KCWT-CD

{{Short description|Television station in McAllen, Texas}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Primary sources|date=June 2012}}

{{Infobox television station

| callsign = KCWT-CD

| logo = KCWT-CD 2024.svg

| logo_size = 200px

| branding = Rio Grande Valley's CW 21
PBS Rio Grande Valley (CD4)

| analog =

| digital = 23 (UHF)

| virtual = 21

| subchannels =

| translators = KMBH-LD 67.2 (20.2 UHF) McAllen

| affiliations = 21.1: CW+
21.3: Laff
21.4: PBS

| founded = August 11, 1997

| airdate = {{start date and age|1998|5|21}}

| location = McAllen, Texas

| country = United States

| callsign_meaning = The CW Texas

| former_callsigns = K30FF (1997–2000)
KFTN-LP/CA (2000–2012)
KCWT-CA (2012–2014)

| former_channel_numbers = Analog:
30 (UHF, 1998–2014)

| owner = Entravision Communications

| licensee = Entravision Holdings, LLC

| sister_stations = KNVO, KMBH-LD, KTFV-CD, KXFX-CD, KFXV

| former_affiliations = Spanish Independent (1998–2002)
Telefutura (via KXFX-CD and KTFV-CD, 2002–2011)

| erp = 5 kW

| haat = {{convert|266.8|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}

| facility_id = 40058

| coordinates = {{coord|26|8|28|N|97|50|4|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}

| licensing_authority = FCC

| website = [http://www.yourcwtv.com/partners/riograndevalley/ www.yourcwriograndevalley.com]

}}

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;{{cite web|title=Application for Class A Television Station Construction Permit or License|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1627844&Service=DC&Form_id=4&Facility_id=40058|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=March 28, 2014|date=March 3, 2014}} 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.{{cite web|last=Hashemzadeh|first=Hossein|title=Re: KCWT-CA, La Feria, TX…|url=https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=43967|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=March 28, 2014|format=PDF|date=September 30, 2013}}) 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:

class="wikitable"

! Channel

! Video

! Aspect

! Short name

! Programming{{cite web|agency=RabbitEars|url=https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KCWT#station|title=Digital TV Market Listing for KCWT}}

21.11080irowspan="3"|16:9KCWT-DTRio Grande Valley CW 21
21.3480iLaffLaff
21.41080iPBSPBS

References

{{Reflist}}