KRIS-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Corpus Christi area of South Texas. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal onVHF channel 13 from a transmitter in Robstown. Owned by Cordillera Communications (a wholly owned subsidiary of the Evening Post Publishing Company), the station is sister to low-power Independent K47DF, low-power Telemundo affiliate K68DJ, and CBS affiliate KZTV(owned by Eagle Creek Broadcasting but operated by Cordillera through shared services agreement). All four stations share studios on Artesian Street in Downtown Corpus Christi. Syndicated programming on KRIS-TV includes: Inside Edition, Oprah, Ellen, Jeopardy! and The Real Housewives.
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| |
| Corpus Christi, Texas | |
|---|---|
| Branding | 6 News
CW South Texas (on DT2) |
| Slogan | The station with the most local news in South Texas. |
| Channels | Digital: 13 (VHF) |
| Subchannels | 6.1 NBC6.2The CW |
| Owner | Cordillera Communications
(KVOA Communications, Inc.) |
| First air date | May 22, 1956 |
| Call letters' meaning | Corpus KhRISti |
| Sister station(s) | KZTV, K47DF, K68DJ |
| Former channel number(s) | 6 (VHF analog, 1956-2009) |
| Former affiliations | ABC (secondary, 1956-1964) |
| Transmitter power | 46.1 kW |
| Height | 239.6 m |
| Facility ID | 25559 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 27°44′30.1″N97°36′9.8″W |
| Website | kristv.com |
Digital programming
It operates the area's CW affiliate on a second digital subchannel. Known on-air as CW South Texas, this can also be seen on Grande Communications channel 16 and Time Warner channel 23. KRIS-DT2 gets all of its programming from The CW Plus.
| Channel | Video | Aspect | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1/13.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | main KRIS programming/NBC HD |
| 6.2/13.2 | 480i | 4:3 | KRIS-DT2 "CW South Texas" |
History
KRIS-TV began broadcasting on May 22, 1956 as the first VHF television station in the area beating former rival KZTV by four months. It aired an analog signal on VHF channel 6 and had studios on South Staples Street in Downtown Corpus Christi. The channel has always been an NBC affiliate but shared secondary ABC status with KZTV until KIII launched on May 4, 1964. KRIS-TV was the first television station in theUnited States to air hard liquor ads after a self-imposed 1948 industry ban was lifted. A commercial for Crown Royal whiskey aired on the station in 1996 featuring a puppy with a diploma and another carrying a Crown Royal bag in its mouth.
On July 23, 2008, Eagle Creek Broadcasting announced that it had sold KZTV to Cordillera Communications. The transaction was opposed by McKinnon Broadcasting who at the time owned rival KIII. This objection held up the deal until August 24, 2009 when Eagle Creek announced a shared services agreement (SSA) had been established with KRIS. Cordillera Communications now owns all KZTV assets with Eagle Creek owning the broadcast license.
At noon on June 12, this station shut-off its analog signal. This transmitted on a frequency of 87.75 MHz (+10 kHz shift), and as a result, could be picked up on the lower end of the dial on most FM radios at 87.7. This was true of all other analog channel 6 stations in North America. This is no longer possible for full-powered stations after the conversion to digital broadcasting. However, it is possible to hear the digital channel 6 signal at a slightly different MHz location.
News operation
After the two stations joined forces, KRIS-TV moved into KZTV's facilities in September 2010. Due to technical issues with the move of the station, it was not able to air newscasts from September 26 until September 28.
KRIS-TV unveiled a brand new high definition-ready set and graphics package on September 29, 2010. The station has now become the area's first to air newscasts in 16x9 enhanced definition widescreen. As of October 16, KZTV now simulcasts KRIS-TV's weekday morning, noon, and weekend broadcasts after dropping its own shows in those time periods. For the weekend newscasts, however, there could be pre-emptions on one channel due to network obligations.
Like all CW Plus affiliates in the Central Time Zone, KRIS-DT2 airs the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz on weekdays from 5 to 8. The main channel produces a prime time newscast weeknights at 9 on KRIS-DT2 and sister station KDF. However, each channel has its own title and opening for the show.
