KUVI-DT
A Bakersfield, California, full-power television station currently affiliated with the Quest digital multicast network.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
KUVI-DT is a full-power television station serving Bakersfield, California, on digital channel 45. The station is owned by TelevisaUnivision and operates alongside the company’s Bakersfield outlets KABE-CD, the Univision affiliate, and KBTF-CD, the UniMás affiliate. Its studios are located at the Univision Broadcast Center on Truxtun Avenue in western Bakersfield, while its transmitting facilities are situated on Mount Adelaide. KUVI’s principal channel currently carries Quest, a digital multicast network focused on factual, documentary, engineering, outdoor, and reality programming. Its multiplex also provides room for TelevisaUnivision programming services, including the company’s local Univision and UniMás stations. The station began broadcasting on December 18, 1988, as KDOB-TV, taking its call letters from Dorothy Owens Broadcasting. Dorothy J. Owens had secured the construction permit after six applicants sought channel 45 and five competing applicants settled with her in 1986. The station launched as Bakersfield’s first local independent television station, offering a family-oriented schedule of syndicated films, children’s programs, and Los Angeles Lakers road games. Its original facilities were in Oildale on Chester Avenue, in a building owned by Owens’s brother, country musician and radio owner Buck Owens. The initial operation quickly encountered financial difficulties. Dorothy Owens entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in October 1989, less than a year after the station went on air. Buck Owens submitted a bid of $4.5 million to acquire the station and satisfy its creditors. Although competing broadcasters challenged the purchase and argued that the bankruptcy and proposed ownership transfer were structured to obtain an exception to federal limits on common ownership of local stations, the bankruptcy court approved the transaction in February 1990 and the Federal Communications Commission approved it later that year. The sale closed in November 1990. The station changed its call sign to KUZZ-TV in March 1991, aligning it with Buck Owens’s KUZZ radio properties. Buck Owens sought a network affiliation that could strengthen the station’s schedule. Fox did not grant KUZZ-TV the Bakersfield affiliation because KMPH-TV in Visalia already held the market’s Fox rights and Fox viewed existing cable and over-the-air coverage as sufficient. KUZZ-TV instead joined the newly launched UPN network in January 1995. In 1997, Buck Owens sold the station to Univision for $14 million. The acquisition was strategically significant because it gave Univision its first English-language television station. Univision retained the UPN affiliation rather than moving the English-language service to its low-power local outlet, KABE-LP, whose channel allocation faced possible displacement by an educational television use. Following the 2006 merger of UPN and The WB into The CW, KUVI became a MyNetworkTV affiliate. The station later moved away from conventional major-network affiliation. In 2017, its main channel became part of an agreement through which Univision stations carried the Justice Network, now known as True Crime Network. KUVI changed from True Crime Network to Twist in January 2022, and after Twist ceased operations at the end of 2023, the station adopted Quest. KUVI also completed the major technical stages of the United States digital television transition: digital broadcasting began in 2002, analog transmission ended in 2009, and the station moved from channel 45 to channel 26 in 2019 following the federal spectrum-reallocation process. Today, KUVI functions primarily as a local broadcast platform and multicast outlet within TelevisaUnivision’s Bakersfield station group.
History
The history of KUVI-DT begins with a 1985 application process for Bakersfield's channel 45. Six parties sought the allocation. In October 1986, five applicants—Harold L. Mullican, Lash Communications, Liberty Broadcasting, Crown City TV, and Dorothy J. Owens—reached a settlement that left Owens with the construction permit. The other applicants received reimbursement for their expenses, totaling $642,500. Owens initially considered a Spanish-language format and hoped to obtain a Univision affiliation, but Univision was already contractually committed to KFTV in Fresno, whose translator served Bakersfield. She also rejected Telemundo because she considered its programming unsuitable for the local Hispanic market. KDOB-TV, named for Dorothy Owens Broadcasting, signed on December 18, 1988. It was an independent station with a family-oriented schedule of syndicated movies, children's series, and Los Angeles Lakers road games. Its original studios were located on Chester Avenue in Oildale, in a building owned by Buck Owens that had previously housed a theater and recording studio. The station's startup costs and obligations proved difficult to sustain. In October 1989, Dorothy Owens sought Chapter 11 protection from creditors. Buck Owens offered $4.5 million for the station and proposed to satisfy its debts. The purchase was contested by Bakersfield's other television stations and by KMPH-TV in Visalia, which argued that Buck Owens's prior financial support for the station and his ownership of KUZZ-AM and KUZZ-FM raised concerns about the proposed waiver of the FCC's one-to-a-market ownership rule. A lower competing offer from Riklis Broadcasting was not accepted. The bankruptcy court approved the Owens bid in February 1990, and the FCC authorized the transaction in August. The sale closed in November. The station adopted the call sign KUZZ-TV on March 18, 1991, and later moved its facilities from Oildale to the Sillect Avenue complex used by KUZZ radio. In 1993, its Mount Adelaide transmitter was destroyed in an arson attack that caused approximately $1 million in damage. Investigators concluded that a convicted felon had likely been hired to carry out the crime, although the available reference material does not identify a responsible party or provide a broader corporate scandal finding. Buck Owens attempted to secure a Fox affiliation, but KMPH-TV controlled the Bakersfield-market rights and Fox considered existing cable and broadcast coverage adequate. KUZZ-TV joined UPN in January 1995 instead. Univision approached Buck Owens in 1997 and ultimately agreed to pay $14 million. The acquisition gave Univision its first English-language television station. The company maintained the UPN agreement, partly because its local Univision outlet, KABE-LP, faced potential displacement from its channel by a proposed educational station. In 2006, the station moved to MyNetworkTV after UPN and The WB were replaced by The CW. KUVI later became a digital multicast outlet. It carried Justice Network beginning in September 2017, changed to Twist in January 2022, and adopted Quest after Twist shut down at the end of 2023. Digitally, the station began transmitting in August 2002, ended analog broadcasting on June 12, 2009, and moved its digital signal to channel 26 on June 21, 2019, as part of the United States spectrum-repacking process. Its current role is as a TelevisaUnivision-owned Bakersfield station carrying Quest on its principal service and the group's Spanish-language networks on additional digital channels.
