KQCA

Quality 0.50 · 4 views · Updated 2 months ago

Television station in Stockton, California

title: "KQCA" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1986-establishments-in-california", "atsc-3.0-television-stations", "the-cw-affiliates", "estrella-tv-affiliates", "hearst-television", "heroes-&-icons-affiliates", "mynetworktv-affiliates", "television-channels-and-stations-established-in-1986", "television-stations-in-sacramento,-california"] description: "Television station in Stockton, California" topic_path: "arts/film" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KQCA" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Television station in Stockton, California ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox television station"]

FieldValue
callsignKQCA
cityStockton, California
atsc3yes
logoKQCA logo.svg
logo_altPink stylized unicase letters "MY", with the top left of the Y cutting off the upper right of the M, next to a small, turquoise-colored 58 in a sans serif
branding
digital23 (UHF)
virtual58
affiliations
ownerHearst Television
licenseeHearst Stations Inc.
locationStockton–Sacramento–Modesto, California
countryUnited States
airdate
callsign_meaningStation branded as "Q58" in the 1990s
sister_stationsKCRA-TV
former_callsignsKSCH-TV (1986–1995)
former_channel_numbers
former_affiliations
erp1,000 kW
haat578.6 m
facility_id10242
coordinates
licensing_authorityFCC
websiteMy58
::

| callsign = KQCA | city = Stockton, California | atsc3 = yes | logo = KQCA logo.svg | logo_alt = Pink stylized unicase letters "MY", with the top left of the Y cutting off the upper right of the M, next to a small, turquoise-colored 58 in a sans serif | branding = | digital = 23 (UHF) | virtual = 58 | affiliations = | owner = Hearst Television | licensee = Hearst Stations Inc. | location = Stockton–Sacramento–Modesto, California | country = United States | airdate = | callsign_meaning = Station branded as "Q58" in the 1990s | sister_stations = KCRA-TV | former_callsigns = KSCH-TV (1986–1995) | former_channel_numbers = | former_affiliations = | erp = 1,000 kW | haat = 578.6 m | facility_id = 10242 | coordinates = | licensing_authority = FCC | website = My58

KQCA (channel 58) is a television station licensed to Stockton, California, United States, serving the Sacramento area as an affiliate of The CW and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Hearst Television alongside NBC affiliate KCRA-TV (channel 3). The two stations share studios on Television Circle off D Street in downtown Sacramento; KQCA's transmitter is located in Walnut Grove, California.

Channel 58 began broadcasting on April 13, 1986, as KSCH-TV. It was the Sacramento market's third independent station and was built by William H. Schuyler and the SFN Companies, broadcasting from studios in the Sacramento suburb of Rancho Cordova. Its programming initially consisted mostly of classic movies and TV shows. In 1993, with its owner in financial difficulty, it began airing a 10 p.m. newscast produced by KCRA-TV. This relationship grew in 1994 when KSCH-TV was sold to two Sacramento residents who leased its airtime to KCRA's then-owner, Kelly Broadcasting. It became a UPN affiliate and changed its call sign to KQCA in February 1995, switching from UPN to The WB in 1998. Hearst acquired KCRA-TV in 1999 and then bought KQCA outright when duopolies were legalized.

In 2006, The WB and UPN merged to form The CW, which selected competitor KMAX-TV as its Sacramento affiliate. Channel 58 affiliated with MyNetworkTV after the merger. When KMAX disaffiliated from The CW in 2023, KQCA replaced it as the local affiliate. The station airs morning and 10 p.m. newscasts produced by KCRA-TV.

History

KSCH: Independent years

In 1979, the William H. Schuyler Company, owned by William H. Schuyler and his wife Kristine, filed for a construction permit to build a station on channel 58 in Stockton. William Schuyler, founder of KMST in Monterey and involved in the startup of KTVU in Oakland prior to that, proposed to broadcast a hybrid of conventional and subscription television programming. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted the application on November 6, 1981, and the call sign KSCH-TV in early 1982. After analyzing financing sources, Schuyler sold 49 percent of the station to SFN Communications, an educational publisher which had diversified into broadcasting.

KSCH-TV began broadcasting on April 13, 1986. It had studios in Rancho Cordova and Stockton and shared the KXTV/KOVR tower in Walnut Grove. It was the third independent station for the Sacramento market alongside KTXL (channel 40) and KRBK-TV (channel 31). Its programming was reliant on movies and classic TV series as well as some sports and a few cartoons. It was designed to be family-friendly with a small news staff and hourly afternoon and evening news breaks. Three months after channel 58 went on air, Schuyler sold his controlling stake to SFN, which in turn sold almost all its broadcasting holdings in a management buyout, forming Pegasus Broadcasting Inc. Schuyler then left to start KSMS-TV in Monterey.

