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KMTR is the NBC and The CW affiliate television station serving the Eugene/Springfield, Oregon designated market area. Owned by Newport Television, the station reaches additional viewers in central and western Oregon via co-owned full-powered satellite stations KMCB digital channel 22 (Coos Bay) and KTCW digital channel 45 (Roseburg). KMTR's transmitter is located near Springfield, Oregon.

Overview

In its promotion and marketing KMTR refers to itself as NewsSource 16. Together with KMCB and KTCW, the stations are known as Oregon's News Source Network. The station also operates a cable-only station, former WB affiliate KZWB.

KMTR covers local news, sports, and weather for Springfield, Eugene and Western Oregon. It currently is the only local television station in Eugene/Springfield offering streaming video newscasts on the Internet.

History

KMTR started as a UHF station carrying NBC programming. KMTR began broadcasting after former NBC affiliate KVAL-TV began selectively omitting certain NBC prime time broadcasts from its evening lineup, replacing them with alternate programming from rival network, CBS. The resulting conflict over this programming decision preceded the introduction of KMTR to the media market, and a switch of KVAL affiliation away from NBC to CBS.

In late 1995, the station was bought by the Wicks Broadcast Group of New York City. In March 1996, Wicks Broadcast Group named Brian Benschoter the station’s new GM who started shaking things up immediately for the third place Eugene based station. On May 21, 1996 he abruptly fired longtime sports anchors Brian Lamb and Steve Freedman without warning. Lamb, an 11.5 year veteran of the station, and Freedman an 8.5 year employee introduced the “Prep Athlete of the Week” segment that became an immensely popular weekly honor. The award is still considered by locals as the top media honor one can receive for high school sports in the Eugene/Springfield area. Lamb and Freedman were replaced by Joe Giansante a new addition to the KMTR family and sports talk radio host on KUGN AM 590.

In March 1999, Wicks sold the station to the Ackerley Group, who merged with Clear Channel Communications in 2001. KMTR was named "Station of the Year" for 2005 by the Oregon Association of Broadcasters (OAB).

In February 2006, the two satellite stations, KMTZ and KMTX, changed call letters to KUCW and KTCW, respectively. The call letters held no real meaning, as neither station, nor the primary station, KMTR, had secured the CW affiliation yet. However, after the announcement of The CW's formation, some broadcasters, Clear Channel in particular, placed key call letters with "CW" in them on their stations, just to keep them out of the hands of the competition. This seems to have been the case with the Coos Bay station, for in September 2006, Clear Channel transferred the "KUCW" call letters to its Salt Lake City CW affiliate, formerly KUWB. The Coos Bay station picked up the call letters KMCB - likely taking the "M" from the primary station, and the "CB" from Coos Bay.

Effective September 2006, KMTR has added programming from The CW Television Network to its DT2 subchannel, as well as converting cable-only WB station KZWB to the CW.

On April 20, 2007, Clear Channel entered into an agreement to sell its entire television stations group to Newport Television, a unit of Providence Equity Partners.[1] The deal closed on March 14, 2008.

As of April 2011, KMTR remains the only "Big Four" network affiliated station in Western Oregon to continue to produce its local newscasts in pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition.

Satellite stations

Station City of license Channels
(Digital) 		First air date Former callsigns ERP
(Digital) 		HAAT
(Digital) 		Facility ID Transmitter Coordinates
KMCB Coos Bay 22 (UHF) July 8, 1991 KMTZ (1991-2006)
KUCW (2006) 		10 kW 179 m 35183 43°23′39″N 124°7′56″W / 43.39417°N 124.13222°W / 43.39417; -124.13222 (KMCB)
KTCW Roseburg 45 (UHF) April 19921 KMTX-TV (1992-2006) 12 kW 109 m 35187 43°12′22″N 123°21′56″W / 43.20611°N 123.36556°W / 43.20611; -123.36556 (KTCW)

Notes:

  • 1. The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says KTCW signed on April 8, while the Television and Cable Factbook says it signed on April 20.

Digital television

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

KMTR-DT/KMCB-DT/KTCW-DT broadcasts on digital channels 17, 22, and 45.

Digital channels
Channel Name Programming
xx.1 KMTR-DT/KMCB-DT/KTCW-DT NBC HD
xx.2 KZWB-DT The CW

KMTR-TV broadcasts were to be digital-only effective February 17, 2009[2] but this has been delayed due to FCC opposition.[3]

KMTR, KMCB and KTCW remain on their respective pre-transition channel numbers, (17, 22, and 45), PSIP is used to display virtual channels for each stations corresponding to their former analog channel numbers.

Translators

The stations are rebroadcast on the following translators:

KMTR Repeaters

KTCW Repeaters

KMCB Repeaters

Personalities

Anchors

  • Ryan Cummings - weeknights at 6:30 & 11 p.m. (also 5 & 6 p.m. reporter)
  • Megan Higgens - weekends at 6:30 & 11 p.m. (also weekday reporter)
  • Nohelani Graf - weeknights at 6:30 & 11 p.m. (also 5 & 6 p.m. reporter)
  • Renee McCullough - weeknights at 5 & 6 p.m.
  • Marc Mullins - weekday mornings (also reporter)
  • Matt Templeman - weekdays at 5 & 6 p.m. (also news director)
  • Kelli Warner - weekday mornings (also health reporter)

Reporters

  • Chris McKee - general assignment reporter (also photographer)
  • Hannah Olsen - Coos Bay Bureau Reporter
  • David Anderson - Roseburg Bureau Reporter

Weather

  • Joseph Calbreath - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6, 6:30, & 11 p.m.
  • Jordan Steele - weekday mornings
  • Angela Brauer - meteorologist; weekends at 6:30 & 11 p.m. (also reporter)

Sports

  • Joe Leadingham - Sports Director; seen weekdays
  • Alex Drude - weekends (also sports reporter)

News/Station presentation

Newscast titles

  • NewsWatch (1990s-1998)
  • NewsSource 16 (1998-present)

Station slogans

  • Coverage You Can Count On (1998-2008)

Trivia

The call letters KMTR originally belonged to the MyNetworkTV station in Los Angeles, KCOP-TV.

References

  1. ^ "Clear Channel Agrees to Sell Television Station Group to Providence Equity Partners" (Press release). Clear Channel Communications. 2007-04-20. Retrieved 2007-04-20.
  2. ^ http://www.kmtr.com/news/local/story/KMTR-TV-plans-digital-transition-on-February-17th/yZbGJWTNp06iRmrMX8jvRg.cspx
  3. ^ http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/updates/7587376-55/story.csp

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