So, why can the government do this? MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has extended and upgraded the air quality alert in much of the state due to "unprecedented" conditions caused by wildfire smoke. It has to be distinctive, even memorable. Lane spent the bulk of his radio career at KSTP/Hubbard Broadcasting in a variety of on- and off-air roles. But many industry observers believe the only way forward for CCO is a major update and modernization of its sound. KMNB, a radio station (102.9 FM) licensed to serve Minneapolis, Minnesota, which used the call sign WCCO-FM from May 1969 to November 1983. Two stations can broadcast on the same channel. Box 18438 | Minneapolis, MN 55418 | 612.455.6950. Today Friday, April 30 Dave Lee will wake up at his southeast suburban home, walk to his basement studio, and begin his three-hour air shift at WCCO Radio. Here's how to restore reception with your TV antenna when - KOMO More will be added, so check back. But KCCO will end at the end of this year, according to a letter that CBS Senior Vice President John Bagwell sent to the Federal Communications Commission in October. At every transition in the recent and not-so-recent past, the station chose continuity over reinvention, worried about jeopardizing what still are very substantial revenues. WCCO seized the opportunity, curating a lineup of legends and dominance in audience metrics. learn about all our free newsletter options, Forced sale in Hennepin County prompts Supreme Court to decide constitutionality of Minnesotas forfeiture law. WCCO-TV, a television station (channel 32, virtual channel 4) licensed to serve Minneapolis, Minnesota. Does anyone know what happened to WCCO meteorologist Molly Rosenblatt? And despite CCOs audience shrinkage, BIAs estimates of historical revenues at the station show a much smaller decline. Langmyer listened to WCCO over several days before agreeing to share his thoughts withTCB. The permanent impact of the 2008 recession is notable in the data, but also notable is that the falloff in audience is far steeper than revenue. It was only six years ago that the United States completed a transition from analog to digital over-the-air signals. It is common for some problems to be reported throughout the day. Green was moved to the 9 a.m. to noon time slot where she co-hosts the show with Adam Carter. He became a regional celeb at KFGO, where his stock in trade was comedy bits trading on the dialects and folkways of North Dakotans, not dissimilar to the schtick of Charlie Boone and Roger Erickson. Under the right conditions, it reaches into portions of South Dakota. Weve known about this for a year and a half, says Knoepke. One reason youre unlikely to see a major programming shift from WCCO is that the only space not occupied by a more robust competitor is the one it holds. In his letter, Douglas said no attempt was made to negotiate a lower salary. We had a 30 [percent audience] share much of the day and a 35 share in AM drive.. His social network is expansive. Stream, read and download from any device on Audacy. There was one FM station reporting miniscule ratings that fall, Entercom music station WAYL, known by the tagline The Beautiful Whale. (Prior to the CBS merger, Entercom was an owner of mostly music stations in midsized markets.) PM drive cohost Jordana Green is a highly observant Jew, Cory Hepola is in a mixed-race marriage and is father to Black children, and late evening host Henry Lake is Black. KNOW has nearly twice CCOs audience share and more than twice the number of listeners per week. Because that would require, at least temporarily, sacrificing the several million dollars The Wolf bills. . In a large area stretching from northern Minnesota to the Twin Cities, fine particles are expected to reach the "Purple AQI category", which is a level considered very unhealthy for everyone. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. "However, on Saturday northerly winds behind a cold front will bring more smoke from wildfires located north of the Canadian border in Ontario and Manitoba into Minnesota. Does anyone know what happened to WCCO meteorologist Molly - Reddit Today, the station is boxed in. But competition has hollowed out that position. For a decade then, CCO routinely rated in the upper single digits, but between 20122013,CCO saw more audience loss, concurrent with competitor KFANs move from AM to FM. Morning drive is responsible for one-third to one-half of the billings at most radio stations says Anselmo, and WCCO is no exception. iHeart went bankrupt in 2018, the same year Cumulus emerged from Chapter 11. You can also learn about all our free newsletter options. For a series of live public-service emergency broadcasts in 1965 the St. Patrick's Day blizzard, the record April floods on the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers, and the May 6 onslaught of 24 tornado touchdowns in the Twin Cities area the station earned the George Foster Peabody, DuPont, and Sigma Delta Chi awards. He added that his only regret is that he did not have a chance to say