What KPLC does

KPLC (legal entity: Gray Local Media, Inc.) is a local broadcast television station operating as the NBC affiliate for the Lake Charles / Southwest Louisiana Designated Market Area, founded in 1954 and headquartered at 320 Division Street, Lake Charles, Louisiana. The station produces and distributes local news, weather, sports, and community programming under the core brands "KPLC 7 News" and "First Alert Weather," with a digital footprint comprising kplctv.com (live stream, on-demand video, Daily Digest newsletter), the First Alert Weather mobile app, dedicated social channels (Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn), and Spanish-language content under the Español section.

The product portfolio spans linear broadcast and digital surfaces — including NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) delivery, InvestigateTV investigative journalism syndication, PowerNation automotive programming, Circle Country, Watching Your Wallet consumer reporting, and digital-first series First Alert Weather Extra — all delivered on top of Gray Television group infrastructure and shared content pipelines. John Ware serves as Vice President and General Manager, with sales, advertising (contact: [email protected]), public file, and closed captioning functions formally staffed.

Revenue is generated through traditional broadcast advertising sales and sponsorships to local and regional businesses; retransmission fees and group-level political advertising cycles also flow through Gray Television (NYSE: GTN). KPLC does not publicly disclose standalone station pricing or revenue. Distribution relies on over-the-air spectrum, network-affiliated syndicated content, owned digital properties, and Gray Television's national network syndication assets.

Name

KPLC

Legal name

Gray Local Media, Inc.

Website

https://kplctv.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KPLC 7 News is the NBC affiliate television station serving Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana, producing local news, weather, sports, and community programming under Gray Local Media (a subsidiary of Gray Television, NYSE: GTN) and distributing via broadcast, web, mobile, and social channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Broadcast Television

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Weather & Emergency Information Channels (MPABAIAF), Rolling News & Breaking News Channels (MPABAIAH)

Keywords

• Local broadcast television
• News broadcasting station
• Weather forecasting services
• Local sports coverage
• Community journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Charles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KPLC 7 News is a local NBC affiliate broadcast television station providing local news, weather forecasting, sports coverage, and community programming to viewers in Lake Charles and the Southwest Louisiana region. The station produces daily newscasts, severe weather coverage through its First Alert Weather brand, local high school and college sports coverage, and community-focused segments. Content is distributed via over-the-air broadcast, digital streaming, mobile applications, and social media channels.

Product overview

KPLC 7 News is a local broadcast television station owned by Gray Television, serving the Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana market. The station operates as a traditional broadcast media company offering a unified local news product alongside its digital platform. The core offerings include KPLC 7 News (local TV broadcasting with news, sports, crime, education, and investigative content), First Alert Weather (weather forecasting with radar, alerts, and hurricane tracking), and Video/Live Streaming (on-demand video content and live broadcast streaming). Additional sub-products and programming blocks include NextGen TV (advanced broadcast technology), PowerNation (motorsports), InvestigateTV (investigative journalism), Circle Country (entertainment), Watching Your Wallet (consumer reporting), and First Alert Weather Extra (digital-first weather programming). The station also publishes Spanish-language content through its Español section and offers community-focused segments like We the People and Heart of Louisiana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• First Alert Weather: KPLC's weather forecasting brand providing First Alert weather forecasts, warnings, and weather-related content for Southwest Louisiana
• First Alert Weather App

Products and services

• KPLC 7 News

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WBRZ: WBRZ is the ABC affiliate in Baton Rouge — a same-state local competitor with similar operations across news, weather, sports, and digital distribution.
• WDSU: WDSU is the NBC affiliate in New Orleans, Louisiana — the same network affiliation as KPLC. Same state, same network, overlapping regional market; directly comparable in business model and content mix (local news, weather, sports).
• KLFY-TV: KLFY is the CBS affiliate in Lafayette, Louisiana — adjacent DMA to Lake Charles. Comparable mid-sized Louisiana market broadcaster with similar content categories (local news, weather, sports, community programming) and ad-revenue model.
• WAFB: WAFB is the CBS affiliate serving Baton Rouge and surrounding Louisiana — a competing in-state network affiliate with comparable local news, weather, and sports operations and a similar advertising-driven model.
• WVUE: WVUE is the FOX affiliate in New Orleans — another large in-state local broadcast competitor with overlapping digital and streaming distribution and a comparable advertiser-funded model.
• KTBS: KTBS is the ABC affiliate in Shreveport, Louisiana — a direct same-state competitor offering the same mix of news, weather, sports, and community content to a similar-sized regional audience.
• KALB-TV: KALB is the NBC affiliate in Alexandria, Louisiana — same network affiliation, similar mid-sized Louisiana market, offering directly comparable local news and weather products.
• KSLA: KSLA is the CBS affiliate in Shreveport, Louisiana — comparable mid-sized Louisiana local broadcast station with matching editorial, weather, and community programming focus.

Broad incumbents

• Tegna: Tegna is a large U.S. broadcast group operating numerous local network affiliate stations — comparable business model (local news, weather, sports, ad sales) and serves as a broad incumbent reference point for local TV station economics.
• Gray Television: Gray Television (NYSE: GTN) is KPLC's publicly traded parent and one of the largest U.S. local broadcast groups — operates the same broadcast model at greater scale across ~100 markets, making it directly comparable as an industry-wide benchmark for local TV economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KPLC7News
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZ2hGck0l2IJqLhgLqHqQ5g
• Facebookfacebook.com/kplc7news
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kplc-tv
• Instagraminstagram.com/kplctv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 KPLC