KMTV-TV

KMTV-TV channel 3.1 (branded "The KMTV Action 3 News") is the CBS television station in Omaha, Nebraska. Owned by the Journal Broadcast Group, it broadcasts a digital television signal on UHF channel 45.

History
KMTV is the second oldest station in Nebraska; it began broadcasting on September 1, 1949 as a CBS affiliate, but it also carried ABC and DuMont programming [1]. The station was supposed to have the call letters KMA-TV, reflecting its first owner, May Broadcasting of Shenandoah, Iowa. There was already a KMA-AM in Shenandoah (also owned by May), but the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would not allow channel 3 to use those call letters since Shenandoah was not considered part of the Omaha market at the time.

KMTV briefly dropped ABC when KOLN-TV signed on from Lincoln in 1953, but picked it back up when the FCC made Lincoln its own market a year later. In 1956, KMTV switched affiliations with WOW-TV (now WOWT-TV) and became an NBC affiliate. It also stopped carrying the DuMont programming the same year when DuMont ceased operations. In 1957, KMTV dropped its secondary ABC affiliation when KETV signed on as an ABC affiliate.

In 1986, KMTV and WOWT entered into an agreement which allowed them to return to their original affiliations. As a result, KMTV rejoined CBS after 30 years with NBC on June 29, 1986. A few months after the return to CBS, May sold both of its television stations—KMTV and KGUN-TV in Tucson--to Lee Enterprises after over 37 years of ownership. Lee sold all of its stations to Emmis Communications in October 2000. In 2005, Emmis announced its exit from television station ownership, selling most non-license assets of KMTV as well as outright ownership of KGUN to Journal. The sale closed in late December of that year. At that point Journal took over control of KMTV through a time brokerage agreement.

Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune both started syndication on KMTV where they were carried at 4:30 and 6:30 weekdays respectively until Jeopardy went to WOWT in 1996 and Wheel of Fortune went to KETV that same year. KMTV had carried both shows from 1984 to 1996.

In late January 2007, Journal announced the sale of radio station KOMJ-AM 1490 to Cochise Broadcasting LLC [2] in order to complete the outright purchase of KMTV. The sale of KOMJ was necessary because Journal already owned the maximum FCC-mandated number of broadcasting properties in the Omaha media market. The transactions were completed on March 27, 2007. [3] Also in early 2007, KMTV's website was redesigned; like the websites of several other Journal-owned stations, it is now operated by the Local Media Network division of WorldNow.

KMTV's studios are located near 108th and Mockingbird Drive in southwest Omaha. KMTV is the only Omaha station to have moved its studios from the downtown area. From 1949 to 1978 the station was located at 27th & Farnam Streets, just south of KETV channel 7 (at 2665 Douglas), and 7 blocks east of WOWT channel 6 (at 3501 Farnam). The station's auxiliary transmitter still stands at their former location. The main transmitter tower is located on a "tower farm" near North 72nd Street & Crown Point Avenue in north central Omaha.

Analog-to-digital conversion
KPTM, KMTV and KETV's programming became digital-only on June 12, 2009.[2] Although KMTV never had a suffix affixed to its call sign from the beginning, it (along with other Journal-owned television stations which previously did not have a -TV suffix in their calls) officially added the -TV suffix on June 19.

Programming
Many nationally syndicated shows on KMTV include Dr. Phil, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Entertainment Tonight.

News operation
Over the years, KMTV underwent many identity changes to keep up with broadcasting trends, as well to keep up in the local ratings race. The station's newscasts were once known as KMTV News; NewsCenter 3; Channel 3 News; KMTV News 3 and most recently KM3 News; today they are known as Action 3 News. Tom Brokaw was a reporter at the station from 1962 to 1965.[3]

In 2002, KMTV dropped its 6 p.m. newscast and replaced it with syndicated tabloid shows. That same year, sports were dropped from its 10 p.m. newscasts, to be replaced with a nightly commentary segment hosted by then sports director Travis Justice. In late 2005, KMTV retired "For What It's Worth," returning to the traditional sports segment.

KMTV relaunched a 6 p.m. edition of Action 3 News on September 5, 2006, the same day as Katie Couric's debut as anchor of the CBS Evening News. The station has also taken on the glossy imaging and graphics packages seen on most other Journal stations, though with differing fonts and colors. On December 22, 2006, the station announced it would not be renewing the contracts of evening news anchors Deborah Ward and Greg Peterson. New anchors Carol Wang and Carlo Cecchetto debuted on January 22, 2007.

On Saturday, July 11, 2009, KMTV became the first commercial station in Omaha to present local news in a 16:9 widescreen format, and the second commercial station in the state of Nebraska to do so (after KOLN and PBS affiliate NET, both in Lincoln).

Ratings
KMTV has trailed in third place in local news ratings, behind KETV and WOWT, since the late 1990s.

