KBEH explained

Callsign:KBEH
City:Garden Grove, California
Digital:4 (VHF), shared with KWHY-TV
Virtual:63
Owner:Meruelo Television
Licensee:KWHY-22 Broadcasting, LLC
Location:Garden Grove–Los Angeles, California
Country:United States
Airdate: (in Oxnard, California; license moved to Garden Grove in 2017)
Callsign Meaning:Named for former owner Bob Behar
Erp:35 kW
Haat:894.10NaN0
Facility Id:56384
Licensing Authority:FCC

KBEH (channel 63) is a television station licensed to Garden Grove, California, United States, serving the Los Angeles area as an affiliate of Canal de la Fe, a Spanish-language religious network. It is owned by Meruelo Broadcasting alongside Spanish independent KWHY-TV (channel 22); the two stations share channel 4 for their broadcasts. KBEH and KWHY share studios on West Pico Boulevard in the Mid-City section of Los Angeles and transmitter facilities atop Mount Wilson.

Channel 63 was originally allocated to Oxnard and began broadcasting in 1985 as KTIE-TV, a local independent station for the Ventura County area. It struggled through its original ownership and was sold to Meshulam Riklis in 1988. KTIE-TV was renamed KADY-TV, after Riklis's daughter, Kady Zadora. General manager John Huddy acquired the station in 1991 but left a financial mess in his wake, leading to a court-appointed receivership in 1996. The station stabilized under its next owner, media broker Brian Cobb.

In 2004, KADY-TV built a booster increasing its Los Angeles coverage and was sold to Bela Broadcasting, which switched it to Spanish-language programming. Since the sale, KBEH has primarily been a Spanish-language station under several owners, with program sources including MTV Tres, the short-lived CNN Latino, and its present programming from the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.

History

A long road to sign-on

The history of channel 63, originally allocated to Oxnard, begins on September 29, 1972,[1] when Lola Goelet Yoakem, a scriptwriter from Malibu, obtained a construction permit for the channel.[2] Aside from the assignment of the call letters KTIE,[3] little of note occurred for the next decade. The permit was assigned to a non-profit organization controlled by Yoakem, Limitless Learning, in 1976;[4] the group did apply for a HEW grant in 1978.[5]

The station was still unbuilt by 1980. That year, the FCC Broadcast Bureau denied Mekaoy Co., which had replaced Limitless Learning as permittee, another time extension to get the station on the air, citing increased interest in UHF television for its crackdown.[6] Two years later, though, the construction permit staged a comeback. After being reinstated on February 22,[7] new technical parameters were authorized,[8] and KTIE was sold to Thorne Donnelley Jr. for $100,000.[9]

Donnelley—grandson of Reuben H. Donnelley, inventor of the yellow pages—brought in new investors, including Beverly Hills accountant and real estate broker Don Sterling (no relation to the former Los Angeles Clippers owner of the same name), and built studios on Maulhardt Road in Oxnard.[10] After a $5 million investment, the station first signed on the air on August 17, 1985, offering movies, syndicated fare and local newscasts to Ventura County from its transmitter on South Mountain near Santa Paula.[11] It was the first television station to operate in Ventura County since KKOG-TV (channel 16) shut down in 1969.[12]

One blow was struck to the station one month before it began broadcasting when must-carry rules requiring local cable systems to add KTIE to their lineups were struck down by a federal court. Though management initially downplayed the impact of this ruling on the station,[13] when the Cox, Century, and Group W cable systems in the market refused to add channel 63, it cut off the station from 30 percent of its planned market.[14] It took nearly ten months for the Group W system, covering the key city of Simi Valley, to finish a channel expansion that included KTIE.[15] The Cox Santa Barbara system did not add the station until August 1987.[16]

KTIE-TV heavily emphasized local programming. The station had a 15-person news department for local news coverage and produced local sports, a call-in show, and public affairs shows. However, the news department was slimmed down by layoffs in late 1986 and early 1987, in response to revenue that came in under forecasts and incomplete cable coverage.[17] Leasing firms sought payment owed to them for equipment the station used for broadcast.[18]

