Which Kansas City TV Station Has The Best Newscast?

Sweeps results are out for the month of May in Kansas City and it was a good month for KCTV. They won the noon and 10 pm newcasts. Perennial sweeps winner KMBC 9 was right behind them, winning the 5 and 6 pm newcasts and just falling short at 10. KSHB had a better than expected showing, according to most. Their weakest area continues to be mornings. WDAF's ratings were best in the morning (where they are first). The station is last in every other newcast time. You can find the complete numbers by clicking here.

That leads me to this week's poll question. We've seen May's ratings. Now it is your turn to speak out. Which Kansas City TV station has the best newscast?

Getting To Know... Lauren Keith

It is often easy to forget that there is a television station in the Bootheel of Missouri. What can't be overlooked is some of the talent that resides at KFVS. Recently, I had a chance to talk to morning anchor Lauren Keith about life in Southeast Missouri.

2K: What is life like behind the camera on The Breakfast Show?

LK: Hectic, but fun.
I come in at 4 am (which means my alarm goes off at 2:45 am) I start proofing scripts and we hit the air at 5 am. I’m in charge of coordinating “live shots” from local events and interviews…mostly features…to lighten things up in the morning. I also do morning updates at 8:25 and 8:55. Then, I have from 9 to 11 am to shoot my popular “Does it Work Wednesday” pieces as well as any stories I want to work on for the Breakfast Show. Usually, my stories don’t air “the day of” because of the tight turn-around. I anchor the Noon News, so I start proofing those scripts at 11 am. The fast pace keeps the day flying by and makes it easier to not feel so “tired” on the shift.

2K:What are some of your interests outside of your job?

LK: I like to work-out. I also like to cook. My husband is a veterinarian. Sometimes, because of our opposite schedules, and because I go to bed so early in the evening, I will go along with him on emergency calls. His line of work is equally fascinating and he’s able to help a lot of pet owners and save a lot of animals’ lives, literally.

2K:Do you have any favorite tv shows?

LK: American Idol, Desperate Housewives, and I’ve been known to watch Family Guy. It cracks me up the writers can fit so much sarcasm into 25 minutes.

We want to thank Lauren for her time. You can catch her co-anchoring the KFVS Breakfast Show, Monday through Friday from 5 - 7 a.m., with Jim Burns.

And the network most watched by The News2K readers is...

CNN! It was very close between CNN and MSNBC. Fox News Channel only received 2 votes and CNN Headline News only received one. Stay tuned for a new poll later today.

Headless Body Found

KCTV is reporting this evening that a headless and handless body (that had been burned as well) has been found in Lafayette County, near Concordia. The complete story can be found by clicking here. KMBC's version can be found here.

Update: FOX 4 is running this as Breaking News on their website. Click here for their more detailed version of the story.

I am not able to find mention of this story on KSHB.

Congrats To Michelle Sherwood!

Michelle has been named one of Springfield's Top 20 people under 30! While I am slightly disappointed that I wasn't included in the list *cough* *cough* (just kidding by the way), the list has a lot of great individuals in its roster. Check out the full list of winners by clicking here.

P.S. - I am also a little sad that I wasn't mentioned as Michelle's first website stop on the internet. :-)

Showdown: Hulshof vs. Steelman

KY3 has announced it will host a primary debate for the 2 Republican candidates for governor. Sarah Steelman and Kenny Hulshof will get down to business on July 23. This may not be the first debate though. Hulshof has challenged Steelman to a July 15 debate in Columbia, too.

Developing Story: Katie Couric Back To NBC...

for just a few minutes tomorrow morning. She will also be on CBS and ABC. Did I neglect to mention that she will be joined by Brian Williams and Charles Gibson?

The three will be making the morning show rounds tomorrow to highlight a joint telethon that will be held on all 3 networks later this summer (September 5 to be exact) raising money for cancer research.



Oh, and yeah... made you look! ;-)

MSNBC: #1 in Primetime?

According to TV Newser, for the first time since October of 2001, MSNBC has placed #1 overall in primetime two nights in a row of regular newcasts in the advertising demo. The network has occasionally placed first on special nights, such as debates and specials, but this is the first time the network has placed 1st in the primetime demo in about 6 1/2 years.

