Britt Moreno is the new morning co-anchor at KCNC, the CBS O&O in Denver. Moreno will anchor the 5 a.m., 6 a.m. and noon newscasts alongside Alan Gionet beginning in early April.

“We are very pleased to have Britt join CBS4,” news director Tim Wieland said in announcing the hire. “She is a great journalist who connects with viewers and will be a strong addition to our talented team.”

Moreno comes to KCNC from KSAZ, the Fox O&O in Phoenix, where she has been the weekend morning anchor since 2010. Prior to that, she worked at KRGV in Welasco, Texas, as a general assignment reporter.

Moreno replaces Brooke Wagner, who left KCNC in January.

KCNC, the CBS owned affiliate in Denver, has debuted its new Mobile Weather Lab, a souped up Chevy Suburban it calls “Colorado’s first and most technologically sophisticated moving weather station.”

“This is a really exciting new addition to our news team,” news director Tim Wieland said. “The mobile weather lab is the first vehicle in the state that can travel anywhere and broadcast live weather data instantly giving our reporters and photographers the ability to cover Colorado’s extreme weather conditions including tornadoes, fires, blizzards and hail storms from even very remote locations so that  viewers can have the most up-to-date and accurate reports.”

The Suburban has been updated for off-road use and includes the ability to measure wind speed, wind chill, precipitation, barometric pressure and solar intensity.  It can deliver instant weather updates three different ways: through microwave, satellite and bonded cellular technology. Meteorologist Dave Aguilera recently took the lab for a spin and showed off the flat screen mounted in the back.  You can see the video after the jump. Read more

KCNC morning anchor Brooke Wagner has signed off from the Denver CBS owned station.

Wagner tweeted the news on her last day saying, “I am leaving CBS4, but thanks 4 your support! I’ll revise my Twitter handle soon&will keep you updated. Happy New Year!”

According to the Denver Post, Wagner’s contract was not renewed and news director Tim Wieland plans to,”‘inject the morning news with new energy,’ with plans on the production side along with staff changes, [none] of which is finalized yet.”

Wagner had been with KCNC for ten years.  Before coming to KCNC she worked for KSWB in San Diego, CA, KTBC in Austin, TX, WTAJ in Altoona, PA and KXII in Sherman, TX.

[Denver Post]

KCNC reporter Shaun Boyd revealed she was told to stay away from certain topics during her interview with presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney this morning.

“There one stipulation to the interview was that I not ask him about abortion or Todd Akin,” Boyd, the political specialist at the Denver CBS O&O, said on the 12 p.m. newscast today (video above).

A Romney campaign spokesperson told Politico, “This is not how we operate. The matter is being addressed.” Read more

Denver stations have been in overdrive this week covering an extensive wildfire that has burned more then 40,000 acres in Larimer County. On Monday, the county sheriff’s office requested that the media not show images of destroyed homes, out of respect to homeowners. News directors have noted the sensitivity of the issue, but have turned down the request, the Denver Post reports:

“While we have deep respect for what Larimer County is asking, at the same time we are hearing from the same community that they want to know,” said Jeff Harris, News Director at [KMGH]. The outpouring of response regarding the station’s extended coverage has been rewarding, he said.

“This is not the time for that kind of fight,” Harris said.

“We certainly understand the emotional nature of those images,” said [KCNC] News Director Tim Wieland. Read more

KCNC, the CBS owned-and-operated station in Denver, has removed a picture of brand-new anchor Evrod Cassimy and R&B singer Chris Brown from the station website after viewer complaints.

The Denver Westword reports that Cassimy’s recently-posted online bio included a picture of the anchor and Brown (right), who pleaded guilty in 2009 to assaulting his girlfriend at the time, Rihanna. In an email received by the Westward, one viewer writes: “WTF is Channel 4 thinking? Why would they allow THAT photo to be on their website? What if the dude was an OJ fan? Would they have drawn the line there?”

KCNC news director Tim Wieland told The Westword that the photo was taken during an interview conducted at Cassimy’s former station in Orlando. “We’ve decided to remove it from the bio page,” Wieland wrote. Read more