KADY-TV

The original owners, fighting ongoing losses to the tune of $1 million a year, sold the station in 1988 to billionaire Meshulam Riklis, the then-husband of actress Pia Zadora. The acquisition was made through Riklis's PZ Broadcasting.[19] Riklis changed the call letters to KADY-TV in honor of his and Zadora's daughter Kady, in turn the name of the role Zadora played in the movie Butterfly famously financed by Riklis.[20] The station reintroduced itself with its new call letters with a commercial-free weekend; Riklis infused capital to build up the station. The news department was retained, with the news program moving from 7 to 10 p.m.[21] The station also announced plans for live coverage of areas from Santa Barbara to Thousand Oaks.[22]

Riklis and his executives envisioned KADY as a kind of "superstation" for the West Coast and a base for further media expansion.[23] To that end, beginning in 1989, Riklis simulcast KADY on a newly built station, KADE channel 33, at San Luis Obispo.[24] [25]

Riklis achieved his wealth by inventing complicated paper schemes like junk bonds and leveraged buyouts. As Riklis's empire began to unravel, KADY-TV was part of settlements, and a payment dispute caused it to lose the San Luis Obispo station where it leased time. The subsequent company, E-II Holdings (a group of jilted Riklis investors),[26] sold KADY to John Huddy, former general manager under Riklis; Huddy had been near a deal in 1991 to acquire the station for $10 million.[27]

Under Huddy ownership, the station returned to local news for the first time since 1989 with the 1993 introduction of Ventura County News Network (VCNN), a separate venture that shared studio space with and aired programming on KADY.[28] VCNN was a joint venture with cable company Jones Intercable.[29] The station also became a charter affiliate of UPN when it launched on January 16, 1995; it built more than 200miles of microwave links to deliver its signal to all cable systems in the Santa Barbara market, adding a translator in Lompoc.[30]

However, Huddy's management became a financial disaster for the television station. Despite promising to offer "the best local news in America", VCNN, unable to perform well due to the way ratings were measured between two media markets in Ventura County and its high costs compared to channel 63's other programs, folded on July 1, 1996.[31] By that time, the station was mired in a string of financial problems. It was behind on rent to Sterling, who had built the station more than a decade prior and still owned the Oxnard facilities, and narrowly avoided eviction in February,[32] only for a court to ratify his right to foreclose on the station a month later for $4 million.[33] Sterling had previously lost a lawsuit for failing to pay monthly rent and a longshot bid at the FCC to have the license transferred back to him.[34] On top of all of this and attempts to sell KADY, Huddy suffered a major heart attack in January 1996.

Fixing the mess

The messy Huddy era ended with creditors, primarily program providers, forcing the station into bankruptcy and the naming of a court-appointed trustee, John Hyde, in July 1996.[35] Hyde worked to repair a station in disarray; the state of California had designated KADY a "problem employer" due to a spate of claims made to the state labor commission.[36]

Within a year, a deal had been reached to buy the station, subject to potential outbidding, with Paxson Communications placing an $8 million bid on KADY in July 1997 as part of its national purchasing spree to build Paxnet.[37] At the auction at the end of September, however, a surprise $11 million bid, from media broker Brian Cobb, won out.[38]

Cobb had no immediate plans for what to do with the station.[39] However, he soon cast his gaze south. Cobb began a $4 million facility upgrade by moving the station's studio facilities from Oxnard to Camarillo and filed to boost the station's power to cover Simi Valley and the Conejo Valley better.[40] Another go at local news was made, this time using newscasts produced by Santa Barbara ABC affiliate KEYT-TV, using studio and editing space provided by KADY.[41] The station abruptly disaffiliated from UPN on September 1, 2001.[42]

Going Spanish

In 2004, Cobb sold the station for $30 million to Bela, LLC, a Florida-based Spanish-language broadcaster headed by Bob Behar. The move came after KADY was approved to build a booster on Mount Wilson, a major move to gain visibility in the Los Angeles market.[43] In May 2004, the station dropped its prior programming and became KBEH, a Spanish-language independent targeting the Los Angeles market and available on Los Angeles-area cable systems.[44] In 2006, MTV Tr3s launched, with Bela's KBEH and KMOH-TV/KEJR-LP in the Phoenix market switching to the network.[45]

Bela Broadcasting sold KBEH to Hero Broadcasting in January 2008.[46] On January 28, 2013, KBEH began serving as the first station of CNN Latino, a news service targeting U.S. Hispanics focusing on news, lifestyle, documentary, talk and debate program as an alternative to traditional Hispanic networks. The service's initial rollout on the station began with a branded programming block of eight hours of customized content from 3 to 11 p.m.[47] CNN Latino shut down in February 2014.[48]

