KFVS-TV
Encyclopedia
KFVS-TV is the CBS
-affiliated television station
for Southeastern Missouri
, the Purchase
area of Western Kentucky
, and Southern Illinois that is licensed to Cape Girardeau, Missouri
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter north of the city in rural Cape Girardeau
County. Owned by Raycom Media
, the station is sister to low-powered CW affiliates WQWQ-LP/WQTV-LP
and the three share studios in the Hirsch Tower on Broadway Avenue in Downtown Cape Girardeau. Syndicated
programming on KFVS includes: Everybody Loves Raymond
, Oprah
, The Dr. Oz Show
, and Live with Regis and Kelly
.
, the station operates a 24-hour local weather channel known as the "Storm Team Weather Network" on KFVS-DT3. This can also be seen on Charter
digital channel 113 (in Southeastern Missouri), Mediacom
digital channel 191 (in Illinois), Comcast
digital channel 249 (in Western Kentucky), Time Warner
digital channel 321, and on its website via live streaming video.
The majority of programming consists of local weather conditions and severe weather bulletins when issued. There is also news and information about Southeast Missouri State University and its activities. The university provides two minute updates, along with occasional longer programming, that airs on the channel.
) in his radio shop in 1925. At the start, channel 12 did not have any video cameras. Instead, its first broadcast showed slides of its new transmitter tower that was under construction at the time.
Channel 12 was housed along with its radio sister until 1968, when it moved to its present location on Broadway Avenue. Hirsch sold the station to Aflac
in 1979, earning a handsome return on his investment of 54 years earlier.
In 1997, Aflac sold its entire broadcasting division, including KFVS, to a group headed by Retirement Systems of Alabama
. It, in turn, merged with Ellis Communications a few months later to form Raycom Media. KFVS offered The Tube Music Network (a 24-hour digital music video channel) on its third digital subchannel which ceased operations on October 1, 2007. The station ceased analog broadcasting and moved its digital signal to its original channel position on June 12, 2009.
KFVS serves more than 50 counties in four states including all of Southeastern Missouri, Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky, and Western Tennessee
. The KFVS calls mean "Five States," since its former radio sister covers much of this area as well as portions of Northeastern Arkansas
. However, KFVS has no coverage in that state since the DTV transition. A portion of its signal into the Missouri Bootheel
overlaps with sister station and WMC-TV
in Memphis, Tennessee
and KAIT-TV in Jonesboro, Arkansas
. KFVS refers to its viewing area as "The Heartland," which is included in WQTV/WQWQ's on-air branding.
KFVS' coverage area overlaps with KMOV
in St. Louis. In fact, channel 12's over-the-air coverage extended as far east as the St. Louis suburb of Belleville, Illinois
prior to the DTV transition. Cable outlets in several northern KFVS counties and southern KMOV counties carry both stations.
KFVS being a #1 News leader in its area on July 22, 2011, they announced that they were going to change to a new high definition news set with new graphics and HD Cameras very soon. They will be the second station to broadcast news in HD the First Being WSIL-TV 3.
in the market, KFVS has traditionally covered Southeastern Missouri more while the newscasts of ABC affiliate WSIL-TV
focus almost exclusively on Southern Illinois. This is despite the fact that KPOB-TV in Poplar Bluff, Missouri
operates as a full-time satellite. That channel does not maintain any bureaus in its area. NBC affiliate WPSD-TV
offers the most coverage of Western Kentucky since it is based in Paducah
. In addition to its main studios, KFVS operates a Southern Illinois Newsroom on East Plaza Drive in Carterville
near WSIL.
At one point, KFVS produced a nightly half-hour prime time broadcast at 9 on WQTV/WQWQ known as Heartland News at 9. The show focused exclusively on Southeastern Missouri and competed with prime time news on Fox affiliate KBSI
that was produced by WPSD. That show provided a regional summary of coverage along with stories from Western Kentucky. Heartland News at 9 was dropped after the July 29, 2007 edition and replaced with a rebroadcast of Oprah. Currently, WQTV/WQWQ replay three weekday newscasts from KFVS. This includes The Breakfast Show (at 6:30 in the morning), Heartland News at Noon (at 1 in the afternoon), and Heartland News at 10 (at 10:30 p.m.). The Sunday edition of The Breakfast Show is also repeated on those stations.
