KCWT-CD (channel 21) is a low-power, Class A television station licensed to McAllen, Texas, United States, serving the Lower Rio Grande Valley as an affiliate of The CW Plus. The station also carries non-commercial PBS programming on its fourth subchannel. KCWT-CD is owned by Entravision Communications alongside Harlingen-licensed Fox affiliate KFXV, channel 60 (and translators KMBH-LD and KXFX-CD), McAllen-licensed Univision affiliate KNVO (channel 48), and Class A UniMás affiliate KTFV-CD (channel 32). The stations share studios on North Jackson Road in McAllen, while KCWT-CD's transmitter is located in La Feria, Texas.
Previously, KCWT was a low-power translator of KXFX-CA and KTFV-CA. Entravision has held the rights to The CW in the market since 2007 on several stations; previous to that, it aired on a cable-only affiliate, "KMHB" (later "Rio Grande Valley's CW").
History
Until 2014, KCWT broadcast on analog channel 30. KCWT launched a digital feed on RF channel 23 that March;[2] however, the station maps to virtual channel 21, as nearby Mexican station XHAB-TDT in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, whose digital broadcasts use RF channel 30, also mapped to virtual channel 30 rather than its analog channel 7 (it now uses virtual channel 8). (Channel 23 is itself unavailable to KCWT as a virtual channel, as it is used in the Rio Grande Valley by KVEO-TV.[3]) Even before then, KCWT, as had previous CW affiliate KSFE-LD (channel 67, now Fox affiliate KMBH-LD), has long branded as "CW 21" in reflection of its channel 21 slot on area cable systems.
After sister station XHRIO-TDT (channel 15) ceased operations on December 31, 2021, KCWT became the sole CW+ affiliate in the Rio Grande Valley.
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | Short name | Programming[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KCWT-DT | Rio Grande Valley CW 21 |
| 21.3 | 480i | Laff | Laff | |
| 21.4 | 1080i | PBS | PBS |
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KCWT-CD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Application for Class A Television Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. March 3, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ^ Hashemzadeh, Hossein (September 30, 2013). "Re: KCWT-CA, La Feria, TX…" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ^ "Digital TV Market Listing for KCWT". RabbitEars.
External links
- YourCWRioGrandeValley.com - Official website
- PBS.org website regarding DT4 PBS feed