In the FCC's incentive auction in 2017, KBEH sold its spectrum for $146,627,980 and indicated that it would enter into a post-auction channel sharing agreement.[49] KBEH then reached a channel sharing agreement with KWHY-TV (channel 22); Hero Broadcasting also agreed to sell the KBEH license to KWHY's owner, Meruelo Television, for $10 million. It was the first "zombie" station—a license without a channel—to be sold after the auction.[50]

Meruelo relaunched KBEH in May 2018, focusing on the family and women's audiences with a variety of telenovelas including Rebeca, Camelia la Texana, and Las Aparicio.[51] Within months, the new format was scrapped, and the station began to air Canal de la Fe, a religious television channel from the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.[52]

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Channel! scope = "col"
Res.AspectShort nameProgramming
63.1 Univers Canal de la Fe (Spanish religious)
63.2 Hrtland Heartland
63.3 RETRO Retro TV

Analog-to-digital conversion

KBEH shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 63, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 24, using virtual channel 63.[53]

Notes and References

  1. News: Final actions. November 6, 1972. 62. February 10, 2021. Broadcasting. . March 8, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308025538/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1972/1972-11-06-BC.pdf. live.
  2. News: Oxnard TV Station Clears Major Hurdle. 9. Oxnard Press-Courier. October 8, 1972. February 10, 2021. October 14, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231014202910/https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-oct-08-1972-2231561/. live.
  3. News: Call letter application. February 10, 2021. Broadcasting. 57. November 27, 1972. . March 8, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308045301/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1972/1972-11-27-BC.pdf. live.
  4. News: For the Record. February 10, 2021. 66. Broadcasting. March 8, 1976. . March 8, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308033023/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1976/1976-03-08-BC.pdf. live.
  5. Web site: Departments of State, Justice, and Commerce, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations for 1980. 106. 1979. February 10, 2021. October 14, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231014202909/https://books.google.com/books?id=-sTOr3FUAKAC&q=%22Limitless+Learning%22+%22KTIE%22&pg=PA106. live.
  6. Schonman . Gary P. . 1985 . Extensions of Broadcast Construction Permits . Catholic University Law Review . 34 . 3 . February 10, 2021 . October 28, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211028083821/https://scholarship.law.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2063&context=lawreview . live .
  7. News: CPs & Applications. February 10, 2021. 1079. Television Factbook. 1984. March 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210309024103/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1984-TV-Factbook/TV-Factbook-1984.pdf. live.
  8. News: For the Record. . February 10, 2021. July 26, 1985. 111. March 8, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308045351/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1982/BC-1982-07-26.pdf. live.
  9. News: For the Record. August 9, 1982. . February 10, 2021. Broadcasting. 68. March 8, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308030212/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1982/BC-1982-08-09.pdf. live.
  10. News: Ventura County to Get New Television Station. Los Angeles Times. January 13, 1985. VII 2. February 10, 2021.
  11. News: New TV Station To Bow in Ventura. February 10, 2021. August 16, 1985. Lee. Margulies. Los Angeles Times. VI 26.
  12. News: Local TV station will soon be on air, owners say. May 7, 1984. A-12. Ventura County Star-Free Press. Jim. McLain. Newspapers.com. July 19, 2023. July 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719061056/https://www.newspapers.com/article/ventura-county-star-local-tv-station-wil/128486620/. live.
  13. News: TV ruling's local impact small: Cable operators committed to new station. July 29, 1985. A-12. Reed. Fujii. Ventura County Star-Free Press. Newspapers.com. July 19, 2023. July 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719061055/https://www.newspapers.com/article/ventura-county-star-tv-rulings-local-im/128486698/. live.
  14. News: Loss of 'must carry' rule hurts local TV station. September 7, 1985. A-2. Reed. Fujii. Ventura County Star-Free Press. Newspapers.com. July 19, 2023. July 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719055552/https://www.newspapers.com/article/ventura-county-star-loss-of-must-carry/128486791/. live.
