KRBC-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = KRBC-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan = Abilene's First News
station_branding = KRBC
analog = 9 (VHF)
digital = 29 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = NBC
network =
founded =
airdate = August 1953 [The "Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook" says August 31, while the "Television and Cable Factbook" says August 24.]
location = Abilene, Texas
callsign_meaning = Reporter
Broadcasting
Company
(founding owners)
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Mission Broadcasting, Inc.
"(operated by Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc.)"
licensee =
sister_stations = KTAB-TV
former_affiliations =
effective_radiated_power = 316 kW (analog)
1000 kW (digital)
HAAT = 259 m (analog)
258 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 306
coordinates = coord|32|17|6|N|99|44|24.4|W|type:landmark_scale:2000 (analog)
coord|32|16|37.6|N|99|35|51.8|W|type:landmark_scale:2000 (digital)
homepage = [http://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/ www.bigcountryhomepage.com]

KRBC-TV is the NBC Television Network affiliate for the Abilene-Sweetwater market area of Texas. KRBC is Abilene's first television station and airs on analog channel 9 and digital channel 29.

While the station is owned by Mission Broadcasting, KRBC has entered into various service agreements with Nexstar Broadcasting station KTAB-TV which provides various services for the station including news, production, traffic and business operations. In July 2004, the stations began operating under a joint sales agreement. In addition, after consolidation construction, the Abilene facility now provides various office and master control functions for Nexstar and Mission stations KLST-TV and KSAN-TV in San Angelo, Texas.

Technical Information

KRBC is licensed to Abilene and broadcasts on VHF channel 9 with an estimated effective radiated power of 316 kilowatts. The station also broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 29 -- operating with an ERP of only 2.5 kilowatts under a Special Temporary Authority, but has filed a construction permit to increase power to about 1000 kilowatts. The full power digital master control build out with high definition was completed in October 2007.

History

KRBC first began its broadcasting operation on August 30, 1953. The station was owned by the Ackers family, who had bought the construction permit from Harte-Hanks Communications a few months earlier along with KRBC-AM 1470 (now KYYW). The call letters stand for Reporter Broadcasting Company. The tower was originally located atop Rattlesnake Mountain in Cedar Gap.

The Ackers family owned the station for 44 years until selling it to Sunrise Television in 1997. Sunrise merged with LIN Television in 2001. In 2004 LIN Television sold KRBC to Mission Broadcasting. Mission Broadcasting in turn contracted with the Nexstar Broadcasting Group to provide news, traffic, sales, engineering, and business operations. Nexstar owns and operates KTAB TV in Abilene.

In 2005 Nexstar consolidated the entire KTAB TV operation from 5410 South 14th Street into the KRBC building at 4510 South 14th Street in Abilene. The master control room now operates KTAB and KRBC in Abilene, also KLST-TV and KSAN-TV in San Angelo. The business office handles business operations, the traffic department handles traffic for both stations as well.

In a January 14, 2007 ice storm the KRBC main transmission tower collapsed, taking the station's analog signal off the air for 13 hours. The collapse not only destroyed the tower and the analog antenna but also the station's low power digital transmission antenna. Luckily, the falling tower missed the transmitter building and an adjacent auxiliary antenna. The collapse also destroyed the National Weather Service NOAA Weather Radio antenna leaving the NOAA radio station off air until a new antenna was installed. Station engineers were able to get KRBC analog back on the air using that auxiliary antenna, which it continue to broadcast on analog channel 9.

A microwave link on the tower which helped provide programming to KLST and KSAN in San Angelo also was also destroyed in the collapse. In October 2007 the San Angelo link was replaced with a dual channel fiber-optic cable.

The stations digital signal went off the air until October 2007 when it returned to the air on digital channel 29 with all NBC programming presented in HD. The new digital transmitter is based in a new transmitter building at the KTAB TV tower site near Potosi, Texas. The station also shares a digital broadcast antenna with KTAB.

