KSTP-TV, channel 5, is the ABC affiliate for the Twin Cities. Its transmitter is located at theShoreview Telefarm. It is the flagship station of Hubbard Broadcasting, which also owns several other broadcasting properties across the United States.
| |
| St. Paul / Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
|---|---|
| Branding | 5 Eyewitness News |
| Slogan | Minnesota's News Leader |
| Channels | Digital: 35 (UHF) |
| Subchannels | 5.1 ABC |
| Translators | (see article) |
| Affiliations | ABC |
| Owner | Hubbard Broadcasting
(KSTP-TV, LLC) |
| Founded | April 27, 1948 |
| Call letters' meaning | ST. Paul |
| Sister station(s) | KSTC-TV, KSTP, KSTP-FM, KTMY, WIXK |
| Former channel number(s) | 5 (VHF analog; 1948-2009)
50 (UHF digital, 1999-2009) |
| Former affiliations | NBC (1948-1979) |
| Transmitter power | 1000 kW |
| Height | 433 m |
| Facility ID | 28010 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 45°3′43.9″N93°8′22.2″W |
| Website | www.kstp.com |
KSTP is licensed to St. Paul (as referenced by its call letters), but its studios lie right on the boundary line between St. Paul and Minneapolis. The facility is shared with three sister radio stations (KSTP AM 1500, KSTP-FM 94.5 FM), KTMY FM 107.1, and KSTC-TV (channel 45).
KSTP's broadcasts became digital-only on June 12, 2009.[2]
History
Stanley E. Hubbard, founder of KSTP radio, was one of broadcasting's foremost pioneers. In June of 1939, he purchased one of the first television cameras available from RCA and began experimenting with television, but the television blackout brought on by World War II prevented any transmissions from being made. The first telecast by KSTP reportedly occurred on December 7, 1947 when Jack Horner hosted a 25-minute program. On April 27, 1948, KSTP-TV signed on as the first commercial television station in Minnesota, although an experimentalmechanical TV station had set up by WDGY station engineers more than a decade earlier. That station's license expired in 1938 as the Federal Communications Commission was not interested in continuing mechanical TV broadcasts.
KSTP-TV was originally an NBC affiliate, as KSTP-AM had been an NBC radio affiliate since 1928. It claims to be NBC's first affiliate, but this is false; WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee and KSD-TV (now KSDK) in St. Louis both signed on a year earlier. It was part of NBC's Midwest Network, a regional group of NBC affiliates that fed programming in the days before the coaxial cable link to New York City. In 1961, due to its status as an NBC affiliate, it was the first non-O&O to broadcast all of its programs in color.
In the late 1970s, ABC began looking for stronger affiliates across the country—including the Twin Cities. KMSP-TV, the Twin Cities' ABC affiliate since 1961, had long struggled in the ratings. ABC had talks with WTCN (Channel 11, now KARE--ironically, the original ABC affiliate in the Twin Cities from 1953 to 1961), CBS affiliate WCCO-TV, and KSTP-TV. Channel 5 surprised the industry in August 1978 by announcing its intention to sever ties with NBC and join ABC. The affiliation switch occurred on March 5, 1979 and was ABC's biggest coup at the time. “We want to go into the 1980s in a leadership position with a network which we think has the management, team and depth to be the best. That's ABC. We're just absolutely thrilled,” said KSTP's Stanley S. Hubbard.[3]
A digital TV signal from KSTP started airing in 1999 and became part of the first TV "duopoly" in the state with the purchase of KVBM-TV, channel 45 (now KSTC) the year after that (though there is a longstanding public television pair: KTCA/KTCI).
KSTP-TV has used its "groovy 5" logo or variations on it since April 1969 —- it is the longest-used broadcast logo in the Upper Midwest. By 1982, the design contained a white '5' on a red rounded edge square background. The number was italicized for a time in the mid-to-late 1980s. In the early 1990s, a red triangular backdrop was in place. Eventually, the logo endured a more dramatic makeover, with a gold colored '5' on a blue ABC-style disc, outlined in green. By the late 1990s, a brighter, classier logo—still with a gold '5' -- returned the rectangular look, adding a black ABC logo. Since 2004, a white '5' has been used on a red parallelogram, also with a black ABC logo.
