KBFX-CD
KBFX-CD, virtual channel 58 (UHF digital channel 29), is a low-powered, Class A Fox-affiliated television station licensed to Bakersfield, California, United States. Owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, it is a sister station to CBS affiliate KBAK-TV (channel 29). The two stations share studios on Westwind Drive west of Downtown Bakersfield; KBFX's transmitter is located atop Breckenridge Mountain.
 | |
| Bakersfield, California United States | |
|---|---|
| Branding | Fox 58 (general) Eyewitness News (newscasts) |
| Channels | Digital: 29 (UHF) Virtual: 58 (PSIP) |
| Translators | KBAK-DT 58.2 (33.2 UHF) Bakersfield |
| Affiliations | 29.2:[notes 1] TBD (O&O) 58.1: Fox 58.3: Comet (O&O) 58.4: Stadium (O&O)[1] |
| Owner | Sinclair Broadcast Group |
| Licensee | Sinclair Bakersfield Licensee, LLC[1] |
| Founded | August 23, 1989 |
| First air date | November 1, 1990 |
| Call sign meaning | K Bakersfield Fox |
| Sister station(s) | KBAK-TV[1] |
| Former call signs | K58DJ (1989–1995) KMPH-LP (1995–1998) KBFX-LP (1998–2005) KBFX-CA (2005–2011)[1] |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 58 (UHF, 1989–2010) |
| Transmitter power | 15 kW |
| Height | 1,113.2 m (3,652 ft) |
| Facility ID | 51501 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 35°27′10.8″N 118°35′28.3″W |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Public license information | Profile CDBS |
| Website | bakersfieldnow |
In addition to its own digital signal, KBFX is simulcast in high definition on KBAK's second digital subchannel (virtual channel 58.2, UHF channel 33.2) from the same transmitter site.
History
KBFX signed on November 1, 1990[2] as K58DJ, a low-powered relay translator of KMPH, Fresno's Fox affiliate. It changed its call letters to KMPH-LP in 1995. Later, the Fox network wanted to include a new separate affiliate station for the Bakersfield market; as a result, in 1998, channel 58 was relaunched as KBFX-LP. Among the features on the new station was a KBAK-produced 10 p.m. newscast, "Fox 58 News @ 10". It was so successful that KBAK's then-owner Westwind Communications bought the station in 2005 from KMPH's owners, Pappas Telecasting.
On August 6, 2007, Westwind Communications announced the sale of KBAK and KBFX-CA to Fisher Communications of Seattle,[3] with the sale closing on January 1, 2008.
On February 28, 2010, Bright House Networks (now Spectrum) announced that KBFX will be carried in Tehachapi on cable channel 6.
In January 2011, KBFX began airing its local news in high definition.
Fisher Communications announced on April 11, 2013 that it would be acquired by Sinclair Broadcast Group, pending Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval.[4][5] The deal was completed on August 8, 2013.[6] On October 3, 2013, Sinclair announced the completion of the sale of four stations owned by Titan TV Broadcast Group, including KMPH, which reunites KBFX as sister-stations for the first time in eight years.[7]
KBFX is the only Bakersfield television station to never change its affiliation, having always been a Fox affiliate.
Digital television
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming[8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29.2 | 480i | 4:3 | TBD-TV | TBD |
| 58.1 | 720p | 16:9 | KBFX-HD | Main KBFX-CD programming / Fox |
| 58.3 | 480i | CometTV | Comet | |
| 58.4 | Stadium | Stadium |
The analog signal went off the air in August 2010. KBFX just recently launched their new digital transmitter on RF channel 29. This signal carried This TV on its subchannel, which maps to virtual channel 29-2.
The station's 29.2 subchannel was an initial affiliate of the American Sports Network with its first broadcast on August 30, 2014.[9]
Notes
- Per ATSC standards, a station on channel X must map to channel Y if another station on channel Y maps to channel X; channel 58.2 (an HD simulcast of 58.1) already exists on KBAK.
References
- "Digital TV Market Listing for KBFX". RabbitEars.info. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
- Television & Cable Factbook 1993 Edition (PDF). 1993. p. B-12. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- "Sinclair acquiring Fisher Communications". bakersfieldnow.com. April 11, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
- Colman, Price (April 10, 2013). "Sinclair poised to buy Fisher stations". TVnewscheck.com. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
- "Sinclair Broadcast Group Closes On Fisher Communications Acquisition". All Access. August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-10-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- RabbitEars TV Query for KBFX
- Minium, Harry (August 27, 2014). "ODU's opener with Hampton to be televised in 66 markets". HamptonRoads.com. The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved September 8, 2014.