and KPTM) to broadcast its newscasts in high definition. In late 2013 and early 2014, KMTV added one and one-half hours worth of new news programming. On July 15, 2013, KMTV announced that it would launch a weekday half-hour 4:00 p.m. newscast; the program made its debut September 23, 2013, the newscast was then expanded to an hour. In January 2014 KMTV began broadcasting an early morning show focused on weather. Early Riser runs from 4:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. and features Ryan McPike covering the weather for the upcoming day. The station's 4 p.m. newscast became Upfront at 4 with the 2015–16 season, its first full season under Scripps ownership. On March 8, 2017, KMTV introduced a new virtual set and re-branded its newscasts as 3 News Now. The station also switched to the standard Scripps graphics package and Stephen Arnold's "Inergy" music package to match other Scripps sister stations. In January 2019, KMTV slashed at least half of its newscast schedule. The noon newscast was dropped to make way for Right This Minute, one of Scripps' original co-productions; the hour-long 4 p.m. newscast was also dropped to make way for The List and Entertainment Tonight; the 5 p.m. newscast became a mix of local and national stories and was renamed The NOW Omaha; the weeknight 6 p.m. newscast was expanded to a full hour; and the early-evening weekend half-hour newscasts on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and on Sundays at 5:30 p.m. were discontinued in favor of syndicated programming. As of May 2020, a traditional newscast has returned to the weekday 5 p.m. slot and the half-hour noon newscast has been reinstated. Notable former on-air staff Tom Brokaw – reporter (1960s; former anchor of the NBC Nightly News, later contributor at NBC News; retired) Dick Fletcher – meteorologist (late 1970s; moved to WTSP in St. Petersburg in 1980; died February 26, 2008) Bill Fries - commercials (1950–1960; later become more famous for his character C. W. McCall) Dale Hansen – sports reporter (1970s; now sports director for WFAA in Dallas; retired) Mary Hart – anchor (mid-1970s; later co-anchor of syndicated entertainment news show Entertainment Tonight) Floyd Kalber – anchor (1950s; later with NBC News; died in 2004) Jon Kelley – reporter (1990–1991; later weekend co-host of syndicated entertainment news show Extra, later host of The Mole on ABC, later with KNTV in San Jose/San Francisco/Oakland, now host of Funny