KOMU-TV
Encyclopedia
KOMU-TV is the NBC
-affiliated television station
for Mid-Missouri
licensed to Columbia
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on VHF channel 8 from a transmitter at studios on US 63
southeast of downtown. The station can also be seen on Mediacom
, Suddenlink
, and Charter
channel 7 as well as CenturyLink
channel 8. Syndicated
programming on the station includes: Wheel of Fortune
, Oprah
, Dr. Phil
, and Rachael Ray
. It is owned and operated by curators of the University of Missouri
making KOMU one of only two commercial television stations in the United States
to be owned by a public institution, the other being WVUA-TV
, owned and operated by the University of Alabama
.
is the area's CW affiliate. Known on-air as Mid-Missouri's CW, this channel receives all of its programming from The CW Plus
.
KOMU was the brainchild of longtime University of Missouri journalism professor Edward C. Lambert, who wanted to give journalism students a hands-on experience by working at a full-fledged commercial station. It began airing an analog signal on VHF channel 8 December 21, 1953 and carried programming from all four major networks at the time, but was a primary NBC affiliate. It lost CBS
in 1955 when KRCG
signed-on from Jefferson City
. The two shared ABC
until 1971 when KCBJ-TV (now KMIZ
) launched. From January 22 through April 23, 1955, KOMU temporarily originated a live prime time
ABC network show, Ozark Jubilee
.
In 1982, ABC moved its affiliation to the station, since the network was the highest-rated at the time and wanted a stronger outlet. By 1985, however, NBC had regained the ratings lead. Accordingly, KOMU rejoined NBC on New Year's Day
1986. In 2002, KOMU took over operation of cable TV-only WB affiliate "KJWB" as part of The WB 100+
. KMIZ had previously operated it, but relinquished control over it to KOMU after its parent company went bankrupt. This service was known on-air as "Mid-Missouri's WB 5" after its cable channel location and, as a result, had a fictional callsign (as did most cable-only WB affiliates).
In 2002, KOMU won the Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism
for maintaining its longstanding policy banning political symbols on-air. The station had come under considerable government and popular pressure to allow its anchors and reporters to wear American flag lapels on-air in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks
. In December 2005, the station added NBC Weather Plus
to a new second digital subchannel
and live streaming video on its website. This was added to Mediacom digital systems on January 12, 2007. After the national service shut down on December 1, 2008, it was replaced with Universal Sports but was not added to other digital cable systems. In 2011, Universal Sports was dropped from subchannel 8.2.
It was announced on April 12, 2006 that "KJWB" would become part of The CW and be added as a new third digital subchannel of KOMU to offer non-cable viewers access to the new network. "KJWB" joined The CW at the network's launch on September 18 and began to use the KOMU-DT3 call sign in an official manner. As a result, the station became the first and only educational institution-owned channel in the United States to affiliate with that network. Since KMIZ operated the area's cable-exclusive UPN
station, this joined the other new network known as MyNetworkTV
that was created to compete against The CW. KOMU's broadcasts became digital-only effective June 12, 2009. It moved the digital signal from pre-transition UHF channel 36 to its former analog assignment.
after talks to negotiate a new retransmission consent broke down, the previous carriage agreement with Mediacom was supposed to expire two days earlier, but KOMU and Mediacom agreed to extend their carriage agreement through midnight on January 3. Mediacom replaced KOMU and its digital subchannels with three cable channels: Turner Classic Movies
replaced KOMU on channels 7 and 707; Starz Kids and Family replaced Mid-Missouri CW on channel 5; and The Hub replaced Universal Sports
on channel 101. On January 7, 2011, Mediacom brought KOMU and its subchannels back on their respective channel slots after the company and KOMU reached a new carriage agreement.
