KUPU

KUPU is a full-power television station licensed to Waimanalo, Hawaii, and serving viewers across the Hawaiian Islands. The station operates on virtual channel 15 and is associated with the UHF channel 56 allocation under which it originally operated. Its signal is delivered through a distributed transmission system with facilities near Waimanalo Beach and at Mauna Kapu, on the summit area of the Waianae mountain range. This two-site arrangement reflects the geographic and topographic challenges of serving the Hawaiian market, where ocean channels, mountain ranges, and separated population centers affect over-the-air coverage. The station originated with a Federal Communications Commission construction permit issued to Waimanalo Television Partners on October 17, 2000. The permit authorized construction of a new full-service station on UHF channel 56, initially using the call sign KMGT. KUPU began operating under a Program Test Authority on October 1, 2003, and received its formal license on June 18, 2004. In September 2006, Oceania Christian Church acquired the station from Waimanalo Television Partners. The call sign was changed from KMGT to KUPU the following month. The new name was derived from a Hawaiian word associated with sprouting or growth and marked a shift in the station's identity and ownership context. For part of its history, KUPU carried Catholic-oriented religious programming produced locally and supplied nationally through CatholicTV, together with programming from Vatican TV. In 2017, the station adopted an entertainment-oriented schedule by affiliating with Cozi TV, a national network owned by NBCUniversal that specializes in classic television series and films. That affiliation ended sometime in 2020, after which KUPU returned to religious programming. The station's programming history therefore includes both faith-based broadcasting and a period as a conventional network-affiliated entertainment outlet. KUPU's technical history was shaped by the United States digital television transition. Because its original construction permit was granted after the FCC finalized the digital television allotment plan in 1997, the station did not receive a separate companion channel for digital broadcasting. Hawaii's full-power stations completed the analog-to-digital transition on January 15, 2009, several months before the final transition date for full-power stations on the mainland. KUPU ended its analog transmission on channel 56 and immediately operated a digital signal on physical UHF channel 15, initially retaining virtual channel 56. It later remapped its virtual channel to 15, aligning the displayed channel number with its digital transmission channel. The former high-band UHF channel 56 allocation was subsequently among the spectrum reclaimed for other uses. On October 5, 2023, Bridge Media Networks announced an agreement to acquire KUPU together with KKAI, another Hawaii television station. The transaction was completed in early 2024, placing both stations under common ownership. KUPU remains a Hawaii-focused broadcast outlet whose identity is defined by its local license, over-the-air transmission infrastructure, religious-programming history, and changing relationship with national television networks.

KUPU was created as a new full-service television station for the Hawaiian market. The Federal Communications Commission granted Waimanalo Television Partners a construction permit on October 17, 2000, for a station on UHF channel 56. The proposed station initially used the call sign KMGT, which had previously been associated with another television station. KUPU began test-authorized operations on October 1, 2003, and received its full license on June 18, 2004. A major ownership and identity change occurred in 2006, when Oceania Christian Church acquired the station from Waimanalo Television Partners. The call sign changed from KMGT to KUPU in October of that year. The name was taken from a Hawaiian word meaning to sprout, giving the station a distinctly local linguistic and cultural identity. Under this ownership context, KUPU carried locally produced and nationally syndicated Catholic-oriented religious programs, including content associated with CatholicTV and Vatican TV. The station later changed its programming profile. In 2017, it became an affiliate of Cozi TV, an NBCUniversal-owned network focused on classic entertainment programming. KUPU eventually dropped the affiliation sometime in 2020 and returned to religious programming. As of the period described in the reference material, Cozi TV had not established another affiliation in the Honolulu market. KUPU's transmission history was also affected by the digital television transition. Since its construction permit came after the FCC's 1997 digital allotment decision, the station did not receive a separate digital companion channel. Hawaii's full-power stations made the transition on January 15, 2009. KUPU shut down its analog channel 56 signal and flash-cut to digital operation on physical channel 15. It initially used virtual channel 56 but later remapped to virtual channel 15. Its transmission system uses sites near Waimanalo Beach and Mauna Kapu, helping the station serve a geographically complex island market. Bridge Media Networks announced in October 2023 that it would purchase KUPU together with KKAI. The transaction closed in early 2024. KUPU consequently entered a new ownership phase while retaining its role as a Waimanalo-licensed television station serving Hawaii.

• 2024

  Bridge Media Networks ownership begins

  [1]KUPU (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  Bridge Media Networks completed its acquisition of KUPU and KKAI.

• 2020

  Return to religious programming

  [1]KUPU (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  KUPU ended its Cozi TV affiliation sometime during the year and resumed religious programming.

• 2017

  Cozi TV affiliation begins

  [1]KUPU (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  KUPU joined the Cozi TV network.

• 2009

  Digital flash-cut

  [1]KUPU (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  KUPU discontinued analog channel 56 and began digital broadcasting on physical channel 15.

• 2006

  Ownership and call-sign change

  [1]KUPU (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  Oceania Christian Church acquired the station, which changed its call sign from KMGT to KUPU.

• 2004

  Full license granted

  [1]KUPU (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The station received its formal license on June 18.

• 2003

  Broadcast operations begin

  [1]KUPU (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The station began operating under Program Test Authority on October 1 using the KMGT call sign.

• 2000

  Construction permit issued

  [1]KUPU (TV)en.wikipedia.org

  The FCC issued Waimanalo Television Partners a permit to build a full-service station on UHF channel 56.

A Hawaii-focused local television station with a history of religious programming and a period as a Cozi TV affiliate.

• Broadcast television · 2003

  KUPU television service

  KUPU is a full-power television service licensed to Waimanalo and intended to serve the Hawaiian Islands. Its over-the-air signal uses a distributed transmission system with facilities near Waimanalo Beach and Mauna Kapu. The station broadcasts digitally on physical UHF channel 15 and uses virtual channel 15.

• Television programming

  Religious programming

  KUPU has carried locally produced and syndicated religious programming, including Catholic-oriented content associated with CatholicTV and Vatican TV. After a period as a Cozi TV affiliate, the station returned to religious programming sometime in 2020.

• Network affiliation · 2017

  Cozi TV affiliation

  From 2017 until sometime in 2020, KUPU affiliated with Cozi TV, an NBCUniversal-owned network known for classic television series and films. This affiliation temporarily shifted the station's schedule away from its earlier religious-programming emphasis.

• 2023

  Sale to Bridge Media NetworksM&A

  Background

  Bridge Media Networks sought to acquire KUPU together with KKAI as part of a Hawaii television-station transaction.

  Action taken

  The parties announced the proposed acquisition on October 5, 2023, and completed it in early 2024.

  Aftermath

  KUPU became part of Bridge Media Networks and was placed under common ownership with KKAI.

  Source

• 2017

  Affiliation with Cozi TVStrategy

  Background

  KUPU changed its programming mix after years of carrying religious programming.

  Action taken

  The station affiliated with NBCUniversal-owned Cozi TV.

  Aftermath

  The affiliation ended sometime in 2020, when KUPU returned to religious programming.

  Source

• 2006

  Rebrand from KMGT to KUPUOther

  Background

  Following Oceania Christian Church's acquisition of the station, the former KMGT identity was replaced.

  Action taken

  The station adopted the KUPU call sign in October 2006.

  Aftermath

  The new identity connected the station more explicitly with a Hawaiian-language name and its subsequent religious-programming profile.

  Source

1. 1KUPU (TV)en.wikipedia.org