KLAF-LD

KLAF-LD
Lafayette, Louisiana
United States
Branding Acadiana's KLAF (general)
Acadiana's KLAF News (newscasts)
Slogan Lafayette's only NBC (general)
Live, Local and Cajun First (news)
Channels Digital: 46 (UHF)
Subchannels 46.1 NBC
Translators KADN-TV 15.2
Affiliations NBC (2015–present)
Owner Nexstar Broadcasting Group
(Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.)
First air date 1992 (1992)
Call letters' meaning Lafayette
Sister station(s) KADN-TV
Former callsigns K46DG (1999)
K58GA (1999–2007)
KOPP-LP (2007)
KLAF-LP (2007–2012)
Former affiliations Primary:
Channel America (1992–1995)
UPN (1995–2006)
MyNetworkTV (2006–2015)
Secondary:
PTEN (1993–1995)
WB (1995–1999)
CBS (2000–2005)
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Profile
CDBS
Website www.cajunfirst.com

KLAF-LD, channel 46 is an NBC-affiliated low-powered television station located in Lafayette, Louisiana. The station is owned by the Nexstar Broadcasting Group, and operates as part of a television duopoly with Fox affiliate KADN-TV (which telecasts KLAF on its 15.2 dial). Both stations share studio facilities located on Eraste Landry Road in Lafayette; KLAF-LD maintains transmitter facilities located on Ole Colony Road, in Scott, Louisiana.

History

KLAF's origins begin in 1991 when Delta Media (who then owned KADN) signed on low-power K62DW in Lafayette as "K62TV". In its beginnings, K62TV broadcast mostly Channel America programming mixed in with some repurposed local shows from KADN - such as Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler and In Brief - along with local USL sports and Houston Astros baseball games. K62DW was renamed to Variety TV in late 1993 and VTV shortly thereafter.

When UPN launched in January 1995, K62DW became a charter affiliate as "UPN Lafayette" and dropped Channel America programming. At the same time, Delta Media signed on translators in New Iberia (K55HA) and Church Point (K69HD) and K62DW picked up the callsign KLAF-LP. Shortly after the KLAF-LP transmitter moved to Opelousas and K46DG signed on in Lafayette. KLAF added a secondary WB affiliation in August 1995 but lost it in 1998 when the WB100+ network of cable stations was launched. KLAF went through branding changes in 1997, when "UPN Lafayette" was dropped in favor of "KLAF," then in 2004, under pressure from the network to standardize all affiliates' branding, KLAF became "UPN 17," reflecting its cable position on the local cable system. From 2000 to 2005, KLAF-LD also served as a secondary CBS affiliate, clearing programs that the area's main affiliate KLFY-TV did not.

UPN and the WB announced in early 2006 that network operations would shutter that September. Shortly after the announcement Fox created the MyNetworkTV syndication service, and on March 15, 2006, it was announced that KLAF would become Lafayette's MyNetworkTV affiliate at the network's launch in September. During a transitional period that ran from August 15, 2006 to September 4, 2006, the on-air branding reverted to "KLAF", with no network or channel number designation. On September 4, 2006, KLAF became a full-fledged MyNetworkTV affiliate as "MyKLAF TV."

In June 2006, then-owner Communications Corporation of America (ComCorp) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. ComCorp said in a press release viewers and staff would see no changes at the station. ComCorp emerged from bankruptcy in October 2007.[1]

On April 24, 2013, Communications Corporation of America announced the sale of its entire group (including flagship KADN and KLAF) to the Nexstar Broadcasting Group.[2] The sale was completed on January 1, 2015.[3]

On July 1, 2015, KLAF-LD changed affiliations to NBC, the network's first affiliate in Lafayette since the 1975 shutdown of KLNI (channel 15, now occupied by KADN-TV); in the interim, area cable systems imported KPLC from Lake Charles, KALB-TV from Alexandria, and/or sister station WVLA-TV from Baton Rouge for NBC programming. MyNetworkTV programming moved to the 15.3 subchannel on KADN-TV;[4] KADN's 15.2 subchannel continues to simulcast KLAF.

On January 27, 2016, KLAF-LD owner Nexstar Broadcasting Group announced it would acquire Media General for $4.6 billion. Since Media General already owns CBS affiliate KLFY, and since the Lafayette market is too small to allow duopolies in any case, in order to comply with FCC ownership rules as well as planned changes to rules regarding same-market television stations which would prohibit future joint sales agreements, the company will be required to sell either KLFY or sister station KADN to another company, likely the Meredith Corporation who had been in an abortive deal the previous year with Media General. KLAF-LD is the only station involved in the deal that can be legally acquired, since FCC rules allow for the common ownership of full-power and low-power stations in the same market, regardless of the number of stations in that market.[5][6]

Digital television

Digital channel

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[7]
46.1 720p 16:9 KLAF-LD Main KLAF programming / NBC

Digital transition

KLAF previously broadcast its analog signal on UHF channel 62, but because of its low power output and distance from the city of Lafayette, it was relayed across a small network of three translator stations:

In August 2007, KLAF began to make the transition to a single, full-market station as programming was added to KADN-TV on channel 15.2. One by one, the translators were taken off the air, beginning with K69HD (Church Point) on October 25 until only K58GA (Lafayette) remained. On November 9, 2007, K58GA became KOPP-LP, in preparation to move KLAF-LP's calls there. On July 5, 2012, the station changed its call sign to KLAF-LD, upon conversion to digital transmission.

Newscasts

Concurrent with KLAF-LD's move to NBC, the station began simulcasting newscasts from virtual sister station WVLA-TV (the station that KLAF replaced on channels 3 and 1003 in Cox's Lafayette system) on July 1, 2015.[4]

On March 31, 2016, Nexstar announced that KLAF (alongside sister station KADN) would launch its own news department on April 1 at 5:00 pm. The formation of the news department resulted in the hiring of 24 news and production employees.[8]

References

  1. ↑ 2theadvocate.com | Business | Stations’ owners OK plan to exit bankruptcy — Baton Rouge, LA
  2. ↑ https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS_Attachment/getattachment.jsp?appn=101552312&qnum=5040&copynum=1&exhcnum=1
  3. ↑ Consummation Notice, CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  4. 1 2 Nexstar Broadcasting's KLAF-TV to become first NBC Network affiliate serving Lafayette - CajunFirst.com
  5. ↑ "Nexstar-Media General: It's A Done Deal". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "Nexstar Clinches Deal to Acquire Media General". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  7. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for KLAF-LD
  8. ↑ Local NBC and Fox News Coming to Acadiana - CajunFirst.com

External links

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