It has historically been the dominant station in Mid-Missouri for most of its history according to Nielsen ratings
. In the late 2006 sweeps, however, KOMU lost the lead at 10 p.m. to KRCG--the first time in memory that KOMU had lost any timeslot. However, it still remains a solid runner-up at 10, and leads all other timeslots. Today, KOMU airs local news for 4½ hours on weekdays and 2½ hours on weekends. There is no early evening show on Sundays. Unusual for its market size, KOMU begins its weekday morning show at 4:30 reflecting a recent trend of television stations airing a pre-5 a.m. broadcast (most stations ranked #75 and above in the Nielsen
rank usually air morning newscasts at 5:30 or 6 in the morning). KOMU is the only station in the area that does this.
On August 8, 2008, the station became first in the market to offer local newscasts in high definition making Mid-Missouri the third-smallest DMA
in the country to feature local broadcasts in HD. On April 23, 2009, KOMU debuted a new set specifically designed for high definition television. Suddenlink and Charter currently do not offer this station's high definition feed resulting in reduced access to view HD newscasts. Starting July 5, 2010, the station began producing three newscasts for its CW-affiliated third digital subchannel. This includes KOMU 8 News at 9 on The CW every night for a half-hour. The prime time show competes with the KMIZ
-produced show on Fox affiliate KQFX-LD.
On September 12, 2011, KOMU will debut a new weekday 4 p.m. newscast, which will replace The Oprah Winfrey Show
; U_News@4#Sarah Hill, will feature news, events and local weather, and will give viewers a chance to share their opinions on news stories through social media outlets. 5 p.m. anchor Sarah Hill will anchor and co-produce the hour-long newscast.
Like all CW Plus stations in the Central Time Zone
, KOMU-DT3
also offers the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz
on weekdays from 5 AM until 8 AM. KOMU operates its own weather radar
, known as "Live Doppler 8 First Alert Radar", next to its studios. Unlike most NBC affiliates, it does not offer midday news during the week. KOMU's website features a live streaming video feed of all newscasts.
Newscast music
Anchors
Live Doppler 8 First Alert Weather
Sports
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
-affiliated television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for Mid-Missouri
Mid-Missouri
Mid-Missouri is a loosely defined region comprising the central area of United States state of Missouri. The region's largest city is Columbia . The Missouri state capital, Jefferson City, and the University of Missouri are also located here. The region also includes parts of the Lake of the...
licensed to Columbia
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
. It broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on VHF channel 8 from a transmitter at studios on US 63
U.S. Route 63
U.S. Route 63 is a long north–south United States highway primarily in the Midwestern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at Interstate 20 in Ruston, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 2 in Benoit, Wisconsin, about east of Duluth, Minnesota. It is not related to U.S...
southeast of downtown. The station can also be seen on Mediacom
Mediacom
Mediacom is a cable television and communications provider in the United States. Founded in July 1995, it serves primarily smaller markets in the Midwest and Southern United States. Formerly a publicly traded firm, it went private in a $600.0 million transaction in March 2011 and is, as of 2011,...
, Suddenlink
Suddenlink Communications
Suddenlink Communications, formerly Cebridge Connections, is a top-10 cable broadband services provider in the United States with approximately 1.4 million subscribers. Suddenlink operates in 18 states in primarily medium-sized communities. With its corporate headquarters in St. Louis, MO,...
, and Charter
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
channel 7 as well as CenturyLink
CenturyLink
CenturyLink, Inc. is a United States telecommunications firm, headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana. The company, founded as Central Telephone & Electronics Corporation in 1968, later changed its name to Century Telephone Enterprises, Inc. in 1971, and then was called CenturyTel, Inc. from 1999 to 2010...
channel 8. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on the station includes: Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
, Oprah
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, Dr. Phil
Dr. Phil (TV series)
Dr. Phil is a reality/talk television show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil debuted on September 16, 2002...
, and Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray (TV series)
Rachael Ray, also known as The Rachael Ray Show, is a talk show starring Rachael Ray that debuted in syndication in the United States and Canada on September 18, 2006....
. It is owned and operated by curators of the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
making KOMU one of only two commercial television stations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to be owned by a public institution, the other being WVUA-TV
WVUA-CA
WVUA-CA is a Class A commercial television station owned by the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama, affiliated with This TV. The station is licensed to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with studios on the university's campus...
