KRBC-TV

KRBC-TV, virtual channel 9 (UHF digital channel 29), is a NBC-affiliated television station located in Abilene, Texas, United States. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, the station is operated by the Nexstar Broadcasting Group through a shared services agreement as part of a virtual duopoly with CBS affiliate KTAB-TV (channel 32).

The two stations share studio facilities located on South 14th Street in Downtown Abilene. Also, the stations share transmitter facilities located on Texas State Highway 36, in neighboring Callahan County.

History

KRBC-TV first began its broadcasting operation on August 30, 1953 as the first television station in Abilene. The station was owned by the Ackers family, who had bought the construction permit from Harte-Hanks Communications a few months earlier, along with KRBC radio (1470 AM, now KYYW). The call letters stand for Reporter Broadcasting Company, after the Harte-Hanks-owned Abilene Reporter-News. The tower was originally located atop Rattlesnake Mountain in Cedar Gap. KRBC originally carried a mixture of programming from all four networks of the time--NBC, CBS, ABC and DuMont However, it was a primary NBC affiliate. It lost CBS in 1956 when KPAR-TV (now KTXS-TV) signed on. The two stations shared ABC until KTAB-TV signed on and took CBS, leaving KRBC as an NBC affiliate.