KRNS-CD

KRNS-CD is a low-power, Class A television station serving Reno and the surrounding Northern Nevada market. The station broadcasts on digital channel 46 and is affiliated with UniMás, the Spanish-language network formerly known as Telefutura. It is owned by Entravision Communications and operates alongside Entravision's Univision affiliate, KREN-TV. The stations share studio facilities on Wells Avenue in Reno, while KRNS-CD's transmitter is located on Slide Mountain in unincorporated Washoe County, between State Route 431 and the I-580/U.S. 395 corridor. The station's history began with a construction permit issued on June 14, 1988, to Que Television Production Inc. for a low-power station originally designated K47CO. The permit changed hands several times before Kidd Communications completed construction. The station received its initial license on July 12, 1995. Shortly afterward, Pappas Telecasting acquired the operation and developed it as a Spanish-language television outlet for the Reno area. Pappas initially made the station a Univision affiliate. In the late 1990s, the station received authorization to move from its original channel to UHF channel 68 and adopted the call sign KUVR-LP in February 1998. The move to channel 68 was completed in April 1999. The station later became part of Pappas's relationship with Azteca América, a Spanish-language network associated with Mexican broadcaster TV Azteca. Its call sign changed to KUVR-CA in 2002 and then to KAZR-CA as the station's Azteca affiliation became central to its identity. Because Class A stations were required to use spectrum within the protected core range, the station ultimately moved from channel 68 to channel 46. Authorization for the channel 46 move was granted in January 2003, and the station was licensed on that channel in December 2005. In 2007, Pappas ended the Azteca América affiliation and placed the station with its independent Spanish-language TuVision service. The station also operated a local Spanish-language news program during this period. The half-hour newscast aired at 6 p.m. and was repeated later at night, making it a notable local information service for the area's Hispanic community. The local news operation was canceled on March 11, 2008, after the shared news department at KAZR-CA and KREN-TV was closed amid weak advertising revenue. Community representatives criticized the decision because the program supplied locally relevant information to a growing Hispanic population in Northern Nevada. The closure occurred shortly before Pappas Telecasting and 12 other stations, including KREN-TV and KAZR-CA, entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2008. Pappas cited difficult television-market conditions, challenges associated with The CW and Azteca América, and the transition from analog to digital broadcasting. Entravision Communications agreed in September 2008 to acquire KREN-TV, KAZR-CA, and KREN-LP for $4 million, with the transaction closing on April 1, 2009. The station changed its call sign to KRNS-CA in June 2009. It completed a digital flash cut in March 2012 and adopted the legal call sign KRNS-CD on March 16, 2012, while retaining Class A status. The station later carried The CW Plus after the CW service was displaced from KREN-TV. On September 1, 2018, KRNS-CD became a UniMás affiliate after the CW affiliation moved to a subchannel of KOLO-TV. UniMás programming had previously been available on KREN-TV's third digital subchannel after the shutdown of KNVV-LP in 2014. Today, KRNS-CD functions primarily as a broadcast outlet for UniMás programming in the Reno market. Its significance is regional rather than global: it provides Spanish-language entertainment, news-related and network programming to viewers in Northern Nevada and forms part of Entravision's broader portfolio of Hispanic-focused television properties.

KRNS-CD traces its origins to a June 14, 1988, construction permit issued to Que Television Production Inc. for low-power station K47CO in Reno, Nevada. The permit was sold soon afterward to K-Fun Television Inc. and later to Kidd Communications. Although the permit went through multiple extensions, Kidd completed construction and obtained the station's initial license on July 12, 1995. Pappas Telecasting acquired the station less than a month after licensing and developed it as a Spanish-language service. It initially affiliated with Univision. In December 1996, the FCC authorized a move to UHF channel 68. The station adopted KUVR-LP in February 1998 and completed the channel 68 move in April 1999. Pappas subsequently shifted the station into its Azteca América strategy. It received Class A status in March 2002 and changed its call sign to KUVR-CA. As Class A operation required use of the core television spectrum, the station sought a move to channel 46, which was approved in January 2003 and licensed in December 2005. During this transition, it adopted the call sign KAZR-CA. Pappas ended KAZR's Azteca América affiliation effective July 1, 2007, after divesting its interest in that network. The station then carried Pappas's TuVision programming. During its Class A period, it met local programming obligations with a daily half-hour Spanish-language newscast at 6 p.m., repeated at 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. The program was promoted as the only local Spanish-language newscast in Northern Nevada and was also described as the first local Spanish-language newscast in the United States produced in high definition. The shared news department serving KAZR-CA and KREN-TV was closed on March 11, 2008, because of weak advertising revenue. Hispanic community representatives objected that the decision removed an important source of local information, and some dismissed staff members considered legal action. On May 10, 2008, KAZR-CA and KREN-TV were among 13 Pappas stations that filed for Chapter 11 protection. Pappas cited the difficult national television business environment. Its reported challenges included weak performance by The CW, its previous involvement with Azteca América, and the costs and operational complications of the transition to digital television. Entravision Communications announced an agreement on September 20, 2008, to purchase KREN-TV and KAZR-CA, together with KREN-LP in Susanville, California, for $4 million. The deal closed on April 1, 2009. The station changed its call sign to KRNS-CA in June 2009. It later carried The CW Plus after the CW service moved away from the main KREN-TV signal. KRNS-CA completed a digital flash cut on channel 46 in March 2012 and became KRNS-CD on March 16, 2012, preserving its Class A designation. On September 1, 2018, KRNS-CD became affiliated with UniMás, the network formerly known as Telefutura. The change followed the relocation of the CW affiliation to a subchannel of KOLO-TV. UniMás had previously been available through KREN-TV's third digital subchannel after KNVV-LP ceased operating in 2014. The station currently operates as an Entravision-owned UniMás outlet for Reno and Northern Nevada, sharing Reno facilities with KREN-TV and transmitting from Slide Mountain in Washoe County.

