Alana and her lab Lily.

Alana Cunningham, a Chicago native,  joined MTN News in November 2015.

Alana graduated from Carroll College in May 2015 with a B.A. in Social Media Communications and English Writing. As the Online News Producer, she takes the stories that the reporters bring in from the field and “converts” them into web-based articles via copy-editing, integration with related stories, adding photos, videos, links, etc. She always tries to include helpful links and online extras for readers so that they can get as much out of a story as possible.

Alana loves (1) Montana & the outdoors (2) her black labrador retriever, Lily who visits the station every now and then and (3) anything “webby”!

Montana has been her home since she stepped foot on Carroll College’s campus in August  2011, and can’t imagine a better place to live!

You can contact Alana at acunningham@ktvh.com with news tips, feedback about the website, or suggestions.

LIKE on Facebook:
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MTN News Photo

Mikenzie joined KTVH in May 2015 after graduating from Northern Michigan University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Multimedia Journalism and a minor in Art & Design. Go Wildcats! Growing up in Metro-Detroit, her passion for reporting began early after watching the evening news everyday growing up and strives to tell compelling, accurate and honest stories.

Mikenzie has had internship experience at both local and international news while working at ABC 10 in Marquette, Michigan and Voice of America in Washington, D.C. While in college, she worked as a multimedia journalist for ABC 10 as well as a producer for the television station at Northern. She got her first taste of live television interning with Northern’s newscast , Public Eye News, where she had the chance to anchor the show.

Living in Montana has been amazing so far and when she’s not working, you can find Mikenzie either hiking, exploring and camping in the mountains of Big Sky Country or teaching figure skating at Helena Ice Arena.

Whether it’s a breaking news, or touching feature, Mikenzie loves being able to bring stories into your home.

If you have a story idea you can email her at mfrost@ktvh.com, tweet @MikenzieFrost,  or connect on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Mikenzie-Frost-KTVH-1453844558248759/?fref=ts

Sara Stinson MTN us in November 2014 all the way from Los Angeles where she graduated from California State University, Northridge with a Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Communication Studies. During college she interned at The Surf Channel and worked on her craft of writing, video editing and shooting. She feels grateful to be able to tell meaningful stories about people in the community. During her time here she has had the chance to cover the 2015 Legislative Session. Her very first story here was same-sex marriage becoming legal in Montana. She has been able to anchor and report for the last year. Some of the most rewarding stories she has done were about local model, Kennedy Walsh, looking to change the way we view beauty. Also, a story about a man who served 18 years in prison who says he was wrongly convicted. 

 When Sara isn’t working she spends her time snowboarding, wake boarding, hiking, and exploring the beautiful Treasure State. 

If you ever have a story idea or want your story to be told feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you about anything and everything. 

Curtis grew up in West Milford, New Jersey and was all over New England in his “younger” years. Curtis spent a lot of time vacationing on Cape Cod and at Lake Sunapee in New Hampshire.

He attended Rutgers University College of Engineering for 2 years before following his true passion: weather. Curtis discovered The Weather Channel when he was 8 years old and drove his family crazy because he watched it ALL the time. Family and friends nicknamed him “Weatherman.”

At the end of his sophomore year in Rutgers, Curtis took a chance at a weather internship for ABC’s Good Morning America and got it. Curtis helped prepare the forecast for then weatherman Tony Perkins. He also briefed the anchors of World News Now and World News This Morning, which included chatting with now CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. He met a lot of stars on the GMA set.

The behind-the-scenes meteorologist whom Curtis worked for directly, received his degree in meteorology from Lyndon State College in Vermont. Curtis decided to follow his mentor, applied to the same college, was accepted and transferred that fall. Curtis received his B.S. in Meteorology in May, 2003 and graduated as the most accurate forecaster in his class.

Curtis’ first television gig began in October, 2003 at the NBC station in Helena, Montana. Having never visited Big Sky Country before, he was up for the adventure. Curtis always had been an outdoor enthusiast and into a lot of recreation activities, and Montana was the perfect place for skiing, hiking, fly-fishing, and observing the weather! The weather in Montana is very extreme.

