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 on digital channel 875. Owned by the London Broadcasting Company, KBMT has studios along I-10/U.S. 69/U.S. 96/U.S. 287 in Beaumont. Syndicated programming on this station includes: Deal or No Deal, Everybody Loves Raymond, Judge Judy, and Ellen.

Digital programming
It operates the area's NBC affiliate on a second digital subchannel which uses the fictional calls "NBMT". Known on-air as K-JAC: Your NBC (a nod to the former call letters of ex-NBC now Fox affiliate KBTV-TV), this can also be seen on Time Warner channel 11 and in high definition on digital channel 860. Syndicated programming on KBMT-DT2 includes: The Dr. Oz Show, The Doctors, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, and Seinfeld. Low-powered television stations KUIL-LD & K36ID-D broadcast MyNetworkTV programming on virtual channel 12.3.[1] [2] It can also be seen on Time Warner channel 15 and in high definition on digital channel 870. KUIL also airs Azteca América on virtual channel 12.4. Azteca is not currently seen on Time Warner.

History
Unrelated to the current channel 12 license, the KBMT callsign was originally used on UHF channel 31 when it was launched in the 1950's as the first television station to broadcast in the Golden Triangle. It carried ABC, CBS and NBC; but since the FCC did not mandate television sets to use converters, and KJAC turned KBTV signed on the VHF dial, KBMT went off the air later on.

The current KBMT began broadcasting on June 18, 1961. It soon became the ABC affiliate until it was split between KJAC-TV (now KBTV-TV) and KFDM-TV. The original owners were N.D. Williams and Randolph Reed. The station was later sold to Cowles Broadcasting in 1965, H&C Communications in 1980, McKinnon Broadcasting in 1991, and present owner London Broadcasting in 2009. On January 1, 2009, KBMT added NBC programming on a new digital subchannel. This comes after KBTV which previously held the affiliation switched to Fox. This in turn caused former affiliate KUIL-LP (now KUIL-LD) to go Independent. In a ten year deal with London Broadcasting, KBMT began to manage the programming of that station. [3] On July 6, 2010, the station launched Azteca América on a new 4th digital subchannel becoming the first Spanish-language television station offered in the Golden Triangle.

Newscasts
KBMT launched its news operation in 1962. On September 16, 2009, several changes occurred in the newscast lineup. The weekday morning show, Good Morning Southeast Texas, began simulcasting on both the ABC and NBC channels while becoming a full two-hour broadcast. There began to be a half-hour newscast weekday mornings at 11:30 on KBMT-DT2. The NBC channel also launched a weeknight show at 6:30 and begin to simulcast the main channel's weeknight 10 o'clock news. [4] Originally, there was only a separate short news and weather update at that time. KBMT-DT2 does not offer local newscasts on weekends unlike the main channel. On April 28, 2010, KBMT became the first in the market to air local news in high definition. [5]

Newscast titles

 * Your Esso Reporter
 * Television 12 Reports
 * TV-12 News
 * Action 12 News (1977–1983)
 * Eyewitness News (1983–1990s)
 * Channel 12 News (1990s)
 * KBMT 12 News (1990s–2010)
 * 12 News (2010–present)

Station slogans

 * "Hello Southeast Texas, Channel 12 and You" (1980s-1991, used when station featured Frank Gari's "Hello News")
 * "The News Station of Southeast Texas" (1991–1998)
 * "More Local News for Southeast Texas" (1998–2001)
 * "Southeast Texas' First Choice for More Local News" (2001–2007)
 * "Live. Local. Latebreaking." (2001–2007)
 * "We Believe in More Local News" (2007–2011)
 * "Expect More" (2011–present)

