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WCCO-TV

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This article is about the station in Minneapolis–St. Paul that originally used the callsign WTCN-TV. For the local station that subsequently used this callsign, seeKARE (TV).For the station in West Palm Beach that currently uses this callsign, seeWTCN-CD.

WCCO-TV
CityMinneapolis, Minnesota
Channels
BrandingWCCO;WCCO News / CBS News Minnesota
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
July 1, 1949
(75 years ago)(1949-07-01)
Former call signs
WTCN-TV (1949–1952)
Former channel number(s)
Analog:4 (VHF,1949–2009)
ABC(secondary, 1949–1953)
Call signmeaning
Derived fromWCCO radio
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID9629
ERP1,000 kW
HAAT455.9 m (1,496 ft)
Transmitter coordinates45°3′45″N93°8′22″W/ 45.06250°N 93.13944°W/45.06250; -93.13944
Translator(s)see§ Translators
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.cbsnews.com/minnesota/

WCCO-TV(channel 4), brandedCBS Minnesota,is atelevision stationlicensed toMinneapolis, Minnesota,United States, serving as theCBSoutlet for theTwin Citiesarea. It isowned and operatedby the network'sCBS News and Stationsdivision, and maintains studios on South 11th Street alongNicollet Mallindowntown Minneapolis;its transmitter is located at theTelefarmcomplex inShoreview, Minnesota.

WCCO-TV's programming is also seen on full-powersatellite stationKCCW-TV(channel 12) inWalker(with transmitter nearHackensack).Nielsen Media Researchtreats WCCO-TV and KCCW-TV as one station in local ratings books, using the identifier nameWCCO+.From 1987 until 2017, WCCO-TV operated a second satellite,KCCO-TV(virtual and VHF digital channel 7) inAlexandria(with transmitter nearWestport).

WCCO is one of three owned-and-operated network affiliates in the Twin Cities market, the others beingFoxO&OKMSP-TV(channel 9) andMyNetworkTVO&OWFTC(channel 9.2).

History

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The WCCO building in downtown Minneapolis.

WCCO-TV's roots originate with a radio station, but notWCCO(830 AM). Radio stationWRHM,which signed on the air in 1925, is the station to which WCCO-TV traces its lineage. In 1934, two newspapers—theMinneapolis Tribuneand theSaint Paul Pioneer Press-Dispatch—formed a joint venture named "Twin Cities Newspapers", which purchased the radio station and changed its call letters to WTCN. Twin Cities Newspapers later expanded into the fledgling FM band withWTCN-FM,and shortly thereafter to the then-new medium of television with the launch of WTCN-TV on July 1, 1949, becoming Minnesota's second television station, broadcasting from the Radio City Theater at 50 South 9th Street in downtown Minneapolis.Robert Ridderbecame president of WCCO-TV in 1949.[2]Channel 4 has been a primary CBS affiliate since its sign on; it is the only major commercial station in the Minneapolis–St. Paul market not to have changed its primary affiliation. However, it had a secondary affiliation with ABC during its early years, from 1949 to 1953,[3]until a new station using the WTCN-TV calls (now known asKARE-TV) picked up the ABC affiliation, retaining it from its 1953 sign on until 1961 when it became anindependent station;it has been affiliated with NBC since 1979.

Twin Cities Newspapers sold off its broadcast holdings in 1952, with channel 4 going to the Murphy and McNally families, who had recently bought the Twin Cities' dominant radio station, WCCO, from CBS. The stations merged under a new company,Midwest Radio and Television,with CBS as a minority partner. The call letters of channel 4 were changed to WCCO-TV to match its new radio sibling on August 17 (the WTCN-TV call sign appeared again in the market the following year on the newchannel 11).[4]CBS was forced to sell its minority ownership stake in the WCCO stations in 1954 to comply withFederal Communications Commissionownership limits of the time.

In 1959, WCCO became the first station in the midwest to have a videotape machine; it came at a cost of $50,000 and one part-time employee was hired to operate the machine.[5]

On July 23, 1962, WCCO-TV was involved in the world's first live international broadcast via theTelstarsatellite; the station's mobile units provided the feed for all three networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC, for a program originating from native land in theBlack HillsshowingMount Rushmoreto the world.

The "Circle 4" logo used by WCCO-TV from 1977 to 2000.

The station began telecastingcolorprograms in 1955. In September 1983, WCCO relocated its operations from its longtime studios on South 9th Street to the present location at South 11th Street and Nicollet Mall. The network gained full ownership of WCCO-TV in 1992, when it acquired what was by then known as Midwest Communications.[6]In 2000,Viacombought CBS, and WCCO became part of the Viacom Television Stations Group. In 2006, Viacom Television Stations Group was renamedCBS Television Stationswhen Viacom split into two companies.

