KATC Communications

What KATC Communications does

KATC Communications operates KATC TV3 Acadiana's NewsChannel, a local broadcast television station licensed to Scripps Broadcasting Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of The E.W. Scripps Company. Founded in 1962 and headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana, the station serves the Acadiana region of Louisiana across ten parishes including Lafayette, Acadia, St. Landry, Evangeline, Iberia, St. Martin, St. Mary, Vermilion, Calcasieu, and Jeff Davis. As an ABC affiliate, KATC delivers local news, weather, sports (including UL, LSU, and high school coverage), and community programming to viewers via over-the-air broadcast on RF Channel 28, cable and satellite carriage, and a growing portfolio of digital platforms.

The station's technical stack combines traditional broadcast television production with digital distribution and weather services. Core digital products include the KATC News app for iOS and Android, live streaming via katc.com/live distributed across Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, and Tablo, and a suite of branded weather tools — including the Interactive StormTracker, Hurricane Center, and breaking news alert system — built on National Weather Service data. Content is supplemented through ongoing partnerships with Scripps News Group and the Associated Press for national and international coverage.

KATC generates revenue through an advertising-based model, monetizing local and regional advertising during news, weather, and sports programming, supplemented by national advertising routed through Scripps Networks. There is no consumer-facing pricing, as the station is free-to-air. On July 21, 2025, Scripps Broadcasting Holdings LLC filed with the FCC to assign KATC's broadcast license to Gray Television Licensee, LLC, signaling a forthcoming change in ownership. The station has 101–250 employees and is not publicly traded; its parent E.W. Scripps Company trades on NASDAQ under ticker SSP.

Name

KATC Communications

Legal name

Scripps Broadcasting Holdings LLC

Website

https://katc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

KATC Communications operates KATC TV3, an ABC-affiliated local broadcast television station serving Lafayette, Louisiana and the surrounding Acadiana region. It delivers local news, weather, sports, and community content via over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite, and digital streaming platforms under E.W. Scripps ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Network-Affiliated Local TV Stations (ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/CW/Telemundo/Univision, etc.) (MPABACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

Keywords

• Local broadcast television
• Television news station
• Weather forecasting services
• Television advertising sales
• Live streaming news

Headquarters

HQ city

Lafayette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: KATC generates revenue through local and national advertising placements during news programming, weather segments, sports coverage, and digital content. The station serves local businesses, regional advertisers, and accepts national advertising through Scripps Networks.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KATC Communications operates KATC TV3 Acadiana's NewsChannel, a local ABC-affiliated broadcast television station providing hyperlocal news, weather, sports, and entertainment content to the Lafayette, Louisiana and Acadiana region. Programming is distributed free of charge via over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite carriage, mobile apps, and connected TV streaming platforms, with revenue generated through advertising placements sold to local and regional businesses.

Product overview

KATC Communications operates KATC TV3 Acadiana's NewsChannel, a local broadcast television station serving the Lafayette, Louisiana area and surrounding Acadiana parishes. The station provides local news, national news aggregation, weather forecasting (including Hurricane Center and Interactive StormTracker), sports coverage, and entertainment content through traditional broadcast and digital platforms. The digital offerings include a mobile app for iOS and Android, live streaming via Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Tablo devices, breaking news alert notifications, and a consumer advocacy feature called 'Don't Waste Your Money'. Viewer support is facilitated through a dedicated support portal with knowledge base and ticket submission capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KATC TV3 Acadiana's NewsChannel Free-to-air ABC-affiliated local broadcast television station providing hyperlocal news, weather, sports, and entertainment programming to residents of Lafayette and the surrounding Acadiana parishes of Louisiana. Content is distributed via over-the-air broadcast, cable/satellite carriage, website, mobile apps, and streaming platforms, monetized through advertising.
• KATC News App Free mobile application available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store that delivers KATC's local news articles, weather forecasts, breaking news alerts, and video content to users on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.
• Live Streaming Video Free ad-supported live streaming service that delivers KATC's broadcast news, weather, and sports content to viewers on connected devices including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, and Tablo DVR.
• Breaking News Alerts Opt-in alert notification service that delivers breaking news, severe weather warnings, and urgent community updates to Acadiana residents via email and mobile push notifications.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• E.W. Scripps Company (Licensor)coreTechnology or IntegrationKATC is owned and operated by E.W. Scripps Company. On July 21, 2025, Scripps Broadcasting Holdings LLC filed with the FCC for consent to assign the broadcast license to Gray Television Licensee, LLC. This is a license transfer/assignment rather than a typical partnership.
• Gray Television (Pending Licensee)coreOthersGray Television is the pending assignee for KATC's broadcast license following FCC approval. The license transfer from Scripps to Gray was filed in July 2025 and is pending regulatory approval.
• Scripps News GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKATC operates under Scripps News Group and distributes Scripps News content alongside local reporting. The station carries national and international news from Scripps News Group, including investigative journalism and breaking news coverage.
• Associated Press (AP)coreTechnology or IntegrationKATC sources national and international news content from the Associated Press via Scripps News Group. Multiple articles throughout the site reference 'AP via Scripps News Group' indicating ongoing content syndication.
• National Weather ServicecoreTechnology or IntegrationKATC's weather forecasting and alerts are powered by data from the National Weather Service of the United States. Weather data originates from NWS automated stations and COOP stations.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• WGMB-TV (FOX 44): Fox affiliate in Baton Rouge. Comparable as another regional Louisiana broadcast competitor with overlapping Acadiana viewership and similar ad-supported revenue model.
• WAFB-TV: CBS affiliate in Baton Rouge. Comparable regional broadcaster operating a news/weather-heavy format in a Louisiana market adjacent to KATC's footprint.
• WVLA-TV: NBC affiliate in Baton Rouge covering a neighboring Louisiana DMA with similar local news and weather operations. Comparable as a regional Louisiana broadcast peer competing for spillover viewership in Acadiana.
• KPLC-TV: NBC affiliate in Lake Charles, LA, serving a Gulf Coast market that overlaps KATC's Calcasieu/Jeff Davis Parish coverage. Comparable as a peer Louisiana local broadcaster with hurricane-focused weather coverage.

Broad incumbents

• The E.W. Scripps Company: Current parent of KATC's licensee (Scripps Broadcasting Holdings LLC) and a publicly traded broadcast/digital media company. Comparable as the parent station group providing network affiliation, content, and shared services.
• Nexstar Media Group: Largest US owner of local TV stations, operating network affiliates nationwide. Comparable as a broad incumbent broadcast group whose scale and retransmission leverage define the competitive context for stations like KATC.
• Gray Television: Pending acquirer of KATC's license (filed July 2025) and one of the largest US local TV station operators. Broadly comparable as a multi-station broadcast group with overlapping local news/advertising capabilities and operational synergies.
• TEGNA: Major US local broadcast group operating network-affiliated stations. Comparable as a peer station group of similar size whose portfolio economics and digital strategies shape the market for affiliates like KATC.

Direct peers

• KLFY-TV: CBS affiliate serving the same Lafayette/Acadiana market. Most directly comparable peer — competes head-to-head for local viewers, advertisers, and news share of voice in the Acadiana DMA.
• WBRZ-TV: ABC affiliate in the adjacent Baton Rouge market. Comparable because it shares KATC's network affiliation and runs a similar local news/weather/sports playbook against overlapping Acadiana viewers in the broader Louisiana media corridor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/katctv3
• Facebookfacebook.com/katctv3
• Instagraminstagram.com/katctv3
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/katc-communications

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KATC Communications