We will have to see if these numbers continue. It is doubtful. Do keep in mind that Bill O'Reilly was out last week. The O'Reilly Factor numbers tend to pad the overall demo ratings in the evenings. Monday and Tuesday ratings should be available tomorrow.

Tribune: "I've Got A Feeling Smith Will Be All Right. KRCG? That's Another Story."

KRCG's decision to let Sports Director Rod Smith go has been all the rage on several internet sites across Central Missouri for the last few days, this one being no exception. I have been receiving numerous hits from people searching for details on this story from Google.

So, here is the latest in the saga. The Columbia Tribune has been doing its fair share of the noise making since last week's announcement. The Sunday sports editorial is a great example. You can check out their opinion by clicking here.

Body From Helicopter Crash Found

KMIZ, KSPR, KYTV, and KOMU have updated their websites to let its viewers know that the missing 9 year-old's body has been recovered. Divers found his body this morning when they resumed their searching. No updates yet from KRCG or KOLR/KSFX.

Helicopter Crashes Into Lake of the Ozarks

Both the Springfield and Columbia/Jeff City markets have been covering a helicopter crash into the Lake of the Ozarks late yesterday. According to the reports, 5 people were onboard. 4 have been found. KMIZ is reporting that the missing person is a 9 year-old boy named Zachary West of Eureka, MO.

Here are a couple of the links to the stories:

Helicopter Crashes In Camden County

Helicopter Crashes Into Lake of the Ozarks, One Person Missing

Which Cable News Network Do You Watch The Most?

We have done a local news poll question. Now it is time to broaden our perspective to a national scale. Which one of the four major cable news networks do you watch the most? This poll will be up for a few days. Happy Voting!

Results: Which Springfield Television Station Has The Best Weather Coverage

The poll has ended and the results are in. Here is the final tally for the first poll on The News2K.

KY3: 59%
KSPR: 34%
KOLR/KSFX: 5%

Thanks to everyone who participated. Due to the poll, this week The News2K smashed its daily visits record, not once, but twice. I will be putting up a new poll shortly.

Developing: KRCG Sports Director Laid Off... Sports Cut From Most Newscasts

I wasn't going to post again until Sunday, but I got this info late today and had to post...

In a move that surprised even Rod Smith himself, CBS affiliate KRCG out of Jeff City has laid off its sports director. This is just one of six totals cuts to the station that were apparently mandated by KRCG's parent company, Barrington Broadcasting. He had been with the station for about 23 years. Additionally, KRCG is cutting its sportscasts at 5 and 6 p.m. You can read the letter to KRCG viewers by clicking here.

According to a source in the Columbia/Jeff City area, viewers are angry about the departure. They went so far as to describe some as being "furious with the network."

We will provide more as it becomes available, but the questions now become endless: is this the start of a trend or an isolated incident? Will all Barrington stations lose their sports directors? Why Rod Smith? And why was there no substantial advanced notice?

Away Until Sunday...

I am going to be enjoying part of my long weekend. Blogging will resume Sunday...

Getting To Know... who?

That's right. I need your help. Is there a news anchor, reporters, meteorologist, or sportsperson that you would like to know more about? Email me or comment here and I will try to feature them before the summer is over. Thanks for your input.

David Cook To Meet The King

He may have won American Idol, but he has yet to meet "the King." Tonight, that will all change. Missouri native David Cook will be Larry King's guest at 8:00 p.m.

In other news... David Archuleta is also supposed to be there, too.



Should be an interesting hour of television!

Weather Radio Crusade

KOLR 10 will be sponsoring a Weather Radio Crusade day today from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Price Cutter in Nixa. They will have weather radios at a discounted price. Additionally, National Weather Service meteorologists, KOLR 10 meteorologists, and Christian County Emergency Management officials will be available to talk and to program them with your specific county information.

With the wicked weather the southwestern part of the state has seen this Spring, that sounds like a great idea! Hopefully residents of Christian county will take advantage of this deal.

