KTLM

The station's original construction permit was issued to the Starr County Historical Foundation on June 10, 1994,{{cite book|title=Television & Cable Factbook 1997 Edition|year=1997|page=A-1382|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1997-TV-Factbook/Television-Factbook-1997-ALL-OTHER.pdf|access-date=September 17, 2018}} with the call sign KAIO issued on September 1.{{cite web |title=Call Sign History (KTLM) |url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=62354&Callsign=KTLM |website=CDBS Public Access |publisher=Federal Communications Commission |access-date=September 17, 2018}} The foundation intended to run KAIO as a non-commercial station promoting tourism in the Rio Grande Valley; that idea, however, was later abandoned. On October 5, 1998, KAIO changed its call letters to KTLM and picked up the Telemundo affiliation from XHRIO-TV (channel 2), which had struggled with signal strength in the western parts of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.{{cite news|last1=Maldonado|first1=Vilma|title=Telemundo changes stations, UPN joins Valley lineup|url=https://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/telemundo-changes-stations-upn-joins-valley-lineup/article_1c1c55e0-a4ab-5365-a28b-f13b9c771b76.html|access-date=September 17, 2018|work=Brownsville Herald|date=April 21, 1999}} The station went on the air August 1, 1999.{{cite book|title=Television & Cable Factbook 2006 Edition|year=2006|page=A-2275|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/2006-Factbook/TV-Factbook-2006-OH-USVI.pdf|access-date=September 17, 2018}}

In 2000, the Starr County Historical Foundation sold KTLM to Sunbelt Multimedia, a division of the Starr Camargo Bridge Company, unrelated to Sunbelt Communications Company. Sunbelt Multimedia had been managing the station since its launch. On September 10, 2012, Sunbelt Multimedia put KTLM up for sale, with Patrick Communications managing partner Larry Patrick named to run the station while in receivership. Documents were forwarded to the FCC to officially put the station under Patrick's control. His media worked to try to earn enough money to repay creditors of Sunbelt Multimedia.{{cite web|last=Seyler|first=Dave|title=Texas station on the block|url=http://rbr.com/texas-station-on-the-block/|work=RBR.com|access-date=September 12, 2012|date=September 10, 2012}} A year later, a deal was reached to sell KTLM to Telemundo Rio Grande Valley LLC, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal; this made the station a Telemundo owned-and-operated station.{{cite news|title=KTLM Harlingen, TX, Sold For $8.5 Million|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/70492/ktlm-harlingen-tx-sold-for-85-million|access-date=September 16, 2013|newspaper=TVNewsCheck|date=September 16, 2013}}{{cite web|title=Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License |url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1563713&Service=DT&Form_id=314&Facility_id=62354|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=September 16, 2013|date=September 13, 2013}} The sale was finalized on December 31.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/73030/nbc-closes-on-its-85m-ktlm-purchase|title=NBC Closes on its $8.5M KTLM Purchase|website=TVNewsCheck|accessdate=January 2, 2014}}

File:TelemundoKTLM40.jpg

KTLM launched a news department in 2003, with weeknight newscasts at 5 and 10 p.m. originally anchored by Yolanda de la Cruz. In 2010, Dalia Garza was promoted from health reporter to the main anchor.

After NBC's purchase, local news was expanded to include the latest weekend news, a 9 a.m. morning show named {{lang|es|Buenos Días Frontera}}, an in-house weather forecast with two new weather presenters, and a new public affairs program named {{lang|es|Enfoque McAllen}}. On September 2, 2014, KTLM debuted a new anchor team. This team included a co-anchor for Dalia Garza and a new weather anchor to replace Marlen Sosa, who had left two months earlier with Elizabeth Robaina. An updated set named {{lang|es|Noticias Telemundo 40}} was inaugurated at the same time.{{Cite web|url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/telemundo-station-expands-in-rio-grande-valley_b128146.|title = Creative Jobs :: Careers for Graphic Designers, Copywriters, Social Media Managers, Proof Readers and More}} On November 3, 2014, along with 14 other stations owned by NBC Universal and Telemundo, KTLM launched a new 4:30 p.m. newscast, moving {{lang|es|Al Rojo Vivo}} to 3 p.m. and {{lang|es|Lo Mejor de Caso Cerrado}} to a half-hour slot at 4 p.m. This allowed room for an extended newscast running from 4:30 to 5 p.m. On May 26, 2016, the station launched a consumer investigative unit called "{{lang|es|italic=no|Telemundo Responde}}". This was led by anchor and reporter Ana Cecilia Méndez, who took this new role in place of her previous weekend anchor position.{{cite news |last1=Marszalek |first1=Diana |title=Telemundo Responde Expands to South Texas |url=https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/telemundo-responde-expands-south-texas-156295 |access-date=September 17, 2018 |work=Broadcasting & Cable |date=May 9, 2016 |language=en-us}}

• Daniel Tuccio – Anchored morning briefs during {{lang|es|Un Nuevo Día}} and was a general assignment reporter for the weekday evening newscast.

The station's signal is multiplexed:

On August 8, 2018, KTLM added a third subchannel carrying Cozi TV programming, which moved from KFXV.

KTLM ended regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 40, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate.{{cite web|url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds |access-date=March 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 }}

As part of the SAFER Act, KTLM kept its analog signal on the air until July 12 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop of public service announcements from the National Association of Broadcasters.{{cite web|url=https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-291375A1.pdf|title=UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|date=June 12, 2009|access-date=May 28, 2024}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://www.telemundo40.com/}}

{{Rio Grande Valley TV}}

{{Telemundo Texas}}

{{NBCUniversal}}

{{Major U.S. TV O-O Stations}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ktlm}}

Category:1999 establishments in Texas

Category:Cozi TV affiliates

Category:Spanish-language television stations in Texas

Category:Starr County, Texas

Category:Telemundo Station Group

Category:Television channels and stations established in 1999

Category:Television stations in the Lower Rio Grande Valley

Category:TeleXitos affiliates