KLNI-TV
kW[1] | |
| HAAT | 490 ft (149 m)[1] |
|---|---|
| Transmitter coordinates | 30°02′54″N 91°59′49″W / 30.04833°N 91.99694°W |
KLNI-TV was a television station on channel 15 licensed to
History
The Federal Communications Commission granted Southwest Louisiana Communications, Inc. a construction permit for a new commercial television station on channel 15 in September 1967. The permit was awarded on a 4–2 FCC vote; two commissioners dissented because of minimum mileage spacing concerns to a channel 14 allocation at Morgan City.[2] Construction proceeded quickly, and KLNI-TV went on air a year later, on September 16, 1968.[1] A week later, Leif Erickson, then the lead in NBC's The High Chaparral, was the featured guest at the station's open house.[3] KLNI-TV operated from the first color-designed television studios in the state of Louisiana, which featured a viewing room to allow the public to watch program production and an outdoor patio for shows and commercials.[4]
Channel 15 brought full NBC network service to Lafayette for the first time; previously, no NBC station put a Grade A signal into central Acadiana.
In 1970, Charles A. Castille, former president of a chain of pharmacies in the Lafayette area, bought stock in Southwestern Louisiana Communications; he was also elected president of the board.[9] In November 1974, Castille was elected to the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education; his opponent in that election believed a recall petition could be made against him because, among other allegations, he believed Castille was about to try to sell KLNI-TV to the state to reduce his debt. At that time, KLNI-TV was described as "financially troubled".[10] On February 21, 1975, channel 15 went dark: while it cited technical issues in the immediate aftermath of going silent,[11] it noted "severe financial troubles" as the reason for its cessation of operations in an FCC filing.[12] The three remaining board members, not including Castille, then actually made an attempt to sell the facility to the state-owned Louisiana Educational Television Authority;[13] the state network opted not to purchase the facility, citing technical limitations and noting it might have taken as long as two years to begin operating.[14]
Channel 15 would not be used again in Lafayette until a new group activated it as KADN-TV, which began telecasting March 1, 1980.[15] It would be more than 40 years before an NBC affiliate was launched again in the Lafayette market, when KLAF-LD affiliated with NBC on July 1, 2015.[16]
References
- ^ a b c d "KLNI-TV" (PDF). Television Factbook. 1970. p. 329-b (331). Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "TV Permit Given For Lafayette". Town Talk. Associated Press. September 16, 1967. p. B-8. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "TV Star Leif Erickson To Be At KLNI Open House". Daily Advertiser. September 22, 1968. p. 10. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "KLNI Features Modern Building". Daily Advertiser. September 22, 1968. p. 10. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "New Television Station Will Serve Lafayette". Daily Advertiser. March 21, 1968. p. 12. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "'Sesame Street' Will Be Here On Channel 15". Daily Advertiser. November 19, 1970. p. 20. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "FCC Orders Hearings in TV Dispute". The Advocate. May 23, 1969. p. 11-B.
- ^ "Missing U wants to be found" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 6, 1970. pp. 74, 76. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "Castille Buys Local TV Stock". Daily Advertiser. September 23, 1970. p. 1, 2. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "Dupuis Feels Castille Can Be Removed". Shreveport Journal. Associated Press. January 18, 1975. p. 10A. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Aycock, Martha. "Lafayette Le Soir: Channel 15 Goes Dark". Daily Advertiser. p. 38. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "KLNI Reports Money Woes To FCC". Daily Advertiser. February 28, 1975. p. 14. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "KLNI Antenna Offered To LETA". Daily Advertiser. June 12, 1975. p. 12. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "TV Station Purchase Refused". Daily Advertiser. July 11, 1975. p. 4. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "KADN Channel 15 Is Here!". Daily Advertiser. March 1, 1980. p. 6. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ Ortego, Chris. "Nexstar Broadcasting's KLAF-TV to become first NBC Network affiliate serving Lafayette". Archived from the original on 2016-01-19. Retrieved May 24, 2020.