View source for KDVR

{{good article}}
{{Short description|Television station in Denver, Colorado}}
{{Distinguish|KOVR|KDRV}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign = KDVR
| logo = KDVR Fox 31.1 logo.png
| logo_size = 105px
| logo_alt = From top: a red box with a white Fox network logo above a white in a blue box with sublimated searchlights; and the word "DENVER" in all caps, in white, on a red box.
| branding = {{ubl|Fox31 Denver|''Fox31 News''}}
| digital = 36 ([[UHF]])
| virtual = 31
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''31.1:''' [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]|'''31.2:''' [[Antenna TV]]|'''31.3:''' [[TBD (TV network)|TBD]]}}
| translators = ''see {{section link||Translators}}
| owner = [[Nexstar Media Group]]
| licensee = [[Tribune Broadcasting|Tribune Broadcasting Company]] II [[LLC]]
| location = [[Denver, Colorado]]
| country = United States
| airdate = {{Start date and age|1983|08|10|p=y|br=yes}}
| callsign_meaning = Denver
| sister_stations = [[KWGN-TV]]
| former_callsigns = KTMX-TV (1981–1983)
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 31 (UHF, 1983–2009)|'''Digital:''' 32 (UHF, until 2020)}}
| former_affiliations = [[Independent station|Independent]] (1983–1986)
| erp = 1,000 kW
| haat = {{convert|316|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id = 126
| coordinates = {{Coord|39|43|42.1|N|105|14|15.7|W|type:landmark_scale:2000_region:US-CO|name=KDVR}}
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
| website = {{URL|https://kdvr.com/}}
| embed_header = Satellite station
| embedded = {{Infobox television station
| child = yes
| callsign = KFCT
| above = [[broadcast relay station#Satellite stations|Satellite]] of KDVR
| branding = <!-- Shares same branding as KDVR -->
| digital = 21 (UHF)
| virtual = 22
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''22.1:''' Fox|'''22.2:''' Antenna TV|'''22.3:''' TBD}}
| location = [[Fort Collins, Colorado]]
| airdate = {{Start date and age|1994|09|01|p=y|br=yes}}
| callsign_meaning = "Fort Collins Television"
| former_callsigns = KWXU (CP, 1992–1993)
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 22 (UHF, 1994–2009)}}
| erp = 50 kW
| haat = {{convert|233|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id = 125
| coordinates = {{coord|40|38|32|N|104|49|5|W|type:landmark_scale:2000_region:US-CO|name=KFCT}}
| licensing_authority = FCC
}}
}}
'''KDVR''' (channel 31) is a [[television station]] in [[Denver, Colorado]], United States, affiliated with the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] network. It is simulcast full-time over [[satellite station]] '''KFCT''' (channel 22) in [[Fort Collins]]. [[Nexstar Media Group]] owns KDVR and KFCT alongside [[The CW|CW]] station [[KWGN-TV]] (channel 2). Studios and offices are located on East Speer Boulevard in Denver's [[Speer, Denver|Speer]] neighborhood. KDVR's transmitter is located atop [[Lookout Mountain Park|Lookout Mountain]], near [[Golden, Colorado|Golden]], while KFCT's transmitter lies atop Horsetooth Mountain just outside Fort Collins, covering [[Northern Colorado]].
Channel 31 went on the air on August 10, 1983, as the first new commercial TV station in Denver in 30 years and the first full-service station on the [[ultra high frequency]] (UHF) band. The original permittee had intended to make channel 31 a Spanish-language station, but when census figures revealed fewer Hispanics lived in Denver than estimated, the group sold the permit. Centennial Broadcasting built the station as Denver's second English-language [[independent station]]. KDVR affiliated with Fox at its launch in 1986 and became competitive with longtime independent KWGN-TV. The station was sold twice in the early 1990s, to Chase Broadcasting in 1989 and to [[Renaissance Broadcasting]] in 1992. These two groups obtained the permit for and built KFCT in Fort Collins in 1994.
[[Fox Television Stations]], the [[owned-and-operated station]]s division of the Fox network, acquired KDVR in 1995 as part of a trade. It moved the station out of cramped facilities and into its present studios in 2000, allowing for the long-awaited debut of a local 9 p.m. newscast. KDVR's news ultimately expanded into mornings and displaced KWGN-TV in the ratings. After Fox spun out KDVR and other stations to [[Local TV LLC]] in 2007, Local TV and Tribune formed a [[local marketing agreement]] in 2008 that saw the merger of the KDVR and KWGN-TV news operations in the former's facilities; Tribune acquired KDVR outright in 2013. The station was then sold to Nexstar in 2019 as part of its acquisition of Tribune.
