KESQ News Channel 3

What KESQ News Channel 3 does

KESQ News Channel 3 is a privately held local television broadcaster serving the Coachella Valley and greater Riverside County region of Southern California, with operations tracing to 1982 and a broadcast presence established under the 'News Channel 3' brand. The station is operated by Gulf-California Broadcast Company, a subsidiary of News-Press & Gazette Co. (NPG Co.), a fourth-generation, family-controlled media conglomerate headquartered in St. Joseph, Missouri since the 1950s. KESQ runs a multi-affiliate broadcast stack: KESQ-TV (the primary CBS affiliate), CBS Local 2 (KPSP-TV), Fox 11 Palm Springs (KDFX-TV), and KUNA, a Spanish-language Telemundo 15/NBC affiliate serving the region's Hispanic community. Distribution is anchored in Coachella Valley cities including Palm Springs, Indio, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, and Banning.

The company operates a diversified media product portfolio. Core broadcast output comprises daily newscasts, weather coverage via the proprietary 'First Alert Weather' system (with live weather cams and Alert Days for severe weather), the I-Team investigative reporting unit covering region-specific issues such as the Salton Sea and Colorado River crisis, and lifestyle programming such as 'Eye on the Desert.' Digital surfaces include a CDN-backed responsive website (kesq.com) with live newscast streaming, native iOS and Android applications for both news and weather, email newsletters (Morning Headlines, Daily Weather Forecast, Breaking News Alerts, Afternoon Headlines), and active social channels on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn. National and international coverage is supplemented through content syndication partnerships with CNN Newsource and the Associated Press. Adjacent products include a Recruitology-powered local job board (jobs.kesq.com), the Coachella Valley Golf Card deals program, and a subscription tier called First Alert Weather Insider.

KESQ's revenue model centers on broadcast television advertising and digital advertising across kesq.com, with rates negotiated directly and not publicly disclosed. Secondary streams include pay-as-you-go job posting fees via hiring.kesq.com and sponsorship revenue from recurring community programs such as the annual St. Jude Dream Home campaign, Neighborhood Heroes, Impact Grants, and the Living Healthy Expo. The primary audience is Coachella Valley residents consuming ad-supported news and weather; the primary advertiser base comprises local small and medium-sized businesses. Named relationships include enterprise account Palm Springs International Film Festival (event coverage/partnership) and nonprofit Palm Springs Animal Shelter (community coverage and adoption campaigns). The operation is FCC-licensed, CCPA-compliant, and fully owned within the NPG Co. family of media properties.

Name

KESQ News Channel 3

Legal name

Gulf-California Broadcast Company

Website

https://kesq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KESQ News Channel 3 is a privately held local television broadcaster serving the Coachella Valley through four stations — KESQ-TV (CBS), CBS Local 2, Fox 11 Palm Springs, and Spanish-language KUNA — alongside a digital ecosystem spanning news and weather mobile apps, livestreamed newscasts, and a local job board.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Television News Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833), Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Local/Regional News Channels (MPABAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Multicultural/Language Broadcasters (Spanish/Asian/Other Local Markets) (MPABACAI), Weather & Emergency Information Channels (MPABAIAF)

Keywords

• Local television news
• Broadcast journalism
• Weather forecasting
• Investigative reporting
• Community news coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Thousand Palms

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Broadcast Advertising: Television advertising including local ads, PSA placements, and sponsored segments
2. Digital Advertising: Online advertising on kesq.com including display ads, sponsored content, and newsletter placements
3. Job Board Services: Local job board (jobs.kesq.com) with job posting services and employer login capabilities
4. Contest and Promotion Services: Sponsorships and partnerships for local contests and community events

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KESQ News Channel 3 is a local television news station serving the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs area, delivering hyperlocal news, weather, sports, and investigative reporting across multiple broadcast channels (KESQ-TV, CBS Local 2, FOX 11 Palm Springs) and digital platforms including a website, mobile apps, and social media. The station also operates KUNA, a Spanish-language programming service for the Hispanic community, and offers a local job board and community engagement programs.

