Station Group Owner Facing Second Cancer Battle

By Kevin Eck 

intermountain west logoJim Rogers, owner of Intermountain West Communications, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he is fighting cancer again but seemed more concerned about his employees than himself.

Intermountain West owns stations in Arizona, Idaho and Montana in addition to Las Vegas NBC affiliate KSNV.

“Just say this is my second go-round with cancer,” Rogers told the Review-Journal. Adding, “I assume I’ll come out of this all right. I did the last time.”

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He revealed the development to his employees at a town hall-like meeting in the Channel 3 newsroom about a month ago.

“I think you owe your employees an explanation,” he said. “They needed to know. They needed to know for several reasons — first of all, just as a matter of knowing, and secondly, with what’s going to happen with the station.

“So I went in to say this is what I got but I can assure you that whatever happens, the station will not be put up for sale. That’s never been part of the plan and so they are rest assured that their jobs are intact,” he said.

Several Channel 3 employees who attended the meeting said Rogers got emotional during the half-hour address.

“He got a little choked up talking about the future of Channel 3,” said Lisa Howfield, vice president and general manager.

“Primarily, he wanted to assure everybody at the station (No. 1), he wanted to tell people what was going on with his health, then assure everyone that the station is not going anywhere, that he’s putting his resources into expanding everything that we’re doing at the station. He was just wanting the employees to feel comfortable knowing the station isn’t going anywhere.

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