News Articles  Talk about the weather  9/23/2001 08:00:00 PM
Eastern  Stations in the diverse Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Dubuque-
Iowa City, Iowa, market find that providing comprehensive
weather information is one way to reach the largest audience.
"You want to try to appeal to as many people as possible," says
Rick Lipps, general manager of NBC affiliate KWWL-TV. "Our home
city is Waterloo, so we want to make sure we provide our
residents with Waterloo news. But we don't want to turn off
anybody else."  Since the market is largely agricultural, the
weather is particularly important—and becomes vital during
tornado season.  Even so, "you can't make everyone happy," Lipps
readily concedes. "There may be a tornado in the northern part
of the DMA, and it could be sunny in the southern part."  KWWL-
TV has built a strong brand, which is helpful in today's tight
market. Right now, the station is going after companies that
don't traditionally advertise on TV, such as the local auto
dealers, which tend to use classified