KNOE marks 70 years of broadcasting on September 27, 2023

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - KNOE-TV is celebrating 70 years of broadcasting and serving the ArkLaMiss. The station signed on air Sunday, September 27, 1953. That began a history of firsts for the area – including carrying network color programming in September 1955 and local color programming in August 1966.

Initially the station had a $65,000 774-foot tower weighing 4 tons. It was the most powerful tower at the time in the southern region. KNOE-TV has the distinction of being the third TV station in the state of Louisiana, behind WDSU in New Orleans and WAFB in Baton Rouge. In 1952, the Federal Communications Commission lifted a freeze on the development of new commercial television stations. KNOE’s original owner, Former Louisiana Governor James A. Noe Sr. immediately filed for a television station in Monroe, intent on serving the community. He set the station’s opening date for September 27, 1953.

Noe died in 1976, and passed the station to his son, James “Jimmie” Noe, Jr. Following Jimmie Noe’s death in 2005, the Noe family decided to leave the broadcasting business. The station was sold in 2007 to Texas-based Hoak Media. In 2013, Hoak Media was purchased by KNOE’s current parent company, Gray Television.

“KNOE has a long legacy of serving the northeastern Louisiana and southeastern Arkansas community with journalistic integrity,” said Hilton Howell, CEO of Gray Television. “As the station celebrates 70 years, we are grateful for each and every person committed to keeping viewers informed.”

“KNOE is proud to have served our viewers and communities with the highest quality of local news and programing using the latest technology,” said Laura Long, KNOE Vice President and General Manager. “KNOE is committed to serving the needs of our communities and being a partner in the efforts to make the ArkLaMiss a better place to call home. With that comes the responsibility to take care of the families who have invited us into their homes for so many years.”

The station celebrated a grand reopening in 2018, when a $4 million dollar renovation project was completed. The building’s studios, control room, and the newsroom were updated.

“While the exterior of our Oliver Road studios displays a vintage salute to our beginnings in 1953, inside you will find a modern broadcast facility,” Long said. “KNOE and Gray will remain on the forefront of the latest industry innovations with a deep respect for where we started and those who made it all possible.”

KNOE will present a special 70th anniversary celebration program on September 27 on air and streaming at 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT.

About KNOE-TV: KNOE-TV 8 News is an award-winning television station and news organization located in Monroe, Louisiana, covering Northeast Louisiana, Union and Ashley Counties in Arkansas, and Warren and Adams Counties in Mississippi. KNOE-TV is owned by Atlanta-based Gray Television and is a sister station to ABC affiliate KAQY. Our offices and studios are located on Oliver Road in Monroe, and our transmitter is located in the town of Columbia in Caldwell, Parish. Since our first broadcast day on September 27, 1953, KNOE-TV has offered the best in the news, entertainment, weather, sports, and investigative reporting. In addition to providing high-quality programming from both the CBS and ABC television networks, we also offer programs from the CW and Circle networks. For further information, please visit www.knoe.com.