Broadcasters have never had to do this. Revenue matters, and their revenue has held up as the ratings have slid.. It began broadcasting with 50,000 watts for the first time in September 1932. Just found this after my wife asked me what happened to Molly. KNOW had yet to become a major competitive presence. Link is dead at least for the moment. Rate it: WCCO. They need to hire someone with a track record of success, with a vision, and get out of the way.. The threat to WCCO long-term may not be the age or size of its audience, but an owner who sees it as a pawn or rook on an industry chess board. The station soon had financial trouble and closed in 1924. WCCOs inability to develop its next generation of program hosts is at the core of the stations audience struggles. FM was a niche technology; in the 1960s, most cars lacked FM radios. I have no concerns, she notes. Washburn Crosby Company, forerunner of General Mills, took over the station and switched the call sign to WCCO for the company's initials. It is neither urban nor urbane. Only a fraction of listeners even use the AM band. Id look at them as a model for how to modernize a format., KFANs dominance over CCO in sports is equally stark. 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.. 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. [9], On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio agreed to merge with Entercom. Jason DeRusha, the longtime WCCO-TV morning news anchor and co-host of "WCCO Mid-Morning," announced on Tuesday that he was leaving the television station he's been with for nearly 20 years. I am having the same issue. It was reassigned to 830 AM in 1941. WCCO - News Talk 830 is the perfect destination for anyone who wants to stay informed about the latest news and events. St. Paul wants more missing middle housing. On November 17, 2017, WCCO announced that Twins broadcasts would return to the station beginning in the 2018 season. It is common for some problems to be reported throughout the day. Theyve had a huge run. 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. Unfortunatelyfor WCCOs branding needs, thats under the umbrella of radio.com, Entercoms digital streaming brand. From . They started loading that show with 2224 minutes of [ads], says Quick. Eleanor Mondale, the daughter of former Senator and Vice President Walter Mondale, started her career in radio at the station in 1989 as the entertainment reporter, but left after 8 months. WCCO 830 AM (CBS) One of the nation's great stations and a big part of Twin Cities and Minnesota radio history. Now all that information is available on a smartphone;CCO dropped farm reports two generations ago. 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. Local TV stations will be off the air part of this weekend. Here's why. The FCC notes that broadcasters can choose not to participate but that they may have their channels reassigned after the auction is completed. What were trying to do here is realign the use of the spectrum in a way that lets the market decide how much the supply will be and the demand will be, said Charles Meisch, spokesman for the FCC. WCCO is listed in the World's largest and most authoritative dictionary database of abbreviations and acronyms. Robert Ridder became president of WCCO in 1952.[7]. 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. they gave me a number to talk to video repair which is just the generic help line which weaves you through the madness of robots until you finally get to a human, and they have no explanation as to why this is happening. More recent WCCO personalities have included longtime Star Tribune columnist Sid Hartman, "Whole-Lotta Woman" Ruth Koscielak and Tim Russell, who had been a cast member on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion, heard on NPR for many years. Its legendary air talent over the last four decades made their mark with a schtick rich in Scandinavian dialects and jokes about herring. Thats hard to listen to.. In 1983, it became WLTE 102.9 Lite-FM, an identity it kept until Christmas 2011, when it switched to a country music format as BUZ'N @ 102.9 with the new call letters KMNB. If you have questions, [email protected]. Massive changes at WCCO Radio as Jason DeRusha joins lineup WCCO-TV's Jason DeRusha talks about his decision to leave: 'It's been Dont think we dont smell blood in the water., Lee says he will continue to do endorsements for the station as long as both sides find it mutually satisfying, which gives Knoepke a measure of confidence. CCOs power ratios [the revenue premium it derives above what ratings metrics would dictate] are what make it hard to change, says former programming boss Andy Bloom, whom Knoepke hired in 2018, but was replaced in less than a year. Knoepke was rather unforthcoming inTCBsinterviews, conducted by phone and email, with David Heim, Entercoms corporate communications vice president, monitoring; she declined to talk about ratings, audience data, revenue, nor, unsurprisingly, candidates to replace Lee. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". This Site Primarily Contains a Collection of Airchecks of Numerous Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Because the data is proprietary and WCCO refuses to comment, there is no way to settle the question. 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, which it does. But the name of the game is revenue, and WCCO remains a formidable force. 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. The stations farm director was feted across the states ag belt and held down important on-air segments each day. This is not a transition where you wing it, says Tom Langmyer, CEO of Great Lakes Media. In the early days of radio, WCCO was a powerful force in the development of better and more powerful transmitters. People like Dave Lee are born, not made., Max attributes Lees effectiveness to constant preparation. These doubters suggest WCCO is billing closer to $9 million to $10 million including digital. Overnight, two syndicated shows are carried: Our American Stories with Lee Habeeb and America in the Morning with John Trout. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Knoepke expects station revenues to rebound to 2019 levels this year. 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. With only a handful of Minneapolis residents owning an FM radio, WCCO did not rush into FM broadcasting. That said, there are others in the industry who mistrust BIAs data, pointing to iffy revenue estimates BIA circulates for ratings leader KFAN, which most of the industry believes bills in excess of WCCO but who BIA says bills much less. Fees asked for by the station may have been too high to renew a contract. Selective TV has made a proposal to CBS to pick up transmission of the WCCO signal but a deal has not been finalized. Knoepke proudly notes the stations online listenership was up 47 percent year over year. Minnesotas agricultural sector long relied on CCO for commodity and crop prices. For WCCO to survive the next decade, the consensus is the station needs an FM signal. The time may come when one does not preclude the other This is a game of shelf space. For most of his first decade at the station, Lee did AM drive fill-in work. Donations made by check can be made out to MinnPost and mailed to us at PO Box 18438, Minneapolis, MN 55418. Knoepke is clearly talking about revenues, because CCO does not win in any key daypart. How to watch KARE 11 with an over-the-air antenna 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. It has shuffled through a whos who of local television royalty in PM drive since Steve Cannons retirement, to little apparent success. 