Product overview

KESQ News Channel 3 is a local television news broadcasting company serving the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs area in California. The company operates a multi-platform news operation consisting of KESQ News Channel 3 (the primary CBS-affiliated station), CBS Local 2, FOX 11 Palm Springs, and KUNA (a Spanish-language Telemundo/NBC affiliate). The core offering is local news broadcasting across television channels, complemented by mobile applications for iOS and Android, a responsive news website with livestreaming capabilities, and specialized content sections including weather forecasting (First Alert Weather), investigative journalism (I-Team), and lifestyle programming (Eye on the Desert). Additional services include a local job board (KESQ Now Hiring), email newsletters, and the Coachella Valley Golf Card deals program. The company distributes syndicated content from CNN, Associated Press, and other national news providers, while maintaining local audience engagement through Viafoura-powered commenting and social media integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KESQ Local News Broadcast Primary local television news broadcast serving the Coachella Valley, delivered across KESQ-TV, CBS Local 2, and FOX 11 Palm Springs, targeting Coachella Valley residents with hyperlocal news, weather, and sports coverage.
• KUNA Spanish-Language Programming Spanish-language television programming (Telemundo 15/NBC affiliate) serving the Hispanic community in Coachella Valley with Noticias (news), Clima (weather), Deportes (sports), entertainment, and community content.
• KESQ News and Weather Mobile Apps Native mobile applications for iOS and Android devices providing on-demand access to local news, weather alerts, video content, and live streaming for Coachella Valley residents.
• KESQ Now Hiring Job Board Local job board powered by Recruitology organizing local job openings by category with career advice articles; serves local employers posting jobs and job seekers in the Coachella Valley.
• Coachella Valley Golf Card Local deals and shopping program offering golf-related discounts and offers for residents and visitors in the Coachella Valley area.
• KESQ Email Newsletters and Alerts Email alert subscription service offering Morning News Headlines, Daily Weather Forecast, Breaking News Alerts, Afternoon Headlines, and Contests/Promotions notifications for Coachella Valley subscribers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Award-winning journalism with Emmy recognition
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CNN NewsourcecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020KESQ carries CNN Newsource content for national and international news coverage, supplementing local reporting with syndicated national/international content from CNN
• Associated PresscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020KESQ receives Associated Press content for news reporting, providing access to AP's global news coverage and wire service
• St. Jude Children's Research HospitalminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2020KESQ participates in St. Jude Dream Home campaign, an annual fundraising initiative featuring home giveaway contests

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Tegna: Major US local TV broadcaster with a portfolio of mid-market stations. Comparable in market-tier mix and digital transformation strategy; useful peer for benchmarking digital ad growth.
• Nexstar Media Group: Second-largest US local TV operator with deep ad-sales and digital capabilities. Relevant comp for valuation, retransmission fees, and the trade-off between scale and local autonomy.
• CNN: National news brand that syndicates content to KESQ via CNN Newsource. While not a direct competitor in the local market, CNN shapes audience expectations and competes for digital ad spend in the same region.
• Gray Television: Large US local TV operator with stations in mid-sized markets like KESQ's. Comparable in market profile, local-news investment, and digital expansion playbook.
• Telemundo: Spanish-language network that KESQ's KUNA sub-brand affiliates with. Comparable in Spanish-language content production and ad-sales dynamics; relevant for benchmarking KUNA's competitive position.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Largest US local TV station operator. Comparable business model (multi-station, multi-network local broadcast + digital) at massive scale; sets the structural benchmark for local TV economics and ad-sales tech.

Others

• Recruitology: Job-board platform powering jobs.kesq.com. As an infrastructure/enabling partner, useful for understanding the economics and scaling ceiling of KESQ's job-board revenue stream.

Direct peers

• KMIR-TV: NBC-affiliated local television station serving the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley DMA. Directly competes with KESQ for viewers, advertisers, and news stories in the same geographic market.
• The Desert Sun: Primary regional newspaper covering the Coachella Valley. Competes with KESQ for local-news audience attention and a share of regional advertiser budgets across print and digital.

Regional players

• KESQ/KPSP/KDFX competitor stations in adjacent Inland Empire / Riverside markets: Adjacent-market California local TV broadcasters (e.g., KABC, KCBS/KCAL Los Angeles spillover) that compete for Coachella Valley audiences and ad budgets from outside the immediate DMA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kesq
• YouTubeyoutube.com/kesq
• Facebookfacebook.com/KESQNewsChannel3
• Instagraminstagram.com/kesq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kesq-tv

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 KESQ News Channel 3