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WCCO-TV, is the CBS
CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
 owned and operated television station
Television station

A television station is a type of broadcast station that Broadcastings both sound and video to television receiver s in a particular area. Traditionally, TV stations made their broadcasts by sending specially-encoded radio signals over the air, called terrestrial television....
 that serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul
Minneapolis-St. Paul

Minneapolis-Saint Paul is the most populous List of United States urban areas in the state of Minnesota, United States, and is composed of 186 cities and townships....
 area of Minnesota
Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
. It broadcasts on channels
North American broadcast television frequencies

In North America, terrestrial television is broadcast on designated TV channels numbered 2 through 69, approximately between 54 and 806 MHz. Traditionally, the frequencies are divided into two sections, the very high frequency band and the ultra high frequency band....
 4 (analog) and 32 (digital
Digital television

Digital television is the sending and receiving of moving images and sound by Discrete signal signals, in contrast to the Analog television used by analog TV....
). It also operates two full-powered semi-satellites--KCCO-TV in Alexandria
Alexandria, Minnesota

Alexandria is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States. First settled in 1858, it was named after Alexander and William Kinkead....
 (7, 24 DT) and KCCW in Walker
Walker, Minnesota

Walker is a city in Cass County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,069 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cass County, Minnesota....
 (12, 20 DT). KCCO-TV simulcasts WCCO-TV, but airs separate commercials. KCCW is a full repeater of KCCO-TV. The station's studios are in downtown Minneapolis, while its transmitter is at the Telefarm
Telefarm Towers Shoreview

Telefarm Towers Shoreview is a transmission site for FM radio and television broadcasting in Shoreview, Minnesota consisting of two guy-wire towers....
 complex in Shoreview, Minnesota
Shoreview, Minnesota

Shoreview is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States. The population was 25,924 at the United States Census, 2000.Many Minneapolis-St....
.

From 1947 to 1996, WCCO-TV and WCCO-AM
WCCO-AM

WCCO is a radio station with a storied history spanning more than 80 years that serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. The station is owned by CBS Radio and broadcasts on the designated "Clear-channel station" frequency of 830 kilohertz with 50,000 watts of power, allowing it to reach a wide area of North America at night when oth...
 won twelve George Foster Peabody Awards, more than any other Twin Cities broadcast outlet.

Unlike most other CBS owned-and-operated stations, WCCO does not follow the CBS Mandate
CBS Mandate

The CBS Mandate, which is also known as the Viacom Mandate, is a mandate used by both Viacom and now CBS Corporation on the company's owned and operated station with regards to a universal style and look....
 in its branding, using simply its call letters rather than "CBS 4".

WCCO's broadcasts will be digital-only, effective June 12, 2009.

-TV's roots actually originate with another radio station, WRHM
WWTC

WWTC is a long-standing radio station serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. Despite its up-and-down history, the station spawned two of the area's major television stations and had some very innovative and unusual periods in its history....
, which took to the air in 1925.






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WCCO-TV, is the CBS
CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
 owned and operated television station
Television station

A television station is a type of broadcast station that Broadcastings both sound and video to television receiver s in a particular area. Traditionally, TV stations made their broadcasts by sending specially-encoded radio signals over the air, called terrestrial television....
 that serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul
Minneapolis-St. Paul

Minneapolis-Saint Paul is the most populous List of United States urban areas in the state of Minnesota, United States, and is composed of 186 cities and townships....
 area of Minnesota
Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
. It broadcasts on channels
North American broadcast television frequencies

In North America, terrestrial television is broadcast on designated TV channels numbered 2 through 69, approximately between 54 and 806 MHz. Traditionally, the frequencies are divided into two sections, the very high frequency band and the ultra high frequency band....
 4 (analog) and 32 (digital
Digital television

Digital television is the sending and receiving of moving images and sound by Discrete signal signals, in contrast to the Analog television used by analog TV....
). It also operates two full-powered semi-satellites--KCCO-TV in Alexandria
Alexandria, Minnesota

Alexandria is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States. First settled in 1858, it was named after Alexander and William Kinkead....
 (7, 24 DT) and KCCW in Walker
Walker, Minnesota

Walker is a city in Cass County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,069 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cass County, Minnesota....
 (12, 20 DT). KCCO-TV simulcasts WCCO-TV, but airs separate commercials. KCCW is a full repeater of KCCO-TV. The station's studios are in downtown Minneapolis, while its transmitter is at the Telefarm
Telefarm Towers Shoreview

Telefarm Towers Shoreview is a transmission site for FM radio and television broadcasting in Shoreview, Minnesota consisting of two guy-wire towers....
 complex in Shoreview, Minnesota
Shoreview, Minnesota

Shoreview is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States. The population was 25,924 at the United States Census, 2000.Many Minneapolis-St....
.

