Gray Opens Newly Renovated KNOE Facility

Gray Television on Tuesday celebrated celebrated the grand-reopening of its CBS affiliate KNOE La. (DMA 137). The station completed a $4 million renovation project with a major overhaul of the building, including updated studios, control room and newsroom.

The completion of the project marks a 65-year history of delivering news to the area. The station invited community business owners and leaders, lawmakers, and law enforcement officials throughout Northeast Louisiana to tour the new facility and celebrate 65 years of broadcasting.

“The KNOE station has a long history of delivering quality news for viewers in the local communities in which it operates,” said Hilton Howell, president-CEO of Gray Television. “We’re excited about the impact the renovation will have on a station that means so much to its employees and the community.”

“While the exterior of our Oliver Road studios displays a vintage salute to our past, inside you will find a modern broadcast facility, fully equipped with the latest technology,” said Laura Long, KNOE GM. “No one knows for certain where technology will lead us in the next 65 years, but I’m certain KNOE and Gray will remain on the forefront of the latest innovations, with a deep respect for where we started and those who made it possible.”

The station first went on the air in 1953 with a 774-foot tower. It was the second television station in the state of Louisiana, behind WDSU in New Orleans. James A. Noe Sr. a former governor of Louisiana, owned KNOE, and it was his desire to serve the community. “When you take out a license you’re not serving yourself, you’re serving the people,” said Linda Noe Laine, Noe’s daughter. “That was the essence of my father’s dream and it came true in his lifetime.”

Noe died in 1976, and he passed the station to his son, James “Jimmie” Noe Jr. The Noes continued to own the station until 2007, when it was sold to Dallas-based Hoak Media. Gray Television acquired Hoak Media in 2014.

“KNOE is committed as ever to serving the needs of our communities and being a partner in efforts to make the ArkLaMiss a better place to call home,” said Long. “This is our home, and with that comes the responsibility to take care of the families who have invited us into their homes for so many years. We realize your trust is earned through solid, factual and fair reporting, as well as a visibility and recognition within our communities that is not earned overnight.”