KUTP

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KUTP (channel 45), branded Fox 10 Xtra, is a Phoenix, Arizona TV station that broadcasts the MyNetworkTV programming service. It is owned by Fox Television Stations and operates alongside Fox outlet KSAZ-TV (channel 10). The two stations share studios on West Adams Street in Downtown Phoenix, and KUTP’s transmitter is on South Mountain. Its digital channel is 26, with virtual channel 45.

History in brief: In 1984, the FCC allocated channel 45 to Phoenix, and United Television won the construction permit. KUTP began broadcasting on December 23, 1985 as Phoenix’s third independent station, airing movies, syndicated shows and a local revival of The Lloyd Thaxton Show. In 1988, KUTP started carrying Phoenix Suns road games, expanding to more games in the 1990s. The station carried Prime Time Entertainment Network from 1993 to 1995 and joined UPN when the network launched in 1995.

In 2000, Paramount’s UPN stations were sold to Fox Television Stations, creating a duopoly with KSAZ. When The WB and UPN merged to form The CW in 2006, Fox did not keep its UPN stations in Phoenix, and KUTP transitioned to MyNetworkTV. That fall, Fox began airing My Dating Place, a local dating show on KUTP.

In 2017, KUTP was rebranded as Fox 10 Xtra, expanding Fox 10’s live streaming content from its sister station and adding Fox Weather programming. Beginning in 2018, KSAZ-produced 7 p.m. newscasts were carried on KUTP, and additional newscasts air when KSAZ has scheduling conflicts. In February 2022, KUTP started simulcasting Fox Weather on weekdays from 1–2 p.m. and on Sundays from 4–6 a.m.

Basketball returned to KUTP in 2019 when Grand Canyon University games were moved to the station, produced by Sneaky Big Studios; the arrangement was expanded for the 2021–22 season and continued with additional sports in 2022. The station’s analog signal on channel 45 ended on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition to digital television; its digital signal remains on channel 26, using virtual channel 45.