View source for KUCW

{{Short description|Television station in Ogden, Utah}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign = KUCW
| city = Ogden, Utah
| logo = KUCW 2024.svg
| logo_alt = The CW logo, an orange thick logo with the letters C and W connected, in the lower left. Above it, right-aligned, is the word "Utah's" capitalized in a sans serif. To the right of both, full-height, is a sans-serif numeral 30.
| branding = Utah's CW 30
| digital = 35 ([[UHF]])
| virtual = 30
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''30.1:''' [[The CW]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}
| translators = ''see {{Section link||Translators}}''
| owner = [[Nexstar Media Group]]
| licensee = Nexstar Media Inc.
| location = [[Ogden, Utah|Ogden]]–[[Salt Lake City]], Utah
| country = United States
| founded = May 24, 1983
| airdate = {{start date and age|1985|10|19|p=y|br=y}}
| callsign_meaning = "Utah's CW"
| sister_stations = [[KTVX]]
| former_callsigns = {{ubl|KOOG-TV (1983–1998)|KUPX (1998)|KUWB (1998–2006)}}
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 30 (UHF, 1985–2009)|'''Digital:''' 48 (UHF, 2002–2018)}}
| former_affiliations = {{ubl|[[Independent station|Independent]] (1985–1995)|[[HSN]] (secondary, 1986–1996)|[[The WB]] (1995–2006)}}
| erp = 432 [[kW]]
| haat = {{convert|1259.3|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id = 1136
| coordinates = {{coord|40|39|33|N|112|12|10|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
| website = {{URL|https://www.abc4.com/cw30}}
}}

'''KUCW''' (channel 30) is a [[television station]] licensed to [[Ogden, Utah]], United States, serving as the [[The CW|CW]] network outlet for [[Salt Lake City]] and the state of Utah. It is [[owned and operated]] by network majority owner [[Nexstar Media Group]] alongside [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[KTVX]] (channel 4). The two stations share studios on West 1700 South in Salt Lake City; KUCW's main transmitter is located atop [[Farnsworth Peak]] in the [[Oquirrh Mountains]], extended by dozens of [[Broadcast relay station|translators]] that carry its signal throughout Utah and portions of [[Idaho]], [[Nevada]], and [[Wyoming]].

Channel 30 from Ogden came on air in October 1985 as KOOG-TV an [[independent station]] owned by American Communications and Television. It struggled for its first decade-plus on the air with technical issues, some of which resulted from the transmitter being blocked from the [[Salt Lake Valley]] by terrain, and poor finances. The station curtailed its general-entertainment broadcasting and spent most of its day broadcasting the [[Home Shopping Network]], which paid KOOG-TV for airtime. The original ownership was sold to Trivest Financial Services in 1991, laid off most employees in 1992, and sold the station in 1994 to Alpha and Omega Communications, a subsidiary of the Salt Lake City–based Miracle Rock Church.

KOOG-TV became Utah's affiliate of [[The WB]] upon the network's launch in January 1995. Alpha and Omega agreed to sell the station to [[Paxson Communications Corporation]] in 1996; as Paxson programmed [[infomercial]]s on its stations, this put the future of the WB network in Utah in doubt. The issue was resolved when [[Roberts Broadcasting]] and [[ACME Communications]] reached a deal to swap the construction permit for channel 16 to Paxson in exchange for operating channel 30 as a WB station. In April 1998, the new management took over; the station was renamed KUWB, and it relocated its studios and offices to [[Murray, Utah|Murray]]. 

[[Clear Channel Communications]], which at the time owned KTVX, purchased KUWB in 2006 and combined their operations. That year, The WB and [[UPN]] merged to form The CW, and KUWB became KUCW to reflect its new network affiliation. Channel 30 has been co-owned with KTVX ever since through several sales and under Nexstar ownership since 2012. It airs 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. local newscasts from the KTVX newsroom.

==History==
===KOOG-TV: Early history===
The [[Federal Communications Commission]] granted Ogden Television, Inc., a [[construction permit]] for a new television station on channel 30 in Ogden on May 25, 1983.<ref>{{Cite news|pages=83–84|work=Broadcasting|date=June 20, 1983|title=For the Record|id={{ProQuest|963241717}} }}</ref> Ogden Television was a subsidiary of American Communications and Television (AC&T) of [[Gainesville, Florida]], which initially anticipated to put channel 30 into service as an [[independent station]] in late 1984.<ref name="Salt830624">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-act-expects-to-op/106393693/|date=June 24, 1983|page=B10|title=AC&T Expects to Open TV Station in Ogden|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024}}</ref><!-- Fri --> Instead, KOOG-TV was constructed in 1985; studios were set up on 16th Street in Ogden.<ref name="Salt850802">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-koog-tv-begins-ser/148227058/|date=August 2, 1985|page=14D|title=KOOG-TV Begins Service Oct. 1: New TV Station to Serve S.L., Ogden|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529171051/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-koog-tv-begins-ser/148227058/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Fri --> After delays, KOOG-TV made a four-hour debut on October 19, 1985; its first day of broadcasting was cut short when a transmitter part burned out and had to be sent back to the factory.<ref name="Salt851022">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-koog-tvs-debut-fo/148227071/|date=October 22, 1985|page=B3|title=KOOG-TV's Debut Foiled Due to Bad Equipment|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529171104/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-koog-tvs-debut-fo/148227071/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Tue --> The station resumed again on November 1.{{r|fact}}

