Download this image of KCCI-TV’s advertorial in the July/Aug 2025 issue of Iowa History Journal by clicking and dragging it to your desktop to better read about the station’s history.
July/Aug 2025 (Volume 17, Issue 4)
Longtime viewers of KCCI-TV might recall that it first took to the air on July 31, 1955, as KRNT-TV when it was owned by the Cowles family, publishers of the Des Moines Register and owners of KRNT Radio. They might also recall its 200-foot weather beacon that was once affixed to the auxiliary tower atop the station’s downtown Des Moines studios and was a landmark of the Des Moines skyline. The lighted beacon changed colors depending on the forecast:
- Weather Beacon red, warmer weather ahead.
- Weather Beacon white, colder weather in sight.
- Weather Beacon green, no change in forecast foreseen.
- Weather Beacon flashing night or day, precipitation is on the way.
Although it was the last Big Three station to sign on in the Des Moines area, KCCI on Channel 8 has been the highest-rated station in Des Moines for most of its history, mainly due to its roots in the Register. It has also won numerous awards over the years. In 2009, KCCI won National Edward R. Murrow Awards for Best Newscast and Overall Excellence. In 2010, KCCI won Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for Best Newscast and Overall Excellence. In 2009 and 2011, KCCI won the Photography Station of the Year award in the small market division from the National Press Photographers Association.
Owned by Hearst Television, the station maintains studios on Ninth Street in downtown Des Moines and a transmitter in Alleman. It also boasts a number of well-known personalities including former sports director Heidi Soliday, who had the distinction of being the first female local sports director in the U.S., Russ Van Dyke, Dolph Pulliam (the first African American broadcaster in Iowa), Pete Taylor, and Kevin and Mollie Cooney.
To celebrate its 70th anniversary, the CBS affiliate in Des Moines will broadcast “This Is Iowa: KCCI Salute to 70 Years” on July 31 at 8 p.m. To learn more about KCCI’s history see their advertorial in this issue of Iowa History Journal.
For more information about KCCI-TV visit https://www.kcci.com/