KPRC-TV
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| KPRC-TV | |
|---|---|
  |
|
| Houston, Texas | |
| Branding | KPRC Local 2 (general) Local 2 News (newscasts) |
| Slogan | Right Here, Right Now |
| Channels | |
| Subchannels | (see article) |
| Affiliations | NBC this (on DT2) LATV (on DT3) |
| Owner | Post-Newsweek Stations, Inc. (Post-Newsweek Stations, Houston, Inc.) |
| 'First air date | January 1, 1949 |
| Call letters’ meaning | K Post Radio Company (former owner, Houston Post) |
| Former callsigns | KLEE-TV (1949-1950) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 2 (1949-2009) |
| Former affiliations | All secondary: CBS (1949-1953) ABC (1949-1954) DuMont (1949-1955) [1] |
| Transmitter Power | 1000 kW |
| Height | 585 m |
| Facility ID | 53117 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | 29°34′6″N 95°29′57″W / 29.56833°N 95.49917°W |
| Website | www.click2houston.com |
KPRC-TV is the NBC television affiliate in Houston, Texas, owned and operated by Post-Newsweek Stations, a subsidiary of the Washington Post Company. The station operates on digital channel 35, but its PSIP virtual channel is 2.
Contents |
[edit] History
The station first broadcast on January 1, 1949, as KLEE-TV, and was owned by hotelier W. Albert Lee. It was the first television station in Houston and the 12th in the United States. Lee never did reasonably well with his station, and on June 1, 1950, KLEE-TV was purchased by the Hobby family, owners of the Houston Post, who had signed on KPRC radio in 1925 as Houston's first radio station. The television station's call letters were changed to match its radio cousin on July 3, 1950.
KPRC-TV has been an NBC affiliate from the very first day (as its radio counterpart was also the Houston affiliate for NBC Radio), though it carried secondary affiliations with CBS until 1953 (when KGUL-TV in Galveston, now KHOU in Houston, signed on), with DuMont until 1956 [2], and with ABC until 1954 (when KTRK-TV signed on) because of the FCC freeze. Because of its affiliation with NBC, KPRC was the first station in Houston to broadcast the first color program in Houston and was subsequently the first to broadcast in full color.
The station originated from studios on Post Oak Road near what would later become the Galleria shopping complex in Uptown Houston. KPRC was the first station in Houston with weather radar, videotape for field reporting, the first TV station with a fully staffed Austin news bureau, and the first TV station in Houston to hire female and African-American reporters.
From 1969 until 1998, KPRC produced the longest-running syndicated television program in Texas, The Eyes of Texas, which focused on lifestyle segments relating to Texas culture and life. It was also one of the first stations to air telethons, raising $28,000 for the American Cancer Society in 1950. It has carried the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, sponsored by the Muscular Dystrophy Association, every Labor Day since 1970.
In March 1972, KPRC-TV moved into its state-of-the-art studios on the Southwest Freeway in Houston's Sharpstown neighborhood, where it remains to this day. The three studios located within the building are suspended from the ground to reduce vibration.
In 1983, the Houston Post was sold to MediaNews Group, while the Hobby's broadcast holdings were reorganized as H&C Communications, making KPRC the flagship television station of H&C. After 40 years of ownership by the Hobby family, KPRC was sold to the Washington Post in April 1994. The Houston Post was bought by Hearst and absorbed into its Houston Chronicle, with the last edition printed in April 1995.
Since 2004 KPRC has been branded "Local 2."
