KRCA

KRCA is a full-power television station licensed to Riverside, California, and serving the broader Los Angeles television market. The station broadcasts in Spanish as an affiliate of the Estrella TV network and is described as the network's flagship television property. Although its legal city of license is Riverside, KRCA operates from studios on North Victory Drive in Burbank and has no physical facility in Riverside. Its over-the-air signal is transmitted from Mount Wilson through a channel-sharing arrangement involving KABC-TV's spectrum. The station began broadcasting on March 20, 1989, under the call sign KSLD on UHF channel 62. It was established by Sunland Broadcasting and was intended to become a Spanish-language outlet, but the planned Transvision network failed to launch on schedule, leaving the station without the programming base needed for that format. KSLD consequently began with Home Shopping Network programming. In 1990, Fouce Amusement Enterprises acquired the station for $3.575 million, changed its call letters to KRCA, and introduced programming in several Asian languages as well as Armenian and Persian content. Liberman Broadcasting acquired KRCA in 1997 for $60 million and converted it into a Spanish-language independent station. Liberman later reorganized under private-equity ownership and adopted the Estrella Media name in 2020. KRCA subsequently became closely associated with Estrella TV, carrying the network's Spanish-language entertainment and news programming in Southern California. The station has also operated a local news service. Its schedule has included approximately seven and a half hours of locally produced newscasts per week, concentrated on weekdays. In March 2022, Estrella TV eliminated most of KRCA's dedicated news staff, retaining only a small number of multimedia journalists while shifting production and anchoring responsibilities to personnel associated with Canal 6 and Milenio TV in Monterrey, Mexico. KRCA completed the federally mandated transition from analog to digital broadcasting on June 12, 2009. Its former analog service used channel 62, while its digital operation ultimately moved to UHF channel 35 after the station abandoned an earlier plan to use channel 45. The station continues to use virtual channel 62, preserving the identity associated with its original allocation.

KRCA signed on March 20, 1989, as KSLD on UHF channel 62. Sunland Broadcasting launched the station as the first new Southern California television station since channel 46 returned to the air in 1984. The original plan called for a Spanish-language service that would operate as the Los Angeles affiliate of the proposed Transvision network. When Transvision postponed its launch, KSLD could not obtain enough Spanish-language programming to sustain the intended format and instead began with Home Shopping Network content. In 1990, Sunland sold KSLD to Fouce Amusement Enterprises for $3.575 million. Fouce changed the call sign to KRCA and reshaped the station around multilingual programming, including Asian-language shows and programming in Armenian and Persian. This period established KRCA as a multicultural independent outlet rather than the Spanish-language station originally envisioned. Liberman Broadcasting purchased KRCA in 1997 for $60 million. Liberman already operated Spanish-language radio stations in Southern California and converted the television station into a Spanish-language independent service. Over time, KRCA became a central outlet for the Estrella TV television operation. Liberman Broadcasting was reorganized under private-equity ownership and changed its corporate name to Estrella Media in February 2020. KRCA is identified as Estrella TV's flagship television property. The station's legal license remains associated with Riverside, but its operating base is in Burbank, near Interstate 5. Its studios are on North Victory Drive, and the station has no physical presence in Riverside. KRCA serves the Los Angeles market through a transmission arrangement using KABC-TV's spectrum, with the transmitting antenna located on Mount Wilson. KRCA's history also includes a prominent 2005 advertising controversy. Billboards promoting its local newscasts presented a Los Angeles skyline with the city's postal abbreviation modified to read "MEXICO," alongside an image of Mexico City's Angel of Independence. The design was criticized as provocative and prompted protests outside Liberman Broadcasting studios. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger criticized the signs during an appearance on the John and Ken program on KFI. Following negotiations between the station and Clear Channel Outdoor, the billboard messages were replaced with more conventional advertising. KRCA has maintained a local news presence, although the scale and production model have changed. Its schedule has been described as approximately seven and a half hours of locally produced news per week, with weekday broadcasts and no weekend newscasts. On March 1, 2022, Estrella TV dismissed most of the KRCA news staff. A small group of multimedia journalists remained, while Canal 6 and Milenio TV personnel based in Monterrey, Mexico, assumed production and anchoring duties. The station's technical history was shaped by the United States digital transition. Because its analog and pre-transition digital assignments were outside the post-transition core broadcast band, KRCA needed a new permanent digital channel. It initially selected UHF channel 45 but later requested channel 35, partly because coordination with Mexico for channel 45 was expected to be difficult. KRCA shut down its analog channel 62 signal on June 12, 2009, moved its digital signal from pre-transition channel 68 to channel 35, and retained virtual channel 62.

