KTAL-TV

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
KTAL-TV
KTAL2009.jpg
Texarkana, Texas/Shreveport, Louisiana
Branding NBC 6
NBC 6 News
Slogan The News Station (news)
Making a Difference (general)
Channels Digital: 15 (UHF)
Subchannels 6.1 NBC-HD
6.2 NBC-SD
Affiliations NBC
Owner Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.
(Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.)
First air date August 16, 1953
Call letters’ meaning K
Texas
Arkansas
Louisiana
Former callsigns KCMC-TV (1953-1960)
Former channel number(s) Analog:
6 (VHF, 1953-2009)
Former affiliations CBS (1953-1960)
DuMont (secondary, 1953-1956)
NBC (secondary,1953-1960)
ABC (secondary, 1953-1960)
Transmitter Power 1000 kW
Height 454.3 m
Facility ID 35648
Transmitter Coordinates 32°54′11″N 94°0′20″W / 32.90306°N 94.00556°W / 32.90306; -94.00556
Website www.arklatexhomepage.com/

KTAL-TV is the NBC television affiliate serving the Shreveport, Louisiana / Texarkana, Arkansas-Texas market. It is licensed to the Texas side of Texarkana and is the only station in its market licensed outside of Louisiana. Its main studio is located in Shreveport with a satellite studio in Texarkana. KTAL-TV broadcasts its digital signal on channel 15, which redirects to its former analog channel 6 via PSIP. KTAL is owned by Nexstar Broadcasting. Its transmitter is located in Vivian, Louisiana, north of Shreveport.

Contents

[edit] History

KTAL was launched on August 16, 1953 as KCMC-TV by Clyde E. Palmer (1876-1957), owner of the Texarkana Gazette and several other newspapers and radio stations across Arkansas and Texas. It took its call letters from KCMC radio (AM 740 and FM 98.1, now KTAL-FM). The station originally carried programming from all three networks, but was a primary CBS affiliate.

However, in 1960, CBS announced that it was dropping its affiliation with KCMC-TV because the signal of KSLA-TV in Shreveport decently covered Texarkana. This would have forced KCMC-TV to fall back on its secondary affiliation with the then-weak ABC or go independent--neither of which was a viable option for such a small market. By this time, the Palmer properties had been taken over by Palmer's son-in-law, Walter E. Hussman, Sr. He persuaded the FCC to collapse Texarkana and Shreveport into a single television market. Hussman then built a new tower in Vivian -- the second-tallest in the South at the time.

In late 1960, the call letters changed to the current KTAL-TV and it became the NBC affiliate for the enlarged Shreveport/Texarkana market. Shreveport's original NBC affiliate, KTBS-TV, switched to ABC. The call letters not only stand for Channel 6's three-state service area, but also refer to the tower, which brought its signal into parts of four states. For many years, the station was known as "K-Tal." In 1961, KTAL moved most of its operations to a new studio in Shreveport; it also maintains an office in Texarkana as well.

Palmer Newspapers was renamed WEHCO Media, Inc. in 1973. The company is now run by Hussman's son, Walter E. Hussman, Jr..

In 1975, the FCC ruled that WEHCO couldn't own both KTAL-TV and the Texarkana Gazette, but it won an appellate court decision in 1979 that said the FCC had misinterpreted its own rules. In July 2000, WEHCO sold the station to Nexstar. The station rebranded from "NewsChannel 6" to "KTAL: The News Station" in 2006, dropping its channel number, as have several of Nexstar's stations. In 2009, the station once again rebranded from "KTAL: The News Station" to the current "NBC 6 News"; thus, reincorporating its original analog (now virtual) channel number into its branding after a three-year hiatus.