In April 2008, KSTP started airing commercials commemorating their 60 years on the air. The commercials ended with a new slogan, "Minnesota's News Leader".
Local programming
A notable local program produced each week is At Issue, a political discussion show hosted by Tom Hauser, with former state governorWendell Anderson as a regular guest.
"Sports Wrap" airs twice a week—on Friday nights from September through May, for high school sports and on Sunday nights, featuring a variety of pro and regional sports. These segments were usually hosted by Rod Simons and Anne Hutchinson, but Simons was later fired by the station in 2008 and Hutchinson also was let go in December of that year. A week prior to Hutchinson's departure, "High School Sports Wrap" was canceled due to low revenues[4], although Sports Wrap continues to air Sunday evenings at 10:45 p.m. and on special occasions, such as when KSTP picks up ESPN Monday Night Football telecasts involving the Minnesota Vikings.
From 1982 to 1994, when nationally-syndicated talk shows started ruling the daytime airwaves, KSTP ran a talk program of its own known asGood Company, hosted by married couple Sharon Anderson and Steve Edelman. They appeared briefly in the movie Fargo as show hosts, and continue to be recognized as area celebrities from time to time. Currently, Edelman runs Edelman Productions, a company that produces TV shows for Food Network, HGTV, The History Channel and DIY, with his wife Anderson hosting a few of them. Edelman Productions is headquartered in California where both Edelman and Anderson now live, but they have offices both in California and Minnesota where they produce their shows.
KSTP former logo from 2004-2009
In 2007, Channel 5 decided to bring back an hour-long afternoon talk program similar to Good Company. A public casting call at the Mall of America attracted a Burnsville, Minnesota native, John Hanson, who was selected from over 500 people. A few months later, a Milwaukee TV news anchor, Rebekah Wood, was hired as his partner. The new program is called Twin Cities Live, "a show about Minnesotans created by Minnesotans," and began airing on April 21, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.[5] The title Twin Cities Live was first used in the late 1980s for a short-lived morning talk show. That show debuted at a time that KSTP was trying to reinvent its news image.
News operation
Channel 5 was the early news ratings leader in the Twin Cities. It was the first station in the Central Time Zone to air a 10 p.m. newscast seven days a week. It only lost the lead in the late 1960s, when WCCO-TV created its popular "The Scene Tonight." Trying to reclaim the ratings crown, KSTP installed the market's first co-anchor team in 1970, with longtime station anchors Bob Ryan and John MacDougall. They failed to attract more viewers and were fired from the station in 1971, although MacDougall later served as a newscaster on AM 1500 during the 1980s and early 1990s. Ted O'Brien became the news anchor, with Barry Zevan 'the weather man' and Tom Ryther on sports, headlining KSTP's new effort as "The World Today".
Channel 5 started using the "Eyewitness News" format for its newscasts in 1973; KMSP-TV had used the title since 1969, but discarded it in favor of using Newsnine as its newscast title. KSTP, still seeking ratings gold, replaced O'Brien with Ron Magers in February 1974. Dr. Walt Lyons, meteorologist, took over for Zevan in 1975. These men, along with Ryther, were "recalled years later by more than one local media critic as the best Twin Cities TV news ensemble ever." By then, KSTP "could genuinely claim to be not just number one in the market but in much of the country."[3] The news team was strengthened even further with the addition of the well-respected Cyndy Brucato in 1979. These on-air personalities led a strong ratings era, which has been unparalleled at the station.
