Omaha Local TV News Channels

[Omaha Cowboy]

You watch the news in larger TV markets like Chicago and much of the on air talent is older often 50’s and 60’s. The money is good so they stick around as long as they can. Markets like Omaha are to small to make much money so most people bail out as soon as they can. Occasionally you will have someone like Knicely or Randby that land a good contract but that is the exception more than the rule.

Which is why I don't buy the excuse of Jim Flowers making too much money for the reason he parted WOWT .. not with Knicely sitting at the same anchor desk.

Lol..

I don’t buy some of the salaries people are quoting here. Unless you work in the industry and are familiar with Omaha and the pay levels- entry level and years of experience, you are just speculating..

Plus, there are 210 TV markets and depending on the year, Omaha sits at about market 69-71.. So the market here is not an entry level market where newbies get paid barely above minimum wage. And Omaha actually has a goodly number of on air talent that sticks around..unlike a Laurann Robinson or Molly Bernard.. And these folks, I suspect, get paid pretty darn adequately..or they’d leave and bail to a larger market..

Omaha is not Terre Haute, Indiana for goodness sakes.. So I’d temper the “too small to get paid” talk. Because I don’t think that’s necessary true. Especially for on air “personalities” who’ve clocked 12 to nearly 30 years in Omaha. And there are plenty of examples of those individuals on air, working in Omaha today...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[Omaha Cowboy]

And FYI-

KETV has finally hired a new on air meteorologist to replace the departed Laurann Robinson- her name is Caitlin Harvey and she was on air for the first time yesterday during the Noon newscast. She is from the Midwest, but came to Omaha from southern Oregon...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[GrandpaaSmucker]

I don’t buy some of the salaries people are quoting here. Unless you work in the industry and are familiar with Omaha and the pay levels- entry level and years of experience, you are just speculating..

I think that 30,000 to 40,000 figure someone threw out there is pretty accurate from what I have heard straight from some of the horses mouths. They are not leaving Omaha in droves because they are paid so well here!

[Cermak]

Can’t blame these people for leaving Omaha the job is all about getting to the bigger markets preferably the top 35 or 40. I wish Luarann and Molly well and I am not bitter about them bailing on us, it’s the nature of the business. Glad we had them in Omaha as long as we did.

[Omaha Cowboy]

I don’t buy some of the salaries people are quoting here. Unless you work in the industry and are familiar with Omaha and the pay levels- entry level and years of experience, you are just speculating..

I think that 30,000 to 40,000 figure someone threw out there is pretty accurate from what I have heard straight from some of the horses mouths. They are not leaving Omaha in droves because they are paid so well here!

Agreed..

Especially for a new on air “personality” moving up the market chain to the Omaha mid major level..

I just think some have Omaha’s TV market mixed up with a place like Lubbock, Texas in size, scope and pay structure lol...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[bbinks]

$30,000 isn't even $15 an hour. You can get hired at Target for $15. I'm not buying the low end of this salary range.

[Omaha Cowboy]

$30,000 isn't even $15 an hour. You can get hired at Target for $15. I'm not buying the low end of this salary range.

I’m with you there- at $40k per year, you’re in the $19.50 to $20.00 per hour range. So I can hang with the higher end of that entry level salary range for a mid major market like Omaha..

There is ZERO chance long time Omaha TV “personalities” like Julie Cornell, John Oakey, Bill Randby, John Nicely or the retired Jim Flowers were/are making just $40k.. You would likely close to double that salary number for most all of those people, if not more...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[Cermak]

I would think $40k would be on the low end of the range for Omaha’s market size for a entry job. With that salary a single person could get a halfway decent apartment and live a somewhat comfortable lifestyle in Omaha as long as they don’t have huge student loans . I’ll bet Laurann and Molly were making about 45k range in Omaha. With their new jobs that are probably around the high $40’s to possibly as high as $60k would be my guess.

Once you get in TV markets like North Platte that’s were you would probably see entry job salary ranges in the high $20s. Not easy to live on that salary hopefully they have a clothing allowance for on air talent.

I could be way off on these salaries, it’s just a good guess. I know once you get in the top 10 markets the pay can be several hundred thousand dollars and more . Omaha and other midsize markets have a cap on what it can afford to pay that’s why many end up leaving, but some choose to stay, like Knicely, Cornell and Oakey. I’m sure they all make much more than $40k possibly 3 or 4 times more.

I would think Omaha always has a few on air talents making over a $100k but the majority are paid in the $40’s-$60 range.

