KSTP-TV
Encyclopedia
KSTP-TV, channel 5, is the ABC
affiliate for the Twin Cities. Its transmitter is located at the Shoreview
Telefarm
. It is the flagship
station of Hubbard Broadcasting, which also owns several other broadcasting properties across the United States
.
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 sister stations KSTP radio (1500 AM), KSTP-FM
(94.5 MHz.), KTMY
(107.1 FM), and KSTC-TV
(channel 45).
KSTP's broadcasts became digital-only on June 12, 2009.
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 experimental mechanical 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 west of the Mississippi River
, but this is false; KSD-TV (now KSDK
) in St. Louis 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.
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".
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, 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 show
s started ruling the daytime airwaves, KSTP ran a talk program of its own known as Good 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.
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. The title Twin Cities Live was first used from 1985-1991 for a short-lived morning talk show. That show debuted at a time that KSTP was trying to reinvent its news image.
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. Jackson 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
on February 11, 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." 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, occasionally dropping to fourth behind 9:00 p.m. newscasts on KMSP-TV until February 2008 when KARE-TV & KMSP-TV lost its steam. Even a shakeup and quirky advertisements featuring Ed Asner
(emulating Lou Grant
)
didn't help. During this time, however, channel 5 became the first station to use satellite news gathering for its newscasts. Currently KSTP-TV is now ranked the second most watched news in Minnesota behind current news leader WCCO-TV.
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 of global warming
.
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
. After the collapse of the company and the arrest and conviction of founder Tom Petters
, Schmit returned to KSTP-TV on January 14, 2010. 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.
In May 2011 Jackson O'Brien, Ken Barlow got named for 45 Local News @4PM on KSTC-TV in June 2011 they added sports with Joe Schmitt.
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.
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
.
5 Eyewitness Weather
5 Eyewitness Sports
Reporters
Twin Cities Live
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.
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:
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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...
affiliate for the Twin Cities. Its transmitter is located at the Shoreview
Shoreview, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there are 25,377 people, Males: 12,303 , Females: 13,074 , 9,965 households, and 7,021 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,315.9 people per square mile . There are 10,127 housing units at an average density of 919.2 per square mile...
Telefarm
Telefarm Towers Shoreview
Telefarm Towers Shoreview is a transmission site for FM radio and television broadcasting in Shoreview, Minnesota consisting of two guyed towers. The towers, commonly called simply the Shoreview Towers by local residents, are owned by Telefarm, Inc., which is a company jointly owned by the Twin...
. It is the flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
station of Hubbard Broadcasting, which also owns several other broadcasting properties across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
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 sister stations KSTP radio (1500 AM), KSTP-FM
KSTP-FM
KSTP-FM is a radio station serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota area. It is one of the flagship stations of Hubbard Broadcasting, which also owns several other TV and radio stations across the United States, along with other properties...
(94.5 MHz.), KTMY
KTMY
KTMY is a radio station broadcasting to the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. The station is owned and operated by Hubbard Broadcasting, and airs a non-political, female-oriented talk format branded as "My Talk 107.1."...
(107.1 FM), and KSTC-TV
KSTC-TV
KSTC-TV is an Independent television station for the Twin Cities that is licensed to Minneapolis. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 45 from a transmitter at the Telefarm installation in Shoreview. Owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, the station is sister to ABC affiliate...
(channel 45).
KSTP's broadcasts became digital-only on June 12, 2009.
History
Stanley E. Hubbard, founder of KSTP radio, was one of broadcasting's foremost pioneers. In June 1939, he purchased one of the first television cameras available from RCARCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
and began experimenting with television, but the television blackout brought on by World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
prevented any transmissions from being made. The first telecast by KSTP reportedly occurred on December 7, 1947 when Jack Horner
Jack Horner (journalist)
Gordon John "Jack" Horner was a noted sports journalist who worked in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market of Minnesota. He participated in the first modern television broadcasts of KSTP-TV channel 5, appearing on the first fully electronic telecast in the state on December 7, 1947...
hosted a 25-minute program. On April 27, 1948, KSTP-TV signed on as the first commercial television station in Minnesota, although an experimental mechanical TV
Mechanical television
Mechanical television was a broadcast television system that used mechanical or electromechanical devices to capture and display video images. However, the images themselves were usually transmitted electronically and via radio waves...