From 1947 to 1996, WCCO-TV and WCCO-AM
WCCO-AM

WCCO is a radio station with a storied history spanning more than 80 years that serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. The station is owned by CBS Radio and broadcasts on the designated "Clear-channel station" frequency of 830 kilohertz with 50,000 watts of power, allowing it to reach a wide area of North America at night when oth...
 won twelve George Foster Peabody Awards, more than any other Twin Cities broadcast outlet.

Unlike most other CBS owned-and-operated stations, WCCO does not follow the CBS Mandate
CBS Mandate

The CBS Mandate, which is also known as the Viacom Mandate, is a mandate used by both Viacom and now CBS Corporation on the company's owned and operated station with regards to a universal style and look....
 in its branding, using simply its call letters rather than "CBS 4".

WCCO's broadcasts will be digital-only, effective June 12, 2009.

History

WCCO-TV's roots actually originate with another radio station, WRHM
WWTC

WWTC is a long-standing radio station serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. Despite its up-and-down history, the station spawned two of the area's major television stations and had some very innovative and unusual periods in its history....
, which took to the air in 1925. In 1934, two newspapers—the Minneapolis Tribune and the Saint Paul Pioneer Press-Dispatch—formed a joint venture named "Twin Cities Newspapers," which purchased the radio station and changed its call letters to WTCN. WTCN-TV went on the air on July 1, 1949 as Minnesota's second television station, broadcasting from the Radio City Theater in downtown Minneapolis.

When Twin Cities Newspapers sold all their radio holdings, including WTCN Radio, in 1952, it created an opportunity to purchase WCCO radio (AM 830 and FM 102.9, now WLTE
WLTE

WLTE is a radio station in Minneapolis-St. Paul that carries a "Lite rock" adult contemporary format and has done so for more than two decades....
) and merge the two companies into Midwest Radio and Television
Midwest Radio and Television

Midwest Radio and Television was a broadcasting company based in the Upper Midwest United States.Its history dates back to August 1952, when the original owners of WWTC-FM-WCCO-TV decided to sell the stations....
, Inc. The new company changed Channel 4's call letters to match its new radio sisters.

Channel 4 has been the market's only station to never change its affiliation. Because of this stability, WCCO-TV is one of CBS' best-performing affiliates.

Wcco Office
In 1954, a live CBS broadcast from the Foshay Tower
Foshay Tower

The Foshay Tower, now serving as the W Minneapolis - The Foshay, is a skyscraper in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota. Modeled after the Washington Monument, the building was completed in 1929 in the months before the Wall Street Crash of 1929 in October of that year....
 provided a view of an early-morning solar eclipse
Solar eclipse

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is wholly or partially obscured. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from the Earth....
, the first time such an event had been televised nationally. In 1955, a mobile unit was formed, using a van dubbed the "Blue Goose" which would be used for more than a decade.

WCCO-TV participated in the first transatlantic
Transatlantic

The term transatlantic refers to something occurring all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. Most often, this refers to the exchange of passengers, cargo, information, or communication between North America and Europe....
 television broadcast via the Telstar
Telstar

Telstar was the first active communications satellite, and the first satellite designed to transmit telephone and high-speed data communications....
 satellite
Satellite

In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an Physical body which has been placed into orbit by human endeavor. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
 on July 23, 1962 when a mobile crew provided video of Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, near Keystone, South Dakota, South Dakota, is a monumental granite sculpture by Gutzon Borglum , located within the United States Presidential Memorial that represents the first 150 years of the History of the United States of the United States of America with sculptures of the heads of former President of t...
 in South Dakota
South Dakota

South Dakota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States of the United States of America. It is named after the Lakota people and Sioux Sioux Native Americans in the United States tribes....
. This video was broadcast across the three major networks of the time: ABC, CBS, and NBC.

Channel 4's studio was renovated in 1956, but as the station grew the space eventually became too small. In 1983, the station moved to a new studio on the south end of Nicollet Mall
Nicollet Mall

Nicollet Mall is a portion of Nicollet Avenue running through downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Working as a pedestrian and transit mall, it is also an upscale shopping and dining district....
. Channel 4 is the only area TV station broadcasting from downtown Minneapolis today.

In 1977, WCCO-TV unveiled the "Circle 4" logo. At the time of the unveiling, the "4" was colored blue and was placed inside a yellow circle. The first newscast title to use that logo was called NewsWatch 4.

