KDBC-TV

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KDBC-TV
El Paso, Texas
Branding	KDBC 4
Slogan	We're Your Station!
Channels	Analog: 4 (VHF) Digital: 18 (UHF)
Affiliations	CBS MyNetworkTV (DT2)
Owner	Pappas Telecasting Companies (KDBC License, LLC)
First air date	December 14, 1952
Call letters’ meaning	Doubleday Broadcasting Company
Former callsigns	KROD-TV (1952-1973)
Transmitter Power	100 kW (analog) 160 kW (digital)
Height	475 m (analog) 577 m (digital)
Facility ID	33764
Transmitter Coordinates	31°47′45.9″N, 106°28′58.8″W (analog) 31°48′18.9″N, 106°29′0.8″W (digital)
Website	www.kdbc.com

KDBC-TV is the CBS affiliate in El Paso, Texas. The station is owned by Pappas Telecasting. It broadcasts its analog signal on VHF channel 4, and its digital signal on UHF channel 18. Its new digital subchannel carries My Network TV.

The station is located at 2201 E. Wyoming Avenue in El Paso (ZIP code 79903). Its transmitter is also located in El Paso.

[edit] History

The station went on air on December 14, 1952 as KROD-TV, the first television station in El Paso. The station was owned by Dorrance Roderick, along with KROD radio and the El Paso Times. Early programs on the station include children's show "Red Brown and Anna Lee", "Bozo's Big Top", and wrestling show "Mitchell's Mat Time". The station changed its call letters to KDBC-TV in 1973 to reflect the change in station ownership, Doubleday Broadcasting Company.

By the mid-1980s, the station was owned by United Broadcasting, who at the time also owned KARK-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas and WTOK-TV in Meridian, Mississippi. Columbus, Mississippi-based Imes Broadcasting, owners of stations such as WCBI-TV and WMUR-TV, bought KDBC in 1988 after United Broadcasting was taken over by the investment firm Merrill Lynch. Imes Broadcasting faced financial problems in the late 1990s, and put up all of its stations for sale. In 1999 Pappas Telecasting Companies acquired the station, with the intent to have the station join the new Azteca America network, a Spanish-language network co-owned at the time by TV Azteca and Pappas. Plans for the affiliation were canceled following outcry from viewers and the station's employees, and the station renewed its affiliation with CBS. In May 2004 KDBC launched a new set design, logo and graphics; resulting from a change of ownership. Azteca America and Pappas eventually had strife between them and ended their affiliation relationship in mid-2007.

On September 5, 2006 KDBC's new subchannel commenced operations, which includes programming from My Network TV. [1]

The first transmitter site was south of Comanche Peak in El Paso. A road was blazed to the site, and a 288' foot tower was constructed. A building was assembled from native rock chipped from the site. The station went on with a temporary transmitter (small RCA) and eventually added a 10kw RCA TT-10AL transmitter and developed an effective radiated power of 61 kilowatts at 1,150 feet. The site is now used as a backup, and many FM stations transmit from this building.

In 1984 the station went further up the hill to Comanche Peak. A 440' foot tower was built and a new transmitter was installed (one of the last of the RCA TT-25GLs). The station increased to 100kw and a height of 1,540 feet. BTSC stereo also commenced with this new site.

[edit] Digital Television

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

Digital channels

[edit] Post-analog shutdown

After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009^[1], KDBC will remain on its current pre-transition channel number, 18. ^[2] However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display KDBC's virtual channel as 4.

[edit] Personalities

Among the station's most famous broadcasters was weatherman Howell Eurich, who also worked as El Paso's version of Bozo The Clown during the 1960s and 1970s. Eurich committed suicide in 1982 following a divorce from his wife and fellow KDBC weather anchor, Gail Gordon.

