| Callsign: | KCSO-LD |
| Digital: | 3 (VHF) |
| Virtual: | 33 |
| Licensee: | NBC Telemundo License LLC |
| Location: | Sacramento, California |
| Country: | United States |
| Callsign Meaning: | Chester Smith Owner |
| Sister Stations: | KMUM-CD / KMMW-LD |
| Former Channel Numbers: | Analog: 33 (UHF, 1999–2012) |
| Erp: | 5 kW |
| Haat: | 516.90NaN0 |
| Class: | LD |
| Facility Id: | 18998 |
| Licensing Authority: | FCC |
KCSO-LD (channel 33) is a low-power television station in Sacramento, California, United States, serving as the local outlet for the Spanish-language network Telemundo. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group, KCSO-LD maintains studios on Media Place in the Woodlake neighborhood of Sacramento, and its transmitter is located in Walnut Grove, California. The station is also sister to regional sports networks NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California.
Due to its low-power status, KCSO-LD simulcasts in widescreen standard definition on independent station KMAX-TV (channel 31) on a subchannel displayed as channel 33.2. KCSO-LD also operates translator stations KMUM-CD and KMMW-LD in Sacramento and Stockton and also relies on cable and satellite to reach the entire market.
The station was founded by country-western performer Chester Smith and his company Sainte Partners II, L.P. and first signed on the air in 1999. It was the last station to be owned by his company. On August 8, 2008, Chester Smith died of heart failure at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, California.[1] The station continued operating under the Sainte banner until it was sold to Serestar Communications Group in 2013. Sainte folded shortly thereafter.
In 2014, KCSO began simulcasting in widescreen standard definition on Ion owned-and-operated station KSPX-TV (channel 29) on the station's seventh subchannel (displayed as channel 33.2) to reach the entire market due to KCSO's low-power status. The simulcast was discontinued in October 2021.
Serestar agreed to sell KCSO-LD, KMUM-CD, and KMMW-LD to NBCUniversal on November 28, 2018, as part of a $21 million deal.[2] The sale was completed on March 5, 2019.[3] As a result, KCSO-LD becomes the sixth television station in the Sacramento market (excluding translator stations) to be owned-and-operated by its affiliated network.
In April 2022, CW owned-and-operated station KMAX-TV (channel 31, now an independent station) resumed the widescreen SD simulcast from KSPX-TV on a new subchannel also displayed as channel 33.2.
KCSO launched a local news department (with newscasts branded as Spanish; Castilian: Noticiero 33) following its sign-on. The half-hour local evening news program was broadcast every Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. However, it had low ratings and was canceled after five years.
Later, news briefs were aired online (branded as Spanish; Castilian: Telemundo 33 Al Día). In late 2014, it started airing morning news briefs called Spanish; Castilian: Noticias 33 por la mañana, which aired at 25 and 55 minutes past the hour from 7 to 9 a.m. during Telemundo's Un Nuevo Dia morning news program.
On November 6, 2016, KCSO re-launched a weekday half-hour long newscast at 6 p.m. (initially branding as Spanish; Castilian: Noticiero Telemundo 33, later as Spanish; Castilian: Noticias Telemundo Sacramento, now as Spanish; Castilian: Noticias Telemundo California after the purchase by NBCUniversal), 11 years after its initial newscast was cancelled. It directly competes with Univision owned-and-operated KUVS's long-established (and for several years, the Sacramento area's only) Spanish-language newscast.
In 2017, a weeknight 11 p.m. newscast (branded as Spanish; Castilian: Noticias Telemundo California) was launched, further competing with KUVS. Spanish; Castilian: Noticias Telemundo California is simulcast on Fresno sister station KNSO.
On March 18, 2020, one year after the purchase by NBCUniversal, the station launched 5 and 5:30 p.m. newscasts, and began simulcasting all of their newscasts on KNSO. The station does not air any local newscasts on the weekends.
The station's signal is multiplexed:
| Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33.1 | KCSO-LD | Telemundo | ||
| 33.3 | Telex | TeleXitos | ||
| 33.5 | CRIMES | American Crimes | ||
| 33.6 | Oxygen | Oxygen |
There is no 33.2 on this multiplex, as it is broadcast from KMAX-TV.
On September 3, 2012, MeTV was moved to KCRA 3.2 (replacing the MoreTV format); 33.3 became silent afterward. 33.3 was re-launched on January 21, 2017, broadcasting TeleXitos.
In 2018, KCSO affiliated with Light TV on newly launched subchannel 33.4. On January 15, 2021, Light TV was relaunched as TheGrio. TheGrio was dropped in March 2024 and the channel is currently silent.
In October 2023, Oxygen was added on a new subchannel 33.6.