KPLC
Encyclopedia
- See also KPLC: Kenya Power and Lighting CompanyKenya Power and Lighting CompanyKenya Power is a limited liability company which transmits, distributes and retails electricity to customers throughout Kenya. KPLC is a public company listed in the Nairobi Stock Exchange . The company is a national electric utility company, managing electric metering, licensing, billing,...
.
KPLC, channel 7, is an 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...
-affiliated television station licensed to Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
broadcasting on digital channel 7. It is owned by Raycom Media
Raycom Media
- History :Although Raycom Media dates its birth to 1996, the core of the company was formed in 1992 when Atlanta native Bert Ellis formed Ellis Communications. He eventually controlled 13 television stations and two radio stations....
, and has transmitter facilities located in Fenton, Louisiana
Fenton, Louisiana
Fenton is a village in Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 380 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jennings Micropolitan Statistical Area.Thomas A...
.
The station also serves as the default NBC affiliate for the Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
market, since that market does not have an NBC affiliate of its own. It operates a "virtual station" for Acadiana
Acadiana
Acadiana, or The Heart of Acadiana, is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population. Of the 64 parishes that make up Louisiana, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment, make up the intrastate...
and sells advertising in the area.
History
KPLC-TV began broadcasting in the summer of 1954. Owner T.B. Lanford of Shreveport had previously signed on KPLC-AM radio and was eager to expand into television.The station was later purchased by a St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
group headed by investor Elliot Stien. He visited KPLC frequently along with his friend, St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
baseball legend Stan Musial
Stan Musial
Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial is a retired professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals . Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection , and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball...
.
In 1970, G. Russell Chambers purchased KPLC-TV from the St. Louis group and dramatically increased the station's coverage by adding a 1500 feet (457.2 m) tower, providing a quality signal for the NBC affiliate as far north as Leesville
Leesville, Louisiana
Leesville is a city in and the parish seat of Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,753 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Fort Polk South Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city is home to the Fort Polk U.S. Army installation...
, as far east as Lafayette and to the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. 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...
(FCC) regulations required that the radio stations be sold. Perry Sanders purchased the AM/FM combo and changed its call letters to KLCL.
In 1986, Cosmos Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Liberty Life Insurance Company, took over. KPLC was one of the first television stations in the U.S. to launch its own website in the 1990s.
In 2004, KPLC began broadcasting in digital as well as analog with the launch of KPLC (DT). Later in the year the station launched its first local 24-hour weather channel, "KPLC WeatherPlus." Simultaneously, the station launched a service specifically for cellphones and PDA's, "7 On Your Cell."
In January 2006, Liberty and KPLC were purchased by Raycom Media, which also owns two other Louisiana television stations, KSLA-TV
KSLA-TV
KSLA, virtual channel 12, is the CBS-affiliated television station for Shreveport, Louisiana and the Ark-La-Tex region. Owned by Raycom Media, it broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 17. The sole transmitter is located in Mooringsport, Louisiana...
in Shreveport and WAFB
WAFB
WAFB is the CBS-affiliated television station for Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter southwest of Arlington. Owned by Raycom Media, WAFB is sister to Class A MyNetworkTV affiliate WBXH-CA. The two share studios on Government...
in Baton Rouge.
Digital television
The station's digital channel is multiplexed:1080i
1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
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...
480i
480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC...
This TV
This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies....
HD programming
KPLC currently airs all of NBC network programming in high definitionHigh-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...
and none of its syndicated programming such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, America Now
America Now
America Now is a daily television magazine program hosted by Leeza Gibbons and Bill Rancic, featuring "news you can really use" on lifestyle topics such as health, diet, family and pets. The show utilizes material from television stations owned by Raycom Media and original demonstrations from...
and Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
in HD.
KPLC does not offer any of its local news in high definition. As of December 13, 2010, KPLC-TV in the process of completely rebuilding their master control facility including migration to HD for both syndicated and locally produced material.
Newscast titles
- The Southwest Louisiana Report (1954-1961)
- The Marlboro News (1961-1966)
- 24 Hours (1966-1970)
- Total News (1970-1974)
- NewsCenter 7 (1974–1983)
- 7 News (1983–present)
Station slogans
- 7 at Your Service (1980–present)
- Louisiana's Most Honored News Team (1989–1994)
- Coverage. Community. Commitment. (1999–2004)
News team
Current anchors- Cynthia Arceneaux - weeknights at 5, 6 and "Nightcast" (10 p.m.)
- John Bridges - weekday mornings 7 News Sunrise
- Agnes DeRouen - weekdays at noon; also managing editor
- Charlie Haldeman - news director and fill-in anchor
- Lee Peck - Saturdays at 6 p.m. and weekends at 10 p.m.; also Crackdown on Crime reporter
- Elizabeth Temple - weekday mornings 7 News Sunrise; also Healthcast medical reporter
7 Storm Team
- Wade Hampton - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and "Nightcast" (10 p.m.)
- Kristian Claus - meteorologist; Saturdays at 6 p.m. and weekends at 10 p.m. "Nightcast"
- Ben Terry - meteorologist; weekday mornings
Sports team
- Joe Downs - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Sam Gannon - sports anchor; Saturdays at 6 and weekends at 10 p.m.
Reporters
- Theresa Schmidt - general assignment and environment reporter
- Olivia Vidal - video journalist
- Victoria Waterman - video journalist
Former on-air staff
- Rob MarcianoRob MarcianoRob Marciano is an American journalist and meteorologist. He currently works for CNN Worldwide in their Atlanta headquarters. He holds a bachelor's degree in meteorology from Cornell University....
- chief meteorologist (1994-1997; now meteorologist at CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
) - Bonnie SchneiderBonnie SchneiderBonnie Schneider is meteorologist appearing on the various platforms of CNN and HLN. She debuted on the network on June 11, 2005, just in time to cover the 2005 hurricane season. She is also the author of EXTREME WEATHER, publisher:Palgrave Macmillan, January 31, 2012...
- meteorologist (now meteorologist at CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
)
Service interruptions
In March 2004 while workers were installing a new transmission tower in high winds, the old transmission tower fell, causing a service disruption lasting about two weeks to over-the-air viewers in Southwest Louisiana. Service to cable customers was not interrupted due to the station's signal being delivered by fiber lines. A lower-power temporary tower was erected on top the station's broadcast studios a couple of days after the tower fell, allowing viewers within a few miles of the station to again receive the signal over-the-air.During Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
, which struck in September 2005, the station delivered around-the-clock news from a temporary, makeshift studio in a safer location than its normal studios in downtown Lake Charles.