KEPR-TV
Encyclopedia
KEPR-TV 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.
).
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. 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.
Reporters
Weather Team
Sports Team
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
19, is the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliated television station for the Tri-Cities
Tri-Cities, Washington
The Tri-Cities is a mid-sized metropolitan area in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, consisting of three neighboring cities: Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland. The cities are located at the confluence of the Yakima, Snake, and Columbia rivers in the semi-arid region of...
area of Richland
Richland, Washington
Richland is a city in Benton County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, at the confluence of the Yakima and the Columbia Rivers. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 48,058. April 1, 2011 estimates from the Washington State Office of Financial Management put the...
, Pasco
Pasco, Washington
Pasco is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Washington, United States.Pasco is one of three cities that make up the Tri-Cities region of the state of Washington...
, and Kennewick, Washington
Kennewick, Washington
Kennewick is a city in Benton County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, near the Hanford nuclear site. It is the most populous of the three cities collectively referred to as the Tri-Cities...
. It is licensed to Pasco. It is sister station to KIMA-TV
KIMA-TV
KIMA-TV is the CBS affiliated television station serving the Yakima, Washington region. The station is owned by Fisher Communications.The station operates two semi-satellites--KEPR-TV in the Tri-Cities and KLEW-TV in Lewiston, Idaho...
in Yakima, Washington
Yakima, Washington
Yakima is an American city southeast of Mount Rainier National Park and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the eighth largest city by population in the state itself. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 91,196 and a metropolitan population of...
and KLEW-TV
KLEW-TV
KLEW-TV, broadcast on digital channel 32 and is the CBS television affiliate in Lewiston, Idaho. It serves north-central Idaho and southeastern Washington, including nearby Pullman. While it is located in the Spokane television market, it is a semi-satellite of KIMA 29 in Yakima and KEPR 19 in...
in Lewiston, Idaho
Lewiston, Idaho
Lewiston is a city in and also the county seat of Nez Perce County in the Pacific Northwest state of Idaho. It is the second-largest city in the northern Idaho region, behind Coeur d'Alene and ninth-largest in the state. Lewiston is the principal city of the Lewiston, ID - Clarkston, WA...
. KEPR's transmitter is located on Johnson Butte near Kennewick
Kennewick, Washington
Kennewick is a city in Benton County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, near the Hanford nuclear site. It is the most populous of the three cities collectively referred to as the Tri-Cities...
.
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
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
carries KEPR-TV along with KIMA-TV, it is not available on Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
, 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
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
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
Columbia Basin
The Columbia Basin, the drainage basin of the Columbia River, occupies a large area–about —of the Pacific Northwest region of North America. In common usage, the term often refers to a smaller area, generally the portion of the drainage basin that lies within eastern Washington.Usage of the term...
and the Yakima Valley
Yakima Valley
Yakima Valley may refer to:*Yakima River Valley in southeastern Washington*Yakima Valley AVA...
. KEPR continues to air its own 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts.
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 KONAKONA (AM)
KONA is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Kennewick-Richland-Pasco, Washington, USA, the station serves the Tri-Cities/Yakima area. The station is currently owned by CCR-Tri Cities IV, LLC and features programing from ABC Radio, Premiere Radio Networks and...
).
A few years earlier, the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
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
Spokane
Spokane is a city in the U.S. state of Washington.Spokane may also refer to:*Spokane *Spokane River*Spokane, Missouri*Spokane Valley, Washington*Spokane County, Washington*Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-Paloos War*Spokane * USS Spokane...
to the east and Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
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
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in 1965 when KNDU
KNDU
KNDU is an NBC affiliate television station serving south-central and southeastern Washington state. The station, which broadcasts on digital channel 26, is based in the Tri-Cities region of Pasco, Richland and Kennewick. The station is licensed to Richland, but its studio is located in Kennewick....
followed the lead of parent station KNDO
KNDO
KNDO is the NBC affiliate television station serving the Yakima, Washington, USA, area. It is owned by the Cowles Publishing Company of Spokane as part of The KHQ Television Group. It is sister station to KNDU in the Tri-Cities, which is considered a semi-satellite of KNDO even though the two...
and became a full-time NBC affiliate, and lost ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
when KVEW
KVEW
KVEW, digital channel 44, is the ABC affiliate television station for the Tri-Cities area of Washington. Licensed to Kennewick, it is a semi-satellite of KAPP in Yakima, airing its own newscasts and commercials...
signed on along with parent KAPP
KAPP
KAPP is the ABC affiliate for Yakima, Washington, serving the Central Washington area with a mix of news, sports, syndicated fare, and local programming since it first signed on the air on September 21, 1970. It is a sister station to KVEW in Kennewick; the latter is reckoned as a semi-satellite to...
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
Richland, Washington
Richland is a city in Benton County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, at the confluence of the Yakima and the Columbia Rivers. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 48,058. April 1, 2011 estimates from the Washington State Office of Financial Management put the...
. The program has aired for 15 years, making it one of the longest-running magazine programs in the market.
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
signal in 2007. The digital signal remained on channel 18 following the end of analog broadcasting
DTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...
in 2009; however, through the use of PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
, digital television receivers display KEPR's virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
as 19.
On March 30, 2009, KEPR launched a digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
affiliated with The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
, filling the void left by KCWK
KCWK
KCWK was a television station which broadcast on analog channel 9 in Walla Walla, Washington and low-powered analog channel 27 in Yakima, Washington. It was affiliated with The CW, and was owned by Pappas Telecasting. The station went off the air on May 25, 2008.-History:The station signed on for...
(channel 9) going dark at the end of May 2008 due to the Pappas Telecasting bankruptcy. 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
The CW Plus
The CW Plus is a group of primarily digital sub-channels, analog, and non-broadcast cable television outlets for the CW Television Network, for markets below the top 99 television media markets in the United States....
feed, though there is a 10 p.m. newscast on weeknights.
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