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
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
was not interested in continuing mechanical TV broadcasts.
KSTP-TV was originally an NBC
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...
affiliate, as KSTP-AM had been an NBC radio affiliate since 1928. It claims to be NBC's first affiliate west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, but this is false; KSD-TV (now KSDK
KSDK
KSDK, Channel 5, is the NBC-affiliated television station in St. Louis, Missouri. KSDK is owned and operated by Gannett Company, and the station's transmitter is located in Marlborough, Missouri. The station broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 35, using its former analog channel assignment...
) in St. Louis 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
Coaxial cable
Coaxial cable, or coax, has an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis...
link to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. 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
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...
began looking for stronger affiliates across the country—including the Twin Cities. KMSP-TV
KMSP-TV
KMSP-TV, channel 9, is the Fox-owned-and-operated television station serving the Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota designated market area, owned in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate WFTC...
, the Twin Cities' ABC affiliate since 1961, had long struggled in the ratings. ABC had talks with WTCN (Channel 11, now KARE
KARE
KARE, digital channel 11, is an NBC-affiliated television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota and portions of western Wisconsin. It also operates KARE WX NOW, formerly known as NBC Weather Plus on its second digital subchannel...
--ironically, the original ABC affiliate in the Twin Cities from 1953 to 1961), CBS
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...
affiliate WCCO-TV
WCCO-TV
WCCO-TV, is the CBS owned and operated television station that serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. Its transmitter is at the Telefarm complex in Shoreview, Minnesota.- History :...
, and KSTP-TV. Channel 5 surprised the industry in August 1978 by announcing its intention to sever ties with NBC
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...
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.
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
Twin Cities Public Television
Twin Cities Public Television is a non-profit organization based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that operates the Twin Cities' two Public Broadcasting Service member Public television stations, KTCA-TV and KTCI-TV...
).
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 governor Wendell AndersonWendell Anderson
Wendell Richard "Wendy" Anderson is an American politician and was the 33rd Governor of Minnesota from January 4, 1971 to December 29, 1976. In late 1976, he resigned the governor's office in order to be named U.S. Senator to replace Walter Mondale, who had been elected Vice President of the...
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, although Sports Wrap continues to air Sunday evenings at 10:45 p.m. and on special occasions, such as when KSTP picks up ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment 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....
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
telecasts involving the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
.
From 1982 to 1994, when nationally-syndicated talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
s started ruling the daytime airwaves, KSTP ran a talk program of its own known as Good Company, hosted by married couple Sharon Anderson and Steve Edelman. They appeared briefly in the movie Fargo
Fargo (film)
Fargo is a 1996 American dark comedy-crime film produced, directed and written by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Frances McDormand as a pregnant police chief who investigates a series of homicides, William H...
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
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
, HGTV
HGTV
HGTV , is a cable-television network operating in the United States and Canada, broadcasting a variety of home and garden improvement, maintenance, renovation, craft and remodeling shows...
, The History Channel
The History Channel
History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-...
and DIY, with his wife Anderson hosting a few of them. Edelman Productions is headquartered in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where both Edelman and Anderson now live, but they have offices both in California and Minnesota where they produce their shows.
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
Mall of America
The Mall of America, also called MOA and the Megamall, is a shopping mall located in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities, in the United States. It is located southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway 77, north of the Minnesota River and is across the...
attracted a Burnsville
Burnsville, Minnesota
Burnsville is a city south of downtown Minneapolis in Dakota County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies on the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from the confluence with the Mississippi River...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
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
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
Live, "a show about Minnesotans created by Minnesotans," and began airing on April 21, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. The title Twin Cities Live was first used from 1985-1991 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 ZoneCentral 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...
to air a 10 p.m. newscast seven days a week. It only lost the lead in the late 1960s, when WCCO-TV
WCCO-TV
WCCO-TV, is the CBS owned and operated television station that serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. Its transmitter is at the Telefarm complex in Shoreview, Minnesota.- History :...
