View source for KPRC-TV

{{Short description|Television station in Houston}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign               = KPRC-TV
| city                   =
| logo                   = KPRC (2018).svg
| logo_size              = 160px
| branding               = KPRC 2
| digital                = 35 ([[UHF]])
| virtual                = 2
| subchannels            =
| translators            =
| affiliations           = {{unbulleted list|'''2.1:''' [[NBC]]<ref name="kprcrabbitears"/>|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}
| owner                  = [[Graham Media Group]]
| licensee               = Graham Media Group, Houston, Inc.
| location               = [[Houston]], Texas
| country                = United States
| airdate                = {{start date and age|1949|1|1|p=y}}
| last_airdate           =
| callsign_meaning       = K(C)otton Port Rail Center (carried over from KPRC radio)
| sister_stations        = 
| former_callsigns       = KLEE-TV (1949–1950)
| former_channel_numbers = {{unbulleted list|'''Analog:''' 2 ([[VHF]], 1949–2009)}}
| former_affiliations    = {{unbulleted list|'''All secondary:'''|[[CBS]] (1949–1953)|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (1949–1954)|[[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]] (1949–1955)<ref name="earlytelevision">{{cite web|url=https://earlytelevision.org/postwar_stations.html|title=U. S. TV Stations After WW2|work=Early Television Museum|accessdate=September 3, 2023}}</ref>}}
| erp                    = 1,000 kW
| haat                   = {{convert|585|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id            = 53117
| coordinates            = {{Coord|29|34|6|N|95|29|57|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|display=inline, title}}
| licensing_authority    = [[FCC]]
| website                = {{URL|https://www.click2houston.com/}}
}}

'''KPRC-TV''' (channel 2) is a television station in [[Houston]], Texas, United States, affiliated with [[NBC]] and owned by [[Graham Media Group]]. Its studios are located on Southwest Freeway ([[Interstate 69 in Texas|I-69]]/[[U.S. Route 59 in Texas#Interstate 37 to Houston|US 59]]) in the [[Southwest Management District]] (formerly Greater Sharpstown),<ref>"[http://www.click2houston.com/contact/index.html Contact] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100219221334/http://www.click2houston.com/contact/index.html |date=February 19, 2010 }}." KPRC-TV. Retrieved on March 3, 2010.</ref><ref name="GreaterSharpMap">"[http://sharpstowndistrict.com/districts.aspx Districts] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106051818/http://sharpstowndistrict.com/districts.aspx |date=2009-01-06 }}." [[Greater Sharpstown Management District]]. Retrieved on August 15, 2009.</ref> and its transmitter is located near [[Missouri City]], in [[unincorporated area#United States|unincorporated]] northeastern [[Fort Bend County]]. Houston is the largest [[television market]] in the United States where the NBC station is not [[owned and operated]] by the network.<ref>[https://mediatracks.com/resources/nielsen-dma-rankings-2021/ Nielsen DMA Rankings 2021] ''MediaTracks Communications''. Retrieved on February 14, 2021.</ref>

==History==
The station first [[sign-on|signed on]] the air on January 1, 1949, as KLEE-TV.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bland |first=Kathleen |title=TV To Go On the Air Tonight: Estimated 2000 Sets Awaiting Inauguration |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-houston-post-tv-to-go-on-the-air-ton/173155462/ |access-date=May 26, 2025 |newspaper=The Houston Post |date=January 1, 1949 |location=Houston, Texas |pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-houston-post-tv-starts-here-today/173155500/ 3] |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> It was Houston's first television station and the second one to sign on in Texas, three months behind [[Fort Worth]] station WBAP-TV (now [[KXAS-TV]]) and over eight months ahead of [[Dallas]] station KBTV (now [[WFAA]]). It was originally owned by hotelier W. Albert Lee and carried programming from all four networks of the day—NBC, [[CBS]], [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], and [[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]]. After a year of difficulty, Lee sold the station to the Hobby family, owners of the ''[[Houston Post]]'' and Houston's oldest radio station, [[KPRC (AM)|KPRC]] (950 AM) and KPRC-FM (99.7, now [[KODA]] at 99.1). The Hobby Family took control on June 1, 1950, and changed the television station's [[call signs in North America|call sign]] to match its radio stations on July 3.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FCC History Cards for KPRC-TV |url=https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=85313 |access-date=November 3, 2024 |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Westheimer |first=David |title=The Post Takes Over KLEE-TV Operation |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-houston-post-the-post-takes-over-kle/173378343/ |access-date=May 29, 2025 |newspaper=The Houston Post |date=June 1, 1950 |location=Houston, Texas |pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-houston-post-tv-station-plans-told/173378388/ 6] |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Although it appears that the call letters stand for "[[Houston Post-Dispatch|Post-Dispatch]] Radio Company", they actually stand for "K(C)otton Port Rail Center", a nod to Houston's role in the cotton trade.

After the Hobbys took over, channel 2 became a primary NBC affiliate due to KPRC radio's longstanding affiliation with the [[NBC Red Network]]. Due to the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC)-imposed [[Federal Communications Commission#Freeze of 1948|freeze on new station licenses]], channel 2 remained the only television station in Houston for four more years.{{r|earlytelevision}} CBS moved its affiliation to KGUL-TV (channel 11, now [[KHOU]]) in 1953 and [[KTRK-TV]] (channel 13) took over the ABC affiliation when it signed on one year later. DuMont ceased operations in 1956, though it was briefly affiliated with now-defunct [[KNUZ-TV]] (channel 39, frequency now occupied by [[KIAH]]). Because of its affiliation with NBC, KPRC-TV was the first station in Houston to broadcast a program in [[color television|color]] and was subsequently the first to broadcast its entire schedule in color.

