As part of a nationwide staff reduction, the local Technical Operations Director, JR Rogers, was laid off on March 31, 2026. He had been with the organization under various owners since 1991. He worked at KFMB AM-FM from 1976 until 1991, including time with the famous “B-100 B Morning Zoo.”
KFMB-TV 8 Joins The Nexstar Group
[Update – On Friday, March 27, a U.S. district judge ordered television operator Nexstar Media Group to temporarily keep TEGNA’s assets separate pending a review of the acquisition for potential antitrust violations.]
On March 19, 2026, the FCC approved the $6.2 billion acquisition of TEGNA TV stations by Nexstar Media Inc., including KFMB-TV 8 San Diego. The CBS network affiliate will join independent KUSI and Fox network affiliate KSWB (“Fox 5”) under common ownership in the San Diego market. The deal makes Nexstar the owner of 259 television stations in the U.S. and includes a waiver of the FCC’s national ownership rule, which prohibits a single corporation from owning more than 39% of the country’s stations. Cable and satellite distribution groups have filed legal challenges, citing Nexstar’s future leverage in retransmission fee negotiations. Some states and Newsmax have also filed legal challenges.
FCC rules currently disallow a single entity from owning more than two full-power TV stations in a given Designated Market Area (DMA), but the FCC waived this rule for San Diego, citing a possible loss of local news should KUSI be divested.
There is some speculation and rumors that the local operating group of stations will close the Engineer Road plant, where KFMB has operated since 1976. No word yet on what will happen with the current engineering staff.
Cox Cable and Charter to Merge
Remember when San Diego was once served by two cable companies? Southwestern Cable had the territory north of Interstate 8, and Cox Cable had the territory south of that highway. Well, now it’ll be one company.
On February 27, the FCC approved Charter Communications’ $34.5-billion purchase of Cox Communications. The combined corporation will be called Cox Communications, but the fiber and cable TV delivery service will continue to be called “Spectrum.” It’s set to become the largest internet service provider, with 38 million customers.
The two companies’ business services have been competitive over most of San Diego County for some time.
The future impact on San Diego employees is unknown.
Tijuana Adds Channel 9 TV Signal
AVSForum viewers report a new signal from south of the Mexican border on Channel 9 VHF, 186–192 MHz. XHCPAT-TDT is said to broadcast from Colinas de Agua Caliente in Tijuana with a licensed power of 60kW ERP.
This is an interesting development since KSDX-LD is licensed for channel 9 from Mt. San Miguel, albeit at a very low power of 275W ERP from a two-element omni-directional horizontal antenna.
Monument Peak Tower Collapses
A tower housing KNSJ (FM) 89.1 MHz and other communications antennas toppled at approximately 10:00 AM on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, atop Monument Peak. The American Tower-managed site, at an elevation of 6,255 feet, is at the steep transition between the forested mountaintop and the Anzo-Borrego Desert at near sea level. Engineers familiar with the event say the tower and antennas were laden with ice, and that winds were reported at 80 miles per hour or higher. The FAA-registered tower, originally constructed in 1972, was 93 feet tall and heavily laden with microwave dishes and cellular panel antennas.
Now you see it… This UCSD HPWREN webcam capture was taken on February 8 and includes the tower to the north, appearing to the right. 
…Now you don’t. This HPWREN screenshot was captured on February 23. 
American Tower Corp. building wrapped in collapsed tower steel. 
Tower pier with severed leg. 
Lifted pier.
If you watch the site HPWREN webcam time-lapse video (play the left-most video labeled “09-12”), you can see the tower “disappear” just before 10:00 AM. KNSJ’s antenna is the slanted Shively FM log-periodic array pictured.
KNSJ has been off the air due to weather damage before. The station, owned by Activist San Diego, is licensed for 330 watts ERP directed southwest toward San Diego, with a slant polarization.