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KJLA (channel 57) is a Spanish-language religious independent television station licensed to Ventura, California, United States, serving the Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Costa de Oro Media, LLC, a company run by Entravision Communications founder, CEO and chairman Walter Ulloa (whose brother, Ronald Ulloa, owns ethnic independent KXLA (channel 44) and KVMD (channel 31)). KJLA's studios are located on Corinth Avenue (near Interstate 405) in West Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.
Key Information
KJLA operates two low-power repeater stations: KLFA-LD (channel 25) in Santa Maria and KFUL-LD (channel 23) in San Luis Obispo (both are part of the Santa Barbara market). In addition to carrying Spanish-language programming on its main channel, the station also carries various networks broadcasting in Vietnamese and Mandarin on separate digital subchannels.
History
[edit]The station first signed on the air on October 1, 1990, as KSTV-TV. It was the second attempt to operate a television station in Ventura; the first, KKOG-TV (channel 16), operated from December 14, 1968, to September 13, 1969, with a schedule of entirely live, local programming. KSTV-TV was originally owned by Costa de Oro Television, Inc., and originally aired Spanish-language programming as an affiliate of Galavisión. The station signed on a low-power translator in Santa Maria in 1992.
In 1994, Walter Ulloa purchased Costa de Oro Television and KSTV-TV, intending to increase its transmitting power and extend its signal to better reach to the Los Angeles area. However, although Ventura is considered part of the Los Angeles market, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules at the time placed KSTV-TV within the Santa Barbara–Santa Maria–San Luis Obispo market, similar to the situation of KADY-TV channel 63 (now KBEH-TV) in Oxnard, California which became Santa Barbara's UPN affiliate when the network launched in January 1995. Unable to get cable coverage in the Los Angeles area, on November 1, 1995, KSTV switched to an English-language format and became the WB affiliate for the Santa Barbara market.

However, the station continued in its attempts to enter the Los Angeles market. In July 1997, KSTV increased its effective radiated power to 5,000 kilowatts. The improved signal helped the station to obtain must-carry status on most cable providers in western Los Angeles County in February 1998. However, because Los Angeles already had a WB-affiliated station, KTLA (channel 5), KSTV-TV was forced to disaffiliate from the network. In the spring of 1998, the station relocated its studios and offices from Ventura to West Los Angeles.
The station changed its call letters to KJLA on July 20, 1998, to further reflect its intentions to serve the Los Angeles market. On that date, KJLA became an independent station and adopted a split-scheduled format. The station began carrying financial news programming under the brand Business News 22 acquired from KWHY-TV, later BizNews 1 on weekday mornings and afternoons. Business news returned to KWHY-TV, this time only on its digital signal, in 2000, and was later dropped by KJLA.
In November 2001, the Simi Valley translator was moved to Mount Wilson and started broadcasting to Los Angeles as KSMV-LP on channel 33. Ironically, the original low power translator in Simi Valley operated on channel 44, which caused interference with full power "cousin" station KRPA (now KXLA) which prompted the change to channel 33. Soon after, Trinity Broadcasting Network sought to move KTBN-TV's digital operation from channel 23 to channel 33, to avoid co-channel interference from the digital signals of KVMD (another "cousin" of KJLA) in the Inland Empire and San Diego CW affiliate XETV, now a repeater of XHGC-TDT. KTBN's move to channel 33 was authorized on February 5, 2009, ultimately displacing KSMV-LP to KTBN's former digital channel, 23. KSMV-LP soon flash-cut to digital and started rebroadcasting KVMD to the Los Angeles area.
