More Information About KPLC

KPLC
Lake Charles-Lafayette, Louisiana
Branding	KPLC 7News
Slogan	7 at Your Service
Channels	Analog: 7 (VHF) Digital: 8 (VHF) returning to 7 in 2009
Subchannels	7.1 NBC
Affiliations	NBC (1980-Present)
Owner	Raycom Media, Inc. (KPLC License Subsidiary, LLC)
First air date	September 29, 1954
Call letters’ meaning	K Port of Lake Charles
Former callsigns	KPLC-TV (1954-2003)
Former affiliations	ABC (1954-1980)
Transmitter Power	316 kW (analog) 17 kW (digital)
Height	451 m (both)
Facility ID	13994
Transmitter Coordinates	30°23′46.8″N 93°0′3.6″W / 30.396333, -93.001
Website	www.kplctv.com/

KPLC is an NBC affiliate licensed to Lake Charles, Louisiana; also serving Lafayette, Louisiana, broadcasting on analog channel 7. It's owned by Raycom Media with transmitter facilities located in Fenton, Louisiana.

History of KPLC

KPLC-TV Channel 7 began broadcasting on September 29, 1954 as an affiliate of the ABC-TV Network. 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 group headed by investor Elliot Stien. He visited KPLC frequently along with his friend, St. Louis Cardinals baseball legend Stan Musial.

In 1970, G. Russell Chambers purchased KPLC-TV from the St. Louis group and dramatically increased the station's coverage by adding a 1500 foot tower, providing a quality signal for the NBC affiliate as far north as Leesville, as far east as Lafayette and to the Gulf of Mexico. FCC regulations required that the radio stations be sold. Perry Sanders purchased the AM/FM combo and changed its call letters to KLCL and 10 years Later in 1980 KPLC-TV changed networks from KATC in the following changes KPLC became an affiliate of The NBC-TV Network & KATC also became an affiliate of The ABC-TV Network.

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 in Shreveport and WAFB in Baton Rouge.

KPLC is consistently one of the nation's most watched television stations, ranking among the top 5 Nielsen-rated stations nationally throughout the year.^{[citation needed]}

KPLC 7 News Team

• Cynthia Arceneaux (7 News Live @ 5, 7 News @ 6 & 7 News Nightcast Lead Anchor)
• John Bridges (7 News Sunrise News Anchor)
• Britney Glaser (7 News Sunrise News Anchor, Healthcast Reporter)
• Evan Johnson ( 7 News Sunrise Reporter, Today Show Newsbreak Anchor, Fill-in Anchor)
• Theresa Schmidt (General Assignment & Environment Reporter)
• Lee Peck (Weekend anchor/producer, general assignment and nightside reporter)
• Amanda Ward (General assignment & nightside reporter)
• Wade Hampton (7 Storm Team Chief Meteorologist - 5 pm, 6pm & Nightcast)
• Kellie Hutchinson (7 Storm Team Meteorologist - 7 News Sunrise & 7 News @ Noon)
• Jeff Jumper (7 Storm Team Meteorologist - Weekends)
• Tom Annino - 7 Sports Director and main sports anchor
• Tiffany Blackmon (7 Sports team and general assignment reporter)
• Charlie Bartlett (7 Sports team and general assignment reporter)

Former News Team Members

• Marty Briggs (6pm & Nightcast reporter) - Laid off from KPLC in late 2008 due to budget cuts.
• Danica Abraham (General Assignments Reporter) - Left KPLC in 2007 - Joined KADN in Lafayette, LA
• Curtis Atkinson, (7 Storm Team Chief Meteorologist) - Left KPLC in June 2008 - Moved to Alabama
• Vince Atkinson (Nightcast Reporter) - Left KPLC in 2007, now a reporter at KSAN-TV in San Angelo, TX
• Pam Dixon (Noon News Anchor, Education Reporter) - Left KPLC in 2007 - Became an educator at the Lake Charles-Boston Academy of Learning
• Robert Hadlock (Reporter / Weekend News Anchor) - Now the evening anchor at KXAN in Austin.
• Rhonda Kitchens (Reporter / Weekend News Anchor) - Left KPLC in 2007 - Moved to California then back to Lake Charles; Now working at KYKZ-FM
• Garrett Lumpkin (Sports Anchor) - Left KPLC in 2007 - No word on his leaving
• Jerry Modene (Weekend Anchor/Weather; host "Louisiana Today"; co-host "Midday") - with KPLC from 1977 to 1981, now resides in Las Vegas
• Laila Morcos (Sunrise News Anchor, Healthcast Reporter) - Left KPLC in 2007, now a reporter at WGNO in New Orleans
• David Paul (Meteorologist) Currently in same position at KHOU-TV in Houston
• Jordan Sandler (Sports Reporter) - Left KPLC in 2007 - Moved to South Carolina
• Liberty Schauf (Noon & 5pm Producer) - Left KPLC in 2007 - No word on her leaving

Trivia

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (June 2007)

• 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, 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.

• Game show announcer and host Bob Hilton started his career at KPLC.

External links

• Official homepage
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KPLC
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KPLC-TV

References