==History==
===Early history===
In 1977, the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) received two applications to build new television stations in Denver. One came from a subsidiary of the [[Trinity Broadcasting Network]], while the other was filed by La Unidad Broadcasting Corporation, headed by Denver broadcaster George Sandoval.<ref name="RMN800222">{{Cite news|date=February 22, 1980|first=Walter|last=Saunders|title=Two new TV stations for area|page=54C|work=[[Rocky Mountain News]]}}</ref><ref name="hc">{{Cite web|url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/api/download/attachment/dceacf83-3527-df3e-4b11-1ca2461b3e55|title=FCC History Cards for KDVR|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=March 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312003009/https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/api/download/attachment/dceacf83-3527-df3e-4b11-1ca2461b3e55|url-status=live}}</ref> While the commission adjudicated the applications, channel 31 in Denver made television history in February 1980 as the first ever satellite-fed translator with a direct program source, KA2XEG (also known as K31AA), was launched by the [[Spanish International Network]].{{r|RMN800222}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1980/1980-06-30-BC.pdf|id={{ProQuest|962722900}}|title=Spanish translator in the Capital|work=Broadcasting|date=June 30, 1980|pages=71, 72|access-date=June 26, 2020|archive-date=June 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629224605/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1980/1980-06-30-BC.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
On February 24, 1981, the FCC granted the [[construction permit]] to La Unidad Broadcasting.{{r|hc}} Two months later, however, their plans for a Spanish-language television station would prove unviable. The [[1980 United States Census]] reported that 92,000 Hispanics lived in the Denver city limits. While Sandoval suspected that was an undercount of what he estimated were 125,000 Hispanics, the reliance of advertisers and other groups on census figures convinced the company that there was no market at the time for a Spanish-language station in Denver.{{r|DBW811116}} As a result, La Unidad opted to pivot its plans for what was originally designated KTMX-TV. In late 1981, it sold 80 percent<ref name="Creek830506">{{Cite news|title=New Station Airs this Summer|date=May 6, 1983|work=Up the Creek|first=Mike|last=Shay|page=9}}</ref> of the construction permit to Centennial Broadcasting Corporation, a subsidiary of [[KTXL|Camellia City Telecasters]] and majority-owned by [[Business Men's Assurance Company]] (BMA) of [[Kansas City, Missouri]] (with Sandoval staying as manager). The reorganized ownership shifted its plan to operate a full-service English-language [[independent station]] incorporating programming for Hispanics in Denver. At that time, work was already underway on constructing a new tower atop Lookout Mountain and remodeling the former studios of [[KWGN-TV]] at 550 Lincoln Street.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1981/BC-1981-12-14.pdf|access-date=June 26, 2020|date=December 14, 1981|work=Broadcasting|page=74|id={{ProQuest|962773711}}|title=Ownership Changes|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308040525/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1981/BC-1981-12-14.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="DBW811116">{{Cite news|first=Roxann|last=Bilger|title=Census Report Changes Plans for Channel 31|date=November 16, 1981|page=11|work=Denver Business World}}</ref>
Construction stretched into 1983, intermittently affected by weather at the transmitter site,{{r|Creek830506}} and the station began broadcasting on August 10<ref>{{Cite news|title=KDVR Week Defended: Proclamation Not a Coup|page=4|work=Up the Creek|date=September 16, 1983}}</ref>—23 days late due to technical issues.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_televisionweek_1983-09-08_2_36/page/n7/mode/2up?q=KDVR|date=September 8, 1983|work=[[Electronic Media]]|title=New Denver tv station begins broadcasting|page=8}}</ref> It was the first new commercial station in Denver since [[KUSA (TV)|KBTV]] (channel 9) debuted in 1953 and offered a mix of syndicated reruns and movies.{{r|Creek830506}} Centennial spent $7 million on the station's facilities.<ref>{{Cite news|title=In Sync: New on the block|id={{ProQuest|963263839}}|page=69|date=August 15, 1983|work=Broadcasting|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1983/BC-1983-08-15.pdf|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=January 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131032645/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1983/BC-1983-08-15.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The station also joined a consortium of Spanish-language TV stations outside of the Spanish International Network for advertising sales in Spanish.<ref>{{cite news|pages=3, 384|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=Blurb Dollars Mold Hispanic TV Combine|id={{ProQuest|1438376347}}|first=James|last=Melanson}}</ref> Camellia City Telecasters launched a third independent station in October 1983, [[KPDX]] serving the [[Portland, Oregon]], market.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44224432/|title=KPDX hopes to be at full power today|access-date=February 13, 2020|page=11A|via=Newspapers.com|location=Salem, Oregon|work=Statesman-Journal|date=October 12, 1983|archive-date=March 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312003014/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44224432/kpdx-hopes-to-be-at-full-power-today/|url-status=live}}</ref> It then sued [[Tribune Broadcasting]] and [[Chris-Craft Industries]], alleging that the two groups (which owned KWGN-TV in Denver and [[KPTV]] in Portland, their two independents' chief competition) had pooled their buying power and denied Camellia City the ability to bid on syndicated shows for their stations.<ref>{{Cite news|pages=39, 118|title=Indie TV Group's Antitrust Charge Zaps Syndie Biz|work=Variety|date=January 25, 1984|id={{ProQuest|1438406724}} }}</ref>
KDVR became a charter affiliate of Fox at its launch in October 1986.<ref>{{Cite news|pages=44–45|title=Fox network begins to take shape|id={{ProQuest|963254490}}|work=Broadcasting|date=August 4, 1986|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1986/BC-1986-08-04.pdf|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=January 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127014659/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1986/BC-1986-08-04.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Fox programming helped the station charge higher advertising rates<ref>{{Cite magazine|pages=48–56|title=Fox on the Loose: Are the Networks Being Hounded?|magazine=Emmy|first=Carlo|last=Kallan|id={{ProQuest|2293604058}} |date=August 1987}}</ref> to close the gap with KWGN; from sign-on to sign-off, by February 1990, channel 31's ratings were only slightly behind those of channel 2.<ref>{{Cite news|date=March 2, 1990|first=Dusty|last=Saunders|work=Rocky Mountain News|title=Channel 9 wins 10 p.m. battle, but may be losing ratings war|page=32W}}</ref>
===Chase and Renaissance ownership===