The following year in 2001, the station began branding its Spanish language programming block under the name LATV. In April 2007, LATV transitioned from a programming block on KJLA into a national network; it became distributed to several television stations (mainly carried on digital subchannels and low-power stations, with the subchannels of four stations owned by Post-Newsweek Stations and those owned by Entravision Communications among the network's charter affiliates).[3][4][5]

In December 2017, it was announced that the station will become the Los Angeles market's Azteca América affiliate on January 3, 2018, replacing KAZA-TV, thus sister station KVMD became the new affiliate of LATV in the Los Angeles market on January 1, 2018. Although the official switch to Azteca was not until January 3, the station started airing the majority of the network's programming on January 1 with an exception of shows that aired at the same time as KJLA's religious programming, which continued to air on the network until March.[6] Various Azteca programs were delayed or not shown at all in order to make place for KJLA's religious program Cambia Tu Vida, which aired various times a day. The program was removed from KJLA's schedule on March 19, 2018, and the station begin airing Azteca's entire schedule "live" and in pattern. On January 1, 2022, the station dropped its affiliation with Azteca America and starting airing religious programming from Visión Latina and Universal Church; Azteca moved its affiliation to a subchannel of KWHY-TV until the network ceased operations on December 31, 2022.
Technical information
[edit]Subchannels
[edit]KJLA presents 10 subchannels on the multiplex shared with KXLA:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57.1 | 720p | 16:9 | KJLA | Spanish religious |
| 57.2 | 480i | 4:3 | VFACE | VietFace TV (Vietnamese) |
| 57.3 | VNA | VNA TV (Vietnamese) | ||
| 57.4 | VietSky | VietSky Television (Vietnamese) | ||
| 57.5 | STV | Saigon TV (Vietnamese) | ||
| 57.6 | VBS | VBS TV (Vietnamese) | ||
| 57.7 | AVA | AVA (Vietnamese) | ||
| 57.9 | ZWTV | Chung T'ien TV (Mandarin) | ||
| 57.12 | VGMT | Viet Global Mall TV (Vietnamese) | ||
| 57.22 | SBTN | SBTN (Vietnamese) |
Translators
[edit]Analog-to-digital conversion
[edit]KJLA had applied to convert to a digital-only signal, citing low over-the-air analog viewership rates and high operating costs to maintain the simulcast; this request was refused by the FCC on February 9, 2005. The higher operating costs were in part due to KJLA having two different transmitter sites. The station's analog transmitter was located on South Mountain near Santa Paula in Ventura County; the facilities for its digital signal are located on Mount Wilson in Los Angeles County.[8]
KJLA shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 57, on August 27, 2008.[9] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 49, using virtual channel 57. KJLA is the second television station in the Los Angeles market to discontinue its analog signal before the digital transition in 2009, after KVMD, which shut down its analog signal in 2003.
Channel sharing trial
[edit]In February 2014, KJLA and PBS member station KLCS (channel 58) were granted special temporary authority by the FCC to conduct trials in partnership with CTIA and the Association of Public Television Stations, in which the two stations would conduct a test of the H.264 video codec for digital television transmission, and more importantly, the ability and viability of broadcasting two sets of television services within the same 6 MHz channel band. These tests came as the FCC prepared to perform a spectrum auction in 2015 (which was delayed to sometime in 2016 that November), in which television station operators would be able to voluntarily sell their broadcast spectrum to the government, and then receive profits from its sale to wireless providers. An FCC spokesperson stated that channel sharing would allow broadcasters to "[take] advantage of the incentive auction’s once-in-a-lifetime financial opportunity", while still maintaining its ability to run over-the-air television programming.[10][11][12]
References
[edit]- ^ KJLA Form 2100 - CSA
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KJLA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ http://www.latv.com/sales/articles/PNewswekkStations.html[dead link]
- ^ "KSAT 12 owner invests in LATV Networks". San Antonio Business Journal. August 20, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- ^ "LATV, Bilingual Net, Adds 10 New Markets". MediaPost. May 22, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- ^ "Azteca América and LATV switch channels in LA". January 4, 2018.
- ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for KJLA". RabbitEars.info. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
- ^ "Request to Discontinue Analog Operations of Station KJLA(TV)", Federal Communications Commission, March 10, 2005.