[nativeomahan]

I flipped on the KMTV 5 pm newscast last evening and they were doing a weather segment with Chris Swaim, who I happen to think is the best meteorologist in Omaha right now. Anyway, it was immediately obvious that something was amiss, as his weather graphics were not working properly, but most noticeably he was not on screen, and he seemed terribly rattled, which is totally out of character for him. He eventually said “We need to take a break right now. We will be back after commercial” or words to that effect.
When they came back, he was reading the news. He told the viewers. “Please bear with us, we had an emergency here in the studio. Everything will be okay” or words to that effect. Then he did the entire remainder of the 5 pm newscast. He seemed slightly rattled, but it wasn’t terrible. At 6 pm one of their other reporters, Jon Kipper, did the news.
I don’t know what happened at 5. Any ideas?

[ajwees41]

And FYI-

KETV has finally hired a new on air meteorologist to replace the departed Laurann Robinson- her name is Caitlin Harvey and she was on air for the first time yesterday during the Noon newscast. She is from the Midwest, but came to Omaha from southern Oregon...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

I think Caitlin is Molly's replacement they just posted for Laurann's replacement

[Omaha Cowboy]

And FYI-

KETV has finally hired a new on air meteorologist to replace the departed Laurann Robinson- her name is Caitlin Harvey and she was on air for the first time yesterday during the Noon newscast. She is from the Midwest, but came to Omaha from southern Oregon...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

I think Caitlin is Molly's replacement they just posted for Laurann's replacement

Ahhhh. That makes sense. The next hire would finally bring the KETV Weather team back to full strength then...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[ajwees41]

And FYI-

KETV has finally hired a new on air meteorologist to replace the departed Laurann Robinson- her name is Caitlin Harvey and she was on air for the first time yesterday during the Noon newscast. She is from the Midwest, but came to Omaha from southern Oregon...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

I think Caitlin is Molly's replacement they just posted for Laurann's replacement

Ahhhh. That makes sense. The next hire would finally bring the KETV Weather team back to full strength then...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

sounds like they are going back to four weather one traffic reporter/news reporter

KETV, Omaha’s News Leader, is looking for a traffic anchor to be part of our top-rated morning news team.

As a traffic anchor, you need to be skilled at handling breaking news details, and have the ability to convey complicated information without a script. We want a dynamic personality who thrives on the changing and immediate nature of morning television, and who isn’t afraid to pick-up the phone to track down information. The traffic anchor must have a great, on-air personality.

A successful candidate also will have an interest in daily, general assignment reporting. We are looking for people ready to develop news sources and enterprise exclusive content for KETV and KETV.com, and who want to land the story that leads the evening newscast.

You must be a self-starter in this role who can work efficiently and excel at time management.

Candidates who have an interest or background in weather casting are encouraged to apply. Knowledge and experience with traffic systems are a huge plus.

[S.O.Boy]

$30,000 isn't even $15 an hour. You can get hired at Target for $15. I'm not buying the low end of this salary range.

I’m with you there- at $40k per year, you’re in the $19.50 to $20.00 per hour range. So I can hang with the higher end of that entry level salary range for a mid major market like Omaha..

There is ZERO chance long time Omaha TV “personalities” like Julie Cornell, John Oakey, Bill Randby, John Nicely or the retired Jim Flowers were/are making just $40k.. You would likely close to double that salary number for most all of those people, if not more...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

Julie Cornell & Bill Randby live in Dundee. Their one daughter is at Marion. The wife thinks their son is at prep. That takes money.

[damonhynes]

I flipped on the KMTV 5 pm newscast last evening and they were doing a weather segment with Chris Swaim, who I happen to think is the best meteorologist in Omaha right now. Anyway, it was immediately obvious that something was amiss, as his weather graphics were not working properly, but most noticeably he was not on screen, and he seemed terribly rattled, which is totally out of character for him. He eventually said “We need to take a break right now. We will be back after commercial” or words to that effect.
When they came back, he was reading the news. He told the viewers. “Please bear with us, we had an emergency here in the studio. Everything will be okay” or words to that effect. Then he did the entire remainder of the 5 pm newscast. He seemed slightly rattled, but it wasn’t terrible. At 6 pm one of their other reporters, Jon Kipper, did the news.
I don’t know what happened at 5. Any ideas?

Courtney Johns passed out in the middle of the 5PM Friday afternoon, account dehydration:

[jag42]

Since we're talking local weather personalities, you have to give credit to WOWT-6's Mallory Schnell. For months now, just about every weekend, she has been doing the weather in the mornings, 5 pm, AND 10 pm. Can't anyone else at WOWT help her out just a little bit?

[GrandpaaSmucker]

$30,000 isn't even $15 an hour. You can get hired at Target for $15. I'm not buying the low end of this salary range.

I’m with you there- at $40k per year, you’re in the $19.50 to $20.00 per hour range. So I can hang with the higher end of that entry level salary range for a mid major market like Omaha..