Newscast titles
- Area 6 News (1960s-1970s)
- Pro 6 News (1970s-1980s)
- NewsCenter 6 (1980s-1990s)
- Channel 6 News (1990s-1993)
- 6 News (1993–2001)
- KRIS 6 News (2001–present, weeknights)
- KRIS News (2010–present, simulcasts with KZTV)
Station slogans
- "Channel 6, Proud as a Peacock!" (1979-1981; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Channel 6, Our Pride is Showing" (1981-1982; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "We're Channel 6, Just Watch Us Now" (1982-1983; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Channel 6 There, Be There" (1983-1984; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Channel 6, Let's All Be There" (1984-1986; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Come Home to Channel 6" (1986-1987; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Come on Home to Channel 6" (1987-1988; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Come Home to the Best, Only on Channel 6" (1988-1990; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Channel 6, The Place to Be!" (1990-1991; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "It's A Whole New Channel 6" (1992-1993; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "The Stars Are Back on Channel 6" (1993-1994; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Proud of South Texas" (1993–2001)
- "Clearly to the point." (2004–2010)
- "The station with the most local news in South Texas." (2010-present)
News team
Anchors
- Janine Reyes - weekday mornings and multimedia journalist [2010-]
- Dave Froehlich - weekday mornings and noon [2004-2007, 2010-]
- Lee Sausley - weeknights [2002-]
- Jennifer Lira - weeknights [2004-]
- Melissa Schroeder - weekends and multimedia journalist [2009-]
First Warning 6 Meteorologists
- Dale Nelson (AMS Seal of Approval) - Chief seen weeknights
- Matt Terhune - weekday mornings and noon [2001-]
- Dave Fraser - weekends [2006-]
Sports
- Tyler Garrett - Director seen weeknights at 6, 9, and 10 [2007-]
- Jason Notoras - weekends [2010-]
Reporters
- Steven Romo - fill-in news anchor [2010-]
- Keaton Fox [2010-]
Multimedia Journalists
- Parrish Alleman - weekend producer [2009-]
- Spencer Lubitz [2009-]
- Mitch Bryan [2009-]
- Rashi Vats [2009-]
Station alumni
- Bart Bedsole - news anchor; now 5, 6 and 10 p.m. news anchor on KZTV.
- Karen Boudrie - reporter mid-1980s
- Lee Cardwell - consumer advocate late 1970s-mid 1980s; now deceased
- Bianca Castro - 6 p.m., 10 p.m. Co-anchor April 2006-September 2010; now Morning anchor at WFTV in Orlando
- Mike Clardy - sports anchor and news reporter 1994-1998. Now Director of Communications at Auburn University
- Carolyn Conoly - anchor and producer early-1980s; now out of television
- Bill Elias - weekday am and noon meteorologist 1999-2001; now out of television in Miami
- Sid Garcia - weekend sports reporter and dayside reporter mid-1980s; now reporter at KABC-TV in Los Angeles
- Danny Hermosillo - reporter mid-1980s; now works for Salvation Army in San Antonio
- Sean Horejs; now at Long Beach,CA
- David Lozano - anchor in late 90s/early 00s; Public Relations Specialist at Banner Health in Phoenix, AZ
- Chuck Machen - news anchor
- Brian McCann - weekend meteorologist 1998-99; now Associate Professor at Mississippi State University
- Patrick McMurtry-Weekend Anchor late-1990's; now news anchor WCHS-TV since 2003
- Ted Nelson - reporter mid-1980s; now works for City of Corpus Christi
- Abby Reed (formerly Dunn) - reporter 2006-2008; now Morning Show Anchor for KWES-TV in Midland/Odessa
- Jay Ricci - anchor and producer mid-1980s; now News Director at KVII
- Bob Tucker - sports; also worked at KEYS-AM
- Bill Vessey - Sports Director 1985-1990; now Chief meteorologist at KIII
- Rudy Trevino - Anchor/Reporter 1982-1986; Now at KIII
Logos
