Under the right conditions, it reaches into portions of South Dakota. Once that auction is concluded, the FCC will resell the bandwidth it has purchased in a second auction to wireless companies, where demand is growing. 2.) News and talk listeners are in higher demand, he says. A full day's programming of music and a large news operation could be heard clearly for 150 miles in all directions. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Your local TV weather forecaster is ad . We had the Twins, the Vikings, music, news, he says. Howard Viken, Maynard Speece, Charlie Boone and Roger Erickson, Jergen Nash, Joyce Lamont, and Randy Merriman became household names. Its driven by a generation of budget cuts across the industry., Theres one other problem, and its a big one. [Management is] definitely trying to young it up, explains Adam. (2020 market revenues were down 28 percent locally, say insiders, due to the pandemic recession. But does the Good Neighbor have the stamina to make it in its next century? It has shuffled through a whos who of local television royalty in PM drive since Steve Cannons retirement, to little apparent success. 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. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. This is not a transition where you wing it, says Tom Langmyer, CEO of Great Lakes Media. KIMT submitted a petition for special relief showing that viewing patterns have changed since the significantly-viewed list was created. Welcome to the official YouTube channel for WCCO News and CBS News Minnesota, your destination for everything local -- including breaking news and the best o. You can tell he really cares., Federateds approach is refreshingly old-school in todays era of metrics and precise ROI. 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. The biggest problem is finding people qualified to update a heritage brand, says Langmyer. CBS and Entercom both told us youll never make up the lost revenue with a simulcast, says former WCCO sales exec Ethan Adam. For many years, WCCO was famous for its "klaxon" alert tone for tornado warnings. Having six stations in town is key to maximizing revenue, explains Anselmo. KFAN works so well because its not about a formula, says Hartman, its about talent.. In the January 2021 ratings, that number had sunk to 181,000, a drop of 83 percent. WCCO - News Talk 830 is the perfect destination for anyone who wants to stay informed about the latest news and events. Much of Minnesota remains under drought conditions. 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. WCCO broadcasters were known across the Midwest. Two stations can broadcast on the same channel. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. 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. Our strength with endorsements is [that] weve earned listeners trust, says Lee. Opinions are myriad. I have to be really hot when I go out for winter storms.". Paul) Radio Stations, Some Recorded Off The Air by Rick . WCCO delivers the decision-makers the company is trying to reach. For WCCO Radio, the day will be tinged with a sense of foreboding. 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CCO suggests it is ready. 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. The station [is] sold on results for clients. Its a self-serving justification, of course, but it is also not without an element of truth. WCCO has perfected these endorsements, or sponsorships, as it calls them, and they likely represent a greater share of revenue for the station than any other locally. The FCC has granted a petition for special relief from the Rochester market's CBS affiliate and issued an order that will result in WCCO-TV's CBS programming being dropped from cable in the Med City. Always live on the free Audacy app. It resonated for enough of us, but if you didnt grow up on a farm or in a deeply Lutheran suburb, it could also be a barrier. There will be some slight improvement in air quality throughout Friday and Friday night," the MPCA said in a release. Once the auction concludes, consumers who receive digital content over the air through a converter box will likely have to re-scan their channels, but their favorite programming should continue on their usual channel numbers. [17] WCCO programming is also simulcast on 102.9 KMNB-HD2. Everything on WCCO Radio can be sponsored: time checks, weather forecasts, news updates, the studio itself. In his letter, Douglas said no attempt was made to negotiate a lower salary. Congress passed a law a couple of years ago that essentially forces many TV stations across the country to give up their broadcast frequencies, so that wireless companies can use them to meet the. The consensus in the industry is she needs an equally capable programming executive to manage the burden of talent development and strategy. [12][13], In 2018, WCCO returned to the moniker "News/Talk 830 WCCO" with its logo reflecting the change.[14]. Those continuing to use over-the-air TV would not be required to purchase any new equipment, as many consumers did during the 2009 transition from analog to digital broadcasts. Something in the next five years is going to change. Hubbard isnt going anywhere, and could be a buyer, but Anselmo says Entercom or Cumulus may choose to exit the market, to then grow in another. Due to the station's power, as well as Minnesota's mostly flat landscape (with near-perfect ground conductivity), WCCO boasts one of the largest coverage areas in the country. It does not store any personal data. Id look at them as a model for how to modernize a format., KFANs dominance over CCO in sports is equally stark. But when the camera pans in . However, the auction could have a profound impact on consumers, notably those who use indoor or rooftop antennas to pull in free over-the-air signals. ), Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. When he finishes, just before 9 a.m., it will not just mark the end of his workweek, but the end of a radio career that dates back to 1973, at KRAD in Grand Forks. The station hired Brad Lane as market manager for WCCO from WTMJ in Milwaukee. So, why can the government do this? Its key to note that as of this winter, Entercom stock was down 62 percent since buying CBS Radio. We see that you have javascript disabled. Strike-weary listeners sampled the better fidelity of the FM band, and realized it offered weather, traffic, and news, and some stayed. Other factors had an impact as well. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. 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. That defiance is the source of its ongoing success, but also the core of its existential dilemma: When is WCCO broke enough to merit an overhaul? Minneapolis mayor and city staff oppose rent control. Hes in a lot of different settings. Historically, solid radio signals sell for large multiples, so Entercom could never hope to pick up a competitors signal for a song, if you will. You have to have an opinion. According to data provided to stations by Nielsen, in 2020, 82.2 percent of the available radio audience did not tune to AM (see AM Blues sidebar, page 36). Also in 1979, Hubbard-owned KSTP-FM became KS95 and, under program director Chuck Knapp, emerged as the towns first FM station that did more than just play music. A 100 year-old AM station can dream, cant it? As late as 1969, WCCO-FM was broadcasting at 2,700 watts atop the 450-foot Foshay Tower in downtown Minneapolis, and only for the minimum number of hours required to keep its FCC license. Broadcasters can relinquish their licenses and go off the air. With 50,000 watts of power (the maximum permitted) and a nondirectional signal, WCCO reaches much of Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin and Iowa by day, along with a wide area of the Central United States and Central Canada at night. For several years, WCCO has hosted a weekly radio show with the governor of Minnesota. What this means is WCCO is casting an audience net that reaches only 18 percent of listeners, almost all of them over 50. In 2021, Entercom country station 102.9 FM The Wolfs programming day will be broken up by up to 190 Twins simulcasts. Gallery: WCCO's Mark Rosen said he planned to wrap up his 50-year broadcasting career in April following coverage . According to data archived by local radio historian Jay Philpott, in 1968, WCCO attracted a 51 share, meaning more than half of the people listening to radio in the Twin Cities at any given time were listening to WCCO. A local watershed was KFANs move to FM in 2011. WCCO is a Class A clear-channel station. Were going through a search process, auditions.. Coincidentally that year, says Philpott, five FM stations moved their antennas to the IDS Center so their signals blanketed the metro area. Radio is most threatened by people in leadership roles who only account for it as a commodity and see stations as real estate assets, says Langmyer, speaking of the industry in general. News Talk 830 WCCO is Minnesota's source for news, traffic and weather plus Twins and Timberwolves. 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. He is an absolute natural. Development of talent is an industrywide problem, says Bloom. Scandinavian Gift Shop to host Wake Up Alexandria on May 5, New robot server 'hired' at Grand Arbor's Pioneer Grill in Alexandria, State FFA band and chorus are the hidden gem of Minnesota State FFA convention, MN 100 Club donates $50,000 to family of Pope County fallen officer, Overpass in Glenwood to memorialize Deputy Josh Owen. They started loading that show with 2224 minutes of [ads], says Quick.