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KMTR
KMTR (channel 16) is a television station in Eugene, Oregon, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. It is owned by Roberts Media, LLC, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of CBS affiliate KVAL-TV (channel 13), for the provision of certain services. The two stations share studios on Blanton Road in Eugene, where KMTR's transmitter is also located. KMTR maintained separate facilities on International Court in Springfield, Oregon, until 2020 when the station relocated to KVAL's building; master control and some internal operations for KMTR were based at the KVAL studios.
KMTR reaches additional viewers in west-central Oregon via co-owned full-power satellite stations KMCB (channel 23) in Coos Bay and KTCW (channel 46) in Roseburg.
The station began broadcasting on October 4, 1982. Before then, Eugene had been one of the last markets in the country without full network service. KVAL-TV (channel 13) had been a dual affiliate of NBC and CBS, while KEZI (channel 9) had been a primary ABC affiliate with a secondary CBS affiliation. With KMTR entering the market, KVAL chose CBS, which at the time was performing better in the ratings. The Columbia Empire Broadcasting Corporation of Yakima, Washington, acquired the station in 1984.
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; he 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+1⁄2-year veteran of the station, and Freedman, an 8+1⁄2-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.[citation needed] Lamb and Freedman were replaced by Joe Giansante, a sports talk radio host on KUGN (590 AM).
In September 1998, an agreement between KMTR, The WB 100+ Station Group and the area's cable provider allowed the station to launch cable-only WB affiliate "KZWB". Since it was a cable-exclusive outlet, the call sign was not officially recognized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). KMTR provided sales and promotional opportunities to the cable channel.
In March 1999, Wicks sold KMTR to the Ackerley Group, who merged with Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) 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 their call letters to KUCW and KTCW, respectively. In May 2006, KMTR signed a long term affiliation agreement with The CW, a replacement network for the WB. In September 2006, KMTR added The CW on a digital subchannel, replacing the cable-only KZWB.
On April 20, 2007, Clear Channel announced it would exit television and sell its entire television division to Newport Television, a unit of Providence Equity Partners. The deal closed on March 14, 2008.
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KMTR
KMTR (channel 16) is a television station in Eugene, Oregon, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. It is owned by Roberts Media, LLC, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of CBS affiliate KVAL-TV (channel 13), for the provision of certain services. The two stations share studios on Blanton Road in Eugene, where KMTR's transmitter is also located. KMTR maintained separate facilities on International Court in Springfield, Oregon, until 2020 when the station relocated to KVAL's building; master control and some internal operations for KMTR were based at the KVAL studios.
KMTR reaches additional viewers in west-central Oregon via co-owned full-power satellite stations KMCB (channel 23) in Coos Bay and KTCW (channel 46) in Roseburg.
The station began broadcasting on October 4, 1982. Before then, Eugene had been one of the last markets in the country without full network service. KVAL-TV (channel 13) had been a dual affiliate of NBC and CBS, while KEZI (channel 9) had been a primary ABC affiliate with a secondary CBS affiliation. With KMTR entering the market, KVAL chose CBS, which at the time was performing better in the ratings. The Columbia Empire Broadcasting Corporation of Yakima, Washington, acquired the station in 1984.
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; he 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+1⁄2-year veteran of the station, and Freedman, an 8+1⁄2-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.[citation needed] Lamb and Freedman were replaced by Joe Giansante, a sports talk radio host on KUGN (590 AM).
In September 1998, an agreement between KMTR, The WB 100+ Station Group and the area's cable provider allowed the station to launch cable-only WB affiliate "KZWB". Since it was a cable-exclusive outlet, the call sign was not officially recognized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). KMTR provided sales and promotional opportunities to the cable channel.
In March 1999, Wicks sold KMTR to the Ackerley Group, who merged with Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) 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 their call letters to KUCW and KTCW, respectively. In May 2006, KMTR signed a long term affiliation agreement with The CW, a replacement network for the WB. In September 2006, KMTR added The CW on a digital subchannel, replacing the cable-only KZWB.
On April 20, 2007, Clear Channel announced it would exit television and sell its entire television division to Newport Television, a unit of Providence Equity Partners. The deal closed on March 14, 2008.