[edit] Digital television
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Digital Channel |
Virtual Channel |
Programming |
|---|---|---|
| 35.1 | 2.1 | main KPRC-TV/NBC programming |
| 35.2 | 2.2 | This TV |
| 35.3 | 2.3 | LATV |
[edit] Analog-to-digital conversion
After the analog television shutdown on June 12, 2009 [1], KPRC-TV (digital) remained on channel 35, its transition period channel [2] using PSIP to display KPRC-TV's virtual channel as 2. Analog 2 was broadcasting instructions on how to obtain and set up a converter box until July 12, 2009. KPRC began construction of its DTV transmission facilities in 1997.[citation needed]
[edit] Preemptions
KPRC had been notorious in recent years for its share of preemptions. When the NBC soap opera Passions debuted in 1999, KPRC -- along with its sister station WDIV-TV in Detroit until 2002 -- were the only NBC affiliates that preempted the show [3][4]; both stations also had preempted the earlier soap opera Sunset Beach (though UPN stations in both cities carried Sunset Beach). In its place was the Maury show which moved to KHWB when KPRC cleared the preempted soap opera in its normal network timeslot. Initially, it aired for a short time on KNWS-TV in 2001, and later moved to KPRC the next year with a 3 a.m. timeslot. While NBC has become more tolerant of preemptions than they have been in the past, they prefer that their affiliates clear the whole schedule if possible. As a result, on August 30, 2004, KPRC placed Passions in its normal 2 p.m. timeslot. However, this matter became moot when NBC removed "Passions" from its schedule on September 7, 2007.
Late Night with Conan O'Brien did not air in Houston from 1994 to 1996. Those were Conan O'Brien's first years as the host. During that time, he generally received unfavorable reviews. KPRC instead opted to air reruns of The Jenny Jones Show in this time slot. However, Late Night did return to KPRC in 1996 but on a delayed basis. In later years, it was delayed to air various programs such as Jerry Springer's talk show at 11:35 p.m., at one point airing other programming in late night which delayed Late Night to 2:40 a.m. This was a fact not lost on Conan, who visited Houston's main bus terminal to watch an episode of his own show in a classic and hilarious skit. The stations' mail servers we're hit with several hundred and possibly more emails in response. KPRC later moved the show to 12:35 a.m. and finally to his network slot where he remained until his departure to host the Tonight Show. Conan's replacement, Jimmy Fallon currently airs in his network appointed 11:35 a.m.(CST)slot. They still however delay Last Call with Carson Daly until 2:05, showing infomercials at 12:35 a.m. in the show's network timeslot. KPRC is also among a handful of NBC affiliates that does not air Poker After Dark.
[edit] 2001 NASCAR Pepsi 400 controversy
One of the most notorious pre-emptions occurred on July 72001 when KPRC did not air NBC Sports' live coverage of the NASCAR Nextel (then Winston) Cup Series Pepsi 400 from Daytona International Speedway. KPRC, and then general manager, Steve Wasserman (now at WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida) had a contract to air the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant live. Unfortunately, this contract was prior to the one signed by NBC to carry NASCAR in late 1999 and by the time KPRC realized that there was a conflict, it was too late to reverse it. This race was especially notable as the winner was Dale Earnhardt, Jr., whose father died at the same track in the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 only months before. Angry fans flooded KPRC's email In-Boxes with a reported 4,000 e-mails. Wasserman also received several complaints in person at KPRC's studios. The race was aired on tape-delay later that night on independent station KNWS-TV, (with permission from NBC) following their prescheduled live airing of a Houston Astros game.
[edit] 2007 NFL season opener
According to a user of the Daly Planet blog, the first 30 minutes of the 2007 NFL Kickoff game between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts was shown with default audio in Spanish rather than English.Scroll down to the "comments" section of the page KPRC inadvertenly aired the secondary audio program provided by Telemundo (also owned by NBC's parent company, NBC Universal).
[edit] Newscasts
In its early years under the direction news director Ray Miller, KPRC-TV set the standard for television newscasts in Houston and across the country; the station was usually first in the ratings. In 1972, KPRC acquired two key KHOU personalities, anchorman Ron Stone and sportscaster Ron Franklin, for its evening newscasts.