- ^ List of Digital Full-Power Stations
- ^ "FCC Grants STA for L.A. Spectrum Sharing". TV Technology. Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
- ^ Wyatt, Edward (January 28, 2014). "TV Stations in Los Angeles to Share a Channel to Free Up Spectrum". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
- ^ "Overview of the KLCS/KJLA Channel Sharing Pilot — A Technical Report" (PDF). Alan Popkin, Director of Television Engineering & Technical Operations, KLCS-TV, Los Angeles
Roger Knipp, Broadcast Engineer, KLCS-TV, Los Angeles
Eddie Hernandez, Director of Operations & Engineering, KJLA-TV. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Santa Barbara TV Guide channel listings showing KSTV affiliations in 1992 and 1997.
- 1995 FCC petition requesting cable carriage under must-carry rules.
- 1998 FCC petition requesting modification of market under must-carry rules.
- 2000 FCC petition requesting cable carriage.
- USENET posting referring to KSTV-57 and WB affiliation
- TV57 description on R-VCR.COM
- Orange Bytes, November 1999 article announcing move of KWHY-TV business news
Station Profile
Licensing and Ownership
KJLA is a full-power television station licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to Ventura, California, with facility ID No. 14000. The license was initially granted in 1990, enabling the station to operate on UHF channel 57 and serve the Los Angeles designated market area (DMA), one of the largest in the United States. The current licensee is KJLA, LLC, which holds the broadcast rights and is responsible for compliance with FCC regulations, including recent renewals such as the full eight-year term approved in 2025 following a consent decree addressing reporting violations.[9] The station's call sign was originally KSTV-TV upon its launch and was changed to KJLA on July 20, 1998, as part of efforts to emphasize its service to the broader Los Angeles market; this change received FCC approval and was reflected in subsequent regulatory filings. The station was originally owned by Costa de Oro Television, Inc. In 1994, it was acquired by Walter Ulloa. KJLA, LLC became the licensee around 2011. KJLA is owned by Costa de Oro Media, LLC, a private entity controlled by the Ulloa family and focused on Hispanic media in Southern California. KJLA, LLC serves as the direct licensee under Costa de Oro Media, handling day-to-day regulatory obligations and filings, such as biennial ownership reports via FCC Form 323.[10]Coverage Area and Signal Reach
KJLA, licensed to Ventura, California, operates studios in West Los Angeles and primarily serves the Los Angeles designated market area (DMA), ranked as the second-largest television market in the United States with a potential audience exceeding 17 million people. Despite its city of license, the station's programming targets the broader Los Angeles metropolitan region, extending over approximately 20,000 square miles of Southern California terrain. This includes full coverage of Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, and Riverside counties, with fringe reception possible in parts of San Bernardino and San Diego counties. The station's transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson in the San Gabriel Mountains at coordinates 34°13′35.3″N 118°04′00.9″W, a site shared with numerous other Los Angeles-area broadcasters for optimal line-of-sight propagation. KJLA transmits with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 1,000 kW using a directional antenna, achieving a height above average terrain (HAAT) of 947 meters. These parameters enable robust signal propagation, with the primary coverage defined by the 60 dBu contour encompassing the densely populated urban core and suburbs, while secondary coverage (below 60 dBu) reaches rural and peripheral areas, ensuring reliable over-the-air reception for most households in the target counties without significant terrain obstructions. In addition to over-the-air broadcasting, KJLA is widely distributed through cable and satellite providers serving the Los Angeles DMA and adjacent markets, enhancing accessibility beyond the broadcast signal's natural footprint. Major providers such as Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum, and DirecTV include the station in their lineups for subscribers in the covered counties. Currently, KJLA does not employ any over-the-air translators or boosters to extend its signal.Historical Background
Launch and Initial Operations
