Bottom Line Exclusive (02-18-2008) ZEFF TAKES POSITION AT KSTP IN MINNEAPOLIS
Sam Zeff, former executive producer of special projects at KCTV5 who spearheaded much of the station's dramatic rise to the top of the local TV ratings, has accepted a position as assistant news director at KSTP5, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The Minneapolis-St. Paul is the nation's 15th largest TV market; Kansas City holds down the 31st spot. Zeff was let go by KCTV5 in December for undisclosed reasons. Since his departure the station has seen its ratings plummet. When Zeff joined KCTV5 a few years earlier the CBS affiliate was mired in second or third place, far behind perennial ratings leader KMBC-TV9. Almost immediately Zeff and investigative reporter Steve Chamraz did a blockbuster sweeps piece on Internet predators that catapulted the station into the ratings lead at 10 p.m. That sweeps piece evolved nationally into the "To Catch a Predator" stings across the country. After Chamraz departed to the bigger market of St. Louis at KMOV, Ash-Har Quraishi joined KCTV and the string of blockbuster sweeps pieces continued. In the previous sweeps period KCTV and KMBC tied at the key 10 p.m. news segment. KSTP-TV Channel 5 is the upper Midwest's first commercial television station and owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. The station signed on the air April 27, 1948 and today remains the only locally owned locally operated broadcasting company in the Twin Cities. One of the general assignment reporters at KSTP is Steve Shaw, who spent more than 10 years with WDAF-FOX4 in Kansas City before being fired following a highly publicized DUI incident.
Feedback (2/18): Sam has a history in Minneapolis. He was a special projects producer at WCCO kicking ass and taking names with former WDAF reporter Dave Schecter, who is now in Dallas if I recall correctly. And Shaw is doing really, really well, and loves it at KSTP. Even thought the station has struggled the last few years it's still a good place to work and Minneapolis is without a doubt one of the best TV markets in the country.