In March 1953, the station operated its first permanent studio located on 3014 Post Oak Road, which later became the [[Lakes on Post Oak]] near the [[Houston Galleria|Galleria]] shopping complex in [[Uptown Houston]]. The studio building was along the street frontage, while the KPRC radio [[transmitter]] site was in the rear of the lot. The station became the source of controversy after some television viewers in the United Kingdom claimed to receive its signal on September 14, 1953, three years after the original signal was transmitted. However, this was actually a [[hoax]].<ref>{{cite web |date=March 8, 2000 |title=The Mysterious Legend of KLEE-TV |url=http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/klee.htm |access-date=November 3, 2024 |website=Snopes.com}}</ref> Over the years, the Hobby family bought several other television stations, including [[KVOA-TV]] in [[Tucson]], [[KCCI]] in [[Des Moines]], [[WTVF]] in [[Nashville]], [[WESH]] in [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], and [[KSAT-TV]] in [[San Antonio]].

In March 1972, KPRC-TV moved into a new state-of-the-art studio facility in the Sharpstown area (then part of unincorporated [[Harris County, Texas|Harris County]]) where it operated from for 45 years. Built on property originally lent to [[Houston Baptist University]], KPRC-TV chose the site to build its new facilities in large part due to its location on the feeder road of the [[Southwest Freeway (Houston)|Southwest Freeway]]. The building housed three studios which were suspended from the ground to reduce vibration, and when viewed from space via satellite map, the building resembled a [[film camera]].

In 1983, the Hobbys sold the ''Houston Post'' to [[MediaNews Group]], while the family's broadcast holdings were reorganized as [[H&C Communications]], with KPRC-AM-TV remaining as the [[flagship (broadcasting)|flagship]] stations. (KPRC-FM was sold in 1958.) After 40 years under Hobby family ownership, KPRC-TV was sold to [[The Washington Post Company]] on April 22, 1994; an attempt to sell the station to [[Young Broadcasting]] in 1992 was unsuccessful.<ref>{{cite web |title=SEC Filing |url=http://www.ghco.com/node/13671/html |access-date=November 3, 2024 |publisher=Graham Holdings Company |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=May 20, 1992|title=Hobby family sells most of media empire|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/05/20/Hobby-family-sells-most-of-media-empire/9383706334400/|access-date=August 6, 2021|website=UPI|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Burnett|first=Richard|date=February 19, 1993|title=PULITZER PUBLISHING PLANS TO BUY WESH-CHANNEL 2|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1993-02-19-9302191225-story.html|access-date=August 6, 2021|website=Orlando Sentinel|language=en-US}}</ref> (The ''Houston Post'' was then bought by the [[Hearst Corporation]] and absorbed into its ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'', with the last edition printed on April 18, 1995.) In 2004, KPRC-TV was rebranded "Local 2". In January 2015, KPRC-TV dropped the "Local" and began simply calling itself "Channel 2".
[[Image:OldKPRC.PNG|100px|thumb|KPRC-TV's original "[[Flag of Texas|Lone Star]] 2" logo, used from late 1994 to 2004: The current logo (shown in the infobox) is very similar to the original, but is enhanced for HD.]]
In December 2015, KPRC-TV broke ground on a new studio, behind the old studio in the employee parking lot, on the same Sharpstown site. While the old studio was {{convert|90000|sqft|m2|0}}, the new studio would have only {{convert|65000|sqft|m2|0}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.click2houston.com/news/kprc2-debuts-new-broadcast-center-in-sw-houston|title=KPRC2 debuts new broadcast center in SW Houston|date=April 7, 2017}}</ref> The new studios were dedicated in April 2016, and the previous 45-year-old studios were demolished.

Since October 1994, KPRC-TV has used the familiar "[[Flag of Texas|Lone Star]] 2" logo, which was modified in 2004 for [[high-definition television|HD]]. The "two" in KPRC-TV's current logo is vertically parallelogrammed and similar to former logos used by [[KCBS-TV]] in Los Angeles (1994) and [[WMAR-TV]] in [[Baltimore]] (1998) but with the CBS and ABC logos (respectively) in place of the NBC one; neither logo uses the Texas star.

The film and video archives of KPRC have been partially digitized by the [[Texas Archive of the Moving Image]] and approximately 250 clips can be viewed on their website.

==Programming==
Since its inception KPRC-TV has been an NBC affiliate, and in part because of NBC's affiliation the station was the first in Houston to broadcast in color.

From 1969 to 1998, KPRC-TV produced the longest-running [[broadcast syndication|syndicated]] television program in Texas, ''[[The Eyes of Texas (TV series)|The Eyes of Texas]]'', a lifestyle program which focused on segments relating to Texas culture and life (the program continues to air locally on [[PBS]] [[network affiliate#Member stations|member station]] [[KUHT]], channel 8). KPRC-TV was also one of the first stations to air [[telethon]]s, raising $28,000 for the [[American Cancer Society]] in 1950. It carried the ''[[MDA Labor Day Telethon]]'' every Labor Day from 1970 to 2012 (KPRC's status as an [[Muscular Dystrophy Association|MDA]] "Love Network" affiliate ended in 2013, when the telethon discontinued its syndicated distribution model and moved to ABC as a short-form program rebranded as the ''MDA Show of Strength'', where it aired locally on KTRK-TV until the program ended after 2014).

