KCSO-LD
KCSO-LD is a low-power television station in Sacramento, California, United States, serving as the local outlet for the Spanish-language network Telemundo. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group, KCSO-LD maintains studios on Media Place in the Woodlake neighborhood of Sacramento, and its transmitter is located in Walnut Grove, California. The station is also sister to regional sports networks NBC Sports Bay Area and NBC Sports California.
Due to its low-power status, KCSO-LD simulcasts in high definition on Ion Television outlet KSPX-TV on a subchannel displayed as channel 33.2 and in widescreen standard definition on independent station KMAX-TV on subchannel 31.7. KCSO-LD also operates Class A translator station KMUM-CD in Sacramento and also relies on cable and satellite to reach the entire market.
KCSO formerly operated translator KMMW-LD in Stockton; this station ceased operations in March 2025 and its license was returned to the Federal Communications Commission.
History
KCSO was founded by country-western performer Chester Smith and his company Sainte Partners II, L.P. and first signed on the air in 1999. It was the last station to be owned by his company. On August 8, 2008, Chester Smith died of heart failure at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, California. The station continued operating under the Sainte banner until it was sold to Serestar Communications Group in 2013. Sainte folded shortly thereafter.In 2014, Serestar Communications agreed to purchase both KMUM-CD and KMMW-LD from Viacom for a disclosed amount. The sale of both stations was finalized on September 25, 2014. Prior to the sale, both of the stations dropped the Tr3́s affiliation and switched to Telemundo. After the sale, they became sister stations and translators to KCSO-LD. Also in 2014, KCSO began simulcasting in widescreen standard definition on KSPX-TV's seventh subchannel to reach the entire market due to KCSO's low-power status. The simulcast was discontinued in October 2021.
Serestar agreed to sell KCSO-LD, KMUM-CD, and KMMW-LD to NBCUniversal on November 28, 2018, as part of a $21 million deal. The sale was completed on March 5, 2019. As a result, KCSO-LD became the sixth television station in the Sacramento market to be owned-and-operated by its affiliated network.
In April 2022, CW owned-and-operated station KMAX-TV resumed the widescreen SD simulcast from KSPX-TV on a new subchannel also displayed as channel 33.2.
In March 2025, the simulcast returned to KSPX-TV in high definition on subchannel 33.2. An SD simulcast remains on KMAX-TV, but is now displayed as channel 31.7.
News operation
KCSO launched a local news department following its sign-on. The half-hour local evening news program was broadcast every Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. However, it had low ratings and was canceled after five years.Later, news briefs were aired online. In late 2014, it started airing morning news briefs called Noticias 33 por la mañana, which aired at 25 and 55 minutes past the hour from 7 to 9 a.m. during Telemundo's Un Nuevo Dia morning news program.
On November 6, 2016, KCSO re-launched a weekday half-hour long newscast at 6 p.m., 11 years after its initial newscast was canceled. It directly competes with Univision owned-and-operated KUVS's long-established Spanish-language newscast.
In 2017, a weeknight 11 p.m. newscast was launched, further competing with KUVS. Noticias Telemundo California is simulcast on Fresno sister station KNSO.
On March 18, 2020, one year after the purchase by NBCUniversal, the station launched 5 and 5:30 p.m. newscasts, and began simulcasting all of their newscasts on KNSO.
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's signal is multiplexed:| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
| 33.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KCSO-LD | Telemundo |
| 33.3 | 480i | 16:9 | TeleX | TeleXitos |
| 33.5 | 480i | 16:9 | CRIMES | NBC True CRMZ |
| 33.6 | 480i | 16:9 | Oxygen | Oxygen |
There is no 33.2 on this multiplex, as it is broadcast from KSPX-TV.
On September 3, 2012, MeTV was moved to KCRA 3.2 ; 33.3 became silent afterward. 33.3 was re-launched on January 21, 2017, broadcasting TeleXitos.
In 2018, KCSO affiliated with Light TV on newly launched subchannel 33.4. On January 15, 2021, Light TV was relaunched as TheGrio. TheGrio was dropped in March 2024 and the channel is currently silent.
In October 2023, Oxygen was added on a new subchannel 33.6.