On October 1, 2010, Heartland News at 9 was brought back after a news share agreement was established with KBSI. That channel now offers an hour-long prime time newscast every night at 9 originating from the KFVS studios. With that addition, this station offers more than thirty hours of local news each week. During weather segments, the station uses live NOAA National Weather Service
radar data from several regional sites. This system is known on-air as "Storm Team Digital Doppler". KFVS also operates its own weather radar
, called "Live StormTeam Radar", that is on top of the Hirsch building. It is an a Collins radar sold by ADC in Bloomington, Indiana
and is the only live radar source in the market since the National Weather Service data is delayed.
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Anchors
Heartland News Storm Team Meteorologists
Sports
Reporters
Contributors
News Management
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
-affiliated television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for Southeastern Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, the Purchase
Jackson Purchase
The Jackson Purchase is a region in the state of Kentucky bounded by the Mississippi River to the west, the Ohio River to the north, and Tennessee River to the east. Although technically part of Kentucky at its statehood in 1792, the land did not come under definitive U.S. control until 1818, when...
area of Western Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, and Southern Illinois that is licensed to Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau is a city located in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is located approximately southeast of St. Louis and north of Memphis. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 37,941. A college town, it is the home of Southeast Missouri...
. It broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter north of the city in rural Cape Girardeau
Cape Girardeau County, Missouri
Cape Girardeau County is a county located in Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county's population was 75,764. While the largest city in the county is Cape Girardeau, the county seat is actually Jackson, which was the first city named in honor of President...
County. Owned by Raycom Media
Raycom Media
- History :Although Raycom Media dates its birth to 1996, the core of the company was formed in 1992 when Atlanta native Bert Ellis formed Ellis Communications. He eventually controlled 13 television stations and two radio stations....
, the station is sister to low-powered CW affiliates WQWQ-LP/WQTV-LP
WQTV-LP
WQTV-LP is a low-powered television station in Murray, Kentucky. Licensed to the city, the station broadcasts an analog signal on UHF channel 24 from a transmitter along U.S. 641 between Murray and the Tennessee state line. WQWQ-LP is another low-powered television station in Paducah, Kentucky...
and the three share studios in the Hirsch Tower on Broadway Avenue in Downtown Cape Girardeau. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on KFVS includes: Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...
, Oprah
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, The Dr. Oz Show
The Dr. Oz Show
The Dr. Oz Show is an American syndicated television talk show, hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and teaching professor at Columbia University who became famous for his appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show from 2004 until 2009....
, and Live with Regis and Kelly
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
.
Digital programming
Due to their low-powered status, WQTV/WQWQ do not offer digital signals of their own. There is one on KFVS-DT2 to serve as that purpose. In partnership with Southeast Missouri State UniversitySoutheast Missouri State University
Southeast Missouri State University, is a public, accredited university located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States, near the banks of the Mississippi River. The institution, having started as a normal school, has a traditional strength in teacher education...
, the station operates a 24-hour local weather channel known as the "Storm Team Weather Network" on KFVS-DT3. This can also be seen on Charter
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
digital channel 113 (in Southeastern Missouri), Mediacom
Mediacom
Mediacom is a cable television and communications provider in the United States. Founded in July 1995, it serves primarily smaller markets in the Midwest and Southern United States. Formerly a publicly traded firm, it went private in a $600.0 million transaction in March 2011 and is, as of 2011,...
digital channel 191 (in Illinois), Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
digital channel 249 (in Western Kentucky), Time Warner
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
digital channel 321, and on its website via live streaming video.
The majority of programming consists of local weather conditions and severe weather bulletins when issued. There is also news and information about Southeast Missouri State University and its activities. The university provides two minute updates, along with occasional longer programming, that airs on the channel.
| Channel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 12.1 | CBS HD |
| 12.2 | WQWQ-LP/WQTV-LP "The Heartland's CW"/Me-TV |
| 12.3 | "Storm Team Weather Network" |
History
KFVS-TV began broadcasting on October 3, 1954. It was owned by broadcasting pioneer Oscar C. Hirsch, who had signed on the area's first radio station, KFVS radio (AM 960, now KZIMKZIM
KZIM is a radio station licensed to serve Cape Girardeau, Missouri, USA. The station is owned by Max Media and licensed to MRR License LLC...
) in his radio shop in 1925. At the start, channel 12 did not have any video cameras. Instead, its first broadcast showed slides of its new transmitter tower that was under construction at the time.
Channel 12 was housed along with its radio sister until 1968, when it moved to its present location on Broadway Avenue. Hirsch sold the station to Aflac
Aflac
Aflac Incorporated is the largest provider of supplemental insurance in the United States, founded in 1955 and based in Columbus, Georgia. In the United States, Aflac underwrites a wide range of insurance policies, but is perhaps more known for its payroll deduction insurance coverage, which pays...
in 1979, earning a handsome return on his investment of 54 years earlier.