  15. News: Oxnard TV station celebrates birthday. August 17, 1986. 23. Mike. Farkash. The Enterprise. Newspapers.com. July 19, 2023. July 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719062606/https://www.newspapers.com/article/simi-valley-star-oxnard-tv-station-celeb/128486888/. live.
  16. News: Oxnard's KTIE hooks up with Cox Cable of S.B.. July 21, 1987. A-2. Ventura County Star. Newspapers.com. July 19, 2023. July 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719062602/https://www.newspapers.com/article/ventura-county-star-oxnards-ktie-hooks/128487241/. live.
  17. News: KTIE to hold onto news programming. March 31, 1987. 11. Stephen J.. Klenk. News Chronicle. Newspapers.com. July 19, 2023. July 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719055548/https://www.newspapers.com/article/thousand-oaks-star-ktie-to-hold-onto-new/128487024/. live.
  18. News: KTIE is sued for $1.5 million: Firms say leased equipment not paid for. April 21, 1987. A-1. Ventura County Star-Free Press. Newspapers.com. July 19, 2023. July 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719055545/https://www.newspapers.com/article/ventura-county-star-ktie-is-sued-for-1/128487156/. live.
  19. News: Impending sale of KTIE revealed, price a secret. October 14, 1987. 3. News Chronicle. Amy. Hielsberg. Newspapers.com. July 19, 2023. July 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719062605/https://www.newspapers.com/article/thousand-oaks-star-impending-sale-of-kti/128487290/. live.
  20. News: From Pia to Prime Time: Meshulam Riklis Enters Station Business. Channels. May 1988. 13. February 10, 2021. Rhoda. Fukushima. March 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210309060947/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Channels-of-Communication/Channels-1988-05.pdf. live.
  21. News: It's glasnost for KADY: Oxnard TV station's fall season kickoff features films, news about Soviets. September 7, 1988. 25, 26. Michael R.. Farkash. The Enterprise. Newspapers.com. July 19, 2023. July 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719061058/https://www.newspapers.com/article/simi-valley-star-its-glasnost-for-kady/128487411/. live.
  22. News: KADY wants to be like 'Cheers'. January 28, 1989. D-1. Marni. McEntee. Ventura County Star-Free Press. Newspapers.com. July 19, 2023. July 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719061058/https://www.newspapers.com/article/ventura-county-star-kady-wants-to-be-lik/128487672/. live.
  23. News: Big plans in the works for county's 'superstation'. January 11, 1989. 12. Dianne. Hastings. The Enterprise. Newspapers.com. July 19, 2023. July 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719055547/https://www.newspapers.com/article/simi-valley-star-big-plans-in-the-works/128487478/. live.
  24. News: Big changes in store for Riklis empire. September 18, 1989. B-1, B-3. Elena. Jarvis. Ventura County Star-Free Press. Newspapers.com. July 19, 2023. July 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719062604/https://www.newspapers.com/article/ventura-county-star-big-changes-in-store/128487556/. live.
  25. News: Dispute has TV station pulling plug. Santa Maria Times. Angela. Hastings. A-3. November 6, 1991. February 10, 2021.
  26. News: COMPANY NEWS; E-II Holdings Wins Fight For Reorganization Plan. The New York Times. May 26, 1993. February 10, 2021. March 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230328214113/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/26/business/company-news-e-ii-holdings-wins-fight-for-reorganization-plan.html. live.
  27. News: KADY May Be Sold to Area Buyers. Ventura B1, B4. May 30, 1991. Los Angeles Times. Christopher. Reynolds. February 10, 2021.
  28. News: Daily News of Los Angeles. Caitlin. Rother. July 12, 1993. Family-run VCNN producing Ventura County news program. TO1.
  29. News: KADY TV to air local newscast. April 23, 1993. A-1, A-8. Jeff. Sturgeon. Oxnard Star-Free Press. Newspapers.com. July 19, 2023. July 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719055550/https://www.newspapers.com/article/oxnard-star-free-press-kady-tv-to-air-lo/128487977/. live.
  30. News: KADY extends range. October 1, 1994. B-8. Ventura County Star. Newspapers.com. July 19, 2023. July 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719061056/https://www.newspapers.com/article/ventura-county-star-kady-extends-range/128488107/. live.
  31. News: KADY-TV Pulls Plug on County News Network. Ventura B1, B7. Fred. Alvarez. July 2, 1996. February 10, 2021. March 8, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308041230/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1992/BC-1992-02-10.pdf. live.