From 1985 to 1992, the station used the newscast title, "Channel Two News", broadcast round-the-clock updates throughout the day, including during NBC primetime programming. For several years during the early 1990s, the updates were also aired during the overnight hours with producers and other newsroom personnel anchoring. With anchors such as Ron Stone, Bill Balleza, Jan Carson, Linda Lorelle, Dan O'Rourke, Bob Nicholas, weatherman Doug Johnson and sports anchors Ron Franklin and Craig Roberts, the station's newscasts, while usually in second place, often competed for and even placed first at times. In 1994, when Post-Newsweek Stations bought KPRC, the newscasts were rechristened "News 2 Houston". Three years later, KPRC culminated in the construction of a new set using the newsroom as a backdrop that was similar to the set at WSVN in Miami. This set was referred to as the "News Center" and was used on-air until 2006, though the physical newsroom still exists in the same area. With the new look, KPRC won more awards and competed with KHOU and KTRK, even occasionally beating KTRK in the ratings at 10 pm.
From there, the station saw its ratings slip dramatically. KPRC gained a reputation of tabloid journalism. Its newscasts prior to the Post-Newsweek buyout were more traditional in comparison. The station's 5pm newscast at one time even reported finishing in fifth place, behind rival news stations KHOU and KTRK-TV, syndicated reruns of The Simpsons on KRIV, and a Spanish-language newscast on KXLN. The station also saw ratings decline in the mornings and also at 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. due to its focus on entertainment news and stories of little relevance to Houston. On June 82007, KPRC's 10 p.m. newscast led with Paris Hilton being sent back to jail and it stayed on the story for seven minutes while other Houston stations covered the launch of a Space Shuttle Atlantis mission.
Houston viewers also had a love/hate relationship with "Radar the Weather Dog," who would often appear live with the weathermen for part of their weathercasts, including a nightly segment with the next morning's "dog walking forecast." The station also aired stories focused on Radar, most notably one on a search for the dog's biological sister. Radar has since been "retired" and is now a KPRC staff member's pet.[5] This idea was stolen by WNKY in Bowling Green, KY. The website bio for the dogs features plagurism and is currently being looked at by the US Supreme Court
KPRC was also hit with a boycott by black civil rights activist Quanell X and others after the demotion of two African-American anchors. During the controversy, KPRC hired longtime KHOU anchor Jerome Gray, who is African-American, and moved former anchor Khambrel Marshall to Executive Producer. In May 2008, KPRC announced Marshall would move back on air as Weekend Meteorologist.
Overall, as of early 2008, KPRC was third in the ratings behind KHOU and KTRK. KPRC's morning and late-night newscasts made the most gains in 2007, competing for second place more often than not. Past ratings problems have been attributed to past controversies and the lackluster network ratings from NBC, which has struggled through the decade in prime time. Additionally, the market's respective CBS and ABC affiliates, KHOU and KTRK, are among the strongest affiliates in their station groups, which makes for fierce competition.
The competitiveness is also magnified by Nielsen Media's Local People Meters (LPM's), which were introduced to the Houston market in the Summer 2007 to measure ratings. LPM's replace the old diary method of measuring ratings. Since LPM's went live in October 2007, the ratings picture has changed in Houston and leveled the playing field.[6] KPRC has seen gains in the morning and at night, while the competition has dropped.
On July 19th, 2008 during their 6 PM newscast, KPRC debuted their newscast in High Definition; they are the third station in Houston behind KHOU and KTRK-TV, and the second Post-Newsweek station behind Detroit's WDIV-TV to make the switch.
