KSCI

The channel 18 allocation in Los Angeles was previously occupied by KCHU-TV, licensed to San Bernardino, which signed on the air on August 1, 1962, before it went off the air in June 1964. The station was owned by the San Bernardino Sun-Telegram. KSCI signed on the air on June 30, 1977, operating from studios in West Los Angeles, although still licensed in San Bernardino. It became a non-profit owned by the Transcendental Meditation movement (the call letters stood for Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's theoretical "Science of Creative Intelligence"). The station broadcast news stories, prerecorded lectures and variety shows with TM celebrities.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,947229-2,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091117234244/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,947229-2,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 17, 2009 |title=Behavior: The TM Craze: 40 Minutes to Bliss|magazine=Time |date=October 13, 1975 |access-date=October 27, 2012}} KSCI's goal was to report "only good news"; sister stations were planned for San Francisco and Washington, D.C.William, Jefferson (1976) Pocket Books, The Story Of The Maharishi, page 118{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,947229-2,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091117234244/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,947229-2,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 17, 2009 |title= The TM Craze |magazine=Time|date=October 13, 1975 |access-date=December 5, 2010}} The station manager was Mark Fleischer, son of Hollywood director Richard Fleischer.

In 1980, KSCI switched to a for-profit operation and earned $1 million on revenues of $8 million in 1985.{{cite news|title=Few languages are foreign at San Bernardino's KSCI|first=Gus|last= Stevens|work= The Tribune|location= San Diego, Calif.|date=July 11, 1986|page= C.21}} In November 1985, the station loaned $350,000 to Maharishi International University in Iowa.{{cite news|title=Maharishi U. Nets $6.3 Million In Gifts in '84|work=Omaha World–Herald. |location=Omaha, Neb.|date=November 4, 1985|page=1}}"Private support also came in the form of a $350,000 loan from independent UHF station KSCI in San Bernardino, Calif., which is owned by a TM organization." By June 1986, the station's content began to consist of "a hodgepodge of programming" in 14 languages.{{cite news|title=Eclectic TV KSCI's Programming in 14 Languages Offers News, Entertainment, Comfort to Ethnic Communities|first=David |last=Holley |work=Los Angeles Times|date=June 15, 1986|page= 1}}{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-15-me-11321-story.html |title=Eclectic TV : KSCI's Programming in 14 Languages Offers News, Entertainment, Comfort to Ethnic Communities |work= Los Angeles Times |date=June 15, 1986 |access-date=October 27, 2012}} They had dubbed themselves the "international station" and claimed to offer the most diverse ethnic television programming in the early 1980s.{{Cite journal|last=Naficy|first=Hamid|date=1993|title=From Broadcasting to Narrowcasting: Middle Eastern Diaspora in Los Angeles|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3013230|journal=Middle East Report|issue=180|pages=31–34|doi=10.2307/3013230|jstor=3013230 |issn=0899-2851|url-access=subscription}} Almost all Iranian American television programs in the early 1980s were on KSCI.

In October 1986, the station was purchased by its general manager and an investor for $40.5 million.{{cite news|title=KSCI to Cancel Its Spanish Programming|first=Victor|last=Valle|newspaper= Los Angeles Times |date= October 29, 1986 |page= 1}}

In 1990, the station was sold to Intercontinental Television Group Inc., with programming being produced by Wahid Boctor of Arab American Television.Haugsted, Linda (April 23, 1990) New basic set to launch. (Intercontinental Television Group Inc. to offer news and entertainment programming from Los Angeles cable station), Multichannel NewsHaugsted, Linda (July 9, 1990) International Channel officially launches with 300,000 subs, Multichannel News In 1998, KSCI transferred its city of license from San Bernardino to Long Beach. In 2000, a Korean newspaper, The Hankook Ilbo, took over the International Media Group (IMG), which operated KSCI. IMG was re-launched as the AsianMedia Group, Inc., who purchased the station.(October 12, 2000) Hankook Ilbo Buys KSCI-TV in US, Korea Times (Seoul, Korea)

By 2005, the station was broadcasting seven English-language and three Spanish-language newscasts plus "local news programs in Vietnamese, Mandarin Chinese, and Korean" to 2.5 million Asian-American viewers in Southern California.Romano, Allison (October 10, 2005) Asian-American market is ready.(KSCI Holding Inc.) Broadcasting & Cable In early 2005, KSCI changed its on-air branding to "LA18". {{citation needed|date=September 2012}}

In October 2008, KSCI broadcast the Presidential debate along with translation in Mandarin and offered political analysis by their news staff. The broadcast was one of several that covered election events in Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Filipino languages.(October 16, 2008) Los Angeles TV Station to Broadcast October 7 Presidential Debate Live in Chinese, Politics & Government Week

On January 9, 2012, KSCI, Inc. filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.{{cite web|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=22947550 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709115426/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=22947550 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 9, 2012 |title=KSCI, Inc.: Private Company Information|publisher=Investing.businessweek.com |access-date=October 27, 2012}} On August 11, 2012, KSCI was purchased by NRJ TV LLC, a company which has acquired smaller television stations in various U.S. cities for the possibility of placing their spectrum for auction once the Federal Communications Commission rolls out a voluntary spectrum auction for use for non-broadcast purposes in 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/2012/03/27/58343/nrj-tv-to-acquire-asianlanguage-ksci |title=NRJ TV To Acquire Asian-Language KSCI |publisher=TVNewsCheck.com |date=March 27, 2012 |access-date=October 27, 2012}}

