KION-TV

What KION-TV does

KION-TV is a full-power local television station licensed to Salinas, California, and operating under NPG of Monterey-Salinas, CA LLC, a subsidiary of NPG (Newspaper Publishing Company), a privately held diversified media conglomerate. Founded in 1969, the station serves the Central Coast region of California, covering Monterey County, Santa Cruz County, and surrounding communities. It functions as a hyperlocal news broadcaster delivering regional reporting, weather forecasting tailored to the Monterey Bay microclimate, sports coverage, and community event information through a multi-platform distribution footprint.

The station's core products include the KION Central Coast news website (kioncentralcoast.com), KMUV T23 (a Spanish-language entertainment sub-brand), native iOS and Android mobile applications, an interactive weather radar, and a branded weather camera ("Domenico's Weather Cam"). Underlying technology is a conventional local broadcast television and digital news platform using over-the-air VHF/UHF transmission, web-embedded video and livestream players, and content syndication partnerships with KPIX CBS Bay Area and KTVU Fox 2 that extend reach into the broader San Francisco Bay Area. The FCC broadcast license is the foundational regulatory asset underpinning operations.

The business model is advertising-led. Revenue is generated through the sale of commercial airtime during news, weather, and sports programming to local businesses, regional advertisers, and national ad networks, supplemented by digital advertising across the website and mobile apps. Pricing is quote-based and negotiated through the station's sales team according to time slot, program ratings, and seasonal demand; no public rate card exists. The station has 51-100 employees, is headquartered in Salinas, California, and is privately held with no funding rounds or public ownership.

Name

KION-TV

Legal name

NPG of Monterey-Salinas, CA LLC

Website

https://kionrightnow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

KION-TV is a privately held local television station in Salinas, California, serving the Monterey and Santa Cruz County Central Coast market with hyperlocal news, weather, and sports content via broadcast, web, mobile apps, and syndicated livestream partnerships with Bay Area affiliates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Multicultural/Language Broadcasters (Spanish/Asian/Other Local Markets) (MPABACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Network-Affiliated Local TV Stations (ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/CW/Telemundo/Univision, etc.) (MPABACAE)

Keywords

• Local broadcast television
• Television news station
• Local news coverage
• Broadcast advertising sales
• Regional weather coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Salinas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising Sales: Revenue is generated through sale of advertising inventory including commercial spots during news broadcasts, sports coverage, and weather segments. Local businesses, regional advertisers, and national networks purchase airtime. Digital advertising includes display ads, pre-roll video ads on streaming content, sponsored content sections, and banner advertisements across the website and mobile applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KION-TV is a full-power local broadcast television station serving the Salinas/Monterey Designated Market Area in California's Central Coast region. The station produces and distributes local news, weather forecasts, sports coverage, and community-oriented entertainment content through over-the-air broadcast, a digital news website, mobile applications, and livestream partnerships with KPIX CBS Bay Area and KTVU Fox 2.

Product overview

KION Central Coast is a local television news broadcasting company offering a single unified news platform with multiple content channels. The core product is the KION Central Coast news website providing regional news coverage across categories including California news, U.S./World news, politics, money, weather, sports, and entertainment. Supporting products include KMUV T23 (Spanish-language entertainment programming), the KION News App for mobile devices, Interactive Radar and Domenico's Weather Cam for weather services, and Livestream Services for broadcast simulcasts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KION Central Coast

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• KPIX CBS Bay AreacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKPIX CBS Bay Area provides livestream content to KION Central Coast viewers, allowing local audiences to access CBS network news programming, sports coverage, and special event broadcasts through the KION website and digital platforms.
• KTVU Fox 2coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKTVU Fox 2 provides livestream access to Fox network programming, breaking news coverage, and Bay Area-specific content that is distributed through KION Central Coast's digital platforms to serve the Central Coast audience.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Tegna: Tegna is a major US broadcasting company with network-affiliated local stations concentrated in mid-sized markets, sharing KION's over-the-air plus digital distribution and advertising-driven business model.
• Nexstar Media Group: Nexstar is the largest US television broadcaster with a portfolio of network-affiliated local stations sharing KION's core model of local news, network affiliation, and advertising-supported revenue, but operating nationally.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Sinclair is one of the largest US local TV station operators with hundreds of network-affiliated stations, comparable to KION in license-based broadcasting operations, multi-platform content, and advertising-revenue economics, but at vastly greater scale.
• E.W. Scripps Company: Scripps operates network-affiliated local TV stations across the US alongside its national cable networks, matching KION's broadcast TV core, multi-platform content distribution, and ad-based revenue mix at considerably larger scale.
• Hearst Television: Hearst Television operates a portfolio of network-affiliated local TV stations across larger US markets, sharing the same broadcast TV operating model, local news focus, and advertising revenue mix as KION-TV.
• Gray Television: Gray Television operates a large portfolio of network-affiliated local TV stations across mid-size markets, with the same broadcast/operational profile as KION (local news, weather, sports, ad sales) but at much greater scale.
• KPIX-TV (CBS Bay Area): KPIX is the CBS O&O serving the much larger San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose DMA and is already a livestream partner of KION, representing both an extended-reach ally and a larger incumbent competing for regional advertising dollars.
• KTVU (Fox 2): KTVU is the Fox-affiliated station for the San Francisco Bay Area and an existing livestream/content partner of KION, functioning as a larger broadcasting incumbent within the broader Bay Area media landscape.

Direct peers

• KSBW 8: KSBW is the NBC-affiliated local TV station serving the exact same Salinas/Monterey DMA as KION-TV, making it the most direct head-to-head competitor for local news viewers and advertisers in the market.
• KEYT-TV: KEYT-TV is a network-affiliated local TV station serving the Santa Barbara/Santa Maria market immediately adjacent to KION's Central Coast coverage area, with similar hyperlocal news/weather positioning and small-market broadcasting economics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xkioncentralcoast.com/category/twitter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KION-TV