In his time there, he experience -40 without the wind, wildland fires that burned several hundred thousand acres, baseball size hail, amazing aurora borealis, and skied in a snowstorm that dropped 72″ in 36 hours! Curtis was the chief meteorologist for 5 years, and spent the last year also serving as News Director in the Capital city of Helena. Curtis participated in State and Federal Disaster and Emergency planning, provided spot weather forecasts for firefighters during the summer wildfire season, and was very involved in the community helping to raise money for several charities.

In May, 2005, Curtis lived atop the television station’s roof with a local humanitarian until they reached their goal of $100,000 to build an assisted living home for the developmentally disabled in Kyrgyzstan called the “Farm in the Dell”. They slept, ate, lived, and reported the weather all from the roof through 5 days of rain and eventually snow on the 5th day!

E-mail: CGrevenitz@ktvh.com
Facebook & Twitter 

After spending two years in Tucson, Ariz., Richie Melby has returned to Montana as the sports director at KTVH. Richie graduated from Montana State Billings in 2008 with a bachelor of arts degree in mass communication. He got his start at KTVQ in Billings before moving to Great Falls in January 2009, where he was the sports director at KRTV. Richie moved to Tucson in 2014, where he covered many great athletes at the University of Arizona. But, as a Hi-line native, Richie was pulled back to Montana in January 2016. He has a strong relationship with Montanans and enjoys telling the stories of local athletes, coaches and teams.

Richie spends his free time with his beautiful wife, Fallon, and their two kids – a Yorkshire Terrier named Tinker, the boss of the house, and a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Rosie.

If you would like to contact Richie, he can be reached by email at richie@ktvh.com or on Twitter (@RichieMelby), or you can like him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RichieMelbyTV/.

Slim Kimmel rejoined the MTN sports team in January 2016. The Winnett native started his career in Montana media at KTVQ while attending college at Montana State Billings, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in mass communication. After graduation, Slim spent six years at the Billings Gazette, where he was fortunate enough to be able to build relationships with coaches, athletes and fans from across Montana. Having grown up around sports, Slim enjoys the games between the sidelines, but he has even more passion for telling the stories off the courts and fields and introducing fans to the people behind the players.

A fan first and sports reporter second, Slim can usually be found wrapped up in basketball or football games of all levels. On the rare occasions he isn’t, Slim enjoys exploring the outdoors and traveling the world.

If you would like to submit story ideas or harass Slim about his favorite sports teams (the Kentucky Wildcats, Miami Dolphins and Oklahoma City Thunder), he can be reached by email at slim@ktvh.com or on Twitter (@SlimKimmel).

Chris Oswalt joined the KTVH/KBGF team as the evening anchor/producer in April of 2016, anchoring the news next to Mikenzie Frost.

Growing up in Central Iowa, Chris got the bug for news when the national media invaded his hometown to cover the closure of the Maytag Corporation in 2007. He comes to Helena with nearly a decade of experience. Most recently, Chris was a reporter/producer at WOI-TV in Des Moines IA. Prior to that, he worked in Boise, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Omaha and also in Salt Lake City.

When not delivering the news, you will find Chris out exploring what Montana has to offer, checking out the area breweries and indulging in the best food he can find.

Chris is excited to be back in the west near the mountains and telling the stories of those who call the community home. If you’d like to connect with him, send him an e-mail at coswalt@ktvh.com or follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cjoswaltNEWS.

Enthusiastic about life, foodie, animal lover.  Born and raised Southern Californian with a wanderlust attitude.  Contemplating a career where traveling, learning and interacting with new people, led her to pursue a career in Broadcast.

After graduating with a B.A in Broadcast Journalism at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, Lindsey was awarded the Chips Quinn Scholarship.  This scholarship included multi-media training at the prestigious Vanderbilt University landing her Thomson Reuters Paid Internship located in New York City.

After accomplishing her reputable internship at Reuters, Lindsey landed the job role of NBCSports Group’s Web Media Coordinator.

She was fortunate enough to work on the Sochi Olympics.  Working hands on with the Sports Dev team to make sure the Sochi Olympics website was up and running smoothly for paying viewers.

Lindsey’s daily jobs at NBC was creating live source links one NBCSports Live Extra app where shows such as The Dan Patrick show, Pro Football Talk with Mike Florino, Premier League, NHL and other major league sports shows.

