KPHE-LD (channel 44), branded on-air as Arizona's Family Sports, is a low-powerindependenttelevision station in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is owned by Gray Television alongside CBS affiliate KPHO-TV (channel 5) and independent station KTVK (channel 3), a grouping known as "Arizona's Family". KPHE-LD's transmitter is located atop South Mountain. Arizona's Family Sports is also broadcast on KAZF (channel 32) in Flagstaff, with transmitter on Mormon Mountain; KAZS (channel 27) in Yuma, with transmitter on Black Mountain in Imperial County, California; and as a subchannel of Gray-owned KOLD-TV in Tucson (13.3).
On the air by the mid-1990s and originally on channel 19, the station broadcast programming from several sources and was also used in a trial of wireless internet broadcasting from low-power TV stations in the early 2000s. From 2003 to 2006, the station broadcast Bohemia Visual Music, a music video service. During that time, Lotus Communications purchased the station, and it relocated to channel 44. Lotus then relaunched the station with Spanish-language programming, some of it local.
In 2022, Gray Television acquired KPHE-LD. On March 1, 2023, the Arizona's Family Sports and Entertainment Network (shortened to Arizona's Family Sports) launched on channel 44, airing simulcasts of most of KTVK–KPHO's newscasts, Phoenix Rising FC soccer, Arizona Interscholastic Association sports, and other programming. Gray owns the rights to Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury basketball, which are aired in conjunction with KTVK and KPHO-TV. Gray acquired licenses for new full-power stations in Flagstaff and Yuma to expand the service's coverage.
In June 1998, Jacobsen was granted a construction permit to operate an experimental broadcast station using the facilities of K19DD to broadcast in digital format. He sold the station to US Interactive LLC in September 1999; the new owners adopted the call sign KPHE-LP. In December 2000, the station became part of a pilot program to study the feasibility of using low-power UHF television stations to deliver wireless data services to subscribers.[5] The Digital Data Services Act pilot project was effective from December 2000 through June 2002, during which time KPHE was unavailable as an over-the-air analog broadcast station.[6]
After the pilot project was complete, KPHE programming consisted of a camera focused on a fish tank. Viewers could watch the fish while music played in the background. That changed in October 2003, when Valley residents Jeff Crawford and Jennifer Harris Crawford leased the station from US Interactive and took over its operations. The Crawfords had been operating a music video service called Bohemia AfterDark since 1982 and launched Bohemia Visual Music (BVM), a 24/7 music video channel.[7]
Lotus Communications ownership
KPHE / Bohemia Visual Music logo used from 2005 through 2006, after the station had moved to channel 44.
In January 2004, Lotus Communications purchased KPHE from US Interactive. The sale was finalized in March, and the station continued to be operated by the Crawfords as Bohemia Visual Music. Lotus had intended to launch family-friendly Spanish-language programming,[8][9] but the station continued to air Bohemia Visual Music. In March 2005, KPHE moved from channel 19 to channel 44, moved broadcast facilities from Usery Mountain to the South Mountain antenna farm, and upgraded its broadcast signal in preparation for future digital broadcasting.[10]
In July 2006, more than a year after announcing its intention to launch a family-focused station, Lotus replaced Bohemia Visual Music programming, first with a mix of music videos, including recorded worship services, and later, with talk shows and other Bible-based instruction. The new programming was branded TV Inspiración. KPHE affiliated with Monterrey-based Multimedios Televisión in November 2006 while keeping TV Inspiración as secondary programming. In February 2007, KPHE announced that it would carry Spanish-language telecasts of Arizona DiamondbacksMajor League Baseball home games, beginning with the 2007 season. These were separately produced broadcasts with their own play-by-play, color commentary, and on-field announcers. 50 games a season were aired in 2007 and in 2008;[11][12] original plans called for 75 games in 2009, but the team dropped the deal because KPHE was unable to secure a slot on the local Cox Communications system.[13]