• 2022

  KRCA local news staffing is reduced

  [1]KRCAen.wikipedia.org

  Most of the station's news staff is laid off, and newscast production is shifted largely to Canal 6 and Milenio TV personnel in Monterrey.

• 2020

  Liberman Broadcasting becomes Estrella Media

  [1]KRCAen.wikipedia.org

  The station's corporate group adopts the Estrella Media name following a reorganization under private-equity ownership.

• 2009

  Digital signal relocation

  [1]KRCAen.wikipedia.org

  KRCA ends analog broadcasting on channel 62 and moves its digital transmission to UHF channel 35, retaining virtual channel 62.

• 2005

  Controversial newscast billboard campaign

  [1]KRCAen.wikipedia.org

  A KRCA advertising campaign provokes protests after presenting Los Angeles with the word Mexico substituted for California's postal abbreviation.

• 1997

  Liberman Broadcasting purchase

  [1]KRCAen.wikipedia.org

  Liberman Broadcasting acquires KRCA for $60 million and converts it to a Spanish-language independent station.

• 1990

  Fouce Amusement Enterprises acquires the station

  [1]KRCAen.wikipedia.org

  Fouce purchases KSLD for $3.575 million, changes its call letters to KRCA, and introduces Asian-, Armenian-, and Persian-language programming.

• 1989

  KSLD begins broadcasting

  [1]KRCAen.wikipedia.org

  Sunland Broadcasting launches the station on UHF channel 62 under the KSLD call sign.

A Spanish-language broadcast television station serving Southern California, positioned as the Los Angeles area's Estrella TV outlet and flagship station.

• Television station · 1989

  KRCA broadcast service

  KRCA is a full-power Spanish-language television service licensed to Riverside and targeted at viewers across the Los Angeles market. Its programming is distributed over the air through a digital signal using virtual channel 62 and is associated with the Estrella TV network.

• Television news

  KRCA local news

  KRCA's local news offering has consisted of weekday Spanish-language newscasts totaling approximately seven and a half hours per week. After the 2022 staffing reduction, production and anchoring were largely handled by personnel connected with Canal 6 and Milenio TV in Monterrey.

• 2005

  Controversy over Los Angeles/Mexico billboards

  Advertising for KRCA's newscasts was criticized as provocative because it visually recast Los Angeles as Mexico. Protests occurred outside Liberman Broadcasting studios, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger publicly urged removal of the signs.

  Source

Read more

• 2005Los Angeles/Mexico newscast billboard campaign

  Los Angeles metropolitan area

  KRCA promoted its local newscasts with billboards that altered the phrase Los Angeles, California by replacing the state abbreviation with Mexico and combining the design with Mexico City's Angel of Independence and the Los Angeles skyline.

  Outcome. The campaign generated public protests and political criticism. After negotiations involving Clear Channel Outdoor, the original messages were replaced with more generic advertisements.

  Source

• 2022

  Estrella TV restructures KRCA news productionStrategy

  Background

  The station maintained weekday local newscasts but faced a major change in its staffing and production model.

  Action taken

  Estrella TV laid off most KRCA news staff and shifted production and anchoring to Canal 6 and Milenio TV personnel in Monterrey.

  Aftermath

  A small number of multimedia journalists remained associated with the KRCA operation while the newscasts continued under centralized production.

  Source

• 2009

  KRCA selects UHF channel 35 for permanent digital operationStrategy

  Background

  The station's analog and pre-transition digital assignments were outside the core spectrum available after the United States digital television transition.

  Action taken

  KRCA abandoned an earlier plan to use channel 45 and requested channel 35, while retaining virtual channel 62.

  Aftermath

  The station ended analog transmission on June 12, 2009, and continued digitally on channel 35.

  Source

• 1997

  Liberman Broadcasting acquires KRCAM&A

  Background

  KRCA had operated as a multilingual station under Fouce Amusement Enterprises after beginning with Home Shopping Network programming.

  Action taken

  Liberman Broadcasting purchased the station and converted it into a Spanish-language independent outlet.

  Aftermath

  KRCA became part of Liberman's Southern California Spanish-language media portfolio and later became associated with Estrella TV.

  Acquisition price. $60 million (1997)

  Source

1. 1KRCAen.wikipedia.org