KEPR-TV went on the air for the first time December 28, 1954, as a satellite of KIMA-TV. It was owned by Cascade Broadcasting Company, which also owned 40 percent of KWIE (610 AM) in Kennewick. Cascade bought the remaining 60 percent of KWIE in 1956[2] and changed its call letters to KEPR, matching the television station, the following year.[3]
A few years earlier, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) collapsed all of central Washington into one giant television market. However, this market was designated a "UHF island" due to being sandwiched between Seattle to the west, Spokane to the east and Portland to the south. It soon became apparent that one full-power UHF station would not nearly be enough for adequate coverage of this vast and mountainous area. KEPR-TV thus signed on as the first station in the United States to be a satellite of another.
Original plans called for it to be a straight repeater of KIMA-TV, apart from station identifications. However, it soon became apparent that Tri-Cities residents wanted a more local station. Monte Strohl, who until then had been a radio salesman at KIMA, was installed as the first manager-salesman of KEPR-TV. The station also added a separate news department.
Like its parent station, KEPR-TV carried programming from all three networks, but was a primary CBS affiliate. It lost NBC in 1965 when KNDU (channel 25) followed the lead of parent station KNDO (channel 23) and became a full-time NBC affiliate, and lost ABC when KVEW (channel 42) signed on along with parent KAPP (channel 35) in 1970. During the 1970s, the two stations co-branded as "Cascade TV."
KEPR produces Community Health Journal with Jim Hall, a former anchorman for the station who is now with Kadlec Medical Center in Richland. The program has aired for 15 years, making it one of the longest-running magazine programs in the market.
Filmways agreed to purchase Cascade Broadcasting for $3 million in 1968;[4] the sale was approved the following year.[5] Cascade's previous owners retained the company's radio stations, which by this point also included KEPR-FM (105.3 FM), under the name Yakima Valley Communications; the KEPR radio stations then changed their call letters to KONA and KONA-FM.[4][5] Filmways sold KEPR-TV, KIMA-TV, and KLEW-TV to NWG Broadcasting for $1 million in 1972.[6]Retlaw Enterprises acquired the NWG stations for $17 million in 1986;[7] the stations were operated as part of the Retlaw Broadcasting division.[8]Fisher Communications purchased KEPR-TV along with the other Retlaw owned stations in 1999.[9]
KEPR logo prior to 2007
In 2000, KEPR became the first station in the Tri-Cities to broadcast a digital signal with the activation of a low-power, standard-definition signal on channel 18; this was upgraded to a full-power, high-definition signal in 2007. The digital signal remained on channel 18 following the end of analog broadcasting in 2009, using virtual channel 19.
On March 30, 2009, KEPR launched a digital subchannel affiliated with The CW, filling the void left by KCWK (channel 9) going dark at the end of May 2008 due to the Pappas Telecasting bankruptcy.[10] The subchannel subsequently took KCWK's former channel 9 position on local cable systems. As had been the case with KCWK, programming is primarily sourced from the network's CW+ feed, along with a local 10 p.m. newscast.
On April 11, 2013, Fisher announced that it would sell its properties, including KEPR-TV, to the Sinclair Broadcast Group.[11] The deal was completed on August 8, 2013.[12]
KEPR's morning, 10 p.m. (on CW), 11 p.m. and weekend newscasts are shared with KIMA-TV. Branded as KIMA/KEPR Action News, they cover both the Columbia Basin and the Yakima Valley. KEPR continues to produce its own 5 and 6 p.m. weekday newscasts. There are no noon newscasts unlike most CBS affiliates.