Mike Caputa - TVSpy

WCCO Makes Changes in the Morning

Kevin Eck — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:14:04 +0000

WCCO is re-tooling its morning anchor lineup right after May sweeps. The CBS owned Minneapolis station is moving current anchors Mike Binkley and Angela Davis to Sunday evenings and replacing them with Jason DeRusha (pictured right) and Jamie Yuccas (pictured left) beginning June 2.

“The expectations are very high at WCCO and we feel like we can do better in our morning show,” WCCO news director Mike Caputa told the Pioneer Press. “This isn’t about any performance issues with Mike or with Angela, they’ll still be in high-profile positions at the station, but we’re making this decision so that we hopefully can continue to grow and that we’ll be in a good position in the future. We’re hopeful that everybody will be at the television station for a long time.” continued…

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WCCO News Director Defends Chinatown Dog Meat Story in Memo to Staff

Andrew Gauthier — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:06:46 +0000

Since running its notorious Chinatown dog meat story on October 31st, WCCO has stubbornly stuck with a “no comment” when asked about the incident.

The CBS O&O has remained so tight-lipped about the story that station management has reportedly refused to talk about it with staff. That changed today.

WCCO news director Mike Caputa (pictured) issued a memo today defending the story and implying that the meat market may actually have possessed dog meat at some point.

In the memo, first published by MinnPost, Caputa assures his staff that “no one is being terminated” and says that the station now believes the meat market worker said “duck” instead of “dog,” while speaking with reporter James Schugel. Full memo inside… continued…

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After 13 Years, Anchor Dennis Douda Out At WCCO

Merrill Knox — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:56:22 +0000

After 13 years with WCCO, the CBS owned-and-operated station in Minneapolis, weekend anchor Dennis Douda had his final broadcast with the station Sunday night.

“The contract was not renewed,” Douda told The Minneapolis Star-Tribune in an email. “It’s been a wonderful experience for these almost 14 years.”

Douda joined WCCO in 1998 as the station’s medical reporter and worked his way up to the anchor chair. He plans to pursue a career in screenwriting, which has long been a hobby of his.

Although he declined to discuss Douda’s contract, WCCO news director Mike Caputa called Douda an “extremely talented man.” A replacement weekend anchor has not yet been named.

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WCCO Appoints Station Veteran to News Director

Andrew Gauthier — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:08:34 +0000

WCCO has chosen Mike Caputa to be its next news director.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul CBS-affiliate announced on Friday that Caputa, who has been the station’s assistant news director since 2007, would lead its newsroom. Caputa had been serving as acting news director since October, when WCCO fired then-news director Scott Libin.

“Mike has demonstrated over the past several months that he is ready to be the leader of a newsroom,” said Brien Kennedy, WCCO’s vice president and general manager. “Mike has earned this opportunity through hard work and dedication.”

Caputa has been with WCCO since 2002, serving as managing editor before he moved on to become assistant ND.

“I am mindful of the rich tradition of WCCO Television in the Twin Cities,” said Caputa. continued…

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