, owned and operated by the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
.
Digital programming
KOMU-DT3KOMU-DT3
KOMU-DT3 is the CW-affiliated television station for Mid-Missouri. The station is part of The CW Plus, a special CW feed that broadcasts on cable and/or over-the-air on a digital signal. It is a third digital subchannel of NBC affiliate KOMU-TV which is owned by the University of Missouri...
is the area's CW affiliate. Known on-air as Mid-Missouri's CW, this channel receives all of its programming from The CW Plus
The CW Plus
The CW Plus is a group of primarily digital sub-channels, analog, and non-broadcast cable television outlets for the CW Television Network, for markets below the top 99 television media markets in the United States....
.
| Virtual channel | Cable channel | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.1 | CenturyLink digital 308 Mediacom digital 707 |
1080i 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels... |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... |
main KOMU programming/NBC HD |
| 8.3 | Suddenlink 3 Mediacom/Charter 5 CenturyLink 7 |
480i | 4:3 | KOMU-DT3 "Mid-Missouri's CW" |
History
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in 1955 when KRCG
KRCG
KRCG Channel 13 is the CBS affiliate television station for the Columbia/Jefferson City, Missouri television market. The station is licensed to Jefferson City, with studios in the nearby town of New Bloomfield.-History:...
signed-on from Jefferson City
Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. Located in Callaway and Cole counties, it is the principal city of the Jefferson City metropolitan area, which encompasses the entirety of both counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,079...
. The two shared ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
until 1971 when KCBJ-TV (now KMIZ
KMIZ
KMIZ is the ABC-affiliated television station for Mid-Missouri that is licensed to Columbia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 17 from a transmitter in Cedron near the Moniteau and Cooper County line...
) launched. From January 22 through April 23, 1955, KOMU temporarily originated a live prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
ABC network show, Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee is the first U.S. network television program to feature country music's top stars, and was the centerpiece of a strategy for Springfield, Missouri to challenge Nashville, Tennessee as America's country music capital...
.
In 1982, ABC moved its affiliation to the station, since the network was the highest-rated at the time and wanted a stronger outlet. By 1985, however, NBC had regained the ratings lead. Accordingly, KOMU rejoined NBC on New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
1986. In 2002, KOMU took over operation of cable TV-only WB affiliate "KJWB" as part of The WB 100+
The WB 100+ Station Group
The WB 100+ Station Group was a group of primarily non-broadcast local cable television outlets for The WB Television Network, for markets below the top 100 television media markets in the United States. Dayparts with no WB programming were programmed by the network...
. KMIZ had previously operated it, but relinquished control over it to KOMU after its parent company went bankrupt. This service was known on-air as "Mid-Missouri's WB 5" after its cable channel location and, as a result, had a fictional callsign (as did most cable-only WB affiliates).
In 2002, KOMU won the Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism
Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism
The Payne Awards for Ethics in Journalism were created at the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communications in 1999. In the words of the school's dean, Tim Gleason, the awards were created "to honor the journalist of integrity and character who reports with insight and clarity in...
for maintaining its longstanding policy banning political symbols on-air. The station had come under considerable government and popular pressure to allow its anchors and reporters to wear American flag lapels on-air in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. In December 2005, the station added NBC Weather Plus
NBC Weather Plus
NBC Weather Plus was a 24-hour, commercially sponsored, weather-oriented broadcast/cable television network jointly owned by NBC Universal and the local affiliates of the NBC network. It debuted on November 15, 2004 and shut down on December 31, 2008...
to a new second digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
and live streaming video on its website. This was added to Mediacom digital systems on January 12, 2007. After the national service shut down on December 1, 2008, it was replaced with Universal Sports but was not added to other digital cable systems. In 2011, Universal Sports was dropped from subchannel 8.2.