In 1987, WCCO bought KCMT, channel 7 in Alexandria and its satellite KNMT, channel 12 in Walker. KCMT had signed on in 1957 and had been the only full-power VHF station in central Minnesota. KNMT signed on in 1962 as a satellite of KCMT in northern Minnesota, serving Bemidji and Brainerd
Brainerd, Minnesota

Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,178 at the United States Census, 2000. It is the county seat of Crow Wing County, Minnesota and one of the largest cities in Central Minnesota....
. They were renamed KCCO and KCCW respectively, and their local operations were progressively cut back until 2002, when local news segments on both stations were discontinued and KCCO-TV became a full repeater of WCCO-TV, except for local commercials. Since 2002, WCCO has identified itself on-air as "Minneapolis-St. Paul/Alexandria/Walker." WCCO has opened bureaus in Brainerd
Brainerd, Minnesota

Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,178 at the United States Census, 2000. It is the county seat of Crow Wing County, Minnesota and one of the largest cities in Central Minnesota....
 and St. Cloud
St. Cloud, Minnesota

St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's Central Minnesota. The population was 63,702 at the 2000 United States Census, making it the third largest city in the state outside the Twin Cities metropolitan area....
, and stories produced in Alexandria, Brainerd and St. Cloud can be seen in the Twin Cities as well.

WCCO was purchased by CBS in 1992; it had been a minority owner of the station for many years. It does not follow the CBS Mandate
CBS Mandate

The CBS Mandate, which is also known as the Viacom Mandate, is a mandate used by both Viacom and now CBS Corporation on the company's owned and operated station with regards to a universal style and look....
; it is branded as WCCO 4 rather than CBS4. Other CBS O&Os not to follow this mandate are KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV

KDKA-TV is the CBS owned and operated station television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its studios are located at One Gateway Center in Downtown Pittsburgh....
 in Pittsburgh (branded by its call letters), WWJ-TV
WWJ-TV

For the television station in Detroit known as WWJ-TV from 1947 to 1978, see WDIV-TV For the current AM radio station known as WWJ, see WWJ ...
 in Detroit (branded by its call letters), WJZ-TV
WJZ-TV

WJZ-TV, channel 13, is an owned and operated station television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Baltimore, Maryland. WJZ-TV's studios and offices are located on Television Hill in the Woodberry, Baltimore section of Baltimore, adjacent to the transmission tower it shares with four other Baltimore television stations....
 in Baltimore (branded WJZ 13), and WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV

WBZ-TV, channel 4, is an Owned-and-operated station television station of the CBS, located in Boston, Massachusetts. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilties are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham, Massachusetts....
 in Boston (branded as simply WBZ).

Since the May 2006 ratings period, WCCO's newscasts in total household ratings for most news programs. The exception has been the mornings, where KARE
KARE

KARE, Channel 11, is an NBC - affiliated television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and serving the Minneapolis - St. Paul, Minnesota area of Minnesota and portions of western Wisconsin....
 still leads all local competitors.

WCCO experimented with cable in the 1980s. Known initially as WCCO II or 'CCO cable, it was a way to transmit programs that wouldn't ordinarily make it onto the over-the-air frequency. During this time, WCCO II aired local forecasts when not airing sports or other programming. This later morphed into the Midwest Sports Channel (MSC), which operated for several years. Following Viacom's purchase of CBS, MSC was sold to News Corporation
News Corporation

News Corporation , , ) is one of the world's largest Media conglomerate conglomerates. The company's Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Founder is Rupert Murdoch and the President and Chief Operating Officer is Peter Chernin....
 and became FSN North
FSN North

Fox Sports North is a regional sports network serving Minnesota, Wisconsin, northern Iowa, Upper Michigan along the Wisconsin border and the eastern parts of North Dakota and South Dakota....
.

WCCO also operated a local weather channel on cable systems in the Twin Cities area. Unlike The Weather Channel, WCCO Weather Channel did not have any on-camera personalities and instead consisted of computer graphics with voice-over provided by WCCO-TV's meteorologists. This programming ran in a loop until updates were made available. Ads on this channel were delivered in this way as well (voice-over consisted of radio-formatted advertising). During severe weather occurrences, the channel would interrupt the recorded voice-over with live weather bulletins provided by WCCO 830 AM. Twin Cities PBS member station KTCI-TV
Twin Cities Public Television

Twin Cities Public Television is a nonprofit organization based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that operates the Minneapolis-St. Paul' two PBS member stations, KTCA-TV and KTCI-TV ....
 airs weather info in a similar way but with the following differences:

  • no advertising
  • format is geared towards aviators
  • audio is provided by the Minneapolis Air Route Control Center (NOAA Weather Radio KEC65 during severe weather)
  • digital multicast on channel 17.5 (originally shared airtime with PBS during the daytime and late night hours)


A later experiment in 1995, this time in the field of evening newscasts, also proved to be interesting. WCCO partnered with KLGT (channel 23, later KMWB and now WUCW
WUCW

WUCW is an affiliate of The CW serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. The station is currently owned and operated by the Sinclair Broadcast Group....
) and fed a second news show to that station. This was known as "News of Your Choice", where the news anchors would periodically describe the upcoming items on each channel. This allowed viewers to decide which stories they wanted to see. Multiple factors contributed to the shutdown of the experiment after about one year.