It Never Ends

A couple of weeks ago the Democratic race was "over" according to some in the news media. Now, here we are heading into Memorial Day weekend and Barack Obama is still 64 delegates shy of securing the nomination. Puerto Rico is the next location to vote and the feeling is that Hillary has a huge advantage there. That means that this nomination fight will continue.

So, my question is this: If this nomination was sewn up weeks ago... why can't Barack Obama get to that magic number? Is Rev. Wright still plaguing him? Are some having buyer's remorse? Am I just getting ahead of myself?

Oh, and what will the media do when this Presidential election cycle ends? Will they move right on to 2012? The answer to that question is: likely so. Oh boy! It truly never ends.

Hillary Wins Kentucky; Obama Takes Oregon

UPDATE: Fox News calls Oregon for Obama. Now the question becomes whether or not he has enough to clinch the nomination.



EARLIER:

No call yet on Oregon. That should be coming soon. Hopefully I will be able to stay awake for it.

Fox News is characterizing the race as "Too Soon To Call". More later...

Breaking News: Senator Ted Kennedy Has A Brain Tumor

The cable news networks are covering this story heavily. For more information, check out the following sources:

CNN: Kennedy Has Brain Tumor

Fox News: Kennedy Doctors Find Malignant Brain Tumor

MSNBC: Kennedy Tumor Aggressive, Deadly

New Poll: Which Springfield TV Station Has The Best Weather Coverage? (Update To Reword My Apparent Inability To Add)

I have decided to venture into the world of opinion polling. Look out John Zogby, here I come!

From time to time, I will place polls at the top of the right hand column for you to vote on. I will also make sure that every time I put up a new poll that I make a post about it. I can't say that I will do this weekly, but I will try to update them semi-frequently.

This week's question: Which Springfield TV station has the best weather coverage?

I lumped KOLR 10 and FOX 27 together because the same meteorologists do the weather on both and generally interrupt programming during severe weather at the same time. So... who do you think? Is it Ted, Tom, and Jill... the market veterans? Ron, Brandon, and Dave...the ratings winners? Or is the new team in town... Kevin, Josh, and Natalie?

You have a week to decide!

Huckabee Joining NBC?

If McCain doesn't choose Mike Huckabee as his running mate, rumors are flying that he will likely join NBC as a political analyst for the network. He has been seen recently in some very high profile spots, including a gig as an MSNBC Insider on their primary coverage of West Virginia and most recently as a roundtable guest on Meet The Press. It will be interesting to see what becomes of this relationship should McCain go elsewhere for his VP.

WNBC's Sue Simmons wants to know what her co-anchor is doing!!!

If you don't believe me, check out You Tube. The New York veteran anchor for NBC 4 in New York is in hot water after dropping the "F bomb" live on the air in a promo for the 11 p.m. newscast.

Details on what happened are available here. Reaction seems to be mixed in New York. The New York Daily News reports that she went "numb" after finding out she was live when she thought they were on tape. Now come the reports (very likely untrue) that she was drinking on the job. I am kind of undecided on my thoughts concerning this situation. What about you?

Edwards Endorses...

Hillary Clinton! Oh wait, that can't be right. He endorsed Mike Gravel. (He always did say he was the champion of the underdogs.) Oops! Wrong guy. Who in the world did John Edwards endorse??

Oh yeah!!! According to the cable newsers, he has endorsed Barack Obama. If I was looking for a VP spot and wasn't still in the race... that is who I would have endorsed, too! This endorsement, in my opinion, would have been bigger news about two months ago... maybe even a month ago. Now, it really is a non-event in my opinion. Cable news thinks differently, however.

Clinton Wins West Virginia

While not a surprise, the overall margin of victory may be a big story for the next few days. As of 9:45 p.m., Clinton has a 39% advantage over Obama. While the Obama camp continues to say that he didn't even campaign there, the networks tonight are discussing his vulnerability. That can't be good for his campaign.

With very few states left to vote, it may be too little too late for Clinton but the implications for the general election are very significant if Obama loses so handily in states like West Virginia. We shall see what the light of day and the final election results bring.

