Tucson News Now

What Tucson News Now does

Tucson News Now is the consumer-facing brand of KOLD-TV, a local broadcast television station serving the Tucson, Arizona metropolitan area and surrounding Pima County. The station is owned by Gray Television (NASDAQ: GTN) through its Gray Local Media division and operates as part of a three-station cluster that includes KMSB (Fox 11) and KTTU (MyTV), collectively covering the CBS, Fox, and MyNetworkTV network affiliations in the local market. Programming is built around local news, weather, sports, and investigative journalism, with branded franchises such as "13 Investigates," "Tucson Now," "Monsoon" weather coverage, "Watching Your Wallet," and "Futbol Frenzy" soccer coverage. The station also carries regional sports coverage including Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury, and University of Arizona Wildcats athletics.

The underlying technology stack is a hybrid of traditional broadcast infrastructure and digital distribution: over-the-air transmission on Channel 13, cable/satellite carriage (DirecTV, Dish), NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) capability, livestreaming, a website (kold.com) with mobile applications on iOS and Android, and Roku streaming availability. The digital marketing subsidiary gdmtucson.com extends the platform into B2B services. Headcount is reported at 101–250 employees, consistent with a mid-market full-service local news operation.

The business model is purely advertising-supported and free to consumers. Revenue is generated through two primary streams: television advertising (local and national spot buys during news, weather, and sports programming) and digital advertising (display, video, and sponsored content on the kold.com website and mobile apps). The customer base is a horizontal geographic segment — Tucson DMA residents — with no subscription or paywall mechanism. The company does not disclose individual station revenue; it is consolidated within Gray Television's public reporting.

Name

Tucson News Now

Legal name

Gray Local Media (KOLD-TV)

Website

https://tucsonnewsnow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Tucson News Now (KOLD-TV) is a local broadcast television station in Tucson, Arizona, owned by Gray Television, delivering local news, weather, and sports across broadcast, cable, streaming, and mobile platforms to Tucson DMA viewers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

News OTT & Live News Streaming Channels (MPABAHAK), News & Public Affairs Syndication (MPABAMAF)

Keywords

• Local broadcast news
• Television advertising
• Weather forecasting
• Investigative journalism
• Digital streaming

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Television Advertising: The station generates revenue through broadcast television advertisements, including local and national advertising placements during news programs, weather segments, and sports coverage.
2. Digital Advertising: The website generates revenue through digital advertising including display ads, video ads, and sponsored content on the kold.com website and mobile applications.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tucson News Now (KOLD-TV) is a local broadcast television station that produces and distributes local news, weather forecasting, sports coverage, and investigative journalism for the Tucson, Arizona metropolitan area. The station operates three broadcast channels (KOLD Channel 13, KMSB Fox 11, KTTU MyTV) and distributes content across over-the-air, cable, satellite, mobile app, and streaming platforms. Programming is supported by advertising revenue and is offered free to consumers.

Product overview

Tucson News Now (KOLD) operates as a local broadcast television news station offering a comprehensive portfolio of news, weather, and sports content. The core offering consists of KOLD News broadcasting local, state, and national news alongside the 13 Investigates investigative unit. Weather Services provide forecasting through multiple channels including maps, webcams, and the seven-day forecast. Sports Coverage encompasses regional teams and UA athletics. The station distributes content through multiple channels including mobile apps, livestreaming, and Roku streaming, as well as the traditional broadcast platform including NEXTGEN TV technology. Tucson Now serves as the local evening news program, while Watching Your Wallet delivers consumer-focused economic reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KOLD News Broadcast Primary local television news broadcasting service delivering Tucson-area news, crime reports, state and national coverage, and investigative journalism for Tucson-area viewers.
• KOLD Weather Services Weather forecasting and monitoring services including seven-day forecasts, weather maps, weather cams, monsoon tracking, and heat safety alerts for Tucson-area residents.
• KOLD Sports Coverage Local and regional sports coverage including Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Suns, Wildcats basketball, UA Sports, Phoenix Mercury, Futbol Frenzy soccer, and 13 Sports Overtime for Southern Arizona sports fans.
• KOLD Mobile Apps Downloadable mobile applications for iOS and Android devices enabling access to local news, weather, and video content on mobile devices for Tucson-area viewers.
• KOLD Livestream Live video streaming service for real-time news broadcasts and special coverage accessible to viewers online.
• KOLD Roku Streaming Streaming access to KOLD content through Roku devices and smart TV platforms for cord-cutting viewers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• KWBA-TV: CW affiliate in the Tucson market. Competes with KOLD and its sister stations (KMSB Fox, KTTU MyTV) for younger demographic viewers and cable/network ad share.
• WKYT: CBS affiliate in Lexington, Kentucky, also owned by Gray Television. Comparable mid-size-market CBS-affiliated station within the same Gray Local Media portfolio structure as KOLD.
• KVOA: NBC affiliate (Channel 4) in Tucson. Directly competes with KOLD for local news viewers and advertiser spend in the same DMA.
• WFLA-TV: NBC affiliate in Tampa Bay, Florida, also owned by Gray Television. A sister station within the Gray Local Media portfolio with comparable mid-major-market news operations and shared corporate resources.
• KGUN-TV: ABC affiliate (Channel 9) and primary in-market competitor to KOLD in the Tucson DMA. Directly competes for the same local news, weather, and sports audience and advertising budgets.

Regional players

• KPNX: NBC affiliate (12 News) in Phoenix, the dominant Arizona DMA adjacent to Tucson. Operates in the same state and regional ad market, with potential audience and advertiser overlap in Southern Arizona.

Broad incumbents

• Tegna Inc. Major US local TV station group owning affiliates in mid-size and large markets. Directly comparable portfolio strategy and target-market focus to Gray's, with overlap in CBS/NBC affiliate categories.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: One of the largest US local TV broadcasters with extensive mid-market station holdings. Competes with Gray for audience, ad budgets, and corporate growth in similar market tiers.
• Nexstar Media Group: Largest US owner of local TV stations and the most significant broad incumbent in local broadcast television. Operates many CBS/NBC/ABC affiliates in mid-size markets directly comparable to KOLD.
• The E.W. Scripps Company: Diversified local broadcast and national media company owning local TV stations in comparable mid-size markets (including KGUN in Tucson). Direct portfolio overlap with KOLD's market position.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tucsonnewsnow
• Facebookfacebook.com/tucsonnewsnow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kold-news-13-cbs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 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 Tucson News Now