KYVN-CD

**KYVN** (digital channel 23, virtual channel 57) is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for the Rio Grande Valley television market. KYVN is licensed to Weslaco, Texas.

## History

KYVN first signed on in 1988 as **K57XK**. The station was originally planned to go on the air 2 years earlier as a bilingual religious independent, but the prior owners of the station's construction permit filed for bankruptcy before those plans ever came to fruition. Instead, the station programmed as a youth-oriented independent station targeting children and teenagers of the Rio Grande Valley. For younger children, the station aired cartoons in the mornings and early afternoons. For teenagers, the station aired music videos (in both English and Spanish) in the late afternoons, evenings, and nights. K57XK was known as air as "Joy 57" and eventually changed its callsigns to **KJYB-LP**.

The station struggled from the start. For one thing, the station's format was considered to be rather niche. Making matters worse was the station's low-powered signal, which only gave a decent signal to Weslaco proper, and only grade-B coverage to McAllen and Harlingen. Being low-power also meant the station was exempt from must-carry rules, so almost none of the area's cable providers carried the station In 1990, KJYB management was in talks to sell the station to Steve Peters, who would have converted the station to an affiliate of all-request music video network The Box. However, those plans eventually fell through. The station would not find another owner until 1992, when it was sold to the Home Shopping Network. HSN changed the call letters to **KYVN-LP** the same year and the station began broadcasting HSN programming.

On January 11, 1995, the KYVN became a secondary affiliate of The WB television network when it launched on the same date. KYVN aired WB programs in pattern, including the network's Kids' WB block, and carried HSN in all other timeslots. This left The WB schedule without any solid lead-ins, equating to low viewership The station's weak low-powered signal also didn't help things either. The stations low-powered signal also continued to make things worse. The WB soon became very unhappy with the station and pulled the affiliation in 1997.

In 2001, the station was sold to GV Media Properties (now Atlantic South Communications) and became a sister station to KSOM. At the same time, KYVN became a full-time UPN affiliate (KSOM aired the UPN schedule out of pattern since that network's inception up to that point) and was branded as "UPN 57." The following year, KYVN picked up a secondary affiliation with America One (which merged with Youtoo TV in 2015 to become Youtoo America) and aired that network's programs outside of UPN's schedule.

In 2006, it was announced that The WB and UPN would shut down and merge to become The CW. At the same time, Fox announced that it would launch MyNetworkTV. That network was designed to give outgoing WB or UPN affiliates not considered for CW affiliation another option besides becoming an independent station. KYVN became an affiliate of MyNetworkTV when that network launched on September 5, 2006. KYVN would also rebrand as "My Rio Grande TV" on the same date. However, UPN would not officially shut down until September 15. As such, KYVN continued to carry UPN's programming on a secondary basis until that date.

On January 1, 2018, KYVN rebranded as "CBS 2 Plus," as a brand extension of KSOM. With the change, KYVN debuted a 7pm newscast produced by KSOM seen for 2½ hours on weeknights. As a result, KYVN airs the MyNetworkTV schedule on delay.

## Digital Television

KYVN broadcasts its main programming in 1080i rather than MyNetworkTV's native 720p format.

KYVN's broadcasts are digital-only as of February 17, 2009.

## Programming

KYVN does not feature any syndicated programming. Outside of MyNetworkTV hours and the primetime KSOM-produced newscast, the station features programming from Youtoo America.