In its early years, KSCH-TV provided a mix of local programming. Originating in Stockton was a midday agribusiness program, first titled Agribusiness Report and later Valley Farm News. In 1987, channel 58 brought veteran local children's show Cap'n Mitch back to local airwaves. Mitch, real name Mitch Agruss, had been Cap'n Delta from 1961 to 1966 at KOVR and Cap'n Mitch at KLOC-TV from 1966 to 1968 and KTXL from 1968 to 1983. By the end of 1987, the station had attracted 3% of the Sacramento viewing market compared to 8% for KTXL and 6% for KRBK. The 1988 adoption of metered instead of diary ratings, which more accurately measured viewing, showed that KSCH-TV was more competitive than had previously been thought. In early 1990, KSCH-TV began airing NBC's Saturday morning cartoon lineup after NBC's Sacramento affiliate, KCRA-TV (channel 3), opted to preempt the cartoons for local news. The station slowly improved its syndicated programming inventory, acquiring more recent series to air in early evenings.

GE Capital acquired three of Pegasus's television stations in 1990: KSCH-TV; WJBF-TV in Augusta, Georgia; and WAPA-TV in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The deal was seen by industry sources as a way for GE to protect its equity investment in the firm, which was presenting financial difficulties. In 1993, GE Capital began shopping KSCH-TV for sale; in one potential proposal, both KSCH and KRBK-TV—then also facing financial difficulties and owing money to syndicators—would have been sold to one buyer, who would have been able to sell off one of the stations to a noncompetitive entity.

The host segments of Real Stories of the Highway Patrol, featuring California Highway Patrol commissioner Maury Hannigan, were filmed at KSCH-TV's studios and included in the nationally syndicated program. Hannigan's office was replicated in a set at the station's studios.

KQCA: Kelly Broadcasting LMA

A development elsewhere in Sacramento television would alter the course of channel 58's history. From 1991 to 1993, KCRA-TV had been authorized by NBC to air an early prime time lineup from 7 to 10 p.m. and its late local news at 10 p.m. However, in August 1993, NBC ordered KCRA-TV to revert to a normal prime time lineup. KCRA was still interested in producing a 10 p.m. local newscast to air on another local station. Its preference was a station without an existing newscast, which KTXL and KRBK both boasted. On September 12, 1993, KSCH-TV began airing the KCRA-TV–produced Prime Time News.

With its new relationship with KCRA-TV, parent Kelly Broadcasting became interested in acquiring KSCH-TV but could not do so outright under FCC rules of the time. The solution was for Kelly to run the station under a local marketing agreement (LMA). This came to pass in April 1994, when Pegasus sold the station for $8 million to Channel 58, Inc., owned by Sacramento restaurateur Wing Fat and Barbara Scurfield. Kelly acquired the station's program inventory and leased the station's airtime.

The sale and LMA were approved on December 12, 1994. That day, channel 58 announced it would become an affiliate of UPN, a new television network launching in January 1995. KSCH-TV became KQCA on February 1, 1995. In 1995, KQCA preempted its daytime lineup to air the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, posting ratings figures double its normal viewership during the day. KCRA expanded its morning newscast to include a 7 a.m. hour on KQCA later that year and an 8 a.m. hour in July 1996.

The UPN affiliation agreement ran for three years, and in 1997, UPN became aware that KQCA planned not to renew, according to reporting in Broadcasting & Cable. The Paramount Stations Group responded by purchasing the market's WB affiliate, channel 31, in a deal announced in July 1997. It was immediately seen as portending an affiliation switch for channel 31 from The WB to UPN. Channel 58 became the WB affiliate for Sacramento on January 5, 1998, with UPN programming moving that same day to channel 31, renamed from KPWB to KMAX-TV.

Hearst ownership and switch to MyNetworkTV

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/KCRA_Studios.jpg" caption="KQCA/KCRA studios at 3 Television Circle" alt="Refer to caption"] ::

Citing consolidation pressures, Kelly Broadcasting exited the business in August 1998 and sold KCRA-TV and its LMA with KQCA to Hearst-Argyle Television for $520 or $530 million. The deal valued KQCA alone at $120 million. After Hearst closed on the purchase in January 1999, it exercised its option to buy KQCA outright ahead of the FCC authorizing duopolies—the outright ownership of two broadcast licenses in a market.

