KWTX-TV

KWTX-TV "News 10" is a full-power television station in Waco, Texas, serving Central Texas as a CBS affiliate. Owned by Gray Television, it airs a digital signal on channel 10. It is broadcast on cable channel 2 in the immediate part of the market. KWTX also offers The CW programming on its digital feed, branded as "CW Texas." Prior to September 2006, KWTX offered UPN programming (UPN Waco) on digital.

The station first signed on the air on April 3, 1955.

Role during Branch Davidian raid
Just before the Mount Carmel raid on February 28, 1993, Davidians learned that they were facing not a service of warrants, but a shootout. KWTX-TV cameraman James Peeler asked directions of Davidian David Jones, who was driving his postal truck. David Koresh's attorney Dick DeGuerin told reporters that Peeler told Jones, "Well, you better get out of here because there's a United States National Guard helicopter over at TSTC (Texas State Technical College) and they're going to have a big shootout with the religious nuts." Peeler was distressed to see Jones immediately drive to Mount Carmel Center and left the area to call his superiors.[1]

According to the Treasury report, Jones told DeGuerin that "Peeler warned him not to go near the Compound as there were going to be `60 to 70 TABC (Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission) guys in helicopters and a shoot-out would occur'." And Peeler himself confessed to the Treasury review team that he had told Jones there would be "some type of law enforcement action" and that "the action was likely to be a raid of some type and that there might be shooting."[2]

KWTX-TV cameraman Dan Mulloney testified that KWTX-TV's initial information came from law enforcement agents he refused to name—something the Treasury report failed to reveal—as well as from a private ambulance driver working with BATF. (Similarly, BATF agent Ballesteros admitted that it was non-BATF law enforcement that tipped off the Waco Tribune-Herald.) Therefore, BATF agents' expectations of a shootout were directly transmitted to the Davidians.[3]

Mulloney, Peeler, and reporter John McLemore, along with reporters from the Waco Tribune-Herald, were the only non-combatants at Mount Carmel that day. Mulloney shot the TV footage used around the world of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms storming the Davidians’ home. Mulloney and McLemore later used their vehicle to transport injured ATF agents away from the shootout.[4] McLemore received letter of commendation from ATF Director for his bravery that day. However, KWTX reporters became easy targets for blame during the subsequent trials following the botched raid, particularly because Koresh learned about the approaching raid from Jones, the postal worker from which Peeler asked directions.[5] While never charged with any criminal violations, the fall-out of the trials and accusations ruined the careers of McLemore, Peeler and Mulloney.

Operations
Though identifying as a station in its own right, KBTX-TV in Bryan/College Station is considered a semi-satellite of KWTX. It has most of its internal operations run alongside KWTX, and clears all of KWTX's syndicated programming (although it has some shows not seen on KWTX).

Digital television
KWTX was the first station in the Central Texas area to broadcast in High Definition Television. KWTX-DT first went on the air on Friday, May 11, 2001 at 5:10 pm. It began regular programming on Tuesday, May 15, 2001 on Digital Channel 53. However, since channels 52-69 will no longer be used for television broadcasts after the end of analog broadcasting on the United States, KWTX opted to move its digital broadcasts to channel 10 in 2009.

Along with the rest of the major Central Texas stations, KWTX began broadcasting solely in digital on February 17, 2009.

KWTX began broadcasting its news programs in HD on May 3, 2010.

Current on-air staff
Anchors Weather Sports
 * Gordon Collier - News 10 at 5, 6, and 10; News 10 Sunday at 5:30 and 10
 * Julie Hays - News 10 at 5, 6, and 10
 * Emily Matthews Iazetti - News 10 This Morning, News 10 at Noon
 * Josh Wucher - News 10 This Morning
 * Ke'Sha Lopez - News 10 Saturday at 6 and 10
 * Rusty Garrett - News 10 at 6 and 10 Weeknights
 * Lon Curtis - News 10 at Noon; News 10 Live at 5
 * Brady Taylor - News 10 This Morning
 * Rudy Pearce - Weekend Weather Anchor
 * Dan Ingham - Sports Director (News 10 at 5, 6, and 10)
 * Ricardo LeCompte - Weekend Sports Anchor
 * Brent Denham - Sports Reporter

Reporters
 * Megan Fleetwood
 * Stephanie Franks
 * Eli Ross
 * Megan Snipes
 * David Williams
 * Lauren Westbrook
 * Steve Zimmerman

