News operation
KDRV presently broadcasts 36 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with six hours each weekday and three hours each on Saturdays and Sundays).
Launched on September 16, 1985, KDRV has a fully staffed news department known as NewsWatch 12. By the mid-1990s, it had shot to first place in the Medford–Klamath Falls market, and has stayed at the top for most of the last two decades. Like fellow station KOBI, they air newscasts at 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m.; but beginning in 2013, weekend newscasts began airing at 8 a.m., 5, 6, 6:30, and 11 p.m., unlike its rivals. KDRV airs its morning news starting at 5 a.m. Anchor and reporter Ron Brown (known as the "Dean of News Anchors" in Southern Oregon) and chief meteorologist Scott Lewis were the longest-tenured newscasters in the station's history, but Lewis retired in 2012 and Brown retired in May 2015. Anchor Brian Morton (who joined the station in 1995) succeeded Brown as KDRV's longest-tenured anchor. Brown hosted the weekly "Oregon Trails" segment, which took a look back at Southern Oregon's history, while Morton reports on "Wednesday's Child", an adoption segment. The newscast has received numerous awards, including several National Association of Broadcasters, Associated Press, and Emmy awards. For a short period of time, KDRV was the only station in the Medford market to continue airing local sportscasts while rival stations KTVL and KOBI dropped their sportscasts in 2009. This has since changed.
On January 5, 2011, NewsWatch 12 was the first in the market to begin broadcasting its newscasts in 16:9 widescreen, to coincide with its new look, which is similar to sister station KEZI in Eugene. The station was also the first in the market to broadcast commercials in high definition. On September 9, 2013, KDRV added yet another newscast to its daily schedule, known as NewsWatch 12 Midday, which airs weekdays at 11 a.m. In 2025, the midday newscasts on KDRV and sister station KEZI were consolidated into Oregon News Now at Midday.
On January 17, 2025, Allen Media Group announced plans to cut local meteorologist/weather forecaster positions from its stations, including KDRV/KEZI, and replace them with a "weather hub" produced by The Weather Channel, which AMG also owns. The decision was reversed within a week by management, in response to "viewer and advertiser reaction".[9]
- Walt Maciborski – news anchor