In response to flat ratings, the morning show was dropped in 2002 and replaced with a simulcast of Armstrong & Getty, a morning radio show on talk station KSTE. The idea originated with general manager Elliott Troshinsky; in addition to being competitive with CBS's The Early Show, the radio ratings grew year-over-year. In 2005, the 10 p.m. newscast was expanded from 30 minutes to a full hour.

The WB and UPN effectively merged in 2006 to form The CW; KMAX-TV, along with ten other UPN owned-and-operated stations, was immediately named one of the network's stations. Hearst put out a press release declaring, "The strength of KQCA is not solely dependent on the WB network programming for success." KQCA affiliated with MyNetworkTV, a new network set up by Fox Television Stations, that September. It initially ran MyNetworkTV programming on an early prime time basis from 7 to 9 p.m. followed by The Oprah Winfrey Show as a lead-in to the news. The Armstrong & Getty simulcast ended in March 2007 and was replaced with a revived two-hour morning newscast. Initially, it performed poorly in the ratings, unlike KCRA's own morning newscast. Estrella TV, a Spanish-language TV network, launched locally as a subchannel of KQCA in 2015.

The KQCA 10 p.m. newscast was extended from thirty minutes back to a full hour on September 22, 2014. In 2022, the morning newscast was extended with a third hour at 9 a.m.

CW affiliation

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/KQCA_CW_2024_horizontal.svg" caption="Logo used for CW programming"] ::

On October 3, 2022, Nexstar Media Group acquired majority ownership of The CW. Under the agreement, CBS was given the right to pull its affiliations from KMAX-TV and its seven other CW stations, which was exercised on May 5, 2023. On August 1, Hearst and The CW agreed to a new affiliation agreement which included KQCA as Sacramento's new CW affiliate. Programs from MyNetworkTV continued to air from midnight to 2 a.m.

Local programming

Newscasts

Main article: KCRA-TV#News operation

KCRA-TV's newsroom produces 22 hours a week of exclusive newscasts for KQCA, consisting of a 7–10 a.m. morning news extension on weekdays and an hour-long 10 p.m. newscast seven nights a week. KQCA also simulcasts KCRA newscasts at 6 a.m. and noon.

A Spanish-subtitled simulcast of KCRA's 5 p.m. newscast was added to the Estrella TV subchannel on September 5, 2017. This newscast was not in direct competition with any Spanish-language newscast in the market until March 18, 2020, when Telemundo owned-and-operated station KCSO-LD launched newscasts at 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Sports

KQCA became an affiliate of the Los Angeles Chargers preseason TV network in 2021. On September 5, 2023, KQCA announced an agreement with UC Davis to air five Aggies college football games from UC Davis Health Stadium, with two featuring pregame content. The partnership continued in 2024.

Technical information

KQCA began broadcasting its own digital signal on May 1, 2003; prior to this time, it was broadcast as a subchannel of KCRA's digital signal. The station ended regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 58, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition channel 46, using virtual channel 58.

KQCA relocated its signal from channel 46 to channel 23 on April 29, 2020, as a result of the 2016 United States wireless spectrum auction. It became the ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) lighthouse station for Sacramento on June 15, 2021.

Subchannels

The station's ATSC 1.0 channels are carried on the multiplexed signals of other Sacramento television stations: ::data[format=table title="Subchannels provided by KQCA (ATSC 1.0){{cite web|url=https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KCRA#station|website=[[RabbitEars]]|title=TV Query for KCRA}}{{cite web|url=https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KTFK#station|website=[[RabbitEars]]|title=TV Query for KTFK}}"]

ChannelRes.AspectShort nameProgrammingATSC 1.0 host58.158.258.3
1080i16:9KQCAThe CW, MyNetworkTVKCRA-TV
480iH and IHeroes & Icons
EstrelaEstrella TVKTFK-DT
::

KQCA's transmitter is located in Walnut Grove, California. ::data[format=table title="Subchannels of KQCA (ATSC 3.0){{cite web|title=RabbitEars TV Query for KQCA|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KQCA#station|website=[[RabbitEars]]|access-date=June 15, 2021}}"]