The new station struggled to find an audience for a variety of reasons, primarily technical and financial. Its transmitter was sited on Little Mountain, and intervening terrain blocked large areas of the [[Salt Lake Valley]] from receiving channel 30.<ref name="Salt860401">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-power-failure-pull/148227177/|date=April 1, 1986|page=D7|title=Power Failure Pulls Plug on Ogden's Channel 30 TV Station|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529171104/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-power-failure-pull/148227177/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Tue --> In December 1986, this was remediated when a translator was installed atop the Beneficial Life Building in Salt Lake City,<ref name="Salt861203">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-governors-talk-co/148227599/|date=December 3, 1986|page=10B|first=Harold|last=Schindler|title=Governor's Talk Costs Stations Thousands|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024}}</ref><!-- Wed --> but the reputation of KOOG as a station that was hard to receive persisted.<ref name="Sign870428-9">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-signpost-problems-resolved-signal-r/148227267/|date=April 28, 1987|page=9|first=Dave|last=Broderick|title=Problems resolved: Signal received different ways|newspaper=The Signpost|location=Ogden, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529171101/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-signpost-problems-resolved-signal-r/148227267/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Tue --> Even in Ogden, cable viewers did not have access to KOOG until July 1986;<ref>{{Cite news|title=WGN strikes out as cable to offer KOOG|url=https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=29583071&q=KOOG&sort=date_tdt+asc%2Cparent_i+asc%2Cpage_i+asc&year_start=1985&year_end=2001&facet_paper=%22Ogden+Standard-Examiner%22|page=2D|first=Dennis|last=Larsen|date=June 29, 1986|work=Standard-Examiner|location=Ogden, Utah|access-date=May 31, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529171150/https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=29583071&q=KOOG&sort=date_tdt+asc,parent_i+asc,page_i+asc&year_start=1985&year_end=2001&facet_paper=%22Ogden+Standard-Examiner%22|url-status=live}}</ref> the station had threatened to sue, claiming that [[Tele-Communications Inc.]] (TCI)'s lack of carriage was inflicting "severe economic hardship" because of TCI's "absolute domination of the marketplace", which it said gave it the power to decide which stations "shall live and which shall die".<ref>{{Cite news|work=Broadcasting|page=7|title=Into court|id={{ProQuest|1016901882}}|date=May 12, 1986}}</ref>

The operation also suffered from financial issues. Program director John Mason noted that management did not put enough money into promotion when channel 30 went on air.{{r|Sign870428-8}} The station's attempt to present [[Weber State Wildcats]] athletic events<ref name="Sign860715">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-signpost-weber-state-inks-television/148227319/|date=July 15, 1986|page=7|first=Dave|last=Allison|title=Weber State inks television contract|newspaper=The Signpost|location=Ogden, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529171102/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-signpost-weber-state-inks-television/148227319/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Tue --> lost money when advertiser support came in far below what had been predicted.<ref name="Sign870428-8">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-signpost-koog-still-broadcasting-des/148227281/|date=April 28, 1987|page=8|first=Dave|last=Broderick|title=KOOG still broadcasting despite shaky beginning|newspaper=The Signpost|location=Ogden, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529172608/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-signpost-koog-still-broadcasting-des/148227281/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Tue --> In August 1986, film distributor Almi Pictures sued KOOG for nonpayment on a package of films.<ref name="Salt860802">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-ny-film-distribu/148227318/|date=August 2, 1986|page=4D|title=N.Y. Film Distributor Files Suit, Says Channel 30 Didn't Pay Bills|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024}}</ref><!-- Sat --> The station teetered on the brink of bankruptcy by 1987, but it survived in part thanks to the acquisition of KOOG and [[WTGS]] serving [[Savannah, Georgia]], by Trivest Financial Services in 1991;<ref name="Brad910117">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106395564/actv-receives-better-offer/|date=January 17, 1991|page=A-13|title=ACTV receives better offer|newspaper=The Bradenton Herald|location=Bradenton, Florida|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 27, 2022|archive-date=July 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727063927/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106395564/actv-receives-better-offer/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Thu --> Trivest was related to AC&T.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=27013612&q=KOOG+Trivest&sort=rel|title=KOOG TV changes owners; Station plans to move antenna to Salt Lake|pages=1E, 4E|first=Tami|last=Latimer|work=Standard-Examiner|location=Ogden, Utah|date=June 27, 1991|access-date=May 31, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529171054/https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=27013612&q=KOOG+Trivest&sort=rel|url-status=live}}</ref> Other factors included settlement of the lawsuits from Almi and other program suppliers and a contract with the [[Home Shopping Network]] that paid the station to broadcast home shopping programming most of the day except for afternoons and evenings.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=27170194&q=KOOG+%22Channel+30%22&sort=rel&facet_paper=%22Ogden+Standard-Examiner%22|pages=1E, 2E|title=Station needs more viewers: KOOG has to expand to survive|date=February 26, 1989|work=Standard-Examiner|location=Ogden, Utah|access-date=May 31, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529171128/https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=27170194&q=KOOG+%22Channel+30%22&sort=rel&facet_paper=%22Ogden+Standard-Examiner%22|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1992, Trivest laid off all but three employees due to a lack of advertising revenue; the remaining staff expanded their duties, with the business manager not only handling accounting but taking out the trash.<ref name="Salt920518">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-koog-tv-survivors/148227359/|date=May 18, 1992|pages=B-1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-koog-survivors-str/148227383/ B-2]|first=Christopher|last=Smith|title=KOOG-TV Survivors Struggle to Keep Signal on the Air|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529171108/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-koog-tv-survivors/148227359/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Mon -->

