KFAZ (Louisiana)
| Company type | Broadcast television station (defunct) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television broadcasting |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Defunct | 1954 |
| Fate | Ceased operations due to competition and technical limitations |
| Headquarters | Monroe , United States |
| Products | Television programming and broadcasting |
KFAZ (channel 43) was a television broadcaster located in Monroe, Louisiana, United States. The station was jointly owned by J. O. "Red" Willett, who managed a natural gas pipeline enterprise, and Howard E. Griffith, who subsequently became proprietor of the AM radio station KUZN in West Monroe. KFAZ holds the distinction of being Monroe’s inaugural TV station, the third in Louisiana following WDSU in New Orleans and WAFB in Baton Rouge, and notably the first to broadcast between Dallas and Jackson.
History
After the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lifted the 1948 television allocation freeze with its Sixth Report and Order in 1952, channels 8 and 43 were designated for Monroe. Willett and Griffith formed Delta Television to seek one of these channels. On December 10, 1952, Delta Television opted for channel 43, as securing a UHF construction permit was comparatively more straightforward than obtaining a VHF license at that period. Construction commenced on a dual-studio facility at 2107 Forsythe Avenue in Monroe, featuring an on-site transmitter and tower—a standard arrangement for stations during the 1950s. Meanwhile, former Louisiana governor James A. Noe pursued channel 8, which eventually became KNOE-TV.
Equipment
KFAZ initiated transmissions on August 11, 1953, employing a Federal Telecommunication Labs (FTL) FTL-20B visual transmitter rated at 1 kW along with a Workshop Associates WA-25-43 antenna providing 14 dB gain. The station operated two studios outfitted with DuMont TA-142 Image Orthicon monochrome camera systems. One camera setup also supported film presentations through two General Precision Labs 16mm projectors, supplemented by an FTL Poly-Efex dual flying spot monochrome slide scanner and an effects mixer for still images and limited video effects. This configuration allowed for two-camera studio production and smooth transitions to film content without interruption.
Programming
Mirroring the typical approach of early UHF broadcasters, KFAZ combined syndicated programming with locally produced shows while offering limited network content. Among its productions was Ouachita Valley Jamboree, a television adaptation of the well-known Louisiana Hayride radio program, hosted by Shreveport guitarist Merle Kilgore ("The Tall Texan").
KFAZ subscribed to Consolidated Television Sales' "Station Starter Plan," which included nine series such as Front Page Detective, Public Prosecutor, Hollywood Half-Hour, and Ringside with the Rasslers. In addition, it acquired four programs from NBC Film Division: The Visitor (also titled The Doctor), Dangerous Assignment, The Inner Sanctum, and Hopalong Cassidy.
Demise
Although KFAZ’s studio equipment met contemporary production standards, its transmitter output power and antenna elevation restricted its broadcast coverage to roughly a 10-mile radius. During the mid-1950s, television receivers required expensive converter boxes and UHF antennas—costs amounting to nearly one-third of an entry-level TV’s price—to access UHF channels like KFAZ’s. By May 1954, it was estimated that only about 16,500 television sets were capable of receiving its signal.
These technical obstacles discouraged major networks from affiliating with KFAZ and hampered advertising revenue due to limited audience reach. The situation deteriorated further when KNOE-TV began operations on VHF channel 8 five weeks later, transmitting at 229 kW from a tower standing 774 feet tall with dependable coverage extending approximately 35 miles. KNOE broadcast programs from all four leading networks (CBS, NBC, ABC, DuMont) and reached an estimated audience of 109,870 sets.
As a result, KFAZ was left primarily with non-cleared ABC content, severely limiting its marketable programming options. After incurring losses totaling $100,000 (equivalent to $789,000 in 2009 dollars) within eight months of operation, KFAZ discontinued broadcasting on May 1, 1954. Subsequent efforts to obtain channel allocations were unsuccessful; ultimately Monroe received a non-commercial educational allocation on channel 13. The Ark-La-Miss area did not witness a viable UHF station until KLAA (now KARD) launched on channel 14 in 1974 following the federal mandate requiring all television sets to include UHF tuners.
Post-closure facility utilization
Following KFAZ's shutdown, the Louisiana Department of Education repurposed the site for KLSE on channel 13, upgrading the transmitter and antenna systems to accommodate the new channel. Once KLSE discontinued broadcasting in 1964, no other television broadcasters made use of the former KFAZ premises.