On about June 29, 2006, WCCO introduced "The Plaza Studio", a renovation to their existing studio, on 11th St. South and Marquette Ave.

Satellite stations and translators

WCCO-TV's transmitter is located at the Telefarm paired tower installation in Shoreview also used by KSTP-TV
KSTP-TV

KSTP-TV, channel 5, is the American Broadcasting Company affiliate for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul. Its transmitter is located in Shoreview, Minnesota....
, KARE and WUCW. The market's southern and western portions gets WCCO from four low-power translators, all privately owned:

  • K36FI, channel 36 Frost
    Frost, Minnesota

    Frost is a city in Faribault County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States. The population was 251 at the 2000 census....
  • K51AL, channel 51 Olivia
    Olivia, Minnesota

    Olivia is a city in Renville County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,570 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Renville County, Minnesota....
  • K54AC, channel 54 St. James
    St. James, Minnesota

    St. James is a city in and the county seat of Watonwan County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,695 at the 2000 United States Census....
  • K46AC, channel 46 Willmar
    Willmar, Minnesota

    Willmar is a city in and the county seat of Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States. The population was 18,351 at the United States Census, 2000....


WCCO also operate these satellite stations outside of the Twin Cities area.

Station City of license
City of license

A city of license or community of license, in United States and Canada broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
 Channels
Channel (broadcasting)

In broadcasting, a channel is a range of frequency assigned by a government for the operation of a particular television station or radio station....

(Analog
Analog television

Analog television encodes television picture and sound information and transmits it as an analog signal: one in which the message conveyed by the broadcast Signal is a function of deliberate variations in the amplitude and/or frequency of the signal....
/
Digital
Digital terrestrial television

Digital Terrestrial Television is an implementation of digital technology to provide a greater number of channels and/or better quality of picture and sound using aerial broadcasts to a conventional Antenna instead of a satellite dish or cable connection....
)		 First air date Former callsigns
Call sign

In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In some countries they are used as names for broadcasting stations, but in many other countries they are not....
 ERP
Effective radiated power

In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of Radio frequency energy using the non-International System of Units unit Decibel, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains....

(Analog/
Digital)		 HAAT
Height above average terrain

Height above average terrain is used extensively in Frequency Modulation radio and television, as it is actually much more important than effective radiated power in determining the range of broadcasts ....

(Analog/
Digital)		 Facility ID
Facility ID

The facility ID number or FIN is a unique positive integer assigned by the United States Federal Communications Commission to each domestic and international broadcasting broadcast station in its Common Database System ....
 Transmitter Coordinates
KCCO-TV Alexandria
Alexandria, Minnesota

Alexandria is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States. First settled in 1858, it was named after Alexander and William Kinkead....
 7 (VHF
Very high frequency

VHF is the radio frequency range from 30 megahertz to 300 megahertz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency ....
)
24 (UHF
Ultra high frequency

Ultra high frequency designates a range of Electromagnetic radiation waves with frequency between 300 megahertz and 3 gigahertz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from ten to one decimetres....
)		 October 8, 1958 KCMT (1958–1987) 316 kW
674.9 kW		 355 m
305 m		 9632
KCCW-TV Walker
Walker, Minnesota

Walker is a city in Cass County, Minnesota, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,069 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cass County, Minnesota....
 12 (VHF
Very high frequency

VHF is the radio frequency range from 30 megahertz to 300 megahertz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency ....
)
20 (UHF
Ultra high frequency

Ultra high frequency designates a range of Electromagnetic radiation waves with frequency between 300 megahertz and 3 gigahertz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from ten to one decimetres....
)		 January 1, 1964 KNMT (1964–1987) 316 kW
718.7 kW		 284 m
260 m		 9640
Note: Both of these stations were affiliated with NBC (primary) and ABC (secondary) from their sign-on dates until 1981, when they switched to CBS
CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
. Both stations were acquired by WCCO in 1987.

Notable personalities

An early local program broadcast by the station was a children's program named Axel and His Dog, featuring Clellan Card
Clellan Card

Clellan Card was a noted on-air personality at the Minnesota station WCCO best-known for the dozen years where he played Axel Torgeson on the local children's show Axel and His Dog....
 as Axel. In 1954, the first local program to be broadcast in color by the station was an episode of Axel.