Trivest filed to sell the station to the Salt Lake City–based Miracle Rock Church in 1993,<ref name="Salt930424">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-sl-church-to-buy/148311392/|date=April 24, 1993|page=B8|title=S.L. Church to Buy Ogden TV Station|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024}}</ref><!-- Sat --> a year in which the station was placed into receivership. The FCC approved the transfer of the [[broadcast license]] to Alpha and Omega Communications, a subsidiary of Miracle Rock, in March 1994.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=28112098&q=KOOG+Miracle+Rock&sort=rel|pages=5A, 6A|first=Marina|last=O'Neill|title=Religious group buys KOOG-TV|work=Standard-Examiner|location=Ogden, Utah|date=March 22, 1994|access-date=May 31, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529171132/https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=28112098&q=KOOG+Miracle+Rock&sort=rel|url-status=live}}</ref> Under Miracle Rock, KOOG-TV affiliated with [[The WB]] when the network launched in January 1995.<ref name="Salt950104">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-koog-tv-programs-t/148312361/|date=January 4, 1995|page=B-5|title=KOOG-TV Programs to Change|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529172609/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-koog-tv-programs-t/148312361/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Wed --> In spite of the upgraded programming, channel 30 continued to provide poor reception to many households.<ref name="Salt950829">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-koog-lacks-the-lit/148227766/|date=August 29, 1995|page=B7|first=John|last=Youngren|title=KOOG Lacks the Little Things: Programs, Reception|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529180318/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-koog-lacks-the-lit/148227766/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Tue -->

===Paxson acquisition and station swap===
{{See|KUPX-TV}}
Alpha and Omega announced in September 1996 that it would sell KOOG-TV to [[Paxson Communications Corporation]]. The transaction immediately put the future of channel 30's WB affiliation, home shopping (still aired during daytime hours), and other programming in doubt, as Paxson programmed its dozens of stations nationwide with the Infomall TV (inTV) network, consisting entirely of [[infomercial]]s.<ref name="Salt960918">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-infomercial-networ/148227843/|date=September 18, 1996|pages=B4, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-infomercials-tune/148227863/ B6]|first=Jim|last=Fisher|title=Infomercial Network Buys Ogden's KOOG|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529171736/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-infomercial-networ/148227843/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Wed --> At the time, KOOG-TV's contract with The WB ran through March 1997.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=27944039&q=KOOG&sort=date_tdt+asc%2Cparent_i+asc%2Cpage_i+asc&page=2&year_start=1996&year_end=2001&facet_paper=%22Ogden+Standard-Examiner%22|title=Florida firm buys KOOG; Infomercial company owns 42 other stations; WB fate is unknown|page=D1|date=September 18, 1996|work=Standard-Examiner|location=Ogden, Utah}}</ref> Channel 30 continued to broadcast the network through 1997, even as Paxson prepared to move its offices from Ogden to Salt Lake City and its transmitter to [[Farnsworth Peak]].<ref name="Salt970903">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-tci-subscribers-ge/148227905/|date=September 3, 1997|page=C11|first=Jay|last=Baltezore|title=TCI Subscribers Get Weekend of QVC Instead of WB|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024|archive-date=May 31, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531041037/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-tci-subscribers-ge/148227905/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Wed --> In January 1998, KOOG-TV changed its call sign to KUPX-TV in anticipation of carrying Paxson's new [[Ion Television|Pax Net]] venture.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Ogden's KOOG becomes KUPX |work=Deseret News|date=January 14, 1998|page=C2}}</ref>

