KOBR

KOBR is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Roswell, New Mexico, U.S. Also serving Carlsbad, KOBR operates on VHF channel 8 as a satellite of NBC affiliate KOB in Albuquerque, which is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. Other satellite stations of KOB include KOBF in Farmington and KOBG-TV in Silver City. These satellite operations provide additional news bureaus for KOB and sell advertising time to local sponsors.

History

As a separate station

KOBR channel 8 began operations in 1953 as KSWS-TV and was the first television station in southeastern New Mexico. KSWS began broadcasting with a 790-foot (240 m) tower and studios on Comanche Peak east of Roswell. The station's effective radiated visual power was 107 kW, and its height above average terrain was 905 feet (276 m). The station, owned by oil investor and petroleum engineer John A. Barnett, was affiliated with all four networks at the time: NBC, CBS, ABC and DuMont. The station moved to 1717 West 2nd Street in Roswell, which was purpose-built. A bigger 1,610-foot (490 m) tower was erected near Caprock, New Mexico, 43 miles (69 km) east of Roswell, in 1956. At that time, it was the world's tallest structure; the world's tallest tower of that type 50 years later (North Dakota's KVLY-TV mast) was 2,063 feet (629 m) in height. With the new transmitter, the effective radiated power was ramped up to 316 kW, the highest for a full-power VHF analog station; the antenna was 1,786 feet (544 m) above average terrain. The tower fell due to an ice storm in 1960, and a new 875-foot (267 m) tower was constructed. New facilities at Caprock and Comanche Peak were built. A newer tower was built by 1962. (See KOBR-TV Tower.)