Weekly Log: WCCO Dropped from Rochester Cable; NBC Stronger in Mankato

Posted on by Jon Ellis

Stations and networks

Spectrum has issued formal notice that CBS owned-and-operated WCCO-TV/4 (Minneapolis) is being dropped from cable systems in Rochester and surrounding communities. The move follows a successful FCC petition from in-market CBS affiliate KIMT/3 (Mason City-Rochester) showing that WCCO no longer meets broadcast viewership levels to qualify as “significantly viewed” in Rochester.

Gray TV’s K33MW-D (Sherburn) has completed a move of its transmitter to the KEYC-TV building in North Mankato, where it now transmits with 15kW relaying KMNF-LD/7 to improve reception in the immediate Mankato area. KMNF signed on a few years ago carrying NBC on 7.1 and CW on 7.2. ION was recently added on 7.3 and new programming is coming to 7.4, according to the station’s announcement.

The SelectiveTV broadcast system in Alexandria, MN, has added five channels on K16CO-D: 16.1 Heartland, 16.2 Family, 16.3 Retro, 16.4 REV’N, and 16.5 Action. The free 72-channel system is funded through donations.

Gray NBC affiliate WLUC/6 (Marquette) announced plans to add 6 p.m. (ET) newscasts on Saturdays and Sundays beginning Feb. 18. The newscasts will be anchored by the same team that already anchors weekend 11 p.m. newscasts and will replace a recorded week-in-review show that currently airs in the 6 p.m. timeslots.

WDSE/8 (Duluth) and its satellite WRPT/31 (Hibbing) have adopted PBS North as the overall station name, replacing previous branding of WDSE • WRPT. The station’s primary channel has already been known as “PBS North” since 2010. Now, the revised “PBS North” logo is also used on the station’s social media accounts and in ID’s on the station’s subchannels, which otherwise continue to run bugs identifying them as Explore, Create, MN Channel, and PBS Kids.

Meanwhile, the evening student-run show at “The North 103.3” (WDSE-FM Duluth) has changed its name from “The Basement” to “Road Salt Radio” as it seeks to broaden its reach to campuses across the region, not just the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Iowa Public Radio’s broadcast outages page notes that KNSL/97.9 (Lamoni) and K249EJ/97.7 (Des Moines) are at reduced power.

Minnesota Public Radio‘s station alerts page says engineers may need to reduce power at its stations in Warroad, MN, and Houghton, MI, due to tower icing.

Nexstar is taking the recently-acquired CW network in a new direction with the announced addition of LIV Golf. The network has previously offered only entertainment programming. Golf will be carried on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays on seven weekends this year, beginning Feb. 24. Exact timeslots are not immediately known.

Keefe

People

Gray TV announced that Betsy Keefe will be promoted to general manager of CBS affiliate WSAW/7 (Wausau). Keefe is currently the general sales manager. She will replace Al Lancaster, who is retiring in March after 45 years in broadcasting, the last 23 of which were at WSAW. Keefe is a native of Wausau who has also worked in Milwaukee.

Reporter Renée Cooper has joined Hubbard ABC affiliate KSTP-TV/5 (St. Paul).

Reporter Corin Hoggard has joined FOX owned-and-operated KMSP/9 (Minneapolis).

Hearst ABC affiliate WISN-TV/12 (Milwaukee) announced that Matt Smith has been named the station’s political director, and that Smith and Gerron Jordan will take over as hosts of Sunday morning political program “Up Front.” The show is syndicated to five ABC affiliates around the state.

Mackenzie Davis has joined Gray NBC affiliate WMTV/15 (Madison) as weekend anchor and reporter.

Gray ABC affiliate WBAY/2 (Green Bay) kicked off a series of news stories about its 70th anniversary with a profile of former longtime anchor Chuck Ramsay.

WCCO-TV did a story on Steve Gorman‘s addition to the morning show on KQRS/92.5 (Golden Valley-Minneapolis).

James Rabe, who had hosted mornings at Townsquare Media’s “Y105” (KYBA/105.3 Stewartville-Rochester), told followers on Facebook that he has been let go. Rabe told the Rochester Post-Bulletin that his show was eliminated in a budgetary decision.

RadioInsight reports that Megan Rieder is no longer with Alpha Media’s “KX96.9” (KZKX Seward-Lincoln), a move which Rieder says was not her decision.

KSTP-TV reported the death of former longtime sports photojournalist John Gross.

KTIV reports that former Sioux City TV anchor Dave Nixon, Sr. has died at the age of 83. Nixon worked in radio in Scottsbluff and Sioux City before moving to TV at KCAU/9. He later moved to WHO-TV in Des Moines before returning to Sioux City to anchor at KTIV/4 for a decade starting in 1980. After TV, Nixon worked in higher education.

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Disclosure: Jon Ellis is an employee of Gray Media Group. The statements and views expressed in this posting are his own and do not reflect those of Gray Media Group.