At the same time, plans were set in motion for a new station to replace channel 30 as the WB affiliate in the Salt Lake City market. In 1995, [[Roberts Broadcasting]] had acquired a construction permit for KZAR-TV (channel 16) in [[Provo, Utah|Provo]].<ref>{{Cite news|work=Broadcasting & Cable|id={{ProQuest|1014758914}}|title=Changing Hands|page=32|date=October 16, 1995}}</ref> [[ACME Communications]]–owned by WB chief executive officer [[Jamie Kellner]]–agreed in August 1997 to acquire a 49 percent stake in KZAR-TV, with an agreement to purchase the other 51 percent once the television station was on the air; the deal closed in February 1998 and cemented channel 16's likely future as a WB affiliate.<ref>{{cite news|page=6|title=Two more WB stations for Kellner group|id={{ProQuest|2393630203}}|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=February 10, 1998}}</ref> Construction was already underway to broadcast the station, renamed KUWB, from [[Lake Mountains|Lake Mountain]] near Provo.<ref name="Ente980323">{{cite news|page=5|date=March 23, 1998|work=The Enterprise|title=Broadcast studio being built in Murray for Utah's newest TV station|id={{ProQuest|229198212}}|first=Lara|last=Jones}}</ref>

By March 1998,{{r|Ente980323}} Paxson entered into an agreement with Roberts Broadcasting and ACME Communications where each group would acquire the other's assets, but WB programming would remain on channel 30.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sec.edgar-online.com/1999/05/17/08/0000892569-99-001431/Section15.asp |title=ACME INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS LLC Quarterly Report (10-Q) EXHIBIT 10.4 |access-date=March 20, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930205923/http://sec.edgar-online.com/1999/05/17/08/0000892569-99-001431/Section15.asp |archive-date=September 30, 2007 }}</ref> To expedite the process, the parties immediately entered into local marketing agreements, whereby the stations would swap call signs and would begin to operate each other's stations until the FCC could approve the assignments of license. On the evening of April 20, channel 30 became KUWB from the existing channel 30 facility on Farnsworth Peak, while channel 16 signed on from Lake Mountain as [[KUPX-TV]] with Paxson's programming.<ref name="Salt980424">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-with-a-simple-flip/131092794/|date=April 24, 1998|page=B7|first=John|last=Youngren|title=With a Simple Flip of Switch, A Utah Television Station Is Born|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=September 2, 2023|archive-date=September 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230902184512/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-with-a-simple-flip/131092794/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Fri --><ref>{{Cite news|page=5|work=The Enterprise|title=Broadcast studio being built in Murray for Utah's newest TV station|first=Lara|last=Jones|id={{ProQuest|229134317}}|date=March 23, 1998}}</ref> Neither station would have studios in Utah County; channel 30 went on air from facilities in [[Murray, Utah|Murray]], while Paxson also sought Salt Lake–area office space.<ref>{{Cite news|date=May 4, 1998|page=C6|title=Catching up on a few things|work=[[Deseret News]]|first=Scott|last=Pierce}}</ref> Paxson continued to air its existing [[infomercial]] programming on channel 16 until Pax Net, renamed Pax, began broadcasting on August 31, 1998.{{r|Salt980424}}<ref name="Phil980831">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115543090/paxson-could-clean-up-with-g-rated-progr/|date=August 31, 1998|page=42|first=Ellen|last=Gray|title=Paxson could clean up with G-rated programs|newspaper=Philadelphia Daily News|location=|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=January 1, 2023|archive-date=January 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110053339/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115543090/paxson-could-clean-up-with-g-rated/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Mon --> The FCC approved the swap of the licenses in March 1999, and the deal closed in the third quarter of the year.<ref>{{Cite report|id={{ProQuest|2256317750}}|date=2001|title=ACME Communications 2001 Annual Report|page=41}}</ref>

