Updated: 10:27 AM CDT April 12, 2021. [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. [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. Van Comer, president and general manager at KFSM, issued this statement: For 20-years, Garrett Lewis has been a valuable member of our 5NEWS team. He said politics is not an option under consideration. Eventually, new newscasts and sports call-in shows will be added. The anchor will join KTVI/KPLR as a weekend morning anchor and weekdays reporter in St. Louis. The good news is that the anchor covered most of the topics her audience wanted to know. 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). LITTLE ROCK Fort Smith-based CBS affiliate KFSM-TV fired sports reporter Mike Irwin on Monday, ending a 37-year career at the station. Laura Simons last day at KFSM will be September 9, 2022. After two years in that role, she began anchoring weeknights at 5,6, and 10 p.m. Mitch Roberts joined 40/29 News as Sports Director in May 2014. NWA Urology. Many old timers remember the station's microwave problems that disrupted several games of the 1954 World Series. This has since moved to digital channel 661. My time at 5NEWS has been one of the greatest joys in my life. The area's original affiliate, KPBI-CA which was repeated on full-power KPBI, went silent after its owner Equity Media Holdings went bankrupt. Not necessarily the show, but a podcast so that we get to see whats going on. KFSM/Channel 5/Fort Smith anchor Heather Lewis is leaving the station. Roberts has worked in St. Louis, Nashville, and Las Vegas, Nevada, winning an Emmy for Best Sportscaster in St. Louis. They look forward to their mornings with 5NEWS before heading to work. Your Worst Nightmare About bandidos news Come to Life, 13 Things About seguin gazette news You May Not Have Known, 15 Best high tide stock news Bloggers You Need to Follow, The Most Influential People in the cortland ny news Industry. Brad Johansen Leaving NBC4 Columbus: Where Is the Anchor Going? Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. We want to make something out of this. The podcast has a lot of potential, and we are working hard to improve it. Our aim is to make it easy for people to interact with us, and to bring out a certain kind of personality we find very exciting. 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The storm left four people dead in western Arkansas. Simon told viewers shes leaving the station to work in her hometown of St. Louis, where she said shell anchor weekend mornings and reporting weekdays at KTVI-KPLR. 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 Fort Smith residents have always loved the banter between Laura Simon and Ruben Diaz. However, the Fayetteville area was served by KGTO (TV) in the late-1960s and 1970s. KFSM signed on for the first time on July 9, 1953 as KFSA-TV on channel 22. Those are also good things in that he and other KFSM meteorologists are able to keep the public better informed, but the time required is exhausting.. The station lost its CBS affiliation when KFPW-TV (now KHBS) signed on in 1971. I have some bittersweet news to share with you this morning, Lewis wrote Monday on facebook. FORT SMITH (KFSM) -- Operations began July 9, 1953, at KFSA TV Channel 22, out of a building owned by Donald W. Reynolds in downtown Fort Smith. I also host a radio show called The Stump, which is a podcast about the biggest topics in the world of sports. Most recently, Roberts won the 2011 Arkansas Associated Press Award for Best Sports Series. The series featured the University of Arkansas legendary Head Football Coach and Athletic Director, Frank Broyles. There are a lot of things in the works and a lot of things that need to be worked out, but the podcast is definitely the next step. We would have to make it possible for people to subscribe to our podcast and hear from us all the time. Learn how and when to remove this template message, Attempted acquisition of Tribune Media by Sinclair Broadcast Group, transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts, "Tegna Selling To Standard General For $5.4 Billion". 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. It's one of the most important programs we've aired in recent years, and you can see it Saturday (April 17) at 12:00 p.m. KFSM morning anchor Laura Simon is leaving the Fort Smith, Ark. 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. His forecasted last day forecasting is July 30. and Volunteer Coordinator, Salvation Army NWA. "Our plan is to tell better stories about all local sports, including the Arkansas Razorbacks. Were so proud of you, and youre going to thrive in STL! ALMA, Ark. Lewis, 40, is a member of the board of the Benton County Childrens Advocacy Center and Arkansas Board for Childrens Advocacy Centers of Arkansas. Your input helps Glassdoor refine our pay estimates over time. . ", "We are not ending sports coverage," Bagley continued in the e-mail. It was my job to make sure our anchors and reporters stayed active on the case. Lewis saidshe was moving toSpringfield, Missouri to work as morning anchor on CBS affiliateKOLR. In April 2018, she joined 5NEWS as a weekday morning and noon anchor. I think it would be really cool to have that kind of podcast and have a ton of content there. His passionate coverage of our extreme weather and commitment to serving our