KTBN-TV

KTBN-TV is a full-power religious television station licensed to Santa Ana, California, and serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It is the flagship Southern California outlet of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), a Christian television network founded by Paul and Jan Crouch. The station's offices are located at TBN's headquarters in nearby Tustin, while its transmitter is situated on Mount Wilson, giving it broad coverage across the region. The station began broadcasting on January 5, 1967, under the call sign KLXA-TV. Initially licensed to Fontana, it operated from studios on North Highland Avenue in Hollywood and was described as Southern California's first bilingual television station. Its early schedule combined English-language films, reruns, a short English newscast, Spanish-language news, telenovelas, variety programming, and sporting events. By 1971, KLXA had moved to an entirely Spanish-language schedule and competed directly with KMEX-TV. TBN's involvement began in early 1974, when Paul Crouch purchased evening airtime on channel 40 after an unsuccessful attempt to acquire another Southern California station. When KLXA was subsequently placed on the market, Crouch assembled the required down payment and acquired the station for TBN. The station then began shifting toward Christian programming, initially carrying several hours of locally produced religious content each day. Programs included Praise the Lord, church services, Bible studies, Christian children's programs, and public-affairs shows. TBN also sold portions of its schedule to other Christian organizations. Religious programming expanded to approximately twelve hours per day by 1975, and the station moved to a continuous 24-hour schedule by 1978. In November 1977, the KLXA call sign was replaced by KTBN-TV, aligning the station more clearly with the Trinity Broadcasting Network. The station's city of license was relocated to Santa Ana in 1983. In its current operating model, KTBN-TV carries the national TBN feed for nearly the entire broadcast day, with limited interruptions for Southern California-specific public-affairs programming. This reflects TBN's broader strategy for its owned-and-operated stations, in which local schedules were reduced in favor of a common national service. The station's terrestrial coverage is supplemented by cable and satellite distribution throughout Southern California, although the national TBN feed is used in place of a separate KTBN-TV listing on DirecTV and Dish Network in the Los Angeles market at TBN's request. KTBN-TV formerly operated several low-power translators serving communities elsewhere in Southern California. Those translators ceased operation during the early 2010s, amid declining support associated with the digital television transition and the increasingly broad availability of TBN through cable and satellite providers. The station began digital broadcasting in 2004 and ultimately adopted UHF channel 33 as its post-transition digital allocation after a Federal Communications Commission decision in 2009. TBN-owned full-power stations ended analog transmission in April 2009.

Channel 40 in Southern California began broadcasting on January 5, 1967, as KLXA-TV. The station was initially licensed to Fontana but operated from studios and offices at 816 North Highland Avenue in Hollywood. Its first schedule made it a bilingual service, combining English-language films and syndicated reruns with Spanish-language news, telenovelas, variety programs, and sporting events. The station initially broadcast only part of the day, generally from the afternoon into the evening. By 1971, it had adopted an entirely Spanish-language schedule and competed with KMEX-TV for the region's Spanish-speaking audience. Trinity Broadcasting Network became involved in the station's history in the early 1970s. TBN founder Paul Crouch had first sought to acquire another Southern California television outlet but lost that opportunity to a competing buyer. TBN subsequently purchased blocks of evening airtime on channel 40 in early 1974. When KLXA was offered for sale, Crouch pursued the acquisition and raised the necessary down payment. After the purchase, TBN progressively replaced the station's entertainment-oriented schedule with Christian programming. The new schedule included locally produced religious programs, church services, Bible studies, Christian children's programming, and public-affairs shows. Crouch, Jan Crouch, and Jim Bakker were associated with the daily Praise the Lord program during the early period of TBN's operation. Bakker later departed to establish a separate Christian television operation in Charlotte, North Carolina, while TBN continued using the full Praise the Lord name. By 1975, religious programming occupied roughly twelve hours of the daily schedule, and the station also sold airtime to outside Christian organizations. The station adopted the KTBN-TV call sign in November 1977 and became a 24-hour broadcaster by 1978. Its city of license was moved to Santa Ana in 1983. As TBN developed a national network and acquired additional stations, KTBN-TV increasingly functioned as a network outlet rather than a conventional locally programmed commercial station. The station now retransmits the national TBN service for most of the day, with limited Southern California-specific public-affairs interruptions. KTBN-TV broadcasts from a transmitter on Mount Wilson and serves the Los Angeles metropolitan area with a full-power signal. Its distribution has also relied on cable and satellite carriage across Southern California. TBN requested that the Los Angeles market use the national TBN feed rather than list KTBN-TV separately on DirecTV and Dish Network. The station once operated a group of low-power translators in communities including Lompoc, Bakersfield, Lancaster, Victorville, and Palm Springs. Those facilities ceased operating by 2012, with the change attributed to the digital transition, declining support, and the extensive availability of TBN through pay-TV systems. Digital broadcasting began in 2004 on an interim channel. In February 2009, the FCC approved a request to move the station's digital allocation to UHF channel 33. KTBN-TV subsequently used channel 33 for its final post-transition digital operation. TBN-owned full-power stations ended analog transmissions on April 16, 2009.

