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KETV

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KETV, channel 7, is the ABC affiliate in Omaha, Nebraska and is owned by Hearst-Argyle Television.

History

It was founded in September 1957 as Omaha's third television station. The station has always been Omaha's ABC affiliate. The station was founded by World Publishing Company, the parent company of the Omaha World-Herald. When construction magnate Peter Kiewit, Jr. bought World Publishing in 1962, he owned the station, which was known as Omaha World-Herald television, until 1976.[1] Kiewit sold the station to Pulitzer Broadcasting Company in 1976. In 1998, Pulitzer sold its entire broadcasting division, including KETV, to Hearst-Argyle Television.

For the last three decades, the station's newscasts have been branded as NewsWatch 7. Under its current ownership, it has been known since 2000 as KETV NewsWatch 7. The station's studios are located near 27th and Douglas in downtown Omaha. The transmitter tower is located on a "tower farm" near North 72nd and Crown Point.

In November, 2006, KETV overtook long-time ratings leader WOWT (a Gray Television station) to become the number one station for local news in Omaha. In recent years, the two stations have fought neck-and-neck for the number one spot. KMTV, run by Journal Broadcast Group, has remained a distant third in the ratings battle.

Since 1982 KETV NewsWatch 7 has been known for its weekly Crimestoppers segments, and has contributed to the arrest and conviction of more than 1000 wanted felons. KETV has also had a long running hotline and webpage called 7 Can Help which has and continues to contribute to helping the greater Omaha community through financial grants, high utility bill relief, and services for area children. 7 Can Help has also been known to intercede on behalf of senior citizens with matters such as getting benefits that have been otherwise denied them.

In October 1996, KETV began televising all of its local newscasts from a working newsroom which is known as The Newsplex. The multi-million dollar broadcast facility is still in use to date. In the years prior to the Newsplex, reporters and anchors had to type their news stories in a separate news room and deliver them to the NewsWatch 7 studios which were on the opposite side of the building. In February 2006, KETV NewsWatch 7 reformatted its investigative unit, in an effort to bring more attention to in depth investigative stories, along with health and consumer reporting. It has been re-launched as the NewsWatch 7 "I" Team.

KETV was the first to have a full time meteorologist beginning in the early 1970s, the first station with live Weather Radar in the late 1970s, and was the second station to utilize Doppler weather radar in the early 1990s. In July 2006 KETV launched a 24-hour local weather channel, "Weather Now," that appears on digital subchannel 7.2 as well as local cable systems and the station's website.

Among the many KETV alumni is John Coleman (meteorologist) who worked at the station in the 1960s. Coleman later appeared as the meteorologist for Good Morning America before going on to create and launch The Weather Channel in 1982. That same year, then KETV Chief Meteorologist, Charlie Martin took a job at TWC to become one of the cable channel's first on camera meteorologists. Martin, who worked at KETV from the late 1970s through the early 80s was known on The Weather Channel as Charlie Levy.

On July 4, 2003, KETV's transmitter tower (at the north 72nd St. tower farm) collapsed during the addition of a digital television antenna. Thankfully, it happened late at night and no one was injured. The station was forced to broadcast from their shorter auxiliary tower for over a year. A new transmitter was erected almost 200 feet east of where the old transmitter stood on the tower farm and was completed in late 2004.

KETV's nearest sister stations are CBS affiliate KCCI-TV channel 8 in Des Moines, Iowa, and fellow ABC affiliate KMBC-TV channel 9 in Kansas City, Missouri.

KETV's logo is their variation of a widely used Circle 7 logo which has been in use by the station since 1984 with a slight graphical update in 2000. From the mid 1970s until 1984, KETV used a geometrical shaped 7 that had a horizontal rectangle for the "top" portion and a sideways triangle for the "bottom" of the 7. This stylized "7" was used to represent Omaha on Weather/Doppler radar graphics from the 1970s through 1993.

News/Station Presentation

Newscast Titles

  • KETV Newservice (1971-1976)
  • NewsWatch 7 (1976-present)

Programming

Programming on KETV includes The Rachael Ray Show, Access Hollywood, The View, Judge Judy, and Wheel of Fortune.

