KPLR Moves Primetime Newcast

KPLR, the St. Louis CW affiliate, has announced that it will move its half-hour long 9 p.m. newscast to 7 p.m. and expand to one hour. I find this an interesting choice. What do you think? Click here for the full MediaWeek article.

KSDK Smashes Local Competition In July

Ratings are out for the St. Louis TV stations for July and it was KSDK by a mile. The network won the morning, 5, 6, and 10 p.m. broadcasts by an average of 2.5 ratings points. KTVI, the Fox affiliate in St. Louis, came in second in the morning, but finished third in all three evening newscasts. KMOV, the CBS affiliate, finished a distant third in the morning before closing the gap during the 5, 6, and 10 broadcasts. KSDK is the NBC affiliate in St. Louis.

As an interesting side note, St. Louis's ABC affiliate does not have a news product.

Bye Bye Steve!

Bottom Line Communications is reporting that Steve Chamraz has been let go from St. Louis CBS station KMOV, along with the rest of the Investigation Department there. Chamraz is likely better known to most in the media as one of the investigative reporters from KCTV 5 who helped launched their "in your face" investigations a few years back.

St. Louis Primary Turnout "Pitiful"

That is the word at this hour coming from election officials in and near St. Louis, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Numbers in the St. Louis area are running about 20%, as of about 2:00.

One has to wonder what impact this low voter turnout will have on the governor's race. This area is Kenny Hulshof territory, according to most conventional wisdom I have read. I guess we really won't know until the numbers are in.

I have still seen no numbers from places like St. Charles County or the Columbia / Jeff City area.

Possible Murder-Suicide at St. Louis Metro Mall

Fox News Channel is reporting (along with the local St. Louis affiliates) that there has been a shooting at the Jamestown Mall in north St. Louis County. Reports seem to indicate that it was likely a murder-suicide, but that has yet to be confirmed.

You can find out more here from KSDK's coverage of this event.

Additionally, KMOV has info here (as well as video footage of the scene).

Audrey Prywitch Promoted

The St. Louis Business Journal reports this morning that KTVI has named Audrey Prywitch to VP and News Director of KTVI, the St. Louis Fox affiliate. She had been the assistant news director of that station.

KSDK will remain the St. Louis station for Cardinals baseball

KSDK and Fox Sports Midwest have been announced as the stations who carry the Cardinals baseball games again this year. This is the second year for this arrangement. Coming from someone who has family members obsessed with Cardinal baseball, this seems like great news. For some St. Louis residents who aren't as swept away with Cardinal fever, KSDK is trying to find a place for NBC's programming the games will interrupt. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a nice article detailing the shuffling of some other sporting events, which you can check out by clicking here.

Pujols Still Mad; KTVI Banned From Presser

According to my copy of the Sprinfield News-Leader this morning, Albert Pujols is still upset over false rumors about his name being in the Mitchell Report. This report discussed baseball players using performance enhancing substances (ie: steroids). KTVI, the FOX affiliate in St. Louis, ran reports about Pujols possibly being mentioned in that report, citing a New York TV station's website. I blogged about this story last month.

Yesterday, at a press conference, Pujols asked that the cameraman and reporter from KTVI leave the room where he was speaking. Pujols was apparently following the tride and true piece of advice passed down for many years... Don't get mad. Get even!

Yikes! That has to sting.

KMOV Wins duPont Award

KMOV recently was awared a silver baton award from the duPont-Columbia University Awards. Only 13 television stations in the country received the honor. The award was given to the story reported by Craig Cheatham about East St. Louis school districts and their continued struggles to meet the educational demands of its communities' children.