Some notable personalities at the station have had long careers. Dave Moore, a Minneapolis native who had worked almost his entire career in the city, anchored the 10:00 p.m. newscast from 1957 until September 1985. He continued to anchor the 6:00 p.m. news until 1991, when he moved to a more leisurely schedule broadcasting Moore on Sunday. In 1962 he had helped create The Bedtime Nooz, a satirical view of newscasts that aired on Saturday nights. Another program called The Scene Tonight was created in 1968. Both programs featured weather forecaster Bud Kraehling and other members of the regular station staff. Moore died in 1998.

Bill Carlson
Bill Carlson

Bill Carlson was an United States journalist and longtime television anchor at WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Carlson was born in Thief River Falls, Minnesota and grew up in St....
 joined the station in 1959, working in several roles over the years including news anchor. He was with the station until he died due to complications of prostate cancer on February 29, 2008.

Don Shelby
Don Shelby

Donald Gilbert "Don" Shelby is a news anchor on WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He joined the station as a news anchor in 1978 and is also an experienced investigative journalist, whose work has earned two George Foster Peabody awards and several Emmy Awards....
 joined the station as a news anchor in 1978 (at the time WCCO's newscasts were branded as NewsWatch 4) and also has done investigative reporting, although he ended that area of his career when one of his reports was heavily criticized. Shelby suffered a mild stroke in early 2004, and returned to anchor duties by the end of that year. As of 2005, Shelby continued the unique dual responsibility of hosting an afternoon radio show which ended at 5:00; for a while, immediately after the show, he anchored the 5 pm TV newscast. As of 2006, the radio show goes an extra hour, and the 5 pm news has been moved to 6 pm, still simulcast on radio but now minus Shelby. Today, Shelby only does the 10:00 news on television.

Sports commentator Mike Max, talk show host Dark Star (real name George Chapple) and other personalities also cross over between TV and radio.

Silvia Gambardella was a consumer affairs reporter, but later removed from this role after filing reports that were critical of the practices of local car dealers, inspiring the dealers to cancel their advertising contracts with the station.

In April 2008, WCCO, affected by the cutbacks at CBS News announced the layoffs of a list of employees, most notably, weekend anchor John Reger, and chief Meteorologist Paul Douglas
Paul Douglas (meteorologist)

Paul Douglas is a meteorologist, author, entrepreneur, and software expert in Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota. He worked at WCCO-TV in Minneapolis from December 1997 until being laid off in April 2008 as part of nationwide cutbacks by CBS....
.

On July 15, 2008, WCCO announced that Chris Shaffer will become the Chief Meteorologist and anchor the weather reports at 5pm, 6pm, and 10pm Monday through Friday. WCCO made the announcement on their website.

Mike Augustyniak is now the morning and noon weather anchor for WCCO 4 News as of Sep 22nd 2008. Mike Fairbourne has moved back to weekends.

Mike Binkley is now the morning anchor at WCCO 4 News. Mike and Angela Davis were co anchors when they where both with KSTP. Now they are back together as morning and noon anchors at WCCO. Mike's first day was be Monday November 10th, 2008. Bill Hudson will stay at WCCO but will be going back to Reporter for the 5,6,10pm news, as well as fill-in anchor.

Liz Collin was named weekend anchor and will Co-Anchor with Dennis Douda and will be reporter during the week Wed-Fri.

Kerry McNally joined the WCCO Morning Show as traffic reporter in 2009

Anchors

  • (10PM)
  • (6&10PM)
  • (5&6 PM)
  • (5:00pm)
  • (Weekend Evenings)
  • (mornings and Noon)
  • (Mornings and noon)
  • (Weekend Mornings)
  • (Weekend Anchor)


WCCO Weather

  • ( Evening news 5pm,6pm,10pm) (Chief Meteorologist)
  • (Meteorologist, Seen Weekend Evenings)
  • (Meterologist, Seen Weekend Mornings)
  • (Meterologist, Seen Morning and Noon)


WCCO Sports

  • (Sports Director/Weeknights)Mondays to Thursdays 5,6,10pm, Sundays 10pm news and host of Rosen Sports Sunday)
  • (Fridays and Saturdays and Sundays at 5:30)


WCCO reporters

  • (Traffic Reporter)
  • (Reporter for the 5,6,10pm News)
  • (Host of WCCO 4 news Sunday Morning and reporter)
  • (Reporter)
  • (Reporter)
  • (Reporter)(Good Question)
  • (Political Reporter)(Reality Check)
  • (Reporter)
  • (Crime Reporter)
  • (Weekend Reporter)
  • (5 & 6 p.m. Weekday Reporter)
  • (5 & 6 p.m. Weekday Reporter)
  • (Reporter)