• 2018

  UniMás affiliation begins

  [1]KRNS-CDen.wikipedia.org

  KRNS-CD became the UniMás affiliate for Reno after the CW affiliation moved to KOLO-TV.

• 2012

  Digital flash cut completed

  [1]KRNS-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The station completed its digital conversion on channel 46 and adopted KRNS-CD as its legal call sign.

• 2009

  Entravision ownership begins

  [1]KRNS-CDen.wikipedia.org

  Entravision completed its acquisition of the station and related properties from Pappas.

• 2008

  Local news department closed

  [1]KRNS-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The shared KAZR-CA/KREN-TV news operation was shut down because of poor advertising revenue.

• 2005

  Channel 46 license issued

  [1]KRNS-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The station was licensed to operate on UHF channel 46 after its spectrum move.

• 2002

  Class A status granted

  [1]KRNS-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC granted Class A protection, and the station changed its call sign to KUVR-CA.

• 1999

  Move to channel 68 completed

  [1]KRNS-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The station moved its analog operation to UHF channel 68.

• 1998

  KUVR-LP call sign adopted

  [1]KRNS-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The station adopted KUVR-LP as it developed its identity as a Spanish-language Reno outlet.

• 1995

  Initial license granted

  [1]KRNS-CDen.wikipedia.org

  Kidd Communications completed construction and received the station's initial license.

• 1988

  Original construction permit issued

  [1]KRNS-CDen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC granted Que Television Production Inc. a permit for low-power Reno station K47CO.

A regional Spanish-language broadcast station serving the Reno market through UniMás programming and Entravision's Hispanic media portfolio.

• Broadcast television station · 1995

  KRNS-CD over-the-air television service

  KRNS-CD is a low-power Class A digital television service broadcasting on channel 46 from Slide Mountain in Washoe County. Its signal serves Reno and the surrounding Northern Nevada market. The station's Class A status provides regulatory protection compared with ordinary low-power operations, while its digital operation supports carriage of network programming through the station's broadcast signal.

• Spanish-language network affiliation · 2018

  UniMás programming

  Since September 1, 2018, KRNS-CD has carried UniMás programming for the Reno market. UniMás supplies Spanish-language network content and gives Entravision a locally distributed outlet for its Hispanic-oriented television portfolio. Before the affiliation began, the network had been available in the market through a digital subchannel of KREN-TV.

• Local news programming

  Local Spanish-language newscast

  The station formerly produced a daily 30-minute Spanish-language newscast at 6 p.m., with repeats at 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. It was produced through the news operation shared with KREN-TV and served as a local information source for Northern Nevada's Hispanic community. The program was canceled on March 11, 2008, after the shared news department was closed because of weak advertising revenue.

• 2018

  Transition to UniMás affiliationStrategy

  Background

  The CW affiliation moved to a subchannel of KOLO-TV, while UniMás had previously been carried on KREN-TV's third digital subchannel following the 2014 shutdown of KNVV-LP.

  Action taken

  KRNS-CD became the Reno UniMás affiliate on September 1, 2018.

  Aftermath

  The station continued as Entravision's dedicated UniMás outlet for Reno and Northern Nevada.

  Source

• 2008

  Cancellation of the local news operationOther

  Background

  The station's local newscast was produced through a news department shared with KREN-TV. The operation faced poor advertising revenue, while community representatives emphasized the importance of local Spanish-language news to Northern Nevada's Hispanic population.

  Action taken

  KAZR-CA and KREN-TV closed the shared news department on March 11, 2008, ending the station's 6 p.m. newscast and its late-night repeats.

  Aftermath

  The decision drew criticism from Hispanic community leaders, and some dismissed employees considered legal action. The station continued without that locally produced newscast.

  Source

• 2008

  Sale from Pappas Telecasting to EntravisionM&A

  Background

  Pappas Telecasting placed several stations, including KAZR-CA and KREN-TV, into Chapter 11 protection amid difficult television-market conditions and substantial corporate debt.

  Action taken

  Entravision Communications agreed to purchase KREN-TV, KAZR-CA, and KREN-LP for $4 million. The transaction closed on April 1, 2009.

  Aftermath

  KRNS-CD became part of Entravision's Reno station group alongside KREN-TV and operated from shared Reno studios.

  Acquisition price. $4 million (Announced September 20, 2008; transaction closed April 1, 2009)

  Source

1. 1KRNS-CDen.wikipedia.org
2. 2CW Reno partners pageyourcwtv.com