Ron Handberg, longtime leader at WCCO-TV/4 (Minneapolis), has died at 87. Handberg is a member of the Minnesota Broadcasters Hall of Fame, which says he began at WCCO radio in 1960 and moved to the TV station four years later, rising to become news director and then general manager. The Star Tribune reports Handberg put WCCO-TV on the map and created a newsroom that routinely sent journalists to the national level. He retired from WCCO-TV in 1989 and helped launch public television’s “NewsNight Minnesota” in 1993. His obituary also notes Handberg wrote and published seven television-based mystery novels after his retirement.
The Star Tribune reports that Paul Allen returned to iHeartMedia’s “The Fan” (KFXN-FM/100.3 Minneapolis) on Feb. 2. Allen was absent from the airwaves for a week after making a comment about “paid protesters” on his Jan. 23 show, which he called a “stupid curveball” that eliminated a spot to get away from politics.
Tegna NBC affiliate KARE/11 (Minneapolis) announced the hiring of Kevin Holmes as 6 and 10 p.m. co-anchor beginning April 13. Holmes most recently anchored at the NBC affiliate in Kansas City. The Star Tribune reports Julie Nelson has been mostly solo anchoring since Randy Shaver retired in 2024…