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KETV

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KETV, channel 7, is the ABC affiliate in Omaha, Nebraska and is owned by Hearst Television. KETV's nearest sister stations (that are also owned by Hearst) are CBS affiliate KCCI-TV channel 8 in Des Moines, Iowa, and fellow ABC affiliate KMBC-TV channel 9 in Kansas City, Missouri.

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.

History

KETV first signed on September 17, 1957 as Omaha's third television station. The station has always been Omaha's ABC affiliate. It is actually the second full ABC affiliate in Omaha; previously KOLN-TV in Lincoln served as Omaha's ABC affiliate for much of 1953 and 1954 until Lincoln was split off as its own market. Channel 7 was originally owned by World Publishing Company, publisher of the Omaha World-Herald. It branded itself as "Omaha World-Herald Television."

Peter Kiewit, Jr. bought World Publishing in 1962.[1] Due to a change in FCC regulations, Kiewit sold the station to Pulitzer Broadcasting Company in 1976. In 1998, Pulitzer sold its entire broadcasting division, including KETV, to Hearst-Argyle Television.

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 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.

Digital television

Analog-to-Digital Conversion

Like many other stations in the Hearst-Argyle group, KETV began broadcasting in digital-only on June 12, 2009.[2]

Programming

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

News Operation

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.

Since 1982, KETV 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 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 1980s was known on The Weather Channel as Charlie Levy.

Ratings

In November 2006, KETV overtook long-time ratings leader NBC affiliate WOWT (channel 6) 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.

Personalities

Current On-Air Talent

(as of August 29, 2009)
Current Anchors

Reporters

SuperDoppler Storm Team

  • Bill Randby (AMS Seal of Approval) - Chief Meteorologist; Monday-Thursdays at 5, 6 and 10PM Sunday 5:30 & 10P.M.
  • Marc Kramer - Meteorologist; weekend mornings "KETV Newswatch 7 First News"
  • Chuck McWilliams (AMS/NWA Seal of Approval) - Meteorologist; weekday mornings "KETV Newswatch 7 First News"
  • Mellissa Hoeman- Meteorologist; Fridays at 5 and 6, Saturday- at 5:30 and Friday-Saturday at 10PM

Sports Team

  • Jon Schuetz - Sports Director; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10PM
  • Matt Schick - Sports Anchor; Fridays at 5 and 6, Saturday-Sundays at 5:30 and Friday-Sundays at 10PM

Former On-Air Talent

  • Cindy Andrew - reporter (1996-2004; now a real estate agent in Omaha)
  • Andrea Breadow - morning weather anchor (2002-2008)
  • Paul Bouchereau - meteorologist (1989-1994; now with Feed The Children, Inc.)
  • Frank Brown - reporter (1980s-1990s; former Omaha city councilman)
  • Margaret Bumann - health reporter (1986 until early 2000s)
  • Jay Cardosi - morning/weekend meteorologist (1989-1995; now chief meteorologist at WLKY in Louisville, Kentucky)
  • John Coleman - meteorologist (1960s; one of the founders of The Weather Channel in 1982, now with KUSI in San Diego)
  • Jill Cordes - morning anchor (1990s; now hostess of My First Place on HGTV)
  • Julie Cornell - reporter/"Good Morning Omaha" main anchor (1992-1994), weeknight anchor (1996-2008; still contributes to KETV)
  • Tom Elser - anchor/reporter (late 1990s-2005; currently works with The Steier Group in Omaha)
  • Jerry Fannon - weekend anchor (early 1980s), reporter (mid 1980s-early 1990s)
  • Chris Grote - weekend meteorologist (late 1980s; later with WCCO in Minneapolis)
  • Jim Flowers - chief meteorologist (1985-1992; now chief meteorologist at WOWT)
  • Ron Gerard - morning/weekend meteorologist (mid 1980s-1989; later chief meteorologist at KPTM from 1989-2000)
  • Dan Gray - evening anchor (early-mid 1980s; now with KTVI in St. Louis)
  • Elitia Hammond - morning anchor (2003-2008)
  • Paul Italia - reporter (early 1980s; currently works for Delta Airlines)
  • Ross Jernstrom - sports anchor (1979-1994; now sportscaster for the WOWT "Sports Machine")
  • Pamela Jones - anchor/reporter (late 1990s-2005; now reporter/fill-in anchor at WBBM in Chicago)
  • John Knicely - sports director (1984-1992; now weeknight anchor at WOWT)
  • Marcia Ladendorff - Omaha's first female lead anchor (late 1970s)
  • 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)
  • Allan Muse - weeknight anchor/reporter (1970s)
  • Don Novak - meteorologist (early-mid 1980s)
  • Greg Peterson - sports director (1992-1995; later weeknight anchor at KMTV from 2001-2006; now anchor at WPMI in Mobile, Alabama)
  • Daniel Plante - weeknight anchor (1993-1995; son of CBS News veteran reporter Bill Plante, now works for KUSI in San Diego)
  • Michael Scott - weeknight anchor/reporter (1982-1993; later anchor at KMTV from 1995-1999)
  • Carol Schrader - weeknight 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)
  • Lee Terry Sr. - anchor/news director:(1960s-mid 1970s; now a panelist on Kaleidoscope, a community affairs show on KETV)
  • Melissa Wells - weekend anchor (mid-late 1980s)

News/Station Presentation

Newscast Titles

  • The Coca-Cola Report (1957-1963)
  • KETV News (1963-1970)
  • KETV Omaha News at 10 O'Clock (1970-1971)
  • KETV News Service (1971-1976)
  • NewsWatch 7 (1976-2000)
  • KETV NewsWatch 7 (2000-present)

Station Slogans

  • The One To Count On (1987-1996; also previously used on current sister station KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City)
  • More Complete Coverage (1996-present; secondary news slogan)
  • Omaha's News Leader (2004-present; secondary news slogan)

References

  1. ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,829346-2,00.html
  2. ^ http://www.ketv.com/news/18655588/detail.html
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