News team
Anchors Meteorologists Sports Reporters Notable former staff
 * Tracy Kennick - weekday mornings
 * Brian Burns - weekday mornings and noon
 * Greg Picazo - weeknights at 5 and 6:30
 * Beverly Brooks - weeknights at 5 and 6:30
 * Kevin Steele - weeknights at 6 and 10
 * Jackie Simien - weeknights at 6 and 10
 * Erika Harris - weekends
 * Patrick Vaughn - Chief seen weeknights
 * Ayna Sehgal - weekday mornings and noon
 * Bert Charan - weekends
 * Dave Hofferth - Director seen weeknights at 6, 6:30, and 10
 * Sports Blitz host
 * Ashly Elam - weekends
 * Liz McKernan
 * Molly O'Brien
 * Michael Seiden
 * Kurt Aaron (now at WNEP in Scranton, PA)
 * Bob Becker (Chief Meteorologist; now at WATE in Knoxville)
 * Tom Campbell
 * Jaime Cerreta (now at KOKH in Oklahoma City)
 * Gary Childress
 * Scott Coen
 * Kelly Coone
 * Norris Deajon (now at KDAF in Dallas)
 * Diane Dean
 * Rick DeReyes
 * Richard DeVayne (now at WCNC in Charlotte)
 * Tealy Devereaux (now at WHBQ in Memphis)
 * Dave Dickson
 * Bob Donaldson (now at WXIN in Indianapolis)
 * Clayton Duffy
 * Priscilla Embry
 * Diane Dean
 * Joe Falsetti (weekend weather anchor)
 * Roland Galvan (deceased; went by Roland Miller at KBMT)
 * Thomas Gandy (now at TXCN)
 * Jimmi Richard
 * Randy Garsee (now managing editor/pm anchor at KTEN in Denison, TX)
 * John Grattafiori
 * Paul Haggar (meteorologist)
 * Billy Halfin
 * John Hambrick
 * Elizabeth Hart (am weather)
 * Tara Hitchcock (pm anchor; now at KTVK Phoenix))
 * John Hurt
 * John Ireland (now at KSPN Los Angeles)
 * Frank Johnson (current chief meteorologist at WBTW, Myrtle Beach)
 * Dale Jones
 * Greg Kealey
 * Dan Kerness
 * Kris Lamans
 * Andy Liscano (most recently at KZTV, Corpus Christi)
 * Bill Macatee (CBS sportscaster for tennis, golf)
 * Michelle McCalope
 * Sean McGroarty
 * Randy McIlvoy (sports director, currently at KPRC-TV in Houston)
 * Jonathan Martinez
 * Adriane Matura (former 6 and 10 pm anchor early 2000s)
 * Chrissie Mouton (now 6 & 10 pm anchor at KTXS in Abilene)
 * Shawn Murdock (pm & morning news anchor, now in public relations at his Utah church)
 * Mike Nichols (former chief meteorologist, now at KBTV-TV)
 * David Patten
 * Anthony Pittman (sports anchor, now at KABB in San Antonio)
 * Bill Reh (meteorologist)
 * Robin Roberts
 * Bryan Rupp (now at KFDX Wichita Falls)
 * Erik Salna (chief meteorologist 2001-2004, now project coordinator of "Hurricane Warning!", a hurricane awareness program)
 * Susana Schuler (weekend Reporter)
 * Remeisha Shade (now at WAFF Huntsville, AL)
 * Jancey Sheats (now at KARK Little Rock)
 * Rick Snow
 * Lisa Spooner (now 5, 6, and 10pm anchor at KYTX Tyler)
 * Mike Stafford (now at KWES-TV in Midland, TX)
 * Mark Stephens
 * Robyn Symon
 * T.W. Starr (former sports anchor, now at WAAY in Huntsville, AL)
 * Tom Terry (former Chief Meteorologist, now Chief Meteorologist at WFTV [1] Orlando, FL)
 * Gene Tuck (6 & 10 pm anchor)
 * Jorge Vargas (weekend sports anchor, now at KIAH in Houston and radio host on KFNC-FM during afternoon drivetime)
 * Scott Walker (weekend sports)
 * Stephanie Watson (anchor, reporter; now at KDKA Pittsburgh)
 * Mark Wiley (weekend weather)
 * Deedra Wilson
 * Van Earl Wright (weekend sports anchor)
 * Albert Zipp (evening anchor, now at WBOY in Clarksburg, WV)
 * Shally Zomorodi