KETV Newswatch 7 Newscasts

Weekdays

KETV Newswatch 7 First News (Weekdays from 5am-7am)

KETV Newswatch 7 at 5pm, 6pm & 10pm

Weekends

Saturday

KETV Newswatch 7 First News Saturday (5am-6am, 7am-8:30am)

KETV Newswatch 7 at 5:30pm & 10pm

Sunday

KETV Newswatch 7 First News Sunday (5am-6am, 7am-8:30am)

KETV Newswatch 7 at 5:30pm & 10pm (10pm newscast is one hour long)

KETV Past Known On Air Personnel

  • Carol Schrader (Lead Anchor/Reporter: 1977-1996) Hosted PBS interview program called "Consider This" from 1997-2006. On October 1st, 1996 shortly after the 5pm newscast, Ms. Schrader walked out of the studio and quit citing differences with management. Many viewers were surprised by Schrader's abrupt exit. This was the same day the station debuted the then-new "Newsplex" studio.
  • Michael Scott (Lead Anchor/Reporter: 1982-1993) Later an Anchor for KMTV from 1995 to 1999.
  • Daniel Plante (Lead Anchor: 1993-1995) Son of CBS News veteran reporter Bill Plante, now works for KUSI in San Diego
  • John Knicely (Sports Director: 1984-1992) Lead Anchor for WOWT since 1992.
  • Jim Flowers (Chief Meteorologist: 1985-1992) Chief Meteorologist for WOWT since 1992.
  • Greg Peterson (1992-1995 Sports Director) Later Lead News Anchor for KMTV (Omaha) from 2001-2006. Currently Lead News Anchor WPMI Mobile, Alabama
  • Ross Jernstrom (Sports: 1979-1994) Today sportscaster for the WOWT "Sports Machine".
  • Paul Bouchereau (Meteorologist 1989-1994) Now with Feed The Children,Inc
  • Ron Gerard (AM/Weekend Meteorologist mid 1980s-1989) Later Chief Meteorologist at KPTM FOX 42 from 1989-2000.
  • Margaret Bumann (Health/Reporter: 1986 until early 2000s)
  • Allan Muse (Lead Anchor/Reporter: 1970s)
  • Marcia Ladendorff (Omaha's first female Lead Anchor: late 1970s)
  • Lee Terry Sr. (Anchor/News director: 1960s-Mid 1970s) Now a panelist on KETV's Kaleidoscope, a community affairs show.
  • Frank Brown (Reporter: 1980s-1990s) Now on the Omaha City Council.
  • Pamela Jones (Anchor/Reporter late 1990s-2005) Now reporter, fill-in anchor with WBBM in Chicago.
  • Jill Cordes (Morning Anchor: 1990s) Now hostess of My First Place on HGTV.
  • John Coleman (Meteorologist: 1960s) (One of the founders of The Weather Channel in 1982.) Now with KUSI in San Diego.
  • Charlie Levy (Chief Meteorologist: Late 1970s-early 1980s as Charlie Martin) Charlie was with the station when the then-new "Radar 7" weather tower was built and put into use. Known today as Super Doppler 7 Radar.
  • Ted Mullins (Lead Anchor: Early 1980s) Deceased.
  • Don Novak (Meteorologist: early-mid 1980s)
  • Dan Gray (Lead Anchor: Early-Mid 1980s) Now with KTVI in St. Louis
  • Melissa Wells (Weekend Anchor: Mid-late 1980s)
  • Jerry Fannon (Weekend Anchor: Early 1980s Later a Reporter from Mid 80s-Early 90s)
  • Chris Grote (Weekend Meteorologist: Late 1980s) Later with WCCO in Minneapolis
  • Jay Cardosi (AM/Weekend Meteorologist: 1989-1995) Now Chief Meteorologist with WLKY in Louisville, Kentucky
  • Cindy Andrew (Reporter: 1996-2004) Now a Real Estate Agent in Omaha
  • Tom Elser (Anchor/Reporter: Late 1990s-2005) Currently works with The Steier Group in Omaha
  • Paul Italia (Reporter early 80's) Currently works for Delta Airlines
  • Elitia Hammond (Morning Anchor ?-2008)
  • Andrea Breadow (Morning Weather Anchor ?-2008)
  • Julie Cornell (Main anchor 1992-2008, still contibutes to KETV and is married to Bill Ramby)
  1. ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,829346-2,00.html
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