KEPR-TV

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KEPR-TV
(semi-satellite of KIMA-TV, Yakima, Washington)
Pasco/Richland/Kennewick, Washington

Branding	KEPR (general) KEPR Action News (newscasts) (pronounced "keeper") CW 9 Yakima/Tri-Cities (on DT2)
Slogan	Taking Action for You
Channels	Digital: 18 (UHF) Virtual: 19 (PSIP)
Subchannels	29.1 CBS 29.2 The CW
Affiliations	CBS The CW (on DT2)
Owner	Sinclair Broadcast Group (Sinclair Yakima Licensee, LLC)
First air date	December 28, 1954
Call letters' meaning	KEnnewick, Pasco, Richland
Sister station(s)	KIMA-TV, KLEW-TV, KVVK-CA/KORX-CA
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 19 (UHF, 1954-2009)
Former affiliations	NBC (secondary, 1954-1965) ABC (1954-1970)
Transmitter power	32.43 kW
Height	355.5 m
Facility ID	56029
Transmitter coordinates	46°5′50.5″N 119°11′33.4″W / 46.097361°N 119.192611°W / 46.097361; -119.192611
Website	www.keprtv.com

KEPR-TV (pronounced "keeper"), 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, both Dish Network and DirecTV carry KEPR-TV along with KIMA-TV.

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 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, 6 & 11 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 KONA).

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.

By 1988, the station was purchased by Retlaw Broadcasting.^[1] Fisher Communications purchased KLEW-TV along with the other Retlaw owned stations in 1999.^[2]

KEPR logo prior to 2007

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.^[3] 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.

On April 11, 2013, Fisher announced that it would sell its properties, including KEPR-TV, to the Sinclair Broadcast Group.^[4] The deal was completed on August 8, 2013.^[5]

On-Air Staff

Anchors

Terry Chick - KEPR Action News @ 5, 6 & 11 PM
Annie Andrews - KEPR Action News @ 5, 6 & 11 PM
Kristi Paulus - KEPR Action News Morning Show 5-7 AM
Frances Watson - KEPR Action News Weekends @ 6:30 & 11 PM

Reporters

Abby Acone
Melissa Jespersen - Morning/Feature Reporter
Gina Lazara
Davis Wahlman
Frances Watson
Tyler Slauson - Multimedia Journalist

Weather Team

Mike McCabe - Chief Weather Anchor
Jay Frank - Morning Weather Anchor
Abby Acone - Weekend Weather Anchor

Sports Team

Morgan Vance - KEPR Action News @ 6 & 11 PM
Vince Sapienza - KEPR Action News Weekends @ 6:30 & 11 PM

References

↑ Peltz, James F. (October 2, 1990). "The Wonderful World of Disney's Other Firm : Entertainment: Walt Disney created a separate company for his family. Retlaw Enterprises Inc. is now worth hundreds of millions.". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
↑ "8-K For 7/1/99". Fisher Communications Inc. filings. secinfo.com. Retrieved October 20, 2007.
↑ http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/digital-downloads/broadband/e3i9ab6ed8bb35772134ff7659f760d4db1
↑ Malone, Michael (April 11, 2013). "Sinclair to Acquire Fisher Stations for $373 Million". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
↑ "Sinclair Broadcast Group Closes On Fisher Communications Acquisition". All Access. August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.

External links

v t e Broadcast television in Central Washington, including Yakima

Yakima	KUNW-CD (2.1 UNI) KNDO (23.1 NBC, 23.3 SWX) KIMA-TV (29.1 CBS, 29.2 The CW) KAPP (35.1 ABC, 35.2 KXMN-LD) KCYU-LD (41.1 Fox, 41.2 This TV) KYVE (47.1 PBS, 47.2 V-me, 47.3 Create, 47.5 PBS-HD) K51JG-D (73.1 3ABN, 73.2 3ABN Latino, 73.3 3ABN Radio, 73.4 Radio74)

Ellensburg	K25FP-D 25 (3ABN) K39DM 39 (TBN)

Tri-Cities	KFFX-TV (11.1 Fox, 11.2 This TV) KVVK-CA 15/KORX-CA 16 (UNI) KEPR-TV (19.1 CBS, 19.2 The CW) KNDU (25.1 NBC, 25.3 SWX) KTNW (31.1 PBS-HD, 31.2 V-me) KVEW (42.1 ABC, 42.2 KXMN-LD) KRLB-LD (49.1 TBN)

Walla Walla	KTVR 13 (PBS/OPB) K21JQ-D 22 (Hope/Worship) K33EJ (3ABN) KWWO-LP 47 (TBN)

Wenatchee	KNEE-LD 10 (Ind) K34EM (TBN) KWCC-LD 47 (Ind)

Defunct stations	KCWK 9/KCWK-LP 27 (Fox/AZA/CW) KCWT 27 (Fox/CA/TBN)