Former WCCO anchors and personalities

  • - Weekend Evenings/Consumer Reporter 2003-2008 (now 6pm/10pm anchor at in Austin)
  • (Reporter- Good Question)now with CBS
    CBS

    CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
    ( Evening news reporter)
  • (Noon/Entertainment Reporter) (Died on February 29, 2008)
  • Matt Baylow (Weekend Meteorologist 1989–1998, now at KFMB-TV
    KFMB-TV

    KFMB-TV is the local CBS television affiliate of San Diego. Its transmitter is located atop Mount Soledad above La Jolla, California broadcasting over the air in digital on channel 8....
     in San Diego)
  • Tony Berlin (Reporter, now Producer at WCBS-TV
    WCBS-TV

    WCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship of the CBS television network, located in New York City and owned by CBS Corporation. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center in midtown Manhattan and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building....
     in New York)
  • Bridgette Bornstien- Reporter
  • Clellan Card
    Clellan Card

    Clellan Card was a noted on-air personality at the Minnesota station WCCO best-known for the dozen years where he played Axel Torgeson on the local children's show Axel and His Dog....
     (Children's television personality "Axel" 1954–1966)
  • Christine Clayburg
    Christine Clayburg

    Christine Clayburg, born May 26, 1973 in Paso Robles, California is an Emmy Award nominated United States television meteorologist who also has done some actress and screenwriter....
     (Morning Weather, now at KMSP-TV
    KMSP-TV

    KMSP-TV, channel 9, is an O&O television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The station serves the Minneapolis-St....
    )
  • Alan Cox- Reporter (Retired)
  • Mary Davies (Children's television personality "Carmen the Nurse" 1954–1977)
  • Andy Dominianni
    Andy Dominianni

    Andy Dominianni is a television news anchor of Italian-American descent at WSYX-TV ABC6 and WTTE-TV Fox 28 in Columbus, Ohio. Andy is a former tv news anchor at WCMH-TV in Columbus, Ohio, WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, WCCB-TV in Charlotte, WWMT-TV in Kalamazoo, Michigan, WILX-TV in Lansing, Michigan and WBKB-TV Alpena, Michigan....
     (Mornings)
  • Paul Douglas
    Paul Douglas (meteorologist)

    Paul Douglas is a meteorologist, author, entrepreneur, and software expert in Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota. He worked at WCCO-TV in Minneapolis from December 1997 until being laid off in April 2008 as part of nationwide cutbacks by CBS....
     (Chief Meteorologist/Weeknights)
  • Jonathan Elias (5pm Anchor / Reporter 1993–1998, slated to join WBZ-TV
    WBZ-TV

    WBZ-TV, channel 4, is an Owned-and-operated station television station of the CBS, located in Boston, Massachusetts. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilties are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham, Massachusetts....
     in October)
  • Ralph Jon "R.J." Fritz Weekend Sports (now hosts Out n' About, a travel show on WCCO)
  • Rick Fuentes- Reporter
  • John Gallos (Children's television personality "Clancy" 1959–1977)
  • - reporter (Now at KUSA-TV
    KUSA-TV

    KUSA-TV, Channel 9, is an NBC - affiliated television station in Denver, Colorado. KUSA-TV is owned by the Gannett Company, and is a sister station to KTVD , Denver's MyNetworkTV affiliate....
    )
  • - Weekday Morning Meteorologist: 2002-2006 (Now at WTMJ-TV
    WTMJ-TV

    WTMJ-TV is a television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the flagship station of the Journal Broadcast Group. When WTMJ-TV began broadcasting on December 3, 1947, it was the first television station in Wisconsin, and the fifteenth commercial station to go on the air in the United States....
     In Milwaukee)
  • Chris Grote (Morning Weather)
  • Ed Heil- Sports Reporter
  • Cindy Hillger- Morning Anchor: 1998-2002
  • - Morning Anchor- 1999-2002 (Now at WXTF)
  • Anne Hutchinson- Sports (At KSTP-TV
    KSTP-TV

    KSTP-TV, channel 5, is the American Broadcasting Company affiliate for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul. Its transmitter is located in Shoreview, Minnesota....
     until December 2008)
  • Paul Huttner- Weekend Mornings (Now at MPR)
  • Mel Jass (On-air personality, c. 1950–1957)
  • (Evenings, now at CNN
    CNN

