KPOL was an independent television station

Television station

A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...

 in Tucson, Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...

, broadcasting on UHF

Ultra high frequency

Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...

 channel 40.

History

KPOL came into existence on November 28, 1983 with the grant of a permit to construct a full-service station on UHF channel 40 to serve the Tucson area. The station signed on January 5, 1985 as an English-language general entertainment independent station

Independent station

An independent station is in the category of television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any television network....

 owned by the Polan family, and was licensed on November 20, 1985. Earlier that week, KDTU (now KTTU-TV

KTTU-TV

KTTU is a full-service television station in Tucson, Arizona, broadcasting digitally on UHF channel 19 as a MyNetworkTV affiliate. Founded March 21, 1983, the station is owned by Belo Corporation.- Programming :...

) signed on the air, and over time, KPOL couldn't compete in what was then an overcrowded market. The station signed off October 17, 1989.

In 1991, local Tucson businessman Jay Zucker purchased the dormant KPOL license out of bankruptcy, and on July 1, 1992, channel 40 signed on as Telemundo affiliate KHRR

KHRR

KHRR is a full-service television station, owned and operated by NBCUniversal, and serving Tucson, Arizona as the Telemundo station. The station broadcasts in digital on UHF channel 40, with 396 kW ERP on its digital signal...

.

Programming

As an independent station, KPOL aired an eclectic mix of programming, including cartoons, drama shows, old movies, westerns, and religious programs, and was Tucson's home for Phoenix Suns

Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...

basketball broadcasts.