KPYX

KPYX is an independent television station licensed to San Francisco, California, and serving the wider San Francisco Bay Area. The station broadcasts on channel 44 and is carried on cable channel 12 in its principal market. It operates alongside KPIX-TV, the market’s CBS owned-and-operated station, as part of the CBS News and Stations group. KPYX’s studios are shared with KPIX at the stations’ facility on Broadway and Battery Street, just north of San Francisco’s Financial District, while its transmitter is located at Sutro Tower. The station began broadcasting on January 2, 1968, as KBHK-TV. It was established by Kaiser Broadcasting during the difficult early era of commercial UHF television in the Bay Area. At the time, the market had several UHF outlets, but the region’s hilly terrain, limited UHF reception, and weak advertising economics made survival difficult. Several competing stations failed, while KBHK remained on the air and gradually developed a durable audience. Its early programming included local entertainment, movies, sports, syndicated programs, and a short-lived local newscast. The station’s original studios were at 420 Taylor Street, a facility with a long broadcasting history in San Francisco. Kaiser Broadcasting merged with Field Communications in 1973. Field became the sole owner of KBHK in 1977 after acquiring Kaiser’s interest in the joint venture. When Field sold its broadcast properties in the early 1980s, KBHK was acquired by United Television, a division of Chris-Craft Industries. That ownership shaped the station’s next major phase: United Television partnered with Paramount Pictures to create the United Paramount Network, or UPN. When UPN launched in January 1995, KBHK became one of its charter owned-and-operated stations. During the early 1990s, the station also shifted away from its traditional emphasis on prime-time movies toward newer first-run syndicated programming. A series of corporate transactions brought KBHK into its present ownership structure. Viacom acquired a stake in UPN and later became the owner of CBS and KPIX. Chris-Craft sold its UPN stations to Fox Television Stations in a transaction completed in 2001, but Fox traded KBHK to Viacom because of ownership and affiliation considerations in the San Francisco market. KBHK subsequently moved from its California Street facility to the KPIX studios on Battery Street. Following the 2005–2006 creation of The CW from the former WB and UPN networks, KBHK became a CW affiliate. Its call letters changed to KBCW on July 1, 2006. KBCW remained affiliated with The CW for more than 17 years. After Nexstar Media Group acquired majority ownership of The CW in 2022, CBS exercised its contractual right to withdraw its stations from the network. KBCW ended its CW affiliation at the end of August 2023, and the affiliation moved to Nexstar-owned KRON-TV. The station returned to independent status in September 2023 and adopted the KPYX call sign. The new identity was designed as a brand extension of KPIX-TV, and the station was rebranded KPIX+. Alongside the identity change, KPYX expanded its local news role. It introduced morning news programming and prime-time newscasts at 8 and 9 p.m., using resources shared with KPIX. Earlier local-news efforts included a brief late-1960s newscast, a KPIX-produced 10 p.m. newscast beginning in 2008, the Bay Area Nightbeat format, and later CBSN Bay Area and CBS News Now programming. KPYX has also maintained a long history of Bay Area sports programming. It carried Oakland Athletics and Golden State Warriors games during several periods, aired selected California Seals hockey and San Francisco 49ers preseason games, and later carried Oakland Invaders and Bay Area Panthers games. In 2025, KPIX announced an agreement involving the Golden State Valkyries, with games shared between KPYX and KPIX-TV. Today, KPYX functions as a locally focused independent outlet whose programming combines KPIX-produced news, syndicated and entertainment content, sports, and the broader KPIX+ brand.

KPYX traces its history to Kaiser Broadcasting’s construction permit for San Francisco UHF channel 44, granted in 1962. The station began broadcasting as KBHK-TV on January 2, 1968. Kaiser had intended to launch the San Francisco station alongside WKBF-TV in Cleveland, although weather delayed the Cleveland launch. KBHK operated from 420 Taylor Street, a former radio and television facility with roots predating the station. The station entered a challenging Bay Area television environment. UHF broadcasters faced weak reception in a market shaped by hills and difficult terrain, and several local commercial UHF stations failed during the late 1960s and early 1970s. KBHK survived by developing a mix of entertainment, movies, syndicated programming, local shows, and sports. It initially broadcast from San Bruno Mountain before moving its transmitter to Sutro Tower after that structure was completed. A brief local 10 p.m. newscast and several live entertainment programs were discontinued after disappointing ratings, but the station’s overall position strengthened as competitors left the market. Kaiser Broadcasting merged with Field Communications in 1973. In 1977, Field acquired Kaiser’s interest in the stations and became KBHK’s sole owner. Field placed its broadcast properties on the market in 1982, and KBHK was acquired by United Television, a Chris-Craft Industries division, in the early 1980s. The station remained independent for much of this period, although its schedule gradually shifted in the early 1990s from a traditional prime-time movie focus toward higher-budget first-run syndicated series. United Television and Paramount Pictures partnered to establish UPN. When the network launched on January 16, 1995, KBHK became a charter UPN owned-and-operated station. In 2000, Viacom acquired Chris-Craft’s interest in UPN, and Chris-Craft later sold its UPN stations to Fox Television Stations. The transaction was completed in 2001, but Fox’s ownership of another major Bay Area station and existing affiliation arrangements complicated its ability to retain KBHK. Fox therefore traded KBHK to Viacom for KTXH in Houston and WDCA in Washington, D.C. After the transaction, KBHK moved into the KPIX facility at Grey Rock on Battery Street. In 2006, CBS Corporation and the Warner Bros. unit of Time Warner combined UPN and The WB into The CW. KBHK was selected as one of the CBS-affiliated UPN stations to join the new network, and its call letters changed to KBCW on July 1, 2006. KBCW carried The CW’s programming while also remaining connected to KPIX through shared ownership, facilities, and local-news production. KPIX-produced news initiatives included a 10 p.m. weeknight newscast launched in 2008, the Bay Area Nightbeat title adopted in 2014, a short-lived Sunday morning extension, and later CBSN Bay Area and CBS News Now programming. Nexstar Media Group acquired majority ownership of The CW in October 2022. The agreement allowed CBS to withdraw its affiliations from KBCW and seven other CBS-owned CW outlets. CBS announced in May 2023 that it would exercise that right. KBCW left The CW at the end of August 2023, with the market affiliation moving to Nexstar-owned KRON-TV. On September 1, 2023, the station became KPYX and launched the KPIX+ identity. Its return to independent status was accompanied by a new local programming strategy, including morning news from 7 to 9 a.m. and prime-time news at 8 and 9 p.m. The station continues to operate from KPIX’s San Francisco facilities and transmit from Sutro Tower. Its current role combines local news, syndicated programming, sports, and programming associated with the KPIX+ brand. The station has carried Bay Area sports at multiple points in its history, including Oakland Athletics, Golden State Warriors, California Seals, San Francisco 49ers preseason, Oakland Invaders, Bay Area Panthers, and later Golden State Valkyries programming.