BMA put its Denver and Sacramento television stations on the market in October 1988.{{efn|KPDX in Portland was sold in late 1986 to a minority investor in Camellia City in exchange for full ownership of KTXL.<ref name="Sacr861107">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120645563/owners-shift-at-tv-40/|date=November 7, 1986|page=B11, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120645672/tv/ B12]|first=Larry|last=Hicks|title=Owners shift at TV 40|newspaper=The Sacramento Bee|location=|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=March 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312011732/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120645563/owners-shift-at-tv-40/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Fri -->}} It was the second time the company had done so; in 1985, all three had been on the market and attracted bids from such major players as [[Taft Broadcasting]] and [[Gaylord Broadcasting]], but the startup KDVR and KPDX weighed down the value of the highly profitable KTXL.<ref name="Sacr851203">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120645295/talks-lukewarm-in-channel-40-sale/|date=December 3, 1985|page=C3|first=Bob|last=Wisehart|title=Talks 'lukewarm' in Channel 40 sale|newspaper=The Sacramento Bee|location=|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=March 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312003143/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120645295/talks-lukewarm-in-channel-40-sale/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Tue --> While a buyer was found for KTXL in December 1988,<ref name="Sacr881221">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108363387/ny-firm-buys-channel-40-for-56-million/|date=December 21, 1988|page=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108363413/channel/ A24]|first=Joyce|last=Terhaar|title=NY firm buys Channel 40 for $56 million|newspaper=The Sacramento Bee|location=|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=March 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312011733/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108363387/ny-firm-buys-channel-40-for-56-million/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Wed --> KDVR was sold to Chase Communications of [[Hartford, Connecticut]], in March 1989 as the company's third television station.<ref name="Hart890316">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120647218/chase-communications-to-buy-denver/|date=March 16, 1989|pages=D1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120647245/chase-to-buy-tv-station-in-denver-market/ D5]|title=Chase Communications to buy Denver station|newspaper=Hartford Courant|location=Hartford, Connecticut|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=March 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312003141/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120647218/chase-communications-to-buy-denver/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Thu --> The sale announcement came days before founder Sandoval was killed in a car accident at the age of 57;<ref>{{Cite news|title=KDVR-Founder Sandoval Killed in Car Crash at 57|page=B1|work=[[The Denver Post]]|first=Jennifer|last=Gavin|date=March 19, 1989|id={{ProQuest|410381152}} }}</ref> when KDVR moved from 550 Lincoln to a building at 5th and Wazee streets later that year, it was dedicated in his honor.<ref>{{cite news|date=August 18, 1989|work=The Denver Post|title=It's musical chairs time as fall TV season nears}}</ref> The former studio building was then demolished three years later.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mama Murphy returns tonight: CBS may draw record ratings|page=Entertainment/Weekend 47|date=September 21, 1992|first=Dusty|last=Saunders|work=Rocky Mountain News}}</ref> The new facility, however, soon proved inadequate for the station's long-term goals. It was cramped, isolated, and suffered from cellular interference issues.<ref name="RMN950630">{{Cite news|title=Change is in the air at KDVR as Fox talks news and location|page=44D|first=Dusty|last=Saunders|work=Rocky Mountain News|date=June 30, 1995}}</ref>
Chase closed on its purchase of KDVR in March 1990. Between Hartford's [[WTIC-TV]], KDVR, its acquisition of two stations owned by [[Outlet Communications]], and the affiliation of Chase-owned [[WPTY-TV]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], with Fox, the group grew to five Fox affiliates by that July.<ref>{{Cite news|date=May 31, 1990|title=Chase station is Fox Memphis affil|id={{ProQuest|2732575375}}|page=11|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> In 1991, Chase Broadcasting announced it would sell some or all of its properties to invest in new business ventures in Eastern Europe after the end of the Cold War, particularly successful cable television systems in Poland.<ref name="Hart911001">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107933426/chase-firm-seeks-partner-or-buyer-in/|date=October 1, 1991|page=D1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107933455/chase-seeks-partner-buyer-in-media/ D5]|first1=Stephen M.|last1=Williams|first2=James|last2=Endrst|title=Chase firm seeks partner or buyer in media holdings|newspaper=Hartford Courant|location=Hartford, Connecticut|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=August 23, 2022|archive-date=August 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823050429/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107933426/chase-firm-seeks-partner-or-buyer-in/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Tue --> The next year, it sold four of the five Fox affiliates, including KDVR, to [[Renaissance Broadcasting]] of [[Greenwich, Connecticut]].<ref name="hc-saletorenaissance">{{cite news|last1=Williams|first1=Stephen M.|last2=Lender|first2=Jon|title=Chase agrees to sell WTIC-TV to rival|url=https://www.courant.com/1992/09/05/chase-agrees-to-sell-wtic-tv-to-rival/|access-date=October 21, 2015|work=[[Hartford Courant]]|date=September 5, 1992|archive-date=October 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024002146/http://articles.courant.com/1992-09-05/news/0000112877_1_stations-wtic-fm-renaissance|url-status=live}}</ref>
Chase was approved by the FCC in 1992 for a construction permit to build channel 22 in Fort Collins (located {{convert|63.5|mi|km}} north of Denver) as a satellite of KDVR.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1992/BC-1992-08-24.pdf|work=Broadcasting|page=32|title=Colorado OK|id={{ProQuest|1014752695}}|date=August 24, 1992|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=January 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131023849/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1992/BC-1992-08-24.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In November 1994, the station signed on the air as KFCT, expanding coverage to parts of northern Colorado and far southern Wyoming.<ref name="Fort941119">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54173161/tv-tower-gives-region-access-to-fox/|date=November 19, 1994|page=48|title=TV tower gives region access to Fox shows|newspaper=Fort Collins Coloradoan|location=Fort Collins, Colorado|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=March 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312003014/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54173161/tv-tower-gives-region-access-to-fox/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Sat -->
===Fox Television Stations ownership===
Renaissance sold KDVR and KFCT to [[Fox Television Stations]] for $70 million on November 15, 1994, in exchange for acquiring that network's [[owned-and-operated station]] in [[Dallas–Fort Worth]], [[KDAF]]. Fox was selling KDAF because it was moving its programming to the previous [[CBS]] affiliate, [[KDFW]], as a result of a [[1994–1996 United States broadcast television realignment|ten-station affiliation deal]] with [[New World Pictures#New World Communications|New World Communications]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Parent Firm Of WTIC-TV To Buy, Sell|url=https://www.courant.com/1994/11/16/parent-firm-of-wtic-tv-to-buy-sell/|newspaper=[[The Hartford Courant]]|date=November 16, 1994|access-date=August 11, 2014|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040426/http://articles.courant.com/1994-11-16/business/9411160013_1_fox-affiliated-kdvr-renaissance|url-status=live}}</ref> Fox was highly interested in the Denver market. Previous rumors had tied the network to a trade with Tribune of KDAF for KWGN-TV or with relocating the Fox affiliation to KWGN-TV or one of Denver's network affiliates,<ref>{{Cite news|date=October 22, 1994|page=35A|title=Fox Broadcasting could join Denver TV wheeling, dealing|first=Dusty|last=Saunders|work=Rocky Mountain News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|page=1|work=Electronic Media|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_televisionweek_1994-11-07_13_45/mode/2up?q=KDVR|title=At press time: KWGN-TV eyes Fox tie|date=November 7, 1994}}</ref> though the market's ABC, CBS, and [[NBC]] affiliates instead exchanged affiliations among themselves.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Channel 7 may emerge as big winner: 10-year affiliation agreement with ABC aligns station with nation's strongest network|date=October 23, 1994|page=5A|first=Dusty|last=Saunders|work=Rocky Mountain News}}</ref>
