Viewers tuning in to KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock might have noticed a dimmer studio today, as the station was in the final stages of installing a high-capacity backup generator.
The station says it is preparing for the worst-case scenario. In a region known for unpredictable ice storms and severe weather, maintaining a signal is a matter of public safety. In fact, station veterans remember a Sunday afternoon nearly a decade ago when a vehicle struck a nearby utility pole, knocking out power to the entire block.
The new system is designed to power the entire building indefinitely, ensuring that even if the local grid fails, residents can receive life-saving information via their televisions or mobile devices.
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To stay on the air during the transition, the station is currently running its control room off a separate generator.
NOTICE: KCBD adjusting newscasts during installation of backup generator pic.twitter.com/BdgudCdB73
— KCBD NewsChannel11 (@KCBD11) February 12, 2026
Here is a transcription of what news director Matt Ernst posted to social:
"Well, we are making it onto the air. It's a little bit dim here. I want to explain exactly what has been happening throughout today. And we are so thankful to the engineering staff here at KCBD. This was a planned installation of a backup generator here at KCBD. The idea is when the power goes out here, we will not be in the dark so we can still deliver what is needed to you at home. Here's a live look at the job site here at 98th and University. So this generator, this will give us the backup we need for our entire building. So in the event of a power outage, we're good to go and we can continue, you know, like severe weather and ice storm, whatever it may be. And even you may be saying, okay, well, if the power's out, I'm not going to watch you on TV. Right? Well, you could still get us on your phone, or it could be just right here we are without power, and you at home have it. This will be the backup. Now, this installation has taken all day long. So we actually have been broadcasting and getting our signal to you throughout today. With a separate generator powering our control room. Our newsroom has been dark. Our crews have been working at home and across the city, still gathering news throughout today. And this is something that started early in the morning, and I really should say this is something that started. I have no clue how long this project has been months or more than a year in the process.
It's a major investment from us here at KCBD. It takes a lot of money, in other words, to make this happen, but we want to be there and make sure that we are there to reach you when the power does go out so that the critical information, you know, it's often going to be when we're needed the most, that we want to make sure we are here. I can remember back it was about a decade ago or so. The power was out to like this block. It was a Sunday afternoon. I think it was about 1230 or so when the power went out. We had a 330 Cowboys game on Fox 34 and barely did everything get back up. In that case, it was, you know, a vehicle hit a utility pole down the street, took about the block or so down, and those crews were working on a Sunday so hard. You can see I just saw on the edge of the screen there was Richard Fay, I think. Is that wind right there? I think that's wind. Boedeker is that John Ernst? Uh, members of our engineering crew, that's actually members from the the crews. We work with multiple companies here to get everything up. So just want to set the scene as far as why things are dark here and let you know we are doing this so that we are on the air for you at the most critical moments. That is our backup generator installation. So a big thank you to our crew and the multiple companies involved. Utility company, everyone for putting this in."
