She says the biggest thing that stands out in her mind about covering the Nick case was how the story just kept getting bigger and bigger. What was it like reporting on this story? My time at 5NEWS has been one of the greatest joys in my life. On March 12, 2012, KXNW/KFSM-DT2 began airing a new hour-long 7 a.m. newscast on weekday mornings and a 30-minute newscast at 9 p.m. nightly. Compared with when he first entered the business, the demand has grown in recent years to be on television more during the week and to be more responsive with social media. Learn more about our anchors, reporters and meteorologists at NewsChannel 5 Learn more about our on-air reporters, anchors, and meteorologists 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays This created a large "doughnut" in Northwest Arkansas where there could be only one commercial VHF license, plus a noncommercial license (eventually occupied by AETN's KAFT). Know Your Worth. Still Missing Morgan will air exclusively on Channel 5 and can be watched live on Paramount+. Content WriterThe Brandon AgencyMyrtle Beach, South Carolina, An error has occurred, please try again later. RELATED: Local filmmaker talks about the difficult reenactments for 'Still Missing Morgan' documentary, RELATED: 'Still Missing Morgan' filmmaker talks about the importance of the documentary. It was like, how did this happen here?". ALMA, Ark. Heather Lewis says shes leaving Fort Smith, Ark. Veteran journalist Ruben Diaz has been responsible for bringing the latest news coverage to Arkansas residents for four memorable years. Non-profits, Leadership Development, Fundraising, Nonprofits, Team Building, Community Outreach, Director of Sales at Clear Channel Media & Entertainment, Director of Sales Clear Channel Media & Entertainment. Prior to that, he was a Radar Meteorologist (Intern) at North Dakota Water Commission. So naturally, they are curious to know why she is leaving and where she is going next. However, I think we have a lot of talent on the show and the show itself is awesome. The estimated total pay for a TV News Anchor at KFSM-TV is $96,093 per year. We touched base with her Wednesday morning (July 30th) to see. Formerly the station's sports director, Irwin said he and Engleman had nothing to do with the decision to carry the press conference online. CBS affiliate KFSM. "The story just developed, and more and more people talked as it went along," she said. I think I would have liked that show more. Correspondent (1992-1998) unknown episodes . Matt Standridge is an American chief meteorologist currently working at KFSM Channel 5 since September 2021. We are also looking for people to come to our website to ask us questions. They look forward to their mornings with 5NEWS before heading to work. I am the type of person who will organize my entire home (including closets) based on what I need for vacation. We would have to make it possible for people to subscribe to our podcast and hear from us all the time. Eustasis Psychiatric & Addiction Health. Some personal news: After an incredible eight years at @5NEWS, Ive accepted a weekend morning anchor/reporter position in my hometown of St. Louis. While Reynolds was able to get grandfathered protection for his Las Vegas cluster, he was unable to get it for his flagship cluster in Fort Smith. Laura Simon announced the bittersweet news on her live broadcast on August 26, 2022. UHF stations do not get good reception over large areas or in rugged terrain. She remembers how quickly this became a national story. The estimated additional pay is $29,810 per year. However, I must say I was really glad to get my show back. "We reported it every day. We have a lot of ideas and a few different ways of doing things. KFSM swapped affiliations with KLMN in 1980 and became a CBS affiliate, which it remains today. As a result, the KFSA stations were sold off, with channel 5 going to Buford Television in 1973 and renamed KFSM-TV (after the airport designation for Fort Smith Regional Airport). Heather Lewis joined KOLR10 News as an anchor for Daybreak in July 2015. Denise Kirkland (Whitaker) - she was with the station in the late 90's into the mid 2000s. After graduating, Simon got her first job at Nexstar Media Group, Inc. in Joplin, Missouri. Weve made our part of the world a better place by sharing news and weather that matters, Lewis noted in a post on the KFSM website. Congressman John Boozman (AR), Bachelor of Business Administration, Sales, Marketing, Leadership, Customer Relations, Microsoft, Executive Director, Cancer Support Foundation at Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House, Executive Director, Reynolds Cancer Support House. Most local commercials and programming were live,. The estimated total pay for a TV News Anchor at KFSM-TV is $60,126 per year. KTLA Morning News (TV Series 1991- ) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. All of us at 5NEWS are thankful for his service, and we wish him and his family only the best as he moves on to his next adventure Sleeves Up!, Arkansas headlines delivered to you on demand. The merged operation benefited from a technical quirk in the FCC's original television allocation plan. Stations were permitted to carry the press conference live on-air, but were prohibited from any online stream. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. This month KFSM Channel 5 will celebrate 60 years on the air serving the people of Northwestern Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. Mitch Roberts joined 40/29 News as Sports Director in May 2014. However, under the terms of an agreement with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the merged station used the KNAC call letters until the sale formally closed. In an e-mail, KFSM news director Rick Bagley said that while he cannot comment on personnel issues, the station is "reorganizing its sports department to focus on better storytelling of local athletes and all local sports. Simon earned a very competitive internship at NBC Chicago during her time at Columbia, where she worked alongside reporters, anchors, producers, and photographers. Both advocate for child protection and for the prevention and treatment of sexually or physically abused children. The station's digital signal is multiplexed: KFSM-TV discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over VHF channel 5, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. In fall 2017, KFSM began airing a 30-minute newscast at 4 p.m., titled 5 News First at Four. Meanwhile, channel 22's UHF signal didn't reach much farther than 30 miles (48km) from downtown Fort Smith, leaving many homes without clear television reception. [22] As Nexstar already owned NBC affiliate KNWA-TV (channel 51) and Fox affiliate KFTA-TV (channel 24), the company agreed on March 20, 2019, to divest KFSM-TV to Tegna Inc. as part of a series of transactions with multiple companies that totaled $1.32 billion. Constituent Services Coordinator, U.S. Bridget Schultz, who has held the anchor position the longest, is anchor for the CBS affiliate KFSM-Channel 5. Malone joined KFSM in 2004 after working for ten years as a reporter for KFDA, the CBS affiliate in Amarillo, Texas; eight years as news anchor and news director of WOTV in Kalamazoo, Mich.; and a year as a reporter and anchor for WVEC in Norfolk, Va. (both ABC affiliates). FORT SMITH (KFSM) -- It was 1958 when Jim Kell got the call to be one of the first news anchors at Channel 22, which would later become Channel 5. The estimated base pay is $56,240 per year. Most commercials were live since videotapes were not yet available. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21], Following the Sinclair deal's collapse, Nexstar Media Group announced its purchase of Tribune Media on December 3, 2018, for $6.4billion in cash and debt. The podcast should be one of those podcast that is going to be pretty good. At some point during summer 2012, KFSM became the first station in the Fort SmithFayetteville market and the last primary Local TV-owned station to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition. Ruben Diaz announced he is leaving 5News in Fayetteville in December 2022. Menu. FACT CHECK: Dave Ramsey Made a Statement About America Online, FACT CHECK: CIA Director Gina Haspel Found Dead, FACT CHECK: Kwik Trip Launches Kwik Strip Gentlemens Clubs. . "I had heard through the grapevine they were going to radically change their sports department," Irwin said Tuesday when reached by phone. "Wild Bill") along with Engles TV & Appliance, bought the first commercial live spots for $1.00 per minute. Not necessarily the show, but a podcast so that we get to see whats going on. . Lewis, known for rolling his sleeves up while broadcasting during severe weather, joined 5NEWS in July 2001, and his awards include the National Weather Associations Seal of Approval and the American Meteorological Societys Seal of Approval. It had a construction permit to air on channel 44, but its license was cancelled on May 4, 2012.[5]. A familiar face to viewers in the Fayetteville-Fort Smith television market, Roberts worked as a News Anchor/Reporter for KFSM-TV, but most of Roberts career has been spent as a Sports Director. A local TV-Appliance dealer, Bill Engles (a.k.a. Mitch and his two kids live in Fayetteville. This email address is already subscribed to the selected list(s). Prior to moving to Springfield, she was the KFSM-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States, serving the Arkansas River Valley and Northwest Arkansas as an affiliate of CBS. On September 1, 2010, the FCC granted KFSM a construction permit for a fill-in translator in Van Buren on channel 24. Sinclair Broadcast Group entered into an agreement to acquire Tribune Media on May 8, 2017, for $3.9billion, plus the assumption of $2.7billion in Tribune debt. Were not the largest market. She has been anchoring 5NEWS This Morning from 4:30 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. and 5NEWS at noon. Both of Roberts sisters graduated from the University of Arkansas, and they never moved back to Texas! Many old timers remember the station's microwave problems that disrupted several games of the 1954 World Series. The two stations' operations were merged at a converted furniture warehouse in downtown Fort Smith at North 5th and B Streets that had originally been renovated for KNAC-TV. However, the news of anchor/reporter Laura Simon leaving 5NEWS has been met with widespread disappointment. Here is a complete list of nearly every professional News Anchors in your town. Were not an LA or a New York, but for us, we put so much energy into it because it upset everybody in the community. CBS affiliate KFSM. She also served as the host and producer of a weekly live newscast for Columbia College that aired on a cable network in Chicago. NY Times CO. Sell TV Group to Equity Firm for $530M; Second equity group to buy a media business in two weeks. http://licensing.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/pubacc/Auth_Files/1392679.pdf, "Acquisition to make Tribune Co. largest U.S. TV station operator", Company Completes Final Steps of Transaction Announced in July, "Sinclair Broadcast Group to buy Tribune Media for $3.9billion plus debt", "Sinclair Broadcast Group Sets $3.9 Billion Deal to Acquire Tribune Media", "Sinclair and Tribune Fall as FCC Slams TV Station Sale Plan", "FCC chair rejects Sinclair-Tribune merger", "FCC throws Sinclair/Tribune deal in doubt", "FCC Throws Wrench into Sinclair Media Megadeal", "Sinclair Tries to Appease F.C.C., but Its Tribune Bid Is Challenged", "FCC orders hearing even as Sinclair changes plans to sell TV stations to address concerns about Tribune deal", "Tribune Terminates $3.9 Billion Sinclair Merger, Sues Broadcast Rival", "Tribune Kills Sinclair Merger, Files Suit", "Tribune Media pulls out of Sinclair Broadcast merger", "Tribune Ends Deal With Sinclair, Dashing Plan for Conservative TV Behemoth", "Tribune Ends Deal with Sinclair, Files Breach of Contract Suit", "Tribune withdraws from Sinclair merger, saying it will sue for 'breach of contract', "Nexstar Announces Deal to Buy Tribune for $6.4B", "Nexstar Selling 19 TVs In 15 Markets For $1.32B", "Nexstar to Sell Stations to Tegna, Scripps for $1.32 Billion", "In Fort Smith since 1953, KFSM relocates headquarters to NWA", "Garrett Lewis to leave KFSM after 20 years as chief meteorologist", "Local Flavors: Former weatherman Garrett Lewis appreciates lazy Sunday omelets", "KFSM TV Listings | Fort Smith/Fayetteville News | KFSM 5NEWS", "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=KFSM-TV&oldid=1127137480, Television stations in Northwest Arkansas, Television channels and stations established in 1953, Low-power television stations in the United States, Articles with dead external links from February 2022, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from May 2017, All articles needing additional references, Articles using infobox television station, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2018, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Fort Smith (FSM is also the airport designation for the, This page was last edited on 13 December 2022, at 02:43. Irwin and Engleman also co-hosted "SportsLine with John and Mike", a call-in talk show, each weekday. Still Missing Morganisa 90-minute documentary focusing on the disappearance of Morgan Nick, who was abducted from an Alma ballpark in June of 1995. Mike Irwin was fired by KFSM on Monday after 37 years at the station. The network was number one in viewers and KNAC-TV quickly became a favorite because of its VHF signal and CBS affiliation. Get a free, personalized salary estimate based on today's job market. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Material from the Associated Press is Copyright 2023, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. "I have some bittersweet news to share with you this morning," Lewis wrote . We have a lot of ideas we are working towards and we are working on our podcast as well. KFSM morning anchor Laura Simon is leaving the Fort Smith, Ark. I reached out to her because I felt like a part of my life, and we were of hers.". Lewis, known for rolling his sleeves up while broadcasting during . Michaela Pereira Leaving Fox 11: Where Is the L.A. Anchor Going? This email address is already subscribed to the selected list(s). I think the decision to let the show go to the dogs caused a lot of the negative reaction we received when we first started to air. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. The station's studios and transmitter were located in the Times Record/Southwest American building at 920 Rogers Avenue in downtown Fort Smith. [4] KFSM operated a low-power analog translator, K62DQ (channel 62), licensed to Fayetteville with a transmitter in Johnson along I-540/US 62/US 71. KFSM-TV 5. Chief meteorologist Matt Standridge reacted to her announcement post and said, At least youre still on our side of the Mississippi River. It was owned by Donald W. Reynolds and his Donrey Media Group alongside Fort Smith's two major newspapers the Southwest American and Times Record (later merged as the Southwest Times Record) and KFSA radio (AM 950). His forecasted last day forecasting is July 30. Garrett Lewis to leave KFSM after 20 years as chief meteorologist. Naturally, viewers want to know where he is going next and if . Irwin said the move was not related to the station's decision to stream a University of Arkansas press conference introducing new football coach John L. Smith last Tuesday. Sports Anchor/Reporter. 2021 Kennygorman.com - All Rights Reserved. The station lost its CBS affiliation when KFPW-TV (now KHBS) signed on in 1971. [23][24] (As KXNW does not rank among the top four in total-day viewership and therefore is not in conflict with existing FCC in-market ownership rules, it was retained by Nexstar, thus creating a de facto triopoly with KNWA and KFTA, which are licensed as satellite stations despite being separately programmed.) I have some bittersweet news to share with you this morning, Lewis wrote Monday on facebook. Lewis and his wife, Ashley, have a son & daughter. Michelle Muscatello Leaving WPRI: Where Is the Rhode Island Meteorologist Going? Fort Smith residents have always loved the banter between Laura Simon and Ruben Diaz. FORT SMITH (KFSM) - 5NEWS Anchor Heather Lewis is enjoying some time at home with her husband, Curt, and their new baby, Benjamin. [7] With the completion of the deal, KFSM and KXNW became Tribune's smallest television stations by market size (previously, the company's New Orleans duopoly of WGNO and WNOL-TV held this distinction). The station was purchased by The New York Times Company in 1979, and subsequently became that company's second station after WREG-TV in Memphis. Copyright 2023, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. Professional Background CheckInformation on professionals, their work history and resumes. [3] During the analog television era, KFSM was the only big three affiliate that did not need a second full-power station to reach the entire market. Syndicated programming on KFSM includes Rachael Ray, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, and Dr. Phil, all of which are distributed by the corporate cousin of KFSM's affiliated network, CBS Media Ventures. Garrett has been recognized by the Arkansas Associated Press for his work including numerous awards for Best Weathercast. A graduate of Alma High School, Lewis earned a bachelors degree in geosciences and masters degree in applied meteorology from Mississippi State University. She graduated with a 3.9 GPA in 2012. [26] When the station announced plans to build the facility in 2018, original plans called for a newer facility in Fort Smith to serve as its main studio. Im really just going to wait and see what happens, he said. This was the first (and currently the only) 4 p.m. newscast in the Fort SmithFayetteville market. Also Read: Michaela Pereira Leaving Fox 11: Where Is the L.A. Anchor Going? (DMA 99),has hired Erika Thomas as weeknight anchor. I really just reached a point where I needed a break, Lewis said when asked about whats next. Now the inspiring news anchor is moving to the next step of his career. After eight years at KFSM, she has accepted an anchor/reporter position in her hometown of St. Louis. The TV news business has taken me all over the country to cities like Chicago, Joplin, Kirksville/Ottumwa and Northwest Arkansas/the River Valley. He's scheduled to start in his new role in mid-January. Heather Lewis says she's leaving Fort Smith, Ark. After two years in that role, she began anchoring weeknights at 5,6, and 10 p.m. "We had to separate the gossip from the reality to find what really happened and to get people to talk.". KFSM morning anchor Laura Simon is leaving the Fort Smith, Ark. On weeknights, the latter newscast competes with the prime time newscast which airs on Fox affiliate KFTA-TV; KXNW was the only station which airs a 9 p.m. newscast on weekends until August 2012 when KHBS/KHOG began producing a nightly 9 p.m. newscast for their CW Plus-affiliated digital subchannels. As a side note, her brother Garrett is the stations chief meteorologist. Children's T.E.A.M. Originally from Jacksonville, Illinois, Daren graduated from the College of Broadcast Journalism at Lewis and Clark College in Godfrey,. Additionally, the Fort Smith television market is a fairly large market geographically, spilling across a large and mostly mountainous swath of Arkansas and Oklahoma.