Prior to the channel swap agreement and going on air, KUWB had already acquired the rights to air ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' in Utah. Salt Lake City's [[NBC]] affiliate, [[KSL-TV]] (channel 5), had not carried the program since becoming an affiliate of the network in 1995, citing existing local programming, ''SNL''{{'s}} content, and middling ratings.<ref name="Salt980226">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-new-provo-station/131092648/|date=February 26, 1998|page=B7|first=John|last=Youngren|title=New Provo Station May Bring Back 'SNL' by Spring|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024|archive-date=March 5, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305061631/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-new-provo-station/131092648/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Thu --> In October 1999, ACME debuted local weather updates on channel 30 as part of a strategy to keep viewers that might otherwise switch channels for a weather forecast tuned to KUWB; meteorologist [[Mitch English]] delivered forecasts as "The Love Master".<ref name="Salt000105">{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-love-master-as-w/148228254/|date=January 5, 2000|page=C5|first=Martin|last=Renzhofer|title='Love Master' as Weather Forecaster — It's Crazy Climatology at The WB30|newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=May 29, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529180326/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-love-master-as-w/148228254/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Wed --> English also appeared on the station's morning show, ''WBAM'', which debuted for the [[2002 Winter Olympics]] in Salt Lake City and utilized radio disc jockeys from [[KZHT]] as hosts.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Eileen|last=Davis Hudson|title=Salt Lake City|work=Mediaweek|pages=14–18|date=January 28, 2002|id={{ProQuest|213632119}} }}</ref> In August 2002, English departed KUWB for the syndicated morning show ''[[The Daily Buzz]]'', which aired on channel 30.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Nancy|last=van Valkenburg|title=TV weatherman off to new climate|date=August 18, 2002|work=Standard-Examiner|location=Ogden, Utah}}</ref>

===Ownership with KTVX===
[[Clear Channel Communications]], owner of Salt Lake City [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[KTVX]] (channel 4), announced the $18.5 million acquisition of KUWB in August 2005; at the time, ACME was selling stations to improve its finances. Clear Channel owned seven radio stations in the Salt Lake City market at the time of the purchase<ref>{{cite news|first=Paul|last=Beebe|title=Clear Channel to buy KUWB for $18.5 million|work=The Salt Lake Tribune|date=August 11, 2005|page=C7}}</ref> and had to divest one of them in order to acquire KUWB, electing to sell [[KALL]] to UT Radio Acquisition LLC—a company controlled by [[Dave Checketts]]—in February 2006.<ref>{{cite news|first=Lynn|last=Arave|work=Deseret News|title=Firm linked to Real Salt Lake buying KALL radio|date=February 10, 2006|page=Weekend 13}}</ref>

While the sale was pending, The WB and [[UPN]] announced their merger into [[The CW]] effective in September 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Seid |first=Jessica |date=January 24, 2006 |title='Gilmore Girls' meet 'Smackdown'; CW Network to combine WB, UPN in CBS-Warner venture beginning in September |url=https://money.cnn.com/2006/01/24/news/companies/cbs_warner/ |website=[[CNN Money]] |publisher=CNN |access-date=August 3, 2020 |archive-date=March 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316043531/http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/24/news/companies/cbs_warner/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Bill |date=January 24, 2006 |title=UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/24/business/media/24cnd-network.html?bl |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=February 22, 2017 |archive-date=October 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017035638/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/24/business/media/24cnd-network.html?bl |url-status=live }}</ref> KUWB's sale to Clear Channel became contingent on the ability of the station to secure the CW affiliation.<ref>{{cite news|title=SEC Form 8-K|work=ACME Communications Inc.|url=http://www.irconnect.com/mc/irc/secfilings.mc?cmd=disp&id=4161147&type=HTML|date=January 30, 2006|access-date=March 20, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927175956/http://www.irconnect.com/mc/irc/secfilings.mc?cmd=disp&id=4161147&type=HTML|archive-date=September 27, 2007}}</ref> Clear Channel assumed control of KUWB on April 4, 2006, and announced it would become the CW affiliate in Utah.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/clear-channel-buying-kuwb-79526|work=Broadcasting & Cable|date=April 4, 2006|first=John|last=Eggerton|title=Clear Channel Buying KUWB|access-date=May 31, 2024|archive-date=May 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529180317/https://www.nexttv.com/news/clear-channel-buying-kuwb-79526|url-status=live}}</ref> With the sale, KUWB moved into KTVX's studios on 1700 South in Salt Lake City.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Clear Channel buys KUWB-TV|first=Paul|last=Beebe|work=The Salt Lake Tribune|date=April 5, 2006}}</ref> To reflect the CW affiliation, KUWB became KUCW.<ref>{{Cite news|work=Broadcasting & Cable|first=Garth|last=Johnston|id={{ProQuest|225319863}}|title=A Real Youth Market|page=17|date=January 29, 2007}}</ref>

