Newscasts at Salt Lake City ABC affiliate KTVX were temporarily moved this week after a broken sprinkler flooded the studio (video above).

“It was only one sprinkler near the front of our news studio — we had water damage to some of our news set and electrical gear,” KTVX news director George Severson told 24 Salt Lake.

The studio was repaired in time for the station’s 10 p.m. newscast Thursday.

After Salt Lake City NBC affiliate KSL passed on airing the NBC series “Hannibal,” saying it was too graphic, one local competitor stands to profit from that decision while another is poking fun at the Mormon owned station.

When KSL announced it wasn’t going to air “Hannibal,” CW affiliate KUCW stepped in and added the show to its programming just as it did last Fall with NBC’s “The New Normal” and “Saturday Night Live” years ago.

TVSpy asked KUCW general manager Richard Doutre’Jones about the move. “Our relationship is with NBC,” said Doutre’Jones, who is also general manager of ABC affiliate KTVX. “I believe we have a real benefit airing the NBC programming not cleared by KSL on Utah’s CW30…it raises the profile and viewer awareness for the station and they also provide additional revenue opportunities.” Read more

KSL, the Salt Lake City NBC affiliate, has announced on its facebook page and its website it will no longer air episodes of the network series “Hannibal.”

PROGRAMMING NOTE: After viewing the past few episodes, as well as receiving numerous complaints from viewers, KSL TV will cancel the airing of the NBC show “Hannibal” on Thursday evenings.
This decision was made due to the extensive graphic nature of this show. The time slot will be replaced with a special edition of KSL 5 News at 9 p.m.
NBC remains a valued partner to KSL TV. KSL is confident that with the proliferation of digital media, those who wish to view the program can easily do so.

“Hannibal” is a TV show about serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a literary character created by author Thomas Harris and initially made famous by the movie “The Silence of the Lambs” starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. Read more

Nexstar’s Salt Lake City duopoly, KTVX-KUCW, is getting a new look on Monday. The redesign is timed to coincide with KTVX’s 65th anniversary, the Salt Lake Tribune reports:

The news set is getting a huge makeover. Viewers will quickly notice the new color scheme — pale green, purple-gray and orange-red. The set for “Good Things Utah” also is getting a completely new look, as well as a new focus.

“We’re going to embrace our legacy,” said Richard Doutre Jones, vice president and general manager of KTVX and sister station KUCW-Channel 30, in January. “Do you live in Utah? Then we care about you.”

The layout of a graphic used on Salt Lake City’s CBS affiliate KUTV appeared to make Utah Governor Gary Herbert (pictured in graphic on the right) and Attorney General John Swallow (on the left) a gay couple.

The graphic was used for a story about three gay couples who filed a federal lawsuit claiming Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Governor Herbert and Attorney General Swallow are both named in the lawsuit.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General told Jim Romenesko, “I don’t think anyone in Utah will mistake the Governor and the Attorney General as one of the ‘gay couples’ filing the lawsuit.” Read more

The end of the most recent sweeps period has revealed a disturbing trend for NBC affiliate KSL in the battle for Salt Lake City’s news viewers.

The Salt Lake Tribune has taken a look at why KSL, which was once a dominant number one, is quickly losing viewers to cross-town rival CBS affiliate KUTV.

Outside observers might think KSL, owned by Bonneville International, which is owned by Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, would dominate in the city that is the geographic heart of the Mormon Church. Read more

Brian Mullahy, reporter for Salt Lake City CBS affiliate KUTV, dodged one man’s attempt to plant a kiss on his cheek while he was doing a live shot for the station’s 10:00 p.m. news

When the man leaned in for the smooch, Mullahy bobbed right a little, said, “Hello. Nice to see ya.” and went on with his report. When Mullahy tossed back to the studio, co-anchor Mark Koelbel said admiringly, “You are a professional.”

Andrew Adams, multi-media journalist for Salt Lake City NBC affiliate KSL, found himself caught up in a facebook “catfishing” scam.

Saturday night he received a private facebook message from a woman he had recently friended.

“I got to know you from someone at tagged and Facebook who pretended to be you,” the message read. “He posted many of your pictures at his profile under the name of Mr. Ralph Brown both at tagged and Facebook. He tried to scam me, but I managed to find the real person in the pictures and that is you, Mr. Andrew Adams.” Read more

News director Larry Perret and assistant news director Leesa Dillon have been let go at KTVX-KUCW, Nexstar’s duopoly in Salt Lake City, TVSpy has learned.

“I wish them both the very best in their future endeavors,” KTVX-KUCW general manager Richard Doutre’Jones told TVSpy in an email.

The stations were purchased in July by Nexstar Broadcasting. In December, about 15 employees, including station manager Matt Jaquint, were laid off. Doutre’Jones took over as general manager last month.

Dillion and Perret had both worked at the station since May 2011.

Dick Nourse, retired news anchor for Salt Lake City’s KSL, has recently been diagnosed with throat cancer.

“(My family’s) support, including that shown by members of my extended “TV family,” was key to my recovery during my first battles with cancer, and it is a great source of strength for me now,” Nourse said in a statement posted to the station’s website. “My wife, Deb, and I are extremely grateful. We know we’ll get through this.”

This is the third battle with cancer for the retired anchor who left the NBC affiliate in 2007. He overcame non-Hodgkins lymphoma in the early 1980s and later survived a bout with prostate cancer.

You can view the station’s story about Nourse after the jump. Read more