- 2023
Quest replaces Twist
[1]Quest became the station's principal digital multicast affiliation after Twist shut down.
- 2022
Twist affiliation begins
[1]Twist replaced True Crime Network on January 3.
- 2019
Digital channel moves to 26
[1]KUVI-DT relocated its digital transmission from channel 45 to channel 26 following the United States spectrum auction and repacking process.
- 2017
Justice Network carriage starts
[1]KUVI joined an 11-market Univision partnership carrying the Justice Network.
- 2009
Analog broadcasting ends
[1]The station ended regular analog programming on June 12 during the nationwide full-power digital transition.
- 2006
MyNetworkTV affiliation begins
[1]KUVI replaced UPN with MyNetworkTV after the UPN–WB realignment.
- 2002
Digital transmission begins
[1]KUVI-TV began broadcasting a digital signal on August 12.
- 1997
Univision purchase closes
[1]Univision acquired the station for $14 million, its first English-language television station.
- 1995
UPN affiliation begins
[1]The station joined UPN after failing to obtain the Bakersfield Fox affiliation.
- 1993
Transmitter destroyed by arson
[1]A fire destroyed the Mount Adelaide transmitter in an incident estimated to have caused $1 million in damage.
Products and positioning
A Bakersfield local television outlet and TelevisaUnivision-owned digital broadcast platform, combining a factual-entertainment multicast affiliation with distribution of the group’s Spanish-language networks on subchannels.
Broadcast television station · 1988
KUVI-DT channel 45
KUVI-DT is a full-power digital television service for the Bakersfield, California, market. Its transmitter is located on Mount Adelaide, and its studios are shared with TelevisaUnivision's Bakersfield operations. The station's main service currently carries Quest, while its digital multiplex also distributes TelevisaUnivision network services.
Digital multicast network service · 2023
Quest affiliation
Quest is the current primary-channel affiliation carried by KUVI-DT. The network provides factual and reality-oriented programming, including documentary, engineering, outdoor, science, and adventure material. It replaced Twist after that network ceased operations at the end of 2023.
Digital subchannel distribution
Univision and UniMás subchannels
KUVI-DT's digital multiplex includes the Bakersfield-area TelevisaUnivision services KABE-CD and KBTF-CD as subchannels. This arrangement lets the company distribute its Univision and UniMás offerings through the same full-power broadcast infrastructure while retaining distinct local station identities.
Brand decisions
2023
Quest becomes the primary multicast affiliationProduct launchBackground
Twist ceased operations at the end of 2023, leaving its affiliated stations to adopt replacement programming.
Action taken
KUVI-DT began carrying Quest on its main digital service.
Aftermath
The station's current identity centers on factual and reality-oriented multicast programming alongside TelevisaUnivision network subchannels.
2022
Switch from True Crime Network to TwistGeneration changeBackground
KUVI's digital multicast lineup was periodically revised as network availability and distribution agreements changed.
Action taken
Twist replaced True Crime Network on January 3, 2022.
Aftermath
When Twist shut down at the end of 2023, KUVI replaced it with Quest.
2017
Adoption of Justice Network carriageStrategyBackground
Univision established an 11-market partnership to add the Justice Network to selected stations.
Action taken
KUVI began carrying the Justice Network on September 11, 2017.
Aftermath
The Justice Network was later renamed True Crime Network, which remained on the station until its replacement by Twist in 2022.
2006
Switch from UPN to MyNetworkTVGeneration changeBackground
The launch of The CW followed the combination of UPN and The WB, requiring affected stations to select new network affiliations.
Action taken
KUVI adopted MyNetworkTV as its network affiliation.
Aftermath
The station remained a network-affiliated outlet until its later transition toward digital multicast programming.
1997
Univision acquisition of KUZZ-TVM&ABackground
Univision wanted a stronger full-power fallback in Bakersfield because its low-power KABE-LP faced possible displacement by an educational channel.
Action taken
Univision agreed to buy KUZZ-TV from Buck Owens for $14 million and retained the station's English-language format and UPN affiliation.
Aftermath
The acquisition gave Univision its first English-language television station. The station was subsequently identified as KUVI and later became part of the company's digital multicast strategy.
Acquisition price. $14 million (1997)
1990
Purchase of KDOB-TV by Buck OwensM&ABackground
KDOB-TV entered bankruptcy reorganization less than a year after launching. Buck Owens, who already owned KUZZ radio stations, submitted the strongest offer and sought an exception to the applicable local ownership restrictions.
Action taken
The bankruptcy court approved the sale in February 1990 and the FCC approved it in August. The transaction closed in November after competing broadcasters challenged the arrangement.
Aftermath
Buck Owens provided new capital, renamed the station KUZZ-TV in 1991, and continued developing it as an independent local television operation before its eventual sale to Univision.
Purchase bid. $4.5 million (1989-1990)
- KGET-TV, KERO-TV, KBAK-TV, and KMPH-TV — The competing stations objected to the proposed purchase and questioned whether the bankruptcy qualified for an ownership-rule waiver.
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