KNXT-LD

KNXT-LD is a low-power television station licensed to Visalia, California, and serving viewers in California's San Joaquin Valley, including the Bakersfield and Fresno areas. The station operates under the KNXT-LD call sign and is marketed through the My 53 brand and the mytv53bakersfield.com website. Although its legal authorization is for a low-power station, KNXT-LD uses the full-power spectrum of KIFR on channel 49 under a channel-sharing arrangement. Its transmission facility is located at Blue Ridge in rural northwestern Tulare County, allowing the station to reach a substantially broader regional audience than a conventional low-power facility might serve. The station began broadcasting on April 28, 2000, as K57HZ. It was initially licensed to Bakersfield and transmitted on channel 57 under the ownership of Cocola Broadcasting. In 2007, Cocola sold the station to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno for $1.4 million. The diocese also owned KNXT, a regional Catholic television station operating on channel 49. Following the sale, the Bakersfield station moved to channel 38 and functioned as a translator of KNXT, whose programming was also distributed through Bakersfield cable systems. The station's role changed substantially after the Diocese of Fresno closed KNXT in 2020 because of high operating costs. The transition also required a digital television conversion for the Bakersfield-area translator. KNXT, which had operated as a noncommercial educational station, was sold to Vita Broadcasting and became KIFR. The former Bakersfield translator was acquired by My Central Valley, LLC, a for-profit operator that developed it as a locally oriented independent television outlet. KNXT-LD subsequently became primarily independent in its programming, while maintaining a secondary affiliation with MyNetworkTV. For a period, the station expanded into local news. It simulcast a newscast from sister station KMSG-LD and introduced My 53 News at 8:00 on April 1, 2022. The program provided a weekday half-hour newscast and was described as the San Joaquin Valley's only 8 p.m. local newscast at launch. The service ended in early 2024, shortly after the departure of news director and anchor Austin Reed. By 2025, KNXT-LD's programming included live professional sports from the Central Valley, including Central Valley Fuego FC matches from USL League One and Visalia Rawhide Minor League Baseball games. These broadcasts complement the station's independent entertainment and syndicated programming, giving the outlet a regional identity centered on communities in the southern San Joaquin Valley. KNXT-LD is therefore best understood as a locally focused television-station brand rather than a national media company: its value lies in its broadcast distribution, regional programming, local sports access, and affiliation relationships.

KNXT-LD began operation on April 28, 2000, under the call sign K57HZ. Cocola Broadcasting established the station as a low-power outlet licensed to Bakersfield, California, broadcasting on channel 57. Its initial role was that of a local television station serving the Bakersfield market. In 2007, Cocola Broadcasting sold the station to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno for $1.4 million. The diocese already operated KNXT, a regional Catholic station on channel 49. After the transaction, the Bakersfield station moved to channel 38 and became a translator of KNXT. This arrangement extended KNXT's reach into Bakersfield, where the parent station was also available through cable systems. The station's structure changed after the Diocese of Fresno discontinued KNXT in 2020. The diocese cited high costs in shutting down the noncommercial educational station. The Bakersfield translator also faced the technical requirement of completing a digital television conversion. KNXT was sold to Vita Broadcasting and relaunched as KIFR, while the Bakersfield-area translator was acquired by My Central Valley, LLC. Under its new commercial ownership, the outlet developed a distinct identity rather than continuing solely as a translator of the former Catholic station. KNXT-LD became primarily an independent station and retained a secondary affiliation with MyNetworkTV. It also operates under a channel-sharing arrangement with KIFR: despite holding a low-power license, KNXT-LD uses KIFR's full-power channel 49 spectrum. The shared transmission facility is located on Blue Ridge in rural northwestern Tulare County. This technical arrangement permits the station to serve a regional audience across parts of the San Joaquin Valley while preserving its legal low-power status. My Central Valley expanded the station's local content with news programming. KNXT-LD simulcast the newscast of sister station KMSG-LD and launched My 53 News at 8:00 on April 1, 2022. The program offered a weekday half-hour of local news and was promoted as the San Joaquin Valley's only 8 p.m. newscast. Austin Reed served as news director and anchor. The newscast was discontinued in early 2024, following Reed's departure, marking a shift away from the station's short-lived standalone evening-news operation. The station's later programming emphasized regional sports and locally relevant content. By 2025, KNXT-LD was carrying live professional sports involving Central Valley Fuego FC of USL League One and the Visalia Rawhide, a Minor League Baseball team. Its evolution from a Bakersfield-licensed translator into a commercially operated independent station reflects broader changes in local broadcasting, including ownership restructuring, channel sharing, digital transmission requirements, affiliation changes, and the use of sports programming to build regional relevance.