goodbye on the air. The Selective TV signal covers about a 40-mile radius from its tower near Garfield. The format is not conducive to [comedy] bits anymore.. Member donations are crucial to the work of our nonprofit newsroom. Bandwidth auctions, 84 of them in the past 20 years, have been to wireless Internet and phone carriers. [citation needed] One sign of the changing times: the well-known farm report was dropped in early 2004, reflecting the fact that many farmers began to rely more on the Internet for such information and that the number of farmers in Minnesota has drastically shrunk since the station first began broadcasting (although agriculture remains vital to the region). Im in favor of diversity in our content, but Im against tokenism, says Rajkumar, a communications consultant in her weekday job. Other factors had an impact as well. Im nave enough to think sponsorships are real friendships, he says. [9], On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio agreed to merge with Entercom. Jason joined WCCO as a reporter in 2003 and was able to mark an impression on the public. One reason for CCOs strength, says a competing radio programmer in town who did not want to be quoted publicly on a competitor, is that everything is for sale, and there is so much to sell. WCCO has more commercial inventory than any station in town. Some notable sports broadcasters have included Baseball Hall of Fame member Herb Carneal, the longtime voice of the Minnesota Twins, Halsey Hall, Ray Scott and Ray Christensen, longtime voice of University of Minnesota's Gopher football and Gopher men's basketball. After nearly a year of work to outfit the station and prepare programming in stereo, on October 2, 1985, WCCO began broadcasting in AM stereo using the Motorola C-QUAM system. Jason DeRusha announces he's leaving WCCO morning show - Star Tribune He is without question the most talented weve had here at WCCO, says CCO evening host Mike Max. CCO held a 20 share as late as 1991, but by 1998, with Steve Cannon and Boone & Erickson all retired from their drive-time strongholds, the station had fallen to a 10 share. FCC Order Cuts Duplicate CBS Programming from Rochester Cable, Weekly Log: WCCO Dropped from Rochester Cable; NBC Stronger in Mankato NorthPine: Upper Midwest Broadcasting, Off Topic: Lessons Learned for Camping Roadtrip Packing, Weekly Log: 1 Rochester Arrival, 2 Des Moines Departures, 3 Radio Bosses, Public Radio Changes Take Effect May 1 in Quad Cities, FCC Monitor: Price of Neb. TV stations - including 20 in Twin Cities - being paid for going off Why then is the biggest question around town not CCOs direction, but whether Entercom intends to sell its historic studio building in downtown Minneapolis to raise cash? In that vein, theres some talk that WCCO will go to more of a continuous newscast in AM drive and might not immediately designate a successor. KFAN was still struggling on the AM band. Management manned the mics for five weeks. In January, WCCO attracted slightly more female than male listeners, per Nielsen data. r/Minnesota is what YOU make it! [5] Broadcasts resumed less than two months later on October 2, 1924, from its current transmitter site in Coon Rapids, and with studios in the then-new Nicollet Hotel.[6]. There are probably fewer than 10 stations in the country of CCOs scale and format. By the late 1970s, WCCO-FM 103 had come into its own and established an identity separate from AM 830, with a popular adult contemporary/soft rock sound. In March 2018, WCCO shut down its HD Radio signal on AM 830. Jim Borgrud, president of Selective TV, said that is a reference to the potential deal with Selective TV. Sign in or register to get started. News Talk Radio Minneapolis - WCCO-AM | 830 WCCO 1,867 were here. FM Sale; Black Hills AM Remains Silent, Third Northwestern Wisconsin Cabin Opens for Cabin Season, Weekly Log: Several TV Anchors Move; Crystal Awards for KS95, WTMJ, Data Dump: Top Nebraska Radio Station Owners, FCC Monitor: Several FM Signals Return, One AM Goes Silent, Broadcast History: Cities That Never Got Their Allotted TV Stations, Weekly Log: Total Hits in the Twin Cities, Several People Moves. Spectrum is working on a new contract to carry the station, but can not broadcast the network until they have a new have a new carriage agreement. CCOs air talent is thirsting to take some risks. He has a great voice. Fees asked for by the station may have been too high to renew a contract. Boyd Huppert was diagnosed '99%' with lung cancer - Audacy Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. The significantly-viewed list was originally developed in 1972, showing which stations had significant broadcast viewership in each location. This means that with the conversion to digital, a station like WCCO in the Twin Cities can retain its Channel 4 brand identity, while also offering additional over-the-air content on a Channel 4.2 . Paul Douglas loses his job at WCCO - Star Tribune The agency encourages people who are affected by unhealthy air quality, such as the elderly or those with respiratory or heart conditions, to limit their physical activity and take the proper precautions. WCCO's Frank Vascellaro already has the news blooper of the year CBS closed down the KCCO studio in Alexandria in 2004. Digital streaming is a recent emphasis. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. WCCO - News Talk 830 radio stream live and for free People like Dave Lee are born, not made., Max attributes Lees effectiveness to constant preparation. And he does them better than anyone.. [3] The transmitter is located off Coon Rapids Boulevard at Lily Street NW in Coon Rapids. It does not store any personal data. Fees asked for by the station may have been too high to renew a contract. And most car radios do not allow you to switch between stations on different bands easily. WCCO has a tattered rep replacing marquee talent. But does the Good Neighbor have the stamina to make it in its next century? Sports anchor Mark Rosen plans to leave WCCO-TV after roughly 50 years on the air. [17] WCCO programming is also simulcast on 102.9 KMNB-HD2. Had Entercom made an offer for GO, it could have acquired an FM signal for WCCO for less than the cost of a years revenue on The Wolf. Lee, 67, is arguably the last in a line of legacy talent that connects the station with its heyday of the 1960s and 70s. Minnesotas agricultural sector long relied on CCO for commodity and crop prices. Gallery: WCCO's Mark Rosen said he planned to wrap up his 50-year broadcasting career in April following coverage . What is your zip code? Minnesota Weather: Air Quality Alert Extended Due To - CBS News Because the data is proprietary and WCCO refuses to comment, there is no way to settle the question. The Frank and Amelia show: Inside the marriage of WCCO's power couple This left WCCO with a 4 to 6 share of the audience, which it has held for most of the last decade, though periods between 34 shares have not been uncommon. One outsized aspect of the advertising effort at CCO is personal endorsements by program hosts in place of recorded ads. Minnesota's trusted station for news, traffic and weather. WCCO. [4] It is also heard on a digital subchannel on co-owned FM 102.9 KMNB-HD2. They would need only to rescan for stations that have new channel locations. MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an air quality alert for nearly all of Minnesota, including the Twin Cities. I have to be really hot when I go out for winter storms.". FM was a niche technology; in the 1960s, most cars lacked FM radios. Accordingly, we conclude that the Petitioner has met its burden and demonstrates that WCCO-TV fails to meet the requirements to maintain its status as significantly viewed in Rochester. In the current environment, such a move seems untenable. CCO remains a powerful force in Twin Cities broadcasting, earning millions in revenue for its owner, Philadelphia-based Entercom Communications, now the second-largest radio group in America, following its purchase of CBS Radio in 2017. It looks like you're new here. 3.) Though WCCOs ratings do not include listeners outside the metro counties, its programming often seems equally geared to Greater Minnesota. In 2005, WCCO began broadcasting its signal in the HD Radio format. KFAN has outpaced WCCO in talent development as well. More health-related information on air quality can be found here. It remains a CBS affiliate. Entercom doesnt understand the legacy, says Quick, but if Shannon [Knoepke] can sell the heck out of it, it doesnt matter. WCCO first signed on the air on September 4, 1922, as WLAG, known as "the Call of the North". Its not a coincidence that after 6:30 p.m., when KFAN ends local programming, WCCO pivots to sports. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. I have no concerns, she notes. Knoepke focused on key themes like trust, reliability, and tradition, but did not articulate an interest in change. Broadcasters in the high VHF range can move to low VHF channels. Massive changes at WCCO Radio as Jason DeRusha joins lineup First, digital streaming and smart speakers may quickly render the AM band struggle moot. In the February 2021 Nielsen ratings, released as this issue ofTCBwent to press, Minnesota Public Radios all-news KNOW-FM was the #2-rated local station, while iHeart Medias mostly sports KFAN was #3, and CCO was tied for ninth (with sister station Jack FM; Hubbards KS95 was #1). This is not a transition where you wing it, says Tom Langmyer, CEO of Great Lakes Media. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. We never really recovered, says former WCCO program director Jon Quick. For several years, WCCO has hosted a weekly radio show with the governor of Minnesota. . The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Even television wants part of CCOs legacy. How can I pause and rewind live TV using the Spectrum TV app? Morning drive has pretty much transitioned to news, Lee says. For radio to work right now, people need to know what youre about, says noon3 p.m. host Chad Hartman. Knoepke expects station revenues to rebound to 2019 levels this year. WCCO Radio recently made significant changes to its on-air lineup. Said one CCO insider, he had the misfortune to arrive with a sports-oriented mentality in a period when hard news became primary., Knoepke says she intends to replace Hanson with a leader with forward vision.. You can tell he really cares., Federateds approach is refreshingly old-school in todays era of metrics and precise ROI. Its driven by a generation of budget cuts across the industry., Theres one other problem, and its a big one. These doubters suggest WCCO is billing closer to $9 million to $10 million including digital. The alert goes into effect Wednesday at 10. Perhaps the greatest of them all was Cedric Adams, who first was heard on WCCO in 1931, and broadcast on the station until his death in 1961. When broadcaster Steve Cannon "the Iron Ranger" (who referred to WCCO as 'The evil neighbor') and his cast of characters arrived at WCCO from AM 1500 KSTP in 1971, he was still thought of by many as the "new guy" nearly until his retirement 26 years later. For most businesses, losing 90 percent of market share would be catastrophic; so would bleeding 83 percent of its customer traffic (see sidebar By the Numbers, below). The following year, WCCO experienced an enormous ratings drop. The biggest problem is finding people qualified to update a heritage brand, says Langmyer. A look at just HOW dry we have been, a few raindrops possible today, and the return of the heat is in my forecast https://t.co/Cx5NJc1Iwo #mnwx #wiwx. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". The supposition is that to maximize the economic leverage of owning an urban radio cluster, one or another of these groups will engage in a sale or swap to produce a second six-station cluster. The big three [Cumulus, Entercom, iHeartMedia] are overleveraged and burning the furniture to stay alive, says an industry source currently involved in brokering radio station transactions. Twin Cities Radio Airchecks There was no warning of any kind, via TV, spectrum app, spectrum bill. Programmers in town told TCBthat by simulcasting Twins baseball, Entercom has effectively killed The Wolfs ability to hold an all-day audience. As one empathetic competitor put it, [WCCO is] programming for the audience available to them.. Much of Minnesota remains under drought conditions. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Still, the local industry was shocked when Northern Lights sold both frequencies to a nonprofit religious broadcaster for just $2.45 million. A savvy contrarian would make several points in WCCOs defense. Can supporters move ahead without them? (Entercom says the age is 53, perhaps relying on a lesser used metric known as median cume, which was under 54 for one month in 2020.) Why is WCCO missing? 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The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. As of Friday morning, air quality conditions were listed as unhealthy around the Twin Cities and in north-central Minnesota. One can debate the merits ofCCOs programming and its role in a 50-year ratings slide, but the real driving force was competitive pressure. 1968 was CCOs high-water mark in the ratings era. Mark Rosen announces his departure from WCCO-TV after 50-year career WCCO is listed in the World's largest and most authoritative dictionary database of abbreviations and acronyms. News Talk 830 WCCO is Minnesota's source for breaking news, compelling talk, the very latest traffic and weather plus Twins and Timberwolves. Shame on WCCO. In 1927, WCCO was one of the original 21 stations of the NBC Red Network. It carried NBC's slate of dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows, and big-band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio". A 100 year-old AM station can dream, cant it? [10][11] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on November 17. The FCC has granted a petition for special relief from the Rochester markets CBS affiliate and issued an order that will result in WCCO-TVs CBS programming being dropped from cable in the Med City. Weekend hosts Rajkumar and Sheletta Brundidge are also women of color who offer vastly different takes on that experience. Will it make the city a more affordable place to live? Langmyer was the vice president of CBS Radios news/talk group in the 2000s (including WCCO) and ran KMOX in St. Louis and WGN in Chicago, two of a handful of similar heritage AM stations left in the country. The divisive Trump presidency, COVID-19, and now the year of the trials connected to the death of George Floyd have provided an extraordinary opportunity for news-driven stations to reintroduce themselves to the market. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an air quality alert that is set to last through Friday afternoon. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. The stations farm director was feted across the states ag belt and held down important on-air segments each day. As long as people think of WCCO as their grandparents station, Bloom says, then it is., The question is whether CCO leadership is trying to have it both ways.