Historically, KPRC-TV was the original Houston affiliate for the nighttime syndicated editions of ''[[Wheel of Fortune (American game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]'' and ''[[Jeopardy!]]'', both of which had their roots as NBC daytime game shows, from their respective 1983 and 1984 debuts until the game shows moved to rival KHOU in 1986. (The latter was picked up by KTRK in 2015.)  From 1986 to 1993, KPRC-TV filled ''Wheel''{{'}}s 6:30&nbsp;p.m. slot with various syndicated revivals of ''[[Hollywood Squares]]'', ''[[Family Feud]]'' and ''[[You Bet Your Life]]'' before settling on ''Entertainment Tonight'' in 1993. The station also gained a reputation from the 1980s well into the early 2000s for airing various syndicated [[tabloid talk show]]s that often fit the pejorative definition of "Trash TV". Indeed, KPRC-TV was the original Houston affiliate for ''[[Geraldo (talk show)|Geraldo]]'', which the station carried from its 1987 debut until complaints from viewers and even station management over its content led KPRC-TV to drop the show in 1990 (''Geraldo'' moved to [[KTXH]], then later to KTRK). After Post-Newsweek acquired the station, KPRC-TV nonetheless began broadcasting more syndicated talk shows in the afternoon including ones hosted by [[The Montel Williams Show|Montel Williams]], [[Maury (talk show)|Maury Povich]], [[The Jenny Jones Show|Jenny Jones]], [[Ricki Lake (1993 talk show)|Ricki Lake]] and [[The Jerry Springer Show|Jerry Springer]], as well as infotainment news programs such as ''[[A Current Affair (American TV program)|A Current Affair]]'', ''[[Hard Copy]]'', ''[[Extra (American TV program)|Extra]]'', ''[[Access Hollywood]]'' and ''[[Inside Edition]]''. Many of these shows eventually moved to other stations due to ratings declines and the overexposure of their genres, as well as the gradual expansion of NBC's ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]'' (which KPRC-TV has historically aired in its entirety) from two to three hours in 1999, and eventually four hours by 2007.

On August 23, 2016, KPRC-TV began airing a daily lifestyle and entertainment program called ''Houston Life'' and featured Jennifer Broome and Derrick Shore as hosts. ''Houston Life'' focuses on lifestyle and feature segments in and around Houston. This resulted in KPRC-TV bumping the long-running NBC soap opera ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'' from its network-recommended 1&nbsp;pm. Central Time slot to 2&nbsp;pm, where it replaced the canceled ''[[The Meredith Vieira Show|Meredith Vieira Show]]''. Broome was replaced by former KPRC reporter and weekend anchor Courtney Zavala in 2018; Zavala departed KPRC in 2023 and was replaced by Tessa Barrera who also co-hosts ''The Rod Ryan Show'' on [[KTBZ-FM]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Garcia|first=Ariana|date=January 19, 2023|title=Courtney Zavala leaves Houston Life after 5 years on the KPRC 2 lifestyle show|url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/courtney-zavala-kprc-2-17727719.php|access-date=February 6, 2024|work=[[Houston Chronicle]]|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=July 31, 2023|title=Welcome Tessa Barrera to Houston Life!|url=https://www.click2houston.com/houston-life/2023/07/31/welcome-tessa-barrera-to-houston-life/|access-date=February 6, 2024|work=KPRC-TV|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Network preemptions ===
While KPRC-TV generally airs NBC's programming lineup in pattern, this has not always been the case. Despite NBC historically being less tolerant of preemptions than other networks, KPRC-TV has at times preempted programming particularly in late night and daytime hours. While NBC has become more tolerant of preemptions than in previous years, it prefers that its affiliates clear the entire schedule whenever possible.

Following its acquisition by Post-Newsweek, various programs have been preempted by KPRC-TV over the years in a pattern similar to that of its Detroit sister station, [[WDIV-TV]]. Most notorious of all, the station dropped ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]'' from 1994 to 1996, leaving Houston as the largest market in the country to not air the program, with reruns of various tabloid talk shows including the aforementioned ''Ricki Lake'' and ''Jenny Jones'', tabloid news programs such as ''Entertainment Tonight'' and ''Access Hollywood'', and even a repeat of KPRC-TV's 10 p.m. newscast often filling the void. While ''Late Night'' did return to KPRC-TV in 1996, the station continued to delay its broadcast as far back as 2:40&nbsp;a.m. (even truncating the broadcast of its overnight news program, ''[[NBC Nightside]]'', in the process).

This fact was not lost on O'Brien, who visited Houston (making impromptu stops at Houston's central bus terminal and the [[Astrodome]]) to watch an episode of his own show with Houstonians in a classic remote piece. KPRC-TV's mail servers were flooded with emails from O'Brien's fans in response. KPRC-TV responded by moving the show to 12:35&nbsp;a.m. in 1998, and finally to its network-recommended (for the [[Central Time Zone]]) 11:35&nbsp;p.m. slot in 2005, where ''[[Late Night with Seth Meyers|Late Night]]'', now hosted by [[Seth Meyers]], continues to air. Channel 2 also delayed ''[[A Little Late with Lilly Singh]]'' (and its predecessor, ''[[Last Call with Carson Daly]]'') in late nights (recently at 1:35&nbsp;am) until August 13, 2021, when NBC gave that timeslot back to its affiliates; the station now airs a rebroadcast of the 10 p.m. news at 12:37&nbsp;a.m.

When ''[[Passions]]'' debuted on NBC in 1999, KPRC-TV (along with Detroit sister station WDIV-TV) were the only NBC affiliates that preempted the soap opera until 2002, even though ''Passions''<nowiki/>' predecessor ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'' was cleared by KPRC for most if not all of its entire run.<ref>[https://variety.com/1999/tv/news/nbc-passions-wane-1117503689/ NBC 'Passions' wane], ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', July 1, 1999.</ref> Around this time, KPRC, WDIV and [[Bonneville International]]–owned NBC affiliate [[KSL-TV]] in [[Salt Lake City]] declined to air ''[[Sunset Beach (TV series)|Sunset Beach]]''; respectively, ''Sunset Beach'' aired on KTXH (channel 20), [[WKBD]] and [[KUCW|KOOG]] (the former two were UPN affiliates and the latter was a [[The WB|WB]] affiliate). KNWS-TV (channel 51, now [[KYAZ]]), which had also picked up another preempted NBC daytime program, the talk show ''[[Leeza]]'' during the late 1990s, would pick up ''Passions'' in 2001 before the program moved to KPRC-TV in 2002 at 3:05&nbsp;am. Following the expansion of ''Today'' to three hours in 1999, ''Maury'' (which previously filled the 9 a.m. hour) aired in place of ''Passions'' until KPRC-TV placed the latter program in its network-recommended 2 p.m. timeslot in August 2004 (with ''Maury'' moving to KHWB [channel 39, now KIAH] at the same time), but the issue became moot when the program was canceled in September 2007.

