KAZD

KAZD

Lake Dallas/Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
Channels	Digital: 39 (UHF) Virtual: 55 (PSIP)
Subchannels	55.1 Azteca América 55.2 VietFace TV 55.3 Biz Television 55.4 LATV 55.5 Infomercials
Affiliations	Azteca América
Owner	Una Vez Más Holdings, LLC (Una Vez Mas Dallas License, LLC)
First air date	March 18, 1997
Call letters' meaning	AZteca America Dallas
Former callsigns	KAVB (1997) KLDT (1997-2010)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 55 (UHF, 1999-2007) Digital: 54 (UHF, 2006-2009)
Former affiliations	Independent (general) (1999-2000) HTVN (2000-2003) ShopNBC (2003-2005 & 2010) Independent (infomercials) (2005-2007) Gems TV (2007-2008) OnTV4U/WizeBuys TV (2008-2009) Liquidation Channel (2010)
Transmitter power	1000 kW
Height	509.3 m
Facility ID	17433
Transmitter coordinates	32°35′15.00″N 96°57′59.00″W

KAZD is a full-service ATSC digital television station in Lake Dallas, Texas, United States, broadcasting locally on digital channel 39 (virtual channel 55.1) as a full-time Azteca América affiliate. Founded March 18, 1997, it is a flagship station of its new owner, Una Vez Más Holdings, LLC, which acquired this station from Johnson Broadcasting.

The station broadcasts from a tower site in the Cedar Hill area. It is the first station in the market to broadcast exclusively in digital. The station is carried on cable via Time Warner (channel 21), Charter (channels vary), Verizon FiOS (channel 3) and AT&T U-verse (channel 55). The station broadcasted all of its program audio on a second audio channel until February 2009.

Digital programming

This station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel	Video	Aspect	Programming
55.1	480i	4:3	Main KAZD programming / Azteca América
55.2			VietFace TV
55.3			Biz Television
55.4			LATV
55.5			Infomercials

Analog-to-digital conversion

On May 22, 2006, KLDT signed on their digital broadcasts on channel 54. This would be key, as Qualcomm, who was launching MediaFLO service on 716 - 722 MHz (channel 55s frequency), would request them to go digital-only on channel 54. On November 17, 2006, the Federal Communications Commission gave permission for KLDT to shut off their analog facilities and "flash cut" to their final digital channel (39) at the end of the DTV transition period in 2009. KLDT shut off their analog station on January 1, 2007.

On June 12, 2009, KXTX shut down the analog signal on channel 39 and KLDT moved its digital signal to that particular channel. From 2007 to 2010; through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers displayed KLDT's virtual channel as "54.1". As of December 2010, KAZD uses virtual channel "55.1".

History

The station first went on the air in 1990 as KLDT (meaning Lake Dallas, Texas or Lake Dallas Television). The station's original transmitter site was located in Lewisville. That station was noted for a hefty US$15,500 fine imposed by the FCC for failing to adequately staff its main studio, for not making its public inspection file freely available, and for other filing violations. The station lost its license in the mid-1990s.

Another station, also using the KLDT calls and channel, was founded March 18, 1997 with a grant of an original construction permit to Johnson Broadcasting of Dallas LLC. The application was mutually exclusive with the license renewal application of the first KLDT station, but the FCC granted the Johnson Broadcasting application and did not renew the license of the previous station.

Former TV 55 logo used from 1999-2000. Much similar to sister station KNWS-TV's logo.

The station originally had call letters KAVB, but quickly changed to KLDT. Originally an affiliate of ACN, the station soon relegated shopping programming to the nighttime hours, and began broadcasting syndicated classic programming and movies, as well as news from Bloomberg TV, college sports from ESPN Plus, Lone Star Park Horseracing, and Houston Astros MLB games simulcast from sister station KNWS-TV in Houston. During this time, the station adopted the slogan TV55 Has The Shows You Know.

By 2000, the station had dropped most of its entertainment programming in favor of infomercials, or shopping from ACN. However, in that same year, the station received a much needed shot in the arm. KLDT soon became the flagship station for the Hispanic Television Network. HTVN aired programming targeted towards Hispanic viewers from Mexico. Due to several missteps, the network ceased operation in 2003 and the station again broadcast shopping programs, this time from ShopNBC.^{[citation needed]}

By this time, most of the station's sports programming had moved to former Telemundo affiliate KFWD. In 2005, the station became the temporary home for the FC Dallas soccer team, but that too eventually moved to KFWD. The station eventually dropped its ShopNBC affiliation and began to fill its empty time slots with infomercials, as well as religious programming. Two weeks prior to the analog shutoff, KLDT became an affiliate of Gems TV.

In 2008, KLDT returned to its infomercial programming, this time from OnTV4U and WizeBuys networks, then on November 2, 2009, KLDT returned to ShopNBC after over 4 years.

KLDT-DT 54 logo from the time when the station used RF channel 54 and virtual channel 54 from 2007-2010.

Short-lived KLDT-DT 55 logo prior to affiliation with Azteca America

.Johnson Broadcasting filed for bankruptcy protection in October 2008. One year later, impatient creditors asked the bankruptcy court to allow the sale of KLDT and KNWS. Una Vez Más Holdings, LLC emerged as the leading bidder. The sale to Una Vez Más was approved by the bankruptcy court on December 29, 2009, and finally received FCC approval September 27, 2010 after the FCC rejected a petition to deny the sale made by Spanish Broadcasting System. On September 30, 2010, Una Vez Mas requested a call sign change to KAZD in order reflect its intended affiliation with Azteca America. There were plans for KLDT to add the Retro Television Network to its secondary channel (54.2), but due to the bankruptcy filing, those plans were immediately scrapped.

In April 2010, KLDT became a Liquidation Channel affiliate. With the exception of two religious shows and one children's show, the majority of KLDT's programming consists of infomercials and the Liquidation Channel feed. However, in mid-November 2010 KLDT ceased broadcasting Liquidation Channel and (except for the religious programming) switched to infomercials. Throughout the years, KLDT had suffered several technical setbacks, almost to the point where they had to go off the air for several hours.

On December 30, 2010, KLDT ceased all programming except for a call-sign slide, becoming Azteca America affiliate KAZD at 9 p.m. CT.

Programming

"KAZD Azteca 55" logo used from December 2010 to July 2011.

KAZD is a full-time Azteca America affiliate. The station broadcasts a regional newscast every evening in Spanish called Noticias Azteca America Texas.

See also

• KYAZ (Houston, TX)

External links

• Azteca America Official Website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KAZD
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KAZD-TV