The Clear Channel acquisition was the first of three sales in a three-year period for KUCW. In November 2006, Clear Channel was sold and announced its intention to exit small-market radio and its 42-station television division;<ref>{{Cite news |last=White |first=Elizabeth |date=2006-11-16 |title=Clear Channel Agrees To Be Acquired |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/clear-channel-agrees-to-be-acquired/ |access-date=2024-05-31 |work=CBS News |language=en-US |agency=Associated Press |archive-date=May 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531041036/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/clear-channel-agrees-to-be-acquired/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Newport Television]], a broadcast holding company operated by [[Providence Equity Partners]], agreed to acquire the stations in 2007,<ref name="Clear Channel Television">{{cite press release|title=Clear Channel Agrees to Sell Television Station Group to Providence Equity Partners |publisher=[[Clear Channel Communications]] |url=http://www.clearchannel.com/Corporate/PressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=1943 |date=April 20, 2007 |access-date=April 20, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070425161056/http://www.clearchannel.com/Corporate/PressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=1943 |archive-date=April 25, 2007 }}</ref> KUCW and five other stations were sold to separate ownership—High Plains Broadcasting—to avoid attribution issues with Providence's stake in [[Univision Communications]], even though Newport continued to control the station via joint sales and shared services agreements.<ref name="tvbr-kucwsalessa">{{cite news|url=http://www.rbr.com/tv-cable/tv_deals/7670.html |title=Newport stations drift to High Plains |date=May 21, 2008 |work=Television Business Report |access-date=September 28, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922110432/http://www.rbr.com/tv-cable/tv_deals/7670.html |archive-date=September 22, 2008 }}</ref> The sale closed on September 15, 2008.<ref name="fcc-highplainsconsum">{{cite web|url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=1264514|title=Application Search Details|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|access-date=September 28, 2008|archive-date=October 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005100531/http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=1264514|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2009, KUCW entered into a four-year agreement to telecast [[Utah State Aggies]] athletics, including football and men's and women's basketball.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.abc4.com/content/news/top%20stories/story/USU-inks-TV-deal-with-CW30/DBicM70TpUenlkk-AO_jdw.cspx?rss=20| title = USU inks TV deal with CW30| date=October 12, 2009| access-date = October 12, 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110617013632/http://www.abc4.com/content/news/top%20stories/story/USU-inks-TV-deal-with-CW30/DBicM70TpUenlkk-AO_jdw.cspx?rss=20| archive-date = June 17, 2011| url-status = dead}}</ref> KSL-TV began airing ''Saturday Night Live'' in 2013, ending its 15-year run on channel 30.<ref name=slt-snlonksl>{{cite web|title=TV shocker — KSL will start airing "Saturday Night Live" in the fall|url=http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogstv/56518025-63/ksl-nbc-saturday-channel.html.csp|work=The Salt Lake Tribune|access-date=June 27, 2013|archive-date=June 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629225928/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogstv/56518025-63/ksl-nbc-saturday-channel.html.csp|url-status=live}}</ref>

Newport broke itself up in 2012, with KTVX and KUCW being acquired by [[Nexstar Broadcasting Group]].<ref>{{Cite news|first=David|last=Lieberman|url=https://deadline.com/2012/07/newport-television-to-collect-1b-selling-22-stations-to-nexstar-sinclair-and-cox-303455/|title=Newport Television To Collect $1B Selling 22 Stations To Nexstar, Sinclair, And Cox|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=July 19, 2012|access-date=April 16, 2020|archive-date=February 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222012453/http://www.deadline.com/2012/07/newport-television-to-collect-1b-selling-22-stations-to-nexstar-sinclair-and-cox/|url-status=live}}</ref> Nexstar acquired [[Tribune Media]], owner of Salt Lake City [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate [[KSTU]], in 2019; it chose to keep KTVX and KUCW, divesting KSTU to the [[E. W. Scripps Company]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Nexstar Buying Tribune Media For $6.4 Billion|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/226264/nexstar-buying-tribune-media-6-4-billion/|first=Mark K.|last=Miller|website=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheck Media|date=December 3, 2018|access-date=December 4, 2018|archive-date=December 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204005800/https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/226264/nexstar-buying-tribune-media-6-4-billion/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Nexstar to Sell Stations to Tegna, Scripps for $1.32 Billion|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-20/nexstar-to-sell-19-stations-to-tegna-scripps-for-1-32-billion|first1=Nabila|last1=Ahmed|first2=Anousha|last2=Sakoui|website=Bloomberg News|publisher=[[Bloomberg, L.P.]]|date=March 20, 2019|access-date=March 20, 2019|archive-date=April 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413200225/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-20/nexstar-to-sell-19-stations-to-tegna-scripps-for-1-32-billion|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Newscasts==
{{main|KTVX#News operation}}

