New KSPR owners initiate sweeping changes

Beginning Sept. 9, local news veterans Joe and Christine Daues will serve as primary anchors and as the faces of sweeping changes at KSPR, which also is revamping its set, graphics, Web site and approach to news delivery, according to the ownership group that closed on the acquisition Aug. 23.

“We think TV news has become kind of generic,” Joe Daues said. “What we want to do is … go completely out of the box.”

Last week, Bill Perkin of Springfield-based Perkin Media officially acquired the Federal Communications Commission license for KSPR, and KY3 Inc. acquired the station’s “hard assets,” including employee contracts, equipment and its building at 1359 St. Louis St. All aspects of KSPR were purchased from Charlotte, N.C.-based Piedmont Television Holdings.

Competing airwaves

Mike Scott is the man in charge of giving new life to KSPR, which has had the lowest-rated local newscast in recent years, according to Scott. Scott is president and general manager for KY3 Inc., the company that operates NBC affiliate KYTV. KY3 Inc. is a subsidiary of South Bend, Ind.-based Schurz Communications.

Perkin Media and KY3 have operated KSPR since October under an agreement with Piedmont Television, cutting 14 jobs after the changeover. Perkin Media contracts with KY3 to produce newscasts.

The combination of KY3 and KSPR, the first- and last-rated local newscasts, respectively, will compete against the combination of CBS affiliate KOLR and Fox affiliate KSFX, the second- and third-rated newscasts, respectively, Scott said.

KOLR and KSFX have shared operations for about three years. Texas-based Nexstar Broadcasting Group owns and operates KSFX, and Ohio-based Mission Broadcasting owns the license for KOLR. Nexstar produces the newscasts for both stations.

Mark Gordon, Nexstar’s vice president and general manager, wouldn’t speculate if KSPR’s revamped newscasts would dent viewership for his stations. He said it was “good business sense to bring someone recognizable back into the station,” referring to new anchors Joe and Christine Daues.

Scott wouldn’t disclose the amount KY3 Inc. is sinking into KSPR, but he said station officials view the efforts as a long-term investment. He said KSPR has had seven owners in the last 15 years, leading to instability within the station and a lack of financial commitment to producing competitive newscasts. Comparatively, KY3 hasn’t had an ownership change since 1987, Scott said.

Shuffle play

With the September relaunch, the station will go by its call letters, KSPR, and not Springfield 33. Its Web site, www.springfield33.com, will change to www.kspr.com. A new logo also is planned.

The studio set will change, with plans calling for a “working newsroom” look. New graphics also will be incorporated.

The Daueses are veterans to the Springfield TV landscape. They married in 2002, when Joe Daues was an anchor on KOLR and Christine (Bielawski) was a reporter for KYTV. Less than a year later, they headed to Tulsa, Okla., for on-air jobs with a Fox affiliate.

The couple returned to Springfield in early 2005. Joe Daues worked for Opfer Communications and Big Cedar Lodge in sales and promotions, and Christine Daues worked with Noble as a marketer.

However, Joe Daues calls their return to the airwaves just “cosmetic changes,” adding that the other moves will really kick start KSPR.

Chief Meteorologist Kevin Lighty will come from WKYT, the CBS affiliate in Lexington, Ky. Whitney Scott, current sports reporter and anchor, will become sports director.

Anchors Kyle Bosch and Natalie Nunn will remain on air, but they’ll move to the morning show, replacing counterparts Kimberly Laburda and Kristi Capel.

Daues said the team plans to deliver the news with an emphasis on analysis.

Behind the scenes, Ron Davis, formerly of KSMU radio, Springfield News-Leader and 417 Magazine, was named executive producer, and Brad Belote moved from being KY3’s assistant news director to KSPR’s news director.

Mary Chalender, an OnMedia employee for 23 years, most recently as general manager, was recruited as local sales manager, working under KSPR general sales manager Bryan Cochran.

The KSPR broadcast will vacate its St. Louis Street home and move into a yet-to-be-built studio expansion at KY3’s complex at 999 W. Sunshine St. That should occur within two years, Scott said.[[In-content Ad]]