2022 SWLA
HOMEGROWN
KPLC has been a trusted source of news and updates in this community since 1954. Rendering of KPLC Lake Charles - New Main Entry
KPLC Lake Charles - New Main Entry
Continuing the Long Road Home to Remain in Downtown Lake Charles
& FOX 29
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In the hours leading up to Hurricane Laura’s August 27, 2020 landfall, KPLC meteorologist Ben Terry implored people to “get out of town” as he and the KPLC staff prepared to evacuate themselves.
His words could not have been more prophetic. As the storm ravaged Lake Charles, KPLC’s iconic red and white 400-foot transmission tower was hurled into the station’s broadcast studio like a spear, causing significant damage. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, the news team reported from their sister station in Baton Rouge, WAFB. Now in 2022, the news anchors continue to report from remote locations, be they the newsroom, the conference room, their homes, or other makeshift locations. For two years after the storm, KPLC and station owner Gray Television worked on a plan forward, considering whether to build a new station in a different location or rebuild and repair the location at 320 Division Street – the only home KPLC has ever known in its 67 years. In late June 2022, KPLC General Manager John Ware proudly announced the plans to rebuild at KPLC’s current location. The building is also home to FOX29, KPLC’s partner station. “It’s been our privilege to be located in the hub of downtown Lake Charles,” Ware said. “We serve all of Southwest Louisiana, but it’s been very convenient for us to be downtown as an operating base to go throughout our community. Gray Television is making an investment in this location. We will rebuild and stay right here in downtown Lake Charles.” Ware said KPLC and Gray Television worked to design a building that will better protect its employees, where employees will be proud to work, and that the city will be proud to have and will help KPLC serve the community. Thrive
2022 - Annual Issue