It was announced on April 12, 2006 that "KJWB" would become part of The CW and be added as a new third digital subchannel of KOMU to offer non-cable viewers access to the new network. "KJWB" joined The CW at the network's launch on September 18 and began to use the KOMU-DT3 call sign in an official manner. As a result, the station became the first and only educational institution-owned channel in the United States to affiliate with that network. Since KMIZ operated the area's cable-exclusive UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
station, this joined the other new network known as MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
that was created to compete against The CW. KOMU's broadcasts became digital-only effective June 12, 2009. It moved the digital signal from pre-transition UHF channel 36 to its former analog assignment.
2011 Mediacom dispute
On January 3, 2011 KOMU was removed from the channel lineup of local cable provider MediacomMediacom
Mediacom is a cable television and communications provider in the United States. Founded in July 1995, it serves primarily smaller markets in the Midwest and Southern United States. Formerly a publicly traded firm, it went private in a $600.0 million transaction in March 2011 and is, as of 2011,...
after talks to negotiate a new retransmission consent broke down, the previous carriage agreement with Mediacom was supposed to expire two days earlier, but KOMU and Mediacom agreed to extend their carriage agreement through midnight on January 3. Mediacom replaced KOMU and its digital subchannels with three cable channels: Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
replaced KOMU on channels 7 and 707; Starz Kids and Family replaced Mid-Missouri CW on channel 5; and The Hub replaced Universal Sports
Universal Sports
Universal Sports is an American television network that airs various sports, primarily those contested in the Olympic Games, including swimming, gymnastics, cycling, track and field, figure skating, skiing, bobsledding and triathlon.-Programming:...
on channel 101. On January 7, 2011, Mediacom brought KOMU and its subchannels back on their respective channel slots after the company and KOMU reached a new carriage agreement.
News operation
Originally, MU School of Journalism students served as KOMU interns providing behind-the-scenes assistance with production and direction. However, since 1970, most of the station's reporters and photographers have been a rotating array of undergraduate and/or graduate students seen by week and portions of the semesters. In addition, weekend and substitute anchors as well as many producers are students. However, like other commercial outlets, the station does employ paid professional staff serving as managers, engineers, and sales representatives. The editors and main on-air anchors, as well as most of the producers, are actually School of Journalism faculty members. Due to the large number of unpaid interns, KOMU has a significantly larger news staff than conventional wisdom would suggest for a station in the 137th market.It has historically been the dominant station in Mid-Missouri for most of its history according to Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. In the late 2006 sweeps, however, KOMU lost the lead at 10 p.m. to KRCG--the first time in memory that KOMU had lost any timeslot. However, it still remains a solid runner-up at 10, and leads all other timeslots. Today, KOMU airs local news for 4½ hours on weekdays and 2½ hours on weekends. There is no early evening show on Sundays. Unusual for its market size, KOMU begins its weekday morning show at 4:30 reflecting a recent trend of television stations airing a pre-5 a.m. broadcast (most stations ranked #75 and above in the Nielsen
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
rank usually air morning newscasts at 5:30 or 6 in the morning). KOMU is the only station in the area that does this.
On August 8, 2008, the station became first in the market to offer local newscasts in high definition making Mid-Missouri the third-smallest DMA
DMA
DMA can refer to:* DMA , a defunct dance music magazine* Dallas Museum of Art, an art museum in Texas, USA* Danish Music Awards, an award show held in Denmark since 1989...
in the country to feature local broadcasts in HD. On April 23, 2009, KOMU debuted a new set specifically designed for high definition television. Suddenlink and Charter currently do not offer this station's high definition feed resulting in reduced access to view HD newscasts. Starting July 5, 2010, the station began producing three newscasts for its CW-affiliated third digital subchannel. This includes KOMU 8 News at 9 on The CW every night for a half-hour. The prime time show competes with the KMIZ
KMIZ
KMIZ is the ABC-affiliated television station for Mid-Missouri that is licensed to Columbia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 17 from a transmitter in Cedron near the Moniteau and Cooper County line...
-produced show on Fox affiliate KQFX-LD.
On September 12, 2011, KOMU will debut a new weekday 4 p.m. newscast, which will replace The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
; U_News@4#Sarah Hill, will feature news, events and local weather, and will give viewers a chance to share their opinions on news stories through social media outlets. 5 p.m. anchor Sarah Hill will anchor and co-produce the hour-long newscast.
