Omaha Forums

What happened to the hysterical laughing clip?

I think its a pretty good use and gets the place preserved.  They are looking at making some portion of the building public and preserving some history there.

The KETV Restaurant/Cafeteria?

Coyote wrote:The KETV Restaurant/Cafeteria?

Probably a room to come and watch and endless loop of the KETV news.

Feel the love.

KETV did something good here.  The 100+ year old building is a big sink for cash.  Multiple people have tried and failed to turn it into markets, condos, offices, theaters.  AMTRAK failed at running it as a train station.  Might as well try a TV station.  Nothing else seems to be sticking.

I would suspect that KETV would want AMTRAK back into the building, so that portion of the property could be redeveloped as well.

I do really hope that this building getting a tenant will be a catalyst for Little Italy development.  There are still a lot of opportune lots that are prime for more apartment or row house development.

Good lord, KETV is pretty proud of themselves for buying this building. Anyone visited ketv.com recently?

S33 wrote:Good lord, KETV is pretty proud of themselves for buying this building. Anyone visited ketv.com recently?

Haha, yeah I saw that.  They are going to throw a shoulder out patting themselves on the back.  This is a pretty big project for a company that I assume has pretty static viewership and revenue though.  I would assume they are going to try and build as much equity in the city as they can hoping this move will pull viewers from CBS and NBC.

S33 wrote:Good lord, KETV is pretty proud of themselves for buying this building. Anyone visited ketv.com recently?

It isn't much worse than KMTV publishing all those stories and buying billboard space for Jim Flowers.

jessep28 wrote:

S33 wrote:Good lord, KETV is pretty proud of themselves for buying this building. Anyone visited ketv.com recently?

It isn't much worse than KMTV publishing all those stories and buying billboard space for Jim Flowers.

Well, it pushed VerizonGate out of the lede position on one of their newscasts yesterday. Must be very important.

Hearst  (the parent owner of KETV) has the budget to do this right...  They're one of the biggest media organizations in the country.  

I was just talking with a friend that works for them.  While they haven't gotten much more info than what's already been made public, he did say a couple of things.  First, that Hearst knows its a big project, and expects to spend $25Mil+ on this rehab.  They want to be imbedded in the community, and liked the idea of a iconic building rehab, rather than building from scratch, and what that represents to the city...  Also, as mentioned elsewhere, at least part of the building will be open to the public.  Details of this are still being hashed out, but maybe a history of Omaha broadcasting mini-museum, or an open to the public restaurant, a behind the scenes into the broadcast studio tour, or something along those lines.

Ben wrote:Hearst  (the parent owner of KETV) has the budget to do this right...  They're one of the biggest media organizations in the country.  

I was just talking with a friend that works for them.  While they haven't gotten much more info than what's already been made public, he did say a couple of things.  First, that Hearst knows its a big project, and expects to spend $25Mil+ on this rehab.  They want to be imbedded in the community, and liked the idea of a iconic building rehab, rather than building from scratch, and what that represents to the city...  Also, as mentioned elsewhere, at least part of the building will be open to the public.  Details of this are still being hashed out, but maybe a history of Omaha broadcasting mini-museum, or an open to the public restaurant, a behind the scenes into the broadcast studio tour, or something along those lines.

Stuff like this is helping the idea to grow on me a little bit more.

Having a restaurant open up onto the bridge would be very cool.

Ben wrote:Hearst  (the parent owner of KETV) has the budget to do this right...  They're one of the biggest media organizations in the country.  

I was just talking with a friend that works for them.  While they haven't gotten much more info than what's already been made public, he did say a couple of things.  First, that Hearst knows its a big project, and expects to spend $25Mil+ on this rehab.  They want to be imbedded in the community, and liked the idea of a iconic building rehab, rather than building from scratch, and what that represents to the city...  Also, as mentioned elsewhere, at least part of the building will be open to the public.  Details of this are still being hashed out, but maybe a history of Omaha broadcasting mini-museum, or an open to the public restaurant, a behind the scenes into the broadcast studio tour, or something along those lines.

If they have a restaurant, and or some ACTUAL community space, I am on board.

Ben wrote:Hearst  (the parent owner of KETV) has the budget to do this right...  They're one of the biggest media organizations in the country.  

There's a funny side to this story.  

The OWH praises Hearst for doing this.  A very long time ago Hearst wanted to buy the OWH.  A local big wig named Peter Kiewit wanted the local paper to remain locally owned so he bought it.  He wasn't a big fan of Hearst.  AND he pretty much dictated what went on in Omaha, for better or worse.