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. Jackson 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
Eyewitness News
Eyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
" format for its newscasts in 1973; KMSP-TV
KMSP-TV
KMSP-TV, channel 9, is the Fox-owned-and-operated television station serving the Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota designated market area, owned in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate WFTC...
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
Ron Magers
Ron Magers is a weeknight anchor for WLS-TV, the ABC owned-and-operated station in Chicago, the city's number one station. He currently co-anchors the top-rated 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. broadcasts with Cheryl Burton and Kathy Brock, respectively...
on February 11, 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." The news team was strengthened even further with the addition of the well-respected Cyndy Brucato
Cyndy Brucato
Cyndy Brucato is journalist, public relations consultant and former longtime Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota, news anchor...
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
WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois. WMAQ-TV's main studios and offices are located within the NBC Tower in the Streeterville neighborhood, with an auxiliary street-level studio on the Magnificent Mile at 401...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. 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, occasionally dropping to fourth behind 9:00 p.m. newscasts on KMSP-TV until February 2008 when KARE-TV & KMSP-TV lost its steam. Even a shakeup and quirky advertisements featuring Ed Asner
Ed Asner
Edward Asner , commonly known as Ed Asner, is an American film, television, stage, and voice actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild, primarily known for his Emmy Award-winning role as Lou Grant on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off series, Lou Grant...
(emulating Lou Grant
Lou Grant (fictional character)
Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Edward Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was Mary Tyler Moore , in which the character was the news director at the fictional television station WJM-TV...
)
didn't help. During this time, however, channel 5 became the first station to use satellite news gathering for its newscasts. Currently KSTP-TV is now ranked the second most watched news in Minnesota behind current news leader WCCO-TV.
1990 saw the launch of the cable and satellite channel All News Channel
All News Channel
All News Channel was a 24-hour news channel carried mainly on DirecTV . All News Channel had also been syndicated to network television afflliates in the United States.-Background:...
(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
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
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 of global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
.
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
Petters Group Worldwide
Petters Group Worldwide was a diversified company based in Minnetonka, Minnesota that was turned into a $3.65 billion Ponzi scheme by its founder and CEO, Tom Petters. It currently has 3,200 employees and investments or full ownership in 60 companies, of which it actively managed 20, with offices...
. After the collapse of the company and the arrest and conviction of founder Tom Petters
Tom Petters
Thomas Joseph Petters is an American business man and the former CEO and chairman of Petters Group Worldwide. Petters resigned his position as CEO on September 29, 2008, amid mounting criminal investigations...
, Schmit returned to KSTP-TV on January 14, 2010. 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.
In May 2011 Jackson O'Brien, Ken Barlow got named for 45 Local News @4PM on KSTC-TV in June 2011 they added sports with Joe Schmitt.
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
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. Anchor/Reporter Dean Staley and cameraman Joe Caffrey visited the Al Qa'qaa
Al Qa'qaa
The Al Qa'qaa State Establishment in Iraq was a massive weapons facility 48 kilometres south of Baghdad. It is near to the towns of Yusifiyah and Iskandariya at the geographic coordinates...
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.
For much of the 1980s and continuing today, KQRS-FM morning show host Tom Barnard
Tom Barnard
Thomas 'Tom' Barnard is an American talk radio host and former voice-over talent. He is currently the host of The KQ92 Morning Show broadcast in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.-Personal:...
has been the station's voice-over announcer. In August 2007, News Director Chris Berg left the station. A report to the Star Tribune
Star Tribune
The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. A statewide version is also available across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The...
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
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...
.