communities have been exemplary. I am a former kfsm news anchor and current on the show Inside KFSM. Heather Lewis says she's leaving Fort Smith, Ark. I also host a radio show called 'The Stump', which is a podcast about the biggest topics in the world of sports. After a year, she worked at Tribune Broadcasting as a weekend morning anchor/reporter. Correspondent (1992-1998) unknown episodes . Talks between Reynolds and KNAC's owner, businessman Hiram Nakdeiman, resulted in an agreement to merge the two stations. Prior to that, he was a Radar Meteorologist (Intern) at North Dakota Water Commission. Heather Lewis says shes leaving Fort Smith, Ark. KFSM-TV 5. The Trustoria Directory provides you with all the resources needed to discover the best Journalist for every need. Until January 2012, KFSM-DT2 simulcast the weekday morning show and then re-aired it in a rotating cycle. The station launched a mobile application in 2005. KFSM also informed sports director John Engleman his contract would not be renewed on Friday. However, Fort Smith and Fayetteville are sandwiched between Little Rock (channels 2, 4, 7, and 11) to the east, ShreveportTexarkana (channels 3, 6, and 12) to the south, Springfield (channels 3 and 10) and PittsburgJoplin (channels 7 and 12) to the north, and Tulsa (channels 2, 6, 8, and 11) to the west. CBS affiliate KFSM. His forecasted last day forecasting is July 30. Governor Karyn Polito To date, over $277 million in direct. However, by 2019, the planned Johnson studio had become the main studio, with its longtime home in Fort Smith serving as a River Valley bureau. Simon was nominated for a student Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award during her junior year for a report she did on Richard M. Daleys 20-year tenure as the citys mayor. 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. 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. 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. However, the news of anchor/reporter Laura Simon leaving 5NEWS has been met with widespread disappointment. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. In March 2020, KFSM temporarily scaled back its broadcast schedule in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The estimated total pay for a TV News Anchor at KFSM-TV is $96,093 per year. 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). KFSM-TV covered the tornado and produced a documentary of the event shortly after called "Sunday's Fury". Were gonna find her. I think we might be able to have a small podcast, one with just a couple of episodes, or a podcast that we produce ourselves and it would be more similar to our show. I think that podcast is one step closer to being done. Over the years, KFSM has been the ratings leader in the area, mainly due to the fact that it was the only commercial VHF station on the air in the Fort SmithFayetteville market during the analog television era. Making sure that all vital supplies are in one place, even if it means putting them into a carry-on and checking out early from work so as not to miss any flights! Both of Roberts sisters graduated from the University of Arkansas, and they never moved back to Texas! This was due to the network searching for stronger affiliates in the Fort Smith market. Jobin Panicker Jobin Panicker is a reporter at WFAA in Dallas, TX, specializing in stories from. Dax Clark will be 5NEWS' new weekend evening meteorologist, according to News Manager Rick Bagley. "We reported it every day. Days later, the Eads Brothers Furniture Building was destroyed by one of largest fires in Fort Smith's history. Chris Riva Leaving FOX19 NOW: Where Is the Cincinnati Anchor Going? He's scheduled to start in his new role in mid-January. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station has studios on South 48th Street in Johnson (with a Springdale mailing address), and its transmitter is located northwest of Winslow, Arkansas. On April 21, 1996, a large tornado, part of the April 1996 tornado outbreak sequence, destroyed and heavily damaged much of historic downtown Fort Smith around the Garrison Avenue Bridge. On weekdays, 5 News This Morning was shortened 30 minutes, beginning at 5 a.m. instead of 4:30a.m. A replay of the previous night's edition of 5 News at 10 was played to fill the time slot. 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. We have had a lot of questions about what to do for a podcast, and we have been trying to answer them in the hopes that people will join our show. It carried programming from all four networks of the time NBC, CBS, ABC and DuMont but it was a primary NBC affiliate. Meet the anchors, reporters and meteorologists from 5NEWS KFSM in Fort Smith, Arkansas This was the first (and currently the only) 4 p.m. newscast in the Fort SmithFayetteville market. After that, she and her husband will depart for St. Louis. Additionally, the Fort Smith television market is a fairly large market geographically, spilling across a large and mostly mountainous swath of Arkansas and Oklahoma. Sam Nelson Jacksonville, FL. Donrey owned one other newspaper/broadcasting cluster, the Las Vegas Review-Journal and KORK-AM-FM-TV. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. Genesis Care Cancer Care. 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. [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.