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The Yuma-El Centro DMA spans Yuma County, Arizona and Imperial County, California, linking irrigated agriculture, logistics through the Calexico and San Luis ports of entry, and military operations anchored by Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. Binational families, farmworkers, and winter visitors expect bilingual coverage that tracks desert weather, cross-border policy, and seasonal tourism. Streaming devices, WhatsApp groups, and smart speakers complement broadcast updates for audiences commuting daily between Sonora, Baja California, and the Lower Colorado River Valley.
News-Press & Gazette Company operates KYMA News 13 (NBC) alongside CBS 13 On Your Side and manages shared services with FOX/ABC/CW affiliate KECY serving both Yuma and El Centro. Entravision supports Telemundo 3.5 and Univision feeds that originate in the Imperial Valley and simulcast from Mexicali. Translators extend Arizona PBS and Vegas-based independents into desert communities. Both the FCC and Mexico's Federal Telecommunications Institute coordinate spectrum usage along the border, guiding tower power, repack plans, and emergency alert testing.
Local governments, tribal authorities, and agricultural boards partner with broadcasters on dust storm messaging, canal safety, and water allocations. Stations maintain bureaus near the Andrade and Calexico ports of entry, balancing immigration hearings, trade updates, and farm labor issues while adhering to public-interest obligations across two states.
Spectrum, Cox, Allo Fiber, and local cooperatives deploy broadband along Interstate 8, rail corridors, and rural colonias, supporting livestreamed town halls, precision agriculture, and telehealth for winter residents. Station apps provide bilingual push alerts for heat advisories and port wait times, while FAST channels and YouTube playlists distribute evening newscasts to snowbirds and second-home owners.
Newsrooms integrate WhatsApp tip lines, geofenced OTT campaigns, and drone coverage of irrigation canals to reach field crews with limited desktop access. Regional advertisers rely on attribution dashboards that tie broadcast schedules to casino footfall, produce shipments, and tourism bookings across Yuma, El Centro, and Mexicali.
Audiences depend on bilingual alerts about border wait times, farm labor rules, and desert travel advisories, often switching between U.S. and Mexican signals for full coverage.
Stations share graphics across Facebook, WhatsApp, and connected TV to keep migrants, commuters, and logistics managers current on policy changes and extreme weather.
Winter visitors and military families track programming for air show updates, recreation safety, and Veterans Affairs resources, creating spikes in OTT streams and radio listening.
Agribusiness advertisers coordinate with stations during harvest peaks, pairing sunrise radio reports with evening TV segments on water allocations and labor availability.
| Indicator | Latest Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| DMA rank | 166 (2023-2024 season) | https://www.stationindex.com/tv/markets/Yuma |
| Estimated TV households | ~202,000 homes | https://www.stationindex.com/tv/markets/Yuma |
| Yuma County population | 224,427 residents (2023 estimate) | https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/yumacountyarizona/PST045223 |
| Imperial County crop value | $2.2 billion in 2022 agricultural production | https://agcomm.co.imperial.ca.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2022-Crop-Report.pdf |
| Median household income | $56,181 (Imperial County, 2018-2022 ACS) | https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/imperialcountycalifornia/PST045223 |
Stations maintain credibility by hiring bilingual anchors, co-producing town halls with consulates, and providing simultaneous Spanish and English emergency briefings.
Faith leaders, farm bureaus, and port authorities join live call-in shows, reinforcing transparency around water rights, immigration checkpoints, and resource distribution.
Healthcare providers, casinos, and higher education marketers combine linear schedules with Spanish-language OTT placements to reach both sides of the border.
Measurement relies on call tracking, QR codes, and geotargeted push alerts that capture responses from military housing, RV parks, and agricultural camps.