[edit] Newscast titles

 * The Coca-Cola Report (1953–1959)
 * KMTV News (1959–1980)
 * NewsCenter 3 (1980–1995)
 * Channel 3 News (1995–2000)
 * KMTV News 3 (2000–2002)
 * KM3 News (2002–2006)
 * Action 3 News (2006–2010)
 * The KMTV Action 3 News (2010-present)

[edit] Station slogans
This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.===On-air staff===
 * Get Ready for KM3 (1989–1991; local version of CBS ad campaign)
 * The Midland's NewsChannel (1990s-2000?)
 * In Your Corner (2000–2002)
 * Clearly to the Point (2002–2004)
 * Clear. Accurate. To the Point. (2004–2006; variant of previous slogan)
 * Your Action 3 News Station (2006–present)
 * Breaking News. First Warning Weather. (2006–present; variant of slogan used by sister station WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee)

[edit] Current on-air staff
Anchors First Warning Weather Team Sports team Reporters
 * Sheila Brummer - weekday mornings and noon
 * Craig Nigrelli - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Carol Wang - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Dave Roberts - weekends at 5:30 and 10 p.m; also weekday reporter
 * Kandiss Crone - weekends at 5:30 and 10 p.m; also weekday reporter
 * Ryan McPike - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
 * C.T. Thongklin - (AMS Seal of Approval) - Meteorologist; weekday mornings and noon
 * Liz Dorland - Weekend weather anchor; also general assignment reporter
 * Travis Morgan - Sports director; weeknights
 * Garrett Morgan - weekend sports anchor/weekday sports reporter
 * Molli Graham - general assignment reporter
 * Erika Summers - general assignment reporter
 * Hannah Pickett - general assignment reporter
 * Sarah Te Slaa - general assignment reporter
 * Adam Racusin - general assignment reporter

[edit] Former on-air staff

 * Joni Ballion - host of Conversations with Joni (1970s)
 * Michelle Bandur - reporter
 * Matt Beha - floor manager (1960s)
 * Tom Bevacqua - chief meteorologist (1980s-early 1990s)
 * Dave Blackwell - sports director (1964–1973)
 * Ronnie Bounds - movie host (mid-1960s)
 * Tom Brokaw - reporter (1960s; now contributor at NBC News)
 * Loretta Carroll - anchor (1985–2001)
 * Carlo Cecchetto - anchor (2006–2008; now anchor at KFMB-TV in San Diego, CA)
 * Bev Chapman - anchor (1979–1983; now at KMBC in Kansas City)
 * Jack Fancher - director (1960s)
 * Dick Fletcher - Meteorologist (late 1970s; moved to WTSP in St. Petersburg in 1980; died February 26, 2008)
 * Dale Hansen - sports reporter (1970s; now sports director for WFAA-TV in Dallas)
 * Mary Hart - anchor (mid 1970s; now co-anchor of syndicated entertainment news show Entertainment Tonight)
 * Tom Henry - news anchor (1960s)
 * John Hlavacek - reporter/foreign correspondent (1960s)
 * John Jones (aka Dr. San Guinary) - producer/director and star of KMTV's late night "Creature Feature" (1971–1983)
 * Travis Justice - sports director and host of "Sports Soundoff" (2002–2010)
 * Floyd Kalber - anchor (1950s)
 * Jon Kelley - reporter (1990–1991; later weekend co-host of syndicated entertainment news show Extra and host of The Mole on ABC)
 * Jim Kelter - sports director (1973–1979)
 * Cal Kirshen (real name: Keevey Kirshenbaum) - news anchor/announcer (1960s-1970s)
 * Chriss Knight - reporter/fill-in anchor (2007–2009; now reporter at WGNO in New Orleans, LA)
 * John Mason - anchor (1986–1994)
 * Mike Moran - sports reporter/photographer (1963–1966)
 * Bob Murray - anchor/reporter (late 1970s-1985)
 * Chuck Roberts - anchor (1975–1981; now at HLN)
 * Greg Peterson - anchor (2001–2006; now anchor at WPMI in Mobile, Al)
 * Jean Schnase - host of Miss Jean's Storytime (began in 1956 and still going in 2009)
 * Carol Scott - weathercaster (1970s)
 * Michael Scott - anchor (1995–1999; previously with KETV)
 * Dick Snodgrass - commercial film editor (1960s)
 * Kerri Stowell - weekend anchor/reporter (2006-2010) now morning traffic and afternoon reporter for KMBC-TV in Kansas City
 * Jace Anderson - commercial film editor; floor manager; now Visual Information Specialist FEMA (1968-69)
 * Bill Talbot - weathercaster (1960s-early 1970s)
 * Deborah Ward - anchor/reporter (1980–2006)
 * Dave Webber - sports anchor (1970s; later sports director at WOWT from 1978–2009)
 * Terry Yeager - sports director (early-mid 1980s)