• 2025

  Regional sports programming

  [1]KNXT-LDen.wikipedia.org

  The station carries live programming involving Central Valley Fuego FC and the Visalia Rawhide.

• 2024

  Local newscast ends

  [1]KNXT-LDen.wikipedia.org

  My 53 News at 8:00 is canceled in early 2024 after the departure of Austin Reed.

• 2022

  Launch of My 53 News at 8:00

  [1]KNXT-LDen.wikipedia.org

  KNXT-LD debuts a weekday evening local newscast on April 1.

• 2020

  Transition to My Central Valley ownership

  [1]KNXT-LDen.wikipedia.org

  After KNXT is shut down and sold to Vita Broadcasting, My Central Valley, LLC acquires the Bakersfield-area translator and develops it as a commercial station.

• 2007

  Acquisition by the Diocese of Fresno

  [1]KNXT-LDen.wikipedia.org

  The Diocese of Fresno acquires the station from Cocola Broadcasting for $1.4 million and later uses it as a translator for Catholic station KNXT.

• 2007

  Move to channel 38

  [1]KNXT-LDen.wikipedia.org

  The station changes channel assignment and operates as a translator of the Diocese's KNXT service.

• 2000

  Station launches as K57HZ

  [1]KNXT-LDen.wikipedia.org

  Cocola Broadcasting begins operating the low-power television station on April 28, 2000. It is licensed to Bakersfield and broadcasts on channel 57.

A locally oriented independent television station serving the southern San Joaquin Valley, combining regional sports and entertainment programming with broadcast distribution and a former local-news operation.

• Television station brand

  My 53

  The station's consumer-facing television identity and website brand. My 53 presents KNXT-LD as an independent regional outlet serving the Bakersfield, Visalia, and wider San Joaquin Valley audience. Its schedule combines independent and syndicated programming with selected network-affiliated content and locally relevant sports.

• Local television news · 2022

  My 53 News at 8:00

  A weekday half-hour local newscast launched on April 1, 2022. The program was designed as an early-evening regional news offering and was promoted as the San Joaquin Valley's only 8 p.m. newscast. It ended in early 2024 following the departure of news director and anchor Austin Reed.

• Sports television

  Regional sports broadcasts

  KNXT-LD carries live regional sports programming, including broadcasts featuring Central Valley Fuego FC of USL League One and the Visalia Rawhide of Minor League Baseball. These rights and broadcasts help connect the station with communities across the southern San Joaquin Valley.

• 2022

  Launch of My 53 News at 8:00Product launch

  Background

  My Central Valley expanded KNXT-LD's local programming and sought to establish a distinct evening-news presence in the San Joaquin Valley.

  Action taken

  The station launched a weekday half-hour newscast on April 1, 2022, while also simulcasting sister station KMSG-LD's newscast.

  Aftermath

  The newscast was canceled in early 2024 after Austin Reed's departure.

  Source

• 2020

  Conversion from a Catholic translator to a commercial independent stationStrategy

  Background

  The Diocese of Fresno closed KNXT because of high operating costs, while the translator required a digital television transition.

  Action taken

  My Central Valley, LLC acquired the Bakersfield-area translator after KNXT was sold to Vita Broadcasting and became KIFR.

  Aftermath

  KNXT-LD developed primarily as an independent station with a secondary MyNetworkTV affiliation and a channel-sharing arrangement using KIFR's full-power spectrum.

  Source

• 2007

  Sale from Cocola Broadcasting to the Diocese of FresnoM&A

  Background

  The Diocese of Fresno sought control of the Bakersfield-area station in connection with its regional Catholic television operation, KNXT.

  Action taken

  Cocola Broadcasting sold the station to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno.

  Aftermath

  The station moved to channel 38 and operated as a translator of KNXT.

  Acquisition price. $1.4 million (2007)

  Source

1. 1KNXT-LDen.wikipedia.org
2. 2My 53 Bakersfieldmytv53bakersfield.com