In 2010, KTVX debuted a 9 p.m. newscast on KUCW, which was canceled in December 2011 due to low ratings<ref name=slt-9pmend>{{cite news|last=Pierce|first=Scott D.|title=Struggling KTVX-Ch. 4 shakes up its news team|url=http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogstv/53062945-63/ktvx-news-station-carlson.html.csp|access-date=December 8, 2011|newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]|date=December 6, 2011|archive-date=January 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120109002213/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogstv/53062945-63/ktvx-news-station-carlson.html.csp|url-status=live}}</ref> but later revived. KUCW resumed airing a 7 a.m. hour of ''Good Morning Utah'' in 2021; at the same time, the 9 p.m. news moved to 7 p.m., becoming a full hour.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/local-news-close-up-as-salt-lake-population-booms-stations-greet-new-arrivals|date=March 25, 2022|title=Local News Close-Up: As Salt Lake Population Booms, Stations Greet New Arrivals|first=Michael|last=Malone|work=Broadcasting & Cable|access-date=May 31, 2024|archive-date=June 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604104949/https://www.nexttv.com/news/local-news-close-up-as-salt-lake-population-booms-stations-greet-new-arrivals|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Technical information==
===Subchannels===
The station's signal is [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of KUCW<ref name="re">{{Cite web|url=https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KUCW#station|website=[[RabbitEars]]|title=TV Query for KUCW|access-date=May 31, 2024|archive-date=March 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317110827/http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KUCW#station|url-status=live}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 30.1 
| [[720p]] || rowspan=4 | [[16:9]] || KUCW-HD || [[The CW]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 30.2 
| rowspan=3 | [[480i]] || Mystery || [[Ion Mystery]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 30.3 
| Defy || [[Defy (TV network)|Defy]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 30.4 
| Shop-LC || [[Shop LC]]
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6; border-top: 2px solid #003399;"
! scope = "row" | [[KJZZ-TV|14.1]] 
| [[1080i]] || 16:9 || KJZZ-HD || [[KJZZ-TV]] ([[Independent station|Independent]])
|}
{{legend|#DFEBF6|Broadcast on behalf of another station}}

===Analog-to-digital conversion===
On April 3, 1997, the FCC adopted its Sixth Report and Order establishing digital television service allotments.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sixth Report and Order|work=FCC Engineering and Technology|url=http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Orders/1997/fcc97115.pdf|date=April 3, 1997|access-date=March 20, 2007|archive-date=March 7, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070307035343/http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Orders/1997/fcc97115.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Appendix B - DTV Table of Allocations|work=FCC Engineering and Technology|url=http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Orders/1997/fc97115a.pdf|date=April 3, 1997|access-date=March 20, 2007|archive-date=March 7, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070307035333/http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Orders/1997/fc97115a.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Channel 29 was assigned to Ogden for use by KOOG-TV and channel 17 to Provo for use by KZAR-TV, but the Roberts and ACME–Paxson swap arrangement provided for channel 17 to be transferred to the Ogden license.<ref>{{cite web|title=Notice of Proposed Rulemaking|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|url=https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-99-963A1.pdf|date=May 19, 1999|access-date=March 20, 2007|first=Barbara A.|last=Kreisman|archive-date=May 31, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531041036/https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-99-963A1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In July 1999, a consortium of KUWB and seven other area stations, collectively known as DTV Utah, proposed significant changes to the Salt Lake City–market DTV allocations, including moving KUWB-DT from channel 17 to channel 48.<ref>{{cite news|first=Howard|last=Fields|work=Television Broadcast|id={{ProQuest|203697135}}|date=July 1999|page=34|title=DTV Utah petitions FCC for changes}}</ref> KUWB-DT came into service on February 1, 2002.<ref name="fact">{{Cite book|chapter=KUWB, KUWB-DT|pages=A-2333, A-2334|title=Television & Cable Factbook|date=2006}}</ref>

KUCW shut down its analog signal, over [[UHF]] channel 30, on June 12, 2009, as part of the [[Digital television transition in the United States|federally mandated transition from analog to digital television]]; the station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 48, using [[virtual channel]] 30.<ref name="Analog to Digital">{{Cite web |date=May 23, 2006 |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |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 |access-date=August 29, 2021 |publisher=Federal Communications Commission}}</ref> On September 9, 2018, KUCW moved from channel 48 to channel 35 as a result of the [[2016 United States wireless spectrum auction]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.deseret.com/2018/9/7/20652991/over-the-air-tv-viewers-need-to-rescan-sunday-here-s-how-and-why/|first=Art|last=Raymond|title=Over-the-air TV viewers need to rescan Sunday: Here's how and why|newspaper=Deseret News|date=September 7, 2018|accessdate=November 25, 2018|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109033006/https://www.deseret.com/2018/9/7/20652991/over-the-air-tv-viewers-need-to-rescan-sunday-here-s-how-and-why|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Repack Table">{{Cite web|url=http://data.fcc.gov/download/incentive-auctions/Transition_Files/Phase_Assignment_Closing_PN.csv|title=FCC TV Spectrum Phase Assignment Table|format=CSV|website=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|date=April 13, 2017|access-date=April 17, 2017|archive-date=April 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417160749/http://data.fcc.gov/download/incentive-auctions/Transition_Files/Phase_Assignment_Closing_PN.csv|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Translators===
KUCW is additionally rebroadcast over a network of [[Low-power broadcasting#Television|low-power]] digital [[Broadcast relay station#Broadcast translators|translator stations]] throughout Utah, plus parts of [[Idaho]], [[Nevada]], and [[Wyoming]]:{{r|re}}