During the 2000s, KPRC-TV was also among a handful of NBC affiliates that did not air ''[[Poker After Dark]]'' during its entire run, and likewise did not carry the short-lived ''[[Face the Ace]]'' in August 2009 (along with WDIV and Milwaukee's [[WTMJ-TV]]), preempting both prime time airings with [[St. Jude Children's Research Hospital]] programs. As is the case with Detroit's WDIV, NBC's current overnight lineup (a rebroadcast of the [[Today with Hoda & Jenna|fourth hour]] of ''Today'' on weekdays; ''LXTV 1st Look'' and ''Open House NYC'' on weekends) also does not air in Houston.

===Sports programming===
Beginning in [[1965 Houston Oilers season|1965]], the [[American Football League]] signed a broadcast deal with [[NFL on NBC|NBC]]. As a result, KPRC-TV became the primary station for regular season games of the [[Houston Oilers]], one of the league's eight founding teams; this continued after the AFL became the [[American Football Conference]] of the [[National Football League]] in [[1970 Houston Oilers season|1970]]. Local Oilers broadcasts ended after the [[1996 NFL season]], when the team relocated to Nashville and eventually became the [[Tennessee Titans]], though Oilers games would continue to be prioritized for broadcast during the [[1997 Tennessee Oilers season|1997 season]], which also turned out to be the last for NBC as the primary broadcaster of Sunday afternoon AFC games. During the team's [[1993 Houston Oilers season|final]] [[1994 Houston Oilers season|years]] [[1995 Houston Oilers season|in]] [[1996 Houston Oilers season|Houston]], the Oilers failed to sell out many home games, subjecting them to [[National Football League television blackout policies|in-market television blackouts]] under league rules at the time in addition to preemption from radio broadcasts locally.

Since [[2006 NFL season|2006]], the station is also involved with Houston's current NFL team, the [[Houston Texans|Texans]] (who began play in [[2002 Houston Texans season|2002]]), in that the station airs games when they are featured on NBC's ''[[NBC Sunday Night Football|Sunday Night Football]]'', as well as broadcasting a Sunday morning pregame show during the season on Sunday afternoon game days.

In addition to Oilers/Texans games, KPRC-TV has aired [[Houston Astros]] games via [[Major League Baseball on NBC|NBC's broadcast contract]] with [[Major League Baseball]] from [[1962 Houston Colt .45s season|1962]] to [[1989 Houston Astros season|1989]]. KPRC-TV also served as the team's over-the-air flagship station from [[1973 Houston Astros season|1973]] to [[1978 Houston Astros season|1978]]. Channel 2 also aired [[Houston Rockets]] games via [[NBA on NBC|NBC's broadcast contract]] with the [[NBA]] from [[1990–91 Houston Rockets season|1990]] to [[2001–02 Houston Rockets season|2002]] and since [[2025–26 Houston Rockets season|2025]]. This includes the team's championship victories in [[1994 NBA Finals|1994]] and [[1995 NBA Finals|1995]].

However, KPRC-TV has been known for motorsports preemptions. In 2001, a contract with the [[Miss Texas]] Scholarship Pageant (which predated NBC's [[NASCAR on NBC|acquisition]] of partial NASCAR broadcast rights) did not allow for the program to be rescheduled, resulting in the preemption of the [[2001 Pepsi 400|Firecracker 400]], then televised on NBC under an alternating basis with [[Fox NASCAR|Fox]] (which in return carried the [[Daytona 500]] held at the same track). In 2013, KPRC also preempted coverage of NBC's inaugural [[Formula 1]] telecast of the [[2013 Monaco Grand Prix]] (which aired locally at 6:30&nbsp;a.m. due to time differences between the U.S. and [[Monaco]]) with infomercials and local news. That incident led to Fox owned-and-operated station [[KRIV (TV)|KRIV]] posting on social media that they would air that year's [[2013 Coca-Cola 600|Coca-Cola 600]] live with the tag, "We've been promoting the race as live, and we'll show it live."

In September [[2007 NFL season|2007]], the first half-hour of the [[National Football League Kickoff game|NFL Kickoff]] game between the [[2007 New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]] and the [[2007 Indianapolis Colts season|Indianapolis Colts]] was shown on KPRC-TV with default audio in [[Spanish language in the United States|Spanish]] rather than [[American English|English]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2007/09/nascar-nextel-cup-richmond-in-progress.html|title=The Daly Planet: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Richmond: In-Progress Comments|website=The Daly Planet|date=September 8, 2007|quote=Hopefully the race broadcast will be in English not like Thursday night's football game on NBC affiliate here in Houston was in Spanish for the first 30 minutes or so. Lots of disgruntled viewers needless to say. Rusty is sure talking way too much!}}</ref> KPRC inadvertently aired the [[secondary audio program]] feed provided by [[Telemundo]] (owned by NBC parent company [[NBCUniversal]]).