    Cable News Network, almost always referred to by its initialism CNN, is a major US Cable News Network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first station to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television network in the United States....
    )
  • Jim King
  • Terri Knight- Traffic (Went to WLTE
    WLTE

    WLTE is a radio station in Minneapolis-St. Paul that carries a "Lite rock" adult contemporary format and has done so for more than two decades....
     radio station; was released in November 2008)
  • (Rooftop Gardener & Chief Meteorologist, Infomercial Host for knives)
  • Bud Kraehling (weather forecaster; retired)
  • Karen Leigh- Morning Anchor; 2004-2008(now at KCNC)
  • Allan Lotsberg (Children's television personality "Willie Ketchem?" 1963–1977)
  • Chandra Michaels
    Chandra Michaels

    Chandra Michaels - artist, designer and creator of Sugarluxe.Chandra Michaels is the founder and creative force behind the designer brand name Sugarluxe known as America's Sweet Art....
  • Pat Miles (anchor, 1978–1988; went to KARE-TV; later WCCO Radio; now retired)
  • Dave Moore (Weeknight Anchor: 1957–1991; Host of Moore on Sunday until 1996)
  • (Reporter/Weekend Anchor) (Died July 26, 2008)
  • John Reger (Weekend Anchor)
  • Lisa Kiava (Reporter)
  • Michele Tafoya
    Michele Tafoya

    Michele Tafoya is an United States sportscaster. Tafoya married Mark Vandersall in 2000, and gave birth to her first child, a son named Tyler Bruce Vandersall, on November 21, 2005....
     (now with ESPN's Monday Night Football)
  • Mary Tan- Reporter
  • Aloha Taylor
    Ku'ualoha Taylor

    Aloha Taylor, born Ku'ualoha Taylor, is a television weather news presenter/reporter at XETV , the The CW Television Network TV station, in San Diego, California....
     (Weekend Meteorologist: 2005-2006)
  • (Meteorologist, now with The Weather Channel since 1999)
  • Trish Van Pilsum - Investigative Reporter (Now at KMSP-TV
    KMSP-TV

    KMSP-TV, channel 9, is an O&O television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The station serves the Minneapolis-St....
    )
  • Mike Walcher - Anchorman (1978–1998), now reporter at WINK-TV
    WINK-TV

    WINK-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Southwest Florida that is licensed to Fort Myers, Florida. The station broadcasts a High-definition television digital signal on VHF channel 9....
     in Ft. Myers, FL
  • (Mornings 2000-2003 later KNBC 2003-2005, KNTV
    KNTV

    KNTV, Channel 11, is the NBC owned and operated station television station in the San Francisco Bay Area market. It is licensed to San Jose, California, with its transmitter located on San Bruno Mountain, just north of San Francisco International Airport....
     2005-2008 and briefly KPIX-TV
    KPIX-TV

    KPIX-TV is the CBS owned and operated television station in San Francisco, California. Through its parent company CBS Corporation, KPIX is co-owned with CW Television Network affiliate KBCW-TV ....
     whereabouts unknown)
  • Cathy Wurzer - Reporter (now morning anchor on Minnesota Public Radio)
  • Kevyn Burger (now host on Twin Cities FM-107)


News/station presentation


Newscast titles

  • Telenews (1949–1952)
  • Closeups in the News (1952–1964)
  • The Big News (1964–1968)
  • The Scene at Six/The Scene Tonight (1968–1973)
  • TV-4 News (1973–1977)
  • NewsWatch 4/NightWatch 4 (1977–1981)
  • Channel 4 News (1981–1994)
  • WCCO 4 News (1994–2003)
  • WCCO News (2003-present)


Station slogans

  • Know More (2006-present)


Station logos


KCCO/KCCW logo


"On Air @ The Fair"

Every year, at the Minnesota State Fair
Minnesota State Fair

The Minnesota State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It has been marketed for generations as "The Great Minnesota Get-Together." It may be the largest state fair in the United States in terms of average daily attendance, though the State Fair of Texas runs twice as long and is the largest by annual attendance....
, WCCO takes most of its set and moves from their Nicollet Mall Studio to their Minnesota State Fair Newsroom/"Studio" and broadcasts its noon, 5, 6 and 10PM newscasts at the WCCO studio in Carousel Park, at the Fairgrounds. The Anchors do the news, weather and sports at the grounds, a reporter broadcasts any breaking news at the studio. WCCO is also known for feeding its "studio" audience with state fair food. When they are not on the air, the anchors and reporters sign autographs and chat with fans. The 2007 fair brought changes to the 10:00 show with Don & Amelia doing the news form the main studio and the weather/sports anchors along with one of the other news anchors at the fairgrounds.