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 NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
(1973–2002) - Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
Update (10 p.m. newscast, 1982–1987) - Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
(2002–2004) - 5 Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
(2004–present)
Station slogans
- The Northwest's First Color Television Station (1950s-1960s)
- News Headquarters for the Northwest (late 1960s)
- You and Me, and Channel 5 (1980–1981; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- Now is the Time, Channel 5 Is the Place (1981–1982; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- Come on Along with Channel 5 (1982–1983; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- That Special Feeling on Channel 5 (1983–1984; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- We're With You on Channel 5 (1984–1985; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- Minnesota's Leading News Station (mid-1980s)
- You'll Love It on Channel 5 (1985–1986; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- Together on Channel 5 (1986–1987; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- Minnesota's News Channel (late 1980s-1991)
- Something's Happening on Channel 5 (1987–1990; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- Minnesota's Watching Channel 5 (1990–1992; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
- Your 24-Hour News Channel24 Hour News SourceThe 24 Hour News Source brand was a common name used by American television stations starting in the early 1990s for brief hourly news updates, usually running 30 seconds to a minute in length. At its peak, dozens of stations across the U.S. were producing these brief news updates...
(1991–1995) - News That Matters to You (1998–1999)
- We Are More News (1999–2003)
- 100% News, 0% Fat (early 2000s; parody used for billboards)
- 0 to informed in 30 Minutes (2000s; used for advertising)
- Leading With More News (2003–2008)
- Minnesota's News Leader (2008–2011)
- lets go (2012)
Current on-air staff (as of November 2011)
Current anchors- Jennifer Copeland – weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.
- Bill Lunn – weeknights at 5, 10 and 11 p.m.
- Leah McLean – weeknights at 5, 6:30, and 10 p.m.
- Jessica Miles – Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30, and weekends at 10 p.m.; also weekday reporter
- Joy Lim Nakrin – weekend mornings, also weekday reporter
- Megan Newquist – weekdays at 4:30, and weeknights at 9 p.m. (on KSTC)
- Gus Rosendale – weeknights at 6 and 6:30 (and 9 p.m.; on KSTC)
- Brad Sattin – weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.) and 11 a.m.
- Vineeta Sawkar – weekday mornings (7-9 a.m.; on KSTC) and 11 a.m.
5 Eyewitness Weather
- Dave Dahl (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) – chief meteorologist; weekdays at 4:30, weeknights at 6, 9 (on KSTC) and 10 p.m. - Ken Barlow (AMS Certified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast Meteorologist is a rating for meteorologists given by the American Meteorological Society.The Certified Broadcast Meteorologist program was established to raise the professional standard in broadcast meteorology and encourage a broader range of scientific understanding,...
Seal of Approval) – meteorologist; weeknights at 4 (on KSTC) 5, 6:30, 9:30 (on KSTC) and 11 p.m. - Patrick Hammer (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) – meteorologist; weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m. on KSTP, 7-9 a.m. on KSTC) and 11 a.m.
- Jonathan Yuhas (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) – meteorologist; weekend mornings, Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30, and weekends at 10 p.m.
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
- Bob McNany- fill-in sports anchor
Reporters
- Mark Albert – general assignment reporter
- Jason Davis – host and executive producer for On the Road
- Rusty Gatenby – weekday morning traffic and entertainment reporter
- Jennifer Griswold – general assignment reporter
- Tom Hauser – chief political reporter and host of At Issue
- Jay Kolls – investigative reporter
- Naomi Pescovitz - weekdays morning reporter
- Colleen Mahoney – general assignment reporter
- Joe Mazan – general assignment reporter
- Bob McNaney – investigative and aviation reporter
- Mitch Pittman – general assignment reporter
- Mark Saxenmeyer - general assignment reporter
- Tim Sherno – general assignment reporter
- Nick Winkler – general assignment reporter
Twin Cities Live
- John Hanson – co-host
- Elizabeth Ries – co-host
- Emily Engberg - TCL Reporter
Former on-air staff
- Cyndy BrucatoCyndy BrucatoCyndy Brucato is journalist, public relations consultant and former longtime Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota, news anchor...
- anchor (1979−1986 and 2004−2010) - Harris FaulknerHarris FaulknerHarris Faulkner is an American newscaster for Fox News Channel. She previously presented Fox News Live headline updates during the 6:00 p.m.–11:30 p.m., then briefly 12:30 a.m. ET hours weekdays. She has been working at the breaking news desk between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m...
– weeknight anchor (now with Fox News ChannelFox News ChannelFox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
) - Daryl LaubDaryl LaubDaryl Laub is a television and radio personality who worked for stations in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota, USA, from the 1950s until his retirement in 1993. He worked in a variety of different roles and created several children's show characters, including "J. P. Patches"-J. P...