  32. News: KADY-TV Operators Barely Avoid Eviction. Daryl. Kelley. Los Angeles Times. Ventura B3. February 14, 1996. February 10, 2021.
  33. News: Judge Gives Approval to KADY-TV Foreclosure. February 10, 2021. Daryl. Kelley. A20. Los Angeles Times. March 5, 1996.
  34. News: Judge Bolsters Bid to Sell KADY. Daryl. Kelley. Ventura B1, B4. February 6, 1996. February 10, 2021. Los Angeles Times.
  35. News: Court-Named Trustee Takes Over at KADY. February 10, 2021. Los Angeles Times. Daryl. Kelley. Ventura B3. July 10, 1996. January 5, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230105045813/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69472398/court-named-trustee-takes-over-at-kady/. live.
  36. News: New Boss Seeks to Repair Financially Troubled KADY-TV. Los Angeles Times. Daryl. Kelley. Ventura B1, B6, B7. July 28, 1996.
  37. News: Infomercial Carrier Signs Deal to Buy Channel 63. February 10, 2021. Los Angeles Times. Richard. Warchol. July 8, 1997. Ventura B5.
  38. News: KADY-TV Sold in Bankruptcy Auction. February 10, 2021. Veronique. du Turenne. Los Angeles Times. September 30, 1997. Ventura B4.
  39. News: Ventura County Star. John A.. Lehr. TV station sells for $11 million - BANKRUPTCY AUCTION: Media broker unsure what he'll do with KADY. A1. September 30, 1997.
  40. News: Ventura County Star. John A.. Lehr. Owners will take KADY to Camarillo - EXPANSION: Media broker is applying with the FCC to increase station's reach.. E1. July 3, 1998.
  41. News: New owner pumping $4 million into Camarillo-based television station - Remaking KADY UPGRADING: Brian Cobb wants to establish a 'viable broadcast entity.'. September 3, 1998. E1. Ventura County Star. John A.. Lehr.
  42. News: Star Trek beams up to local station: Charter confident of long-term deal to broadcast series. September 27, 2001. B1, B2. Jerry. Bunin. The Tribune. San Luis Obispo, California. Newspapers.com. December 1, 2023.
  43. News: Miami group buys Camarillo TV station. March 19, 2004. D1, D3. Deborah. Crowe. Ventura County Star. Newspapers.com. July 19, 2023. July 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719061100/https://www.newspapers.com/article/ventura-county-star-miami-group-buys-cam/128488208/. live.
  44. News: New Spanish-Language TV Station Enters Market. María Elena. Fernández. Los Angeles Times. May 26, 2004. C11. February 10, 2021. January 21, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220121112335/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69472883/new-spanish-language-tv-station-enters/. live.
  45. News: MTV courts Latino auds over the air. Variety. April 30, 2007. 17. . Michael. Schneider.
  46. News: BIA Financial Networks. Deals. April 8, 2017. Broadcasting & Cable. January 11, 2008. April 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170409113242/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/news-articles/deals/84192. live.
  47. News: James. Meg. CNN wants slice of Latino market; The network will launch a Spanish programming service for broadcast stations.. Los Angeles Times. December 3, 2012. .
  48. News: CNN Latino to shut down by month's end. Poynter. Sandra. Oshiro. February 6, 2014. July 19, 2023. July 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230719055554/https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2014/cnn-latino-to-shut-down-by-months-end/. live.
  49. Web site: FCC Broadcast Television Spectrum Incentive Auction Auction 1001 Winning Bids. Federal Communications Commission. May 1, 2017. April 4, 2017. April 14, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170414174258/http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2017/db0413/DA-17-314A2.pdf. live.
  50. News: November 29, 2017 . Sale Of Zombie Station KBEH Closes . en . TVNewsCheck . December 1, 2023.
  51. News: Otto Padrón de Meruelo Media: El nuevo Canal 63 presenta una estrategia familiar y enfoque femenino. Produ. es. Otto Padrón of Meruelo Media: The new Channel 63 offers a family strategy and focus on women. May 8, 2018. December 1, 2023. February 6, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230206215410/https://www.produ.com/noticias/otto-padron-de-meruelo-media-el-nuevo-canal-63-presenta-una-estrategia-familiar-y-enfoqu. live.
  52. Web site: ¿Usted ya conoce el nuevo Canal 63.1?. August 10, 2018. es. Have you heard of the new Channel 63.1?. Templo de los Milagros Los Ángeles.
  53. Web site: May 23, 2006 . DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf . August 29, 2013 . August 29, 2021 . Federal Communications Commission.

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