KSAN-TV channel 3 (formerly KACB TV) in San Angelo is a former satellite of KRBC.

Newscast Titles

Weekday Programs

* "West Texas Today" - Anchored by Stephanie Harris (Monday - Thursday) and by Shelby Coates (Friday). Meteorologist Chris Whited provides weather forecasts.
* "KRBC News at Five" - Anchored by Downing Bolls and Kyna Grigsby. Chief Meteorologist Randy Turner provides weather forecasts.
* "KRBC News at 6:00" - Anchored by Downing Bolls and Kyna Grigsby. Chief Meteorologist Randy Turner provides weather forecasts. Michelle Dapper provides the sports report.
* "KRBC News at 10:00" - Anchored by Downing Bolls and Kyna Grigsby. Chief Meteorologist Randy Turner provides weather forecasts. Michelle Dapper provides the sports report.

Weekend Programs

* "KRBC News Weekend (Saturday 6:00 & 10:00 PM)" - Anchored by Shelby Coates. Meteorologist Stephanie Malone provides the weather forecasts. Tyler Edwards provides sports updates.
* "KRBC News Weekend (Sunday 5:00 & 10:00 PM)" - Anchored by Stephanie Harris. Meteorologist Stephanie Malone provides the weather forecasts. Tyler Edwards provides sports updates.

KRBC Staff

Current On-Air Talent

KRBC Anchors & Reporters:

*Downing Bolls - Weeknight News Anchor
*Kyna Grigsby - Weeknight News Anchor
*Stephanie Harris - West Texas Today Anchor & Morning Reporter (Mon. - Thu), Sunday News Anchor
*Shelby Coates - Saturday News Anchor, Weekday Reporter, West Texas Today Anchor (Fri.)
*Tim Johnston - Reporter
*Brittany Pelletz - Reporter
*Courtnee Hembree - Weekend Reporter

KRBC Meteorologists:

*Randy Turner - Chief Meteorologist (AMS Seal of Approval)
*Chris Whited - West Texas Today Meteorologist & Environmental Reporter
*Stephanie Malone - Weekend Meteorologist & Weekday Reporter
*Pete Beretta - Fill-In Meteorologist

KRBC Sports Anchors:

*Michelle Dapper - Sports Director
*Tyler Edwards - Weekend Sports Anchor & Weekday Reporter

Logo History

2005 Cable Dispute

On January 1, 2005 at 12:00 AM, KRBC was removed from the cable television lineup in the city of Abilene after months of dispute between the station owner(s) and Cox Communications, now Suddenlink Communications. In accordance with FCC regulation, KRBC station owner Mission Broadcasting (operated by Nexstar Broadcasting) tried to make an agreement with the cable system to continue carrying KLST's CBS programming. Cox Communications, now Suddenlink Communications claimed KRBC wanted its cable system to pay for its transmission. The disagreement began with KRBC/Mission/Nexstar requesting 10 cents per subscriber for KRBC to be carried on the Cox Cable system in the Abilene area. The basic argument was that satellite providers pay for the right to rebroadcast local affiliates' signals, and that cable operators should, as well. Due to the dispute, Cox eventually dropped KRBC from their system, which caused many city residents to purchase an antenna for their homes to pick up the stations analog signal for NBC programming. Later in the year, KRBC and the other local television stations were picked up by Dish Network in a local channel package, which was strongly supported and promoted by KRBC/Mission/Nexstar. During the time KRBC was off the cable system, Cox replaced what was the KRBC spot on cable channel 5 with family oriented cable stations from its digital line-up (such as HBO Family and Noggin). The cable system also added several temporary channels to its lineup off its digital cable lineup to preview and to give disgruntled customers several new channels. After nine and a half months of negotiations between Nexstar and Cox Communications, the KRBC signal was returned to the Cox lineup in Abilene on October 20, 2005.

External links

* [http://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/ KTAB KRBC TV Website]
*TVQ|KRBC
*BIA|KRBC|TV|TV

References