Lyons and Ryther left the station in the late 1970s, followed by weekend weatherman Roy Finden in 1980. After a highly publicized fallout with management, Ron Magers abruptly departed KSTP in 1981 to join WMAQ-TV in Chicago. KSTP-TV once again fell from its top perch, while WCCO-TV climbed back to #1, but the market and the national networks were changing. Meanwhile, Gannett bought channel 11 in 1983 and revitalized the station. NBC began a major climb in primetime ratings while ABC lost steam. This combination of events, along with the "musical chairs" at channel 5's anchor desk, allowed a significant third contender into the Twin Cities news race. Despite its extensive news background, Channel 5 dipped to third in the ratings by 1985. A year later, it lost Lyons' replacement, Dennis Feltgen, to KARE and replaced Cyndy Brucato as anchor. It has remained near the bottom of the heap since then, occasionally dropping to fourth behind 9:00 p.m. newscasts on KMSP-TV. Even a shakeup and quirky advertisements featuring Ed Asner (emulating Lou Grant)[6] didn't help. During this time, however, channel 5 became the first station to use satellite news gathering for its newscasts.
1990 saw the launch of the cable and satellite channel All News Channel (ANC) and all-night news on KSTP which alternated between ANC half hours and local half hours.
Despite all the upheaval, a few staffers have managed to stay at KSTP for several years. Stan Turner wore a number of hats at Channel 5—from news director to news anchor—beginning in 1968 through the late 1980s. Starting in October 1976, reporter Jason Davis produced feature stories. Since 2003, Davis has been host and executive producer of a regional-interest program called "On the Road," which originally a segment produced for newscasts and is now a stand-alone program broadcast on Sunday nights. Meteorologist Dave Dahl was hired in 1977, began doing on-air weather reporting in 1979, and became Chief Meteorologist in 1986. Dahl has been noted as being a skeptic ofglobal warming.[7]
Beginning in 1985, Joe Schmit was a sports reporter and later Sports Director for 20 years before switching to news anchor in 2005. But in June 2006, Schmit left the station to join Petters Media and Marketing Group, a subsidiary of Petters Group Worldwide.[8] After the collapse of the company and the arrest and conviction of founder Tom Petters, Schmit returned to KSTP-TV on January 14, 2010.[9] With his return to the station, the station also brought back Sunday Sports Wrap with Joe Schmit. Phil Aldridge subsequently moved to weekend sports anchor and held that position until his contract ended in June 2010. Chris Long currently spells Schmit on evening and weekend sportscasts.
Cyndy Brucato made a surprise return to the KSTP-TV anchor desk in 2004 after an 18-year absence from the station. Her comeback had been preceded by a guest appearance as a fill-in sportscaster, at Joe Schmit's request. Management then decided to rehire her for a news anchor position. While Brucato's return only caused an initial bump in the ratings, her greater significance has been to add insight and depth to the news desk, which has many newer personalities in the market.
In late 2004, the station became part of the controversies surrounding missing explosives following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Anchor/Reporter Dean Staley and cameraman Joe Caffrey visited the Al Qa'qaa munitions dump on April 18, 2003. By the next year, Staley had moved on to another station, but the tapes still existed and Caffrey was still at KSTP. When reports surfaced that explosive material might have been stolen from the site, the two realized that they had filmed at the facility during an important time.
On May 12, 2006, KSTP announced it was adding a half-hour newscast at 4 p.m. On September 10, 2007, it was switched to 4:30 p.m., allowing the show to blend with the 5 p.m. newscast. For the first year, KSTP had no news competition at that time. However, in late May 2007, KARE began an online/television lifestyles show at 4 p.m. But KSTP can now claim the market's only hour-long afternoon and evening newscasts—at 4:30 and 6:00 p.m. On August 30, 2010, KSTP expanded its weekday morning newscast a half-hour earlier, now running from 4:30 to 7 a.m.[10]
For much of the 1980s and continuing today, KQRS-FM morning show host Tom Barnard has been the station's voice-over announcer. In August 2007, News Director Chris Berg left the station. A report to the Star Tribune says that his departure was "mutual" and was also delayed due to KSTP's coverage of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse.
KSTP began broadcasting its newscasts in high definition on June 15, 2009, making it the last news station in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market to broadcast its news in High Definition.[11]
KSTP has moved some anchors and added some. Brad Sattin now co-anchors weekday mornings and middays with Rebekah Wood and Vineeta Sawkar. Joy Nakrin is now a weekend anchor and weekday reporter. Jennifer Copeland is now an 11 p.m. anchor and reporter for other newscasts. Gus Rosendale joined KSTP in mid-December 2010 as an evening anchor. On May 1st, 2011 Chikage Windler had left kstp to a job in Indianpolis, she was a co-chief meterologist.