KJLA first signed on the air as KSTV-TV on October 1, 1990, broadcasting on UHF channel 57 from Ventura, California.[11] The station was the second effort to establish a full-power television outlet in Ventura, succeeding the brief operation of KKOG-TV on channel 16 in the 1960s.[12] Owned by Costa de Oro Television, Inc., KSTV-TV launched as a Spanish-language independent station with an affiliation to the Galavisión network, targeting the region's growing Hispanic audience.[13] Initial studios were located in Ventura, emphasizing regional Hispanic content to serve local communities in Ventura County and surrounding areas.[14] The station's inaugural programming consisted of a mix of telenovelas, news programs, and local shows drawn primarily from Galavisión's lineup, which featured imported Spanish-language dramas, variety formats, and informational segments.[11] This content aimed to provide culturally relevant entertainment and information to Spanish-speaking viewers in a market underserved by major networks at the time. In November 1995, facing challenges with cable carriage in the broader Los Angeles area, KSTV-TV shifted to an English-language format and became an affiliate of The WB Television Network, serving as the network's outlet for the Santa Barbara–San Luis Obispo market.[15] Key developments in the late 1990s included a call sign change to KJLA on July 20, 1998, reflecting the station's evolving focus toward the Los Angeles market.[16] Following the end of its WB affiliation, KJLA transitioned back to independent status with Spanish-language programming, marking the close of its initial operational phase.[17]Affiliation and Format Changes
In the early 2000s, KJLA introduced the LATV programming block on one of its subchannels, targeting young Latino audiences with a mix of English- and Spanish-language entertainment, music, and lifestyle content aimed at viewers aged 12 to 34. This format originated as a local initiative on the station in 2001 before evolving into a national network. LATV launched nationwide on April 23, 2007, expanding to 16 stations in key Hispanic markets and solidifying its position as a bilingual youth-oriented broadcaster distributed primarily via digital subchannels. KJLA carried LATV until December 31, 2017.[18][1] By 2018, KJLA underwent a significant affiliation shift to become the Azteca América outlet for the Los Angeles market, replacing the network's previous carrier, KAZA-TV, which had been sold in an FCC spectrum auction. This transition marked a move to full-power broadcasting for Azteca América in the region, enhancing signal reach compared to prior low-power operations, with KJLA airing the network's premier Spanish-language programming including news, telenovelas, and sports from January 3, 2018. The change was part of broader network realignments following the auction, which prompted Azteca to seek a more robust full-service affiliate.[6][19] On January 1, 2022, KJLA discontinued its Azteca América affiliation amid the network's declining operations, with programming relocating to a subchannel of KWHY-TV in Los Angeles until Azteca América ceased entirely on December 31, 2022. This led to a brief phase of independent operation for KJLA, during which the station aired a mix of syndicated and local content without a primary network tie. Key FCC filings associated with these affiliation evolutions include KJLA's 1998 market modification request to expand its must-carry rights into portions of the Los Angeles DMA, partially granted for communities within its Grade A contour despite initial eligibility concerns, and participation in the 2014 KLCS/KJLA channel-sharing pilot to test spectrum efficiency amid affiliation and operational shifts. The station soon pivoted to a religious programming focus, aligning with Spanish-language faith-based content.[20][8]Programming and Content
Primary Network Affiliation
KJLA's primary channel (DT1) has been affiliated with Visión Latina since January 1, 2022, when the Spanish-language religious network launched on the station, replacing prior programming.[5] Visión Latina is operated by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and focuses on faith-based content alongside secular programming like news and variety shows in Spanish, including worship services, inspirational talks, and community outreach programs designed to support spiritual growth. The network airs a 24/7 schedule tailored to Hispanic viewers, with mornings typically featuring news-infused faith segments like Mañana Latina, which combines current events with devotional discussions from Los Angeles-based studios, followed by midday slots for educational and testimonial shows.[21] Evenings and overnights emphasize personal transformation narratives, such as Retratos de la Familia, which explores family dynamics through religious lenses; Los Vicios Tienen Cura, a program offering faith-centered guidance on overcoming addictions; and Emprendedores de la Fé, highlighting success stories of believers in business and personal endeavors.