UniMás 46 Los Angeles (calls: KFTR-DT) owned by Univision Communications is a Los Angeles based Spanish language station that shares duopoly with KMEX-DT operating in the West Coast area. Ontario licensed station shares studio space with it sibling on Center Drive in West Los Angeles. Transmitter of KFTR is installed on Mt. Wilson. It does not have any of its own local newscasts though it rebroadcasts the local news-bulletins shared by its sister KMEX.
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Website: www.univision.com/shows
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History
KFTR was launched as KBSA on Aug 16, 1972 and had originally licensing to Guasti area. It aired feature films as an independent station in its early days. KFTR released some time to Jim Bakker and Paul Crouch for the ministry Trinity Broadcasting Network. Paul and Jim were interested in making the purchase of Santa Ana-based KBSA in 1973 but the station was released to joint ownership of Hispanic Broadcasters and Berean Bible Ministries. Hispanic Broadcasters acquired all the stake in KBSA by 1975. At that time station continued broadcasting Spanish feature films but dropped the Christian programming. However, it couldn’t live long due to financial troubles and went off air in 1977. FCC revoked its license in 1979.
It returned to airs as KIHS in 1984; HBI was the owned the license to the upstart service. Religious programming was initiated upon the comeback and the Channel 46 was then affiliated to Santa Fe Communications; it mostly carried Catholic content. By 1986 it started carrying local sports content and public interest programming. Silver King Broadcasting acquired the station in 1986; the broadcasting division of the HSN: Home Shopping Network relaunched the station as KHSC-TV.
USA Broadcasting, the parent organization to Home Shopping Network in 1998 decided to change the format to general entertainment, however, some local and syndicated shows were also included in the programming. USA Broadcasting was thinking of changing Channel 46 format to dramas, classic sitcoms, new set of cartoons while also changing its calls to KLIK but the plans couldn’t be materialized as the company faced financial issues and had to put its assets on sale in 2000. The Walt Disney Company looked as a potential buyer of the USA Broadcasting stations but couldn’t seal the deal allowing Univision Communications to procure the stations in 2000. Call sign of Channel 46 was changed to KFTR-TV and it like other purchased stations became a charter affiliate of secondary network TeleFutura (later UniMás).
Programming
Channel 46 aired 1-hour extended weekday morning newscast of KMEX previously before eventually replacing it with Lanzaté. It would also take over the complete new operations in case of special or event based programming on KMEX, one example was the coverage of 2014 FIFA World Cup. KFTR has also partnered with Los Angeles Rams in 2016 as serves as the official Spanish broadcaster of Rams’ preseason matches. It has also signed a deal with Los Angeles FC to serve as the official broadcaster of MLS franchise.