KSWL-LD (channel 17) is a low-power television station in Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting alongside MyNetworkTV/MeTV/Telemundo affiliate KWWE-LD (channel 19). The two stations share studios on West Prien Lake Road in Lake Charles; KSWL-LD's transmitter is located at the KTSR tower in Westlake.
History
In 2011, the FCC awarded a construction permit for the station, with the call sign of K17KH-D. The current KSWL-LD calls were adopted on February 10, 2017. Five days later, the station went on the air as the Lake Charles area's CBS affiliate.[2]
KSWL-LD is the area's first CBS affiliate since the shutdown of its original CBS affiliate, KTAG-TV (UHF channel 25), in August 1961.[3] Between that time, KLFY-TV in Lafayette served as the default CBS affiliate via cable for Southwestern Louisiana, while Beaumont affiliate KFDM was carried by a few cable providers in some areas of the market. Between KSWL-LD's sign-on as part of CBS, sister station KWWE-LD's sign on as a MyNetworkTV affiliate, and Fox affiliate KVHP launching ABC programming on its DT2 subchannel, the year 2017 marks the first time that the Lake Charles area has received over-the-air service from every major television network, having previously relied on cable television to supply network affiliates from Lafayette and Beaumont for CBS, ABC, MyNetworkTV, and until 2009, The CW.[4][5]
News operation
The station is unusual among CBS affiliates in that it carries no local news. However, it airs local weather inserts during CBS Mornings as well as a five-minute weathercast at the conclusion of CBS' prime time programming. KSWL also produces and airs two sports programs focused on Southwest Louisiana-area sports: Sound Off, which is a call-in show about secondary and postsecondary sports, and Poke Nation, covering sports at McNeese State University.
Subchannels
The station's signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | KSWLCBS | CBS |
| 17.2 | 480i | CourtTV | Court TV | |
| 17.3 | Laff | Laff | ||
| 17.4 | 4:3 | QVC | QVC | |
| 17.5 | Newsy | Scripps News |
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KSWL-LD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Lake Charles gets a local CBS television station". AmericanPress.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ "Lake Charles First CBS Television Network Affiliate - Lake Charles, LA". lakecharles.com. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- ^ Digital TV Market Listing for KWWE-LD
- ^ KVHP Launching ABC Feed On Subchannel
- ^ RabbitEars TV Query for KSWL-LD
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