KVII-TV

KVII-TV, better known as ProNews7, is an ABC affiliated television station in Amarillo, Texas that also operates satellite KVIH-TV digital channel 12 in Clovis, New Mexico. It was owned by Stanley Marsh 3 from 1967 until he sold it to Atlanta-based, New Vision Group in 2002. In 2005, New Vision Group's parent company sold the station to Barrington Broadcasting for $22.5 million.

KVII-TV uses the "Circle 7 logo" shared with ABC's owned-and-operated stations (O&O) and many ABC affiliates with Channel 7 frequencies. The Circle 7 logo has been in use continuously at KVII-TV since 1968, when it was adopted by then-owner Marsh Media shortly after purchasing the station.

KVII and satellite station KVIH serve viewers across a four-state region including the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, eastern New Mexico and southwestern Kansas. The station is broadcast over-the-air and via cable carriage and several UHF translators. In addition to Amarillo and Clovis, cities served include Canyon, Dumas, Pampa, Borger, Hereford, Muleshoe, Dalhart, Clarendon and Childress, Texas; Clayton, Tucumcari, Logan, San Jon and Portales, NM; Guymon, Boise City and Beaver, Okla.; and Elkhart and Liberal, Kan. Syndicatedprogramming on KVII/KVIH includes: Judge Judy, Live with Regis and Kelly, Wheel of Fortune, Seinfeld, and Oprah.

History
KVII signed on for the first time on December 21, 1957. This made Amarillo one of the smallest markets to have full service from all three networks.

KVII formerly operated another satellite, KVIJ-TV channel 8 in Sayre, Oklahoma, from 1976 to 1992. KVIJ ceased operations because most viewers in its area of western Oklahoma received their network programming via cable. This gave them access to stations from theOklahoma City or Wichita Falls-Lawton DMAs including ABC affiliates KOCO and KSWO-TV, respectively, and very few actually tuned in to KVIJ directly. The former studio and transmitter site of KVIJ now sit vacant northwest of Sayre at the intersection of state highways 6and 152, at 35°25′23.9″N 99°50′35.2″W. Channel 8 began operations in 1961 as CBS affiliate KSWB-TV (licensed to Elk City, Oklahoma; its call sign related to original owner South West Broadcasting), and changed its call letters to KFDO-TV in 1966 when it became a satellite of Amarillo's CBS affiliate, KFDA-TV (at that time, channel 8 moved to Sayre). In 1976, it was sold to Marsh.

Also in 1976, KFDA's then-satellite station in Clovis, KFDW channel 12, was sold to Mel Wheeler (manager and a part owner of KFDA's then-ownership). The station remained a satellite of KFDA until 1979, when the station was sold to McAlister TV in Lubbock, Texas, and began operating as an adjunct to ABC affiliate KAMC (channel 28) in Lubbock under the call sign of KMCC. After the death of Bill McAlister, KMCC was sold to Marsh in 1986 and became a KVII satellite, changing the call letters to KVIH in the process. [1]

From 1999 to 2006, KVII helped provide an Amarillo affiliate station of The WB Television Network. KVII promoted and sold advertising for the network, while Amarillo's cable television operator broadcast the station on a cable channel. On September 18, 2006, KVII's DT2 subchannel became the area's new affiliates of The CW Television Network.

By mid-October, the digital signal was fully operating, coinciding with the introduction of a viewer-interactive newscast, in which viewers can send e-mails with questions and concerns in regards to the stories and features in the newscasts.

The Pro News title has been used at KVII-TV continuously since Marsh Media purchased the station from John Walton in late 1967. For many years, the 10 p.m. edition of Pro News was a 45-minute broadcast, but has been truncated back to 35 minutes in recent years. Also, Pro News 7 broadcast a unique 12 noon newscast on Sundays during the 1970s and 1980s, along with the noon broadcast Monday through Friday.

In February 2011 KVII-TV launched the CW Amarillo News @ 9 on its subchannel digital 7.2. On April 6, 2015, KVII discontinued its ProNews 7 title in favor of simply ABC7 News.