ChannelRes.AspectShort nameProgramming3.110.113.119.140.158.1
1080p16:9NBCNBC (KCRA-TV) [[File:Action lock 2 - orange.svg14pxalt=DRMlink=]]
720pABCABC (KXTV) [[File:Action lock 2 - orange.svg14pxalt=DRMlink=]]
1080pCBSCBS (KOVR)
720pUniUnivision (KUVS-DT)
FOXFox (KTXL)
1080pMy58The CW, MyNetworkTV [[File:Action lock 2 - orange.svg14pxalt=DRMlink=]]
::

References

References

  1. Huber, Dean. (October 30, 1979). "On A 'Slow News Day'". The Sacramento Bee.
  2. Janssen, Jim. (March 19, 1986). "Channel 58 comes to town". The Press-Tribune.
  3. (October 17, 1979). "Television station founder applies for Stockton license". The Californian.
  4. (November 30, 1981). "For the Record". Broadcasting.
  5. (March 1, 1982). "For the Record: Grants". Broadcasting.
  6. (April 10, 1986). "New kid on the block: Television veteran takes to the air with capital's sixth station". The Sacramento Bee.
  7. (April 14, 1986). "Channel 58: New television station begins programming". The Press-Tribune.
  8. (April 13, 1986). "Leasing Activity". The Sacramento Bee.
  9. Wisehart, Bob. (April 10, 1986). "Channel 58 is betting on oldies". The Sacramento Bee.
  10. Herman, Fred. (March 7, 1986). "New station offers the 'good old stuff'". The Modesto Bee.
  11. Wisehart, Bob. (July 4, 1986). "Media group buying Channel 58". The Sacramento Bee.
  12. (October 21, 1986). "Channel 58 sold". The Modesto Bee.
  13. (January 30, 1987). "TV farm program gets a facelift". Turlock Journal.
  14. (August 17, 1987). "Cap'n Mitch anchors new children's series". The Sacramento Bee.
  15. Williams, George. (December 26, 1987). "Anderson guides new station to strong start". The Sacramento Bee.
  16. Wisehart, Bob. (May 30, 1988). "Channel 58 a surprise winner in local ratings war". The Sacramento Bee.
  17. Vierria, Dan. (October 31, 1989). "The earthquake put KOVR's new reporter to work early". The Sacramento Bee.
  18. Vierria, Dan. (November 14, 1992). "With movies, Channel 58 shows it's the little station that can". The Sacramento Bee.
  19. Mermigas, Diane. (May 7, 1990). "Pegasus Deal Viewed as Protective for GE". Crain's Chicago Business.
  20. Noglows, Paul. (May 2, 1990). "GE Capital's TV buy could cramp NBC expansion style". Variety.
  21. (February 8, 1993). "Debt indigestion at Koplar". Broadcasting.
  22. Foisie, Geoffrey. (March 1, 1993). "Independents network for survival". Broadcasting.
  23. Mandel, Sid. (March 13, 1994). "Success no news to independent television station". The Sacramento Bee.
  24. Vierria, Dan. (August 12, 1993). "KCRA pushes back bedtime: Network shows to start at 8 p.m.; news on at 11 p.m.". The Sacramento Bee.
  25. Vierria, Dan. (August 24, 1993). "Do you know where your news is?". The Sacramento Bee.
  26. (September 2, 1993). "Tune to 58 for Channel 3's news at 10". The Sacramento Bee.
  27. Vierria, Dan. (April 13, 1994). "Channel 58 bought for $8 million: Kelly Broadcasting to provide programming, pending FCC's OK of sale". The Sacramento Bee.
  28. Vierria, Dan. (December 13, 1994). "Channel 58 signs up with new network, Channel 3". The Sacramento Bee.
  29. Vierria, Dan. (February 7, 1995). "He's staying: Channel 10 makes Frio its $400,000-a-year anchor". The Sacramento Bee.
  30. (March 4, 1995). "An unquenchable thirst: Channel 58 hits big ratings with all-day, all-O.J. trial coverage". The Sacramento Bee.
  31. (July 11, 1995). "Channel 3 to launch 7 a.m. local news show—on Channel 58". The Sacramento Bee.
  32. Vierria, Dan. (August 6, 1996). "At local stations, what's new is the news". The Sacramento Bee.
  33. McClellan, Steve. (August 4, 1997). "NBC, Paramount swap stations: In trade, WVIT(TV) goes for cash plus rights to two other players". Broadcasting & Cable.
  34. Chan, Gilbert. (July 17, 1997). "Viacom division buys WB affiliate Channel 31". The Sacramento Bee.
  35. McClellan, Steve. (July 21, 1997). "WB woos and wins Sinclair".