See also List of television stations in Washington List of television stations in Oregon Seattle Spokane Portland Boise TV

v t e CBS Network Affiliates in the state of Washington

KREM 2 (Spokane) KIRO 7 (Seattle) KEPR 19 / KIMA 29 (Pasco / Yakima)

See also ABC CBS CW Fox ION MyNetworkTV NBC PBS Other stations in Washington

v t e CW Network Affiliates in the state of Washington

KSTW 11 (Seattle / Tacoma) KEPR-DT 19.2 (Tri-Cities) KSKN 22 (Spokane) KIMA-DT 29.2 (Yakima)

See also ABC CBS CW Fox ION MyNetworkTV NBC PBS Other stations in Washington

v t e Sinclair Broadcast Group

ABC network affiliates	KATU KDNL KHQA KOMO KTVO KVII / KVIH WCHS WEAR WGTU / WGTQ¹ WHOI WHAM² WICD WICS WKEF WLOS WPDE WSYX WTVC WXLV

CBS network affiliates	KBAK KBOI KDBC KEPR KEYE KFDM KGAN KGBT KHQA KIMA KLEW KMEG³ KRCG KTVL KTVO KUTV KVAL / KCBY / KPIC WGME WHP WKRC WPEC WRGB WTVH⁴ WWMT

The CW network affiliates	KEPR KFDM KFRE KIMA KMTR / KTCW / KMCB⁵ KMYS² KOCB KTVL KVII / KVIH KVCW KXTU KXVO⁶ KYUU WBUI⁷ WBSF¹ WCWN WHAM² WHOI WKRC WLFL WLYH⁸ WNAB⁹ WNUV¹ WSTQ WTTO / WDBB WTVX WUCW WVTV WWHO¹⁰ WWMB¹¹ WWMT

Fox network affiliates	KABB KBFX KBSI KBTV² KDSM KFOX KFXA¹² KMPH KOKH KPTH KPTM KRXI KSAS KXRM WACH WBFF WDKY WFXL WLUC WMSN WPFO¹³ WPGH WRGT¹ WRLH WRSP / WCCU⁷ WSMH WSYT¹⁴ WTAT¹ WTTE¹ WUHF WUTV WVAH¹ WYZZ^{1, 15} WZTV

MyNetworkTV affiliates	KAME² KDBC KMTW¹⁶ KMYU KUTV KVMY WABM WCGV WDKA¹⁷ WFGX WMMP WMYA¹ WMYV WNYO WNYS¹⁴ WPMY WRDC WRGT¹ WRLH WSTR² WSYX WTCN WTTA WTVZ WUTB² WUXP

NBC network affiliates	KMTR / KMCB / KTCW⁵ KRNV / KENV¹⁸ WEYI¹¹ WJAC WLUC WNWO WOAI WPBN / WTOM WPMI² WSTM WTOV WTWC

Other affiliates	Independent station WJTC² This TV affiliates KMYU WFGX Univision KUNP^MFX KUNS^MFX KUNW-CD / KVVK / KORX Azteca América WWHB

Radio Stations	KOMO-AM KOMO-FM¹⁹ KPLZ-FM KVI

Wrestling promotion	Ring of Honor

¹Nominally owned by Cunningham Broadcasting and operated by Sinclair under an LMA. However, trusts belonging to members of SBGI's founding Smith family control almost all of Cunningham's stock. ²Owned by Deerfield Media and operated by Sinclair under an LMA. ³Owned by Waitt Broadcasting and operated by Sinclair. ⁴Owned by Granite Broadcasting and operated by Sinclair. ⁵Owned by Roberts Media and operated by Sinclair. ⁶Owned by Mitts Telecasting and operated by Sinclair. ⁷Owned by GOCOM Media and operated by Sinclair. ⁸Operated by Sinclair, owned by Nexstar. ⁹Owned by Tennessee Broadcasting and operated by Sinclair by an outsourcing agreement. ¹⁰Owned by Manhan Media and operated by Sinclair. ¹¹Owned by Howard Stirk Holdings and operated by Sinclair under an LMA. ¹²Owned by Second Generation Ltd. and operated by Sinclair. ¹³Owned by Corporate Media Consultants Group (itself 49% owned by Max Media) and operated by Sinclair. Sale to Cunningham Broadcasting, pending FCC approval. ¹⁴Owned by Bristlecone Broadcasting, Sinclair operates WSYT through transitional agreement. WNYS is owned by RKM Media, LLC, its LMA assignment will be transfered to Bristlecone. ¹⁵Operated by Nexstar under an LMA. ¹⁶Owned by Mercury Broadcasting Company and operated by Sinclair. ¹⁷Owned by WDKA Acquisition Corporation and operated by Sinclair. ¹⁸Owned by Intermountain West Communications Company and operated by Sinclair. Sale to Cunningham Broadcasting, pending FCC approval. ¹⁹Owned by South Sound Broadcasting, Sinclair programs this station, as a simulcast of KOMO (AM).

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