Tornado Update: How You Can Help

In the aftermath of the storms, many residents across Missouri and the nation are wanting to know how they can get involved. There are several ways in which you can do so, yet only one tv station website is providing its viewers with that online information. Below is a link taking you to sites on the only Missouri TV station letting you know how you can help these people who so desperately need it.

KOAM TV: How You Can Help!

Thank you KOAM!

Names Released for Jasper and Barry County Tornado Victims

The county coroners in Barry and Jasper counties have released the names of the 2 people that perished there in Saturday's tornadoes.

In Jasper county, 17 year-old Casey Coggins was killed as the storms brought a tree down into the trailer her family lived in.

In the Barry County community of Purdy, Kelly Kisler, Jr. was killed while visiting some friends in a mobile home. While the rest had hid under furniture in the living room, he was attempting to get to the bathroom when the tornado struck.

Welcome To West Virginia!

Tonight will feature another primary in what has seemed to be an endless string of them. West Virginia Democrats will be going to the polls today to cast their ballots. Hillary Clinton is leading there significantly, so much so that Obama hasn't even campaigned in the state. Coverage will be found on all three of the major cable news channels again tonight. Only 18 delegates are up for grabs.

AM Update: Graduation Postponed, Fatalities Identified, Video Available

* Several television stations are reporting this morning that East Newton's graduation, scheduled for today, has been postponed until Sunday due to the tornado that ripped through Granby and Newtonia.

* Those people who were killed from Newton County have been identified. You may read the list of names by clicking here to go to the Neosho Daily News website.

* KSN and KODE now have extensive video available concerning the storms. You can check that out at http://www.fourstateshomepage.com .

Update: Death Toll In Newton County Up To 13, Tornado In Newton County was an EF-4

According to the Neosho Daily News, the number of dead from yesterday's tornadoes in Newton County has increased to 13. Also, according to an emergency management official I was able to contact this evening, that number could possibly increase because there are a few people that remain in very serious condition in the hospital. We hope that isn't the case.

We are still awaiting word on the identities of the victims.

KSN and KODE's website has no new details today, even though they have been on the air for short intervals throughout the day.

KOAM has updated information from throughout the day.

The Springfield TV station websites, however, have much more information. KSPR and KY3 both have Sunday evening updates... including NWS confirmation that tornado that hit near Racine was an EF-4.

The President Issues A Statement About The Tornadoes

The following is an excerpt from the President of the United States today before leaving his ranch in Crawford, TX to return to Washington:

"I understand that for some, however, Mother's Day is a sad day for those who lost their lives in Oklahoma and Missouri and Georgia because of the tornadoes, are wondering whether or not tomorrow will be a bright and hopeful day. We send our prayers to those who lost their lives, the families of those who lost their lives. And the federal government will be moving hard to help. I'll be in touch with the governors to offer all the federal assistance we can."

"Greater Than an EF-3"

The Neosho Daily News is breaking the information at this hour that it appears the tornado which struck Newton County yesterday was greater than an EF-3. The scale runs from 0-5. You can see the complete details from that article by clicking here. At this time, no tv station websites are mentioning these details.

UPDATE: The Joplin Globe is reporting the tornado will be classified as either an EF-3 or and EF-4 tornado, according to their reporters on the ground.

NWS: Numerous Storm Reports

(map is available at weather.gov/springfield)

The National Weather Service has created a map of storm reports that occurred from last night. Quite an amazing sight to see all of it laid out in that format. Based on reports from the ground and from my own personal reporting last night, I believe that it is likely one tornado that traveled from near Picher, Oklahoma before finally lifting just east of Purdy,MO.

Update: 12 Confirmed Dead in Newton County, Brings Missouri Total to 14

The latest numbers available now have the number of fatalities in Newton County up to 12, bringing the total number in Missouri alone to 14. The other two fatalities (which were mentioned in the last update) came from Purdy in Barry County where one death was reported yesterday evening as well as one in Jasper County.

There are indications this afternoon that the number may increase. Hopefully that isn't the case. Numerous injuries have also been reported, some of them very serious. Most, however, were minor.

