KGNS-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = KGNS-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan =
station_branding = Pro 8 News
analog = 8 (VHF)
digital = 15 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = NBC
KTXW/The CW (DT2)
Telemundo (DT3)
network =
founded =
airdate = January 7, 1956
location = Laredo, Texas
callsign_meaning = Good Neighbor Station
former_callsigns = KHAD-TV (1956-1958)
former_channel_numbers =
owner = SagamoreHill Broadcasting, LLC
licensee = SagamoreHill Broadcasting of Texas, LLC
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = Both secondary:
CBS (1956-1973)
ABC (1956-?)
effective_radiated_power = 316 kW (analog)
2.4 kW (digital)
HAAT = 312 m (analog)
285 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 10061
coordinates = coord|27|40|21.6|N|99|39|52.2|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.pro8news.com/ www.pro8news.com]

KGNS-TV is the NBC television affiliate for Laredo, Texas as well as surrounding areas in both Texas and Mexico. The station is owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting. KGNS also operates digital subchannels offering Telemundo and KTXW (The CW), both also available on Time Warner Cable channels 25 and 19, respectively.

History

KGNS originally went on air January 7, 1956 as KHAD-TV. Donrey Media Group (now Stephens Media Group bought the station on September 1, 1958. One of its first moves was to change the call letters to KGNS-TV. The new calls, standing for "Good Neighbor Station," came from the winning entry of a contest among students on both sides of the Rio Grande to rename the station. On April 8, 2004 KGNS-TV started broadcasting in digital.

KGNS-TV is currently owned and operated by SagamoreHill Broadcasting. Since KVTV shut down its news department in 2006, it has been the only English-language station in the area to air local news until June 2008, when KGNS started producing local news for KTXW.

Digital Services

KGNS-TV plans to begin broadcasting in HDTV on channel 8.1 and carry The CW programming on sub channel 8.2 and Telemundo programming on digital subchannel 8.3 later in 2008. [ [http://www.pro8news.com/about KGNS | About Us] ]

News

KGNS's "Pro 8 News," the only English-language news broadcast in the Laredo market, provides Laredo with more news than any other station in town with three hours of news every weekday and one hour per day on weekends. Considered by many in television to be a "starter" market, the station employs a number of recent college graduates.

According to Nielsen Media Research, KGNS competes closely with Spanish-language station KLDO.

"Laredo's First News at 9" on KTXW

KGNS also produces "Laredo's First News at 9" for KTXW (The CW) channel 19 on Time Warner Cable, airing weeknights at 9PM. Produced by KGNS's news staff, the half-hour news program is anchored by Max Fernandez and Victoria Marshall. The target audience for this news program is viewers between the ages of 21 through 34, which is the largest growing demographic in the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan Area. The newscast debuted June 21, 2008. [ [http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19794051&BRD=2290&PAG=461&dept_id=569392&rfi=6 Laredo Morning Times article; New news show begins Monday on CW, ch. 19] ]

Anchors

* Tim Gutierrez Weeknight Anchor
* Ann Hutyra Weeknight Anchor
* Max Fernandez CW Anchor
* Joey Horta Morning and Noon Anchor
* Mindy Casso Morning and Noon Anchor
* Concetta Callahan Weekend Anchor/Reporter

Reporters

* Jackie Gil General Assignments
* Noraida Negron General Assignments
* Annette Garcia General Assignments
* Erica Hernandez Producer/Reporter

Weather

* Richard "Heatwave" Berler Chief Meteorologist
* Victoria Marshall Meteorologist/Reporter

ports

* Humberto Cervera Weeknights
* Trevor Tankersly Weekends

tation Logos

External links

* [http://www.pro8news.com/ Pro 8 News]
* [http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/product-compint-0001237628-page.html Company Profile]
*TVQ|KGNS-TV
*BIA|KGNS|TV|TV

References