KDFX-CD


KDFX-CD, virtual and UHF digital channel 33, is a low-powered, Class A Fox-affiliated television station licensed to both Indio and Palm Springs, California, United States and serving the Coachella Valley in California's Inland Empire. Owned by the News-Press & Gazette Company, it is a sister station to Palm Springs-licensed ABC affiliate KESQ-TV, and four other low-power stations: Cathedral City-licensed Class A CBS affiliate KPSP-CD, Palm Springs-licensed low-powered CW affiliate KCWQ-LD, Indio-licensed low-powered Telemundo affiliate KUNA-LP, and low-powered AccuWeather affiliate KYAV-LD. The six stations share studios on Dunham Way in Thousand Palms; KDFX-CD's transmitter is located on Edom Hill northeast of Cathedral City and I-10.
Along with other major Coachella Valley television stations, KDFX identifies itself on-air using its cable designation rather than its over-the-air channel position. The unusual practice stems in part from the area's exceptionally high cable penetration rate of 80.5% which is one of the highest in the United States.
In addition to its own digital signal, KDFX is simulcast in standard definition on KESQ's fourth digital subchannel from the same Edom Hill transmitter facility.

History

The station signed-on in 1990 as K40DB and was a translator of CBS affiliate KECY-TV in El Centro, California/Yuma, Arizona. The station was added on cable television on November 1, 1992. Along with its parent outlet, the station switched to Fox in 1995, becoming the first CBS affiliate in the United States to join the so-called "fourth network" outside of the network's 1994 affiliation agreement with New World Communications; prior to this switch, the network's programming was available over-the-air in some areas of the market via network-owned Los Angeles flagship KTTV. In 1997, Pacific Media Corporation entered into a local management agreement with a subsidiary of Lambert Broadcasting. That company split the translator off and relaunched it as a separate Fox affiliate serving the Coachella Valley.
On August 23 of that year, the station moved to UHF channel 33 and adopted KDFX-LP as its call sign. The LMA and options to purchase the two stations were sold a year later to the News-Press Gazette Company of St. Joseph, Missouri. Lambert invested heavily in the station and upgraded it to Class A status on April 7, 2003, as KDFX-CA. In May 2008 with the operational options running out, that owner officially bought the stations for $2 million. Since that company was already controlling KESQ in Palm Springs, the transaction made KDFX a sister outlet to the ABC affiliate. The station was licensed for digital operation on March 18, 2015, taking on the call sign KDFX-CD.

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
ChannelVideoAspectPSIP short nameProgramming
39.1720pKDFX-LDMain KDFX-CD programming / Fox
39.2720pKCWQ-LDSimulcast of KCWQ-LD / Palm Springs CW 5
39.3480iDDFXDabl

Programming

programming on KDFX includes The Wendy Williams Show, The Real, The Simpsons and Mike & Molly among others.

Newscasts

KESQ produces a two-hour extension of its weekday morning show seen from 7:00-9:00 a.m. on KDFX known as NewsChannel 3 HD in the Morning on Fox 11. The station also airs a nightly prime time broadcast called CBS Local 2 News Nightcast on Fox 11 which is produced by KPSP featuring the CBS outlet's branding, graphics, and anchors. Both of these offerings competed with now defunct low-powered MyNetworkTV affiliate KPSG-LP, which had local news seen at the same times produced by rival NBC affiliate KMIR-TV.