KNVN

KNVN is the NBC television station for the Chico/Redding, California market. The station is owned by Maxair Media, LLC, and operated by Heartland Media, the owners of CBS affiliate KHSL-TV. It shares its studios, office and newscasts with KHSL-TV.

History

Channel 24 first hit the airwaves on September 24, 1985 as KCPM, making the northern Sacramento Valley one of the last regions of the country with full network service. It also brought a full NBC affiliate to the area for the first time since KRCR-TV switched from NBC to ABC in 1978. Since then, assorted NBC programs had been available via off-hours clearances from both KHSL and KRCR.

KCPM signed on during a very prosperous time for NBC, and it did quite well for the first several years on the air. But by 1998, the station was sinking in debt and on the verge of closing down. At this point, KHSL stepped in, not wanting to see the loss of full network service in the area. Then-owner Grapevine Communications sold the station to Evans Broadcasting, which changed the calls to the current KNVN on August 10th and turned the station's operations over to KHSL (owned by Catamount Broadcasting at the time) under a shared services agreement.