In 1997, Aflac sold its entire broadcasting division, including KFVS, to a group headed by Retirement Systems of Alabama
Retirement Systems of Alabama
Retirement Systems of Alabama is the administrator of the pension fund for employees of the state of Alabama. It is headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama. David G. Bronner is the chief executive officer....
. It, in turn, merged with Ellis Communications a few months later to form Raycom Media. KFVS offered The Tube Music Network (a 24-hour digital music video channel) on its third digital subchannel which ceased operations on October 1, 2007. The station ceased analog broadcasting and moved its digital signal to its original channel position on June 12, 2009.
KFVS serves more than 50 counties in four states including all of Southeastern Missouri, Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky, and Western Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. The KFVS calls mean "Five States," since its former radio sister covers much of this area as well as portions of Northeastern Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. However, KFVS has no coverage in that state since the DTV transition. A portion of its signal into the Missouri Bootheel
Bootheel
The Missouri Bootheel is the southeasternmost part of the state of Missouri, extending south of 36°30’ north latitude, so called because its shape in relation to the rest of the state resembles the heel of a boot. Strictly speaking, it is composed of the counties of Dunklin, New Madrid, and Pemiscot...
overlaps with sister station and WMC-TV
WMC-TV
WMC-TV is the NBC affiliate television station for the Memphis, Tennessee metropolitan area. The station serves roughly the western third of Tennessee, northwestern Mississippi, northeastern Arkansas and the southeastern corner of Missouri over the air on satellite and on various cable systems. Its...
in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
and KAIT-TV in Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro is a city in and one of the two county seats of Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 US Census, the population of the city was 67,263. A college town, Jonesboro is the largest city in northeastern Arkansas and the fifth most populous city in the state...
. KFVS refers to its viewing area as "The Heartland," which is included in WQTV/WQWQ's on-air branding.
KFVS' coverage area overlaps with KMOV
KMOV
KMOV, virtual channel 4, is the CBS-affiliated television station in St. Louis, Missouri. KMOV is owned by the Dallas-based Belo Corporation, with its studio and office facilities in St...
in St. Louis. In fact, channel 12's over-the-air coverage extended as far east as the St. Louis suburb of Belleville, Illinois
Belleville, Illinois
Belleville is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 44,478. It is the eighth-most populated city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area and the most populated city south of Springfield in the state of Illinois. It is the county...
prior to the DTV transition. Cable outlets in several northern KFVS counties and southern KMOV counties carry both stations.
KFVS being a #1 News leader in its area on July 22, 2011, they announced that they were going to change to a new high definition news set with new graphics and HD Cameras very soon. They will be the second station to broadcast news in HD the First Being WSIL-TV 3.
News operation
Compared with the other big three stationsBig Three Television Networks
The Big Three Television Networks are the three traditional commercial broadcast television networks in the United States: ABC, CBS and NBC...
in the market, KFVS has traditionally covered Southeastern Missouri more while the newscasts of ABC affiliate WSIL-TV
WSIL-TV
WSIL-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Southern Illinois, Southeastern Missouri, and the Purchase area of Western Kentucky that is licensed to Harrisburg, Illinois. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 34 from a transmitter in Creal Springs, Illinois. Locally...
focus almost exclusively on Southern Illinois. This is despite the fact that KPOB-TV in Poplar Bluff, Missouri
Poplar Bluff, Missouri
Poplar Bluff is a city in Butler County located in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is the county seat of Butler County and is known as "The Gateway to the Ozarks" among other names. As of the 2000 U.S...
operates as a full-time satellite. That channel does not maintain any bureaus in its area. NBC affiliate WPSD-TV
WPSD-TV
WPSD-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Western Kentucky's Jackson Purchase, Southern Illinois, and the Missouri Bootheel. Licensed to Paducah, Kentucky, the station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter in Monkeys Eyebrow, Kentucky...
offers the most coverage of Western Kentucky since it is based in Paducah
Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
. In addition to its main studios, KFVS operates a Southern Illinois Newsroom on East Plaza Drive in Carterville
Carterville, Illinois
Carterville is a city in Williamson County, Illinois, in the United States, and is geographically situated between Carbondale, Illinois and Marion, Illinois. The city is located next to Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge's of land and water contain a wide diversity of flora and...
near WSIL.