  36. Vierria, Dan. (January 3, 1998). "Channels 31, 58 to swap on Monday: UPN-WB trade is first locally since '95". The Sacramento Bee.
  37. Higgins, John Michael. (August 31, 1998). "'Get big or get out': Kelly Broadcasting gets out to tune of almost $900 million for two TVs and an LMA". Broadcasting & Cable.
  38. Vierria, Dan. (August 22, 1998). "Kelly family sells Channel 3 to N.Y. chain". The Sacramento Bee.
  39. (January 6, 1999). "Hearst closes Sacramento TV deal". The San Francisco Examiner.
  40. Kasler, Dale. (September 28, 1999). "Channel 58 is being sold". The Sacramento Bee.
  41. Rathbun, Elizabeth A.. (November 15, 1999). "Groups look to lasso LMAs". Broadcasting & Cable.
  42. du Lac, J. Freedom. (March 28, 2002). "Rise Guys turn to their audience for feedback". The Sacramento Bee.
  43. Davis Hudson, Eileen. (August 18, 2003). "Sacramento, Calif.". Mediaweek.
  44. du Lac, J. Freedom. (March 27, 2003). "Now hear this, now see this: Armstrong and Getty's simulcast is proving there's life for a radio show on TV". The Sacramento Bee.
  45. Davis Hudson, Eileen. (January 30, 2006). "Sacramento, Calif.". Mediaweek.
  46. Seid, Jessica. (January 24, 2006). "'Gilmore Girls' meet 'Smackdown'; CW Network to combine WB, UPN in CBS-Warner venture beginning in September". CNN.
  47. Carter, Bill. (January 24, 2006). "UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network".
  48. Schneider, Michael. (January 11, 2007). "WB-UPN shocker thrilled … then chilled". Variety.
  49. McManis, Sam. (June 28, 2006). "Look for soapy programming this autumn on Channel 58". The Sacramento Bee.
  50. McManis, Sam. (January 27, 2007). "KCRA lays off 5, readies show on sister station". The Sacramento Bee.
  51. McManis, Sam. (December 18, 2007). "'Juno' star boosts fave band". The Sacramento Bee.
  52. (May 14, 2015). "KQCA To Launch Estrella TV Sacramento".
  53. (September 22, 2014). "KCRA Expands 10 P.M. Newscast On KQCA". TVNewsCheck.
  54. Miller, Mark K.. (September 26, 2022). "KCRA News On KQCA To Expand Morning Newscast To 10 A.M. On Oct. 3".
  55. Hayes, Dade. (October 3, 2022). "New Day Dawns For Broadcast TV As Nexstar Closes Deal For Control Of The CW".
  56. (May 5, 2023). "Eight CBS Stations To Ditch CW And Go Independent This Fall". [[Deadline Hollywood.
  57. (August 1, 2023). "The CW Network and Hearst Television expand and extend affiliation partnership".
  58. Lafayette, Jon. (August 1, 2023). "Hearst’s KQCA To Become The CW Affiliate in Sacramento". Broadcasting & Cable.
  59. (June 30, 2025). "Quarterly Issues/Programs Report (KQCA)". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  60. (February 12, 2021). "My58 partners with Los Angeles Chargers to broadcast NFL preseason games".
  61. (September 5, 2023). "KQCA My58 to Televise All UC Davis Football Home Games".
  62. (September 6, 2024). "UC Davis And KQCA My58 Extend Partnership Into 2024 Season; Will Broadcast All Aggie Home Games".
  63. (2006). "Television & Cable Factbook".
  64. Altman, Daniel. (August 9, 2002). "Dig Digital? FCC decides to phase in tuners for all TVs". The Sacramento Bee.
  65. (June 12, 2009). "All-digital TV starts today". The Sacramento Bee.
  66. (May 23, 2006). "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds". Federal Communications Commission.
  67. (April 13, 2017). "FCC TV Spectrum Phase Assignment Table".
  68. (May 5, 2020). "My58 over-the-air viewers need to rescan their TV channels".
  69. Miller, Mark K.. (July 8, 2021). "6 Sacramento Stations Launch NextGen TV".
  70. "TV Query for KCRA".
  71. "TV Query for KTFK".
  72. "RabbitEars TV Query for KQCA".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1986-establishments-in-californiaatsc-3.0-television-stationsthe-cw-affiliatesestrella-tv-affiliateshearst-televisionheroes-&-icons-affiliatesmynetworktv-affiliatestelevision-channels-and-stations-established-in-1986television-stations-in-sacramento,-california