I am 100% supportive of this announcement.  I think having a major media presence in the Old Market area will prove beneficial to Omaha's image in ways we can't even imagine right now.

Have the renovations started?

OmahaJosh618 wrote:Have the renovations started? I haven't heard anything since the main announcement. I've driven by the station a couple times and nothing seems to be going on, except for a light was on and some brick was exposed on the south side. Not sure if that was there before or not. The old signs for the condo project were largely torn down as well.

They started installing construction fencing along the east side within the past couple days.

The ratty banners advertising the old development have been taken down and new ones that say Future Home of KETV 7 are up.

iamjacobm wrote:The ratty banners advertising the old development have been taken down and new ones that say Future Home of KETV 7 are up.

Cool!  There were several people down there the other day and some of the doors were open.

Saw an coomercial that KETV will have a special report on the renovation Sunday night at 10:00

Uffda wrote:Saw an coomercial that KETV will have a special report on the renovation Sunday night at 10:00

Hopefully they make it available online.

Renovations start in October, project goes to Planning Board Sept 4th.

Bosco55David wrote:Hopefully they make it available online.

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Gosh thats cool.. I'm actually very pleased that KETV took over Burlington and have major interest in preserving the beauty throughout the building. The architecture found throughout this building is my favorite and I really feel like what they have planned will be another project on a long list of downtown development that will pay off big time further down the road.

Thats a very expensive project it's cool as heck they are going through with it.

From the KETV report, I'm surprised the inside of the building is stripped-down as much as it is. This is going to be a cool project though.

I hope they can keep that door into the 'Telegraph' Room and other features from the past...

GetUrban wrote:From the KETV report, I'm surprised the inside of the building is stripped-down as much as it is. This is going to be a cool project though.

We we had a forum meet there back in 2005 or 2006 it was stripped bare.  I think they said an architectural salvage company stripped it a while back.

Brad wrote:

GetUrban wrote:From the KETV report, I'm surprised the inside of the building is stripped-down as much as it is. This is going to be a cool project though.

We we had a forum meet there back in 2005 or 2006 it was stripped bare.  I think they said an architectural salvage company stripped it a while back.

I heard that they had massive columns in there that were transported to somewhere on the UNL campus.

RNcyanide wrote:

Brad wrote:

GetUrban wrote:From the KETV report, I'm surprised the inside of the building is stripped-down as much as it is. This is going to be a cool project though.

We we had a forum meet there back in 2005 or 2006 it was stripped bare.  I think they said an architectural salvage company stripped it a while back.

I heard that they had massive columns in there that were transported to somewhere on the UNL campus.

No those were on the outside about 80-90 years ago before they remodeled it to look more like the Union Station.

Ooooh, I see now. Thanks for the correction!!

The Columns are outside of Memorial stadium on the east side.

Yes, and if a girl goes her entire college career without being kissed, the columns will fall! (at UNL)

Or so I've been told by a few people. Although I think that's a bastardization of the real legend. Anyone know the real one?



Anyways,

I really hope they do this project right, and do the city proud. I am cautiously optimistic...but I still wish this would have been a neat revitalized transportation hub.

$1.3 million TIF request in the agenda next week.

Does anyone know if they are going to have to build a transmission tower on this site?

iamjacobm wrote:Does anyone know if they are going to have to build a transmission tower on this site?

I have heard that question a lot, but never found an answer.

I have heard that with the current high-speed fiber technology, that it might not be necessary anymore.   They could use current towers and connect to them with fiber.

I think what was discussed was that they were going to still use the tower from their old site and then microwave it to a larger tower from there. Please correct me if I am need of correcting.

Brad wrote:

iamjacobm wrote:Does anyone know if they are going to have to build a transmission tower on this site?

I have heard that question a lot, but never found an answer.

I have heard that with the current high-speed fiber technology, that it might not be necessary anymore.   They could use current towers and connect to them with fiber.

Super 7 fiber optic technology brings you the new faster.

jessep28 wrote:

Brad wrote:

iamjacobm wrote:Does anyone know if they are going to have to build a transmission tower on this site?

I have heard that question a lot, but never found an answer.

I have heard that with the current high-speed fiber technology, that it might not be necessary anymore.   They could use current towers and connect to them with fiber.

Super 7 fiber optic technology brings you the new faster.

Their current studio connects to Cox via fiber.