[edit] Notable Personalities
[edit] Current On-Air Talent
[edit] Anchors
- Bill Balleza: 5 & 10 PM Anchor/Reporter
- Dominique Sachse: 5 , 6 & 10 PM Anchor/Reporter
- Owen Conflenti: Weekday Morning & 11 AM Anchor
- Lauren Freeman: Weekday Morning & 11 AM Anchor
- Jerome Gray: 4 PM & 6 PM Anchor/Reporter
- Rachel McNeill: 4 PM Anchor/Reporter
- Courtney Zavala: Weekend Morning Anchor/Reporter
[edit] Reporters
- Phil Archer: General Assignment Reporter since 1976
- Robert Arnold: Investigative Reporter
- Lisa Baldwin: General Assignment Reporter
- Mary Benton: General Assignment Reporter
- Amy Davis: Investigative Reporter
- Stephen Dean: Investigative Reporter
- Alana Gomez Dong: General Assignment Reporter
- Joel Eisenbaum: General Assignment Reporter & "Wheel of Justice" segment host
- Courtney Gilmore: Traffic Reporter
- Daniella Guzmán: General Assignment Reporter
- Ryan Korsgard: General Assignment Reporter
- Mariza Reyes: General Assignment Reporter
- Jennifer Reyna: Traffic Reporter
- Elizabeth Scarborough: General Assignment Reporter
- Carl Willis: General Assignment Reporter
[edit] Expert
- Brian Wice: Legal Analyst
[edit] Weather
- Frank Billingsley: Chief Meteorologist, seen weekday evenings
- Anthony Yanez: Weekday Morning & 11 AM Meteorologist
- Jonathan Novack: Weekend Evening Meteorologist
- Khambrel Marshall: Weekend Morning Forecaster
[edit] Sports
- Randy McIlvoy: Sports Director/Sunday-Thursday Sports Anchor
- Keith Norton: Friday and Saturday Sports Anchor
- Winston Dutchin: Sports Reporter/Executive Sports Producer
[edit] Former On-Air Talent
- Emily Akin - consumer reporter (1995-2005, now at Houston Community College & KRIV)
- Richard Alderman - (1980's)"The People's Lawyer", whose segment was produced at the station and syndicated across Texas. Now in the same capacity at KTRK
- Mark Alford - reporter and weekend newscaster (1995-1998, now at WDAF-TV in Kansas City)
- Gayle Anderson - "2 On Your Side" reporter/midday anchor (1986-1991, now at KTLA in Los Angeles)
- Terry Anzur - anchor (1985-89, later worked at WPEC)
- Don Armstrong - voice announcer for several decades; also served as traffic reporter and anchor (1994-2005), now at KRIV
- Ford Atkinson - reporter (1982-1991, now at KRIV)
- Larry Audas - reporter/weekend anchor (1986-1995, now president and general manager of KTHV in Little Rock)
- Mike Barajas - reporter (1980s, now primetime anchor at KRIV)
- Bill Bellis - weekend weathercaster (1999-2003, now at KNXV in Phoenix)
- Garvin Berry - city hall expert 1970's
- Katharine Blissard - host, This Day with Katharine (1970s-1980s) (deceased)
- Jason Brewer - weekend weathercaster (2006-07, now at WESH in Orlando)
- David Kenny Boles-1980's reporter, weekend anchor
- Glynn Boyd - reporter (1993-1996, currently at WGNO in New Orleans)
- Eric Braate: Weekend Evening Meteorologist (2007-2008, moved to sister station WDIV Detroit in May 2008 as new Morning Weather anchor)
- Bebe Burns - business reporter (1982-1995)
- Chris Bury - reporter (1981-1982; currently a correspondent for ABC News' Nightline)
- George Caldwell- anchor, 1970's. started the downtown bureau anchor desk
- Mike Capps - reporter
- Jan Carson - evening anchor (1983-1995; now editor for Houston Lifestyles and Homes Magazine and community fundraiser for non-profits)
- Ginger Casey - reporter (1986-1987)
- Silvia Castañeda - health reporter (1994-2002, left for WKRN in Nashville)
- Jack Cato - police reporter (1966-1994, later became Harris County Treasurer, deceased)
- Velma Cato - reporter (1980s's, moved on to NBC News' Atlanta & New York Bureaus and later became a producer of nationally syndicated programs)
- Chris Chandler - host (1960s, appeared in Hellfighters while with the station)
- Pauline Chiou - morning anchor (1997-2002, now based in Hong Kong with CNN International)
- Shern-Min Chow - reporter/weekend anchor (1992-1996, now at KHOU)
- Joe Collum - reporter
- Catherine Colvert-county reporter 1970's
- Wendy Corona - evening anchor (2006-2009)