There is ZERO chance long time Omaha TV “personalities” like Julie Cornell, John Oakey, Bill Randby, John Nicely or the retired Jim Flowers were/are making just $40k.. You would likely close to double that salary number for most all of those people, if not more...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

Bill Ranby's salary is in the 90s I heard. Don't know for sure though if that is right or not

[Omaha Cowboy]

$30,000 isn't even $15 an hour. You can get hired at Target for $15. I'm not buying the low end of this salary range.

I’m with you there- at $40k per year, you’re in the $19.50 to $20.00 per hour range. So I can hang with the higher end of that entry level salary range for a mid major market like Omaha..

There is ZERO chance long time Omaha TV “personalities” like Julie Cornell, John Oakey, Bill Randby, John Nicely or the retired Jim Flowers were/are making just $40k.. You would likely close to double that salary number for most all of those people, if not more...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

Bill Ranby's salary is in the 90s I heard. Don't know for sure though if that is right or not

That would not surprise me..He’s stayed in the Omaha market as a meteorologist with KETV since 1994 I believe. No doubt he’s being paid handsomely...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[Cermak]

$100k is probably about it for Omaha. And that’s just maybe 3 or 4 people in this market that are actually getting paid that much. Most are in the 40-70 range. Go down to Kansas City maybe someone down there is making $150 or so. Those stations just have bigger budgets. Get into North Platte the top person there might only be at $45k.

[mrsticka]

Bill Randby's been at KETV since 1992 when Jim Flowers left for WOWT. Although, I often wonder what if Jim stayed at KETV and Bill went to WOWT instead?

[Garrett]

A friend of mine who was a junior meteorologist in El Paso left the industry entirely because of how little it paid. Mid 30s was the high point until you finally had a good break.

[Busguy2010]

I'm assuming they don't work 40 hours every single week though. I know there's plenty of off-air work to be done, but a lot of meteorologist throughout all the stations are seen intermittently. Hard to imagine all the meteorologists around here are hard at work for 40 hours a week every week. I'm betting some weeks are slim and some weeks are stout. I'd take that pay cut. Can't be harder than any job anybody has.

[bbinks]

I'm assuming they don't work 40 hours every single week though. I know there's plenty of off-air work to be done, but a lot of meteorologist throughout all the stations are seen intermittently. Hard to imagine all the meteorologists around here are hard at work for 40 hours a week every week. I'm betting some weeks are slim and some weeks are stout. I'd take that pay cut. Can't be harder than any job anybody has.

Any anchor probably doesn't put in 40 hours. Or radio station host.

[Busguy2010]

So I wonder if its fair to assume 32 hours per week. If we're talking $40,000 per year at 32 hours per week, that is like $24 per hour, plus not having to work your life away, plus vacation. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

[GrandpaaSmucker]

So I wonder if its fair to assume 32 hours per week. If we're talking $40,000 per year at 32 hours per week, that is like $24 per hour, plus not having to work your life away, plus vacation. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

No way! I think you are going in the wrong direction here on the hours thing. The business model is that they lock you into a salary and then milk you for every hour they can and you end up working 55-60 hours a week. It would be nothing short of wishful thinking that they are going to pay you a salary and let you snake out the door only working 32 hour weeks.

[ajwees41]

Since we're talking local weather personalities, you have to give credit to WOWT-6's Mallory Schnell. For months now, just about every weekend, she has been doing the weather in the mornings, 5 pm, AND 10 pm. Can't anyone else at WOWT help her out just a little bit?

Wowt is weird they have the chief meteorologist doing mornings

[Garrett]

So I wonder if its fair to assume 32 hours per week. If we're talking $40,000 per year at 32 hours per week, that is like $24 per hour, plus not having to work your life away, plus vacation. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

The average pay of a news anchor in Nebraska is $27,000.

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/pa ... chors-make

[Busguy2010]

So I wonder if its fair to assume 32 hours per week. If we're talking $40,000 per year at 32 hours per week, that is like $24 per hour, plus not having to work your life away, plus vacation. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

The average pay of a news anchor in Nebraska is $27,000.

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/pa ... chors-make

Hmm... Curious. We were talking about Omaha specifically though. I'm sure all the smaller markets in Nebraska are bringing that average down. Omaha is one market, I bet mrsticka could tell us how many other tv markets are in Nebraska and what cities/regions they comprise. With the quality of some of the stations, even in Omaha (cough fox42) I wouldn't be surprised if they pay that little.

[mrsticka]

So I wonder if its fair to assume 32 hours per week. If we're talking $40,000 per year at 32 hours per week, that is like $24 per hour, plus not having to work your life away, plus vacation. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

The average pay of a news anchor in Nebraska is $27,000.

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/pa ... chors-make

Hmm... Curious. We were talking about Omaha specifically though. I'm sure all the smaller markets in Nebraska are bringing that average down. Omaha is one market, I bet mrsticka could tell us how many other tv markets are in Nebraska and what cities/regions they comprise. With the quality of some of the stations, even in Omaha (cough fox42) I wouldn't be surprised if they pay that little.

