KSLA-TV

KSLA 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. Alongside KYTX, it is carried on some cable providers in Lufkin and Nacogdoches and it is available on DirecTV in the Oklahoma portion of the Arklatex alongside Little Rock affiliate, KTHV, the Shreveport affiliates and other Little Rock affiliates.

History

KSLA went on the air on October 1, 1954, airing programming from all four networks -- CBS, ABC, NBC and DuMont. However, it has always been a primary CBS affiliate. It lost NBC a year later when KTBS signed on. The two stations shared limited ABC programming until 1960, when Texarkana's KTAL-TV took the NBC affiliation after Texarkana was collapsed into the Shreveport market. KTBS then became an exclusive ABC affiliate, leaving KSLA as a sole CBS affiliate.

William Carter Henderson, a son of KWKH Radio founder William Kennon Henderson, Jr., was among the original owners of KSLA-TV.^[1]

In 1966, Douglas F. Attaway, the publisher of the now defunct Shreveport Journal became the majority owner of the station. During the second half of the 1960s and the early 1970s, KSLA was hence called "The Journal Station." In the late 1970s, Attaway sold to Viacom, which now owns CBS. He had previously sold the Shreveport Journal to Shreveport businessman and philanthropist Charles T. Beaird.

KSLA was the first station to broadcast from Shreveport. It was also the first in the market to broadcast in color, to broadcast in stereo sound, and to employ the use of satellites. The station claims to have the highest rated newscast in the entire state of Louisiana. one of its early anchormen, Don Owen served as a member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission from 1985-2003. KSLA was once the home of the Shreveport Captains, the defunct Canadian Football League team, the Shreveport Pirates, and Southeastern Conference sports.

On March 5, 1955, Elvis Presley made his television debut on KSLA on Louisiana Hayride from the Municipal Auditorium. That same year, D. L. Dykes, Jr., who launched a 30-year career as the pastor of the First Methodist Church at the Head of Texas Street in downtown Shreveport, began having his sermons televised on KSLA. Over the years, other churches followed Dykes's lead.

Among its most popular local programming are Bob & His Buddies, a children's show hosted by longtime sports reporter Bob Griffin; and Hallelujah Train, a Sunday morning program many consider a religious version of Soul Train.

KSLA was among the first 50 television stations in the country to air a local program concept called PM Magazine from 1979 to 1984. This local program hosted by Chuck Smith and Becky Strickland became one of the consistently highest rated versions in the country, beating popular syndicated programs M*A*S*H, The Newlywed Game and People's Court as it averaged high audience shares, sometimes higher than 30% throughout its 4+ years on KSLA. Despite its local success, PM Magazine was canceled in early 1984. The last rating period for 1984 revealed the program had a 25 rating/39 share (Arbitron 2/'84).

On October 8, 1977, the KSLA 1709' tower in Mooringsport, LA collapsed. No official cause was ever determined, but speculation centered upon a failure in the guy lines. See List of catastrophic collapses of radio masts and towers.

Prior to 1978, Shreveport did not have a PBS affiliate. During some of this time, KSLA aired Sesame Street on weekday mornings. This arrangement ended when Louisiana Public Broadcasting began full time PBS programming on KLTS.

For a brief time in 1995, channel 12 aired UPN programming late at night until KSHV picked up the network later in the year.

On September 1, 1995, Ellis Communications bought KSLA from Viacom. It was the first television station not having a primary affiliation with UPN to be sold off by Viacom since UPN's launch. Ellis was folded into Raycom Media in 1997.

In September 2008, KSLA became the first station in Louisiana (and one of the first in the nation) to air a 9 a.m. newscast.

The station's studios were originally housed inside the Washington Youree Hotel in downtown Shreveport. In the early 1970s the station moved to its current Fairfield Avenue studios near Schumpert Medical Center.

Digital television

The station's digital signal is UHF 17, multiplexed:

Digital channels

On June 12, 2009, KSLA left channel 12 and moved to channel 17 when the analog to digital conversion completed.^[2]

Syndicated programming on KSLA

Schedule

Weekdays

*4:30AM-5AM       CBS Morning News
*5AM-6AM          News 12 This Morning: Early Edition
*6AM-7AM          News 12 This Morning
*7AM-9AM          The Early Show
*9AM-9:45AM       KSLA News 12 at 9am
*9:45AM-10AM      Your Hometown Show
*10AM-11AM        The Price is Right
*11AM-NOON        The Young and the Restless
*NOON-12:30PM     News 12 at Noon
*12:30PM-1PM      The Bold and the Beautiful
*1PM-2PM          As the World Turns
*2PM-3PM          Let's Make a Deal
*3PM-4PM          The Doctors
*4PM-5PM          The Oprah Winfrey Show
*5PM-5:30PM       KSLA News at 5PM
*5:30PM-6PM       CBS Evening News With Katie Couric
*6PM-6:30PM       KSLA News at 6PM
*6:30PM-7PM       Entertainment Tonight

