Argus-Leader from Sioux Falls, South Dakota • A7

March 8-14, 2017 COVER STORY: PAGE 7 Huizenga said. people that are coming home from work at that point in the day. There are people getting up KDLT looks to community When KDLT general manager Katie Haffeman was looking for a news director, she wanted someone with experience in the local market. Community ties were important, but hiring the person who would eventually lead the KDLT newsroom into 2017 meant finding somebody with their own knack for hiring solid reporters, Haffeman said. drive to be able to recruit and find good people to be in our newscast, but also to find people with a passion for wanting to deliver the Haffeman said.

was looking for somebody with energy, who had that answer was Jessica Brovold. Brovold joined the station about four weeks ago as news director, taking charge of the newsroom of about 20 people. Brovold is a native of Minneapolis but has years of experience working in both public relations and news in the Sioux Falls market. After graduating from South Dakota State University with a degree in broadcast journalism, Brovold worked as a reporter at a TV station in Mankato, Minnesota, then KELO. She also worked as an anchor at KDLT before switching to a public relations career for Sanford Health, a move she made for the flexibility necessary for being a mother, Brovold said.

Her return to KDLT is a sign of her enthusiasm for Sioux Falls and for the industry. Brovold said she decided to work in TV news after going through a grueling internship at an NBC affiliate in Duluth, Minnesota. love the creative side of Brovold said. call myself a news She replaces Paul Heinert, a veteran of the KDLT newsroom, who hopped to Sanford in January for a public relations job. Owned by Fargo, North Dakota-based Red River Broadcast, KDLT thrives on offering local coverage in different interactive ways, including using the KDLT Kitchen to highlight a local chef, and the interview set, which allows reporters to interview community members in a different style of setting, Haffeman said.

Afamily-owned company, Red River Broadcast also owns stations in Fargo and Duluth and tries to keep the focus of each station on their respective communities, Corporate News Director Dana Benson said. is important in all Benson said. Haffeman liked focus on social media, and ideas to promote on-air talent. though she work here she was already thinking up ideas as to how she could help improve our newscast and what she could bring to the Haffeman said. So early into the job, Brovold said one of her biggest priorities right now is just observing and learning to see where she might be able to improve KDLT news coverage in the future.

have spent my time getting to know the Brovold said. kind of getting a better idea of where KSFY's new studio, new look Jim Berman is president and general manager at KSFY, but he jokes about becoming a tour guide after he retires. given so many tours of the new space he can walk backward and talk, and the pride in his voice is clear when he talks about the new studio sets, window-filled office space where reporters can sit or stand and work on their story. is the proudest achievement of my said Berman, who worked at stations in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Georgia before coming to Sioux Falls in 2010. KSFY spent months moving its entire operation, including sales, news and other departments, to its new home at 325 S.

First a process it finished in November. The station shares the 2009-built building with the U.S. Attorney and other government offices and brought in local builders and architects to make its corner fit the purposes of a modern day newscast. When Gray Television bought the station in 2014 as part of its acquisition of Hoak Media, Berman expressed to new leadership his desire to move. With support from the new owners, he renewed his search, reaching out to Lloyd Companies, and eventually landing on a location still in the downtown area.

downtown was very News Director Kevin King said. Bidding farewell to its previous location in the 300 building at Sixth Street and Dakota Avenue as easy as just lugging over gear from the old set. Instead, the new space is filled with all new equipment, including a state-of-the-art studio, with multiple sets depending on the look and feel anchors and reporters want for any given segment. There were benefits to the technological update, such as more autonomy for the reporters with new editing equipment and other gear. But there was also the very practical need: Berman wanted to flip a switch and have the broadcast transition from old location to new without viewers noticing a change.

The new digs are already making a difference when it comes to coverage and recruiting reporters, Berman said. designed the space with efficiency in Berman said. TV Continued from Page 6 JAY LEADER KELO-TV's meteorologist Scot Mundt monitors the weather before the midday newscast on Monday. JAY LEADER Jessica Brovold is the new news director for KDLT..