KFDM-TV
Encyclopedia
KFDM, virtual channel
6, is the CBS
affiliated television station in the Beaumont
/Port Arthur, Texas
market. Licensed to Beaumont, it airs on cable channel 3 on systems in the immediate portion of the market. It also operates a digital subchannel carrying CW
, which is also available on channel 10 on most cable systems in the area.
). Beaumont Broadcasting sold the television station to the A.H. Belo Corporation
in 1969. The station's call letters stand for "Kall For Dependable Magnolene," the brand name for Magnolia Petroleum Company
's motor oil
line; Magnolia founded KFDM radio in 1924. It is only a coincidence that the call letters represent the name of their current owner.
Since KFDM radio had already assumed its present-day call sign by that time, the television station dropped the -TV suffix from its calls. However, in 1980, it regained the -TV suffix in its legal call sign (only to drop it again on August 1, 2009). KFDM was the last remaining Freedom Communications
station using a -TV suffix until the -TV suffix was dropped in August 2009.
In 1983, Belo merged with Corinthian Broadcasting, owner of KHOU-TV
in Houston
. The Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) told Belo it could not keep both KFDM and KHOU because of a fairly large grade B signal overlap. At the time, the FCC normally did not allow common ownership of two stations with overlapping signals. Accordingly, Belo sold KFDM to its current owner, Freedom Communications, in 1984. Freedom announced on November 2, 2011 that it would bow out of television and sell its stations, including KFDM, to Sinclair Broadcast Group
. The deal would make KFDM the fourth Sinclair-owned television property in the state of Texas (and the first in Eastern Texas), as the group already owned Fox
affiliate KABB
and The CW affiliate KMYS
in San Antonio and is in the process of purchasing fellow CBS affiliate KEYE-TV
in Austin
.
When The WB and UPN
announced their merger as The CW in 2006, KFDM's new CW subchannel was seen only on digital cable. After negotiating with Time Warner Cable
, The CW became available to all cable subscribers in February 2007.
for their coverage of Hurricane Rita
. KFDM was also awarded a regional Emmy award in 2006, also for their coverage of Rita.
Greg Bostwick has been with the station over 30 years and approximately 20 of those years as chief meteorologist. He endured Hurricane Rita
's wrath in downtown Beaumont with weeknight anchor Bill Leger.
Former KFDM Manager, Larry Beaulieu was with the station since 1974 when he was hired as News Director. He teamed for over 15 years with Cecile Burandt, who was the first female anchor hired in the Beaumont area. Beaulieu retired on September 29, 2011.http://www.kfdm.com/video/c/1137896012/local-news/1083085814001/kfdm-localnews
In April 2011 KFDM became Southeast Texas' second station (after KBMT
) to broadcast its news in high definition.http://candidly-kelli.freedomblogging.com/2011/05/02/hd-is-the-new-way/437/
Weather team
Sports team
Reporters
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
6, is the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliated television station in the Beaumont
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
/Port Arthur, Texas
Port Arthur, Texas
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile . There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...
market. Licensed to Beaumont, it airs on cable channel 3 on systems in the immediate portion of the market. It also operates a digital subchannel carrying CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
, which is also available on channel 10 on most cable systems in the area.
History
Channel 6 signed on for the first time on April 24, 1955 and bills itself as the first television station on "the right side of Texas." It was owned by Beaumont Broadcasting along with KFDM radio (560 AM, now KLVIKLVI
KLVI is a news-talk radio station in the Beaumont, Texas, metropolitan area. It is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications....
). Beaumont Broadcasting sold the television station to the A.H. Belo Corporation
Belo
Belo Corp. is a Dallas-based media company that owns 20 commercial broadcasting television stations and two regional 24-hour cable news television channels. The company was previously known as A.H. Belo Corp. after one of the early owners of the company, Alfred Horatio Belo, now the name of the...
in 1969. The station's call letters stand for "Kall For Dependable Magnolene," the brand name for Magnolia Petroleum Company
Magnolia Petroleum Company
The Magnolia Petroleum Company was an early twentieth century petroleum company in Texas and was founded on April 24, 1911 as a consolidation of several earlier companies. Standard Oil of New York exchanged its stock for all of the Magnolia stock in December 1925 though it continued to operate as...
's motor oil
Motor oil
Motor oil or engine oil is an oil used for lubrication of various internal combustion engines. The main function is to lubricate moving parts; it also cleans, inhibits corrosion, improves sealing, and cools the engine by carrying heat away from moving parts.Motor oils are derived from...
line; Magnolia founded KFDM radio in 1924. It is only a coincidence that the call letters represent the name of their current owner.
Since KFDM radio had already assumed its present-day call sign by that time, the television station dropped the -TV suffix from its calls. However, in 1980, it regained the -TV suffix in its legal call sign (only to drop it again on August 1, 2009). KFDM was the last remaining Freedom Communications
Freedom Communications
Freedom Communications, Inc. is a media conglomerate in the United States. It owns approximately 100 daily and weekly newspapers in the US, with a combined daily circulation of nearly one million subscribers, and also operates over seventy local news websites...
station using a -TV suffix until the -TV suffix was dropped in August 2009.