Late Nights

*10PM-10:35PM     KSLA News at 10PM
*10:35PM-11:37PM  Late Show With David Letterman
*11:37PM-12:37AM  The Late Show With Craig Ferguson
*12:37AM-1:07AM   Seinfield
*1:07AM-1:37AM    Seinfield
*1:37AM-2:07AM    Entertainment Tonight
*2:07AM-4:30AM    Up to the Minute

HD News

KSLA currently does not offer news in HD nor 16:9 widescreen format.

Notable on-air staff

Current on-air staff

(as of April 14, 2010) Current Anchors

• Jeff Ferrell - Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30, and weekends at 10PM (also reporter)
• Summer Knowles - weekday mornings (5-7 and 9-10AM) and noon (also reporter)
• Carolyn Roy - Sunday mornings (also weekday reporter)
• Shannon Royster - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10PM
• Pat Simon - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10PM
• Doug Warner - weekday mornings (5-7 and 9-10AM) and noon (also reporter)

Reporters

• Fred Childers - general assignment reporter
• Nick Guillory - general assignment reporter
• Denise Middleton - general assignment reporter
• Barak Shapiro - general assignment reporter

StormTracker 12 Weather Team

• Stephen Parr (NWA Seal of Approval) - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10PM
• Barak Shapiro (AMS Seal of Approval) - Meteorologist; Saturdays at 6, Sunday mornings and 5:30, and weekends at 10PM (also fill-in)
• Ron Young - Meteorologist; weekday mornings (5-7 and 9-10AM) and noon

Sports team

• Colin McElroy - Sports Director; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10PM
• Mike Dirmann - Sports Anchor; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30, and weekends at 10PM

Previous on-air staff

• Bob Thompson - News Announcer
• Don Owen - Evening Anchor
• Al Bolton - Meteorologist
• Bob Griffin - Sports
• Mike Staggs - Reporter/Assignments Editor
• Ron Castell - Reporter/Anchor
• Andy Barton - Reporter / Noon Anchor
• Jim Serra - Reporter
• Patsy Carter - Reporter/Weather
• Christine Negroni - Reporter
• Roseanne Colletti - Reporter (Now with CBS News, New York )
• Kelly Lane - Reporter/Anchor
• Frank Simpson - Reporter/Anchor
• Edward St. Pe' - Weather
• Robert Hadlock - Reporter/Anchor
• Margaret Pelley - Reporter/Anchor (formerly with Dateline)
• Tim Larson - Weather
• Darrell Rebouche - Sports
• Tony Taglavore - Sports
• Taylor Henry - Reporter
• Rhett Smith - Reporter
• Gerard Braud - Reporter
• Shari Warren - Reporter/Anchor
• Sylvia Rachal - Reporter/Anchor
• Carl Pendley - Reporter/Anchor
• Chuck Smith - Producer/Co-Host PM MAGAZINE
• Becky Strickland - Co-Host PM MAGAZINE
• Christie Walton - Reporter
• Charles Hadlock - Reporter/Anchor
• Karin Adams - Reporter/Anchor
• Ed Duranzyk - Meteorologist (now at KTAL/NBC 6 Shreveport)
• Najahe Sherman|Najahe Hall - Morning and Noon Anchor/Reporter (now with KSHB in Kansas City)

News/station presentation

Newscast titles

• Channel 12 News (1970s)
• Channel 12 Eyewitness News (1970s-1990s)
• Arklatex News 12 (1990s-1997)
• KSLA News 12 (1997•present)

Station slogans

• Part of Your Life (1970s)
• KSLA PM MAGAZINE: A Breath of Fresh Air! (1979)
• The Ark-La-Tex Station (1980s)
• Project Pride/Building Pride in the Ark-La-Tex (Late 1980s-1997)
• Coverage You Can Count On (1997•present)
• We Track STORMS (weather slogan)

References

1. ^ "William C. "Bill" Henderson obituary". Shreveport Times, March 13, 2010. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/shreveporttimes/obituary.aspx?n=william-c-henderson-bill&pid=140665614. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
2. ^ http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-138A2.pdf

External links

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

Categories: CBS network affiliates | Television stations in Shreveport, Louisiana | Channel 12 TV stations in the United States | Television channels and stations established in 1953 | This TV affiliates