After I wrote last week about KWWL eliminating some counties on its weather map, Austin Draude e-mailed to say that KIMT has done the same thing. The reduction in the Mason City CBS affiliate’s area sometime late last year*, though, is more drastic.
KIMT previously covered a 23-county area (and for a time, 24) in Iowa and Minnesota, as still seen on this image, from Algona to Decorah. But if you watch an online weather-cast today**, it’s down to the 12 counties of the official Mason City-Rochester Nielsen DMA, which is just outside the national top 150 markets. The only difference between it and KAAL now is the latter keeps Steele County MN (Owatonna), although I bet both signals are still accessible over the air there.
At last check, KTTC, the area’s NBC station, has more of Iowa covered despite being farther north and east (and based in Minnesota). But the periphery of the former area, including Franklin and Kossuth counties, loses the double (or triple) coverage it once had from some stations.
*Looks like sometime between Oct. 22 and Nov. 11; pay attention to the shaded counties in the latter although an outline has the old map.
**The weblink is dated to May 12, 2014, but apparently is updated every day. This tweet (with a dead link) indicates the station did a graphics update in July 2009.