KTAB-TV 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...

 affiliate television station serving Abilene, Texas

Abilene, Texas

Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...

. It is owned by Nexstar Broadcasting Group

Nexstar Broadcasting Group

Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., is an entity of broadcast television stations headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company consists of 50 television stations across the U.S., ranging from market sizes 9 to 201 . 43 of the stations are broadcasting at full power, with the other 4 broadcasting at...

 and broadcasts on digital channel 24. KTAB is licensed in Abilene and broadcasts on a High Definition digital signal on UHF Channel 24.

Digital programming

Channel	Video	Format	Programming
32.1	1080i 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...	16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...	Main KTAB programming / 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...  HD

Installation of full-power digital transmitters for both KTAB-DT and KRBC-DT was completed in October 2007. The transmitters are housed in a newly-constructed building at the KTAB tower site, adjacent to the current analog transmitter building on a mountaintop southeast of Potosi. Both stations share the same digital antenna on the KTAB tower. A new, digital 7 GHz microwave studio-transmitter link (STL), as well as master control update has allowed both stations to deliver the highest resolution High-Definition HDTV signals to the entire coverage area along with Dolby Digital

Dolby Digital

Dolby Digital is the name for audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. It was originally called Dolby Stereo Digital until 1994. Except for Dolby TrueHD, the audio compression is lossy. The first use of Dolby Digital was to provide digital sound in cinemas from 35mm film prints...

 5.1 audio. Both 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...

 and NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

 networks use the 1080i

1080i

1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...

 HDTV format.

In January 2008, both KTAB and KRBC-TV finally started the process of switching microwave equipment from 7 GHz to 2 GHz spectrum as part of the nationwide Sprint Nextel 2 GHz Relocation Projecthttp://www.2ghzrelocation.com/plugin/template/broadcast/welcome/*. This project that is going on across the country, will convert all 7 GHz analog microwave equipment at the stations over to 2 GHz digital in the coming months in the Abilene television market. This project has been in the planning stages for the last two years. This project was completed in early 2009. On May 12, 2009 KTAB TV turned off its analog signal for the last time and has gone all digital.

History

KTAB began broadcasting on October 6, 1979 and transmits from a transmitter/tower facility located on a hilltop southeast of the city along Texas Highway 36 in neighboring Callahan County (about 15 miles from the studio). The tower structure is approximately 700 feet tall with an average height of about 950 feet above the city of Abilene. The station was founded by William "Bill" Terry (55% owner) and a large contingent of partners, investors, and department heads. Terry had worked for many years at established station KRBC-TV and was well-known in the Abilene area. A permit had been granted back in the sixties for a small signalled channel 32 station but it was never built. That permit for KWKC-TV was a sister to 1340 KWKC and its then FM and was owned by Steve Gose (Oil developer) of Wichita Falls, where he also owned KNTO.

KTAB was originally locally owned. Shamrock Broadcasting, Roy E. Disney

Roy E. Disney

Roy Edward Disney, KCSG was a longtime senior executive for The Walt Disney Company, which his father Roy Oliver Disney and his uncle Walt Disney founded. At the time of his death he was a shareholder , and served as a consultant for the company and Director Emeritus for the Board of Directors...

's broadcasting company, bought the station in the late 1980s, then sold it to Shooting Star Broadcasting in 1997. Nexstar bought the station from Shooting Star Broadcasting in 1999.

In 2005 Nexstar Broadcasting completed consolidation of the KTAB operations into the older, yet much larger KRBC building at 4510 South 14th Street in Abilene. The original KTAB building was sold and has been converted into an office building. The computerized and automated master control facility not only operates KTAB and KRBC TV in Abilene, but also sister Nexstar/Mission stations KLST and KSAN in San Angelo. All syndicated programming and local commercial advertising for all four stations is delivered via Harris/Leitch Nexio servers with Avid/Sundance FastBreak automation providing all switching and playback operations.

The main bi-directional microwave relay system link connecting master control in Abilene with the KLST-KSAN studio and transmission facilities in San Angelo, 90 miles away, was destroyed when the KRBC tower near Tuscola collapsed on January 14, 2007. In December 2007 Nexstar Broadcasting set up a dual-path fiber-optic Suddenlink cable link to the San Angelo broadcast facility.

In May 2007, both KTAB and KRBC TV websites were combined into www.BigCountryHomepage.com. KTAB News Director Tom Vodak moved over to head the new website. Former KTAB Sports Director David Bacon, who had been an account executive for the station, moved over to replace Vodak as News Director.

KTAB Managing Editor Bob Bartlett Celebrates 30 years of Broadcasting on KTAB.

News operation

News team

Anchors

• Bob Bartlett - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.; also managing editor
• Lane Stone - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
• Ron Rosseau - weekday mornings and NoonTAB (noon)
• Victor Sotelo - weeknights at 5 p.m.; also senior reporter

Weather team

• Sam Nichols - chief weather anchor; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
• Monica Tassoni - meteorologist; weekday mornings and NoonTAB (noon)
• Heidi Wagoner - meteorologist; Saturdays at 6:00 and 10:00
• Ron Roberts (AMS
  American Meteorological Society
  The 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...
  
  Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; Sundays at 10 p.m.
• Alex Hayes - meteorologist; fill-in, also host of KTAB 4u

BigCountryHompeage.com Sports

• David Robinett - sports director; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
• Matt Roberts - sports anchor; Sundays at 5:30 and 10 p.m., also weeknight sports reporter
• Alyssa Orange - sports anchor; Saturdays at 5:30 and 10 p.m., also weeknight sports reporter
• David Bacon - sports contributor
• Tyler Edwards - sports contributor

Reporters

• Michelle Ashworth - general assignment reporter
• Josh Berry - general assignment reporter
• Leah Mazzarelli - web reporter
• Jessica Reyes - general assignment reporter

External links

• KTAB-KRBC TV powered Station Website