In 1983, Belo merged with Corinthian Broadcasting, owner of KHOU-TV
KHOU-TV
KHOU is the CBS affiliate television station in Houston, Texas. Serving Greater Houston, it is owned by the Belo Corporation and broadcasts on digital and PSIP channel 11...
in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. The Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) told Belo it could not keep both KFDM and KHOU because of a fairly large grade B signal overlap. At the time, the FCC normally did not allow common ownership of two stations with overlapping signals. Accordingly, Belo sold KFDM to its current owner, Freedom Communications, in 1984. Freedom announced on November 2, 2011 that it would bow out of television and sell its stations, including KFDM, to Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
. The deal would make KFDM the fourth Sinclair-owned television property in the state of Texas (and the first in Eastern Texas), as the group already owned Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate KABB
KABB
KABB is the Fox Network affiliate television station in San Antonio, Texas. It is co-owned with The CW Television Network affiliate KMYS by the Sinclair Broadcast Group...
and The CW affiliate KMYS
KMYS
KMYS, channel 35, is the CW affiliate in San Antonio, Texas. The station is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. It is licensed to the nearby city of Kerrville. Its transmitter is located near Lakehills, Texas.-Founding:...
in San Antonio and is in the process of purchasing fellow CBS affiliate KEYE-TV
KEYE-TV
KEYE-TV, digital channel 43 , is the CBS affiliate in Austin, Texas. It is owned by the Four Points Media Group, LLC Sinclair Broadcasting Group has announced a purchase of the the Four Points stations, and has begun operating KEYE-TV through a local service agreement in anticipation of FCC...
in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
Digital television
On April 7, 2010, the FCC issued a Report & Order, granting KFDM's channel change from channel 21 to channel 25. The reasoning was viewers in the eastern sections of the viewing area had difficulty receiving their signal on channel 21. On April 7, 2011, KFDM completed its move to channel 25.When The WB and UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
announced their merger as The CW in 2006, KFDM's new CW subchannel was seen only on digital cable. After negotiating with Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
, The CW became available to all cable subscribers in February 2007.
News operation
The popular 1970s KFDM weekday news team consisted of Beaulieu, Burandt, weatherman Gary Powers, and sportscaster Jim Bergamo. KFDM was awarded in 2005 by the Texas chapter of the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
for their coverage of Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
. KFDM was also awarded a regional Emmy award in 2006, also for their coverage of Rita.
Greg Bostwick has been with the station over 30 years and approximately 20 of those years as chief meteorologist. He endured Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
's wrath in downtown Beaumont with weeknight anchor Bill Leger.
Former KFDM Manager, Larry Beaulieu was with the station since 1974 when he was hired as News Director. He teamed for over 15 years with Cecile Burandt, who was the first female anchor hired in the Beaumont area. Beaulieu retired on September 29, 2011.http://www.kfdm.com/video/c/1137896012/local-news/1083085814001/kfdm-localnews
In April 2011 KFDM became Southeast Texas' second station (after KBMT
KBMT
KBMT is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Golden Triangle area Southeast Texas that is licensed to Beaumont. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter in Mauriceville. The station can also be seen on Time Warner channel 5 and in high definition...
) to broadcast its news in high definition.http://candidly-kelli.freedomblogging.com/2011/05/02/hd-is-the-new-way/437/
Station slogans
- You Can Count On Us! (1970s-present)
- Always. Everywhere. (secondary) (2010–present)
Current on-air staff
Current anchors- Bill Leger - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Kelli Phillips - weeknights at 5, 6, and 10 p.m.
- Dan Gresham - weekday mornings "First Cup" and "Six This Morning"
- Nicole Murray - weekdays at noon; also reporter
- Ashley Gaston - weekends; also reporter
Weather team
- Greg Bostwick (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
member) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. - James Brown - meteorologist; weekday mornings and noon
- Kerry Cooper - meteorologist; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m.
Sports team
- Mike Friedman - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Alex Cawley - sports anchor; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m.
Reporters
- Kalie Desimone - general assignment reporter
- Ashley Gaston - general assignment reporter
- Lindsey Kovacevich - general assignment reporter
- Nicole Murray - general assignment reporter
- Ron Reynolds - general assignment reporter
- Tom Wright - general assignment reporter
Former on-air staff
- Sandra BookmanSandra BookmanSandra Bookman is an American television news reporter and anchor. She is currently a weekday reporter and the weekend anchor at WABC-TV in New York City. She co-anchors the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. weekend editions of Eyewitness News.She joined the station in 1998 from WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia where...
- weekend anchor (now at WABC-TVWABC-TVWABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
) - Leeza GibbonsLeeza GibbonsLeeza Kim Gibbons is an American talk show host. Gibbons is the host of her own radio show, Hollywood Confidential, part of the United Stations radio syndication company.-Early life:...
- co-host of PM MagazinePM MagazinePM/Evening Magazine was a television series with a news and entertainment format. It was syndicated to stations throughout the United States...
News/station personnel
- John Cain - technical director/supervisor
- Cullen Stevens - studio technician
- Christopher Busselle - 5 and 10 p.m. technical director
- Kendra Georgas - weekend technical director
- Honey Narducci - morning technical director
- Kenny Deville - studio technician
- Scott Lawrence - executive producer (was formerly a reporter/weekend anchor during the 1980s)
- Kendra Girndt - 5 and 10 p.m. producer
- Rena Guillory - morning producer
- Tom Wright - managing editor
- Richard Kihn - Chief Engineer
- Larry O'Donnell - Asst. Chief Engineer
- Mike Nicholas - Network Administrator
- Mark Simmons - Systems Administrator