===News operation===
[[Image:KPRC - IAH.jpg|220px|thumb|Chopper 2 departing [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]]]]
KPRC-TV presently broadcasts {{frac|39|1|2}} hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with {{frac|6|1|2}} hours each weekday, three hours on Saturdays and four hours on Sundays). The station also carries ''Sports Sunday'', which has been a staple of the station since its days as a locally owned station in the 1980s, at 10:20&nbsp;p.m. following its late Sunday newscast, as well as ''Houston Newsmakers'' (a local [[Sunday morning talk show]] similar in format to NBC's ''[[Meet the Press]]'') at 10:30&nbsp;a.m.

Appropriate for a station with roots in a newspaper, KPRC-TV has long been a very news-intensive station, and in particular one with a history of innovation in television journalism. In its early years under the stewardship of [[news director]] Ray Miller, KPRC-TV often led the local news ratings with such notable personalities as Miller and fellow anchors Steve Smith and Larry Rasco. KPRC-TV was the first station in Houston to use [[weather radar]] for its weather reports, to use [[videotape]] for field reporting, to have a fully staffed [[news bureau]] in [[Austin, Texas|Austin]], to hire female and African American reporters, and to hire a Hispanic news anchor for an English-language newscast.  The station's first female anchor was Sara Lowrey, who had co-anchored the 6 p.m. news with Rasco.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Sachse |first1=Dominique |last2=Barker |first2=Aaron |date=March 1, 2021 |title=Sara Lowrey: Houston's first female primetime newscast anchor |url=https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/03/02/sara-lowrey-houstons-first-female-primetime-newscast-anchor/ |access-date=November 3, 2024 |website=Click2Houston}}</ref>
[[Image:KPRC CIMG0415.JPG|thumb|200px|KPRC [[studio transmitter link|STL]] tower off [[Interstate 69 in Texas|Interstate 69]]/[[U.S. Route 59]] in the [[Greater Sharpstown]] area of [[Houston]]]]
In 1973, after Smith departed for [[KDKA-TV]] in Pittsburgh (at the time, a larger market than Houston), the station hired former KHOU anchor [[Ron Stone (reporter)|Ron Stone]] and paired him with weatherman Doug Johnson and sportscaster [[Bill Worrell]] (who had formerly co-anchored the news with Rasco) for its evening newscasts, then known as ''Big 2 News'' (Smith would eventually return to Houston as the lead anchor at KHOU in 1975). In addition to Stone, other news anchors for ''Big 2 News'' included Cindy Martin, former [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] correspondent George Caldwell (later George Sells) and New York anchorwoman Anna Bond.<ref>[https://www.broadcastpioneers.com/bp5/georgecaldwell.html George Caldwell] ''Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia'' Retrieved January 30, 2021</ref><ref>{{Cite video |url=https://texasarchive.org/2018_00996 |title=Inside Big 2 News |date=1978 |last=KPRC-TV |type=Television production |access-date=March 13, 2021 |via=[[Texas Archive of the Moving Image]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Churcher |first=Sharon |date=May 31, 1982 |title=Anna Bond and the Melting Pot |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4-cCAAAAMBAJ&dq=anna+bond+wnbc+1982&pg=PA9 |access-date=November 3, 2024 |magazine=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |page=9 |volume=15 |issue=22}}</ref> Three KHOU personalities, news anchor Bob Nicholas (in 1979), along with sportscaster [[Ron Franklin]] and news anchor Bill Balleza (both in 1980) would follow Stone to KPRC-TV.  On September 15, 1980, KPRC-TV rebranded their newscasts from ''Big 2 News'' (which was used since 1969) to ''Channel 2 News'' (presented on air as ''2News'').<ref>{{Cite web|last=Boles|first=Travis|date=September 14, 1980|title=Big 2 News - September 14, 1980 - Kenny and Cynthia Boles Collection|url=https://texasarchive.org/2022_00081|access-date=December 30, 2023|work=[[Texas Archive of the Moving Image]]|language=en-US}}</ref><!-- Last 28 seconds of video shows a promo for (Channel)2News begining the following Monday; September 14, 1980, was on a Sunday -->  During this time, KTRK overtook KPRC-TV and became the dominant news station in Houston, even though KPRC-TV would continue to fare a strong second from the late 1970s well into the early 1990s as KHOU began to struggle with management and ownership issues during this period. From 1985 to 1992, the station's newscasts were branded as ''ChannelTwoNews'', broadcasting round-the-clock news updates throughout the day, including during NBC prime time shows. For several years during the early 1990s, updates also aired during the overnight hours with producers and other newsroom personnel serving as anchors. During this time, national voiceover announcer [[Charlie Van Dyke]] served as the station's image announcer, with KPRC-TV personality Don Armstrong serving as the local promo announcer.

With anchors such as Stone, Balleza, Nicholas, Jan Carson, [[Linda Lorelle]], and Dan O'Rourke, weathermen Johnson and Ted Shaw, and sports anchors Ron Franklin, Craig Roberts and Lisa Malosky, the station's newscasts often competed for and even placed first at times. In the fall of 1994, shortly after [[Post-Newsweek Stations]] bought KPRC-TV, its newscasts were retitled as ''News 2 Houston'' with a somewhat more tabloid presentational style (in contrast to its more traditional format under local ownership) similar to that of its Detroit sister station, WDIV-TV. Two years later, KPRC-TV constructed a new newsroom within one of its three studios, using the newsroom as a backdrop that was similar to the "newsplex" set used by Miami Fox affiliate [[WSVN]], itself a former NBC affiliate which became a ratings leader in that market after [[1989 South Florida television affiliation switch|losing its NBC affiliation]] and switching to a similar tabloid-style format. This set was referred to as the "News Center" and was used on-air until 2006, even though the physical newsroom continued to exist until the move to its current facilities in 2017.  In addition, KPRC also added longtime WSVN voiceover Scott Chapin as promotional announcer during the late 1990s.

