KTBN-TV
|
Santa Ana/Los Angeles, California United States |
|
|---|---|
| City | Santa Ana, California |
| Channels |
Digital: 33 (UHF) Virtual: 40 () |
| Subchannels | 40.1 - TBN 40.2 - Hillsong Channel 40.3 - JUCE TV/Smile 40.4 - Enlace 40.5 - TBN Salsa |
| Affiliations | TBN |
| Owner | Trinity Broadcasting Network |
| First air date | January 5, 1967 |
| Call letters' meaning |
Trinity Broadcasting Network |
| Former callsigns | KLXA-TV (1967–1977) |
| Former channel number(s) |
Analog: 40 (UHF, 1967–2009) Digital: 23 (UHF, 2004–2009) |
| Former affiliations | English & Spanish Independent (1967–1973) |
| Transmitter power | 1000 kW |
| Height | 875 m |
| Facility ID | 67884 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 34°13′27″N 118°3′44″W / 34.22417°N 118.06222°WCoordinates: 34°13′27″N 118°3′44″W / 34.22417°N 118.06222°W |
| Website | www.tbn.org |
KTBN-TV, virtual channel 40 (UHF digital channel 33), is the flagship television station of the Christian religious broadcaster Trinity Broadcasting Network serving the Los Angeles, California area. Licensed to Santa Ana, California, the station is owned and operated by TBN. The station's offices are based in the TBN network headquarters in nearby Tustin, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.
Channel 40 first launched on January 5, 1967 as KLXA-TV, licensed to Fontana but operating from offices and studios at 816 North Highland Avenue in Hollywood. It was Southern California's first Bilingual television station. In its first months, KLXA broadcast most days from 4:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M., with English programming made up of old movies and 1950s-era reruns of network and syndicated series such as The Whirlybirds, The Phil Silvers Show and Circus Boy, ending with a Lyn Sherwood newscast from 8:00 to 8:15. Then, starting with an 8:15-8:30 newscast from Miguel Alonso, the remainder of the schedule would be telenovelas, variety shows and sporting events (most frequently bullfighting) in Spanish. By 1971, the entire schedule was changed to Spanish-language programming, directly competing with KMEX-TV on Channel 34.
TBN founder Paul Crouch began purchasing time in 1973 on KBSA Channel 46, (now known as KFTR) then licensed to Guasti. He wanted to buy the station, but another organization bought it from under his offer. After that station was sold, Crouch began buying two hours of programming time a day on Channel 40 in early 1974; KBSA ran Spanish language entertainment programming several hours a day, with TBN buying two hours program time in the evenings. KLXA was then put up for sale shortly after. Paul Crouch then put in a bid to buy it for $1 million and raised $100,000 for a down payment. After many struggles, the Crouches managed to raise the down payment and took over the station outright. Initially, the station ran locally produced Christian programs about six hours a day. Paul, Jan Crouch, and Jim Bakker hosted the daily religious program Praise The Lord. Other programs included Christian-themed children's programs, church services from their church, bible studies, and public affairs shows. Later in 1974, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker left TBN to launch their own show in Charlotte, North Carolina early in 1975, which kept the PTL initials and was called the PTL Club. TBN used the full name Praise The Lord. The Crouches continued to expand their religious programming to twelve hours a day by 1975, and began selling time to outside Christian organizations to supplement their local programming.
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