Equipment inside a KSTP-TV news van.
News/station presentation
Newscast titles
- The News Edition (early 1950s)
- KSTP News (1960s)
- Twin News Tonight (10 p.m. newscast; 1960s)
- The KSTP 10PM Report (10 p.m. newscast; 1960s-1971)
- The World Today (1971–1973)
- (Channel 5) Eyewitness News/5 Eyewitness News (1973–present)
- Eyewitness News Update (10 p.m. newscast, mid-1980s)
Station slogans
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News team
Current on-air staff
As of Dec 23, 2010 News anchors
- Bill Lunn - weeknights at 4:30, 5, 10, and 11 p.m.
- Leah McLain - weeknights at 5, 6:30, and 10 p.m.
- Gus Rosendale - weeknights at 6, 6:30, 9 (on KSTC), and 11 p.m.
- Jennifer Copeland - weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.
- Jessica Miles - weekend mornings, Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30, and weekends at 10 p.m.
- Megan Newquist - weekdays at 4:30 and weeknights at 9 p.m. (on KSTC)
- Brad Sattin - weekday mornings 4:30 to 7 a.m. (KSTP), 7 to 9 a.m. (KSTC), 11 a.m. (KSTP)
- Vineeta Sawkar - weekday mornings 4:30 to 7 a.m. (KSTP), 7 to 9 a.m. (KSTC), 11 a.m. (KSTP)
- Rebekah Wood - weekday mornings 4:30 to 7 a.m. (KSTP), 7 to 9 a.m. (KSTC), 11 a.m. (KSTP)
- Joy Lin Nakrin - weekends AM and PM, weekday reporter
5 Eyewitness Weather
- Note: KSTP-TV is the only station in the nation to have two chief meteorologists.
- Dave Dahl (American Meteorological Society Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6, 6:30, 9 (on KSTC), 10 and 11 p.m.
- Patrick Hammer (AMS Certified) - meteorologist; weekday mornings and 11am
- Steve Fraizer - meteorologist, fill-in basis
- Steve Sosna - fill-in basis
5 Eyewitness Sports
- Joe Schmit - sports director; weeknights at 5, 6, 9 (on KSTC) and 10 p.m.
- Chris Long - sports anchor; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m.; also weekday sports reporter
- Darren Wolfson - sports reporter and fill-in sports anchor
- John Hanson - fill-in sports anchor and sports reporter
Reporters
- Mark Albert
- Jason Davis - host and executive producer for On the Road
- Rusty Gatenby - morning traffic and entertainment reporter
- Jennifer Griswold
- Tom Hauser - chief political reporter and host of "At Issue"
- Chris Keating - morning and midday reporter
- Jay Kolls - investigative reporter
- Colleen Mahoney
- Joe Mazan
- Bob McNaney - investigative and aviation reporter
- Maggie Newland
- Steve Shaw
- Tim Sherno
Twin Cities Live Hosts
- John Hanson
- Elizabeth Ries
Former on-air staff
- Phil Aldridge (sports)
- Angela Astore (anchor/reporter, 1985-1993)
- Todd Baer
- John Barr
- Art Barron (still at KSTP but working behind the camera)
- JoAnn Bemoras
- Jo Bender (weather, later with KARE
- Mike Binkley (reporter/morning anchor, 1986–2006-now morning anchor with Angela Davis on WCCO
- Bridgette Bornstein
- Katy Boo (reporter)
- Dennis Bounds (5 p.m. anchor, now with KING-TV
- Paul Brand (Automotive reporter)
- Paul Brandt (consumer reporter, producer, 1972–1978)
- Cyndy Brucato (retired, September 2010)
- Bob Bruce (sports and later morning anchor/host, 1978–1990. Now with WPXI)
- Wally Brueske (sidekick, Treasure Chest, Dialing for Dollars)
- Don Buehler (reporter, 1970s)
- Charlie Bush (staff announcer, late-night movie host, 1965–1981)
- Randall Carlisle (anchor, 1988–1990)
- Reg Chapman (now with WCCO)
- Chris Conangla (main anchor/midday anchor, 1993–2000)