In 1996, KPRC-TV debuted a half-hour 4 p.m. newscast. During this time, KPRC-TV won more awards and continued to avidly compete in the ratings with KTRK as well as a resurgent KHOU, even occasionally beating KTRK at 10 p.m. on the strength of NBC's "[[Must See TV]]" programming of the 1990s. Notable personalities who rose to prominence in the ''News 2 Houston'' era included Dominique Sachse (who started as a traffic reporter before moving to an anchor role on the morning news), chief meteorologist Frank Billingsley (who left his position as KTRK's weekend meteorologist to succeed Doug Johnson as evening weather anchor), and investigative reporter [[Tony Kovaleski]] (whose reports resulted in numerous awards for the station).  News anchors for KPRC in the 1990s included Brett Lea (who had anchored at KPRC-TV's former sister station under H&C Communications ownership, WTVF in Nashville), future Chicago news anchor [[Rob Johnson (news anchor)|Rob Johnson]] and Khambrel Marshall, a former sportscaster for KPRC's then-sister station [[WPLG-TV]] and news anchor at [[WFOR-TV|WCIX/WFOR-TV]] in Miami.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Walker|first=Henry|date=August 28, 1997|title=Desperately Seeking the News|url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/desperately-seeking-the-news/article_09a12aa2-9849-58c3-9be8-d0498f7a290e.html|access-date=June 17, 2022|work=Nashville Scene|language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2004, KPRC-TV retitled its newscasts as ''Local 2 News'', putting the station in line with its fellow Post-Newsweek stations which adopted similar branding and perhaps to avoid confusion with [[News 24 Houston]], a 24-hour local cable news channel owned by [[Time Warner Cable]] and [[Belo Corporation|Belo]] (then-owner of KHOU) which shut down just weeks before KPRC-TV's transition was complete. However, by this time the station had gone into a period a decline both in terms of quality and ratings. At one point, KPRC-TV's 5 p.m. newscast even reportedly finished in fifth place, behind English-language newscasts on KHOU and KTRK-TV, a Spanish-language newscast on [[Univision]] station [[KXLN]] (channel 45), and even syndicated reruns of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' on Fox station KRIV (channel 26) which at one point even led all Houston newscasts airing in that timeslot. Despite a strong lead-in from ''Dr. Phil'', KPRC-TV also continued to decline at 4 p.m. and in both the morning and evening hours as NBC's ratings began to enter a steep decline following the ending of several of its 1990s-era staples such as ''[[Friends]]'' and ''[[Frasier]]'', with the station even dropping ''Dr. Phil'' at one point and not even clearing the show for another Houston station to pick up. KPRC-TV was also hit with a 2006 boycott by [[civil rights]] activist [[Quanell X]] and other African American leaders following the demotion of African American anchors Linda Lorelle and Khambrel Marshall from its evening broadcasts. In response to the controversy, KPRC-TV hired longtime KHOU anchor Jerome Gray, who is African American, to anchor its early evening newscasts as well as serve as a managing editor, and moved former anchor Khambrel Marshall to executive producer, with Marshall eventually moving back on-air as a weekend meteorologist and host of ''Houston Newsmakers''.

Overall, by early 2007, KPRC-TV was in third place behind KHOU and KTRK. However, since [[Nielsen Media Research]] began using Local People Meters in the Houston market in October 2007, KPRC-TV began to see gains in most timeslots, while its competition saw declines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Market Profile: Houston |url=http://www.marketingymedios.com/marketingymedios/market_profile/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003677624 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071202063430/http://www.marketingymedios.com/marketingymedios/market_profile/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003677624 |archive-date=December 2, 2007 |website=Marketing y Medios}}</ref> KPRC-TV's morning and late-evening newscasts made the most gains in 2007, competing for second place with KHOU. On July 19, 2008, during its 6 p.m. newscasts, KPRC-TV began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition in the run up to NBC's coverage of the [[2008 Summer Olympics]]. On August 24, 2009, KPRC-TV expanded its morning newscast to an additional half-hour at 4:30&nbsp;am. By 2012, the station's 6 p.m. newscast had ratings gains, boasting its highest viewership in November and December, as well as significant increases in all other time periods; the 10 p.m. broadcast also grew, besting KTRK for first in the timeslot for several consecutive months that year.  KPRC-TV retitled its newscasts back to ''Channel 2 News'' in 2015.

In January 2020, Bill Balleza retired from KPRC-TV.<ref>[https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/trending/article/KPRC-legendary-anchor-Bill-Balleza-to-sign-off-15014371.php KPRC legendary anchor Bill Balleza to sign off Friday, other TV personalities on the move] ''Houston Chronicle'' January 29, 2020 (retrieved January 30, 2021)</ref>  Two months later, Kris Gutierrez, who was previously with KPRC-TV from 2003 to 2007, rejoined KPRC-TV as Balleza's replacement.  Gutierrez, in between his stints for KPRC-TV, was a [[Fox News Channel]] correspondent and an anchor for [[WBBM-TV]] in Chicago, as well as for NBC owned-and-operated station KXAS-TV in the [[Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex]].<ref>[https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2020/03/19/kris-gutierrez-joins-kprc-2-as-evening-news-anchor/ Kris Gutierrez joins KPRC 2 as evening news anchor] ''Click2Houston.com'' March 19, 2020 (retrieved January 30, 2021)</ref>  In January 2021, KPRC-TV's newscasts were retitled as ''KPRC 2 News''.  Dominique Sachse departed from KPRC-TV on October 29, 2021.  Three days later, the station announced that former KPRC reporter and weekend anchor [[Daniella Guzman]] (who had anchored at NBC owned-and-operated stations [[WMAQ-TV]] in Chicago and [[KNBC]] in Los Angeles) will succeed Sachse; Guzman returned to KPRC-TV on January 12, 2022.<ref name="kprcGuzman">{{cite web|url=https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/11/01/kprc-2-welcomes-daniella-guzman-back-to-houston-news/|title=KPRC 2 welcomes Daniella Guzman back to Houston news|date=November 1, 2021|website=Click2Houston.com (KPRC-TV)|accessdate=November 1, 2021}}</ref>  Gutierrez departed from KPRC-TV in February 2022 and was later succeeded (officially on June 20) by Keith Garvin, a former ABC News correspondent who had joined KPRC-TV in August 2012 as news anchor and reporter.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Eck|first=Kevin|date=February 4, 2022|title=Kris Gutierrez Leaves KPRC After Two Years|url=https://www.adweek.com/tvspy/kris-gutierrez-eaves-kprc-after-two-years/238521/|access-date=February 5, 2022|work=[[Adweek]]|language=en-US}}{{Dead link|date=February 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=June 8, 2022|title=Keith Garvin named anchor of KPRC 2′s evening and late newscasts|url=https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2022/06/08/keith-garvin-named-anchor-of-kprc-2s-evening-and-late-newscasts/|access-date=June 17, 2022|work=Click2Houston.com (KPRC-TV)|language=en-US}}</ref>