E-mail: lford@ktvh.com

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E-mail: ejochim@ktvh.com
Directline: 406-457-2725

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Jacob Fuhrer joined KTVH in April of 2017 after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and minor in Business from the University of Portland in Oregon. Growing up in Portland, Jacob cultivated his passion for journalism after watching and visiting the local TV stations in Portland as a child.

Jfuhrer@ktvh.com
Twitter: @Jacobfuhrer
Facebook: @JacobMTN

Andy Curtis is the sports director at KTVH in Helena. He previously spent time at KBZK in Bozeman as a sports reporter and anchor.

Originally from Michigan, he is enjoying the outdoor opportunities that Montana has to offer.

Mike Dennison joined MTN News as its chief political reporter in August 2015, after a 23-year career as a newspaper reporter covering Montana politics and state government, focusing on campaigns, the Legislature, health care, energy, the environment, and many other issues important to Montanans.

A lot of folks might think politics are boring – but not if you tell the story with some pizzazz and let people know why it matters! Mike is looking forward to bringing that style of reporting and story-telling to the web and TV, for MTN’s stations across the state. You’ll be able to follow his work on MTN’s newscasts and websites, on Face The State, and via Twitter and Facebook.

Mike grew up in Seattle but came to Montana at age 20, to attend the University of Montana, not far from where his mom’s family has operated a ranch for more than 120 years, in the Potomac Valley. He graduated from UM with degrees in journalism and English in 1981 and joined the reporting staff of the Great Falls Tribune later that year.

After leaving the Tribune in 1982, he worked the next decade as a wire-service reporter in Helena, Seattle and Grand Junction, Colo., before returning to the Tribune as its Capitol Bureau chief in Helena in 1992. He joined the Lee Newspapers State Bureau in Helena in 2005, covering politics for Lee’s newspapers in Billings, Missoula, Helena, Butte and Hamilton.

Mike couldn’t imagine a better place than Montana to cover the political scene. Government is wide-open in Montana, its officeholders are easily accessible, the Montana media have a strong tradition of holding politicians accountable, and the state has a rich political history, peppered with intriguing personalities who have influenced both the state and the nation.

Mike has lived in Helena for 31 of the past 33 years. He’s married and has two grown sons.

Dennis Carlson has been reporting in Helena for four years. He covers the Cops and Courts beat and anchors the KTVH 5:00 o’clock show, Monday through Friday.

Before that, he spent the past 30 years living and working in Bozeman.

For most of his career, Dennis has worked in broadcasting, including KBOZ Radio and for the Montana Television Network as Reporter, Anchor and News Director.

Dennis has also worked as an elections clerk for Gallatin County, a field representative for U.S. Senator Conrad Burns and Government Affairs Director for the Gallatin Association of REALTORS®.

Dennis lives in the Helena area with his fiance’ Laura and her two children.

Dennis is a cancer survivor and a Type 2 Diabetic. His hobbies include training for and competing in sprint triathlons.

A proud graduate of the University of Missouri, Katie chose to major in meteorology when a severe winter storm hit her college town, canceling class for almost a week.

She was taking an introductory meteorology course and was fascinated learning how and why the storm came through.

After college, Katie moved to Madrid, Spain to teach English for a year, enjoying the mild Mediterranean climate.

However, Katie is no stranger to severe weather. Growing up in St. Louis, she has seen everything from flash flooding and funnel clouds to extreme thunderstorms and even thundersnow!

But even with all of this experience, nothing could prepare her for winter in Montana.

Despite the harsh winter, Katie is excited to forecast and learn about mountain weather patterns and to live in a state with such fantastic mountains and top-notch stargazing. Katie is the meteorologist on Daybreak, every morning at 6.​

Jonathon Ambarian grew up in a small town in the mountains of Southern California. In 2009, he decided to attend the University of Montana in Missoula, where he studied broadcast journalism and Spanish. He’s a proud UM graduate and Griz fan.

Jonathon first came to Helena in 2013, covering the Montana Legislature for broadcasters around the state as part of UM’s Legislative News Service. After the session ended, he stayed through the summer, reporting and anchoring the news on KBLL Radio.

