Branding CW South Texas | Slogan Dare to Defy | |
Channels Digital: KRIS-DT 13.2 (UHF)
Virtual: 6.2 (PSIP) Affiliations The CW (via The CW Plus; 2006–present) Owner Cordillera Communications
(KRIS Communications, LLC) First air date September 21, 1998; 18 years ago (1998-09-21) | ||
KRIS-DT2 is the CW-affiliated television station for Corpus Christi, Texas. It is a second digital subchannel of NBC affiliate KRIS (owned by Cordillera Communications) and is part of the national CW Plus service. Over-the-air, the station airs a standard definition digital signal on UHF channel 13.2 (or virtual channel 6.2 via PSIP) from a transmitter in Robstown. KRIS-DT2's parent station shares studios with the other stations on studios on Artesian Street in Downtown Corpus Christi.
History
What is now KRIS-DT2 began on September 21, 1998 after KRIS entered into a partnership with The WB 100+, a national programming service operated by The WB for television markets ranked greater than 100, and cable systems in the Corpus Christi area. Prior to 1998, The WB's programming was available in Corpus Christi via WGN-TV's national feed or off-market local WB affiliates. It was a cable-exclusive station, and as a result, used the call sign "KWDB" in a fictional manner for identification purposes. KRIS provided local advertisement opportunities and performed promotional duties for the outlet.
On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation (which became separate from Viacom after 2005) and Warner Bros. Television (the company which owned The WB) announced they then would cease operating the UPN and The WB networks and combine their resources to create a programming service entitled The CW. The letters would represent the first initial of the new network's respective corporate parents.
On September 18 of that year, The CW officially launched nationwide at which point KRIS added a new second digital subchannel to simulcast "KWDB" and allowing non-cable subscribers access to the new network. With its over-their-air launch, "KWDB" began using KRIS-DT2 as its official calls and became part of The CW Plus, a successor to The WB 100+.