ENROLLED

Regular Session, 2014

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 82

BY REPRESENTATIVES BURRELL AND NORTON

A RESOLUTION

To commend KSLA News 12 television station upon the celebration of its sixtieth

anniversary of broadcasting in the Shreveport-Bossier market.

WHEREAS, KSLA went on the air on January 1, 1954, as the first television station in the Shreveport-Bossier market and over the next few decades it became the number one news organization in the Ark-La-Tex, covering local, state, and regional news; and

WHEREAS, KSLA was also the first television station in the Ark-La-Tex to broadcast in color (1967), the first television station in the Ark-La-Tex to have its own live radar (1998), and the first television station in the Ark-La-Tex to broadcast in high definition; and

WHEREAS, KSLA News 12 has operated in the public interest for more than sixty years and its audience spans twenty-six parishes and counties in Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma; and

WHEREAS, KSLA has over ninety employees and is the only television station in the Ark-La-Tex that consistently airs editorials; and

WHEREAS, KSLA has evolved to keep up with culture and society over the last sixty years; every month, the station's website ksla.com receives an average of 1.7 million page views and its mobile application receives 5.6 million page monthly viewers; and

WHEREAS, KSLA News 12 has made community involvement a hallmark of its image and reputation, supporting numerous nonprofit and charitable organizations through partnerships and on-air coverage, including Community Renewal International's House for

Hope, the annual "Coats for Kids" drive with Goodwill and Porter's Cleaners, the annual

"Fan Drive" with the Caddo Council on Aging, Baron's Ball benefit for the American Cancer

Society, Holiday Food Drive for the Food Bank, and the Shreveport Regional Arts Council; and

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WHEREAS, KSLA has been recognized many times for its outstanding professional service to the community, including being named Louisiana Television Station of the Year and receiving the Edward R. Murrow Regional Award; and

WHEREAS, KSLA News 12 is the most-watched television station in the

Shreveport-Bossier viewing area and is a major source of information for the community during times of emergency, particularly during severe weather through it's state-of-the-art weather equipment, live Doppler radar, and experienced meteorologists; and

WHEREAS, KSLA merits a special measure of commendation for being a professional and reliable source of news for the Shreveport-Bossier area for sixty years.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the

Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend KSLA-TV upon the celebration of its sixtieth anniversary and does hereby congratulate KSLA on being the most-watched television channel in the Shreveport-Bossier market.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted to James Smith, vice president and general manager of KSLA News 12.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

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