• 2025

  Golden State Valkyries partnership

  [1]KPYXen.wikipedia.org

  KPIX announced a broadcast partnership for the Golden State Valkyries, with games shared between KPIX and KPYX.

• 2023

  Return to independence

  [1]KPYXen.wikipedia.org

  The station left The CW, adopted the KPYX call sign, and launched the KPIX+ identity with expanded local news.

• 2019

  Digital channel reassignment

  [1]KPYXen.wikipedia.org

  KBCW relocated its digital transmission from channel 45 to channel 28 during the FCC spectrum reallocation.

• 2009

  Analog transmission ends

  [1]KPYXen.wikipedia.org

  KBCW ended analog broadcasting as part of the federally mandated digital television transition.

• 2006

  Station joins The CW

  [1]KPYXen.wikipedia.org

  KBHK joined The CW and changed its call sign to KBCW.

• 2001

  Viacom ownership begins

  [1]KPYXen.wikipedia.org

  Fox traded KBHK to Viacom, bringing the station into the ownership group associated with KPIX.

• 1995

  UPN launches

  [1]KPYXen.wikipedia.org

  KBHK became a charter owned-and-operated station of the United Paramount Network.

• 1983

  United Television acquires KBHK

  [1]KPYXen.wikipedia.org

  KBHK joined United Television, a division of Chris-Craft Industries.

• 1977

  Field becomes sole owner

  [1]KPYXen.wikipedia.org

  Field Communications acquired Kaiser’s interest in the stations.

• 1973

  Kaiser and Field merge

  [1]KPYXen.wikipedia.org

  Kaiser Broadcasting merged with Field Communications, creating joint ownership of KBHK.

• 1968

  KBHK-TV launches

  [1]KPYXen.wikipedia.org

  KBHK-TV began broadcasting on January 2 as a Kaiser Broadcasting station.

• 1962

  Construction permit granted

  [1]KPYXen.wikipedia.org

  Kaiser Broadcasting obtained a construction permit for San Francisco UHF channel 44.

A San Francisco Bay Area independent television station using the KPIX+ identity, with a strong emphasis on locally produced news, regional sports, and programming shared with CBS-owned KPIX-TV.

• Independent television service · 2023

  KPIX+

  KPIX+ is the current on-air identity of KPYX. Introduced with the station’s return to independent status in 2023, the brand connects channel 44 with sister station KPIX-TV while allowing KPYX to schedule programming outside a national network affiliation. Its lineup includes local news, syndicated entertainment, sports, and other television programming for Bay Area viewers.

• Television news · 1968

  Local news programming

  KPYX carries locally produced news associated with KPIX-TV. The current independent format includes morning news and prime-time newscasts, while earlier iterations included a 10 p.m. KBCW newscast, Bay Area Nightbeat, CBSN Bay Area, and CBS News Now programming. These services extend KPIX newsroom coverage to an additional Bay Area broadcast outlet.

• Sports television · 1968

  Bay Area sports broadcasts

  Sports have been part of the station’s schedule since its launch. Across different ownership and affiliation periods, the outlet has carried Oakland Athletics and Golden State Warriors games, selected California Seals hockey, San Francisco 49ers preseason games, Oakland Invaders games, Bay Area Panthers indoor football, and Golden State Valkyries programming shared with KPIX.

• 2023

  Return to independent programmingStrategy

  Background

  Nexstar’s acquisition of majority ownership in The CW gave CBS the right to withdraw its CW affiliations, and CBS chose to do so for KBCW.

  Action taken

  The station left The CW, changed its call sign to KPYX, adopted KPIX+, and added morning and prime-time local news.

  Aftermath

  KPYX resumed operation as an independent station, while KRON-TV assumed the Bay Area CW affiliation.

  Source

• 2006

  Move from UPN to The CWStrategy

  Background

  UPN and The WB were closed and replaced by The CW, a network formed by CBS Corporation and Time Warner’s Warner Bros. unit.

  Action taken

  KBHK joined The CW and changed its call letters to KBCW.

  Aftermath

  KBCW remained a CW affiliate until CBS withdrew from the network in 2023.

  Source

• 1995

  Join the United Paramount NetworkStrategy

  Background

  United Television and Paramount Pictures created UPN as a new national broadcast network, with United’s independent stations positioned as charter outlets.

  Action taken

  KBHK became a UPN owned-and-operated station when the network launched in January 1995.

  Aftermath

  The station moved from an independent schedule into a long-running network-affiliate role.

  Source

1. 1KPYXen.wikipedia.org