KALB-TV

KALB-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Central Louisiana licensed to Alexandria. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 35 (virtual channel 5.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in Forest Hill. The station can also be seen on Suddenlink channel 5 and in high definition on digital channel 730. Its subchannel on 5.2 is named "CBS 2" for its cable slot on Suddenlink analog channel 2; it also airs on that system in high definition on digital channel 715. Owned by Gray Television, KALB maintains studios on Washington Street in downtown Alexandria. Syndicated programming on the station includes Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and The Rachael Ray Show, among others.

Digital channels

History

KALB began broadcasting on September 29, 1954 with NBC's airing of the 1954 World Series. It aired an analog signal on VHF channel 5. The station has been an affiliate with the network from the very first day although it also carried programs from CBS and DuMont until that network folded in 1955. In 1957, the station was bought by Shreveport businessman T. B. Lanford and his company Red River Valley Broadcasting. KALB also aired programming from ABC, such as Happy Days, on a secondary basis until the early 1980s. Park Communications purchased KALB in 1993 and merged with Media General in 1997. KALB began calling itself "Newschannel 5" when it came under Media General ownership. KALB began broadcasting in stereo in 1988. The station launched its digital signal in 2002.