, channel 7, is the
ABC Affiliate in
Omaha, Nebraska and is owned by
Hearst-Argyle Television .
It was founded in September
1957 as Omaha's third television station. The station has always been Omaha's ABC affiliate, and is the city's only station to never change its network affiliation. The station was founded by construction mogul
Peter Kiewit, Jr. From
1963 to
1976 , it was co-owned with the
Omaha World-Herald . Kiewit sold the station to Pulitzer Broadcasting Company in 1976. In
1998 , Pulitzer sold its entire broadcasting division, including KETV, to
Hearst-Argyle Television .
For the last three decades, the station's newscasts have been branded as
NewsWatch 7 . Under its current ownership, it has been known since 2000 as KETV NewsWatch 7. The station's studios are located near 27th and Douglas in downtown Omaha. The transmitter tower is located on a "tower farm" near North 72nd and Crown Point.
In November, 2006, KETV overtook long-time ratings leader WOWT (a Gray Television station) to become the number one station for local news in Omaha. In recent years, the two stations have fought neck-and-neck for the number one spot. KMTV, run by Journal Broadcast Group, has remained a distant third in the ratings battle.
Since
1982 KETV NewsWatch 7 has been known for its weekly Crimestoppers segments, and has contributed to the arrest and conviction of more than 1000 wanted felons. KETV has also had a long running hotline and webpage called 7 Can Help which has and continues to contribute to helping the greater Omaha community through financial grants, high utility bill relief, and services for area children. 7 Can Help has also been known to intercede on behalf of senior citizens with matters such as getting benefits that have been otherwise denied them.
In October of 1996, KETV began televising all of its local newscasts from a working newsroom which is known as The Newsplex. The multi-million dollar broadcast facility is still in use to date. In February 2006, KETV NewsWatch 7 reformatted its investigative unit, in an effort to bring more attention to in depth investigative stories, along with health and consumer reporting. It has been re-launched as the NewsWatch 7 "I" Team.
KETV was the first to have a full time meteorologist beginning in the early
1970 's, the first station with live weather radar, and was the second station to utilize
Doppler Radar . In July 2006 KETV launched a 24-hour local weather channel, "Weather Now," that appears on digital subchannel 7.2 as well as local cable systems and the station's website.
Among the many KETV alumni are John Coleman and Charlie Martin (Known as Charlie Levy outside of Omaha) who both worked for the station at different times as chief meteorologists (in the 1960s for Coleman and the late 1970s and early 1980s for Martin). Coleman later appeared as the meteorologist for Good Morning America before going on to create and launch
The Weather Channel in 1982. Around that same time, Charlie Martin departed KETV for TWC (as Charlie Levy) to become one of the cable channel's first on camera meteorologists.
On
July 4 ,
2003 , KETV's transmitter tower (at the north 72nd St. tower farm) collapsed during the addition of a
Digital Television Antenna . Thankfully, it happened late at night and no one was injured. The station was forced to broadcast from their shorter auxiliary tower for over a year. A new transmitter was erected almost 200 feet east of where the old transmitter stood on the tower farm and was completed in late 2004.
KETV's nearest sister stations are
CBS affiliate
KCCI-TV channel 8 in
Des Moines, Iowa , and fellow ABC affiliate
KMBC-TV channel 9 in
Kansas City, Missouri .
KETV's logo is their variation of a widely used
Circle 7 Logo .
Programming on KETV includes ''
The Rachael Ray Show '', ''
Access Hollywood '', ''
The Montel Williams Show '', ''
Judge Judy '', and ''
Wheel Of Fortune ''.
KETV Newswatch 7 First News (Weekdays from 5am-7am)
KETV Newswatch 7 at 11:30am
KETV Newswatch 7 at 5pm, 6pm & 10pm
Saturday
KETV Newswatch 7 First News Saturday (7am-8:30am)
KETV Newswatch 7 Weekend (11am)
KETV Newswatch 7 at 6pm & 10pm
KETV Newswatch 7 First News Sunday (7am-8:30am)
KETV Newswatch 7 Weekend (11am)
KETV Newswatch 7 at 5:30pm & 10pm
- Carol Schrader (Lead Anchor/Reporter: 1977-1996) Hosted PBS interview program called "Consider This" from 1997-2006. Currently Chief Deputy with the Douglas County Assessor's office. Ms. Schrader was the University of Nebraska-Omaha homecoming queen in college and also has performed on stage numerous times throughout her career.
- Michael Scott (Lead Anchor/Reporter: 1982-1993) Later an Anchor for KMTV from 1995 to 1999.
- Daniel Plante (Lead Anchor: 1993-1995) Son of CBS News veteran reporter Bill Plante
- John Knicely (Sports Director: 1984-1992) Now Lead Anchor for WOWT .
- Jim Flowers (Chief Meteorologist: 1985 until 1992) Now with WOWT .
- Ross Jernstrom (Sports: 1979-1994) Now with WOWT.
- Paul Bouchereau (Meteorologist 1989-1994) Now with Feed The Children,Inc
- Margaret Bumann (Health/Reporter: 1986 until early 2000s)
- Allan Muse (Anchor/Reporter: 1970s)
- Marcia Ladendorff (Omaha's first female Lead Anchor: late 1970s)
- Lee Terry Sr. (Anchor/News director: 1960s-1976) Now a panelist on KETV's Kaleidoscope, a community affairs show.
- Frank Brown (Reporter: 1980s-1990s) Now on the Omaha City Council.
- Greg Peterson (1992-1995 Sports Director) Later an Anchor for KMTV from 2001-2006.
- John Coleman (Chief Meteorologist: 1960s) (One of the founders of The Weather Channel in 1982 .)
- Charlie Levy (Chief Meteorologist: 1978-1983 as Charlie Martin)
