View source for KBLR

{{short description|Telemundo TV station in Las Vegas}}
{{for|broadcast stations that previously held the KBLR call sign|KBLR (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign               = KBLR
| city                   = Paradise, Nevada
| logo                   = KBLR Logo 2018.png
| logo_size              = 200px
| branding               = {{ubl|{{lang|es|italic=no|Telemundo Las Vegas}} (general)|{{lang|es|Noticiero Las Vegas}} (newscasts)}}
| analog                 =
| digital                = 20 ([[UHF]])
| virtual                = 39
| subchannels            = 
| translators            = 
| affiliations           = {{ubl|'''39.1:''' [[Telemundo]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}
| network                = 
| founded                = 1988
| airdate                = {{start date and age|1989|4|20|p=y}}
| location               = [[Paradise, Nevada|Paradise]]–[[Las Vegas, Nevada]]
| country                = United States
| callsign_meaning       = Initials of wife of station founder Glenn Rose
| former_callsigns       = 
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 39 (UHF, 1989–2009)|'''Digital:''' 40 (UHF, until 2018)}}
| owner                  = [[Telemundo Station Group]]
| licensee               = Telemundo Las Vegas License [[LLC]]
| sister_stations        = 
| former_affiliations    = {{ubl|[[Independent station|Independent]] (1989–1991)|[[Dark (broadcasting)|Dark]] (1991−1994)|[[Ion Television]] (DT3, until 2020)}}
| erp                    = 1,000 [[kW]]
| haat                   = {{convert|371|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| class                  = 
| facility_id            = 63768
| coordinates            = {{coord|36|0|34.43|N|115|0|23|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|name=KBLR}}
| licensing_authority    = [[FCC]]
| website                = {{URL|https://www.telemundolasvegas.com/}} 
}}

'''KBLR''' (channel 39) is a [[television station]] licensed to [[Paradise, Nevada]], United States, broadcasting the Spanish language [[Telemundo]] network to the [[Las Vegas]] area. [[Owned and operated]] by [[NBCUniversal]]'s [[Telemundo Station Group]], KBLR maintains studios at the [[Neonopolis]] complex on [[Fremont Street]] in downtown Las Vegas, and a transmitter on Black Mountain near [[Henderson, Nevada|Henderson]].

==History==
===Early years===
The station was founded in 1988 by Glenn Rose, an entrepreneur who found early success as a [[franchisee]] in [[Southern California]] of [[Nutrisystem]] and used the wealth from that effort to found KBLR, a station whose [[call signs in North America|call letters]] were inspired by the initials of his wife.

During its first two years of operation, it aired a schedule heavy on [[public domain]] movies and TV shows, [[professional wrestling]], and programs no other Las Vegas stations wanted to air. A lack of compelling programming and competition from three other independent stations, including [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]-affiliated [[KVVU-TV]], left KBLR unable to carve out a niche in the market. After a proposed sale to a company known as The Gaming Network fell through in December 1990, the station added programming from [[Channel America]], a service primarily used by low-power stations.<ref>{{cite news|page=2L|title=Ratings show Channel 3 giving TV-8 a run for the money|id={{ProQuest|259852886}}|first=Ken|last=White|work=Las Vegas Review-Journal|date=December 23, 1990}}</ref>

After dropping much of its programming to carry the contractual minimum with Channel America and air primarily Christian programming in February 1991,<ref>{{cite news|id={{ProQuest|259848592}}|first=Ken|last=White|title=KBLR to air Christian programs|date=February 1, 1991|page=15E|work=Las Vegas Review-Journal}}</ref> the station went dark on July 12, 1991.<ref>{{cite news|date=July 13, 1991|work=Las Vegas Review-Journal|id={{ProQuest|259835448}}|title=Local television station off air|page=1B}}</ref> The station then became the centerpiece of a proposal by Source Venture Capital to relaunch KBLR as a western superstation with content from [[Willie Nelson]]'s Outlaw Channel and purchased British series,<ref>{{cite news|title=KBLR to go back on air as superstation Oct. 15|page=3C|first=Ken|last=White|work=Las Vegas Review-Journal|id={{ProQuest|259878431}}|date=October 1, 1991}}</ref> which was slated for an October 15 launch that was postponed several times and ultimately scrapped when Rose's investors would not go along with the deal.<ref>{{cite news|page=6D|work=Las Vegas Review-Journal|id={{ProQuest|259872632}}|date=January 16, 1992|title=KBLR's superstation deal falls through}}</ref>

