Television personality Huell Howser, who got his broadcasting start at WSM-TV in Nashville in the 1960s before becoming a beloved star of a number of PBS shows in California, has died at age 67 after battling illness for several years. Howser, pictured here in a Flicker photo, specialized in human-interest pieces on Channel 4 before moving to New York and then, in 1981, to Los Angeles. There, he built several shows, including the popular California's Gold, that profiled the hidden treasures of the state. The Huffington Post has more on the life of a man whose "unabashed love for even the smallest topics and towns" won the hearts of many a Golden State viewer.

WSMV Channel 4 and its parent company Meredith have signed on to broadcast Katie Couric's one-hour talk show when it launches next September. Couric left CBS this past spring after almost five years anchoring the CBS Evening News.

With the station a week and a half from launch, dayparts are filling up at new sports talk player 102.5 The Game.

WSMV alum Aaron Solomon announced via Facebook he will join the Cromwell-owned station. Solomon left Channel 4 suddenly and unexpectedly in the spring, where he had been hosting the NBC affiliate's morning show. He had previously worked on the sports desk there.

Solomon's show is the second piece of local content confirmed by the new station. Darren McFarland and Brad Hopkins were announced as the morning show's hosts earlier this week.