– children's personality "Cap'n Daryl" and "T.N. Tatters" (1955-1960s) - Ron MagersRon MagersRon Magers is a weeknight anchor for WLS-TV, the ABC owned-and-operated station in Chicago, the city's number one station. He currently co-anchors the top-rated 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. broadcasts with Cheryl Burton and Kathy Brock, respectively...
– anchor (1974–1981; now at WLS-TVWLS-TVWLS-TV, virtual channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The station operates their full power digital operations on UHF channel 44, with their digital fill-in translator on VHF channel...
in Chicago) - Randy MeierRandy MeierRandy Meier served as an anchor for MSNBC for 3 years. He joined the network in 2003 from KSTP-TV . and exited on Friday June 23, 2006 after MSNBC decided not to renew his contract....
– anchor (Anchor with KMSP-TVKMSP-TVKMSP-TV, channel 9, is the Fox-owned-and-operated television station serving the Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota designated market area, owned in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate WFTC...
) - Julie Nelson – anchor (1998–2002; now in same capacity at KARE)
- Stephen O'Conner 1978-2011 (Still with KSTP but not on air)
- Dave Dahl- Weather
Broadcast center
University Avenue (Minneapolis-St. Paul)
University Avenue in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region of Minnesota begins near the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul and extends westward into neighboring Minneapolis, where it passes the University of Minnesota, and then turns north to pass through several suburbs before ending in Blaine,...
, 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
Shoreview, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there are 25,377 people, Males: 12,303 , Females: 13,074 , 9,965 households, and 7,021 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,315.9 people per square mile . There are 10,127 housing units at an average density of 919.2 per square mile...
(shared with KSTP-FM
KSTP-FM
KSTP-FM is a radio station serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota area. It is one of the flagship stations of Hubbard Broadcasting, which also owns several other TV and radio stations across the United States, along with other properties...
, WCCO-TV
WCCO-TV
WCCO-TV, is the CBS owned and operated television station that serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. Its transmitter is at the Telefarm complex in Shoreview, Minnesota.- History :...
, KARE
KARE
KARE, digital channel 11, is an NBC-affiliated television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota and portions of western Wisconsin. It also operates KARE WX NOW, formerly known as NBC Weather Plus on its second digital subchannel...
, and WUCW
WUCW
WUCW is an affiliate of The CW serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. The station is currently owned and operated by the Sinclair Broadcast Group....
). The tower also houses the transmitter for KEC65
KEC65
KEC65 is a NOAA Weather Radio station that serves the Minneapolis – Saint Paul metropolitan area. It is programmed from the National Weather Service forecast office in Twin Cities, Minnesota, with its transmitter located in Saint Paul atop the KSTP television tower...
, the NOAA Weather Radio
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is a network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Service office. It is operated by the NWS, an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the United States Department of...
station serving the Twin Cities area.
Digital channels
| Channel | Format | Programming |
|---|---|---|
| 5.1 | 720p | 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... |
| 5.2 | 480i | Eyewitness News Direct Eyewitness News Eyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video... |
| 5.3 | Me-TV | |
| 5.4 | This TV This TV This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies.... |
Outlying stations and translators
Combined with semi-satellites KSAX AlexandriaAlexandria, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,820 people, however the most recent count suggests a population upwards of 10,000, which is displayed on Alexandria's city limits signs. The census lists 4,047 households, and 2,011 families residing in the city. The population density was 992.5 people per...
and KRWF in Redwood Falls
Redwood Falls, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,459 people, 2,266 households, and 1,389 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,167.1 people per square mile . There were 2,377 housing units at an average density of 508.2 per square mile...
, KSTP has the most extensive network of television broadcast translators in the state, reaching much of central Minnesota and western Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Listed here are the translators served directly by KSTP:
|
External links
- KSTP-TV
- KSTP-TV in 1960
- KSTP-TV in 1962, from Broadcast News magazine.
- KSTP at Twin Cities Tv Source
TV queries
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