- Jerry D'Amico - reporter
- John Denny-reporter,assignment desk, 1970's
- Dave Dickson - weekday mornings (1990's)[citation needed], backup meteorologist
- Frank Dobbs: weekend anchor (mid-1960s)
- Bill Enis - sports anchor
- Larry and Bart Ennis-anchored, reported sports
- Melvin Epps - weekend meteorologist
- Ken Fairchild-newsreel reporter,covered Hurricane Carla,1961, first sound recording of Texas storm
- Sandra Feldman-city hall beat
- Pat Flaherty-reporter and early news director
- Tom Fox-1950's-1980's. one of first reporters; deceased
- Ron Franklin - Sports Director (1980-1987, now play-by-play announcer for ESPN)
- Duke Frye - weekend sports anchor
- Roland Galvan - daytime weather anchor (1990-1995, deceased)
- Chuck George - meteorologist (1997-2003, now at KOLD-TV in Tucson)
- Mark Gillespie - weekend anchor
- Carrie Glasser - investigative reporter
- Paul Gonzales - weekend sports anchor
- Lee Gordan-live commercial announcer,on air talent
- Dick Gottlieb - host, voice announcer (1950s, deceased)
- Roberto Gutierez,reporter,1970's,now with Harris Co. D.A.'s office
- Charles Hadlock - reporter (1982-1984; later worked at KHOU, currently a correspondent for NBC News)
- Trazanna Halstead (Moreno) - reporter (1999-2003; later did reporting for KRIV)
- Amelia Hamilton-Morris - producer/reporter
- Paul Harasim - "Hats Off 2 Houston" reporter (1995-1998; came from KHOU)
- Rick Hartley-police beat,now with 100 club
- James Hattori - reporter (1987-1988; departed for CBS News and eventually CNN; currently an NBC News Correspondent)
- Alvin Hebert-reporter,1970's
- Joe Hegar-newsreel reporter,1960's
- Wes Hohenstein - meteorologist (2003-06, now at WNCN in Raleigh)
- Rod Hooks "Captain Rod" - traffic pilot (1991-2001, deceased)
- Jennifer Holloway - traffic anchor
- Amy Huggins - reporter
- Kay Bailey Hutchison - known on-air as Kay Bailey, Channel 2's first female reporter (1967-1972, currently a Republican United States Senator from Texas)
- Matt Jablow - morning anchor, most recently the spokesman for the Baltimore Police Department
- Tom Jarriel - worked behind the scenes in the news department as a reporter for a number of years; formerly of ABC News
- Doug Johnson - weather anchor (1961-1994, now owns Johnson Broadcasting)
- Napoleon Johnson-reporter, 1970's
- Rob Johnson - early evening anchor/reporter (1995-1998, now at WBBM-TV in Chicago)
- Ken Kalthoff - reporter, now at KXAS in Dallas-Fort Worth
- Brendan Keefe- reporter, (1997 - 2002 left for WCBS New York. Now weeknight anchor at WCPO Cincinnati)
- Chris Kelley - reporter
- Tonya Kerr - traffic reporter (2000-2004, later worked at KXAN)
- Carol Kneeland-city hall, became news director in Austin, deceased
- Cecil Knight - traffic director
- Tony Kovaleski - investigative reporter (1997-2001, now at KMGH-TV in Denver)
- Charles Kraft- newsreel reporter, 1960's
- Priscilla Kwan - weekend anchor/reporter (2004-2006)
- Tim Lake - weekend anchor/medical reporter (1987-1992, now at WCAU in Philadelphia
- Don Lampkin- newsreel reporter, 1960's)
- Ed Laskos - reporter (late 1990s-2000, now at KTTV in Los Angeles)
- Matt Lavine - meteorologist (early 1980s, formerly with KRIV)
- Ed Lenderman - reporter (now at KUSI in San Diego)
- Susan Lennon - reporter and weekend anchor (1994-1999, now at KSWB-TV)
- Linda Lorelle - anchor (1989-2006, recently freelancing at KRIV. now working in Real Estate)
- Brennan Lothery - morning sports anchor (late 1990s) Currently Stocks/Markets Editor Blomberg TV
- Sara Lowery-anchor; 1ST female main anchor, 1970's
- Lisa Malosky - weekend sports anchor (early 1990s, later served as a host for American Gladiators)
- Krista Marino - reporter
- Steve Mark - sports anchor/reporter (1997-2006; currently PR Director with the MLS' Houston Dynamo)
- Anita Martini - sports reporter, deceased
- Beth McDonough - business reporter
- John McPherson - reporter
- Gasia Mikaelian - morning anchor/reporter (2003-2006, now at KTVU in Oakland/San Francisco, Calif.)
