KPAZ-TV

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KPAZ-TV
Image:TBN-Crest Blockletters.jpg
Phoenix, Arizona
Channels	Analog: 21 (UHF) Digital: 20 (UHF)
Affiliations	TBN
Owner	Trinity Broadcasting Network
First air date	September 16, 1967
Call letters meaning	K Phoenix, AriZona also PAZ, Spanish for peace
Former affiliations	bilingual English/Spanish independent (1967-1977)
Transmitter Power	1290 kW (analog) 500 kW (digital)
Height	489 m (both)
Facility ID	67868
Transmitter Coordinates	33°20′2.3″N, 112°3′45.7″W
Website	www.tbn.org

KPAZ-TV is a Trinity Broadcasting Network-owned and operated television station in Phoenix, Arizona. It broadcasts on analog channel 21 and on digital channel 20 from South Mountain in Phoenix. KPAZ-TV can also be seen on several translator stations throughout the state.

1 History
2 Digital services
3 Translators
4 External links

[edit] History

KPAZ-TV began life as Arizona’s first full-powered UHF station, commencing operations on September 16, 1967, from studios and offices in the now-defunct Tower Plaza Mall. Its original programming lineup was several years ahead of its time, featuring a news ticker during the day, Spanish-language movies and TV series from Mexico, and tape-delayed sporting events. Its main draw at the time was Mexican bullfighting telecasts. It also broadcast jai alai games. In 1970, the original owners went bankrupt and sold it to a Phoenix area church, which eventually added local and national religious programming to the schedule while keeping some secular English- and Spanish-language programs.

KPAZ-TV continued to lose money and by 1977, was over US$2 million in debt and was forced to go silent. The church that owned the station had issued bonds to pay for its operations, but could no longer even pay the interest on the bonds to its nearly 200 mostly elderly partners. [1]. The church agreed to transfer the license to the fledgling TBN in exchange for assumption of the station’s debt. TBN returned the station to the air later that year as their second TV station. KPAZ-TV has been a TBN station since.

Currently, their transition to ATSC format digital television is in flux, mainly due to the fact that the stark rise in local construction has left the Phoenix area with a shortage of workers to install the DTV antenna. [2]