[edit] Cable information

KTAL is seen on cable in Shreveport via Comcast. The station is also carried on 85+ other cable systems in the Ark-La-Tex region. In 2005, Texarkana's Cable One and Bossier City's Cox Communications pulled KTAL's signal over compensation disputes. In accordance with FCC regulation, KTAL and its owner Nexstar tried to make an agreement with both cable systems to continue carrying KTAL's programming. The disagreement began with KTAL/Nexstar requesting 10 cents per subscriber for KTAL to be carried on CableOne and Cox. The basic argument was that satellite providers pay for the right to rebroadcast local affiliates' signals, and that cable operators should, as well. Due to the dispute, Cox and CableOne eventually dropped KTAL-TV from their systems. However, viewers in areas served by CableOne and Cox could still watch the station over-the-air on Dish Network and on DirecTV.

KTAL has since returned to CableOne and Cox, after reaching confidential agreements with both companies. Cox in Bossier City has since been replaced by Suddenlink, which still offers KTAL.

[edit] Notable personalities

[edit] Current On-Air Talent

(as of August 2009)
Current Anchors

  • Shelli Briery - weekday mornings "NBC 6 News Today" (also reporter)
  • Michelle White Lafitte - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10PM
  • Jenna Zibton - Saturdays at 6 and weekends at 10PM (also reporter)
Television.svg This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

Reporters

  • Erica Bennett - general assignment reporter
  • Mario Boone - general assignment reporter
  • Kerry Charles - general assignment reporter
  • Karen Hopkins - general assignment reporter
  • Amber Miller - general assignment reporter
  • Heidi York - general assignment reporter (former anchor; demoted to make room for Michelle White Lafitte)

NBC 6 Weather Authority

  • Todd Warren (AMS Seal of Approval) - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10PM
  • Patrick Dennis - Meteorologist; weekday mornings "NBC 6 News Today"
  • Chip McAfee - Meteorologist; Saturdays at 6 and weekends at 10PM
  • Ed Duranczyk - Meteorologist; Occasional fill in

Sports Team

  • Brandon Dunn - Sports Director; weeknights at 6 and 10PM
  • Gavin Moberg - Sports Anchor; Saturdays at 6 and weekends at 10PM (also sports reporter)

[edit] Former On-Air Talent

  • Jennifer Andrews
  • Sherrie Banner
  • Tim Fletcher - sports anchor (now at KTBS)
  • Dale Hoffman - anchor (now at KALB-TV)
  • Darrell Rebouche
  • Michele Sampson
  • Ron Young - meteorologist (now at KSLA-TV)
  • Rick Boone - anchor (now at KTXL)
Television.svg This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

[edit] News Presentation

[edit] Newscast Titles

  • The News of the Night (1953-1958)
  • The Tri-State Report (1958-1960)
  • The Television 6 Report (1960-1964)
  • The TV-6 News (1964-1974)
  • NewsCenter 6 (1974-2001)
  • NewsChannel 6 (2001-2006)
  • KTAL News (2006-2009)
  • NBC 6 News (2009-present)

[edit] Station Slogans

  • NBC for the Ark-La-Tex (1996-2002)
  • The News Station (2002-present; primary slogan since 2008)
  • Making A Difference (2008-present; secondary slogan)
Television.svg This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

[edit] References

"Arkansas paper owner welcomes FCC changes but swears off TV," Associated Press, June 2, 2003... KTAL TV-6

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Television stations in the Ark-La-Tex region (Shreveport/Texarkana)
Local stations

KTBS 3 (3.1 ABC, 3.2 WX, 3.3 News) • KTAL 6 (6.1 NBC) • KETG 9 (PBS/AETN) • KSLA 12 (12.1 CBS, 12.2 This TV, 12.3 WX) • KPXJ 21 (21.1 The CW) • KLTS 24 (PBS/LPB) • KMSS 33 (33.1 Fox) • KADO-LP 40 (JTV) • K42FE (3ABN) • KSHV 45 (45.1 MNTV) • KTSS 50 (ION) • K54CB (Ind.) • W59GO (TBN) • K63BA 63 (PBS/OETA)
Distant stations

