KCCI
Encyclopedia : K : KC : KCC : KCCI
KCCI is a television station that broadcasts on channel 8 in Des Moines, Iowa and on channel 23 in Ottumwa, Iowa. It is affiliated with the CBS television network and serves most of central Iowa.
KCCI's studios are located in downtown Des Moines, while the station's transmitter is located in Alleman, Iowa, about midway between Des Moines and Ames. A 500-foot weather beacon is on their auxiliary tower atop the station's downtown Des Moines studios and is a landmark of the Des Moines skyline. The lighted beacon changes colors depending on the forecast:
- "Weather Beacon red, warmer weather ahead.
- Weather Beacon white, colder weather in sight.
- Weather Beacon green, no change in weather foreseen.
- Weather Beacon flashing night or day, precipitation is on the way." [link]
History
KCCI started on the air on July 31, 1955, as KRNT-TV, the third television station in Des Moines and the ninth in Iowa. KRNT was owned by the Cowles family, who had also owned KRNT-AM 1350 and the Des Moines Register and Des Moines Tribune newspapers. The calls stood for the papers' nickname in central Iowa, "the R 'n T."The Cowles family and now-defunct KSO-AM both applied for the channel 8 frequency and fought over it. A decision was held up due to issues with the Cowles' ownership of Look magazine. Eventually, the two stations reached a settlement that allowed KRNT to own 60 percent of the TV station and KSO to own 40 percent. Yet once the FCC approved the station's license, KRNT immediately bought out KSO's share of the station. KRNT-TV's broadcasting day was originally about five to six hours long, and included a 15-minute news program later in the evening. The station has been part of the CBS network ever since signing on.
The FCC tightened its ownership rules in the 1970s, forcing the Cowleses to sell one of their Des Moines broadcast outlets. They opted to sell KRNT-AM to Stauffer Communications in 1974 and keep KRNT-TV, which became KCCI-TV, with the initials standing for owner Cowles Communications, Inc (or sometimes, as the Capital City of Iowa).
In 1984, most of the Cowles family retired, and their holdings were split among several companies. While the Register went to Gannett and The Register and Tribune Syndicate (best known as syndicators of The Family Circus) went to Hearst as a King Features division, KCCI and sister station WESH-TV in Orlando went to H&C Communications. H&C sold two of its television stations, KCCI and WESH, to Pulitzer in 1993. Hearst-Argyle bought all of Pulitzer's television holdings in 1998. KCCI began broadcasting in high-definition television on channel 8.1 in 2002.
Even though it was the last of Des Moines' Big Three affiliates to sign on, KCCI has been the area's ratings leader for most of its history.
The station operates a website at [www.kcci.com]. For several years the station's website was known as [www.theiowachannel.com], following the practice of other Hearst-Argyle stations, and people going to kcci.com were redirected to theiowachannel.com. In October 2005, the station switched back to the kcci.com name for its web site, with theiowachannel.com serving as a redirect to the kcci.com website.
Personalities and programming
KCCI is known as "NewsChannel 8" with the slogan of "Iowa's News Leader." Current news personalities (as of May 2006) include:
- Kevin Cooney, 6 and 10 p.m. news co-anchor
- Mollie Cooney, noon news co-anchor
- Caitlin Coyner (née Weinstein), morning news co-anchor
- Cynthia Fodor, reporter/5 p.m. news co-anchor
- Andy Garman, weekend sports anchor
- Kurtis Gertz, meteorologist, noon and 5 p.m. newscasts
- Emily Givens, reporter/weekend evening news anchor
- Stacey Horst, 6 and 10 p.m. news co-anchor
- Steve Karlin, reporter/5 p.m. news co-anchor
- Bryan Karrick, morning meteorologist
- Amanda Lewis, reporter/weekend morning news anchor
- Todd Magel, reporter/weekend evening news anchor
- Marcus McIntosh, morning and noon news co-anchor
- John McLaughlin, chief meteorologist, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts
- Jason Parkin, weekend evening meteorologist
- Heidi Soliday, sports director, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts
- Metinka Slater, weekend morning meteorologist
In addition to CBS network programming, KCCI airs first-run syndicated programs such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, Live with Regis and Kelly, and Inside Edition, as well as reruns of .