In 1993, Rose sold the station to a partnership known as Summit Media, headed by Scott Gentry, to be converted to the first full-power [[Spanish language in the United States|Spanish-language]] television station in Las Vegas and a Telemundo affiliate. At the time, the only Spanish-language outlet in the area was [[KELV-LD|K27AF "KAFT-TV"]], affiliated with [[Univision]].<ref>{{cite news|page=7E|first=John G.|last=Edwards|title=Spanish TV station in works|id={{ProQuest|259859611}}|work=Las Vegas Review-Journal|date=July 29, 1993}}</ref> The station resumed broadcasting on March 1, 1994.<ref name="LVRJ941114">{{cite news|first=Ken|last=White|title=Channel launches broadcast in Spanish|work=Las Vegas Review-Journal|date=November 14, 1994|id={{ProQuest|259973641}} }}</ref>

===Sale to NBC===
On February 23, 2005, NBC bought Telemundo affiliate KBLR from Summit Media for $32.1 million.<ref>[http://www.stationindex.com//tv/callsign/KBLR Telemundo 39 - KBLR Channel 39 Television]</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000818178|title=Inside Media|work=Mediaweek|first=Aimee|last=Deeken|date=February 28, 2005|url-status=}}{{deadlink|date=September 2023}}</ref> The sale was completed on May 24, 2005.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/nbc-closes-kblr-107029|title=NBC Closes on KBLR|date=May 24, 2005|work=Broadcasting & Cable|first=Allison|last=Romano}}</ref>

In August 2008, KBLR confirmed reports from the ''[[Las Vegas Sun]]'' and announced at the city council meeting that its studio facility would be moving to [[Neonopolis]] on Fremont Street, which is part of the [[Fremont Street Experience]]. The station's studios were first occupied on January 20 with full completion on February 22, 2009. KBLR began broadcast operations from the new facility that day at 4:45&nbsp;a.m.

The station previously had a [[broadcast relay station|repeater]] in [[Reno, Nevada]], '''K52FF''' (channel 52); this station has since gone dark, and its license canceled.

As a result of the sale to NBCUniversal, KBLR is the only network owned-and-operated station in the Las Vegas media market.

==News operation==
As the first full-power Spanish station in Las Vegas, the station launched local news, at first at 6 p.m. and then 11 p.m. during the week and then with weekend news. Previously, in 1994, it had launched a dubbed repeat of the 5 p.m. newscast from [[KLAS-TV]] at 6 p.m.{{r|LVRJ941114}}

As part of budget cuts at NBCUniversal, all Telemundo newscast production was shifted to the news hub in [[Dallas]] in 2007. In late 2010, most Telemundo stations restored locally produced news, but KBLR's newscasts continued to be produced elsewhere, this time to [[KTAZ]] in [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], which utilized Las Vegas-area reporters and Phoenix-based anchor talent. The 6 p.m. program was presented live, while the 11 p.m. broadcast was pre-taped.

On June 30, 2014, KBLR debuted locally produced 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts, hiring more than a dozen new staffers including anchor Beatriz Moncayo and weather presenter Leticia Castro.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/telemundo-las-vegas-to-expand-newscasts_b123744|title=Telemundo Las Vegas to Expand Newscasts|work=TVSpy|date=June 30, 2014}}</ref> The newscast was produced utilizing the technical resources of [[NBC]] affiliate [[KSNV]] (channel 3), owned by [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mediamoves.com/2014/06/telemundo-las-vegas-hires-moncayo-castro-for-launch-of-local-news.html|title=Telemundo Las Vegas Hires Moncayo, Castro for Launch of Local News|work=Media Moves|date=June 30, 2014}}</ref>

==Technical information==

===Subchannels===
The station's signal is [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of KBLR<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KBLR#station|title=RabbitEars TV Query for KBLR|website=[[RabbitEars.info]]|accessdate=June 13, 2024}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 39.1 
| [[1080i]] || rowspan=6| [[16:9]] || KBLR-HD || [[Telemundo]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 39.2 
| rowspan=5| [[480i]] || TelEx || [[TeleXitos]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 39.3 
| CRIMES || [[NBC American Crimes]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 39.4 
| COZI || [[Cozi TV]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 39.5 
| Oxygen || [[Oxygen (TV channel)|Oxygen]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 39.6
| Nosey || Nosey
|}

===Analog-to-digital conversion===
KBLR shut down its analog signal, over [[UHF]] channel 39, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States [[Digital television transition in the United States|transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts]] under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 40 until August 22, 2018,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds |access-date=March 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 }}</ref> at which point it was licensed to move to channel 20.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|KBLR}}
* {{official|http://www.telemundolasvegas.com/}}

{{Las Vegas TV}}
{{Reno TV}}
{{TV Stations Nevada}}
{{NBCUniversal}}
{{Major U.S. TV O-O Stations}}

[[Category:1989 establishments in Nevada]]
[[Category:Cozi TV affiliates]]
[[Category:Paradise, Nevada]]
[[Category:Spanish-language television stations in Nevada|BLR]]
[[Category:Telemundo Station Group]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1989]]
[[Category:Television stations in the Las Vegas Valley|BLR]]
[[Category:TeleXitos affiliates]]