Well, there's Omaha for starters. Fremont, Norfolk, Columbus, Nebraska City and Falls City are part of it. Then there's Lincoln/Grand Island/Hastings/Kearney, which is the largest in Nebraska. Valentine's part of it. And then there's North Platte, I think. I know they have a station of their own–KNOP. They might be in the Lincoln market, too. I don't know. But Scottsbluff is in Cheyenne's DMA. That may also include Chadron.

[Omaha Cowboy]

So I wonder if its fair to assume 32 hours per week. If we're talking $40,000 per year at 32 hours per week, that is like $24 per hour, plus not having to work your life away, plus vacation. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

The average pay of a news anchor in Nebraska is $27,000.

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/pa ... chors-make

Hmm... Curious. We were talking about Omaha specifically though. I'm sure all the smaller markets in Nebraska are bringing that average down. Omaha is one market, I bet mrsticka could tell us how many other tv markets are in Nebraska and what cities/regions they comprise. With the quality of some of the stations, even in Omaha (cough fox42) I wouldn't be surprised if they pay that little.

Well, there's Omaha for starters. Fremont, Norfolk, Columbus, Nebraska City and Falls City are part of it. Then there's Lincoln/Grand Island/Hastings/Kearney, which is the largest in Nebraska. Valentine's part of it. And then there's North Platte, I think. I know they have a station of their own–KNOP. They might be in the Lincoln market, too. I don't know. But Scottsbluff is in Cheyenne's DMA. That may also include Chadron.

There are 5 TV markets in Nebraska- the Omaha market, then Lincoln/Hastings/Kearney, then Cheyenne/Scottsbluff, North Platte, then one county in south western Nebraska is served by the Wichita, Kansas TV market (go figure). These TV market designations are pretty topsy-turvy and don’t realistically represent a true metropolitan area or CSA. The link provided, only shows the average for an on air anchor person by state, not by market..so it really only represents an average pay rate for people working in that capacity for any city or town that has a TV station..and, it does not account for seniority (length of time on the job) etc..

That link does not specifically reference the Omaha TV market at all as it relates to pay structure in a mid major market like ours...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[EastCB]

According to ZipRecruiter, the average news anchor salary in Omaha is 63,505.

[Omaha Cowboy]

According to ZipRecruiter, the average news anchor salary in Omaha is 63,505.

Taking new hires and anchors who have spent significant time in the Omaha market into account, that figure seems to be about right I’d say...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

[bbinks]

I pass on KPTM Fox 42. Bloviating Becka needs to go.

[Busguy2010]

There are many reasons to pass on KPTM Fox 42... It's just what comes on when I come home from work on a Thursday night hoping to catch the last few seconds of a Thursday Night Football game.

[Padre]

They were tolerable when they were still local. But I’m not interested in hearing Omaha news from Davenport, Fresno or wherever they are now.

[mrsticka]

KMTV was better in the late 80's and early 90's when they carried "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune".

[Cermak]

Doubt hardly anyone watches KPTM news. I haven’t watched it in years. At one time it was ok when it was done in Omaha.

[Busguy2010]

I'll only watch it after a football game... But I'll admit it is sort of nice to get the news without the sensationalism some other channels inject into their broadcasts.

[swinquest]

$30,000 isn't even $15 an hour. You can get hired at Target for $15. I'm not buying the low end of this salary range.

I’m with you there- at $40k per year, you’re in the $19.50 to $20.00 per hour range. So I can hang with the higher end of that entry level salary range for a mid major market like Omaha..

There is ZERO chance long time Omaha TV “personalities” like Julie Cornell, John Oakey, Bill Randby, John Nicely or the retired Jim Flowers were/are making just $40k.. You would likely close to double that salary number for most all of those people, if not more...

Ciao..LiO...Peace

Julie Cornell & Bill Randby live in Dundee. Their one daughter is at Marion. The wife thinks their son is at prep. That takes money.

Son, Will, currently attends UNO studying electrical engineering as a Scott Scholar. I think he graduated from Prep in 2018 or 19 - cannot confirm but is older than his sisters.
Twin daughters, Maddie and JoJo, appears to have graduated from Marian in 2020 with JoJo on the swim team at UNL.

So no question that they have a good amount of cash flow coming in.

[bigredmed1]

The 6 pm anchors and the weekend sports persons tend to be the highest paid. In the middle of the country, weather guys are also well paid.

The reporters tend to live on very small salaries.

[Brad]

Just saw something very cool on WOWT.

For like the 56,724th time in the past decade WOWT's Weather Computer is down. David Koller loaded up all the graphics on his Twitter page and between the WOWT website and his Twitter page, he pulled off a full weather segment.

I know politics has ruined Twitter for a lot of people, but if you are not in to politics, Twitter is such a powerful platform.