Jonathon moved to Yakima, Wash. in 2014, and worked for two years at KIMA-TV, first managing the station’s website and social media, then producing the evening newscasts. Then, in 2016, he was excited to receive the opportunity to become a reporter with the Montana Television Network in Helena, returning to a state and community he’s come to love.

Jonathon has always been fascinated by the news and current events. Now, he’s proud to bring viewers in Helena stories about the issues that affect them, whether in state and local government, schools or elsewhere in the community.

When he isn’t working, Jonathon spends as much time as he can hiking, riding his bike and traveling around the state to experience all Montana has to offer.

Melissa Jensen is a Capital High School graduate and long-time Montana journalist. She started her career in broadcast journalism in Missoula in 1996, working as a studio camera operator while attending the University of Montana.

Since that time, she worked in Great Falls and Billings, went back to Missoula and earned her master’s degree while student teaching, and returned home to Helena to work and raise her family.

Melissa loves finding the stories that tell us more about where we’ve come from as a state and a community, focusing on the history that made us what we are today.

She also enjoys reporting on what is happening in our schools, to highlight the accomplishments of our local students and the important people who devote their lives to education. She is the proud mother of three boys and wife to David.

Dennis Carlson has been reporting in Helena for four years. He covers the cops and courts beat and anchors the KTVH 5 p.m. show, Monday through Friday.

Before that, he spent the past 30 years living and working in Bozeman.

For most of his career, Dennis has worked in broadcasting, including KBOZ Radio and for the Montana Television Network as a reporter, anchor and news director.

Dennis has also worked as an elections clerk for Gallatin County, a field representative for U.S. Senator Conrad Burns and Government Affairs Director for the Gallatin Association of REALTORS®.

Dennis lives in the Helena area with his fiance’ Laura and her two children.

Dennis is a cancer survivor and a Type 2 Diabetic. His hobbies include training for and competing in sprint triathlons.

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Curtis grew up in West Milford, New Jersey and was all over New England in his “younger” years. Curtis spent a lot of time vacationing on Cape Cod and at Lake Sunapee in New Hampshire.

He attended Rutgers University College of Engineering for 2 years before following his true passion: weather. Curtis discovered The Weather Channel when he was 8 years old and drove his family crazy because he watched it ALL the time. Family and friends nicknamed him “Weatherman.”

At the end of his sophomore year in Rutgers, Curtis took a chance at a weather internship for ABC’s Good Morning America and got it. Curtis helped prepare the forecast for then weatherman Tony Perkins. He also briefed the anchors of World News Now and World News This Morning, which included chatting with now CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. He met a lot of stars on the GMA set.

The behind-the-scenes meteorologist whom Curtis worked for directly, received his degree in meteorology from Lyndon State College in Vermont. Curtis decided to follow his mentor, applied to the same college, was accepted and transferred that fall. Curtis received his B.S. in Meteorology in May, 2003 and graduated as the most accurate forecaster in his class.

Curtis’ first television gig began in October, 2003 at the NBC station in Helena, Montana. Having never visited Big Sky Country before, he was up for the adventure. Curtis always had been an outdoor enthusiast and into a lot of recreation activities, and Montana was the perfect place for skiing, hiking, fly-fishing, and observing the weather! The weather in Montana is very extreme.

In his time there, he experience -40 without the wind, wildland fires that burned several hundred thousand acres, baseball size hail, amazing aurora borealis, and skied in a snowstorm that dropped 72″ in 36 hours! Curtis was the chief meteorologist for 5 years, and spent the last year also serving as News Director in the Capital city of Helena. Curtis participated in State and Federal Disaster and Emergency planning, provided spot weather forecasts for firefighters during the summer wildfire season, and was very involved in the community helping to raise money for several charities.

In May, 2005, Curtis lived atop the television station’s roof with a local humanitarian until they reached their goal of $100,000 to build an assisted living home for the developmentally disabled in Kyrgyzstan called the “Farm in the Dell”. They slept, ate, lived, and reported the weather all from the roof through 5 days of rain and eventually snow on the 5th day!

E-mail: CGrevenitz@ktvh.com
Facebook & Twitter 

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