KCCI Des Moines

What KCCI Des Moines does

KCCI Des Moines operates KCCI-TV (Channel 8), a local broadcast television station serving the Des Moines metropolitan area and Central Iowa. Founded in 1955 and owned by Hearst Television Inc., the station functions as a CBS affiliate distributing network programming alongside locally produced news, weather, sports, and political coverage. Its editorial scope emphasizes Iowa-specific coverage including the Iowa State Fair, RAGBRAI, the Iowa State Capitol, and the Iowa Caucuses, supported by a dedicated Storm Team 8 weather operation and an investigative unit (KCCI Investigates).

The product portfolio spans a flagship linear newscast (KCCI 8 News), the kcci.com web platform, iOS and Android mobile applications, a documentary-style video offering (Stitch), the Matter of Fact political program, and social video distribution on YouTube, Facebook, and X. Distribution reaches viewers through over-the-air broadcast, cable and satellite carriage (including DirecTV and Dish Network), the kcci.com digital site, and the Hearst-owned Very Local streaming platform. Operational technology centers on broadcast infrastructure and weather radar systems; no AI/ML, proprietary software platforms, or APIs are disclosed in available data.

Revenue is generated from two primary streams: television advertising (a mix of local spot sales and national advertising handled by Hearst Television) and footage licensing of an extensive digitized news archive to third-party producers. Pricing for ad inventory is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. With 11–50 employees, KCCI is a sub-scale operating unit within the larger Hearst Television portfolio, and its customer base is dual-sided — Central Iowa viewers (audience) and local/national advertisers (paying customers).

Name

KCCI Des Moines

Legal name

Hearst Television Inc.

Website

https://kcci.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KCCI Des Moines is a Hearst-owned CBS affiliate television station (Channel 8) founded in 1955, delivering local news, weather, sports, and political coverage to viewers in the Des Moines and Central Iowa market across broadcast, web, mobile, and streaming channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (516120), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Network-Affiliated Local TV Stations (ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/CW/Telemundo/Univision, etc.) (MPABACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

Keywords

• Local television broadcasting
• Local news coverage
• Weather forecasting
• Investigative journalism
• Television advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Television Advertising: KCCI generates revenue through local and national television advertising. Local businesses purchase ad slots during news broadcasts and programming, while Hearst Television handles national advertising sales across the broadcast network.
2. Footage Licensing: KCCI and Hearst Television license historical and current video footage from their extensive archive to third parties for documentaries, productions, and other commercial uses. The archive contains tens of thousands of digitized news stories spanning decades.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

KCCI Des Moines (KCCI-TV, Channel 8) is a Hearst-owned CBS-affiliated local television station that produces and distributes local news, weather forecasts, sports coverage, political reporting, and community journalism across broadcast television, a digital website, mobile apps, and streaming/social platforms for the Des Moines and Central Iowa market. Its offering includes dedicated weather services (Storm Team 8), investigative reporting (KCCI Investigates), political programming (Matter of Fact), and documentary video content (Stitch), with revenue generated from local and national advertising sales and footage licensing.

Product overview

KCCI Des Moines operates as a local television news station (KCCI-TV, Channel 8) owned by Hearst Television, offering a multi-platform news and entertainment portfolio. The core product is the KCCI 8 News broadcast delivering local and national news coverage. The station extends its reach through the KCCI.com website platform and KCCI News mobile applications for iOS and Android. Supporting products include the KCCI Weather Team 8 weather service with radar and forecasting tools, the Stitch video content platform featuring documentary-style storytelling, the Matter of Fact political news show, and the KCCI Investigates investigative journalism unit. Content is distributed across television, web, mobile apps, and social media channels including YouTube.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KCCI 8 News
• KCCI.com
• KCCI News App
• KCCI Weather Team 8
• Stitch
• Matter of Fact
• KCCI Investigates

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hearst TelevisioncoreOthersKCCI is owned and operated by Hearst Television, a major broadcast company. Hearst Television provides national advertising sales, technical infrastructure, content syndication, and operational support for KCCI and its sister stations.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Tegna: Major US broadcast group with strong portfolio of Big Four affiliates in mid-sized markets, comparable to KCCI's positioning in Des Moines as a politically important regional station.
• Nexstar Media Group: Largest US TV station operator by audience reach and political advertising revenue; operates hundreds of network affiliates including in similarly sized Midwest markets, providing a public-market benchmark for affiliate-station economics.
• Sinclair Broadcast Group: Largest US TV station operator by station count; competes in similar mid-market DMAs with comparable network-affiliate business models, making it the most direct industry-scale benchmark for KCCI's revenue and valuation.
• Gray Television: Operates a large portfolio of mid-market network affiliates, including in Midwest DMAs with similar news-driven, politically active audiences — a comparable benchmark for local affiliate economics.
• Hearst Television (sister stations): KCCI's parent operates ~30+ local broadcast stations nationwide (e.g., WCVB Boston, WBAL Baltimore, KCRA Sacramento); sister stations use the same newsroom systems, sales infrastructure, and syndicated content, making them direct operational and economic benchmarks.

Direct peers

• WOI-DT (ABC affiliate, Des Moines): ABC network affiliate serving Des Moines and Central Iowa, competing head-to-head with KCCI for local news viewers, political coverage of the Iowa Caucuses, and local ad spend.
• WHO-TV (NBC affiliate, Des Moines): Directly competes with KCCI as another major-network affiliate in the Des Moines DMA, serving the same Central Iowa audience with comparable local news, weather, and sports coverage.
• KDSM-TV (FOX affiliate, Des Moines): FOX-affiliated local station in the Des Moines market, competing for the same viewer base and advertiser dollars in the Central Iowa DMA.

Others

• Very Local (Hearst streaming): Hearst Television's owned streaming platform that already distributes KCCI content; an adjacent, enabling platform relevant to KCCI's digital distribution and long-term OTT monetization strategy.

Regional players

• We Are Iowa (WOI/LOCAL 5 digital): Digital news brand tied to the Des Moines ABC affiliate; competes for the same digital/streaming audience as kcci.com in Central Iowa and reflects the multi-platform peer dynamic KCCI operates in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KCCINews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/kccitv
• Facebookfacebook.com/kcci8
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kcci-tv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KCCI Des Moines