About KARE 11
The History of KARE 11
Minnesotans first heard WTCN, which would eventually become KARE, on the dial of their AM radio. In 1925, the original call letters were WRHM-AM. Ten years later, Midcontinent Incorporated purchased WRHM. That company was owned by Northwest Publications Inc., owners of the Minneapolis Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch.The call letters were changed from WRHM to WTCN, which was an acronym for ‘Twin Cities Newspaper.’
The owners of WTCN were granted a license to broadcast on television Channel 4, and signed on July 1st, 1949. In September 1949, WTCN TV and WTCN AM radio moved into new studios in the Radio City Theater Building, 9th and LaSalle, in Minneapolis.In September of 1950, WTCN-TV (at that time, an ABC affiliate) broadcast its first live network program. The first coast-to-coast television program broadcast occurred one year later, with the signing of the Japanese Peace Treaty.
In 1952, WTCN-TV was sold to the owners of WCCO Radio, and Channel 4 became WCCO TV. Following the sale in 1953, WTCN and WMIN were granted a license for a joint operation on Channel 11. The two stations shared the channel by rotating broadcast schedules. Each station broadcast 2 hours and alternated between studios through the day. WTCN-TV and WTCN Radio moved into new studios in the Calhoun Beach Hotel in Minneapolis.WTCN-TV grew to become one of the top independent television stations in the country. The success of Channel 11 attracted Metromedia, Inc., a diversified media company that purchased WTCN-TV in 1971. Construction soon began on new facilities in suburban Golden Valley.In 1974, the grand opening of WTCN-TV's new 'broadcast showcase' was held at the new studios in Golden Valley and was designed to include a major commercial production center.
On March 5, 1979, WTCN-TV became an affiliate of NBC's Television Network. To celebrate its first day as a member of the NBC family, news anchors Jane Pauley and Tom Brokaw broadcast The Today Show live from the top floor of the IDS Tower in downtown Minneapolis.And then on June 11, 1986, Channel 11 was again renamed, this time KARE Television. The designation of W*USA was released for use by Gannett station WDVM, located in Washington, D.C.Today, KARE 11 is a national award winning leader in local news and information that serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, as well as greater Minnesota on television, online and on mobile platforms.To date, KARE 11 has been honored 16 times with the National Edward R. Murrow award for journalism excellence from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA).In October 2010, reporter Boyd Huppert and photojournalist Jonathan Malat won their fifth National Murrow Award for Feature Reporting thanks to a story about a dying Minnesota teen's love of Pontiac Fiero's. The story called The Tyler Project, originally aired on KARE 11 December 8, 2009 as part of an ongoing series of stories by Huppert and Malat called Land of 10,000 Stories.
About TEGNA
KARE 11 is owned and operated by TEGNA Inc., an innovative media company that serves the greater good of its communities. Across platforms, TEGNA delivers relevant and trusted content by telling empowering stories, conducting impactful investigations and providing innovative and unparalleled solutions for advertisers through TEGNA Marketing Solutions. For more information, visit www.TEGNA.com.
Mission and Coverage Priorities
MISSION
TEGNA’s purpose is to serve the greater good of our communities.
We will provide the news and information that people need to function as effective citizens.
We will seek solutions as well as expose problems and wrongdoing.
We will provide editorial and community leadership.
We will seek to promote understanding of complex issues.
We will be advocates for our communities.
DIVERSE VOICES
At TEGNA, you will find people from all backgrounds, interests and abilities, united by a common purpose to make a difference in our work, our company and our community.
We are committed to making editorial decisions with input from a variety of voices that reflect our community. We seek sufficient understanding of the communities, individuals and stories we cover to inform the public. We are persistent in pursuit of the whole story.
DIVERSITY STAFFING REPORT
At TEGNA, we believe that attracting a talented and diverse workforce is one of the keys to our success. We strive to create for our employees an environment which offers professional and intellectual challenges, which encourages innovation and creativity, and which rewards success and effective teamwork. Read our latest EEO Diversity Report.
Ethics, Standards and Practices
ETHICS
TEGNA is committed to the highest ethical standards and dedicated to the principles of truth, independence, fair play and integrity. These principles apply to everything we do, from gathering content to reporting and producing content. Read TEGNA’s Principles of Ethical Journalism.
TEGNA journalists observe the following principles:
INDEPENDENCE
We will remain free of outside interests, investments, business relationships or personal relationships that may compromise the credibility of our news reports.
We will seek to avoid potential conflicts of interest and promptly disclose any that arise.
We do not accept gifts, meals or entertainment from any individuals or organizations that may be covered by our stations.
We do not allow sponsors of news to determine, change or restrict content.
We do not make political contributions, participate in political advocacy or publicly share political views.
TRANSPARENCY
We are transparent about paid or sponsored content.
We clearly identify and differentiate commentary from news.
We will explain our journalistic processes to our audience.
PUBLIC INTEREST
We will uphold and defend the First Amendment.
We will be vigilant watchdogs of government and institutions that affect the public.
We will fight to insure the public’s business is conducted in public.
FAIRNESS
We will treat people with dignity, respect and compassion.
We will be fair with people unaccustomed to dealing with the media. (*)
We will seek all sides relevant to a story.
(Also diverse voices)
INTEGRITY
We will act honorably, transparently and ethically in dealing with news sources, the public and our colleagues.
We will obey the law.
We will not skew facts, distort reality or sensationalize events (ETHICS).
We will not manipulate images or sound in misleading ways.
We will not present images that are reenacted without informing the audience.
We will use hidden cameras or similar techniques only if there is no other way to tell a significant story effectively, and only with news management approval.
We will respect the copyrights of others.
VERIFICATION & FACT-CHECKING
We report the news accurately, thoroughly and in context on all platforms. We vet sources, verify facts and challenge assumptions before reporting news. We hold factual information on all platforms to the same standards of accuracy.
We are honest. We do not mislead sources, story subjects or the public.
We attribute information received from others, and we are transparent with sourcing. We do not plagiarize.
We do not misstate our identity or intentions. We keep our word.
We do not intentionally slant the news.
We value being right over being fast.
UNNAMED SOURCES
We will use unnamed sources as the sole basis for reporting only as a last resort when it best serves the public’s right to know, and only with prior news management approval.
CORRECTIONS
We will make corrections promptly and proportionate to the original reporting.
CONTACT US
MASTHEAD/EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP
Click here to meet our Editorial Leadership team
ACTIONABLE FEEDBACK
We value feedback from our community, including story ideas as well as comments and corrections on our coverage. Click on the appropriate link below to route your feedback to the correct team in our newsroom.
NEWSROOM CONTACT INFORMATION
Trust Project Participation
TEGNA is proud to be a participant in the Trust Project. The Trust Project is an international consortium of news organizations collaborating to use transparency to build a more trustworthy and trusted press. For more information visit https://thetrustproject.org/.
For all content licensing inquiries, please contact our representatives at TEGNA@nimia.com.