====Notable current on-air staff====
* [[Melanie Camp]] – correspondent for ''Houston Life'' (2022–present)
* [[Daniella Guzman]] – weekday anchor (was previously with KPRC-TV as a reporter and weekend anchor from 2006 to 2012)<ref name="kprcGuzman"/>

====Notable former on-air staff====
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Mark Alford (politician)|Mark Alford]] – reporter and weekend anchor (1995–1998)
* [[Gayle Anderson]] – "2 On Your Side" reporter/midday anchor (1986–1991)
* [[Charles A. Berry|Dr. Charles "Chuck" Berry]] – House Physician for ''Big 2 News'' (1977-1980s)<ref>[https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/houston-tx/charles-berry-9069172 OBITUARY - Charles Alden Berry MD] ''Dignity Memorial.com'' March 2020.  Retrieved May 22, 2021.</ref>
* [[Bill Enis]] – sports director (1960s–1973)
* [[Ron Franklin]] – sports director (1980–1987)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espnmediazone.com/bios/Talent/Franklin_Ron.htm |title=Ron Franklin bio |publisher=[[ESPN]] |access-date=March 13, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090722080422/http://www.espnmediazone.com/bios/Talent/Franklin_Ron.htm |archive-date=July 22, 2009 }}</ref>
* [[Joanne Herring]] – host of ''The Joanne King Show'' (1974–1979)<ref>{{cite AV media |title = Joanne King Herring's legacy at KPRC-TV |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-105PIxeqY&t=12s |publisher = KPRC 2 Click2Houston |access-date = January 8, 2023 |via = YouTube |at = 0:00 }}</ref>
* [[Wes Hohenstein]] – weekday morning meteorologist (2003–2006)
* [[Kay Bailey Hutchison]] – known on-air as Kay Bailey, Channel 2's first female reporter (1967–1972)
* [[Tom Jarriel]] – worked behind the scenes in the news department as a reporter for a number of years
* [[Rob Johnson (news anchor)|Rob Johnson]] – (1995–1998)
* [[Tony Kovaleski]] – investigative reporter (1997–2001)
* [[Tim Lake]] – weekend anchor and reporter (1987–1992)
* [[Linda Lorelle]] – anchor (1989–2006)
* [[Byron Miranda]] – meteorologist
* [[Sylvia Perez]] – reporter/anchor (?–1989)
* [[John Quiñones]] – reporter/anchor (1975–1978)
* [[Jacob Rascon]] – weekend anchor and reporter (2017–2021)
* [[Jacque Reid]] – reporter/anchor (1997–2000)
* [[Janet Shamlian]] – weekend anchor (1995–1997)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/team/janet-shamlian/|title=Janet Shamlian bio|date=August 13, 2019|publisher=[[CBS News]]|access-date=December 11, 2021}}</ref>
* [[Ron Stone (reporter)|Ron Stone]] – anchor (1972–1992)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Anchorman-Ron-Stone-left-deep-imprint-on-local-1763139.php|title=Anchorman Ron Stone left deep imprint on local news|last=Barron|first=David|date=May 13, 2008|work=[[Houston Chronicle]]|access-date=March 13, 2013}}</ref>
* [[Spencer Tillman]] – sports reporter/anchor (1987–1997)
* [[Charlie Van Dyke]] – announcer (1982–1993)
* [[Bill Worrell]] – news anchor/sportscaster (1970–1980)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.houstoniamag.com/news-and-city-life/2017/03/bill-worrell-houston-rockets-astros-sports-broadcaste|title=Bill Worrell, Play-by-Play Announcer, on His Iconic Sports Broadcasting Career|work=Houstonia Magazine|first=Jeff|last=Balke|date=March 21, 2017|access-date=May 9, 2024}}{{Dead link|date=February 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
* [[Chris Wragge]] – sports director (1998–2004)
* [[Paula Zahn]] – anchor (1981–1983)
* [[Marvin Zindler]] – reporter (1950–1954)
{{div col end}}

==In popular culture==
[[File:KPRC-as-KVIK-from-soap-opera-Texas-opening.png|thumb|Screen-capture image of KPRC's building façade and STL tower, appearing as fictional station 'KVIK' from the opening sequence of former NBC soap opera ''Texas''.]]
In 1958, ''[[Reader's Digest]]'' published an article on how one afternoon in 1953, a signal showing KLEE's [[station ID]] supposedly appeared on TV sets throughout England—three years after the station was sold and changed to KPRC-TV. Although quickly revealed as a hoax to sell TV sets in the UK, it remains a long-standing [[urban legend]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://historysdumpster.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-legend-of-klee-tv.html|title=History's Dumpster: The Legend Of KLEE-TV|first=Larry|last=Waldbillig|date=January 13, 2015}}</ref>

In the 1980–82 NBC soap opera ''[[Texas (soap opera)|Texas]]'', which was set primarily in Houston, the series made several mentions of fictional television station "KVIK", run by one of the show's characters. A brief view of the exterior of KPRC-TV's studio facility, which was marked with a "KVIK" sign out front, can be seen during a later version of the show's opening title sequence. One episode of the series features a scene in which two characters are conversing while walking down a second-floor hallway at "KVIK" (which was filmed at the KPRC building) that overlooks the first-floor lobby.

