LaPoint comes to WOWT from WPXI in Pittsburgh, where worked for five years. He will be WOWT’s chief meteorologist, replacing Jim Flowers, who left the station in December.

Lemke joins WOWT from WSBT in South Bend, where she has worked since 2010. Prior to that, Lemke spent 22 years at The Weather Channel. In her new role at WOWT, she will focus on special projects for the station and its weather-related digital channel.

“We know that the most important coverage for you and your family is tracking, alerting and accurately forecasting local weather where you live to help you plan your day every day,” the station said in announcing the hires.

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“WOWT has informed Jim Flowers that it does not intend to enter into a new agreement for his services when his current agreement expires on December 31, 2012. WOWT appreciates Jim’s contributions to WOWT and thanks him for his many years of service.

Flowers’ whereabouts have been the subject of speculation around Omaha and as far South as Lincoln for the last few weeks. On Christmas Eve, the Omaha World-Herald joked,

“WOWT will be tracking Santa’s whereabouts. After WOWT finds Santa, perhaps it can find Jim Flowers.”

continued…

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In the video (watch after the jump), employees of the Omaha ABC affiliate try out various implements to wrangle the bat, even calling in the professionals. The bat was eventually subdued with a well-placed box top. Video of the incident inside… continued…

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After an unpaid leave of absence following his arrest in January, Whitsett returned to work last month and returned to the air this week. The Omaha ABC-affiliate cleared the way for his on-air return by airing a story on Sunday in which Whitsett asks viewers for forgiveness. continued…

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WOWT‘s morning team is now locked in a competition for the most Facebook Likes.  Whoever has the most new Likes by Friday, April 27th, will get $100 to donate to the charity of their choice.

Anchors Jim Siedlecki and Serese Cole, reporter Jodi Baker, and meteorologist Rusty Lord are competing for the charitable prize using promo videos, which have been uploaded to YouTube.  Cole, who joined the station last summer, may have the upper hand considering that her video (above) features Nebraska icon Tom Osborne.

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KETV general manager Ariel Roblin confirmed today that Whitsett has returned to work, although she said that his return to the air has not yet been determined.

In an email, Whitsett told TVSpy that he hopes to be back on air “within a few weeks.”  Before going on unpaid leave following his arrest, Whitsett anchored KETV’s weekday 5 p.m. newscast.

Whitsett’s Twitter account went dark following his DUI arrest in January but he started tweeting again on Thursday.  “Good to be back at it!” reads one message.

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The Omaha ABC-affiliate reports that Whitsett pleaded guilty to one count of third-offense misdemeanor DUI.  In addition to 30 days in jail, which can be served as house arrest, Whitsett received two years supervised probation.

Whitsett is currently on a leave of absence from KETV.  He remains an employee of the station.

“I shouldn’t have been doing this. It almost cost me my job,” Whitsett told the judge in the case. “I don’t plan on doing this again.”

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“Our station made a technical error and mistakenly switched to our local news last night before Paul McCartney‘s performance ended,” KMTV vice president and marketing manager Chris Sehring said in a statement that the station posted on its Facebook page today.  “It was entirely our fault–and I am very sorry that it happened.”

KMTV is airing the final part of McCartney’s performance, which the station downloaded from YouTube, during its noon, 6, and 10 p.m. newscasts today. continued…

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Viewers in Omaha were stunned on Sunday night when local CBS-affiliate KMTV cut from a high-octane performance by Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl, and others, to a weather forecast by John Walsh.

As usually happens with primetime awards shows, Sunday night’s Grammy ceremony ran a few minutes over schedule.  But KMTV decided to run its late local newscast right at 10:30 anyway, abruptly cutting from guitar shredding to the weather outlook for Monday’s commute.

What made the programming shift especially odd was the fact that much of KMTV’s newscast was dedicated to coverage of the Grammys. continued…

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Whitsett, who anchors KETV’s 5 p.m newscast, is currently on “an extended leave of absence” from the station.

Omaha CBS-affiliate KMTV also reported on Whitsett’s arrest this week.

Whitsett joined KETV in 2008, shortly after he graduated from the University of Nebraska. According to the Omaha World-Herald, he was arrested around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday with a blood-alcohol level of .262.

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Dave Roberts

He will co-anchor the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts alongside Vanessa Flowers beginning January 1. Roberts joins KOLN-KGIN after six years at KMTV in Omaha, where he is co-executive producer and weekend anchor.

“I’ve worked in almost every position that a television station has to offer,” Roberts said in a statement. “To me, it’s still magical.”

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Ariel Roblin

Roblin joined KETV in May 2010 from KRCR-KAEF in Redding, CA. Her appointment, a promotion from general sales manager, is effective immediately.

“Her appreciation for localism and the importance of a quality news service, along with her solid business credentials, will make her an effective leader of KETV as it serves the Omaha community on-air, online and on-the-go,” Hearst president and CEO David Barrett said in a statement.

Roblin replaces Sarah Smith, who took over as president and general manager of KMBC-KCWE in Kansas City on September 6.

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Cole had anchored the 5, 6, and 10 p.m. newscasts for KOLN-KGIN and she told viewers last week that she was leaving to take a morning anchor job, a move that would allow her to spend more time with her two sons.

“While I love what I do, and I love the people I work with, I love my family, too,” Cole told viewers. “So, I’m taking a job as a morning anchor with one of our sister stations–which will allow me to spend my evenings and my weekends with my family.”

WOWT, which has been in need of a morning anchor since moving Malorie Maddox to evenings last month, has yet to confirm that Cole is joining the station but there is every indication that she is. Video of Cole’s farewell inside… continued…

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Erika Summers

Summers, 27, was the passenger in a Jeep Liberty driven by KMTV’s chief photojournalist, Richard Watson, when the vehicle collided with a tractor on an Iowa highway, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Summers and Watson were on their way to Essex, IA as part of a story on a local soldier that had recently died in Afghanistan.

Summers, who was wearing a seat-belt according to police reports, suffered a broken wrist and glass in an eye, among other injuries. Watson reportedly escaped without major injuries. continued…

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