Omaha Local News Channels

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Which evening news do you watch the most (5p 6p 10p)

KMTV Channel 3 (No Cable/Dish)
3
2%
KMTV Channel 3 (With Cable/Dish)
5
4%
WOWT Channel 6 (No Cable/Dish)
5
4%
WOWT Channel 6 (With Cable/Dish)
27
21%
KETV Channel 7 (No Cable/Dish)
16
13%
KETV Channel 7 (With Cable/Dish)
39
31%
KPTM Channel 42 (No Cable/Dish)
1
1%
KPTM Channel 42 (With Cable/Dish)
2
2%
I don't watch Local News
16
13%
I don't have a TV
6
5%
I watch whatever channel it happens to be on
1
1%
I watch whatever the TV in the Bar is showing
6
5%
 
Total votes: 127

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Omababe
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Post by Omababe »

nativeomahan wrote:The head just spins.  Is this a high school TV station?
WOWT news is incredibly amateurish! There's a lot of fluff in their broadcasts, but very little hard news.

The really sad part is that people continue to watch them, and more importantly, advertisers continue to buy airtime! :(
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Post by NovakOmaha »

I watched the morning news today via live streaming.  What struck me was that they did a rip & read, maybe a couple of seconds of mindless banter, maybe the weather & then commercials.  They must rake it in on that show.  It's a ton of commercials with the only overhead being the minimum wage "anchors".  The male anchor really needs to spend some time learning journalism basics.  That guy is a robot.

Want to compare?  Go to http://www.clickondetroit.com and check out Detroit's local NBC affiliate.  It's what we watch in the morning.  Helicopter traffic, reporters in the field, pretty accurate weather, etc.  The big difference is that we don't cringe when the anchors do a little banter.  I know its a much larger market but seriously has WOWT no shame?  Here is the live streaming link: http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/-/17 ... index.html
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Omababe
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Post by Omababe »

NovakOmaha wrote:they did a rip & read, maybe a couple of seconds of mindless banter, maybe the weather & then commercials.  They must rake it in on that show.
The "news" on WOWT is usually nothing more than filler between commercials!

The other day (I don't intentionally watch WOWT news, it was on and I was too lazy to change it) they were obviously filling time by reading "web channel" comments.
Want to compare?  Go to http://www.clickondetroit.com and check out Detroit's local NBC affiliate.
A good example which most in the area can easily watch is the 9:00pm news on WGN from Chicago. This is not one of the "3 majors" in that market, but they have considerably more polish than any of the Omaha news programs. (In all fairness, I admit I am biased since they are a client of mine.) However, when I travel I'll usually check out the news in other markets. In almost all cases, even in markets smaller than Omaha, the news is almost always more professionally presented than in Omaha.
The big difference is that we don't cringe when the anchors do a little banter.
Lately I've been noticing that the ABC overnight news folks have been slipping into happy-talk mode more and more. (>>CLICK<<)
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Post by NovakOmaha »

I've been watching WGN since the 80's.  For what its worth, on a clear night I can get Wbbm on the radio in the car.  Want to hear a traffic report?  Catch a Chicago one.  Takes more than 10 seconds.

I was thinking.  Figuring the total market for Omaha stations, which I would assume includes Lincoln, you have over 1,000,000 people.  One would think that with those kinds of numbers they could charge some pretty good cash for commercials, which would allow them to hire actual journalists.  On the other hand, they're already putting up some good numbers with at best mediocre talking heads.  So what's the use of hiring quality?
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Omababe
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Post by Omababe »

NovakOmaha wrote:For what its worth, on a clear night I can get Wbbm on the radio in the car.  Want to hear a traffic report?  Catch a Chicago one.  Takes more than 10 seconds.
Whenever I rent a car in Chicago the first thing I do is tune into WBBM for the frequent traffic report. Usually I hear it before I'm out of the lot. Then I know how nasty the traffic on the Kennedy or Stevenson will be. People in Omaha are SPOILED by the lack of serious traffic!
I was thinking.  Figuring the total market for Omaha stations, which I would assume includes Lincoln, you have over 1,000,000 people.
For some reason, they keep us split into two smaller markets.
One would think that with those kinds of numbers they could charge some pretty good cash for commercials, which would allow them to hire actual journalists.  On the other hand, they're already putting up some good numbers with at best mediocre talking heads.  So what's the use of hiring quality?
As long as people keep watching the bottom-end drek, and as long as the sucker local sponsors buy the airtime, things will stay as they are!
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

Omababe wrote:
NovakOmaha wrote:For what its worth, on a clear night I can get Wbbm on the radio in the car.  Want to hear a traffic report?  Catch a Chicago one.  Takes more than 10 seconds.
Whenever I rent a car in Chicago the first thing I do is tune into WBBM for the frequent traffic report. Usually I hear it before I'm out of the lot. Then I know how nasty the traffic on the Kennedy or Stevenson will be. People in Omaha are SPOILED by the lack of serious traffic!
Speaking of Omaha Traffic Reports...  KFAB does WOWT's Traffic and KFAB uses WOWT's news.  I don't listen to KFAB much, but when I do, I always seem to hear at least one Error in the traffic report.  Yesterday, after Rosenblatt, I was waiting to hear Jeff and Trenton do the weekly Grow Omaha visit to the morning show.  Rosenblatt's Traffic was closed for less than 5 min after the blast.  People were literally driving through the smoke before it was cleared.  The road was opened right around 7am.  Trenton and Jeff come on at 7:45 and the last traffic report before that was still saying the road was closed.  A few weeks before that, when 60th Street was closed Pacific to Leavenworth, they reported that closed for days after it was open again.