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 FCCs memorandum opinion and order approving KIMTs petition for relief does not specify when WCCO-TVs CBS and syndicated programming must be dropped from Spectrums Rochester cable system. Local hosts are heard most hours of the day and evening, including Chad Hartman, Vineeta Sawkar, Paul Douglas, Jordana Green and Adam Carter, Jason DeRusha, and Henry Lake. St. Paul ABC affiliate KSTP is also included in Spectrums Rochester listings but is subject to blackouts. WCCO features a talk radio format, with frequent newscasts and sports programming. WCCO constructed a new 654-foot tower in Coon Rapids in 1939. Rate it: WCCO. This is the same tower used today, although the broadcast frequency was changed to 830kHz as a result of the 1941 North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement-. 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. 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. News Talk 830 WCCO is Minnesota's source for news, traffic and weather plus Twins and Timberwolves. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The disappearance of Molly is disturbing at best, but the fact that WCCO refuses to address this is equally troubling. Bloom was followed by Hanson, who came from an Entercom sports station in Kansas City. 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. For WCCO Radio, the day will be tinged with a sense of foreboding. In 1927, WCCO was one of the original 21 stations of the NBC Red Network. Archived post. 830 WCCO - News Talk - LISTEN LIVE | Audacy WCCO first signed on the air on September 4, 1922, as WLAG, known as "the Call of the North". 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. Pilots flying over the Upper Midwest reported watching the lights go out all over the region each night when Adams finished his 10 pm newscast. Adam Platt isTCBs executive editor. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Meanwhile, several local FM stations had already boosted their power to 100,000 watts and were airing new formats on FM, such as beautiful music and progressive rock. Broadcasters in the high VHF range can move to low VHF channels. Longtime WCCO-TV news anchor Frank Vascellaro is probably going to wind up being featured on a late night talk show after he misspoke during Thursday's 10 p.m. newscast. WCCO-TV, a television station (channel 32, virtual channel 4) licensed to serve Minneapolis, Minnesota. Coincidentally that year, says Philpott, five FM stations moved their antennas to the IDS Center so their signals blanketed the metro area. As of the latest U.S. Drought Monitor Report, 75% of the state is experiencing severe drought. We had the Twins, the Vikings, music, news, he says. WCCO features a talk radio format, with frequent newscasts and sports programming. Selective TV asks that people using its service make a $10 per month contribution to the organization. Selective TV is a non-profit over-the-air television programming system supported by viewer contributions. There are other issues. 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. MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an air quality alert for nearly all of Minnesota, including the Twin Cities. WCCO (830 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and owned by Audacy, Inc. [1] Its studios and offices are located on Second Avenue South in Downtown Minneapolis. The biggest problem is finding people qualified to update a heritage brand, says Langmyer. It has to be distinctive, even memorable. Twin Cities Radio Airchecks This is a turning point, says former program director Jon Quick. In the analog era, WCCOs former VHF Low analog signal may have been easier to receive than the present-day UHF digital signal. 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. See our full republication guidelines for more information. But competition has hollowed out that position. The petition included ratings data showing that WCCO no longer meets the threshold of broadcast viewership to be considered significantly-viewed in Rochester. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Radio is no exception, butCCO has defied convention. The studios were in the Oak Grove Hotel near Loring Park in Minneapolis. Because the data is proprietary and WCCO refuses to comment, there is no way to settle the question . Windy Cold Crushes Optimizers. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Usually when these things happen it is one of the following: 1.) Howard Viken, Maynard Speece, Charlie Boone and Roger Erickson, Jergen Nash, Joyce Lamont, and Randy Merriman became household names. The Federal Communications Commission is inviting 2,197 of them nationwide including 20 in the Twin Cities and another 16 elsewhere in Minnesota to give up their broadcast bandwidth in exchange for money a lot of money. In 2019 WCCO-TV had no measurable viewing, and in 2020 it reached a 0.02 percent share of total viewing hours and 1.81 percent net weekly circulation including one standard error. 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. 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. 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Bagwell's letter does say that "CBS is working with another translator operator that might potentially begin simulcasting the WCCO-TV signal to some viewers within KCCO-TV's current service contour.". Its office is in Alexandria. After the advent of television in the 1950s, most national radio programming moved to television; local radio stations, previously dependent on networks for much of their programming, were left to fend for themselves. The industrys fiscal state is constraining its capacity to spend, says former CBS Radio executive Tom Langmyer: There have just been very few transactions of this type in the past few years, period., This story appears in the April/May 2021 issue with the title The Shrinking Neighbor.. But many industry observers believe the only way forward for CCO is a major update and modernization of its sound. CBS bought WCCO from General Mills in 1932, and switched its network affiliation to the CBS Radio Network. Before working the morning shift, DeRusha, 47, inherited the station's "Good Question" segment. In the 1980s, the playlist shifted from middle-of-the-road music toward adult contemporary. As recently as 1979, WCCO had 1.4 million in cume. Miscellaneous Unclassified. In the January 2021 ratings, that number had sunk to 181,000, a drop of 83 percent. 1,867 were here. [12][13], In 2018, WCCO returned to the moniker "News/Talk 830 WCCO" with its logo reflecting the change.[14]. As Lee moves from drive time to a photo on the stations wall of fame, WCCO faces the same question it has faced throughout the last quarter-century: What is the cure for its chronic audience atrophy, and is it worse than the disease?