History of Telemundo Station Group in Timeline

Telemundo Station Group, a division of NBCUniversal Owned TV Stations (a subsidiary of Comcast), manages Telemundo's owned-and-operated television stations and the TeleXitos network. Unlike its counterpart, NBC Owned Television Stations, which handles the NBC owned-and-operated stations, Telemundo Station Group focuses specifically on the Spanish-language broadcasting network. This division ensures Telemundo stations operate effectively within the NBCUniversal framework, catering to the Hispanic audience in the United States.

1984: Telemundo Formation as NetSpan

In 1984, Telemundo was initially formed as NetSpan by the owners of WNJU in Linden, New Jersey, serving the New York City area, and KSTS in San Jose, California.

1985: Expansion to Los Angeles

In 1985, NetSpan added KVEA in Los Angeles to its station group.

1986: Reliance Group Holdings Acquisition

In 1986, Reliance Group Holdings, part-owner of KVEA, acquired John Blair & Co., which owned WKAQ-TV in San Juan, Puerto Rico (branded as Telemundo), and WSCV in Fort Lauderdale–Miami-West Palm Beach. Reliance also took control of WNJU and KSTS in 1986.

1987: Reliance Merged Stations into Telemundo Group and Rebranded NetSpan

In 1987, Reliance merged all stations into the Telemundo Group, a new corporation that quickly went public. Reliance decided to rebrand NetSpan as Telemundo in 1987. KTMD in Houston and KVDA in San Antonio were then established.

November 9, 1995: Telemundo Acquires Controlling Interest in WSNS-TV

On November 9, 1995, Telemundo purchased a 74.5% controlling interest in WSNS-TV in Chicago from Essaness Communications for $44.7 million, with Essaness retaining a 25.5% stake.

1997: Liberty Media and Sony Pictures Entertainment Purchase Majority Interest in Telemundo

In 1997, Liberty Media and Sony Pictures Entertainment acquired a majority interest in Telemundo from Reliance Capital Group.

1999: NBC Acquires Stake in Paxson

In 1999, NBC acquired a 32 percent stake in Paxson, giving it the right of first refusal on Paxson's stations in the fifty largest markets.

2001: NBC Purchases Telemundo

In 2001, NBC purchased Telemundo from Sony and Liberty Media. Also in 2001, Telemundo acquired KXTX-TV in Dallas.

April 2002: NBC Buys Holbrook, Arizona Station KPHZ and Translators

In April 2002, NBC acquired KPHZ (now KTAZ) in Holbrook, Arizona, and its translators in Phoenix, Arizona (KPHZ-LP and KPSW-LP) from Venture Technologies Group for $7.5 million.

September 2002: NBC Agrees to Acquire WPXB in Boston

In September 2002, NBC agreed to acquire WPXB in the Boston area from Paxson Communications, with the intention of making it a Telemundo owned-and-operated station.

September 26, 2002: NBC acquisition of KPHZ finalized

On September 26, 2002, NBC finalized the acquisition of KPHZ from Venture Technologies Group.

October 8, 2002: NBC Announces Acquisition of Telemundo Affiliates

On October 8, 2002, NBC announced that it would acquire three Telemundo affiliates: KHRR in Tucson and KDRX-CA in Phoenix from Television Apogeo, and KNSO in Fresno from Sainte Partners II, L.P.

October 29, 2002: NBC Completes Purchase of WPXB

On October 29, 2002, NBC completed its purchase of WPXB from Paxson Communications.

January 1, 2003: Sale of Arizona Stations Completed

On January 1, 2003, the sale of KHRR (Tucson) and KDRX-CA (Phoenix) to NBC was completed.

April 30, 2003: Acquisition of Fresno Affiliate Completed

On April 30, 2003, NBC completed the acquisition of Telemundo-affiliate KNSO in Fresno.

2003: Telemundo fully acquires WSNS-TV

In 2003, Telemundo fully acquired WSNS-TV by purchasing the remaining stake from Essaness Communications.

February 23, 2005: NBC Buys Telemundo Affiliate KBLR in Las Vegas

On February 23, 2005, NBC bought Telemundo affiliate KBLR in Las Vegas for $32.1 million.

May 24, 2005: Sale of KBLR Completed

On May 24, 2005, the sale of KBLR to NBC was completed.

2005: FCC Approval for License Swap

In 2005, NBC/Telemundo received FCC approval to swap licenses with Daystar Network's KDTP. The KPHZ license moved from Holbrook to Phoenix, broadcasting on channel 39, while Daystar's KDTP license moved from Phoenix to Holbrook, broadcasting on channel 11.

January 2006: NBCUniversal Agrees to Buy KDEN-TV in Denver

In January 2006, NBCUniversal agreed to buy Denver's KDEN-TV from Longmont Broadcasting.

2006: License Swap Completed

In 2006, the license swap between NBC/Telemundo and Daystar Network was completed, moving the KPHZ license to Phoenix and the KDTP license to Holbrook.

July 26, 2007: Donation of KMAS-TV Completed

On July 26, 2007, NBCUniversal completed the donation of Steamboat Springs' KMAS-TV to Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting Network.

January 26, 2011: NBCUniversal Announces Sale of KWHY-TV

On January 26, 2011, NBCUniversal announced the sale of its Spanish-language independent station KWHY-TV to the Meruelo Group due to its pending merger with Comcast.

March 21, 2013: NBCUniversal Agrees to Acquire WWSI

On March 21, 2013, NBCUniversal entered into an agreement to acquire WWSI from ZGS Communications for $20 million.

July 2013: Formation of NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations Division

In July 2013, NBC Owned Television Stations and Telemundo's owned stations were brought together under a newly formed division, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, under NBC TV Station president Valari Staab.

June 2017: Expiration of XHAS-TDT Affiliation

At the end of June 2017, the affiliation of Tijuana, Mexico-licensed station XHAS-TDT with Telemundo expired.

September 12, 2017: NBCUniversal Acquires KUAN-LD

On September 12, 2017, NBCUniversal acquired KUAN-LD from NRJ TV, LLC, to serve as San Diego's Telemundo station.

December 4, 2017: NBCUniversal Announces Purchase of ZGS Communications' Stations

On December 4, 2017, NBCUniversal announced its purchase of ZGS Communications's ten Spanish-language television stations.

December 21, 2017: Sale of KUAN-LD Completed

On December 21, 2017, the sale of KUAN-LD to NBCUniversal was completed.

July 2018: Sales of WRIW-CD and WZGS-CD Completed

In July 2018, the sales of WRIW-CD and WZGS-CD were completed, after ZGS negotiated channel sharing agreements.

March 5, 2019: Acquisition of KCSO-LD and KTMW

On March 5, 2019, KCSO-LD in Sacramento, California, and KTMW in Salt Lake City, along with their respective repeater stations, were acquired from Serestar Communications.

July 30, 2021: NBCUniversal to Buy KASA-TV

On July 30, 2021, NBCUniversal announced it was buying Albuquerque, New Mexico Telemundo affiliate KASA-TV and its repeater stations for $12.5 million dollars.