Reception may vary by geographical location
 Dallas-Fort Worth: KDFW 4 (Fox) • KXAS 5 (NBC) • WFAA 8 (ABC) • KERA 13 (PBS)
Monroe/El Dorado: KNOE 8 (CBS) • KTVE 10 (NBC)
Alexandria: KALB 5 (NBC) • KNTS-LP 17 (Ind) • KLPA 25 (PBS/LPB) • KLAX 31 (ABC)
East Texas: KLTV 7 (ABC) • KTRE 9 (ABC) • KYTX 19 (CBS) • KCEB 54 (CW) • KETK 56 (NBC)
Oklahoma City: KFOR 4 (NBC) • KWTV 9 (CBS) • KOKH 25 (Fox) • KOCB 34 (CW) • KAUT 43 (MNTV)
Other areas: KATV 7 (ABC, Little Rock) • KTEN 10 (NBC, Ada) • KHBS 40 (ABC, Fort Smith)
Texas Broadcast television areas by city:

Abilene/Sweetwater • Amarillo (Texas Panhandle) • Austin • Beaumont/Port Arthur • Corpus Christi • Dallas-Fort Worth • Del Rio, TX • El Paso • Houston • Laredo • Lubbock • Midland-Odessa (Permian Basin) • Rio Grande Valley • San Angelo • San Antonio • Sherman/Ada, OK • Texarkana/Shreveport, LA  • Tyler/Longview (East Texas) • Victoria • Waco/Bryan (Brazos Valley) • Wichita Falls/Lawton, OK
v • d • e
NBC Network Affiliates in the state of Texas
See also: ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, ION, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS and Other stations in Texas
v • d • e
NBC Network Affiliates in the state of Arkansas
See also: ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, ION, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS and Other stations in Arkansas
v • d • e
NBC Network Affiliates in the state of Louisiana
See also: ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, ION, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS and Other stations in Louisiana
v • d • e
Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.
Corporate Staff
Perry A. Sook (President & CEO) · Tim Busch (Exec. VP & Co-COO) · Brian Jones (Exec. VP & Co-COO) · Tom Carter (Chief Financial Officer) · Rick Rogala (Sr. VP, Regional Mgr.) · Adrian Giuhat (Sr. VP, CTO) · Blake Russell (Sr. VP, Station Operations) · Marc Montoya (Sr. VP, eMedia Sales & Operations) · Shirley E. Green (VP, Controller) · Elizabeth Hammond (VP & General Counsel) · Rick Stolpe (Vp, Director of Engineering)
ABC Network Affiliates
KAMC1 · KMID · KODE1 · KQTV · KSVI · WDHN · WJET · WTVO1 · WUTR1
Azteca América Network Affiliates
CBS Network Affiliates
KEYE4 · KLBK · KLST · KOLR1 · KTAB · KUTV4 · WCIA · WMBD · WROC · WTAJ · WYOU1
The CW Network Affiliates
WCWJ · WLWC4 · WLYH5 · WTVX4
Fox Network Affiliates
KARD · KBTV · KCIT1 · KHMT1 · KFTA2 · KJTL1 · KSFX · WFFT · WFXP1 · WFXV · WFXW1 · WQRF · WTVW · WUHF3 · WYZZ3
MyNetworkTV Affiliates
KARZ · KCPN1 · KJBO1 · WCFN · WPNY · WTCN4 · WTVO1 · WTVX4
NBC Network Affiliates
KARK · KAMR · KFDX · KNWA · KRBC1 · KSAN1 · KSNF · KTAL · KTVE1 · WBRE · WHAG · WTWO
Retro Television Network Affiliate
Telemundo Affiliate
This TV Network Affiliates
KUSG4 · KUTV4  · WROC

1Nexstar operates these stations owned by Mission Broadcasting.
2Sale of the station to Mission Broadcasting is awaiting FCC approval. Nexstar will continue to operate the station.
3Nexstar operates these stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group.
4Nexstar operates these stations owned by Four Points Media Group.

5Nexstar holds the license to this station, but management capabilities belong to Newport Television.
Annual Revenue: $226.1 million USD (2005) · Employees: Unknown at this time. · Stock Symbol: NASDAQ: NXST · Website: www.nexstarbroadcasting.com
[[Image:|32x28px|link=|alt=]] Shreveport portal
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KTAL-TV"