- Itica Milanes - first reporter to break the news of the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster on February 1, 2003 (2002-2005, now at KFSN in Fresno, Calif.)
- Ray Miller (1919-2008) - news director (1950s-1979) and host of The Eyes of Texas during the early years of the program.
- Byron Miranda - morning weather anchor (2006; now Chief Meteorologist for KGTV in San Diego)
- Al Moffett - weekend sports (mid-1960s)
- Dan Molina - reporter (moved back and forth between KPRC & NBC News throughout the 1980s and 90s eventually becoming KPRC's Austin Bureau Chief; Currently a freelancer, as well as a consultant for several broadcast relations firms)
- Mauri Moore - reporter (moved on to NBC News' Bureau in Tel Aviv; Currently a city councilor in Edmonds, Washington)
- Christi Myers - medical reporter (mid 80s; now at KTRK)
- Rick Nelson,investigative reporter, wrote book about famous murder case
- Bob Nicholas - morning/weekend anchor (1979-2001)
- Ray Norton, early newsreel reporter
- Roger O'Neil - reporter (1977-1979; currently a correspondent for NBC News)
- Clarence Renshaw-reporter,1970's
- Dan O'Rourke - reporter/weekend & morning anchor (1979-1994; now runs Twin Lion Communications,media production/consulting firm
- Jeannie Ohm - reporter
- Paul Orseck - sports (mid-1960s)
- Ginny Pace - host of Midday program (mid-1960s)
- Alan Parcell; went to network, Moscow/,reporter-anchor, 1970's
- Carl Parker - weekend meteorologist (1995-1999, now at The Weather Channel)
- Rosa Linda Perez - reporter
- Sylvia Perez - weekend anchor/medical reporter (1985-1989, now at WLS-TV in Chicago)
- Jerry Peterson - weather (mid-1960s)
- Jan Phipps-scene at 5 reporter,1970's
- Paula Poindexter - reporter
- John Quiñones - reporter/anchor (1975-1978, now a correspondent with ABC News)
- Larry Rasco - reporter/anchor (1960s - early 1970s)
- John Raymond - real name: John Catsis - reporter/first weekend TV anchor in Houston in 1961
- Ron Regan - weekend anchor/reporter (1980s-1996), later communications director for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
- Jacque Reid - reporter/anchor (1997-2000, went on to anchor BET Nightly News)
- Craig Roberts - longtime sports anchor (1980-2002); now co-host of "Sports Off Center" on KTBU
- Sam Rodriguez-reporter,1970's
- Maria Sanchez-reporter,1970's
- Dr. Peter Scardino - medical reporter
- Lesley Seamon-reporter-producer, scene at 5.1970's
- Janet Shamlian - weekend anchor (1996-1997; currently a correspondent for NBC News)
- Ted Shaw - morning, weekend and backup meteorologist, occasional sports
- Orelon Sidney - weekday meteorologist (1994-1997, later worked for CNN, now weekend weather anchor at WXIA, Atlanta)
- Will Sinclair, newsreel reporter, 1960's
- Catherine Smith - NASA reporter
- Steve Smith - anchor/reporter (1966-1974, before his long tenure at KHOU, retired)
- Bill Springer-producer,reporter; worked on EYES OF TEXAS.