So exactly where do they get their traffic infomation?  Nobody in this town has a Plane or Helicopter.
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Post by NovakOmaha »

Brad wrote:So exactly where do they get their traffic infomation?  Nobody in this town has a Plane or Helicopter.
I don't know if you remember WKRP in Cincinnati, but I have to believe that WOWT would love to hire Les Nessman.  

The stations in Detroit have helicopters but other than seeing the latest house fire in the city it's no big deal.  MDOT (Mich Dept of Transportation) has cameras all over the freeway system.  I also got a TOMTOM GPS and it came with lifetime traffic.  That is really cool.  It reroutes me around tie ups.  

The fact is that I can get from my house in Oak Park, a suburb near the city of Detroit, to downtown in about 15 or 20 minutes, unless there's an accident on the freeway or a ballgame.  Both the football & baseball stadiums are downtown & if we go to a game all bets are off.  It's part of the deal when everybody is trying to get to one place.  But normally its not a bad trip.  

The airport is pretty far tho its all freeway.  Omahans are spoiled with Eppley.  Last time I flew in we got from Eppley to 120th & Dodge in a flash.
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Post by jessep28 »

Apps like Waze and Google Maps are probably more reliable for traffic reports. Sometimes I wonder if people call in fake traffic wrecks or slowdowns to get others to avoid the area so that person can have a faster commute.
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Omababe
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Post by Omababe »

Brad wrote:So exactly where do they get their traffic infomation?  Nobody in this town has a Plane or Helicopter.
I assumed it was from the various traffic cams they show.
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Post by GetUrban »

99% of traffic reports in Omaha are useless. By the time you hear of a problem, traffic is flowing again and you've wasted your time taking an alternate route. Usually the reports are so general that nobody actually alters their route to avoid anything.

Try driving in Atlanta, Dallas, or Chicago at rush hours and you'll realize how easy we have it here. I live 9 miles from work and my commute rarely ever takes more than 20 minutes. It helps that I don't have to drive to or from West O though.
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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Post by GetUrban »

jessep28 wrote:Apps like Waze and Google Maps are probably more reliable for traffic reports. Sometimes I wonder if people call in fake traffic wrecks or slowdowns to get others to avoid the area so that person can have a faster commute.
That's a good idea, I'll have to call in and see if it reduces my commute time.....assuming anyone actually listens to those reports anyway.
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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jessep28
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Post by jessep28 »

Former Omaha news anchor Michael Scott has been arrested for assault.

http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/Mich ... 74601.html

He allegedly told the accuser “It’s time for you to die like O.J.”


[youtube][/youtube]
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

There are a few gems in the OWH Story...
http://www.omaha.com/article/20121108/N ... lence-case
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jessep28
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Post by jessep28 »

I didn't know that he became a shoe salesman. He kind of reminds me of Al Bundy from Married With Children.
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Post by bigredmed »

jessep28 wrote:I didn't know that he became a shoe salesman. He kind of reminds me of Al Bundy from Married With Children.

When he was early in his career at KETV, he seemed pretty cool.  I enjoyed his work there.   The guy had the gig on Entertainment Tonight for about  minute and then was canned.   Wonder what happened there?
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Post by nebugeater »

I see a thread on Facebook that Jim Flowers is no longer on WOWT.  It goes on to say that no anouncment has been made other than he is on "vacation" but someone in the know claims his contract was not renewed and he just disapeared.  Don't watch a lot of Ch 6 so how long has he been gone and has anyone else heard anything solid?

For what it is worth he is still listed on their web site in the MEET THE TEAM section.
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Post by Brad »

That would really surprise me.  I am guessing his exit will be just like Dave Webber's.
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Post by nativeomahan »

What happened to Jim Flowers?  Rumor is he got let go.
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Post by nativeomahan »

Dave Webber still reappears from time to time, plus he is on all those TV commercials.
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Post by Brad »

nativeomahan wrote:Dave Webber still reappears from time to time, plus he is on all those TV commercials.
Exactly my point.  He will some day retire, but then show up for guest spots.
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Post by Brad »

If you read the comments on Facebook, WOWT has commented several times that he is on Vacation.
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Post by Brad »

After some digging around, looks like the Tom Becka is where the rumor started.  Apparently he talked about it on his show yesterday and made a post about it this morning.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Becka ... 8938992988
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Post by jessep28 »

He may have had to take some time off for a family emergency for all we know. I wouldn't be too worried unless Andrea Rich gallops back into town and becomes the chief meteorologist.
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Post by nebugeater »

Here is where I first saw it afew days ago and then saw mention on Facebook this AM so that is what started my question this AM.