- Dennis Craff (reporter, 1970s)
- Mark Curtis(sports, 1990s)
- Angela Davis (morning news, now morning co-anchor with Mike Binkley on WCCO)
- Heidi Deja (reporter/anchor, 1993-97, now a media relations manager in North Carolina
- J.B. Eckert (reporter, 1970s)
- John Evans (reporter-anchor, 1970s)
- Harris Faulkner (evenings, now with Fox News Channel)
- Dennis Feltgen (meteorologist, 1978–1986. Now the public affairs officer with NOAA's National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida
- Roy Finden (weekend weather and host of "High School Bowl," later with Brown Insitiute, 1968–1981)
- Heather Filkins (reporter)
- Marcia Fluer (reporter, political correspondent, and weekend anchor, 1972–1984)
- Micheal Gargiulo (anchor/reporter, now with WNBC in New York)
- Gretchen Gehlbach (now a teacher, 1971-1972)
- David George (weekend meteorologist, 1994–1997)
- Eric Gislason (sports, 1989–2004)
- Jim Guy (morning meteorologist, 1993–2005)
- Lou Harvin (reporter)
- John Hines, (announcer and program host, 1979–1981)
- Val Holley-Dennis (evening anchor, 1990-1993. Now in media relations for Sonic Automotive, Inc.)
- Jim Hutton (host of Treasure Chest, Dialing for Dollars, and Dial 5)
- Anne Hutchinson (sports, also previously with WCCO. Contract not renewed in October, 2009)
- Bill Ingram (original anchor, 1948–1959. Died Dec. 1989)
- Jeff James (weather)
- Beth Jett (news, now at KQDS-TV)
- Jane Johnston (women's affairs, "Dialing for Dollars," "Dial 5." Died Nov. 2007)
- Susie Jones (reporter, now at [[WCCO (AM)|WCCO-AM)
- Ed Karow (sports, 1965–2003. Died May 2003)
- Ryan Kibbe (sports reporter, left for job in Green Bay, Wisconsin)
- Kalley King Yanta (anchor, 1994–2000)
- Ross Kirgiss (general assignment reporter)
- Janel Klein
- Rob Koch (now with WeatherNation/KARE WeatherChannel)
- Mike LaPoint (midday weather, now at WPXI/Pittsburgh)
- Daryl Laub (children's personality Cap'n Daryl and T.N. Tatters, 1955-1960s)
- Dave Layman (reporter, 1970–1973)
- Rob Leer (sports & investigative reporting, 1979–2003)
- Kirsten Lindquist (anchor/reporter, 1988–1990)
- Wendy Lubovich (anchor, 1980s)
- Dr. Walt Lyons (meteorologist, 1975–1978)
- John MacDougall (anchor, 1959–1971, continued as staff announcer through 1980s. Died Oct. 1993)
- Michelle Magadance (reporter)
- Ron Magers (main anchor, 1974–1981-now at WLS-TV)
- Richelle McGinnis (now at KMSP-TV)
- Randy Meier (anchor, later with MSNBC)
- Kerri Miller (Capitol reporter; now mid-morning host at Minnesota Public Radio)
- Johnny Morris (weather, 1959–1971)
- Neil Murray ("On Your Behalf" consumer reporter, 1978–1987)
- Tom Murray (reporter, 1960s-1970s)
- Julie Nelson (anchor, 1998–2002. Now in same capacity at KARE)
- Dick Nesbitt (sports, 1948–1959)
- Craig Nigrelli (reporter/anchor)
- Kent Ninomiya (anchor, 2003–2004)
- Ted O'Brien (anchor, 1971–74)
- Chris O'Connell (now with WTXF-TV, Philadelphia)
- Kris Patrow
- Lynsey Paulo (investigations/anchor-now with KCRA in Sacramento
- Gail Plewacki (Investigative reporter)
- Cale Ramaker (5 p.m. anchor)
- Gillian Rice (reporter, 1980–1981)
- Lorraine Roe (investigative reporter - now a psychic)
- Bob Ryan (anchor, 1948–1971, later at KROC-TV/KTTC Rochester, MN)
- Tom Ryther (sports and "Bowling for Dollars" host, 1971–1978, later at WTCN/WUSA/KARE)
- Laird Brooks Schmidt (late-night movie host, 1978–79)
- Phil Schwarz (weather)