Deadly Storms Hit Southwest Missouri

At least 8 people are dead so far across Southwest Missouri as tornadoes ripped through three Southwest Missouri counties yesterday evening. The hardest hit areas appear to be near Seneca, Newtonia, and Purdy. Later today, we'll have a recap of the coverage by the networks... as well as updated information.

It's The Most Busy Time of The Year

I am out and about and graduation celebrations this weekend and next. Please pardon the infrequent blogging during that time. My sister is graduating as are several other friends. Thanks for the understanding!!!

Goodbye To A News 9 Met?

Rumors are swirling that KMBC's weekend meteorologist Peter Grisgby will soon no longer be with the station. Bottom Line Communications and KC Tripod are both covering this story. It would be an interesting move if it isn't his own choice. He has been with the station since 1999. More on this story as more becomes known.

Somewhat Super Tuesday: This Is The Nomination Process That Never Ends... Yes It Goes On and On My Friends...

It is true... we don't officially know who won Indiana yet, but I can't stay up all night to wait and see. I will try to update the blog in the morning with a recap of the situation. Obama is claiming victory in North Carolina and conceding a narrow defeat in Indiana. This keeps Hillary in the race still. If this holds overnight, then she carries on. If not, then for all intents and purposes I believe the race is over. I think the former is more likely than the latter.

So, that being said... more coverage as the camps roll up their sleeves and head to the rolling hills of West Virginia.

This is the nomination that never ends... yes it goes on and on my friends... some people started voting not knowing what was to come... now states will keep on voting though superdelegates will decide the outcome because this is the nomination that never ends... EVERYONE!

(Enough is enough. I'm delirious! Time for bed.)

Somewhat Super Tuesday: CBS Calls Indiana For Hillary, Everyone Else Waits

Quite the interesting story tonight. CBS called the race in Indiana for Sen. Clinton at around 7:10 tonight. Here we are almost 1/2 hour later and no one else has called the race. Other networks are referencing and alluding to a similar call as CBS, but have not officially done so yet. I wonder if CBS got ahead of itself or if everyone else is being too cautious. The night will soon tell...

Somewhat Super Tuesday: Obama Wins North Carolina

Obama wins NC according to the networks who called it almost as soon as the polls closed at 6:30. Still waiting on Indiana. Fox News seems to be leaning toward calling it before 7:00. More as it becomes available.

Somewhat Super Tuesday: Too Early To Call In Indiana

All polls have now closed in Indiana and it is officially "Too early to call." That specific terminology would seem to bode well for the likely frontrunner in Indiana, Senator Clinton.

Still 30 minutes left until the polls have closed in North Carolina. Exit polls indicate it should be an Obama win, but late blue collar workers have trended toward Clinton in recent primaries. The wait continues...

UPDATE: Just flipped over to FOX News. They expect to have a call on the race in Indiana before the top of the 7:00 hour.

Somewhat Super Tuesday: Some Polls Closed In Indiana

Tonight will feature results from Indiana and North Carolina. MSNBC is the only network right now in special coverage mode. I believe CNN and FOX News will begin their coverage at the top of the 6:00 hour.

First results are in and no call has been made yet. More throughout the evening here on the blog!

Who's the worst over yet?

Tornadoes are ripping across the country, leaving death and devestation in their wake. Who are you going to bring in to the Fox News Channel to cover it? Shepard Smith? Greta Van Susteren? No, Ainsley Earhardt!

Okay, so this isn't a monumental misstatement, but a bizarre one nonetheless. Outside Cable News captured Fox News Channel anchor Ainsley Earhardt bringing viewers up to date with a Fox News Alert on Saturday morning. Enjoy!

Severe Storms Pound The Show-Me State

Late yesterday through today severe storms, including high winds and tornadoes, pummeled through the state. They left behind destruction and even injuries. Below are some links to the stories about the storm across the state, from media outlets and National Weather Service offices.

Kansas City and West Central MO Storm Reports and Information, via the NWS

SW Missouri Storm Reports, via the NWS

Several Injured in Tornadoes

Storm Damages Homes in Hollister

Tornadoes, Straight Lined Winds Confirmed in Ava

Red Cross Helps Residents Affected by Storms