KMBC-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = KMBC-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan = Local. Live. Coverage You Can Count On.
station_branding = "KMBC 9" (general)
"KMBC 9 News" (newscasts)
analog = 9 (VHF)
digital = 7 (VHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = ABC
The AccuWeather Channel (DT2)
network =
founded =
airdate = August 2, 1953
location = Kansas City, Missouri
callsign_meaning = Midland
Broadcasting
Company
(founding owners)
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Hearst-Argyle Television
licensee = KMBC Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc.
sister_stations = KCWE
former_affiliations = CBS (1953-1955)
effective_radiated_power = 316 kW (analog)
85 kW (digital)
HAAT = 357 m (both)
class =
facility_id = 65686
coordinates = coord|39|5|2.8|N|94|30|56.9|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.kmbc.com/index.html www.kmbc.com]

KMBC-TV, channel 9, is a television station located in Kansas City, Missouri. KMBC-TV is owned by Hearst-Argyle Television, and is affiliated with the ABC Television Network. Its studios and transmitter are located in Kansas City, Missouri.

History

The Federal Communications Commission awarded the license of Kansas City's third and last VHF station to two locally-based radio station operators who competed heavily for the license. The Cook Paint and Varnish Company, which operated WHB radio (then at 710 AM, now at 810 AM) and the Midland Broadcasting Company, owners of KMBC radio (980 AM, now KMBZ), began shared operation of channel 9 on August 2, 1953. Under the arrangement, the two separate stations would each alternate 90 minutes of airtime, broadcasting from separate studios but using the same channel and transmitter. The combined KMBC-TV and WHB-TV operation also carried programming from CBS, perhaps due to CBS' affiliation with KMBC radio.

Cook Paint and Varnish purchased Midland Broadcasting's holdings in April 1954, a move that would bring an end to the split-station arrangement. On June 14, 1954, KMBC-TV took over channel 9 full-time, absorbing WHB-TV's share of the frequency. Cook Paint also sold WHB radio to comply with FCC rules. In September 1955, KMBC-TV swapped affiliations with KCMO-TV (channel 5, now KCTV), becoming an ABC affiliate. Cook Paint then sold the KMBC stations to Metromedia in 1961. Metromedia sold KMBC radio to Bonneville International in 1967, but kept KMBC-TV until selling it to the Hearst Corporation in 1982. Under Hearst, the station expanded its local news production.

In 1981, KMBC-TV anchor/reporter Christine Craft won a multimillion-dollar judgment against the station and Metromedia. Craft accused station managers of sexual harassment; this was one of the first such cases to be widely publicized in the United States. Craft, however, lost her case on appeal.

During the late 1970s and into the 1980s KMBC was the number one television station in the Kansas City market, but the station ended the latter decade in second place behind WDAF-TV (channel 4). As soon as WDAF switched from NBC to Fox in 1994, KMBC returned to number one in the market. Currently, KMBC generally battles KCTV for first place at 10:00 p.m., while continuing to battle WDAF for first in morning timeslots. In November 2007, KMBC finished the sweeps period first in most newscasts, and tying KCTV at 10 p.m. [http://www.bottomlinecom.com/latestnews/kctvisratingschamp.html] In February 2008, KMBC's newscasts won all of their time periods outright. Fact|date=April 2008

KMBC came under common management as upstart WB affiliate KCWB (channel 29, now CW affiliate KCWE) in 1996 under a local marketing agreement. In March 2008, KMBC began a morning newscast for KCWE, the first regularly scheduled news program for the station.

witch to HD and move to new studios

Since its inception (from 1957-2007), the station has been based out of (what is now) the Lyric Opera building in downtown Kansas City. The station unveiled its new, purpose-built facility near Swope Park in Kansas City on August 23, 2007, beginning with "KMBC 9 News at 5:00". The new building includes a news set designed by FX Group. With the relocation, channel 9 also became the first station in Kansas City to produce and broadcast its local programming in high definition. [http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/2007/08/kmbcs-new-digs-.html]

Awards

KMBC-TV's news department won seven 2007 Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio-Television News Directors Association, which is the most Murrow awards won by a television station in the country. The station won awards in the following categories:

:* News Series:* Feature:* News Documentary:* Spot News:* Continuing Coverage:* Newscast:* Overall Excellence

News Operation

KMBC-TV broadcasts a total of 25 hours of local news per week (with 3½ hours on weekdays, four hours on Saturdays and 2½ hours on Sundays).

24 Hour Weather Channel

KMBC has recently launched a new digital weather channel that gives up-to-the-minute weather information 24 hours a day on their digital subchannel 2 (DT9.2).

