KEPR-TV
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| Pasco/Richland/Kennewick, Washington | |
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| Branding | KEPR (general) KEPR Action News (newscasts)(pronounced "keeper") CW 9 Yakima/Tri-Cities |
| Slogan | Taking Action for You |
| Channels | Digital: 18 (UHF) |
| Affiliations | CBS The CW (on DT2) |
| Owner | Fisher Communications, Inc. (Fisher Broadcasting - Washington TV, LLC) |
| First air date | December 28, 1954 |
| Call letters' meaning | KEnnewick, Pasco, Richland |
| Sister station(s) | KIMA-TV, KVVK-CA/KORX-CA |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 19 (UHF, 1954-2009) |
| Former affiliations | NBC (secondary, 1954-1965) ABC (1954-1970) |
| Transmitter power | 32.43 kW |
| Height | 355.5 m |
| Facility ID | 56029 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 46°5′50.5″N 119°11′33.4″W / 46.097361°N 119.192611°W |
| Website | www.keprtv.com |
KEPR-TV (pronounced "keeper"), virtual channel 19, is the CBS affiliated television station for the Tri-Cities area of Richland, Pasco, and Kennewick, Washington. It is licensed to Pasco. It is sister station to KIMA-TV in Yakima, Washington and KLEW-TV in Lewiston, Idaho. KEPR's transmitter is located on Johnson Butte near Kennewick.
Though identifying as a station in its own right, KEPR is considered a semi-satellite of KIMA. It clears all of KIMA's syndicated programming, but airs separate IDs and commercials. On satellite, while DirecTV carries KEPR-TV along with KIMA-TV, it is not available on Dish Network, which carries KIMA-TV only.
All of KEPR's programming is run out of Fisher Plaza in Seattle. KEPR is also a sister station to Univision affiliates KVVK-CA and KORX-CA.
KEPR's morning, 11 o'clock, and weekend newscasts are shared with KIMA-TV. Branded as "KIMA KEPR Action News", they cover both the Columbia Basin and the Yakima Valley. KEPR continues to air its own 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts.
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[edit] History
KEPR-TV went on the air for the first time December 28, 1954 as a satellite of KIMA-TV. It was owned by Cascade Broadcasting Company along with KEPR radio (AM 610, now KONA).
A few years earlier, the Federal Communications Commission collapsed all of central Washington into one giant television market. However, this market was designated a "UHF island" due to being sandwiched between Seattle to the west, Spokane to the east and Portland to the south. It soon became apparent that one full-power UHF station would not be nearly enough to adequately cover this vast and mountainous area. KEPR-TV thus signed on as the first station in the United States to be a satellite of another.
Original plans called for it to be a straight repeater of KIMA-TV, apart from station identifications. However, it soon became apparent that Tri-Cities residents wanted a more local station. Monte Strohl, who until then had been a radio salesman at KIMA, was installed as the first manager-salesman of KEPR-TV. The station also added a separate news department.
Like its parent station, KEPR-TV carried programming from all three networks, but was a primary CBS affiliate. It lost NBC in 1965 when KNDU followed the lead of parent station KNDO and became a full-time NBC affiliate, and lost ABC when KVEW signed on along with parent KAPP in 1970. During the 1970s, the two stations co-branded as "Cascade TV."
KEPR produces Community Health Journal with Jim Hall, a former anchorman for the station who is now with Kadlec Medical Center in Richland. The program has aired for 15 years, making it one of the longest-running magazine programs in the market.
In 2000, KEPR became the first station in the Tri-Cities to broadcast a digital signal with the activation of a low-power, standard definition signal on channel 18; this was upgraded to a full-power, high definition signal in 2007. The digital signal remained on channel 18 following the end of analog broadcasting in 2009; however, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display KEPR's virtual channel as 19.
On March 30, 2009, KEPR launched a digital subchannel affiliated with The CW, filling the void left by KCWK (channel 9) going dark at the end of May 2008 due to the Pappas Telecasting bankruptcy.[1] The subchannel subsequently took KCWK's former channel 9 position on local cable systems. As had been the case with KCWK, programming is primarily sourced from the network's CW Plus feed, though there is a 10 p.m. newscast on weeknights.
[edit] On-air staff
[edit] KEPR People
Anchors
- Terry Chick - KEPR Action News @ 5, 6 & 11 PM
- Whitney Ward - KEPR Action News @ 5, 6 & 11 PM
- Lindsey Adams - KEPR Action News 5-7 AM
- Jay Frank - KEPR Action News 5-7 AM
- Ryan Simms - Weekends @ 6:30 & 11 PM
Reporters
- Ryan Simms
- Melanie Tubbs
- John Collett
- Heather Walker (Yakima)
- Haley Guenthner (Yakima)
- Jennifer Ann Wilson - Morning Reporter
Weather Team
- Mike McCabe - Chief Weather Anchor
- Jennifer Ann Wilson - Weekend Weather Anchor
- Jay Frank - Morning Weather Anchor
Sports Team
- Morgan Vance - Sports Anchor
- John Collett - Sports Anchor
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Query the FCC's TV station database for KEPR
- Query TV Fool's coverage map for KEPR
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KEPR-TV
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- CBS network affiliates
- The CW Television Network affiliates
- The CW Television Network subchannel-only affiliates
- Tri-Cities, Washington
- Channel 18 digital TV stations in the United States
- Channel 19 virtual TV stations in the United States
- Television channels and stations established in 1954
- Television stations in Washington (state)
