As 2013 unfolded, no one in Minot-Bismarck-Dickinson (Williston), N.D., knew just how much heat the TV stations there would attract. That all changed in April when A.J. Clemente, on his first day as KFYR anchor, uttered some expletives into a hot mic, which resulted in the shortest career in TV anchor history. Then in late November, Will Ferrell rolled into town, donning his Ron Burgundy persona to anchor the KXMB news. "It was the talk, not just of the town of Bismarck, but of the whole state," says Tim Reiten, president of Reiten Television, parent of KXMB and KXMC Minot. "People really got a kick out of it." FerrelPs camp had first reached out to KFYR, but the station, nervous about the FCC attention after Clemente's gaffe, was not taking any chances. Dick Heidt, KFYR president and general manager, would not address the situation on the record.
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