As part of a series of attempts to prevent [[News Corporation]], the parent company of Fox, from acquiring additional stations, NBC filed a request to the FCC to reject the trade alleging that the company was in violation of foreign ownership rules (which prohibit a foreign-owned company from maintaining more than a 25 percent interest in a U.S. television station).<ref name="NBCFCC">{{cite magazine|title=NBC Asks FCC To Nix Fox Bid For KDVR|first=Joe|last=Flint|url=https://variety.com/1995/tv/features/nbc-asks-fcc-to-nix-fox-bid-for-kdvr-99125296/|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=January 15, 1995|access-date=August 11, 2014|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093637/http://variety.com/1995/tv/features/nbc-asks-fcc-to-nix-fox-bid-for-kdvr-99125296/|url-status=live}}</ref> Foreign ownership had been a sensitive issue for Fox even prior to the New World deal. In 1993, its attempt to acquire [[WPSG|WGBS-TV]] in [[Philadelphia]] was derailed after the [[NAACP]] objected on ownership grounds.<ref name=v-naacpvsfox>{{cite news|last1=Wharton|first1=Dennis|title=NAACP decries Fox's TV station ownership|url=https://variety.com/1993/tv/news/naacp-decries-fox-s-tv-station-ownership-116024/|access-date=September 26, 2014|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=November 22, 2014|archive-date=December 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226001007/http://variety.com/1993/tv/news/naacp-decries-fox-s-tv-station-ownership-116024/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=v-wgbsnofox>{{cite news|last1=Flint|first1=Joe|title=Delay foils Fox bid for WGBS|url=https://variety.com/1994/tv/news/delay-foils-fox-bid-for-wgbs-118772/|access-date=September 26, 2014|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=March 1, 1994|archive-date=December 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217001428/http://variety.com/1994/tv/news/delay-foils-fox-bid-for-wgbs-118772/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the wake of the objection, the FCC opened a foreign ownership review into Murdoch's existing station holdings; had it ruled negatively, a forced ownership change or license loss could have meant the end of the network.<ref name="Phil940603">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/119212659/fcc-studies-murdochs-backing/|date=June 3, 1994|page=E9|agency=Associated Press|title=FCC studies Murdoch's backing|newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer|location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=February 21, 2023|archive-date=February 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222032241/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/119212659/fcc-studies-murdochs-backing/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Fri -->
In July 1995, when the FCC granted Fox approval to buy KDVR and two additional stations in [[Boston]] and Memphis, the foreign-ownership issue was resolved, removing a roadblock to purchases by the company.<ref>{{Cite news|title=FCC approves 3 Fox deals|date=July 10, 1995|first=Laureen|last=Miles|work=Mediaweek|id={{Gale|A17226532}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=2 TV Stations Bought by Fox|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/10/business/2-tv-stations-bought-by-fox.html|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 10, 1995|access-date=August 11, 2014|archive-date=March 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306021339/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/10/business/2-tv-stations-bought-by-fox.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Even then, Fox's desire for a lower channel number in Denver was the subject of rumors; one October 1995 article in ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' suggested that Fox wanted to sell KDVR to Qwest Broadcasting, a company backed by [[Quincy Jones]] and Tribune, and move its affiliation to KWGN-TV, leaving KDVR with [[The WB]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/1995/tv/features/qwest-s-station-quest-99128821/|title=Qwest's Station Quest|last=Flint|first=Joe|date=October 16, 1995|magazine=Variety|access-date=April 4, 2013|archive-date=July 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729164624/http://variety.com/1995/tv/features/qwest-s-station-quest-99128821/|url-status=live}}</ref> That possibility was floated again in July 1996.<ref>{{Cite news|work=Electronic Media|date=July 15, 1996|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_televisionweek_1996-07-15_15_29/page/n29/mode/2up?q=KDVR|page=31|title=Tribune, Fox eye deal}}</ref> A February 1997 article in ''Mediaweek'' floated that KDVR could have been part of a trade with [[Belo Corporation]] to acquire [[KIRO-TV|a station]] in [[Seattle]].<ref>{{cite news|date=February 10, 1997|work=Mediaweek|title=Belo weighing offers for KIRO in Seattle|id={{Gale|A19110717}} }}</ref>
Fox desired to begin airing local news programming, but it lacked the space to do so. On February 21, 1998, the company announced it would build a {{convert|70000|ft2|m2|adj=on}} facility on the corner of Speer and Lincoln—the site from which KWGN-TV and KDVR had each started broadcasting, 30 years apart. This would be the third building overhaul project in the Fox Television Stations group in three years, following previous builds for [[KTTV]] in Los Angeles and [[KRIV (TV)|KRIV]] in Houston. Once the building was complete, the station would add 60 employees and launch a 9 p.m. newscast.<ref name="RMN980221">{{cite news|title=Fox to build news center: Channel 31 prepares for local broadcast from original location at Speer and Lincoln|page=2B|first=Dusty|last=Saunders|work=Rocky Mountain News|date=February 21, 1998}}</ref><ref name="DP980221">{{Cite news|page=C2|first=Joanne|last=Ostrow|title=Fox TV to construct Denver facility: Network envisions local news department with 'unique' approach|work=The Denver Post|date=February 21, 1998}}</ref> Ground was broken in April 1998,<ref>{{Cite news|title=Ground broken for new digs: Fox station Channel 31 plans hourlong news show when it moves to new home in 1999|page=2B|first=Dusty|last=Saunders|work=Rocky Mountain News|date=February 21, 1998}}</ref> and the first KDVR newscast aired on July 16, 2000.{{r|DP000716}}
===Local TV and Tribune ownership===
