KGLA-DT

KGLA-DT is a full-power Spanish-language television station licensed to Hammond, Louisiana, and serving viewers in the New Orleans area. The station is owned by Mayavision, Inc., operates studios on South I-10 Service Road West in Metairie, and transmits from a site on Paris Road, also known as Highway 47, northeast of Chalmette. Its broadcast identity is built around its affiliation with Telemundo, giving the New Orleans market locally distributed access to Telemundo's Spanish-language network programming. The station began broadcasting on June 5, 2007, under the call sign WHMM-DT. It was established as a digital-only full-power television station, meaning that it launched without a companion analog signal. At sign-on, the station operated with an effective radiated power of 1 megawatt, the maximum power then permitted for digital television stations. This configuration distinguished KGLA-DT from other Spanish-language services in the market, including WTNO-CD, an Estrella TV affiliate that operated under a Class A license. Mayavision announced its Telemundo affiliation agreement on April 23, 2007. Although the station had initially been expected to launch in May, its debut was delayed until June. The launch occurred during a period of significant demographic change in the New Orleans region. The area's Hispanic population grew substantially between 2005 and 2007, in part because reconstruction activity following Hurricane Katrina attracted workers and residents from Spanish-speaking communities. KGLA-DT was therefore positioned to serve an expanding audience while providing locally accessible Spanish-language network television. The station adopted the KGLA-TV call sign on August 27, 2007, and changed the suffix from “-TV” to “-DT” on December 21 of the same year. The KGLA call letters had previously been associated with a Gretna-licensed radio station, KGLA on 1540 AM, now identified as WFNO. Mayavision retained a 50 percent interest in that radio operation alongside Crocodile Broadcasting, and the television station inherited the call-sign identity. Because its license, studios, and transmitter are all located east of the Mississippi River, KGLA-DT is an unusual example of a station east of the river using a call sign beginning with the letter “K,” a convention historically more commonly associated with stations west of the Mississippi. KGLA-DT also launched its own website in late 2007. Its core business remains terrestrial television broadcasting and the distribution of Telemundo programming within the New Orleans-area market. Available reference material does not identify a separate corporate parent beyond Mayavision, detailed local programming divisions, current executives, or a comprehensive list of digital subchannels.

KGLA-DT was created as a full-power digital television station for the New Orleans market and first broadcast on June 5, 2007, using the call sign WHMM-DT. It was licensed to Hammond, Louisiana, while its operating facilities were established in the New Orleans metropolitan area. The station's studios are located in Metairie, and its transmitter is positioned northeast of Chalmette on Paris Road, or Highway 47. Before launch, Mayavision announced on April 23, 2007, that the station had reached an affiliation agreement with Telemundo. The station had originally been expected to begin service in mid-May, but the launch was postponed until June. When it went on the air, it operated entirely in the digital domain and did not have an accompanying analog facility. Its effective radiated power was 1 megawatt, described in the reference material as the maximum then allowed for digital television stations. The station's arrival expanded full-power Spanish-language television availability in the New Orleans market. At the time, the local Hispanic population had grown considerably between 2005 and 2007. That growth was associated in part with reconstruction employment and migration following Hurricane Katrina, which increased demand for Spanish-language media and information. KGLA-DT's Telemundo affiliation gave the station a national network schedule while its local facilities supported market-specific distribution and advertising. The station changed its call sign to KGLA-TV on August 27, 2007. On December 21, the call sign was changed again to KGLA-DT when the “-TV” suffix was replaced by “-DT.” The KGLA identity had previously been used by a radio station licensed to Gretna, Louisiana, identified at the time as KGLA on 1540 AM and now operating as WFNO. Mayavision held a 50 percent interest in that radio station together with Crocodile Broadcasting, allowing the television station to carry forward the KGLA call letters. KGLA-DT's geographic configuration is notable. Its city of license is Hammond, while its studios are in Metairie and its transmitter is near Chalmette; all three locations are east of the Mississippi River. This makes it an uncommon example of a United States broadcast station east of the Mississippi using a call sign beginning with “K.” The station introduced its own website in late 2007 and continued as a Telemundo affiliate. The available reference material does not provide detailed information about later ownership changes, programming divisions, executives, or the station's current digital subchannel lineup.

1. 2007Mayavision announces Telemundo affiliation

   Mayavision announced an agreement to affiliate the planned station, then identified as WHMM-DT, with Telemundo.

   Source
2. 2007Station signs on as WHMM-DT

   The station began full-power digital broadcasting on June 5, serving the New Orleans area from its Hammond license.

   Source
3. 2007Call sign changes to KGLA-TV

   The station adopted the KGLA-TV call sign on August 27.

   Source
4. 2007Call sign changes to KGLA-DT

   The station replaced its “-TV” suffix with “-DT” on December 21.

   Source
5. 2007Official station website launches

   KGLA-DT launched its own website late in the year.

   Source

A local Spanish-language broadcast outlet serving the New Orleans metropolitan area through its Telemundo affiliation, with a particular role in reaching the region's growing Hispanic audience.

• KGLA-DT terrestrial television serviceBroadcast television2007

  KGLA-DT operates as a full-power digital television station licensed to Hammond, Louisiana. Its signal serves the New Orleans market, with transmission facilities northeast of Chalmette and studios in Metairie. The service combines network programming with the station's local broadcast and advertising presence.

• Telemundo affiliationSpanish-language network television2007

  The Telemundo affiliation is KGLA-DT's principal programming relationship. It supplies Spanish-language network content, including the network's entertainment and news schedule, to viewers across the New Orleans-area market.

• KGLA-DT websiteDigital media2007

  The station established an official website in late 2007, extending its broadcast identity and audience presence onto the web.

• 2007Adoption of a Telemundo affiliationStrategy

  Mayavision was developing a full-power Spanish-language station for the New Orleans market during a period of Hispanic population growth after Hurricane Katrina.

  What changed. Mayavision entered an agreement announced on April 23, 2007, to make WHMM-DT a Telemundo affiliate.

  Aftermath. The affiliation became the station's central programming and market position when it launched in June 2007.

  Source
• 2007Launch as a digital-only full-power stationProduct launch

  The station was planned as a digital television service and was initially expected to launch in May 2007.

  What changed. WHMM-DT began broadcasting on June 5 without a companion analog signal, using 1 megawatt of effective radiated power.

  Aftermath. The launch added a full-power Spanish-language television outlet to the New Orleans market.

  Source
• 2007Transition to the KGLA-DT call signGeneration change

  The station first operated as WHMM-DT and then adopted KGLA-TV in August 2007.

  What changed. On December 21, 2007, the station changed its suffix from “-TV” to “-DT.”

  Aftermath. KGLA-DT became the station's continuing broadcast identity.

  Source

• 2007Mayavision announces Telemundo affiliation for WHMM-DT

  Mayavision announced that the then-designated WHMM-DT would become a Telemundo affiliate. The agreement established the station's principal network identity before its launch later that year.

  Other
  Source
• 2007WHMM-DT begins digital-only broadcasting

  The station signed on June 5 as a full-power, digital-only television station licensed to Hammond, Louisiana, serving the New Orleans area.

  Product launch
  Source
• 2007Station adopts KGLA-TV call sign

  The station changed its call letters from WHMM-DT to KGLA-TV on August 27, creating the identity that would later become KGLA-DT.

  Other
  Source
• 2007KGLA-TV changes suffix to KGLA-DT

  On December 21, the station replaced the “-TV” suffix in its call sign with “-DT,” formalizing its digital-broadcast identity.

  Product generation
  Source

1. KGLA-DT
2. KGLA-DT official website