SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF. — On February 1, “Telemundo Costa Central” will be shifting to a new broadcast home, thanks to an agreement that involves News-Press & Gazette Co.
The move is the result of the sale of the current facility by husband and wife owners to an entity led by an immigration attorney based in San Diego.
Raul y Consuelo Palazuelos have agreed to sell KTAS-TV, which uses digital channel 34 and has a PSIP of 33, in San Luis Obispo.
The buyer is the Maxwell Agha-led International Communications Network Inc.
With Joan Stewart of Wiley Rein LLP serving as the seller’s legal counsel and Hadden & Associates as the buyer’s broker of record, Agha is paying $4 million for the station — minus its intellectual property.
That’s scheduled to move to VistaWest Media-owned KCOY-12, which uses digital Channel 19 and is based in Santa Maria, in the center of the Santa Barbara-San Luis Obispo DMA.
At present, KCOY is a Dabl affiliate and run by NPG via a shared services agreement. KKFX-CD 24 in San Luis Obispo, licensed to NPG, will simulcast “Telemundo Costa Central,” bumping FOX affiliate KKFX-11.
What does this mean for FOX programming in San Luis Obispo County? It can be found on KCOY-12.2 and is expected to stay there.
KCOY until the end of 2020 had been the home of “CBS12.” On January 1, 2021, programming relocated to KEYT-3.2 by NPG.
This leaves the question of what Agha intends to do with KTAS-TV. And, it’s a safe bet programming will mirror that of KSDY-50, which serves San Diego and Baja California Norte, Mexico with independent, non-network Spanish-language programming. Michelle Diaz Agha serves as Chief Operations Officer for ICN, and that’s the parent of KSDY.
Neither Maxwell nor Michelle Agha were available for comment when contacted by RBR+TVBR on Thursday morning.
KTAS-33 uses a transmitter atop Cuesta Peak. It has been a Telemundo affiliate since 2001.