On December 22, 2007, Fox Television Stations agreed to sell KDVR and seven other Fox owned-and-operated stations to [[Local TV LLC]], a holding company operated by [[private equity firm]] [[Oak Hill Capital Partners]]), adding to the nine stations that the group had acquired that May from [[The New York Times Company]]. The sale was finalized on July 14, 2008.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/oak-hill-wraps-buy-fox-tv-stations-32775|work=Broadcasting & Cable|date=July 14, 2008|title=Oak Hill Wraps Buy of Fox TV Stations|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=August 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812214929/https://www.nexttv.com/news/oak-hill-wraps-buy-fox-tv-stations-32775|url-status=live}}</ref> On September 17, Tribune Broadcasting announced that Local TV would begin managing KWGN-TV under a [[local marketing agreement]] and consolidate its operations with KDVR effective October 1. It was one of two markets where Local TV-owned Fox stations and Tribune-owned CW affiliates would share resources, alongside [[KTVI]]–[[KPLR-TV]] in [[St. Louis]], and built on an existing management relationship between the companies.<ref name=tvnc-duops>{{cite news|title=Denver, St. Louis To Get Fox-CW Duops|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/uncategorized/article/denver-st-louis-to-get-fox-cw-duops/|first=Harry A.|last=Jessell|work=TVNewsCheck|access-date=July 20, 2012|archive-date=March 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312003024/https://tvnewscheck.com/uncategorized/article/denver-st-louis-to-get-fox-cw-duops/|url-status=live}}</ref> KWGN vacated its longtime studios in [[Greenwood Village]] and consolidated its operations with KDVR at its Speer Boulevard facility.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2010/02/08/daily45.html|date=February 10, 2010|title=Leonard departing as GM of Denver TV stations KDVR-31, KWGN-2|work=Denver Business Journal|access-date=March 12, 2023|archive-date=June 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630073552/https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2010/02/08/daily45.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Tribune bought KDVR outright in 2013 as part of its $2.75 billion acquisition of Local TV LLC.<ref name=ct-saletotribune>{{cite news|last=Channick|first=Robert|title=Acquisition to make Tribune Co. largest U.S. TV station operator|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-tribune-buying-local-tv-20130701,0,3402241.story|access-date=July 1, 2013|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=July 1, 2013|archive-date=July 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704152051/http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-tribune-buying-local-tv-20130701,0,3402241.story|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?p=6470 |title= Company Completes Final Steps of Transaction Announced in July|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228101139/http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?p=6470 |archive-date=December 28, 2013 |website=Tribune Company|date= December 27, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Tribune sold the KDVR–KWGN studio to Urban Renaissance Group, a real estate firm from Seattle, in 2017, continuing to lease it back under a long-term agreement.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2017/01/27/seattle-firm-buys-home-of-2-denver-tv-stations-for.html|date=January 27, 2017|first=Molly|last=Armbrister|title=Seattle firm buys home of 2 Denver TV stations for $23 million|work=Denver Business Journal|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=February 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204230236/http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2017/01/27/seattle-firm-buys-home-of-2-denver-tv-stations-for.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Sinclair purchase attempt; sale to Nexstar===
{{Further|Attempted acquisition of Tribune Media by Sinclair Broadcast Group}}
In May 2017, [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]] announced its intention to buy Tribune Media.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sinclair Broadcast Group to buy Tribune Media for $3.9 billion plus debt|url=http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-tribune-sinclair-20170508-story.html|first=Stephen|last=Battaglio|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=May 8, 2017|access-date=June 6, 2017|archive-date=June 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606151425/http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-tribune-sinclair-20170508-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> KDVR was then identified as one of 23 stations that Sinclair would divest to obtain regulatory approval for the merger,<ref name="tvnc-kdvrsale">{{cite web|title=Sinclair Unveils Tribune Merger Spin-Off Plan|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/111389/sinclair-to-spin-off-trib-tvs-in-ny-chicago|first=Harry A.|last=Jessell|website=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheck Media|date=February 21, 2018|access-date=April 9, 2018|archive-date=February 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222165041/http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/111389/sinclair-to-spin-off-trib-tvs-in-ny-chicago|url-status=live}}</ref> with Fox Television Stations agreeing to a repurchase as part of a $910 million deal.<ref name="foxsinclairdeal2">{{cite news|title=21st Century Fox Buys Seven Local TV Stations From Sinclair For $910 Million|url=https://deadline.com/2018/05/21st-century-fox-buys-seven-local-tv-stations-from-sinclair-for-910-million-1202386066/|last=Hayes|first=Dade|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|date=May 9, 2018|access-date=May 9, 2018|archive-date=May 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180514012204/http://deadline.com/2018/05/21st-century-fox-buys-seven-local-tv-stations-from-sinclair-for-910-million-1202386066/|url-status=live}}</ref> Both transactions were nullified on August 9, 2018, following Tribune Media's termination of the merger agreement<ref>{{cite news|title=Tribune Terminates $3.9 Billion Sinclair Merger, Sues Broadcast Rival|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/tribune-media-terminates-merger-agreement-with-sinclair-broadcast-group-1533810907|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|publisher=[[News Corp (2013–present)|News Corp.]]|date=August 9, 2018|access-date=August 9, 2018|archive-date=April 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405150030/https://www.wsj.com/articles/tribune-media-terminates-merger-agreement-with-sinclair-broadcast-group-1533810907|url-status=live}}</ref> and FCC chairman [[Ajit Pai]]'s public rejection of the deal.<ref>{{cite news|title=FCC chair rejects Sinclair-Tribune merger|url=https://thehill.com/policy/technology/397194-fcc-chairman-rejects-sinclair-tribune-merger/|first=Harper|last=Neidig|newspaper=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|publisher=Capitol Hill Publishing Corp.|date=July 16, 2018|access-date=August 9, 2018|archive-date=July 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716163305/http://thehill.com/policy/technology/397194-fcc-chairman-rejects-sinclair-tribune-merger|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[Nexstar Media Group]] announced it would acquire the assets of Tribune Media on December 3, 2018, for $6.4 billion in cash and debt.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nexstar Buying Tribune Media For $6.4 Billion|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/226264/nexstar-buying-tribune-media-6-4-billion/|first=Mark K.|last=Miller|website=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheck Media|date=December 3, 2018|access-date=December 6, 2018|archive-date=December 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204005800/https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/226264/nexstar-buying-tribune-media-6-4-billion/|url-status=live}}</ref> The deal closed on September 19, 2019.<ref>{{cite web|last=Littleton|first=Cynthia|date=September 19, 2019|title=Nexstar Completes Tribune Acquisition, Sean Compton to Head Programming|url=https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/nexstar-tribune-fcc-deal-complete-compton-1203334923/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920090225/https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/nexstar-tribune-fcc-deal-complete-compton-1203334923/|archive-date=September 20, 2019|access-date=September 19, 2019|work=Variety}}</ref>
==Local programming==
===News operation===
[[File:Fox 31 Denver (KDVR) and Colorado's Own 2 (KWGN-TV) outside broadcasting van at Casper Events Center in Casper, Wyoming.jpg|alt=A white van with KDVR and KWGN-TV logos and microwave and satellite dishes on its roof|thumb|right|A KDVR–[[KWGN-TV]] outside broadcasting van in [[Casper, Wyoming]], during the [[Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017|2017 total solar eclipse]]]]
