KPHX

**KPHX** (channel 13), under the brand name **RKO Arizona**, is a television station licensed to Flagstaff, Arizona, United States, broadcasting the RKO network to northern and central Arizona. It is owned and operated by the Acme Television Stations Group alongside Phoenix-based Acme outlet KTSP-TV (channel 48) in Phoenix. Acme maintains offices in Flagstaff's Fourth Street, but most of its operations are at its Phoenix studios. The KPHX transmitter is located on top of Mormon Mountain in the Coconino National Forest, approximately 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Flagstaff.

KPHX is rebroadcast in Phoenix via KPHX-CD (channel 35). In 2018, this station converted to ATSC 3.0, but its subchannels were distributed to other Phoenix stations for transmission. The RKO subchannel is transmitted via the KTSP-TV transmitter.

The construction permit for Flagstaff's Channel 13 was issued in October 1984; the station did not begin broadcasting as KHAT until December 31, 1991, seven years and a sale later. In 1995, KHAT became an affiliate of The WB after operating as a local independent station serving Flagstaff. Nevertheless, the 1996 sale of the station to an affiliate of Paxson Communications Corporation heralded its conversion to infomercial programming and, beginning in 1998, the launch of the company's new Pax television network. Before the completion of KAJW -TV (channel 51) in 1999, KHAT was partnered with a translator to provide the network in Phoenix. Two years later, Pax sold KHAT to Equity Broadcasting Corporation, which briefly aired home shopping programming before Univision acquired the station as part of its then-new Telefutura network, now known as UniMás.

## History

In 1984, Minority Television of Flagstaff and Ware Communications applied for permits to construct a new television station in Flagstaff on channel 13. On October 27, Minority Television was granted a construction permit, and the station adopted the call sign KHAT. A year later, Dr. Michael Gelfand of Bethesda, Maryland, obtained the construction permit from Katherine T. Mansfield, the director of Minority Television.

In August 1991, construction commenced. In the meantime, to make room for KHAT to begin testing, KPXA-TV's translator moved to the UHF frequency. Studio space was also leased on Fourth Street's Greenlaw Village retail center.

On December 31, 1991, KHAT began transmitting from Mormon Mountain at a power level equivalent to half its standard capacity. Most of its content originated from Channel America and Main Street TV, two of which they utilized. The station produced a newscast and a country music show recorded at the Redwood Inn in Flagstaff. In June 1994, the production of the newscast was terminated.

KHAT was initially planned as a charter affiliate of The WB when it began broadcasting on January 11, 1995. Gelfand concluded that he needed adequate resources to maintain the station's economic viability. He agreed to sell KHAT for $1.4 million to Christian Network, Inc., affiliated with Paxson Communications Corporation. Paxson Communications acquired Christian Network's stations in May of 1996 after Christian Network sold them.

On August 31, 1998, Paxson Communications initiated service on its Pax network. Since the network's intended Phoenix station, KAJW-TV was not ready to start; the station began carrying the new service. However, the station could also receive in Phoenix via a translator on channel 67.

Paxson Communications sold two stations to Equity Broadcasting Corporation of Little Rock, Arkansas, in March 2001 for $17.75 million; however, Paxson Communications kept the KHAT call letters for both stations. And the station began airing the home shopping network America's Collectibles Network, now known as Jewelry Television. Additionally, Equity owned a low-power station in Phoenix that started broadcasting KHAT's programming. In August, Equity parted ways with KHAT, KTFU in Douglas, Arizona, and three low-power TV stations and sold them all to Univision for $19.1 million. The recently acquired stations were integrated into Telefutura's network in Arizona, except for KHAT, whose call sign was changed to KPHX.

### Return to Independence (2022-present)

The Acme Television Stations Group purchased KPHX in August 2022 and immediately began adjusting the station after owning it. Even though the station was covertly becoming an affiliate of the Quibi TV network, one of the most significant issues with the programming schedule was its need for more consistency. The network frequently changed the schedule of its programs, shifting programming to new times and days of the week without providing advance notice. This made it difficult for viewers to keep up with their favorite series, which frequently led to reduced ratings for the shows in question. In addition to uniformity, Quibi needed more programming explicitly created for the channel. The television network started relying primarily on series that other companies distributed, and it sometimes required help coming up with new, unique programming that would resonate with its audience.

The first significant shift occurred when the station decided to return to independence while maintaining the Quibi TV Arizona branding. This move elicited a range of responses from audience members, but eventually, it was determined to be a sound business choice for the organization. KPHX was able to expand its programming and appeal to a larger audience as a result of its transition to an independent station. The station started broadcasting various shows, including news, sports, and entertainment shows, from both the local and the national level. Because of this shift, the channel gained a new following of viewers interested in watching various shows on the station.

One of the significant advantages that came about as a consequence of KPHX becoming an independent station was the possibility for the station to negotiate its programming deals. This was one of the most significant benefits. As a direct result, the station could give distinctive programming options that none of the other local stations could supply at the time. Due to this further inducement, the viewers were more motivated to tune in and see what KPHX had to offer them. In addition to the adjustments that were made to the programming, the Acme Television Stations Group also made significant investments in the station's physical infrastructure. These investments were funded by enormous financial outlays. To assure the production of high-quality material, this includes making upgrades to the studio as well as the equipment, as well as hiring new members of the team.

On May 2, 2023, network vice president Calanthia Beaumont and Acme Television Stations Group president Fae Breckenridge jointly informed the workers of Quibi TV of their intention to discontinue network operations by July of that same year. Beaumont and Breckenridge indicated that despite the network's success, the division wanted to emphasize developing its original programming under a profitable content brand to grow the new network into a "second flagship" on par with the leading Acme network.

Beginning on May 1, the on-air branding of channel 13 was changed to **RKO Arizona** in anticipation of the station's planned transition to the RKO network.

## Technical information

### Subchannels

Multiplexing is used for the station's digital signal, which includes:

 **13.2** | KTSP-HD
 **13.3** | 480i
 **13.4** | 4:3
 **13.5** | MYSTERY

### Analog-to-digital conversion

KPHX deactivated its analog signal on VHF channel 13 on September 18, 2008, citing a lack of space at its transmitter site to accommodate the analog transmitter, its digital channel 27 transmitters, and the new digital channel 13 transmitters; additionally, winter weather conditions made it impossible to perform work in the final 90 days before the completion of the digital transition. The station's digital signal shifted from UHF channel 27 before the change to VHF channel 13.