Former on-air staff

 * Rich Adams (now COO and Executive Vice President of Hoak Media Corporation)
 * Mark Alford (now anchor for WDAF-TV, Kansas City)
 * Mike Barger (now AT&T Spokesperson for San Antonio and South Texas)
 * Anita Blanton (now anchor, KOCO-TV, Oklahoma City)
 * Ellen Bordelon Derrick (now with ExtraCo Banks in Waco)
 * Doug Brown (retired from KTRK-TV Houston in 2008)
 * Vicki Buffalino (now anchor for KENS-TV, San Antonio)
 * Richelle Carey (now anchor for CNN Headline News)
 * Bianca Castro (now anchor for KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi, Texas)
 * Reid Collins (weekend anchor in 50s; later with CBS News and CNN)
 * Adam Colpack (now evening meteorologist KMVT-TV, Twin Falls, Idaho)
 * Dan Corbett, Meteorologist (now weather forecaster for the BBC in London)
 * Bettie Cross (now reporter for KEYE-TV, Austin, Texas
 * Rob Curnock
 * Keith Daniels (now reporter for WBFF-TV, Baltimore)
 * Aimee Delaine Deputy (now Marketing Manager for TEXAS MONTHLY Texas Monthly
 * Kathryn Dettman [1](murdered on her next to last day of employment at KWTX)
 * Kristen Drew (now reporter at WLKY, Louisville)
 * Bernadette Flores (now a reporter at KOKI-TV, Tulsa)
 * Robert Flores (now anchor for ESPN SportsCenter)
 * Lauren Freeman (now anchor at KPRC-TV, Houston)
 * Tyler Garret (now sports anchor at KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi)
 * David George (now Chief Meteorologist for WMTV-TV, Madison, Wisconsin)
 * Brian Giesenschlag (now Sports Anchor at WXIX-TV, Cincinnati)
 * Annette Gonzales-Taylor (now Communications Director for the Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston)
 * Dan Gresham (now anchor / producer at KFDM-TV, Beaumont)
 * Lisa Hanna (now Director, Media & Public Affairs, Organization for International Investment (OFII) Washington, D.C.)
 * Laura Hagen (now reporter, KSWO-TV Lawton, Oklahoma)
 * Christopher Heath (now weekend anchor at KENS-TV San Antonio)
 * Sonta Henderson (now reporter for KXAN-TV, Austin)
 * ShaVonne Herndon (now reporter for KYTX-TV, Tyler)
 * Jeff Jamison (now Meteorologist for KTVT-TV, Dallas)
 * Matt Iazzetti (Now in sales for Baylor University)
 * Pete Kenworthy (now anchor for WEWS-TV, Cleveland)
 * Steve Kersh (now Chief Meteorologist for KVII-TV, Amarillo)
 * Ryan Kelly (now an Account Manager with PetersGroup Public Relations in Austin, Texas)
 * Robyn Kriel (now anchor for eNews, Johannesburg, South Africa)
 * Dana Larson (now anchor for Fox Sports Southwest)
 * Josh Larson (now producer at KSAT-TV, San Antonio)
 * Sharon Mayo-Parker (now public relations manager for Six Flags Over Texas Amusement Park)
 * Annie McCormick (now anchor/reporter at WHP-TV, Harrisburg)
 * John McLemore [2] (Now Senior Public Affairs officer ConocoPhillips / Houston, Texas)
 * Angela Montoya (now with Wilkens Weather Technologies in Houston)
 * Elise Morgan (now anchor for WHNT-TV, Huntsville, Alabama)
 * John Morris (now Director of Broadcasting for Baylor University)
 * Betty Nguyen (now anchor for CBS News)
 * Robbie Owens (now reporter for KTVT-TV, Dallas)
 * Wendy Rigby (now reporter for KENS-TV, San Antonio)
 * Wendy Saltzman (now reporter for WGCL-TV Atlanta)
 * Lori Scott-Fogleman (now Director of Media Relations for Baylor University)
 * Adam Winkler (now a sports reporter for KEYE-TV, Austin)
 * Bill Young (now anchor for KFOX-TV, El Paso)

KWTX Radio
KWTX shares the callsign with radio station 97.5 FM, a Top 40 Pop station and 1230 AM, a News/Talk station both owned by Clear Channel Communications. In 1997 the radio stations were sold to GulfStar and later Clear Channel. As part of the deal, the radio stations moved out of the building at American Plaza and into their own building. Today KWTX-TV uses the area once occupied by the radio stations for offices and edit bays.

Newscast titles

 * TX News (1957–1975)
 * TX News 10 (1975)
 * Area 10 News (1975)
 * Region 10 News (1975–1989)
 * Channel 10 News (1989–1990)
 * NewsChannel 10 (1990–1997)
 * News 10 (1997–present)

Station slogans

 * We're Putting it All Together on Channel 10 (1970-1971; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Channel 10, Where the Good Times Are (1971-1972; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Channel 10, Have We Got a Fall for You! (1972-1973; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * The Best is Right Here on Channel 10 / Channel 10 is Easy on the Eyes (1973-1974; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * See the Best...Channel 10 (1974-1975; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Catch the Brightest Stars on Channel 10 (1975-1976; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Channel 10, We're the Hot Ones (1976-1977; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * There's Something in the Air, on Channel 10 (1977-1978; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Channel 10, Turn Us On, We'll Turn You On (1978-1979; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * We're Looking Good on Channel 10 (1979-1980; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Looking Good Together, Channel 10 (1980-1981; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Reach for the Stars on Channel 10 (1981-1982; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Great Moments on Channel 10 (1982-1983; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * The Number One Professionals (1983-1985)
 * Always A Step Ahead (late 1980s)
 * The Spirit of Central Texas (early 1990s)
 * The Look of Central Texas is Channel 10 (1991-1992; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * The News You Know, The People You Trust (1995-1997)
 * Central Texas' News Leader (1997-2005)
 * First, Fast and Accurate (2005-2007)
 * The News and Weather Authority (2008-2009)
 * News 10 On Your Side (2009-present)