Rumors of a local newscast for KDVR first surfaced under Renaissance ownership in 1994.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Fox affiliate eyeing nightly news show|date=March 25, 1994|first=Stuart|last=Steers|work=Denver Business Journal|id={{Gale|A15349141}} }}</ref> This continued after Fox took ownership of channel 31, but the primary obstacle was a lack of room. KDVR's Wazee Street building was {{convert|20000|ft2|m2}} in size, and Fox believed it needed {{convert|60000|ft2|m2}} to start a newscast.{{r|RMN950630}} Upon announcing the construction of the News and Technology Center, with {{convert|70000|ft2|m2}} of space, Fox also announced it would begin producing local news in Denver when the building opened; general manager Robert M. Simone promised that "local news done 'Fox-style' will further bond KDVR to the community".{{r|DP980221}}
The first step in organizing the news department was made by Fox in September 1999, when a news director was hired.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fox-owned Channel 31 names news director|page=27A|date=September 24, 1999|first=Dusty|last=Saunders|work=Rocky Mountain News}}</ref> More hires were made in the final weeks of 1999 and first months of 2000, including consumer reporter [[Tom Martino]];<ref>{{Cite news|page=F5|first=Joanne|last=Ostrow|title=KDVR starts hiring|date=December 15, 1999|work=The Denver Post}}</ref> [[David Treadwell]], former [[Denver Broncos]] kicker, to anchor sports;{{r|RMN000202}} news anchors Libby Weaver, former co-host of the syndicated entertainment news program ''[[Extra (American TV program)|Extra]]'', and Ron Zappolo, former KCNC and KUSA sports anchor crossing over to news;<ref name="RMN000202">{{Cite news|title=Channel 31 hires its first news anchor|date=February 2, 2000|page=16A|first=Dusty|last=Saunders|work=Rocky Mountain News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|page=5A|title=Zappolo leaves Channel 9 for Fox: Sports anchor also makes change to news|date=February 24, 2000|first=Dusty|last=Saunders|work=Rocky Mountain News}}</ref> and former KUSA reporter [[Phil Keating]].{{r|DP000716}}
After the Technology Center opened, rehearsals began in May,<ref>{{cite news|page=E4|first=Joanne|last=Ostrow|work=The Denver Post|title=Ch. 31 fills jobs in news|date=May 11, 2000}}</ref> and the hour-long ''Fox 31 News at 9 O'Clock'' debuted on July 16, 2000.<ref name="DP000716">{{Cite news|page=I1|first=Diane|last=Eicher|title=Going Live: Fox-31's newscasters leave practice arena for real thing|work=The Denver Post|date=July 16, 2000}}</ref> With Fox's successful Sunday night lineup, the main news anchors appeared on a Sunday–Thursday shift instead of a more typical Monday–Friday schedule.<ref>{{cite news|page=2D|date=June 26, 2000|title=New faces anchor Fox's Sunday presence|first=Dusty|last=Saunders|work=Rocky Mountain News}}</ref> Out of the gate, the 9 p.m. newscast was a strong ratings performer, outrating the established 9 p.m. newscast on KWGN-TV as well as the entertainment programming KDVR had aired in that hour.<ref>{{Cite news|page=E5|first=Joanne|last=Ostrow|work=The Denver Post|title=Upstart newscast a big hit|date=February 26, 2001}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Sweeps numbers say status quo at 10 p.m.|date=March 5, 2001|page=2D|first=Dusty|last=Saunders|work=Rocky Mountain News}}</ref> In July 2001, a year after starting up, KDVR was beating ABC affiliate KMGH-TV, the traditional third-rated station, in the ratings, even though their newscasts aired at different times.<ref>{{cite news|page=F2|date=August 14, 2001|title=KDVR newscast drawing audience|first=Joanne|last=Ostrow|work=The Denver Post}}</ref> While KWGN-TV remained competitive, logging a head-to-head win in November 2002,<ref>{{Cite news|page=B2|title=WB2's news gets 1st win over Fox in 9 p.m. ratings|date=December 1, 2002|first=Joanne|last=Ostrow|work=The Denver Post}}</ref> KDVR gradually pulled away from its competitor.<ref>{{Cite news|page=Spotlight 6|title=CW2 fights to stop ratings slide|date=July 14, 2007|first=Dusty|last=Saunders|work=Rocky Mountain News}}</ref>
KDVR expanded news programming to mornings on March 22, 2004, with the debut of ''Good Day Colorado'', which was created to compete with KWGN's weekday morning newscast, ''WB2 Morning News''.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Dick|last=Kreck|work=The Denver Post|title=Fox 31 jumps in to morning rush with 'Good Day'|date=March 24, 2004|page=F2}}</ref> The new morning show was promoted with a custom song performed by Denver singer [[Wendy Woo]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Denver Station Targets Mornings: Fox-Owned KDVR-TV Readying News Show|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_televisionweek_2004-01-26_23_4/page/n33/mode/2up?q=KDVR|date=January 26, 2004|work=[[TelevisionWeek]]|first=Daisy|last=Whitney|pages=28–29}}</ref> ''Good Day Colorado'' was initially a 2½-hour newscast beginning at 5:30&nbsp;a.m.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Fox's Channel 31 prepares to enter morning-news fray|page=F8|date=January 25, 2004|first=Joanne|last=Ostrow|work=The Denver Post}}</ref> but expanded to four hours (5–9 a.m.) by May 2006, when founding news director Bill Dallman departed.<ref>{{cite news|page=2D|date=May 22, 2006|title=Movie series trivia bound|first=Dusty|last=Saunders|work=Rocky Mountain News}}</ref> The station's first weeknight early evening newscast debuted in August 2008.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Biz Report|work=Greeley Tribune|date=August 1, 2008}}</ref>
After entering into the local marketing agreement, major changes were made to KDVR and KWGN's evening news programming that reduced overlap between the stations. KWGN discontinued its 5:30&nbsp;p.m. newscast on January 12, 2009, while KDVR expanded its early evening newscast to an hour at 5&nbsp;p.m.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/01/05/daily19.html|title=Fox31 boosts early-evening news to an hour|work=Denver Business Journal|date=January 6, 2009|access-date=October 6, 2012|archive-date=July 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729154717/http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/01/05/daily19.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On March 30, KWGN moved its prime time newscast two hours earlier to 7&nbsp;p.m., making the unusual move of airing The CW programming from 8–10 p.m. with the network's blessing.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Joanne|last=Ostrow|url=http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_11940495|title=Channel 2 shuffles prime time|work=The Denver Post|date=March 18, 2009|access-date=October 6, 2012|archive-date=November 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104022638/http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_11940495|url-status=live}}</ref>