In 2003, WCCO installed a dunk tank at the fairgrounds. They dubbed this "Dunk Don" (named after lead anchor, Don Shelby
Don Shelby

Donald Gilbert "Don" Shelby is a news anchor on WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He joined the station as a news anchor in 1978 and is also an experienced investigative journalist, whose work has earned two George Foster Peabody awards and several Emmy Awards....
 who was the only anchor dunked the first year.) Then from 2004–2006, wcco.com visitors voted for who they wanted to be dunked. At 10 PM, a reporter or anchor went into the tank and 3 "lucky" viewers (or local celebrity) were chosen to have a chance to dunk the anchor. If all 3 people missed, one of the other anchors had a chance to hit the target. Dunk Don was replaced in 2007 in favor of the "Go Green" News campaign that sees how much human energy it would take to power each live newscast.

Dunk Don 2004 "Dunkees"
  • Aug. 26- Randi Kaye
  • Aug. 27- Paul Douglas
    Paul Douglas (meteorologist)

    Paul Douglas is a meteorologist, author, entrepreneur, and software expert in Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota. He worked at WCCO-TV in Minneapolis from December 1997 until being laid off in April 2008 as part of nationwide cutbacks by CBS....
  • Aug. 30- Amelia Santanello
  • Aug. 31- Mark Rosen
  • Sept. 1- Christine Clayburg
    Christine Clayburg

    Christine Clayburg, born May 26, 1973 in Paso Robles, California is an Emmy Award nominated United States television meteorologist who also has done some actress and screenwriter....
  • Sept. 2- Dennis Douda
  • Sept. 3- Don Shelby
    Don Shelby

    Donald Gilbert "Don" Shelby is a news anchor on WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He joined the station as a news anchor in 1978 and is also an experienced investigative journalist, whose work has earned two George Foster Peabody awards and several Emmy Awards....
Dunk Don 2005 "Dunkees"
  • Aug. 25- Jeanette Trompeter
  • Aug. 26- Karen Leigh
  • Aug. 29- Terri Gruca
  • Aug. 30- Don Shelby
  • Aug. 31- Paul Douglas
  • Sept. 1- Amelia Santaniello
  • Sept. 2- Amelia Santaniello
Dunk Don 2006 "Dunkees"
  • Aug. 24- Frank Vascellaro
  • Aug. 25- Amelia Santaniello
  • Aug. 28- Jeanette Trompeter
  • Aug. 29- Jason DeRusha
    Jason DeRusha

    Jason DeRusha is an American television journalist, who grew up outside of Chicago. While he currently works as a reporter in Minneapolis, he has reported in Milwaukee and anchored in Davenport, Iowa, Iowa....
  • Aug. 30- Paul Douglas
  • Aug. 31- Don Shelby
  • Sept. 1- Heather Brown


On August 24, 2007, WCCO completed the first ever human powered newscast.

Trivia

  • In the movie Wrongfully Accused
    Wrongfully Accused

    Wrongfully Accused is a 1998 in film comedy film starring Leslie Nielsen as Ryan Harrison, a violinist who's been framed for murder by a one-armed, one-legged, one-eyed man....
    , a WCCO Channel 4 News Van is used as a get-away car by the freedom fighters after a botched attempt to assassinate Sir Robert McKintyre. Also, a brief newscast was shown during the movie using the WCCO logo.


  • The Late Show with David Letterman did a Minneapolis-themed show on May 9th, 1997. On the telecast, anchors Don Shelby and Amelia Santaniello performed a scripted "breaking news" bit, in which Shelby memorably declared that he had a gopher in his pants named Carlos. Kirby Puckett also guest starred.


  • Channel 4 was one of the few stations to broadcast Jeopardy!
    Jeopardy!

    Jeopardy! is a game show featuring trivia in topics such as history, literature, pop culture and science. The show has a decades-long Jeopardy! broadcast history in the United States since its creation by Merv Griffin in the early 1960s....
     in the morning (it aired at 9:30 AM, leading into The Price is Right
    The Price Is Right

    The Price Is Right is an United States television game show that is currently owned by the FremantleMedia subsidiary of the RTL Group. It was originally created by Bob Stewart for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions in the United States in 1956, and was significantly revamped by them in 1972....
    ), but the show now airs at 4:30 PM on Channel 11 (though     Wheel of Fortune can still be seen at 6:30 PM on Channel 4).


  • WCCO-TV, (along with KARE
    KARE

    KARE, Channel 11, is an NBC - affiliated television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and serving the Minneapolis - St. Paul, Minnesota area of Minnesota and portions of western Wisconsin....
    ) is also carried on most cable systems in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. The stations do not make any attempt to cater to this audience, other than their inclusion on regional weather maps.


External links

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