KTBU

KTBU, virtual channel 55 (UHF digital channel 33), is a Quest owned-and-operated television station serving Houston, Texas, United States that is licensed to Conroe.[1] The station is owned by Tegna Inc., as part of a duopoly with Houston-licensed CBS affiliate KHOU (channel 11). The two stations share studios at 5718 Westheimer Road near Uptown Houston; KTBU's transmitter is located near Missouri City, in unincorporated northeastern Fort Bend County. There is no separate website for KTBU; instead, it is integrated with that of sister station KHOU.

KTBU
Conroe/Houston, Texas
United States
CityConroe, Texas
ChannelsDigital: 33 (UHF)
Virtual: 55 (PSIP)
BrandingKTBU 55
Programming
Affiliations11.11: CBS
55.1: Quest (O&O) / CBS (alternate)
55.2: VietSky
55.3: Nación TV
Ownership
OwnerTegna Inc.
(KHOU-TV, Inc.)
Sister stationsKHOU
History
First air dateJuly 15, 1998 (1998-07-15)
Former channel number(s)Analog:
55 (UHF, 1998–2009)
Digital:
42 (UHF, 2005–2019)
Former affiliationsIndependent (1998–2011)
Mega TV (2011–2020)
Call sign meaningTUBe (initial/former branding) rearranged
Technical information
Licensing authorityFCC
Facility ID28324
ERP1,000 kW
HAAT597 m (1,959 ft)
Transmitter coordinates29°33′45.2″N 95°30′35.9″W
Translator(s)KHOU-DT 11.4 (VHF) Houston
Links
Public license informationProfile
LMS

Previously, KTBU maintained separate facilities on Old Katy Road in the northwest side of Houston, while the KHOU studios only housed KTBU's master control and some internal operations.

History
Former "Houston's 55" logo.

The station first signed on the air on July 15, 1998, and was originally owned by Charles Dowen Johnson's Humanity Interested Media (alongside KVQT-LD) and then by the Osteen family of Lakewood Church. The station was later purchased by the Houston-based USFR Media Group.

As an independent station branded as "Houston's 55", KTBU formerly carried an eclectic line-up of classic and recent syndicated television series, as well as locally produced shows focusing on sports, history and other topics of interest to Houstonians.

In May 2011, the station was sold to the Spanish Broadcasting System for $16 million. Upon the completion of the sale, KTBU joined SBS' Mega TV network.[2][3]

On January 21, 2020, Tegna Inc. agreed to acquire KTBU for $15 million.[4] The sale was completed on March 24, 2020, making KTBU a sister station to CBS affiliate KHOU.[5] Sometime later after the sale, KTBU moved its operations to KHOU's studios near Uptown Houston while its former studios on Old Katy Road were permanently closed.

On March 27, 2020, KTBU's main channel flipped to the Tegna-owned Quest multicast network.[1]

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[6]
11.111080i16:9KHOU-SDUHF simulcast of KHOU / CBS
55.1720pKTBU-HDMain KTBU programming / Quest
55.2480iVietSkyVietSky (in Vietnamese)
55.3NacionNación TV (in Spanish)

Analog-to-digital conversion

KTBU discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over UHF channel 55, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television.[7] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 42,[8][9] using PSIP to display KTBU's virtual channel as 55 on digital television receivers, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition.

See also

References
  1. "TEGNA takes over KTBU 55 MegaTV leaves KTBU 55 as TEGNA brings in Quest". mikemcguff.com. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  2. "Spanish Broadcasting System pays $16 million for a TV station in Houston". Radio-Info.com. May 6, 2011. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  3. Globe Newswire Press Release: "Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. to Acquire Houston Television Station", May 6, 2011.
  4. "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  5. Consummation Notice
  6. RabbitEars TV Query for KTBU
  7. List of Digital Full-Power Stations Archived 2013-08-29 at the Wayback Machine
  8. CDBS Print
  9. Consumer Watch: Stations have more DTV work to do, Houston Chronicle, February 6, 2009.
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