KMBC 9 Notable Personalities

Current On-Air Talent (as of August 26, 2008)

Current Anchors
*Jana Corrie: weekend mornings on KMBC 9 FirstNews
*Kelly Eckerman: weeknights on KMBC 9 News at 5PM
*Jim Flink: weekday mornings on KMBC 9 FirstNews (on KCWE)
*Jere Gish: weeknights on KMBC 9 News at 5PM
*Kris Ketz: weekday mornings on KMBC 9 FirstNews
*Dion Lim: weekday mornings on KMBC 9 FirstNews (on KCWE)
*Larry Moore: weeknights on KMBC 9 News at 6 and 10PM
*Lara Moritz: weeknights on KMBC 9 News at 6 and 10PM
*Donna Pitman: weekday mornings on KMBC 9 FirstNews
*Dan Weinbaum: weekend mornings on KMBC 9 FirstNews

Reporters
*Maria Antonia: General Assignment Reporter
*Martin Augustine: General Assignment Reporter
*Peggy Breit: General Assignment Reporter
*Bev Chapman: General Assignment Reporter
*Micheal Mahoney: General Assignment Reporter
*Marcus Moore: General Assignment Reporter
*Chris Nagus: General Assignment Reporter
*Justin Robinson: General Assignment Reporter
*Johnny Rowlands: Traffic Reporter and NewsChopper 9 Pilot
*Brenda Washington: General Assignment Reporter

KMBC 9 First Alert Weather
*Bryan Busby: Chief Meteorologist, Sundays on KMBC 9 News at 5, Monday-Thursdays on KMBC 9 News at 5 and 6, and Sunday-Thursday evenings on KMBC 9 News at 10PM
*Erin Little: Friday and Saturday evenings on KMBC 9 News at 5, 6 and 10PM
*Joel Nichols: weekday mornings on KMBC 9 FirstNews
*Lisa Teachman: weekend mornings on KMBC 9 FirstNews

Sports
*Len Dawson: Sports Director, Sundays on KMBC 9 News at 5, Monday-Thursdays on KMBC 9 News at 6 and Sunday-Thursday evenings on KMBC 9 News at 10PM
*Nick Griffith: Friday evenings on KMBC 9 News at 6 and 10PM
*Karen Kornacki: Saturday evenings on KMBC 9 News at 6 and 10PM (also sports reporter)

Notable alumni

* Cheryl Jones
* Bob Evans
* Crystal Jackson
* Michelle McCormack
* Emily Aylward
* Dave Dusik
* Dave Eckert
* Dick Hocter
* Christine Craft
* Don Fortune
* Fred Broski
* Zan Anderson
* Walt Bodine
* David Bodden
* Jonathan Coachman
* Drew Dimmel
* Laurie Everett
* Andy Fales
* Steve Grant
* Jeremy Hubbard
* Bruce Jones
* Susan Miller
* Natalie Moultrie
* Bill Pikus
* Dave Stewart
* Ted Texter
* Robb Yagmin

News/Station Presentation

Newscast Titles

* "Your Esso Reporter" (1953 – 1956)
* "The Kansas City Report" (1956 – 1960)
* "The Television 9 Report" (1960 – 1965)
* "Pulse" (5 p.m. newscast) /"24 Hours" (10 p.m. newscast) (1965 – c. 1971)
* "Total News" (c.1971 – 1978) [http://youtube.com/watch?v=xUT3s1APaJ8]
* "The News: The xx:00 Report" (1978 – 1983) [http://youtube.com/watch?v=hFtGXYjCcGc]
* "KMBC 9 News" (1983 – Present) [http://youtube.com/watch?v=UXneCzA5UO4]

tation Slogans

* "Only on Channel 9" (Early 70's)
* "Kansas City Turns Us On" (Mid-Late 70's)
* "The Spirit of Kansas City" (c.1982-83)
* "So Good To Turn To" (1983-c. 1985)
* "Where the News Comes First" (1987-2000)
* "Coverage You Can Count On" (2000-2007)
* "Local. Live. Coverage You Can Count On" (2007-present)

External links

* [http://www.kmbc.com/index.html Official Website of KMBC-TV]
* [http://www.northpine.com/broadcast/captures/mo/kmbc.html Screenshots from KMBC]
* [http://www.fybush.com/site-011114.html Fybush.com: Kansas City TV/FM Stations]
* [http://www.cosmos-monitor.com/hist/kc/kmbz.html Pioneer Radio History: KMBZ]
*TVQ|KMBC-TV
*BIA|KMBC|TV|TV