OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — September 1 marked the 75th anniversary of KMTV serving Omaha and the station has quite a unique story to share!
It all started in 1949… a couple of country boys from southwest Iowa took a chance on an idea they had to service the community with news from across the world to homes across the heartland.
KMTV’s original home was located at 2615 Farnam Street in a building formerly owned by an appliance company. Groundbreaking for the antenna tower was held on April 6, 1949 with mayor Glenn Cunningham digging the first spade of dirt. By September 1 of that year KMTV was on the air with a full day of programming from ABC, DuMont, and CBS as well as locally produced shows.
KMTV was the first to bring color television to Omaha with our first color broadcast in September of 1955. “The Newest Look,” was a half-hour United Fund campaign drive and community showcase for the new technology. The technology was so new that station engineers designed, and custom built some of the equipment themselves.
Just six months later KMTV was producing over 120 color programs each month.
Then, in December of 1978, a new era for KMTV was born. After outgrowing the station’s original building, KMTV moved to the current location on Mockingbird drive.
Designed from the ground up with television in mind, the 46,000 square foot building included 2 studios each with their own control room, seats for 18 reporters in the newsroom, and an 87-foot-tall tower with a weather radar.
Did you know that Tom Brokaw also passed through the halls of KMTV? While his stay was only a few years, Tom credits his time in Omaha with giving him valuable experience in covering local news. From shooting and editing film to reporting in the field and anchoring a newscast he learned to do it all at channel 3. Later, Brokaw would share the anchor desk of the Today show with Omaha Native and KMTV alum Floyd Kalber.
75 years later, KMTV’s commitment to Omaha remains unchanged. Telling impactful stories from neighborhoods throughout the area, celebrating with our community, alerting them when weather could disrupt their day, to sharing the moments that make the region proud to call Omaha home is what drives the team.