In the 2010s and early 2020s, KPHE offered a constantly changing lineup of programming, primarily in Spanish and/or religious. KPHE had converted to digital broadcasting by June 2009 and was offering four subchannels: its local channel with programming from Telemax, the state TV network of Sonora, Mexico, and Multimedios Television; the English and Spanish channels of the Seventh-day Adventist-related 3ABN network; and infomercials.[14] Other subchannels that KPHE offered at one time or another included My Family TV and Retro TV, both owned by Luken Communications.[15][16] In April 2013, the station became an affiliate of CNN Latino for eight hours a day, also continuing to air output from Telemax and local productions.[17] Eventually, it shifted to airing mostly programming from LATV, though it was announced to air English-language coverage of Arizona Rattlers indoor football for 2021.[18]
Arizona's Family Sports
Arizona's Family Sports and Entertainment Network logo used from March 2023 to May 2023
On March 11, 2022, Gray Television (owner of CBS affiliate KPHO-TV and independent station KTVK) filed an application to acquire KPHE-LD for $1.75 million.[19] The sale was completed on May 4.[20] Lotus had previously reached a deal to sell to Sovryn Holdings for $2 million, which was not consummated, as part of its exit from the few low-power TV stations it still owned.[21] The primary subchannel continued to broadcast LATV. Gray then announced in January 2023 that the station would switch to an independent format as Arizona's Family Sports and Entertainment Network on March 1, 2023. It also announced a three-year deal with USL Championship side Phoenix Rising FC; KPHE would air all 34 matches per season, with five simulcasts on KTVK and one on KPHO in 2023.[22]
On April 28, 2023, the Phoenix Suns of the NBA announced an agreement with Gray to serve as the broadcast television rightsholder of Phoenix Suns and WNBA Phoenix Mercury games, beginning in their forthcoming 2023 seasons and replacing Bally Sports Arizona. KPHE and KTVK will carry all non-nationally televised games, with KTVK to carry at least 40 Suns games per season and 13 Mercury games per season. Kiswe will also develop an over-the-top (OTT) platform for the teams. The parent company of Bally Sports Arizona, Diamond Sports Group, responded by claiming that the Suns/Mercury deal represented a breach of contract by not allowing Diamond to exercise its contractual rights in violation of bankruptcy law.[23] The CEO of the Phoenix Suns and Mercury, Josh Bartelstein, had previously cited a "goal of wide distribution" for the teams in the face of cord cutting affecting the availability of RSNs.[24] It was also announced that Arizona's Family Sports and Entertainment Network would be broadcast on the 13.5 subchannel of Gray-owned KOLD-TV in Tucson.[25] The part of the contract for Suns games was voided by the bankruptcy court under an automatic stay, while Mercury games were not affected by the court order.[26][27] On July 14, the Suns announced that the Gray deal would go ahead, as Diamond Sports Group declined to match the contract.[28]
On May 19, 2023, the channel was rebranded Arizona's Family Sports.
Additional transmitters
In 2022, Gray Television participated in an FCC auction of new TV stations and paid $4.648 million for channel 32 in Flagstaff and $1.345 million for channel 11 in Yuma.[29] The FCC approved a request from Gray Television to change the Yuma allotment from VHF channel 11 to UHF channel 27 in February 2023.[30] KAZS, the Yuma station, began broadcasting by September 26, 2023,[31] while KAZF in Flagstaff debuted on the same day.[32]
^Cordova, Randy (April 2, 2005). "Spanish TV station to debut". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. E10. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^Gately, Edward (March 23, 2005). "Mesa, Ariz.-area music channel will reach across state and into Mexico". East Valley Tribune. ProQuest460356153.
^Haller, Doug (July 16, 2007). "Hot-hitting Tracy sits out with sore knee". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. C5. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^Piecoro, Nick (January 23, 2009). "Team cuts ties with Spanish TV broadcast". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. C8. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^Ruelas, Richard (June 12, 2009). "TV stations set to go digital". The Arizona Republic. p. A15. ProQuest239166439.