• 2012

  Translator network is discontinued

  [1]KTBN-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Former low-power translators serving several Southern California communities cease operations by 2012.

• 2009

  Digital allocation changes to channel 33

  [1]KTBN-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC approves TBN's request to assign KTBN-TV UHF channel 33 for its post-transition digital operation.

• 2009

  Analog transmission ends

  [1]KTBN-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station ends analog broadcasting on April 16 as part of TBN's digital transition.

• 2004

  Digital signal begins operation

  [1]KTBN-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KTBN-TV starts digital broadcasting on an interim UHF channel.

• 1983

  City of license moves to Santa Ana

  [1]KTBN-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station's city of license is relocated from its earlier arrangement to Santa Ana, California.

• 1978

  Twenty-four-hour broadcasting begins

  [1]KTBN-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KTBN-TV expands to a full 24-hour schedule.

• 1977

  Call sign becomes KTBN-TV

  [1]KTBN-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station formally changes its call sign from KLXA-TV to KTBN-TV in November.

• 1975

  Religious programming expands

  [1]KTBN-TVen.wikipedia.org

  TBN expands religious content to approximately twelve hours per day and begins selling airtime to external Christian organizations.

• 1974

  TBN acquires channel 40

  [1]KTBN-TVen.wikipedia.org

  After initially buying evening airtime, Paul Crouch and TBN acquire KLXA-TV and begin converting it into a Christian religious station.

• 1971

  Station adopts an all-Spanish schedule

  [1]KTBN-TVen.wikipedia.org

  KLXA-TV shifts to entirely Spanish-language programming and competes with KMEX-TV in Southern California.

• 1967

  KLXA-TV begins broadcasting

  [1]KTBN-TVen.wikipedia.org

  Channel 40 launches as KLXA-TV on January 5, initially offering a bilingual schedule from facilities in Hollywood.

A regional flagship broadcast outlet for TBN's Christian television service, emphasizing religious programming, worship, Bible teaching, family content, and network distribution rather than a broad locally produced general-entertainment schedule.

• Television broadcasting · 1967

  KTBN-TV terrestrial broadcast service

  KTBN-TV is a full-power television station serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area from a transmitter on Mount Wilson. The service is primarily a local broadcast outlet for the national Trinity Broadcasting Network feed, with limited programming interruptions for Southern California-specific public affairs.

• Religious television network programming · 1974

  TBN national feed

  The station carries TBN's national Christian television schedule for most of the broadcast day. Its programming mix includes worship services, Bible teaching, Christian talk and inspirational programs, family-oriented content, and other religious productions distributed across TBN's network.

• Public-affairs television

  Local public-affairs programming

  KTBN-TV retains limited local relevance through Southern California-specific public-affairs programming that periodically replaces or interrupts the national TBN schedule.

• 2012

  Discontinue low-power translatorsStrategy

  Background

  KTBN-TV had operated translators in multiple Southern California communities, but their support declined after the digital transition and broader pay-TV carriage of TBN.

  Action taken

  The station's former translators in locations including Lompoc, Bakersfield, Lancaster, Victorville, and Palm Springs ceased operation.

  Aftermath

  KTBN-TV continued serving the region through its full-power signal and cable and satellite distribution.

  Source

• 2009

  Move digital transmission to UHF channel 33Other

  Background

  KTBN-TV's digital signal had initially operated on UHF channel 23.

  Action taken

  The FCC approved TBN's request to change the station's digital allocation to UHF channel 33.

  Aftermath

  Channel 33 became the station's final post-transition digital allotment, while the previous channel was used by a low-power station after its own digital conversion.

  Source

• 1977

  Adopt the KTBN-TV call signStrategy

  Background

  The station had been operating under the KLXA-TV call sign since its 1967 launch.

  Action taken

  TBN changed the station's call sign to KTBN-TV in November 1977.

  Aftermath

  The new call sign more directly identified the station with the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

  Source

• 1974

  Convert channel 40 to a Christian television outletStrategy

  Background

  TBN had begun purchasing evening airtime on KLXA-TV after failing to acquire another Southern California station.

  Action taken

  Following its acquisition of KLXA-TV, TBN progressively replaced Spanish-language and general entertainment programming with religious programming and Christian-produced shows.

  Aftermath

  The station became a principal Southern California outlet for TBN and later served mainly as a relay for the network's national feed.

  Source

1. 1KTBN-TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Trinity Broadcasting Networktbn.org