KRIS-TV
FCC | |
| Facility ID | 25559 |
|---|---|
| ERP | 1,000 kW[1] |
| HAAT | 295 m (968 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 27°45′32.9″N 97°36′27.3″W / 27.759139°N 97.607583°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | |
KRIS-TV (channel 6) is a television station in Corpus Christi, Texas, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside low-power dual Telemundo affiliate/independent station K22JA-D; Scripps also provides certain services to CBS affiliate KZTV (channel 10) under a shared services agreement (SSA) with SagamoreHill Broadcasting. The three stations share studios on Artesian Street in downtown Corpus Christi; KRIS-TV's transmitter is located in Robstown, 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
and another carrying a Crown Royal bag in its mouth. Cordillera Communications bought the station in 1998.On July 23, 2008, Eagle Creek Broadcasting announced that it had sold KZTV to
On August 24, 2017, KRIS and KZTV began simulcasting together to provide full coverage of Hurricane Harvey with both news teams.
Cordillera announced on October 29, 2018, that it would sell most of its stations, including KRIS and the SSA with KZTV, to the
KRIS-DT2
What is now KRIS-DT2 began on September 21, 1998, after KRIS entered into a partnership with
On January 24, 2006,
On September 18 of that year, The CW officially launched nationwide at which point KRIS added a new second digital subchannel to simulcast "KWDB" and allowing non-cable subscribers access to the new network. With its over-their-air launch, "KWDB" began using KRIS-DT2 as its official calls and became part of The CW Plus, a successor to The WB 100+.
On April 19, 2024, Nexstar Media Group, majority owner of The CW, announced that the network would not renew its affiliations with Scripps-owned stations, including KRIS-DT2.[6]
News operation
KRIS-TV currently broadcasts 31 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with five hours each weekday, 2+1⁄2 hours on Saturdays, and 3+1⁄2 hours on Sundays). A half-hour newscast airs seven days a week on CW South Texas (channel 6.2), as well as sister station KDF-TV as KRIS 6 News at Nine.
After Evening Post bought KZTV, The company merged operations at KZTV's studios. The move took place in September 2010. Due to technical issues with the move, it was not able to air newscasts from September 26 until September 28.
At the new location, KRIS-TV unveiled a 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
On August 7, 2011, KRIS began broadcasting news in "true" HD, where the newscasts are known as KRIS 6 News in HD. KRIS-TV is the second television station in Corpus Christi to broadcast in HD, behind sister station KZTV, who began broadcasting in HD on August 1, 2011.
In early 2014, KRIS-TV rebranded its newscasts as KRIS 6 News. With the rebranding came a new logo and a new opening to the newscasts.
In late 2014, KRIS expanded their 9 p.m. newscasts on KDF and The CW South Texas to Saturdays and Sundays.
In April 2015, KRIS have expanded their newscasts to Sundays at 5 p.m. and expanded 6 News at Sunrise to Saturdays and Sundays at 6 a.m.
In July 2018, KRIS expanded their noon newscast to one hour; only the first half hour continues to be simulcast on sister station KZTV.
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's signal is
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 1080i | 16:9 |
KRIS-HD | NBC |
| 6.2 | 720p | CW-STX | The CW Plus | |
| 6.3 | 480i | GRIT | Grit | |
| 6.4 | CourtTV | Court TV | ||
| 6.5 | ION | Ion Television | ||
| 6.6 | Scripps | Scripps News | ||
| 6.7 | Home | HSN |
Analog-to-digital conversion
KRIS-TV shut down its analog signal, over
Tower collapse
On the morning of April 29, 2020, the KRIS broadcast tower collapsed due to a guy-wire failure during a high wind event; further inspection revealed the failed guy-wire to have been heavily corroded. No personnel were on site at the time of the collapse, and collateral damage was limited to minor damage to the transmitter building.[9] The tower was shared with low-power sister station K22JA-D, as well as radio stations KPLV (88.7 FM), KLUX (89.5 FM), and KFTX (97.5 FM). Both television stations were temporarily multiplexed on KZTV's VHF channel 10 frequency and mapped to their respective virtual channel positions.[10]
The tower, built in 1988, had a history of poor maintenance. The FCC had already been investigating Cordillera Communications' management of their broadcast towers, including those of KRIS and its low-power sisters. In the spring of 2019, as a condition of the sale of Cordillera's station portfolio to Scripps, Scripps agreed to accept liability for the results of the investigation; the FCC later fined Scripps $1.13 million.[11] The fine resulted from Cordillera's "failing to conduct required daily inspections of the lighting systems of 10 antenna structures", "failing to completely log 12 lighting failures at seven antenna structures", and "failing to timely notify the Commission of its acquisition of two antenna structures". The KRIS tower was noted as not having had daily inspections of its lighting system and lighting failures that were not logged.[12]
KRIS activated their replacement transmission facility on VHF channel 13 in March 2021.
References
- ^ a b "Channel Substitution/Community of License Change". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ "Report & Order", Media Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, April 5, 2021, Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KRIS-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "The E.W. Scripps Company buys more television stations, bringing total to 51". WCPO-TV. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ Miller, Mark K. (May 1, 2019). "Scripps Closes On Cordillera Stations Purchase". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheckMedia. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ Lafayette, Jon (April 19, 2024). "Nexstar Dropping Scripps-Owned The CW Affiliates in 7 Markets". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for KRIS
- ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
- ^ "High winds blamed for Texas tall tower collapse, but corossion appears to be the culprit". Wireless Estimator. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "High winds altering KRIS coverage across the area". KRIS-TV. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "FCC Fines Scripps $1.13M for TV Tower Lighting Violations". TVTechnology. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "Orders TOC" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "KRIS Form STA". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
- ^ "KRIS CP EngSta 10-29-20". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 16, 2020.