During the 1980s, a cable-exclusive sibling station was created to supplement WCCO, with its own slate of local and national entertainment programming. This was known asWCCO II,but by 1989, it had evolved into theMidwest Sports Channel,focusing on regional sporting events. It continued under CBS ownership until 2000, when it was announced that MSC and sibling RSNHome Team Sportswere to be sold. HTS went toComcast,while MSC was sold toFox Entertainment Groupand became part ofFox Sports Net,becomingFox Sports North.It had been an FSN affiliate since 1997.

On February 2, 2017, CBS agreed to sellCBS Radioto Entercom, currently the fourth-largest radio broadcasting company in the United States. The sale was completed on November 17, 2017,[7]and was conducted using aReverse Morris Trustso that it was tax-free. While CBS shareholders retain a 72% ownership stake in the combined company, Entercom, nowAudacy,is the surviving entity, with WCCO radio and its sibling stations separated from WCCO-TV.[8][9]

On August 13, 2019,National Amusementsannounced thatViacomand CBS Corporation would recombine their assets, forming the entity ViacomCBS. The sale was completed on December 4, 2019, resulting in CBS Television Stations, including WCCO-TV, becoming subsidiaries of ViacomCBS. On February 16, 2022, ViacomCBS changed its name toParamount Global.

On August 14, 2023,Wendy McMahon,a former creative services director at WCCO-TV, was named CBS News and Stations president.

Programming

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Sports programming

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In 1961, with the establishment of theMinnesota Vikingsof theNational Football League,the station, viaCBS,which held the rights to broadcast NFL games, became the 'unofficial' home station of the team. This partnership continued through the1993 season,at which time most games were moved toWFTC.Today, most Vikings games are onKMSP-TV;since 1998, WCCO airs at least two Vikings games each season when the Vikings host anAFCteam, or, since 2014, with the institution of the new 'cross-flex' rules, any games that are moved from KMSP-TV. In 1992, WCCO provided coverage ofSuper Bowl XXVIandthat year's Final Four,which were hosted at theHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

Since2023,WCCO has aired selectMinnesota Golden Gophers footballgames as a part of a new deal betweenCBSand theBig Ten Conference.

News operation

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WCCO presently[when?]broadcasts38+1⁄2hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with6+1⁄2hours each weekday and three hours each on Saturdays and Sundays).[citation needed]WCCO leads the Twin Cities market in nearly all time slots, from its morning show to the 10 p.m. news. WCCO leads by large margins in overall households, though compared to the 25–54 demographic, the numbers are much more competitive with NBC affiliate KARE.

WCCO began broadcasting local newscasts inhigh-definitionon May 28, 2009, becoming the third major network station in the Twin Cities (behind KARE and KMSP) to do so.

WCCO-TV launched a streaming news service, CBSN Minnesota (now CBS News Minnesota) on December 12, 2019, as part of a rollout of similar services (each a localized version of the nationalCBSNservice across the CBS-owned stations).[10]

On September 5, 2022, WCCO premiered an hour-long 4 pm newscast calledThe 4.[11][12]

Notable former on-air staff

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Technical information

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Subchannels

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The stations' signals aremultiplexed:

Subchannels of WCCO-TV[14]and KCCW-TV[15]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
WCCO-TV KCCW-TV WCCO-TV KCCW-TV
4.1 12.1 1080i 16:9 WCCO-DT KCCW-DT CBS
4.2 12.2 480i WCCODT2 KCCWDT2 Start TV
4.3 12.3 WCCODT3 KCCWDT3 Dabl
4.4 12.4 WCCODT4 KCCWDT4 Fave TV
4.5 12.5 WCCODT5 KCCWDT5 Nosey

Analog-to-digital conversion

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WCCO-TV ended regular programming on its analog signal, overVHFchannel 4, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United Statestransitioned from analog to digital broadcastsunder federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transitionUHFchannel 32,[16]usingvirtual channel4.

As part of theSAFER Act,WCCO-TV kept its analog signal on the air until July 12 to inform viewers of the digital television transition through a loop ofpublic service announcementsfrom theNational Association of Broadcasters.[17]

Satellite stations and translators

[edit]

WCCO-TV operates a satellite station northwest of the Twin Cities area:

Station City of license Channels
(VC/RF) 		First air date Former call letters ERP HAAT Transmitter coordinates Facility ID Public license information
KCCW-TV Walker 12
12 (VHF) 		January 1, 1964(60 years ago)(1964-01-01) KNMT
(1964–1987) 		59 kW 286.4 m (939.6 ft) 46°56′5″N94°27′20″W/ 46.93472°N 94.45556°W/46.93472; -94.45556(KCCW-TV) 9640 Public file
LMS

It formerly operated a second satellite station:

Station City of license Channels
(VC / RF) 		First air date Last air date Former call letters ERP HAAT Transmitter coordinates Facility ID
KCCO-TV Alexandria 7
7 (VHF) 		October 8, 1958(1958-10-08) December 30, 2017(2017-12-30)
(59 years, 83 days) 		KCMT
(1958–1987) 		29 kW 339.6 m (1,114.2 ft) 45°41′10″N95°8′4″W/ 45.68611°N 95.13444°W/45.68611; -95.13444(KCCO-TV) 9632