References
- Stein, Jeff, Making Waves: The People and Places of Iowa Broadcasting (ISBN 0971832315). Cedar Rapids, Iowa: WDG Communications, 2004.
External links
- [KCCI-TV's official website]
- [KCCI-TV historical artifacts] from DesMoinesBroadcasting.com
- [Query the FCC's TV station database for KCCI]
| Broadcast television in the Des Moines/Ames market [(Nielsen DMA #73)] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| WOI 5 (ABC) - KCCI 8 (CBS) - KDIN 11 / KTIN 21 (PBS/IPTV) - WHO 13 (NBC/UPN) - KDSM 17 (Fox) - KPWB 23 (WB/The CW) - KFPX 39 (i) - KDAO-LP 45 (A1) | |||
| Local digital television channels | |||
|
KDMI 56 (MNTV) (not yet on the air) | |||
| Broadcast television in the Ottumwa / Kirksville market [(Nielsen DMA #199)] | ||
|---|---|---|
| KTVO 3 (ABC) (The Tube on DT2) - KHQA 7 (CBS) - WGEM 10 (NBC) - KYOU 15 (FOX/UPN) - K23CI (CBS) - K27CV (NBC) - K33AA (PBS/IPTV) | ||
| Broadcast television available on cable only: | ||
| KCTV 5 (CBS) - WOI 5 (ABC) - KDSM 17 (FOX) - KCPT 19 (PBS) - KFPX 39 (i) - KSHB 41 (NBC) |
| KGAN 2 ([[Template:Cedar Rapids TV|Cedar Rapids]]) - KIMT 3 ([[Template:RMCA TV|Mason City]]) - KCCI 8 ([[Template:Des Moines TV|Des Moines]]) - KMEG 14 ([[Template:Sioux City TV|Sioux City]]) | |
| See also: [[Template:ABC Iowa|ABC]], [[Template:Fox Iowa|Fox]], [[Template:NBC Iowa|NBC]], [[Template:PBS Iowa|PBS]], [[Template:UPN Iowa|UPN]], [[Template:WB Iowa|WB]] and [[Template:Other Iowa Stations|Other]] stations in Iowa | |
|
Corporate Staff: David J. Barrett (President & CEO) | Victor F. Ganzi (COB) | Harry T. Hawks | Terry Mackin | Steven A. Hobbs | Philip M. Stolz | Frederick I. Young | Candy Altman | Brian Bracco | Emerson Coleman | Marv Danielski | Martin Faubell | Kathleen Keefe | Alvin Lustgarten | Ellen McClain | Jonathan Mintzer | David J. Barrett | Frank A. Bennack, Jr. | John G. Conomikes | Ken J. Elkins | George R. Hearst, Jr. | William Randolph Hearst III | Bob Marbut | Gilbert C. Maurer | Michael E. Pulitzer | David Pulver | Caroline L. Williams
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Radio Stations: WBAL | WIYY
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ABC Network Affiliates: KETV | KHBS / KHOG | KITV | KMBC | KOAT | KOCO | WAPT | WCVB | WISN | WMUR | WMTW | WPBF | WTAE
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CBS Network Affiliates: KCCI | WLKY
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NBC Network Affiliates: KCRA | KSBW | WBAL | WDSU | WESH | WGAL | WNNE | WLWT | WPTZ | WXII | WYFF
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UPN Network Affiliate: KCWE1
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WB Network Affiliates: KQCA2 | WKCF13
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Independent Television Station: WMOR
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1The stations will affiliate with The CW Television Network starting September 18, 2006.
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2The station will affiliate with My Network TV starting September 5, 2006.
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3The FCC has approved the acquisition of the station from Emmis Communications. The acquisition is now awaiting finalization.
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| Annual Revenue: .24 billion USD (2004) | Employees: Unknown at this time. | Stock Symbol: NYSE: [HTV] | Website: [www.hearstargyle.com] |
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