 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "KKCO" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(March 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |
 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Channels | |
| Branding | KKCO 11 News |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KJCT-CD,KKTV | |
| History | |
| Founded | December 16, 1994 |
First air date | July 29, 1996 (1996-07-29) |
Former channel numbers | Analog: 11 (VHF, 1996–2009) |
| The CW (11.2, 2006−2008) | |
Call sign meaning | Colorado |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 24766 |
| ERP | 5.3kW |
| HAAT | 452 m (1,483 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 39°3′59.9″N108°44′47.4″W / 39.066639°N 108.746500°W /39.066639; -108.746500 |
| Translator(s) |
|
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
KKCO (channel 11) is atelevision station inGrand Junction, Colorado, United States, affiliated withNBC andTelemundo. It is owned byGray Media alongsidelow-power,Class A stationKJCT-CD (channel 8), an affiliate ofABC andThe CW Plus. The two stations share studios on Blichmann Avenue in Grand Junction; KKCO's transmitter is located at the Black Ridge Electronics Site at theColorado National Monument west of the city.
The station signed on for the first time on July 29, 1996, providing Grand Junction its first in-market NBC affiliate. Its local newscasts rose to number one in the market shortly after debuting. Originally owned by Eagle III Broadcasting, it was purchased by Gray in 2005.
In 1994, multiple groups applied for aconstruction permit to build channel 11 in Grand Junction. However, the process of awarding such permits through thecomparative hearing process long used by theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) had been forcibly derogated by a court ruling finding its criteria "arbitrary and capricious". In 1995, the commission opened a 90-day settlement window to encourage settlements or mergers among applicants for channels with multiple applicants. Among the settlements received was a merger of Uhlmann/Latshaw Broadcasting LLC and Grand Junction Television Partners.[2] The lead partner in the merged corporation, Bill Varecha, had previously run a radio station inVail, where he noticed the lack of a local NBC affiliate; he had previously built and soldWCEE-TV inMount Vernon, Illinois, in the 1980s,[3][4] as well asWAYK inMelbourne, Florida.[5]
KKCO began broadcasting on July 29, 1996; in addition to broadcasting NBC, the station also served as a secondary affiliate ofUPN.[3] Its launch had the effect of removingDenver NBC affiliateKUSA fromTCI Cable's systems on theWestern Slope.[6] This led to letters to the editor in publications includingThe Denver Post andBroadcasting & Cable from viewers who were upset at the loss of the Denver station's newscasts andDenver Broncos preseason games.[7][8] At the crux of the station's inability to air the Broncos was the team's unwillingness to share preseason television revenue with theNational Football League, which stipulated that any sale to a station outside a 75-mile (121 km) radius from the main city was shared revenue.[9] TCI was able to broadcast the Broncos preseason games beginning in 1998 by arrangement with KUSA,[10] and KKCO itself gained the rights in 2003.[11]
The station initially simulcast some of KUSA's newscasts while it developed its own news department.[9] The station began producing its own newscasts later in 1996; within 18 months, KKCO had risen to number one in the market in ratings and revenue.[12]
In 2004,Gray Television bought the station and its translator inMontrose from Eagle III Broadcasting LLC for $13.5 million.[13] Gray closed on the purchase in February 2005.[14] At the time of the purchase, Varecha was working for Gray as its general manager inCharlottesville, Virginia, where it was starting upWCAV andWVAW-LP.[12]
Gray acquired the programming assets ofKJCT in 2014; unable to program the full-power station due to new scrutiny ofjoint sales agreements, its programming moved toa low-power station. The KJCT and KKCO newsrooms were combined.
On December 18, 2024, KKCO reporter Ja'Ronn Alex was allegedly followed by 39-year-old Patrick Thomas Egan, a taxi cab driver, for about 40 miles (64 km) from theDelta area to the KKCO studios in Grand Junction. Alex, who was out reporting and driving a news vehicle, was allegedly followed by Egan in his company taxi. Upon reaching Grand Junction, Egan pulled up beside Alex at a stoplight, questioned Alex's citizenship, said that it was "Trump's America now", and added that he was aMarine and had taken "an oath to protect this country from people like [Alex]". Alex then returned to the news station, where he was chased by Egan, who demanded for Alex's identification before tackling him and putting him into aheadlock. Coworkers ran out to protect Alex and said that Alex was apparently struggling to breathe. Part of the attack was captured on surveillance video. Egan was arrested on suspicion of bias-motivated crimes, second-degree assault by strangulation, and harassment by following and ethnic intimidation; and his bail was set at $20,000. Alex told Grand Junction police that he believed he had been attacked because he isPacific Islander.[15][16] Egan's public defender said that he intended to plead not guilty during the trial, which is scheduled to begin January 12, 2026.[17]
The station's signal ismultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KKCO-DT | NBC |
| 11.2 | 480i | 4:3 | MeTV | MeTV |
| 11.3 | 720p | 16:9 | TELE-HD | Telemundo |
| 11.4 | 480i | The365 | 365BLK | |
| 11.5 | MeToons | MeTV Toons |
Broadcast television stations by affiliation in the state ofColorado | ||
|---|---|---|
Includes stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of Colorado | ||
| ABC | ||
| CBS | ||
| Fox | ||
| NBC | ||
| The CW | ||
| Ion Television | ||
| Independent | ||
| PBS |
| |
| Spanish | ||
| Religious | ||
| Other | ||
| ATSC 3.0 | ||
| ||
