KABE-CD (channel 39) is a low-power, Class A television station in Bakersfield, California, United States, broadcasting the Spanish-language network Univision. It is owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision alongside Class A UniMás outlet KBTF-CD (channel 31) and Quest affiliate KUVI-DT (channel 45). The three stations share studios on Truxtun Avenue in the western section of Bakersfield; KABE-CD's transmitter is located atop Mount Adelaide.

KABE-CD
Channels
Branding
  • Univision 39
  • Noticias 39 (newscasts)
  • Noticias 21 (during newscast simulcasts)
Programming
Affiliations39.1: Univision
Ownership
Owner
KUVI-DT, KBTF-CD
History
First air date
July 31, 1989 (35 years ago) (1989-07-31)
Former call signs
  • K52DJ (1989–1998)
  • KSUV-LP (1998–2002)
  • KBTF-LP (2002–2004)
  • KABE-LP (2004–2010)
  • KABE-LD (2010–2013)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 52 (UHF, 1989–1998), 39 (UHF, 1998–2010)
  • Digital: 39 (UHF, 2010–2019)
Call sign meaning
"Aquí en Bakersfield Estamos"
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID18747
ClassCD
ERP13 kW
HAAT385 m (1,263 ft)
Transmitter coordinates35°26′16.75″N 118°44′27.39″W / 35.4379861°N 118.7409417°W / 35.4379861; -118.7409417
Translator(s)KUVI-DT 45.2 Bakersfield
Links
Public license information
WebsiteUnivision Bakersfield

In addition to its own digital signal, KABE-CD is simulcast in high definition on KUVI's second digital subchannel (45.2) from a separate transmitter atop Mount Adelaide.

History

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K52DJ launched on July 31, 1989, as a translator of Fresno's Univision station KFTV. It was renamed KSUV-LP and moved to channel 39 in 1998 after Univision purchased UPN affiliate KUZZ-TV (now KUVI-DT) from Buck Owens. It was renamed to KBTF-LP in 2002 during the launch of TeleFutura (now UniMás). It was renamed to KABE-LP in 2004 after a callsign swap with the original KABE-CA (channel 31, now KBTF-CD). In 2013, the station obtained Class A status. In 2019, KABE started airing Court TV on its second digital subchannel as part of an agreement between Scripps and Univision for areas where KERO-TV's signal is not easily received.[2]

Subchannel

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Subchannel of KABE-CD[3]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
39.1 720p 16:9 KABE-CD Univision

The True Crime Network affiliation was dropped on September 25, 2017, two weeks after KUVI obtained the affiliation; the 39.2 subchannel went dark until 2019, when it returned to the air with Court TV programming. The Court TV affiliation was dropped in 2021.

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KABE-CD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Court TV official website".
  3. ^ "RabbitEars query of KABE-CD". RabbitEars. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
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