Like all CW Plus stations in the Central Time Zone
Central Time zone
In North America, the Central Time Zone refers to national time zones which observe standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC , and daylight saving, or summer time by subtracting five hours...
, KOMU-DT3
KOMU-DT3
KOMU-DT3 is the CW-affiliated television station for Mid-Missouri. The station is part of The CW Plus, a special CW feed that broadcasts on cable and/or over-the-air on a digital signal. It is a third digital subchannel of NBC affiliate KOMU-TV which is owned by the University of Missouri...
also offers the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz is a nationally syndicated breakfast television news and infotainment program. The show is produced by Fisher Communications and is owned and distributed by ACME Communications; it is broadcast every weekday morning from studios at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida...
on weekdays from 5 AM until 8 AM. KOMU operates its own weather radar
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
, known as "Live Doppler 8 First Alert Radar", next to its studios. Unlike most NBC affiliates, it does not offer midday news during the week. KOMU's website features a live streaming video feed of all newscasts.
Newscast titles
- KOMU-TV News (1953-1964)
- The News Camera (1964-1971)
- News Eight Reports (1971-1974)
- NewsCenter 8 (1974-1997)
- NBC 8 News (1997-2002)
- KOMU News (2002-2008)
- KOMU 8 News (2008-present)
Station slogans
- "Channel 8, Let's All Be There" (1985-1986; local version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Come Home To Channel 8" (1986-1987; local version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Come On Home To Channel 8" (1987-1988; local version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Come Home To The Best, Only On Channel 8" (1988-1990; local version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Channel 8, The Place To Be!" (1990-1991; local version of NBC ad campaign)
- "Your News for the '90s" (1991-1995)
- "Mid-Missouri's News Team' (1995-2002)
- "Coverage You Can Count On" (2002-present)
- "Improve Your View" (2006-2008, secondary)
Newscast musicTelevision news musicTelevision news music is used by television stations to brand their news operations. Each television station uses an identifiable news theme; some themes are used by multiple stations while others are composed specifically for a certain station....
- "KOMU 1975 News Theme" (1975-1978)
- "Home Country" by Mayoham MusicAl HamAlbert W. Ham was an American composer and jingle writer. He was notable as the composer of the Move Closer to Your World music package used since the 1970s on WPVI-TV's Action News broadcasts in Philadelphia, as well as many on many other newscasts in the United States throughout the 1970s and...
(1978-1980) - "KOMU 1980 News Theme" (1980-1986)
- "You've Got A Friend Mid-Missouri" (1982-1985)
- "Cool Hand Luke: The Tar SequenceCool Hand LukeCool Hand Luke is a 1967 American prison drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starring Paul Newman. The screenplay was adapted by Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson from Pearce's 1965 novel of the same name. The film features George Kennedy, Strother Martin, J.D...
" by Lalo SchifrinLalo SchifrinLalo Schifrin is an Argentine composer, pianist and conductor. He is best known for his film and TV scores, such as the "Theme from Mission: Impossible". He has received four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations...
(1986-1988) - "KOMU 1988 News Theme" (1988-1990)
- "KOMU 1990 News Theme" (1990-1991)
- "The Great News Package" by Gari Communications, Inc. (1991-1998)
- "The NBC Collection" by Gari Communications, Inc. (1998-2009)
- "The Tower" by 615 Music615 Music615 Music is a broadcast production music company based in Nashville, Tennessee. 615 Music composes television news music packages and custom image campaigns for many television networks around the world. 615 Music also operates out of Los Angeles...
(2009-present)
Franchises
- 8 Goes Green
- 8 On Your Side (Jim Riek)
- Blumberg Off the Bench (Eric Blumberg)
- Coverage From Callaway (Megan Murphy)
- Friday Night Fever (KOMU Sports)
- Sarah's Stories (Sarah Hill)
- Stretching Your Dollar (Angie Bailey)
- Target 8
- Your View
Current on-air staff
Anchors
- Angie Bailey - weeknights at 5, 6, 9 and 10 p.m.