http://nebraskamediadiscussionforums.yu ... ut-At-WOWT



Brad wrote:After some digging around, looks like the Tom Becka is where the rumor started.  Apparently he talked about it on his show yesterday and made a post about it this morning.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Becka ... 8938992988
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Post by nativeomahan »

Meanwhile their meteorologist Rusty Lord is off work for several weeks recovering from surgery.
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Post by nativeomahan »

nebugeater wrote:Here is where I first saw it afew days ago and then saw mention on Facebook this AM so that is what started my question this AM.


http://nebraskamediadiscussionforums.yu ... ut-At-WOWT



Brad wrote:After some digging around, looks like the Tom Becka is where the rumor started.  Apparently he talked about it on his show yesterday and made a post about it this morning.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Becka ... 8938992988
WOWT's web site still lists Jim as their Chief Meteorologist.  Why do I think this speaks more to their slowness at updating the web site than to his his continued employment with the station?

http://www.wowt.com/station/bios/weather/17301.html

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 2879_n.jpg
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Post by bbinks »

nativeomahan wrote:What happened to Jim Flowers?  Rumor is he got let go.
Tom Becka's fan page on FB says it was contract related.   Maybe Jim wanted too much $$$.
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Post by jessep28 »

nativeomahan wrote:Meanwhile their meteorologist Rusty Lord is off work for several weeks recovering from surgery.
I Googled Andrea Rich and according to her LinkedIn page, she is currently selling athletic shoes in Nashville. They should call her up to fill in until things get figured out.
nativeomahan wrote:
WOWT's web site still lists Jim as their Chief Meteorologist.  Why do I think this speaks more to their slowness at updating the web site than to his his continued employment with the station?

http://www.wowt.com/station/bios/weather/17301.html

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 2879_n.jpg
If it's a temporary contract dispute, it wouldn't be smart to remove him from the website and add him back on if they agree to something.
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Post by ThatGuy »

jessep28 wrote: I Googled Andrea Rich and according to her LinkedIn page, she is currently selling athletic shoes in Nashville.
In addition, Michael Scott was selling shoes at Younkers a month ago when he was arrested. So, keep an eye out for Jim Flowers next time you are at DSW everybody.
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Post by S33 »

If I hear one more news outlet say that "12/12/12, only a once in a lifetime date" one more time, I'm gonna lose my f'ing mind. This includes George Dwarfanopoulous on GMA.

Why do you people think the calendar even exists? Because every date only happens once! I don't know why I'm so irritated about this.
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Post by Brad »

S33 wrote:If I hear one more news outlet say that "12/12/12, only a once in a lifetime date" one more time, I'm gonna lose my f'ing mind. This includes George Dwarfanopoulous on GMA.

Why do you people think the calendar even exists? Because every date only happens once! I don't know why I'm so irritated about this.
One Year, One Month, and One Day ago it was 11/11/11... Same thing if you ask me.
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Post by Brad »

I heard Flower's contract was not renewed and while technically he is still an employee, he is using up his vacation between now and the end of his contract and will not be back.
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Post by bbinks »

Brad wrote:I heard Flower's contract was not renewed and while technically he is still an employee, he is using up his vacation between now and the end of his contract and will not be back.
Tom Becka had this on his show early last week.    WOWT does not want to seem to admit the truth on their facebook pages though.   It looks like they will lose some viewers over it.    I prefer channel 7 over 6 or 3.   Channel 7 gained more support from me back in June 2009 when they were the only station on air during an early AM tornado.
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Post by jessep28 »

Since it's a personnel/HR matter, they probably can't say much.
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Post by Brad »

Its 10:20 and not one single local new station is on the air???

NBC is its usual Sunday night football.

However
ABC is showing some wedding |expletive|
CBS is showing some Survivor reunion
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Post by cp jay 07 »

Brad wrote:Its 10:20 and not one single local new station is on the air???

NBC is its usual Sunday night football.

However
ABC is showing some wedding |expletive|
CBS is showing some Survivor reunion
I think President Obama's speech pushed everything back on the major stations tonight.
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Post by Brad »

cp jay 07 wrote:I think President Obama's speech pushed everything back on the major stations tonight.
Oops, my bad.  Didn't realize he was on tonight.  I got stuck on this reality show about Miami International Airport and then a couple episodes of Cops I had on the DVR.
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Post by Brad »

WOWT's new weather guy just called Ross, Russ...  Speaking of, if you are going to get rid of Flowers, "Rossie" would surly be on your Radar.  Ortiz could run circles around Ross.

Hopefully they make Rusty the Chief and Ortiz the Sports Director.
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Post by nativeomahan »

Brad wrote:WOWT's new weather guy just called Ross, Russ...  Speaking of, if you are going to get rid of Flowers, "Rossie" would surly be on your Radar.  Ortiz could run circles around Ross.

Hopefully they make Rusty the Chief and Ortiz the Sports Director.
Agreed.  Those two are true talents.
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Post by nativeomahan »

Somehow I think we will all survive.
I do think it funny that WOWT is completely rudderless during this storm.  Jim Flowers and Rusty Lord are off the air.
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