KADN-TV
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| Lafayette, Louisiana | |
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| City of license | Lafayette, Louisiana |
| Branding | Fox 15 (General) |
| Slogan | So Fox 15 |
| Channels | Digital: 16 (UHF) Virtual: 15 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | 15.1 Fox 15.2 MyNetworkTV (KLAF-LP) |
| Affiliations | Fox |
| Owner | Communications Corporation of America (Comcorp of Louisiana License Corporation) |
| First air date | February 29, 1980[1] |
| Call letters' meaning | when said quickly, sounds like "Acadian" |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 15 (UHF, 1980-2009) |
| Former affiliations | Independent (1980-1986) CBS (secondary, 1980-2005) |
| Transmitter power | 800 kW |
| Height | 359 m |
| Facility ID | 33261 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 30°21′44.9″N 92°12′53.3″W / 30.362472°N 92.214806°W |
| Website | www.kadn.com |
KADN-TV ("Fox 15") is the Fox affiliate in Lafayette, Louisiana.
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[edit] History
Channel 15 in Lafayette was originally home to KLNI-TV, which operated as an NBC affiliate beginning on September 16, 1968. With KATC-TV and KLFY already operating, the Lafayette market was considered too small at the time to support three TV stations. After suffering financial difficulties for the few years it was on the air, KLNI discontinued operations in 1976[2], leaving WBRZ (and later WRBT, now WVLA) from Baton Rouge and KPLC from Lake Charles as Lafayette's de facto NBC affiliates. The allocation for channel 15 in Lafayette as a commercial TV station remained after the demise of KLNI and went unused until KADN signed on.
KADN, the current incarnation of channel 15, began broadcasting as "TV15, Acadiana's Alternative" on February 29, 1980 as an independent station, offering mainly movies, old sitcoms, children's programming, and local sports. It was owned by Charles Chatelain and his company, Delta Media Corporation. Another name it called itself was "The Movie Station." Movie blocks were given titles such as "Cinema 15," "Nightowl Theater" and "Primetime Theater."
KADN was innovative in creating its own original programming, esp. in the music genre. Shows such as "The Larry Brasso Show" (country music), "Cypress with Warren Storm" (swamp pop) and the long-running "Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler" (Cajun French music) were a Saturday mainstay during the station's early years. The latter produced so many episodes, that reruns aired weekday mornings under the title "Bon Temps Rouler Encore." A music video hour aired daily called "Acadiana Music Box" around the same time MTV was catching on.
Also in the early years, KADN had its own news department, first with just five minute newsbreaks called "Capsule News 15" and then its own 5pm daily newscast called "Acadiana in Review." After just a couple of years, it was realized that it was not financially feasible to compete with KLFY and KATC in news, so the news department was eliminated.
Shortly after KADN signed on the air, KLFY preempted an episode of the popular prime-time drama series Dallas to run a Billy Graham televangelism special. This caused then-owner Charles Chatelain to seek to run the episode that KLFY was going to miss on his station. At that time, an arrangement was made for channel 15 to officially become a CBS secondary affiliate, picking up a microwave relay of WAFB in Baton Rouge for network programming. KADN then began airing all of CBS's programming that KLFY dropped for one reason or another, especially the morning daytime offerings from 9am-10am (KADN would re-air those shows in the afternoon.) The arrangement lasted until 2005, with preempted CBS programming running in the later years on sister station KLAF-LP.
KADN is a charter member of Fox, joining the network upon its debut in 1986.
From the late 1980s to 1997, KADN operated a low-powered semi-satellite in Alexandria, K47DW, to bring Fox programming to central Louisiana. It aired separate commercials for the Alexandria market, identifying as "Fox 47". In 1991, when Delta Media bought WNTZ in Natchez, the Fox affiliation moved to channel 48. Since 1995, the channel 47 translator has simulcasted WNTZ to serve portions of Alexandria where channel 48's signal is weak.
[edit] Today
Digital channel 15.1 Real Channel 16 KADN Fox Lafayette, Louisiana
Digital channel 15.2 Real Channel 16 KLAF Myklaf Lafayette, Louisiana
KADN serves as the flagship station for the Lafayette, LA-based Communications Corporation of America (ComCorp) chain of TV stations. ComCorp began operating KADN in 1997 through a leased marketing agreement with original owner Charles Chatelain until purchasing the station outright in late 2004. After being located on cable channel 8 since signon, KADN moved to channel 6 on August 15, 2006 as part of a lineup restructuring of the Cox Communications Greater Lafayette system. [1]
In June 2006, owner ComCorp filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. ComCorp said in a press release viewers and staff would see no changes at the station.
The programming of sister station KLAF-LP was added to KADN-DT's signal on channel 15.2 in August 2007. This began a period of transition in which all four translators that made up KLAF were shut off.
In early 2008, KADN became the first station in the Lafayette market to air HD programming outside of network-provided offerings with syndicated Two and a Half Men airing in 720p HD. Further, on February 29, 2008, KADN began airing promotional materials throughout the day in 720p HD and identifying on the HD signal as "Fox 15 HD."
[edit] Newscasts
On March 26, 2007, KADN began running on-air promos teasing a 9:00 pm newscast with the tagline "At 9 it's news, by 10 it's history."
Fox News Louisiana was produced by Baton Rouge Fox affiliate WGMB. Originally, the first 20 minutes of the program were taped earlier and geared specifically towards the Acadiana audience, with stories by Lafayette-based reporters, plus a local forecast. KADN then joined the WGMB's live broadcast for the final two segments, which included generic national and world news, plus a statewide sportscast. In 2008, the newscast was retitled Fox News Lafayette, although the former branding (Fox News Louisiana) was not removed from the set.
On August 20, 2007, KADN debuted Fox News Louisiana AM, a 7AM to 9AM newscast. Like the evening news, certain segments were taped and included stories by the Lafayette-based reporting staff, while other segments were aired live.
In December 2008, Fox News Louisiana AM was canceled.
In April 2009, KADN canceled its 30-minute evening newscast and let go of its local news staff.[3] KADN now airs Fox News Now at 9 pm, a five-minute newscast featuring local headlines and a weather forecast.
Fox News Now (Weeknights 9 to 9:05 P.M.)
- Anchor:
- Crystal Kobza
- Weather:
- Zach Glenn
KADN uses additional news personnel from KETK in Longview, Texas, see that article for a complete listing
[edit] News/Station presentation
[edit] Newscast titles
- Channel 15 News (1980–1983)
- TV-15 News/Acadiana in Review (1983–1986)
- Fox 15 News (1986–2000)
- Fox News Louisiana (2000–present)
[edit] Station slogans
- Channel 15, Watch What We're Doing Now! (1983–1986)
- Just Good Stuff! (mid 1990s)
[edit] References
- ^ The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says February 28, while the Television and Cable Factbook says February 27.
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbooks, 1976 and 1977.
- ^ KADN Cuts Local News - The Independent (04/30/09)
[edit] External links
- Fox 15 Website
- Fox 15 on Myspace
- Query the FCC's TV station database for KADN
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KADN-TV
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