Change is in the air for Denver TV, on screen and behind the cameras, as a veteran anchor bows out, “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” relocate, and two news directors announce their departures.
Longtime newsman Mike Landess will sign off Thursday at 10 p.m. as KMGH anchor after 50 years in the business. In tribute segments this week, the station has celebrated the man who guided viewers through Colorado floods, wildfires and the Aurora theater shooting. Landess also spent 16 years as part of the most successful team in local TV news history, when paired with Ed Sardella at KUSA.
Two popular game shows are on the move: “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune,” dropped by long-time berth KMGH, take up residence at KDVR at 6 and 6:30 p.m. beginning Sept. 8 (same time, different station). The reason Channel 7 dropped the strips is purely economic. Scripps asked stations to cut costs in the face of rising licensing fees on syndicated properties. Locally produced content, like “7News Right Now” and Scripps’ pop culture show “The List” cost a fraction of the syndicated hits.
Two local news directors announced departures: Jeff Harris, news director at Scripps’ KMGH since 2008 who led that newsroom to many top journalism honors, will leave in October to helm Scripps’ news operation in Cleveland.
Ed Kosowski, news director at Tribune’s KDVR-KWGN, is leaving that post when his three-year contract expires. He does not have a job lined up.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830, jostrow@denverpost.com or twitter.com/ostrowdp
