KUQI

This article is about the television station. For the association football player, see Shefki Kuqi.
KUQI
Corpus Christi, Texas
United States
Branding KUQI Fox 38 Corpus Christi (general)
Fox 38 News (news)
Slogan So Fox 38 (general)
The Most Powerful Name in Local News (news)
Channels Digital: 38 (UHF)
Virtual: 38 (PSIP)
Subchannels 38.1 Fox
38.2 RTV
Affiliations Fox (February 2008-present)
Owner Corpus 18, LLC
First air date January 15, 2008
Former channel number(s) Analog:
38 (UHF, 2008-2009)
Former affiliations Independent (January–February 2008)
Transmitter power 50 kW
Height 247 m
Facility ID 82910
Transmitter coordinates 27°45′31.8″N 97°36′26.3″W / 27.758833°N 97.607306°W
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Profile
CDBS
Website www.kuqitv.com

KUQI is the Fox-affiliated television station for the Corpus Christi, Texas market; it is owned by Corpus 18, LLC. The station broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 38.

Because KUQI is a high-power television station, its signal covers the Corpus Christi, Texas metropolitan area, as well as outlying towns as far as Raymondville and George West. The coverage area is far greater than that of the market's first Fox affiliate, low-powered K47DF channel 47.

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[1]
38.1 720p 16:9 KUQI-DT Main KUQI programming / Fox
38.2 480i 4:3 RTV Retro Television Network

Analog-to-digital conversion

KUQI shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 38, on June 12, 2009, and "flash-cut" its digital signal into operation on its analog-era UHF channel 38. Because it was granted an original construction permit after the FCC finalized the DTV allotment plan on April 21, 1997,[2] the station did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station.

History

The station began operations on January 15, 2008 as an independent station; it assumed the Fox affiliation for the market on February 4, 2008, the day after Super Bowl XLII, replacing K47DF as the area's affiliate.[3] KUQI began broadcasting Fox programming in HD by 2011. The original owner was High Maintenance Broadcasting, a company run by Deidre Gillis, Lori Hoffmann and Vanisha Mallory.

On March 15, 2012, National Communications announced it would purchase KUQI from High Maintenance Broadcasting with an intent to enter into a shared services agreement with London Broadcasting-owned ABC affiliate KIII channel 3.[4] On August 28, the FCC approved the sale of KUQI,[5] with plans for the station to change its call sign from KUQI to KFCC upon consummation.[6] However, the sale to National Communications was cancelled on January 11, 2013; the National / London consortium cited numerous attempts to close the deal with High Maintenance without success.[7]

High Maintenance then declared bankruptcy in early 2013, remaining as debtor-in-possession. In late 2014, the sale of the station to Corpus 18, LLC, a partnership formed by the noteholders of debt of High Maintenance and related company GH Broadcasting, was finalized.

News programming

KUQI does not currently have a news department, but it did simulcast the 9 p.m. newscast from Fox owned-and-operated station KRIV in Houston, advertised by KUQI under the title KUQI Tonight powered by Fox 26. The simulcast ended on June 28, 2012, due to the then-planned sale of the station.

References

External links