With a flicker of light and a booming voice coming from the box, announcing, "There's been trouble, plenty of trouble!", KPRC-TV, originally known as KLEE-TV, was on the air. Jan. 1, 1949, marked the day that Channel 2 became the first television station in Houston and one of only 12 in the United States.

Before the television station hit the airwaves, Houstonians were receiving their news via the radio. William P. Hobby, governor of Texas during World War I and publisher of the Houston Post Dispatch, talked with his associates and persuaded them that a radio station was what Houston needed.

Under a license issued by the Bureau of Navigation, Department of Commerce of the United States, and signed by President Herbert Hoover, KPRC, the radio station, began broadcasting on May 9, 1925. It was the first and only radio station in Houston.

But with TV's inception and its popularity on the rise came increasing pressure to give area residents what they wanted: popular programs. Because the station was the only one in town, network programming came by way of KPRC.

The station affiliated itself with the Red and Blue networks, which were owned by NBC. The Blue network eventually became ABC, and the Red network grew into what is now known as NBC. Because NBC had the day's most popular programming, KPRC decided to stay with NBC.

Since KPRC was the only station in town, it was eagerly sought by CBS, ABC, NBC and Dumont. Therefore, KPRC-TV had the ability to pick and choose from among the best network programs.

During the "golden age" of television, Channel 2 featured Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Bob Hope, Groucho Marx, Red Skelton, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Perry Como and Ed Sullivan, as well as "The Arthur Godfrey Show," "The Jackie Gleason Show," "Howdy Doody," "The Lone Ranger" and "Wild Bill Hickok."

By 1950, TV far outweighed radio as a moneymaker because of its increasing popularity. Establishing a news department was the next big step for Channel 2. While national news was just getting off the ground, KPRC had started one of the first full-time news departments in the United States.

While KPRC-TV had its choice of national programming, it also made headway by providing Houstonians with local programming taped at the studio on Post Oak Road in the area now known as the Galleria.

Some of the most popular local shows during this time were "Fashions in Motion," a style show sponsored by Battlesteins, then a major Houston department store; "TV Kitchen," the first how-to-do-it program; "Best Foot Forward," which presented beauty tips and fashion ideas for women; "Most Wanted Men," a video lineup of criminals wanted by the FBI and the Houston Police Department; "Curly Fox and Texas Ruby," an early version of "Hee Haw" that was staged in front of a live audience; "Sports Talkback;" "Matinee;" and live wrestling matches that aired every Friday night.

Firsts For KPRC-TV and NBC ...

With ABC and CBS lagging behind NBC in providing network, local programming and locally owned TV stations, NBC and KPRC-TV took the helm and have the distinction of being the first in many departments.

NBC was the first to provide a colorized program, "The Voice of Firestone," which aired in Houston on KPRC-TV. Because color programming was substantially more expensive and most people didn't own color televisions, CBS and ABC balked at the idea. NBC confidently called itself the "Color Network," and by 1955 was airing one program in color each night of the week.

As part of its color promotion, NBC introduced the animated color peacock with a multi-hued tail. It became a nationally recognized symbol and reminded black-and-white TV owners that they were missing something. By the 1960s, color TV became common and black-and-white network shows became passe.

In 1958, Channel 2 acquired a videotape recorder and became the first station in Texas and the 12th in the nation to offer local tape production. The station had the first television weather radar; it was the first to introduce videotape to replace film for field reporting; it hired the first African-American and the first woman reporters in Houston and it was the first TV station in the state to establish a full-time, fully staffed news bureau in Austin. It was also one of the few stations in the country to offer simultaneous Spanish translation of its 10 p.m. newscast.

KPRC's "The Eyes of Texas" was the longest-running regularly scheduled television program in Houston, not including newscasts, and it was the longest-running syndicated television show in Texas. It first aired in the summer of 1969, and in the late 1980s it was listed in the top five on a list of the top 100 syndicated television programs in the country.

KPRC-TV was also the one of the first stations to try the modern day form of fund raising: telethons. Channel 2 staged its first telethon on May 7, 1950, and raised $28,000 for the American Cancer Society.

In 1970, NBC forged a relationship with the Muscular Dystrophy Association and has telecast the "Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon for Muscular Dystrophy" ever since. After 29 years of participation, Houstonians have contributed more than $30 million for muscular dystrophy research.

'Head 'Em Up And Move 'Em Out'

KPRC-TV finally outgrew its building on Post Oak Boulevard, and the search began for a new studio. The owners wanted to stay in southwest Houston for two reasons: Most of the staff lived there, and it provided immediate access to a highway.

After studying several plots of land that were deemed too small, the current location of 8181 Southwest Freeway was picked as perfect for everyone's needs. The land was owned by Houston Baptist College, but the administrators decided that they would never expand the campus that far west.

The same firm that had designed the Houston Post building began laying out the new offices and studio. Paul Boner of The University of Texas' physics department designed the acoustical treatment for the studios. Boner also designed NBC's famous Studio 8H in Radio City that was the home of the great NBC Symphony Orchestra in radio's heyday.

After innovative designs that suspended the three studios within the building to reduce vibration from freeway traffic, the building was ready for occupants in March 1972.

In 1983, the Houston Post was sold, and all the stations that the Hobby family had acquired -- WTVF, KVOA-TV and KPRC-TV -- became a subsidiary of H&C Communications Inc. By August 1986, H & C Communications not only owned KPRC-TV but also WESH-TV, KVOA-TV, WTVF, KCCI-TV and KSAT-TV.

After 40 years of ownership by the same family, KPRC-TV was about to be sold to its third company in less than a decade.

New Ownership, New Changes

In April 1994, H&C Communications sold KPRC-TV to The Washington Post Co. and became part of the company's broadcast group, Post-Newsweek Stations Inc.

The largest and most complete broadcast center in the Southwest received a $2 million facelift. The Local 2 Newscenter is state of the art and covers approximately 11,800 square feet -- the equivalent of four full-size basketball courts. More than 200 television monitors are used throughout the newsroom, and almost 100 reporters, anchors, producers, editors and photographers work together to bring you local news.

Houston's NBC affiliate has won numerous awards in the past five decades, including the Sigma Delta Chi Distinguished Service Award, the Alfred I. Dupont Columbia University Award, the Distinguished Achievement from Radio/Television News Directors Association, the United Press International National Award, the Republic of Texas Award. It has been nominated for numerous Emmys.