- Sharon Speer-producer-reporter for Scene At 5, 1970's
- Susan Starnes - reporter
- Ron Stone - longtime anchor (1972-1992, deceased)
- Ron Stone, Jr. - reporter (now KPRC's managing editor; son of Ron Stone)
- Dr. Dixie Swanson - Family Health Report correspondent (1980's & 90s)
- Cal Thomas - Notable syndicated newspaper columnist & commentator
- Gary James Tidwell- producer and reporter,co created Eyes of Texas
- Spencer Tillman - sports reporter/anchor (1987-1997; first hired during the offseason period when he was playing with the Houston Oilers, later moved to WABC-TV in New York and now at CBS Sports)
- Lee Tucker-newsreel reporter,1960's
- Kathie Turner - reporter/weathercaster (1985-1988, later a weekend weathercaster on KHOU in the '90s)
- Maria Valdez - reporter (1990s)
- Jesse Valdez-reporter, former pro boxer,1970's
- Jo Ann Vallie Rush - Morning anchor/reporter (1984-1988); Currently a business partner in a Houston-based Christian boutique.
- Joe Vazquez - reporter (1998-2001, now at KPIX in San Francisco)
- Bill Waldrop (pseudonym Tom Donovan) - traffic pilot
- Larry Weidman - reporter (moved on to helm NBC News' Rome Bureau)
- Irv White - reporter/weekend anchor (1993-1997)
- Officer Ken Wiener - Houston police officer and "2 Catch a Crook" correspondent
- John Wissinger-first weatherman in Houston, 1950
- Phil Wood- early newsreel reporter
- Bill Worrell - reporter (1970s, now television play-by-play announcer for the NBA's Houston Rockets)
- Chris Wragge - sports director (1998-2004, also covered sports for NBC and USA simultaneously, now lead anchor at WCBS-TV in New York)
- Susan Wright-one of first consumer reporters, 1970's
- Paula Zahn - anchor (1981-1983, formerly with CNN)
- Marvin Zindler - reporter (1950-1954; later became legendary investigative reporter for KTRK, deceased)
[edit] News/Station Presentation
[edit] Newscast Titles
- The News Reporter and NightBeat - both with Steve Smith (1970-1973)
- NOTE: The "Nightbeat" designation was used again to distinguish late newscasts beginning in the 1990s.
- Big 2 News (1969-1980)
- 2News (1980-1985)
- Channel Two News (1985-1992)
- Channel 2 News (1992-1995; presented on air as 2 24 Hour News)
- News 2 Houston (1995-2004)
- Local 2 News (2004-present)
[edit] Station Slogans
- On Your Side (1985-1988, also the name of the consumer investigation unit headed by Gail Anderson during this time)
- Tuned into Houston. And The World. (1986-1988)
- Working For You. (1988-1991)
- Houston's 24-Hour News Source (1990-1991)
- Houston's 24-Hour News Channel (1991-1994)
- Where Local News Comes First (1995-2006)
- Putting You First (2000-2004, primarily in personality-driven & community service promotions)
- Right Here, Right Now (2008-present)
[edit] Trivia
- As KLEE-TV, the station became the source of controversy thanks to some British TV viewers who claimed to receive the signal of KLEE-TV in September 14, 1953, three years after the original signal was transmitted. However, this was actually a hoax.[7]
- KPRC is the only Houston station on the VHF dial that does not air on a cable channel matching the over-the-air analog channel, due to interference from the low-band VHF terrestrial signal. It is placed on Comcast cable 12 instead.[8] Non Comcast systems on the outer edges of the Houston media market have placed KPRC on cable channel 2.
- on the June 12 2009 the digital signal from KPRC ch35 was so strong that viewers in the Alexandria,_LA area woke up to find Ch2.1 in place of KALB-TV Ch5.1 on digital convertor boxes as both channels broadcast on digital ch 35.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Snopes.com article about a KLEE-TV phantom broadcast
- Query the FCC's TV station database for KPRC
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KPRC-TV
[edit] Sources
Schroeder, Richard. Texas Signs On: The Early Days of Radio and Television. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 0-89096-813-6.
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