==Technical information==
[[File:Kprc dt3.png|175px|thumb|KPRC-DT3 logo during its LATV affiliation]]

===Subchannels===
The station's signal is [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:

{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of KPRC-TV<ref name="kprcrabbitears">{{cite web|title=Digital TV Market Listing for KPRC|url=https://rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=KPRC#station|website=[[RabbitEars.info]]|access-date=November 9, 2022|language=en}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 2.1
| [[1080i]] || rowspan=5| [[16:9]] || KPRC-HD || [[NBC]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 2.2
| rowspan=4| [[480i]] || StartTV || [[Start TV]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 2.3
| H&I || [[Heroes & Icons]]
|- style="background-color: #E6FFF7;"
! scope = "row" | [[KYAZ|2.4]]
| MeTV ||[[MeTV]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 2.5
| MeToons || [[MeTV Toons]]
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6; border-top: 2px solid #003399;"
! scope = "row" | [[KIAH|39.1]]
| 1080i || 16:9 || KIAH-DT || [[The CW]] ([[KIAH]])
|}
{{legend|#E6FFF7|Simulcast of subchannels of another station}}
{{legend|#DFEBF6|Broadcast on behalf of another station}}

KPRC-TV had carried [[This TV]] from the start of 2009 until May 28, 2018, on its second subchannel, being one of the network's longest-tenured affiliates before leaving This TV on that day. KPRC-DT2 then became the new home of [[MeTV]] in the Houston market, taking over that role from [[KUBE-TV]] 57.4. (This TV moved to the newly created 57.7 and [[Cozi TV]] swapped to 57.4). On March 29, 2021, MeTV moved to KYAZ channel 51.1. KYAZ was acquired by [[Weigel Broadcasting]] in December 2020 and became a MeTV owned-and-operated station; Start TV was moved from KPRC-DT4 to KPRC-DT2. Later that year, KPRC-DT4 was reactivated with [[Dabl]] as its affiliation and remained until January 12, 2025 when it moved to the third digital subchannel of KYAZ (replacing a simulcast of [[MeTV#MeTV Plus|MeTV Plus]]). On that same day, KPRC resumed carrying MeTV (via a simulcast of KYAZ) on its fourth digital subchannel.<ref name="kprcstart">[https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2021/03/22/kprc-2-launches-start-tv-network-on-channel-22-in-houston/ KPRC 2 launches Start TV Network on Channel 2.2 in Houston] ''Click2Houston.com'', March 22, 2021 (Retrieved March 28, 2021).</ref>

===Analog-to-digital conversion===
KPRC-TV ended regular programming on its analog signal, over [[VHF]] channel 2, on June 12, 2009, as part of the [[Digital television transition in the United States|federally mandated transition from analog to digital television]].<ref name="Analog to Digital">[http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf List of Digital Full-Power Stations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |date=August 29, 2013 }}</ref> The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition [[UHF]] channel 35, using [[virtual channel]] 2. On that date, [[tropospheric ducting]] resulted in KPRC-TV's digital signal being receivable as far away as [[Alexandria, Louisiana]], where KPRC-TV virtual channel 2.1 was seen in place of [[KALB-TV]]'s virtual channel 5.1 on digital receivers (both stations transmit their digital signals on UHF channel 35).{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}

As part of the [[SAFER Act]],<ref name="FCC Nightlight">{{cite web|url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-291375A1.pdf|title=UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|date=June 12, 2009|access-date=June 4, 2012}}</ref><ref name="FCCForm387">{{citation |url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101314289&formid=911&fac_num=40993 |title=CDBS Print |work=FCC CDBS database |access-date=November 20, 2012}}{{dead link|fix-attempted=1|date=June 2024}}</ref> KPRC kept its analog signal on the air until July 12 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop of [[public service announcement]]s from the [[National Association of Broadcasters]].

Prior to the digital transition, KPRC-TV was the only Houston station on the VHF dial whose [[cable television|cable]] channel position did not match its over-the-air analog channel. Due to interference from the low-band VHF terrestrial signal, [[Comcast Xfinity]] carried KPRC-TV in analog SD on channel 12. It is carried on digital HD on channels 612 and 1002. Other cable systems on the outer edges of the Houston media market carry KPRC-TV on cable channel 2. It is also available on cable in [[Lufkin]]–[[Nacogdoches]] and [[Bryan, Texas|Bryan]]–[[College Station, Texas|College Station]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Portal bar|Texas|Television|United States}}

==External links==
* {{Official website}}
* [http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/klee.htm Snopes.com article about a KLEE-TV phantom broadcast]
* [https://texasarchive.org/taxonomy/term/116506 KPRC Film and Video Collection at the Texas Archive of the Moving Image]

{{Houston TV}}
{{Southwest Management District}}
{{NBC Texas}}
{{Graham}}

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[[Category:1949 establishments in Texas]]
[[Category:Graham Media Group]]
[[Category:Heroes & Icons affiliates]]
[[Category:MeTV affiliates]]
[[Category:MeTV Toons affiliates]]
[[Category:NFL primary television stations]]
[[Category:NBC affiliates]]
[[Category:Start TV affiliates]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1949]]
[[Category:Television stations in Houston|PRC-TV]]