[22] Additional recurring content includes Problemas y Soluciones for addressing life challenges via scripture and Rompiendo el Silencio for open dialogues on taboo topics like mental health within a Christian framework.[23] All programming is produced in-house by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, drawing from its global resources and local Los Angeles production facilities, with the church leasing airtime on KJLA-DT1 to broadcast directly to the station's Hispanic audience in the greater Los Angeles region. This setup allows for culturally relevant content that resonates with Spanish-speaking communities seeking accessible religious media. Visión Latina has established a notable presence in Los Angeles' diverse religious broadcasting scene, primarily serving Hispanic demographics interested in evangelical Christian teachings. As the network's key West Coast outlet via KJLA, which provides over-the-air coverage to approximately 18 million viewers, it contributes to the network's broader U.S. reach through multiple affiliates including stations in markets such as Washington, D.C., Phoenix, and Miami, collectively serving tens of millions of people as of 2025.[1][24]Subchannel Offerings
KJLA operates a robust digital multicast lineup on virtual channel 57, utilizing up to 10 subchannels to deliver diverse ethnic programming primarily targeted at immigrant communities in the Los Angeles area. The primary subchannel, 57.1, broadcasts Visión Latina, a Spanish-language network featuring religious content from the Universal Church alongside news, variety shows, and family-oriented programs in 720p high definition.[3] The remaining subchannels, transmitted in standard definition 480i resolution, focus heavily on Vietnamese-language content, with additional offerings in Mandarin and other Asian languages to serve Southern California's multicultural population. The subchannel programming emphasizes community-specific content, particularly for Vietnamese audiences. Subchannel 57.2 airs VFACE TV, which includes lifestyle shows, dramas, and cultural programs tailored to Vietnamese viewers. Similarly, 57.3 features VNA-TV, dedicated to Vietnamese news, current affairs, and informational segments from the Vietnam News Agency. Other Vietnamese-focused subchannels include 57.4 (VietSky, offering entertainment and imported series), 57.5 (Saigon TV, with music and talk shows), 57.6 (VBS, featuring variety and religious content), 57.10 (SBTN, a major Vietnamese network with news and dramas), and 57.12 (VGMT, shopping and infomercials). Mandarin programming appears on 57.9 (ZWTV/Chung T'ien TV, broadcasting Taiwanese news, dramas, and faith-based shows), while 57.15 provides additional Vietnamese content via SBU-TV. These subchannels collectively form a comprehensive ethnic broadcast suite, with no dedicated Filipino programming identified in the current lineup.[25][26][3] KJLA's subchannels are operated through time-brokerage and leasing agreements with independent ethnic broadcasters, allowing specialized operators to curate and air content while KJLA handles the technical transmission. This model generates revenue for KJLA via lease fees and supports targeted advertising to niche audiences, such as Vietnamese and Chinese communities in Greater Los Angeles. Partnerships include entities like VietFace TV and Saigon Television, which manage daily programming under these arrangements to ensure culturally relevant output.[27][26] The subchannel structure evolved following KJLA's full transition to digital broadcasting in 2008, when analog operations ceased and multiplexing capabilities enabled multiple simultaneous feeds on the UHF digital signal. This post-transition expansion allowed KJLA to diversify beyond its primary Spanish content, introducing ethnic subchannels to capitalize on the region's demographic shifts. Adjustments occurred after the 2022 affiliation change on the main channel, where Azteca América was replaced by Visión Latina; however, the subchannel lineup remained largely stable, continuing to prioritize Asian-language programming without major disruptions.[28]| Virtual Channel | Resolution | Programming | Language/Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 57.1 | 720p | Visión Latina / Universal Church | Spanish religious, news, variety |
| 57.2 | 480i | VFACE TV | Vietnamese community, dramas |
| 57.3 | 480i | VNA-TV | Vietnamese news, affairs |
| 57.4 | 480i | VietSky | Vietnamese entertainment |
| 57.5 | 480i | Saigon TV | Vietnamese music, talk |
| 57.6 | 480i | VBS | Vietnamese variety |
| 57.9 | 480i | ZWTV / Chung T'ien TV | Mandarin/Taiwanese news, dramas |
| 57.10 | 480i | SBTN | Vietnamese news, series |
| 57.12 | 480i | VGMT | Vietnamese shopping |
| 57.15 | 480i | SBU-TV | Vietnamese general |