[edit] Anchors

• Jesse Blanco - KDBC 4 News at 5, 6, & 10
• Nichole Ayoub - KDBC 4 News at 5, 6, & 10
• Cristina Rodda - KDBC 4 News Weekends 5:30, & 10
• Lou Romano - KDBC 4 News Sunrise
• Sheila Parker - KDBC 4 News at Noon
• Skylar Zwick - KDBC 4 News Sunrise

[edit] Reporters

• Robert Boyd - General Assignment Reporting
• Crystal Gutierrez - General Assignment Reporting
• Christina Rodda - General Assignment Reporting
• Skylar Zwick - General Assignment Reporting/AM Traffic

[edit] KDBC 4 Sports

• John Engleman - Sports Director, Sports Anchor; Weekdays at 6, & 10
• Jessica Moran - Weekends at 5:30 & 10

[edit] KDBC 4 Weather

• Robert Bettes - Chief Meteorologist Weekdays KDBC 4 News at 5, 6, & 10
• Gene Savard - Senior Forecaster Weekends KDBC 4 News at 5:30 & 10

[edit] Former Staff Members

• Damien Alameda (Now at KOLD-TV)
• Jamie Apody (Now at WPVI-TV)
• Krys Boyd (Now at KERA-FM)
• Estela Casas (Now at KVIA-TV)
• Vanessa Chacon
• Dustin Chase
• Sally Coronado
• Katherine Decker
• Shelton Dodson (Now at KOB-TV)
• Jennifer Dolt
• Tom Downs
• Melissa Duran (Now at KLAS-TV)
• Howell Eurich (deceased)
• Jim Gamble
• Dave Garcia (Now at KROD-AM)
• Mercedes Garza
• Rick Glancy (Now a Spokesperson for the El Paso County Sheriff's office)
• Gail Gordon
• David Johnston ("Ono") (Now at KABC-TV)
• Liz Kern (Now the Marketing Coordinator for the El Paso Zoo)
• Christine Maddela (Now at WKRN-TV)
• Rebecca Medina (Now at WPTY-TV)
• Raymond Mesa (Now at KWHY-TV)
• Suzanne Michaels
• Bill Mitchell (Now at WDEF-TV)
• David Morgan
• Gary Munday
• Richard Saenz (Now at KSAZ-TV)
• Chris Saldaña (Now at KLAS-TV)
• Marcy Valenzuela
• Natalie Zea
• Elizabeth Alvarez (Now at WOFL-TV)
• Chip Taberski
• Udell Vigil, (Former News Director) Now Dir. of Communications, City of Las Cruces, NM

[edit] News/Station Presentation

[edit] Newscast Titles

• Big 4 News (1974-1985)
• Channel 4 News (1985-1988, 2001)
• News 4 El Paso (1988-1993)
• News 4 (1993-1997)
• CBS 4 Action News (1997-2001)
• CBS 4 News (2001-2004)

[edit] Station Slogans

• This is The Big 4 (1974-1982)
• Great Moments on Channel 4 (1982; local version of CBS campaign)
• We're El Paso's Very Own Channel 4 (1982-1987)
• It's Happening on Channel 4 (1987-1992)
• 4 Means News (1992-1995)
• Your Eye on El Paso (1995-2002)
• People You Can Count On (2002-2004)
• We're YOUR Station (2004-present)

[edit] Miscellaneous

• On December 7, 2005, KDBC 4 anchor Nichole Ayoub got a surprising engagement when boyfriend of several years, Travis Hughes, proposed live on the air during the six o' clock newscast. After saying "yes" the anchorwoman hugged her new fiance. The event caught the attention of ABC's Good Morning America, Inside Edition and various local TV stations around the country.

• KDBC is home to sydnicated duo Jeopardy! and Wheel Of Fortune in their lineup. Before 1999, though, KTSM was home to the popular quiz shows.

• Weatherman Howell Eurich was also known for his Wink, Texas jokes, jokes about how small the town was. He eventually came out with a book of such jokes that was sold locally. Eurich acted in local stage productions, as well as hosted movie shows and "Bozo the Clown" on the station (1968-1972). Many photos of Eurich adorn the walls of "Jaxons" restarount in El Paso. Eurich later became despondent in his life and committed suicide in 1982.

• Howell Eurich and Gail Gordon introduced "Puffy" the weather dog, who became a feature of the weather forecast.

[edit] External links

• KDBC Homepage
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KDBC-TV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KDBC-TV

[edit] Footnotes