Louisiana station planning to rebuild after Hurricane Laura damaged building, studio

Gray Television’s KPLC plans to rebuild its downtown Lake Charles, Louisiana, broadcast facility.

The location – including the main news studio – was significantly damaged by Hurricane Laura in 2020. Winds from the Category 4 storm toppled the 400-foot transmission tower of KPLC into the building at 320 Division Street.

“It’s been our privilege to be located in the hub of the hub city of Southwest Louisiana, in downtown Lake Charles,” John Ware, general manager of KPLC said in a statement. “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.

The new facility will include an overall design that will better protect employees, Gray Television notes.

KPLC has broadcast from the location for its entire 65-year history, temporarily relocating broadcasts to Baton Rouge sister station WAFB in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Laura. Broadcasts have since returned, using the newsroom as the primary broadcast space.