News expansions continued in the 2010s. On June 28, 2010, KDVR added a half-hour 10&nbsp;p.m. newscast titled ''Fox 31 Nightside'', which focused on hard-hitting [[enterprise journalism|enterprise]] stories.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Joanne|last=Ostrow|url=http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_15168184|title=Fox31 to launch 10 p.m. news|work=The Denver Post|date=May 26, 2010|access-date=June 8, 2010|archive-date=October 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015201206/http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_15168184|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016, KDVR began airing an 11 a.m. news hour and a 4:30 a.m. extension to ''Good Day Colorado''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2016/03/18/fox31-entering-11-a-m-denver-news-fray.html|title=Fox31 entering 11 a.m. Denver TV news fray|first=Ben|last=Miller|work=Denver Business Journal|date=March 18, 2016|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=February 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211011445/http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2016/03/18/fox31-entering-11-a-m-denver-news-fray.html|url-status=live}}</ref> During this time, some of the station's original news personalities departed. Zappolo and Weaver continued to anchor KDVR's 9 p.m. newscast until the latter left in 2012;<ref>{{Cite news|page=4A|title=Libby Weaver signs off from KDVR—for good|date=December 14, 2012|first=Joanne|last=Ostrow|work=The Denver Post}}</ref> Zappolo left months later.<ref>{{cite news|page=1E|date=March 31, 2013|title=After 36 years on the air in Denver, Ron Zappolo is signing off - for now|first=Joanne|last=Ostrow|work=The Denver Post}}</ref> Martino, who worked at [[KHOW]] radio concurrent with his time at KDVR, was dismissed in 2011 after he announced he was filing for [[Chapter 7, Title 11, United States Code|Chapter 7]] bankruptcy; he sued the station alleging discrimination, a matter which was settled in 2014.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tom Martino quietly pressing lawsuit against Fox31-TV|url=http://blogs.denverpost.com/thebalancesheet/2014/01/14/tom-martino-quietly-pressing-lawsuit-against-fox-31-tv/11438/|first=David|last=Migoya|newspaper=The Denver Post|date=January 14, 2014|access-date=August 11, 2014|archive-date=July 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723122051/http://blogs.denverpost.com/thebalancesheet/2014/01/14/tom-martino-quietly-pressing-lawsuit-against-fox-31-tv/11438/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Troubleshooter Tom Martino settles Fox 31 discrimination claim|url=http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_25889024/troubleshooter-tom-martino-settles-fox-31-discrimination-claim|first=David|last=Migoya|newspaper=[[The Denver Post]]|date=June 3, 2014|access-date=August 11, 2014|archive-date=September 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140907084211/http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_25889024/troubleshooter-tom-martino-settles-fox-31-discrimination-claim|url-status=live}}</ref>
On January 9, 2024, approximately 75 part- and full-time employees of KDVR and KWGN voted to [[unionize]] with [[NABET]]-[[Communications Workers of America|CWA]], including production technicians, newsroom staff, and workers at a [[master control]] hub for multiple Nexstar-owned stations also based at the KDVR facilities. Employees cited a lack of [[pay equity]] and transparency as the basis for their vote; in particular, salaries for part-time production staff started at $17.29 per hour, slightly above the state [[Minimum wage in the United States|minimum wage]] of $14.42 per hour.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cook |first=Lanie Lee |date=January 9, 2024 |title=Nexstar workers in Denver declare intent to unionize |url=https://kdvr.com/news/local/nexstar-workers-in-denver-declare-intent-to-unionize/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110035919/https://kdvr.com/news/local/nexstar-workers-in-denver-declare-intent-to-unionize/ |archive-date=January 10, 2024 |access-date=January 10, 2024 |website=FOX31 Denver |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Garrison |first=Robert |date=December 30, 2023 |title=A pay increase for minimum wage workers and several new Colorado laws to take effect Monday |url=https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/a-pay-increase-for-minimum-wage-workers-and-several-new-colorado-laws-to-take-effect-monday |access-date=January 10, 2024 |website=Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH) |language=en}}</ref>
===Sports programming===
On August 7, 2014, KDVR entered into a partnership with the Denver Broncos to broadcast the team's weekly coaches show, ''Broncos Zone'', which was known as ''Fox on Fox'' when [[John Fox (American football)|John Fox]] was the head coach; it airs during the season on Friday evenings, replacing half of the 9 p.m. newscast, and is hosted by sports director Nick Griffith.<ref>{{cite news|title=Broncos coach's show moves to Fox31: "Fox on Fox"|url=http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow/2014/08/07/broncos-coach-show-moves-fox31-fox-fox/19639/|first=Joanne|last=Ostrow|newspaper=The Denver Post|date=August 7, 2014|access-date=August 11, 2014|archive-date=August 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812111631/http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow/2014/08/07/broncos-coach-show-moves-fox31-fox-fox/19639/|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Other programming===
From 2009 to 2010, KDVR aired ''Everyday with Libby and Natalie'', a daytime lifestyle program hosted by Libby Weaver and reporter Natalie Tysdal. The program performed poorly in the ratings and was shifted to KWGN-TV in 2010.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Bolder? Race airtime gets tamer|work=The Denver Post|first=Joanne|last=Ostrow|date=May 12, 2009|page=D1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|page=D8|date=March 2, 2010|work=The Denver Post|first=Joanne|last=Ostrow|title='Parenthood' carries family baggage, but top talent behind it may pull it off}}</ref>
On June 1, 2014, KDVR debuted ''#COpolitics – From the Source'', an unconventionally formatted [[Sunday morning talk shows|Sunday morning political discussion program]] that was taped at The Source food market in Denver.<ref>{{cite news|title=KDVR Launches Sunday Political Show|url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/kdvr-launches-sunday-political-show_b121988|first=Merrill|last=Knox|work=[[Mediabistro.com|TVSpy]]|date=June 2, 2014|access-date=August 11, 2014|archive-date=August 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140803195032/http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/kdvr-launches-sunday-political-show_b121988|url-status=live}}</ref> It ended when host [[Eli Stokols]] left KDVR–KWGN after a decade for ''[[Politico]]'' the next year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cjr.org/united_states_project/eli_stokols_politico.php|work=[[Columbia Journalism Review]]|title=Politico's latest hire leaves a hole in Colorado politics coverage|date=March 17, 2015|first=Corey|last=Hutchins|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=December 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220184640/https://www.cjr.org/united_states_project/eli_stokols_politico.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
====Notable former on-air staff====
* [[Crystal Egger]] – ''Good Day Colorado'' meteorologist (2007–2010)<ref>{{Cite news|page=FF17|title=Denver radio '06 numbers shrink all the way across the dial|first=Dick|last=Kreck|work=The Denver Post|date=January 12, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|page=D2|date=June 29, 2010|title=China's future media execs learning business at DU|first=Joanne|last=Ostrow|newspaper=The Denver Post}}</ref>
==Technical information==
===Subchannels===
The stations' signals are [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Subchannels of KDVR<ref name="re-kdvr">{{Cite web|website=[[RabbitEars]]|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KDVR#station|title=RabbitEars TV Query for KDVR|access-date=June 15, 2013|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223050/http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KDVR#station|url-status=live}}</ref> and KFCT<ref name="re-kfct">{{Cite web|website=[[RabbitEars]]|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KFCT#station|title=RabbitEars TV Query for KFCT|access-date=June 15, 2013|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213143/http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KFCT#station|url-status=live}}</ref>
! colspan=2|[[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! rowspan=2|[[Display resolution|Res.]]
