más' television assets, including KEMO, were sold to Northstar Media in 2014. HC2 Holdings acquired Northstar Media and Azteca América in 2017, making KEMO an owned-and-operated Azteca station. In March 2021, KEMO moved Estrella TV to its primary digital channel and shifted Azteca to a secondary subchannel. The station subsequently moved through several specialty formats: ShopHQ began on the main channel in April 2024, Fubo Sports Network replaced ShopHQ in February 2025, and the referenced history reports a further move to QVC2 in May 2026. KEMO's transmission facilities are associated with San Francisco's Sutro Tower, shared with several other Bay Area stations. During the 2009 digital transition, the station discontinued its analog signal on UHF channel 50 and moved its digital transmission from pre-transition channel 54 to UHF channel 32, while continuing to use virtual channel 50. The station currently has no conventional local-news operation.
- 2026
Reported QVC2 transition
[1]The referenced history reports a move to QVC2 in May 2026.
- 2025
Fubo Sports Network programming begins
[1]KEMO replaces ShopHQ with Fubo Sports Network.
- 2024
ShopHQ programming begins
[1]The station drops Estrella TV and adopts ShopHQ on its main channel.
- 2021
Estrella TV moves to the primary channel
[1]KEMO places Estrella TV on its main channel and moves Azteca to a secondary digital channel.
- 2017
HC2 acquires Northstar and Azteca América
[1]The transaction makes KEMO an Azteca owned-and-operated station.
- 2014
Northstar Media acquisition
[1]Una Vez Más' television assets, including KEMO-TV, are sold to Northstar Media.
- 2011
MeTV affiliation
[1]KFTY begins carrying MeTV programming under the MeTV Bay Area brand.
- 2011
KEMO-TV launches as an Azteca affiliate
[1]On September 29, the station changes its call sign to KEMO-TV and begins carrying Azteca programming.
- 2007
Local news operation closes
[1]KFTY ends its full local-news department because of inadequate supporting revenue.
- 2002
Clear Channel ownership begins
[1]KFTY becomes part of Clear Channel Communications' television operations.
Products and positioning
A San Francisco Bay Area broadcast station whose identity has shifted from North Bay local television and news to network-affiliated Spanish-language programming and, more recently, national specialty and television-shopping content.
Broadcast television · 1972
KEMO-TV over-the-air service
The station's core service is an over-the-air television signal for the San Francisco Bay Area. It uses virtual channel 50 and transmits from Sutro Tower, with studios in Emeryville and a license based in Fremont.
Local television news · 1981
North Bay News
KFTY's former local-news operation focused on Sonoma, Marin, Napa, and Mendocino counties. It produced weekday evening newscasts and became known for regional reporting that was not always covered by larger Bay Area stations.
Classic television network affiliation · 2011
MeTV Bay Area
The station's 2011 MeTV period combined classic-network programming with syndicated shows, local segments, a radio simulcast, community affairs, sports discussion, and paid programming.
Spanish-language network affiliation · 2011
Azteca programming
KEMO carried Azteca programming beginning in 2011 and later continued it on a digital subchannel after Estrella TV moved to the primary channel in 2021.
Spanish-language network affiliation · 2021
Estrella TV programming
Estrella TV occupied KEMO's primary channel beginning in 2021, offering national Spanish-language entertainment and news programming, before leaving the station in 2024.
Television shopping
QVC programming
KEMO's current reported format carries QVC television-shopping programming for the Bay Area, replacing earlier specialty-network schedules.
Brand decisions
2025
Launch of Fubo Sports Network scheduleProduct launchBackground
A partnership between Fubo and HC2 Broadcasting prompted another change to the station's primary-channel service.
Action taken
KEMO dropped ShopHQ on February 1 and adopted Fubo Sports Network.
Aftermath
The station subsequently moved to QVC programming, with QVC2 reported for a later transition.
2024
Launch of ShopHQ scheduleProduct launchBackground
The station changed its primary programming strategy after Estrella TV's departure from the main channel.
Action taken
KEMO replaced Estrella TV with ShopHQ on April 1.
Aftermath
The station shifted further away from Spanish-language entertainment and local programming toward specialty and shopping content.
2021
Primary-channel switch to Estrella TVGeneration changeBackground
KEMO revised its network distribution after years as an Azteca affiliate.
Action taken
Estrella TV moved to the main .1 channel, while Azteca programming moved to the .2 digital subchannel.
Aftermath
Azteca remained available on a secondary channel until the later changes to KEMO's programming lineup.
2011
Sale to Una Vez Más and Azteca conversionM&ABackground
High Plains Broadcasting sought a new owner and programming strategy for KFTY after the earlier proposed LK Station Group transaction failed.
Action taken
Una Vez Más acquired the station, changed the call sign to KEMO-TV, and replaced MeTV with Azteca programming on September 29.
Aftermath
KEMO became a Spanish-language network affiliate and later became an Azteca owned-and-operated station after HC2's acquisition of Northstar and Azteca América.
2007
Closure of the local-news departmentStrategyBackground
KFTY's local news operation was no longer generating enough revenue to support its full production costs during the station's ownership transition.
Action taken
Management ended the locally produced evening newscasts on January 26 and retained only limited local news updates for a period.
Aftermath
The station lost its full local-news identity and later concentrated on network, syndicated, and specialty programming.
Sources1 sources
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