- Bay Scroggins (now with weathernation-Kare weather)
- Scott Seroka (reporter, 2004-2007—now with KARE)
- Kathleen Shannon (reporter/anchor)
- Angela Shelley (reporter, early 1980s)
- Rod Simons (sports)
- Andy Skoogman (reporter)
- Frank Somerville (morning anchor, 1980s)
- Susanna Song (reporter, 2007-2010-now at WBBM-TV Chicago)
- Ruth Spencer (anchor/reporter, 1985-1989, now with WDIV Detroit)
- Karl Spring (weather)
- Dean Staley (weekend anchor/reporter)
- David Stone (agriculture & "Hymn Time" show, host of "Open Forum", 1948–1984-died Aug. 1995)
- John Stone (anchor/reporter)
- Mark Suppelsa (anchor, 1987–1993, now with WGN-TV Chicago)
- Al Tighe (sports 1960-1969, later with KMSP-TV. Died June 2008)
- Allision Triarssi
- Stan Turner (news director, anchor/reporter 1968–1989, later with Hubbard's All News Channel, now in radio)
- Jimmy Valentine (announcer & children's programming, 1948–1984, died Dec. 2002)
- Dave Verhasselt (reporter, now in government public relations)
- Betty Wolden (reporter)
- Henry Wolf (talk show host, 1960s-1980s)
- Barry ZeVan (weather, 1971–1974)
Broadcast center
Entrance to the KSTP studios on University Avenue in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. The sidewalk leading to the building lies precisely on the city line, as does the central leg of the tower.
KSTP-TV's studios and offices are located at 3415 University Avenue, precisely on the Minneapolis-St. Paul boundary. The sidewalk in the adjacent photo of the building is on the city line. The principal broadcast studios are on the Minneapolis side of the building. Most of the rest of the operation is on the St. Paul side, including the business side—hence the St. Paul mailing address (55114-2099). The large tripod transmitting tower behind the station has one leg in each city, with the third leg precisely on the city line. This tower is primarily used to relay the station's signal to the Telefarm paired tower setup in Shoreview (shared with KSTP-FM, WCCO-TV, KARE, and WUCW). The tower also houses the transmitter for KEC65, the NOAA Weather Radio station serving the Twin Cities area.
Outlying stations and translators
Combined with semi-satellites KSAX Alexandria and KRWF in Redwood Falls, KSTP has the most extensive network of television broadcast translators in the state, reaching much of central Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Listed here are the translators served directly by KSTP:
See also
References
- ^ http://www.dumonthistory.tv/a9.html
- ^ http://wcco.com/digital/digital.switch.tv.2.928751.html
- ^ a b http://www.studioz7.com//NewsNine.shtml
- ^ Minn Post - David Brauer - 12-05-08
- ^ KSTP.com - Twin Cities Live launches April 21 at 3pm
- ^ Meyer, Joel (17 October 2005). "Twin Cities Tradition: Hubbard's historic KSTP faces new challenges". BroadcastingCable.com (Reed Elsevier). Retrieved 2007-11-26.
- ^ WCCO-TV - Esme Murphy - 5-20-08
- ^ Minneapolis Star Tribune - Judd Zulgad - 7-30-06
- ^ http://kstp.com/news/stories/S1350162.shtml?cat=1
- ^ http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/2010/08/20/44610/kstp-expanding-am-news-by-half-hour
- ^ http://kstp.com/article/stories/S978823.shtml?cat=1
External links
- KSTP-TV
- KSTP-TV in 1960
- KSTP-TV in 1962, from Broadcast News magazine.
- KSTP at Twin Cities Tv Source
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KSTP-TV