! rowspan=2|[[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! colspan=2|Short name
! rowspan=2|Programming
|-
! scope = "col" | {{small|KDVR}}||{{small|KFCT}}||{{small|KDVR}}||{{small|KFCT}}
|-
! scope = "row" | 31.1 || 22.1
| [[720p]] ||  rowspan=3| [[16:9]] || KDVR-DT || KFCT-DT || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 31.2 || 22.2
| rowspan=2| [[480i]] || style="text-align: center;" colspan=2|Antenna || [[Antenna TV]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 31.3 || 22.3
| style="text-align: center;" colspan=2| TBD-TV || [[TBD (TV network)|TBD]]
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6; border-top: 2px solid #003399;"
! scope = "row" colspan=2|[[KWGN-TV|2.1]]
| 720p || 16:9 || style="text-align: center;" colspan=2|KWGN-DT || [[The CW]] ([[KWGN-TV]])
|}
In December 2020, KWGN-TV began broadcasting in [[ATSC 3.0]] (NextGen TV) format. At that time, KWGN-TV's main signal was moved to the KDVR-KFCT multiplex.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/tech/article/nexstar-launches-nextgen-tv-in-denver/|date=December 23, 2020|first=Mark K.|last=Miller|work=TVNewsCheck|title=Nexstar Launches NextGen TV In Denver|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=July 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729063334/https://tvnewscheck.com/tech/article/nexstar-launches-nextgen-tv-in-denver/|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Analog-to-digital conversion===
KDVR shut down its analog signal, over [[UHF]] channel 31, 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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2009/06/09/dtv-day-its-almost-here/|first=David|last=Migoya|work=The Denver Post|title=DTV-day: It's almost here|date=June 9, 2009|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=July 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704154120/https://www.denverpost.com/2009/06/09/dtv-day-its-almost-here/|url-status=live}}</ref> The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 32, using [[virtual channel]] 31.<ref name="Analog to Digital">{{Cite web |date=May 23, 2006 |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 |access-date=August 29, 2021 |publisher=Federal Communications Commission}}</ref> The station was then [[Spectrum reallocation|repacked]] to channel 36 in 2020.<ref name="Repack Table">{{Cite web|url=http://data.fcc.gov/download/incentive-auctions/Transition_Files/Phase_Assignment_Closing_PN.csv|title=FCC TV Spectrum Phase Assignment Table|format=CSV|website=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|date=April 13, 2017|access-date=April 17, 2017|archive-date=April 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417160749/http://data.fcc.gov/download/incentive-auctions/Transition_Files/Phase_Assignment_Closing_PN.csv|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Translators===
In addition to KFCT, KDVR is relayed on the following translator stations:<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 23, 2021|title=List of TV Translator Input Channels|url=https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/tv-translator-input-channels-07232021.xlsx|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209195336/https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/tv-translator-input-channels-07232021.xlsx|archive-date=December 9, 2021|access-date=December 17, 2021|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=40em}}
* [[Anton, Colorado|Anton]]: K15MH-D
* [[Basalt, Colorado|Basalt]]: K33HY-D
* [[Haxtun]]: K33GM-D
* [[Holyoke, Colorado|Holyoke]]: K29GI-D
* [[Idalia, Colorado|Idalia]]: K14LB-D
* [[Julesburg, Colorado|Julesburg]]: K22KW-D
* [[Peetz, Colorado|Peetz]]: K18FN-D
* [[Pleasant Valley, Colorado|Pleasant Valley]]: K14KL-D
* [[Redstone, Colorado|Redstone]]: K18GD-D
* [[Snowmass Village]]: K14OV-D
* [[Sterling, Colorado|Sterling]], Southern [[Logan County, Colorado|Logan County]]: K34OS-D
* [[Thomasville, Colorado|Thomasville]]: K12QM-D
* [[Wray, Colorado|Wray]]: K15MD-D
* [[Yuma, Colorado|Yuma]]: K31PC-D
* [[Big Laramie, WY]]: K10FQ-D
{{div col end}}
==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{Official website|https://kdvr.com/}}
{{Denver TV}}
{{Cheyenne TV}}
{{Fox Colorado}}
{{NXST TV}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kdvr}}
[[Category:1983 establishments in Colorado]]
[[Category:Antenna TV affiliates]]
[[Category:Former News Corporation subsidiaries]]
[[Category:Fox Broadcasting Company affiliates]]
[[Category:Nexstar Media Group]]
[[Category:TBD (TV network) affiliates]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1983]]
[[Category:Television stations in Denver|DVR]]