It signed on the air on July 31, 1955 as KRNT-TV, and was owned by the Cowles family until 1983. Today, the station is CBS affiliate KCCI-8 in Des Moines, and the Hearst Television property is gearing up to celebrate its 70th anniversary.
In commemoration of its decades of service, KCCI will take a look back at the key moments and coverage the station provided viewers. This will be seen through a series of reports each Tuesday and Thursday at 4pm across the month of July. Then, on July 31 at 8pm, KCCI will air a special presentation, “This Is Iowa: KCCI Salute to 70 Years.” The 60-minute special is produced and hosted by KCCI 8 News This Morning anchor Eric Hanson.
The station will also host a gathering of broadcast greats and current employees for a gala event at the Des Moines River Center that same night.
“Being part of a station with robust history like KCCI is a privilege,” said KCCI News Director Natalie Cabieses. “But, to continue to live the KCCI legacy every day in our newsroom is an honor and it is something that every single employee here feels. We have a culture that is irreplaceable, and you will witness that in our storytelling.”
When KRNT debuted, radio personalities eventually became household TV names, such as Russ Van Dyke.
“Many current viewers still reference KRNT,” said KCCI President and General Manager Brian Sather. “When that occurs, you know they have been watching a long time.”
Sather said he has been planning this celebration for the past five years. He insists every day is a day of growth.
“KCCI continues to evolve as sales executives are building ad solutions that will reach multiple screens and platforms and our journalists’ reporting is seen across multiple platforms including streaming and social media,” said Sather. “You’re a part of this amazing journey and the work done at the station daily is writing the next chapter.”
There were several notable “firsts” that occurred during KCCI’s 70-year history. Dolph Pulliam was the first African American broadcaster in Iowa, while Heidi Soliday was the first female Sports Director at any U.S. broadcast TV station, Hearst says. Soliday served KCCI for 31 years in total.
Meanwhile, KCCI says there may be no couple in television who have had more impact on a community than Kevin and Mollie Cooney. Kevin sat in the anchor seat for 33 years bringing the news to Central Iowa. In 1993 He worked 14 hours straight when the city of Des Moines lost its drinking water during the devastating flood of 1993. Cooney interviewed President Clinton in Iowa and was invited to the White House to speak with President Obama. Right by his side through most of his career, wife and journalist Mollie was KCCI’s first female newsroom reporter when she started in 1976 and became the station’s first female anchor.
There’s also a unique weather angle to the lights seen on the KCCI tower. Known as the “Weather Beacon,” the broadcast tower measures weather changes through a now-iconic changing of its lights. “Not only was this a unique way to connect with viewers, but prior to a world where we consumed news and information in the palm of our hands, the weather beacon allowed KCCI to alert Iowans to the most updated weather forecast,” Hearst says.
At the time of its 1960 inception, a poem was created about the KCCI Weather Beacon,“ Weather beacon red, warmer weather ahead. Weather beacon white, colder weather is in sight. Weather beacon green, little change in temperature is foreseen. Weather beacon flashing, night or day, precipitation on the way.”
Sather and the entire team at KCCI know there are more historical moments to come. His wish is to continue serving Central Iowans and “take time to celebrate the proud history of KCCI and the shoulders of those giants on whom we stand.”