On June 22, 2017, KSCI announced that they had canceled all of its programming in Chinese, Filipino, Spanish, and Armenian and replaced it with English-language infomercials beginning July 1. The subchannels of the station continued to air its programs in Chinese and Armenian, but as a result of the station's programming cutbacks, KSCI also announced they reduced its Korean programming from 8 to 11 p.m. and would cut its subchannels list from 12 to 5 the following year.{{cite web|title=LA18 To Replace Local Asian TV Programs With English Infomercials|url=http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2017/06/22/la18-cancels-asian-programming/|work=CBS Los Angeles|date=June 22, 2017|access-date=June 24, 2017}}

On September 12, 2017, KSCI's parent company NRJ TV LLC announced that they would sell its Poway translator station, KUAN-LD, to the NBC Owned Television Stations group (owners of KNBC/KVEA and KNSD), for $650,000; the sale was completed on December 21, 2017.{{cite web|title=Station Trading Roundup: 2 Deals, $660,000|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/107620/station-trading-roundup-2-deals-660000|work=TVNewsCheck|date=September 26, 2017|access-date=September 27, 2017}}

On December 9, 2019, it was announced that WRNN-TV Associates, owner of New York City–based WRNN-TV, secured a deal to purchase seven full-power TV stations (including KSCI) and one Class A station from NRJ.{{cite web|url=https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/12/09/1958146/0/en/RNN-Reaches-Agreement-to-Increase-Permanent-Distribution-Platform-to-28-Percent-of-the-US-With-NRJ-Purchase.html|title=RNN Reaches Agreement to Increase Permanent Distribution Platform to 28 Percent of the US With NRJ Purchase|website=Globe Newswire|date=December 9, 2019|access-date=December 10, 2019}} The sale was approved by the FCC on January 23,{{Cite web|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=1813384|title = Application Search Details}} and was completed on February 4, 2020.[https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101815245&formid=905&fac_num=29015 Consummation Notice]

From February 1 until February 4, 2020, WRNN-TV Associates operated KSCI under a short-term local marketing agreement (LMA) while it awaited full consummation of its purchase. KSCI began airing WRNN-TV's independent network RNN on its primary channel. RNN's schedule consists primarily of infomercials, with occasional religious, E/I, and news/talk programs.{{Cite web|url=http://www.rnntv.com/wrnn-tv/|title = WRNN-Tv | RNN}}

On May 30, 2021, it was announced that KSCI (along with its sister stations owned by WRNN-TV Associates) would become an affiliate of the ShopHQ 24/7 channel on June 28, 2021.{{Cite web|url=https://www.siliconera.com/kiku-television-will-stop-airing-japanese-content-in-june/|title = KIKU Television Will Stop Airing Japanese Content in June|date = May 30, 2021}}

iMedia Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 28, 2023.{{Cite web|url= https://news.bloomberglaw.com/bankruptcy-law/imedia-brands-files-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-in-delaware?context=search&index=0|title=iMedia Brands Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in Delaware|date=June 28, 2023|access-date=June 28, 2023|website=Bloomberg Law|language=en}} On July 10, 2023, iMedia announced that it would sell its assets, including ShopHQ, to RNN Media Group for $50 million;{{cite news |last1=Gilyard |first1=Burl |last2=Kennedy |first2=Patrick |title=iMedia Brands to be sold for $50 million out of bankruptcy |url=https://www.startribune.com/eden-prairie-imedia-brands-to-be-sold-for-50-million-out-of-bankruptcy-rnn-shophq-christopher-banks/600288585/ |access-date=July 12, 2023 |newspaper=Star Tribune}} the deal was terminated in August in favor of a $55 million bid for ShopHQ by IV Brands, owned by Manoj Bhargava.{{cite news|url=https://m.startribune.com/imedia-50-million-sale-rnn-canceled-but-5-hour-energy-founder-emerges-as-new-buyer-bankruptcy-shophq/600297120/|title=iMedia's $50M sale is canceled; founder of 5-Hour Energy emerges as new buyer|first1=Patrick|last1=Kennedy|first2=Burl|last2=Gilyard|newspaper=Star Tribune|date=August 14, 2023|accessdate=September 25, 2023}} In October 2023, KSCI switched to Shop LC.

KSCI shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 18, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television.[http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf List of Digital Full-Power Stations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |date=August 29, 2013 }} The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 61, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition, to its former analog-era UHF channel 18.

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://www.rnntv.com/ksci/ KSCI profile]
• [https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-channel-18-closure-20170701-story.html Lengthy Los Angeles Times story about beneficial effect of station]

{{LA TV}}

{{Titan Broadcast Management}}

{{Chinese language television in North America}}

{{Transcendental Meditation}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ksci}}

Category:1977 establishments in California

Category:Japanese-language television stations

Category:Korean-language television stations

SCI

SCI

Category:Television channels and stations established in 1977

SCI