At one point, KFVS produced a nightly half-hour prime time broadcast at 9 on WQTV/WQWQ known as Heartland News at 9. The show focused exclusively on Southeastern Missouri and competed with prime time news on Fox affiliate KBSI
KBSI
KBSI is the Fox-affiliated television station for the Missouri Bootheel, Southern Illinois, and Western Kentucky's Jackson Purchase. Licensed to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 22 from a transmitter in rural Cape Girardeau County north of the...
that was produced by WPSD. That show provided a regional summary of coverage along with stories from Western Kentucky. Heartland News at 9 was dropped after the July 29, 2007 edition and replaced with a rebroadcast of Oprah. Currently, WQTV/WQWQ replay three weekday newscasts from KFVS. This includes The Breakfast Show (at 6:30 in the morning), Heartland News at Noon (at 1 in the afternoon), and Heartland News at 10 (at 10:30 p.m.). The Sunday edition of The Breakfast Show is also repeated on those stations.
On October 1, 2010, Heartland News at 9 was brought back after a news share agreement was established with KBSI. That channel now offers an hour-long prime time newscast every night at 9 originating from the KFVS studios. With that addition, this station offers more than thirty hours of local news each week. During weather segments, the station uses live NOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
radar data from several regional sites. This system is known on-air as "Storm Team Digital Doppler". KFVS also operates its own weather radar
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
, called "Live StormTeam Radar", that is on top of the Hirsch building. It is an a Collins radar sold by ADC in Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
and is the only live radar source in the market since the National Weather Service data is delayed.
Newscast titles
- Channel 12 Report (10 p.m., 1960s-1979)
- TV-12 News (1979–1981)
- News 12 (1981–1982)
- KFVS 12 News (1982–1983)
- Heartland News (1983–present)
Station slogans
- "Hello Heartland, Channel 12 Loves You" (1983–1990, used during period station used Frank GariFrank GariFrank Gari is a popular singer and songwriter from the late 1950s and early 1960s. His best known songs as a performer are "Utopia" , "Lullaby of Love" and "Princess" , all of which hit the U.S. Top 40 in 1961. He co-wrote with Roger McGuinn the song Beach Ball for Bobby Darin...
's "Hello News") - "KFVS 12, Serving America's Heartland" (1983–1990)
- "The Heartland's News Channel" (1990–1999)
- "Live. Local. Latebreaking." (1999–present)
News team
- Jim Burns - weekday mornings (4:30am-7am) and associate producer
- Lauren Keith - weekday mornings (4:30am-7am) and noon
- "Does it Work Wednesday" segment producer
- Kathy Sweeney - weeknights at 5 and 6
- Jeff Cunningham - weeknights at 5, 9, and 10
- Mary-Ann Maloney - weeknights at 10
- Carly O'Keefe - weekend mornings and Southern Illinois Newsroom reporter
- Crystal Britt - weekend evenings and reporter
Heartland News Storm Team Meteorologists
- Bob Reeves - Senior seen weeknights
- Brian Alworth (Certified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast Meteorologist is a rating for meteorologists given by the American Meteorological Society.The Certified Broadcast Meteorologist program was established to raise the professional standard in broadcast meteorology and encourage a broader range of scientific understanding,...
) - weekday mornings (4:30am-7am) and noon - Laura Wibbenmeyer - weekend mornings and news reporter
Sports
- Todd Richards - Director seen weeknights at 6, 9, and 10
- Heartland Football Friday host
- Chad Fryman - weekends
Reporters
- Stephanie Byars - health and Heartland News at Noon producer
- Arnold Wyrick - Southern Illinois Newsroom
- Julia Bruck - Southern Illinois Newsroom
- Christy Hendricks - Director Internet Content
- John Morgan - Chief Photographer
- Tyler Profilet - weekday mornings
- Don Frazier - photographer
Contributors
- Mike Smythe - "KFVS 12 Viewpoint" as well as Vice President and General Manager
- Brad Zaruba - "Heartland Business Break" and National Sales Manager
- Randy Ray - "Heartland Business Break" and Account Executive
- Art Ginsburg - "Mr. FoodMr. FoodArt Ginsburg, commonly known as Mr. Food, is a television chef and best selling author of cookbooks who emphasizes simple recipes. He is the originator of "quick & easy cooking" who, for the past 30+ years, has paved the way for TV food personalities who have followed. With his enthusiastic style,...
"
News Management
- Mark Little - News Director
- Jeff Mulligan - Assistant News Director