Both of these stations were founded by the Central Minnesota Television Company and maintained primary affiliations withNBCand secondary affiliations withABCfrom their respective sign-ons until the summer of 1982, when both stations switched to CBS.[18][19]KCMT had originally broadcast from a studio in Alexandria, with KNMT operating as a satellite station of KCMT. Central Minnesota Television sold both stations to Midwest Radio and Television in 1987, at which point they adopted their present call letters and became semi-satellites of WCCO-TV.[20]

Until 2002, the two stations simulcast WCCO-TV's programming for most of the day, except for separate commercials and inserts placed into channel 4's newscasts. However, in 2002, WCCO-TV ended KCCO/KCCW's local operations and shut down the Alexandria studio, converting the two stations into full-time satellites. Since then, channel 4 has identified as "Minneapolis–St. Paul/Alexandria/Walker", with virtually no on-air evidence that KCCO and KCCW were separate stations.

CBS sold KCCO's spectrum in the FCC'sspectrum incentive auction,but was expected to engage in a channel-sharing agreement.[21]In a request for a waiver of requirements that KCCO broadcastpublic service announcementsrelated to the shutdown (as the station no longer had the capability to originate separate programming, such announcements would also need to air on WCCO-TV and KCCW-TV despite not being relevant outside of KCCO's viewing area; CBS inserted a crawl at the KCCO transmitter for broadcast every fifteen minutes), CBS disclosed that KCCO would shut down December 30, 2017. WCCO-TV remains available on cable and satellite providers in the Alexandria area;Selective TV, Inc.,a local translator collective, announced on December 22, 2017, that it had struck a deal to add WCCO to its lineup.[22][23][24]

Translators

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In addition, the broadcast signal of WCCO-TV is extended by way of eighttranslators:

References

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  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for WCCO-TV".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^"Bob Ridder".Pavek Museum of Broadcasting.RetrievedOctober 8,2018.
  3. ^"Hennepin Avenue at Ninth Street, Minneapolis: Collections Online: mnhs.org".collections.mnhs.org.
  4. ^"Retrieved 2011-7-22"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on March 8, 2012.RetrievedJuly 11,2012.
  5. ^"Twin Cities Television".pavekmuseum.org.
  6. ^Lahammer, Gene."CBS Agrees to Buy Two TV Stations, Two Radio Stations and Cable Channel".AP NEWS.
  7. ^"Entercom-CBS Radio Merger Is Complete".RadioInk.com.Archived fromthe originalon November 18, 2017.RetrievedNovember 17,2017.
  8. ^"CBS Sets Radio Division Merger With Entercom".Variety.February 2, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 2,2017.
  9. ^"CBS and Entercom Are Merging Their Radio Stations".Fortune.RetrievedFebruary 2,2017.
  10. ^Malone, Michael (December 12, 2019)."CBS Stations, CBS Interactive Launch CBSN Minnesota".Broadcasting & Cable.RetrievedFebruary 8,2022.
  11. ^"WCCO launches new 4 p.m. Newscast with Erin Hassanzadeh, Jeff Wagner".CBS News.August 19, 2022.
  12. ^"Ellen's Departure Means More Local News in Several Cities".August 19, 2022.
  13. ^"Name Your Favorite Otter Athlete".May 16, 2011.RetrievedMay 12,2014.
  14. ^"RabbitEars.Info".rabbitears.info.
  15. ^"RabbitEars.Info".rabbitears.info.
  16. ^"DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds"(PDF).RetrievedMarch 24,2012.
  17. ^"UPDATED List of Participants in the Analog Nightlight Program"(PDF).Federal Communications Commission. June 12, 2009.RetrievedJune 3,2024.
  18. ^"WATR-TV decides to go it alone."[permanent dead link]Broadcasting,February 22, 1982, pg. 72.
  19. ^"STL.News".STL.News.
  20. ^Washington, D.C.Federal Communications Commission.FCC Record,Vol. 02, No. 22, pp. 6730-6732, Oct 23 – November 6, 1987. UNT Digital Library.FCC 87-331 Vol. 22.Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  21. ^Washington, D.C.:Federal Communications Commission.FCC Record,Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 2822, April 13, 2017.DA 17-314.Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  22. ^"Re: KCCO-TV, Alexandria, Minnesota, FCC Fac. ID No. 9632 Request for Waiver of Transition PSA Viewer Notification Requirements"(PDF).Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.October 27, 2017.RetrievedOctober 30,2017.
  23. ^"KCCO going away, but CBS signal may stay | Echo Press".Archived fromthe originalon November 20, 2017.RetrievedNovember 18,2017.
  24. ^Beach, Jeff (December 22, 2017)."Selective TV picks up CBS signal".Echo Press.Archived fromthe originalon December 31, 2017.RetrievedDecember 30,2017.
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