- Sarah Hill - weekdays at 4; also reporter and "Sarah's Stories" and "Your View" segments producer
- Megan Murphy - weekday mornings
- Jim Riek - weeknights at 5, 6, 9, and 10 p.m.
Live Doppler 8 First Alert Weather
- Dave Schmidt - chief weathercaster; weekdays at 4 and 5
- Eric Aldrich (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings - Michelle Bogowith - meteorologist; weeknights at 6, 9 and 10
Sports
- Chris Gervino - sports director; KOMU 8 Sports Show host
- Eric Blumberg - sports anchor; "Blumberg off the Bench" segment producer
Notable former on-air staff
- mtvUMtvUmtvU is a division of Viacom's MTV Networks which produces a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as well as several digital cable packages...
: Carly HendersonCarly HendersonCarly Henderson is an Emmy Award-nominated journalist and TV Presenter of Italian-Slovenian descent. She currently works as a VJ for mtvU.As mtvU's VJ, Carly promotes upcoming movie releases and shows, hosts video hours, interviews students, and reports from events like MTV's VMA Tour, mtvU's... - NBC NewsNBC NewsNBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
: Lisa MyersLisa MyersLisa Myers is the senior investigative correspondent for NBC Nightly News.A 1973 graduate of the University of Missouri's Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, Missouri, she joined NBC in 1981. From 1979 to 1981, Myers was White House correspondent for The Washington Star...
('73), Mark Potter ('75) - ABC NewsABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
: Elizabeth VargasElizabeth VargasElizabeth Vargas is an American television journalist who is anchor of ABC's television newsmagazine 20/20 and ABC News Specials. She was previously an anchor of World News Tonight.-Early years:...
('84), Kevin Roy ('87) - CBS NewsCBS NewsCBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
: Russ MitchellRuss MitchellRussell Mitchell is an American journalist for CBS, anchor of the Early Show on Saturday, and weekend anchor of the CBS Evening News.-Early years:...
('82), Richard Schlesinger ('76) - CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
: Sophia ChoiSophia ChoiSophia Choi is an American news broadcaster at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia.-Biography:Sophia Choi was born in Taegu, Korea. She moved to the U.S. at the age of seven, and attended Hollywood Elementary School in Hollywood, Maryland. After her father's death when she was 12, she moved to Memphis,...
('92), Chuck RobertsChuck RobertsChuck Roberts is an American broadcast journalist, most notable for being the former weekday news anchor on Headline News, based in CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia...
('71) - Fox News: Jon ScottJon ScottJon Scott is an American television news anchor, co-hosting Happening Now from 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. ET with Jenna Lee on Fox News Channel.-Personal life and education:...
('81), Phil KeatingPhil KeatingPhil Keating is a national correspondent for the Fox News Channel based in the Miami bureau. During his career at Fox, Keating has covered major breaking news stories including the death of Anna Nicole Smith, Caylee Anthony, and the trial of Jose Padilla.Keating also covers NASA stories for Fox...
('90) - ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
: John AndersonJohn Anderson (broadcaster)John Anderson is a sports journalist from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and a host of the ESPN TV program SportsCenter since June 1999. He lives in Southington, Connecticut.-Biography:...
('87), Matt WinerMatt WinerMatthew Ward Winer is an American television personality for Turner Sports and formerly with ESPN.-Career:Turner Sports signed Winer in 2010 to contribute to coverage of sports across its networks. He became the primary studio host for Major League Baseball on TBS, replacing Ernie Johnson Jr., who...
('90), Michael KimMichael KimMichael Kim is a presenter for SportsCenter on ESPN.Kim joined ESPN as one of the original presenters on ESPNEWS prior to its November 1, 1996, launch...
('88) - National JournalNational JournalNational Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
: Major GarrettMajor GarrettMajor Elliott Garrett is a Congressional correspondent with the National Journal. Prior to joining the National Journal he was the senior White House correspondent for the Fox News Channel...
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