{{Div col|colwidth=20em|content=* [[Blanding, Utah|Blanding]]–[[Monticello, Utah|Monticello]]: K34OO-D
* [[Bloomington, Utah|Bloomington]]: KUWB-LD
* [[Clear Creek, Utah|Clear Creek]]: K27NY-D
* [[Coalville, Utah|Coalville]] and Adj. A: K32IT-D
* [[Delta, Utah|Delta]]–[[Oak City, Utah|Oak City]]: K28PD-D
* [[Duchesne, Utah|Duchesne]]: K27NP-D
* [[Price, Utah|East Price]]: K27NW-D
* [[Emery, Utah|Emery]]: K30KH-D
* [[Ferron, Utah|Ferron]]: K29IY-D
* [[Fillmore, Utah|Fillmore]]: K32JW-D
* [[Fountain Green, Utah|Fountain Green]]: K36MI-D
* [[Garrison, Utah|Garrison]], etc.: K32NE-D
* [[Green River, Utah|Green River]]: K24IN-D, K27NU-D
* [[Heber, Utah|Heber]]–[[Midway, Utah|Midway]]: K26IK-D
* [[Helper, Utah|Helper]]: K27NQ-D
* [[Henefer, Utah|Hemefer]]–[[Echo, Utah|Echo]]: K29FY-D
* [[Huntington, Utah|Huntington]]: K29IZ-D
* [[Huntsville, Utah|Huntsville]]: K19LR-D
* [[Leamington, Utah|Leamington]]: K17NN-D
* [[Logan, Utah|Logan]]: K13AAK-D
* [[Manila, Utah|Manila]]: K28PT-D
* [[Manti, Utah|Manti]]–[[Ephraim, Utah|Ephraim]]: K36OI-D
* [[Mayfield, Utah|Mayfield]]: K22IX-D
* [[Montezuma Creek, Utah|Montezuma Creek]]–[[Aneth]]: K21IX-D
* [[Myton, Utah|Myton]]: K14LW-D
* [[Mount Pleasant, Utah|Mount Pleasant]]: K17JD-D
* [[Nephi, Utah|Nephi]]: K25NN-D
* [[Orangeville, Utah|Orangeville]]: K24ND-D
* [[Park City, Utah|Park City]]: K33FY-D
* [[Peoa]]–[[Oakley, Utah|Oakley]]: K29MF-D
* [[Price, Utah|Price]]: K28PG-D
* [[Randolph, Utah|Randolph]]: K29MY-D
* [[Richfield, Utah|Richfield]], etc.: K22MP-D
* [[Beaver, Utah|Rural Beaver]], etc.: K27NJ-D
* [[Summit County, Utah|Rural Summit County]]: K18KO-D
* [[Salina, Utah|Salina]]: K05NF-D
* [[Roosevelt, Utah|Roosevelt]]: K26OF-D
* [[Samak, Utah|Samak]]: K36OX-D
* [[Santa Clara, Utah|Santa Clara]]: K33PC-D
* [[Scofield, Utah|Scofield]]: K27NV-D
* [[Scipio, Utah|Scipio]]: K14RN-D
* [[Spring Glen, Utah|Spring Glen]]: K20NP-D
* [[Vernal, Utah|Vernal]]: K28PF-D
* [[Wanship]]: K30KE-D
* [[Soda Springs, ID]]: K33HO-D
* [[Battle Mountain, NV]]: K11IY-D
* [[Elko, NV]] (Grindstone Mtn.): K28PJ-D
* [[Elko, NV]] (Lamoille Summit): K34HE-D
* [[Wells, NV]]: K26JB-D
* [[Evanston, WY]]: K27KV-D
* [[Lyman, WY]]: K31FW-D}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{URL|https://www.abc4.com/cw30|KTVX/KUCW-TV official website}}

{{SLC TV}}
{{Idaho TV}}
{{Nevada TV}}
{{Wyoming TV}}
{{NXST TV}}
{{Major U.S. TV O-O Stations}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kucw}}
[[Category:1985 establishments in Utah]]
[[Category:The CW affiliates]]
[[Category:Mass media in Salt Lake City]]
[[Category:Movies! affiliates]]
[[Category:Nexstar Media Group]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1985]]
[[Category:Television stations in Utah|UCW]]
[[Category:Ogden, Utah]]
[[Category:Defy (TV network) affiliates]]