KTAL-TV

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

KTAL-TV
Texarkana, Texas-Arkansas / Shreveport, Louisiana
Branding	KTAL The News Station
Slogan	The News Station
Channels	6 (VHF) analog, 15 (UHF) digital
Affiliations	NBC
Owner	Nexstar Broadcasting
Founded	1952
Call letters meaning	K Texas Arkansas Louisiana
Former callsigns	KCMC-TV (1952-1960)
Former affiliations	DuMont (1952-1955) CBS (1952-1954) ABC (1952-1955)
Website	www.ktalnews.tv

KTAL-TV is the NBC television affiliate serving the Shreveport / Texarkana market; it is licensed to Texarkana, Texas, with its studios in Shreveport. KTAL is owned by Nexstar Broadcasting. Its transmitter is located in Vivian, Louisiana.

The station shares its callsign with radio station KTAL-FM 98.1, which uses the branding Classic 98 Rocks.

Contents 1 History 2 Cable information 3 Newscasts 3.1 Weekdays 3.2 Weekends 3.3 Sundays 4 News Presentation 4.1 Newscast Titles 5 Reference 6 External links

[edit] History

The station launched in 1952 as KCMC-TV by Clyde Palmer, owner of the Texarkana Gazette. Its callsign was changed to KTAL-TV sometime in the 1960s. In 1975, the Federal Communications Commission ruled that the Palmer family 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 Media, Inc., operated by Palmer's grandson, Walter E. Hussman Jr., sold the station to Nexstar. The station rebranded, from "NewsChannel 6", to "KTAL The News Station" in 2006. It has maintained NBC affiliation since 1955.

[edit] Cable information

KTAL is seen on cable in Shreveport via Time Warner Cable. The station is also carried on 85+ other cable systems in the Ark-La-Tex region. KTAL-TV signed on the air in 1953. In 1961, KTAL moved to a new studio in Shreveport, LA. In 2005, Texarkana's CableOne 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. They claim KTAL wanted both systems to pay for KTAL's transmission. 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 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.

[edit] Newscasts

[edit] Weekdays

• KTAL News Today - 5:00-7:00AM
• KTAL News at 5 - 5:00-5:30PM
• KTAL News at 6 - 6:00-6:30PM
• KTAL News at 10 - 10:00-10:35PM

[edit] Weekends

• KTAL News Weekend - 6:00-6:30PM Saturday, 5:00-5:30PM Sunday
• KTAL News Weekend - 10:00-10:30PM

[edit] Sundays

• KTAL Sports Sunday -- 10:30-11:00PM

[edit] News Presentation

[edit] Newscast Titles

• The News of the Night (1952-1958)
• The Tri-State Report (1958-1960)
• The Television 6 Report (1960-1964)
• The TV-6 News (1964-1974)
• NewsCenter 6 (1974-2002)
• NewsChannel 6 (2002-2006)
• KTAL News (2006-present)

[edit] Reference

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

[edit] External links

• KTAL Homepage
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KTAL