KATC (TV) - History

History

The station began operations on September 19, 1962, and was locally owned by Acadian Television Company; through the 1970s and 1980s, the station was a sister station to New Orleans' CBS affiliate WWL-TV under the ownership of Loyola University New Orleans. In 1984, Loyola divested their broadcast properties, with WWL going to a group of station employees and KATC going to investment firm Merrill Lynch and eventually being sold to Cordillera. In 1993, the station joined other ABC affiliates, including WBRZ in Baton Rouge, in not airing the pilot to NYPD Blue. In 1998 The Evening Post Publishing Company purchased the station along with WLEX-TV in Lexington, Kentucky as the present owner. In 2003, the station started broadcasting in stereo.

KATC continued to use its transmitter for its analog signal located south of Crowley, Louisiana until the mandated digital date of June 12, 2009. KATC is also the ABC affiliate of record for Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana, since that area does not have an ABC affiliate of its own.