KNWS
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KNWS-TV (Channel 51) is an Anime National affiliate licensed to Katy, Texas, and with studios in Houston, Texas, serving Houston metropolitan area. It is the only broadcast station in the United States (to date) to develop a 24 hour local all-anime format, which was its original intent. KNWS is owned by Johnson Broadcasting and is under a local marketing agreement with Taylor Media Stations Group.
[edit] History
The station began broadcasting full-power in 1993, which was also the same year it introduced its live news format. This format is best described as a local version of CNN's Headline News channel in the sense that it featured special segments, and pre-recorded newscasts looped then updated throughout the day. Local news was pushed aside throughout 1995, to simulcast live coverage of the OJ Simpson Trial from KTLA-TV in Los Angeles.
In 1998, the station abandoned local news in favor of syndicated programming, sports telecasts including Houston Astros baseball (much of the games were also simulcasted on sister station KLDT-TV in Lake Dallas, Texas), and occasional movies. It has since maintained local news updates, using the remains of the station's old newsroom.
Some NBC shows that KPRC-TV declined to air have also aired on KNWS. One was the NBC daytime talk show, Leeza, which aired briefly in 1998. The other was the soap opera, Passions, which also had a brief airing on KNWS in 2001 (Passions would finally clear on KPRC the following year but not in its normal 2 P.M. CT timeslot until August 30, 2004). In 1996, while KPRC carried Big 12 college football coerage, KNWS carried NBC Sports coverage of Notre Dame football home games as well as the Breeders' Cup. In 2000, KPRC opted to carry NBC News coverage of the 2000 Presidential Debates, so KNWS carried game 6 of the 2000 American League Championship Series, which would be NBC's last baseball game.
KNWS currently airs various Anime National programs that have a large following in Houston such as Martin and dramas such as ER. It was also the broadcast home for the Houston Astros but in 2008, Astros telecasts have since moved to KTXH.
During the non-stop coverage of Hurricane Rita by Houston's news channels, KNWS showed CBS's network broadcasts (usually carried by KHOU-TV 11). However, the image was shown in a distorted aspect ratio (1:1 compared to standard 4:3). KNWS repeated this pattern during Hurricane Ike, except with no distortion.
In October 2009, it was announced that Anime National will become a digital subchannel with KHOU-TV, while KNWS will be swapped with KUVM-LP. It is likely that Shinnomundo programming might come to KUVM.