Current on-air staff
Anchors Ryan Hazelwood - News Director


 * Leeann Kossey - weekday mornings on daybreak & midday
 * Anthony Pittman - weekday mornings on daybreak
 * David Grasso-Ortega - weekdays on midday; also weeknight reporter (see below)
 * Larry Lemmons- weeknights at 5, 6, and 10
 * Lisa Schmidt - weeknights at 5, 6, and 10
 * Marissa Lucero - weekends at 6 and 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter (see below)

Reporters
 * David Grasso-Ortega - investigative reporter
 * Nathalie Granda - multi-media journalist
 * Drew Powell - mulit-media journalist
 * Jeannie Nguyen  - multi-media journalist
 * Marissa Lucero - assignment editor
 * Adria Iraheta - multi-media journalist
 * Steven Graves - multi-media journalist
 * Jillian Idle - multi-media journalist
 * Kayla Conboy - multi-media journalist

StormSearch 7
 * Steve Kersh (AMS/NWA Seal of Approval) - Chief Meteorologist; weekday mornings on daybreak & midday
 * Alyssa Pawlak (AMS Seal of Approval) - weeknights at 5, 6, and 10

Sports team
 * Lee Baker - Sports Director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.

Interactive team for connectamarillo.com
 * Travis Ruiz - Interactive Managing Editor
 * Grayson Edds - Digital Content Producer

Former on-air staff

 * Donna Cordova - anchor/reporter now weeknight anchor at KTXL Sacramento
 * Bob Izzard - news director/anchor (1967-73)
 * Fred Norman - chief meteorologist (1968-70)
 * Jim Pratt - news anchor (1960s-1970s)
 * Tom Martin - news reporter (late 1960s-early 1970s)
 * Len Slesick - chief meteorologist (1970-95)
 * Jack Tompkins - farm director (1960s-1970s)
 * Redford Forrest - farm director (1970s)
 * Woody Van Dyke - sports director (late 1960s-early 1970s)
 * Carrie Criado - anchor/reporter (1988-90)
 * Lisa Kudrow - anchor/reporter (1985-88, now an actress)

Newscast titles

 * The Panhandle News Report (1957–1962)
 * The Jim Harris Report (1962–1966)
 * K-7 News (1966–1967)
 * Pro News (1967–1996)
 * ProNews 7 (1996–2015)
 * ABC7 News (2015-present)

Station slogans

 * Let's Get Together on Channel 7 (1970-1971; localized version of ABC campaign)


 * Hello Texas Panhandle/ High Plains, Hello Channel 7 (1974-1975; localized version of ABC campaign)
 * Welcome To The Bright New World on Channel 7 (1975-1976; localized version of ABC campaign)


 * Let Us Be The One on Channel 7 (1976-1977; localized version of ABC campaign)


 * We`re The One You Can Turn To, Channel 7 (1978-1979; localized version of ABC campaign)


 * Still The One on Channel 7 (1979-1980; localized version of ABC campaign)


 * You and Me and Channel 7 (1980-1981; localized version of ABC campaign)


 * Now is the Time, Channel 7 is the Place (1981-1982; localized version of ABC campaign)


 * That Special Feeling on Channel 7 (1983-1984; localized version of ABC campaign)


 * We're With You on Channel 7 (1984-1985; localized version of ABC campaign)


 * You'll Love It on Channel 7 (1985-1986; localized version of ABC campaign)


 * Together on Channel 7 (1986-1987; localized version of ABC campaign)


 * The Panhandle Spirit (1987-present; uses variant Catch The Panhandle Spirit since 2009)


 * Something's Happening on Channel 7 (1987-1990; localized version of ABC campaign)


 * America's Watching Channel 7 (1990-1991; local version of ABC campaign)


 * If It's Channel 7, It Must Be ABC (1992-1993; localized version of ABC ad campaign)


 * Coverage You Can Count On (1996-2001)


 * Nobody Does It Like ProNews 7 (1996-1997, localized version of ABC ad campaign)


 * TV is Good, on ProNews 7 (1997-1998, localized version of ABC ad campaign)


 * We Love TV, on ProNews 7 (1998-1999, localized version of ABC ad campaign)