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HOME TO 13 FORTUNE 500 COMPANY HEADQUARTERS, INCLUDING GENERAL MILLS and 3M, the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are an economic force in the Midwest. The market hosts four professional sports franchises and is the home of the Mall of America, the nation's largest indoor shopping center.
Business, shopping and sports factor heavily in the area's housing boom, which will be adding even more TV households to the market's current 1.66 million. The Minneapolis-St. Paul broadcast television market ranks 14th in the nation, with Gannett Co.'s NBC affiliate KARE the perennial news leader in key demographics. KARE has stayed on top despite predictions that it would tank after longtime market-leading anchor Paul Majers left in December 2003 for KCBS-TV in Los Angeles. The station even won in households in November for the first time in recent years.
"I think ultimately it is the strength of KARE's brand," says vp/news director Tom Lindner. "Virtually every show had a new anchor team, so the personality side changed, but the brand stayed the same." (Paxson Communications' Pax TV affiliate KPXM rebroadcasts KARE's news at 6:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.)
Close on KARE's heels is Viacom's CBS owned-and-operated WCCO-TV, where ratings have been climbing under the leadership of vp/gm Ed Piette. He attributes the station's news growth to the combination of a strong CBS prime-time lineup and the strength of its news team. WCCO's evening news gets a boost from lead-ins The Oprah Winfrey Show and Dr. Phil and lead-out Wheel of Fortune, and weekday mornings will benefit from another proven performer, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which the station acquired for this fall at 9 a.m.
Until then, Ellen is on Hubbard Broadcasting-owned ABC affiliate KSTP, where the news is all about anchor changes. Last July the station lured Cyndy Brucato, who had left the business to start her own public relations firm, back to TV as its primary female anchor at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. Taking the 5 p.m. co-anchor seat next to her starting today is Joe Schmit, a KSTP sportscaster for many years covering the National Football League's Minnesota Vikings (KSTP is the team's preseason home).
Expanding Hubbard's sports coverage in the market, KSTP sister...