WBIR-TV
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| Knoxville, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
| City of license | Knoxville |
| Branding | Channel 10 (general) 10News (newscasts) |
| Slogan | Straight from the Heart |
| Channels | Digital: 10 (VHF) Virtual: 10 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | 10.1 NBC 10.2 Me-TV |
| Affiliations | NBC Me-TV |
| Owner | Gannett Company (Gannett Pacific Corporation) |
| First air date | August 12, 1956 |
| Call letters' meaning | W Jay BIRdwell (founder of WBIR radio) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 10 (VHF, 1956-2009) Digital: 31 (UHF) |
| Former affiliations | CBS (1956-1988) |
| Transmitter power | 40.9 kW |
| Height | 529.6 m |
| Facility ID | 46984 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 36°0′19″N 83°56′23″W / 36.00528°N 83.93972°W |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Public license information: | Profile CDBS |
| Website | www.wbir.com/ |
WBIR-TV, channel 10, is an NBC affiliate television station located in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. WBIR-TV is owned by the Gannett Company, and has its studios in the Belle Morris section of the city, and transmitter on the broadcasting antenna farm on Sharp's Ridge in Knoxville.
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[edit] History
WBIR-TV signed on the air on August 12, 1956 as an affiliate of the CBS television network, taking that affiliation away from WTVK (channel 26, now WVLT-TV on channel 8). During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.[1] WBIR-TV was originally owned by a consortium headed by J. Lindsay Nunn and his son, Gilmore Nunn, owners of WBIR radio (1240 AM, now WIFA; and FM 103.5, now WIMZ-FM). The station's call letters come from Jesse W. "Jay" Birdwell, who founded WBIR radio in 1941; Birdwell sold the station to the Nunns in 1944.[2] The Nunns shared ownership with WBIR general manager John P. Hart; Knoxville residents Robert and Martha Ashe, and the Taft family of Cincinnati. [3] In October 1959 the Tafts' broadcast subsidiary, Radio Cincinnati, Inc., purchased the remaining 70 percent of the WBIR stations outright from the other parties.[4]
In January 1961 the Tafts sold WBIR-AM-FM-TV to the News-Piedmont Company of Greenville, South Carolina, owner of WFBC-AM-FM-TV in its hometown.[5][6] In 1967, News-Piedmont merged with Southern Broadcasting to form the Southeastern Broadcasting Corporation. Soon afterward, Southeastern sold all of its radio stations, purchased four more television stations and changed its name to Multimedia, Inc.[7] WBIR-TV and WFBC-TV were its flagship stations.[8]
In 1988, WBIR became an NBC affiliate, swapping affiliations with WTVK just before it moved to channel 8 as WKXT-TV. Ironically, this marked CBS' return to its original affiliate in Knoxville. At the time, NBC was the top-rated network while CBS was in third place near the midpoint of the Laurence Tisch period of that network's history. The biggest reason was that most of Multimedia's stations were NBC affiliates. Companies that own several stations affiliated with the same network generally have more clout with that network. NBC was more than willing to make the switch, since WTVK had been one of its weakest affiliates while WBIR was a solid runner-up to WATE-TV. With the switch, channel 10 became the last major commercial station in Knoxville to change affiliations. The switch also made channel 10 the third station in Knoxville to carry NBC; the network had previously aired on WATE from 1953 to 1979 before moving to WTVK in 1979. Multimedia merged with Gannett in 1995.
For a time in the 1980s, WBIR was seen on several ten-watt translators across East Tennessee and even Virginia. One of them, W04BM, was licensed to LaFollette, Tennessee and operated on channel 4.
In 2008, WBIR-TV debuted new graphics and news music. On June 1st, 2011, WBIR-TV & WTNZ-TV debuted a new High-Definition news set & weather studio and a full makeover of branding. However, WBIR-TV retained their logo by adding the HD symbol to the right of the logo.
[edit] Digital television
[edit] Digital channels
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WBIR-HD | Main WBIR-TV programming / NBC |
| 10.2 | 480i | 4:3 | WBIR-WX | Me-TV |
The national NBC Weather Plus network is defunct as of December 1, 2008, and was revamped as an affiliate of NBC Plus, utilizing the same graphics as Weather Plus (and is now a computer-updated loop of regional satellite/radar images, current temperatures, and daily forecasts) and without the national on-camera meteorologist segments (though the local OCM segments remained). It also aired FCC-mandated "E/I" programming on weekend mornings. In late 2011, it was replaced with The Local AccuWeather Channel, branded as "10 Weather Now". On October 8, 2012, it was replaced with Me-TV.[9]
[edit] Analog-to-digital conversion
After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion on June 12, 2009, WBIR-TV moved its digital broadcasts back to 10, its former analog channel.
[edit] Programming
Syndicated programming on WBIR-TV includes Dr. Phil, The Doctors, and I Love Lucy, among others.
[edit] The Heartland Series
The Heartland Series, hosted by Bill Landry, was a popular documentary series produced by WBIR from 1984 until 2009. It was conceived in 1984 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It continued to celebrate the people and the land of the entire Appalachian region, presenting re-enactments of historic events and feature stories about regional culture.[10] In February 2009, WBIR announced that it would suspend production of the series in September 2009, but would continue to show the hundreds of episodes already produced "for as long as the viewers like them."[10] The last episode was taped at the Museum of Appalachia in Norris on August 8, 2009 before an audience estimated at 10,000 people, one of the largest crowds in the museum's history.[11] [12]
During its 25-year history, The Heartland Series received several awards, including four Emmy Awards[13] United States embassies around the world keep tapes of The Heartland Series broadcasts as an information resource on life in Appalachia.[14]
[edit] Our Stories
In 2006, WBIR celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special report on some of the past stories captured on WBIR for the past 50 years. These reports were called "Our Stories" and included retrospectives on events such as U.S. Presidents visiting Knoxville and East Tennessee, major crimes and even the 25th Anniversary of the 1982 World's Fair.
[edit] News operation
Prior to September 15, 2008, this show was aired at 5 p.m. on weekdays under the title Live at Five. The program was moved to 4 p.m. and was temporarily renamed Live at Five at Four with WBIR asking for viewers' opinions on a new name. The quirky temporary name, however, was embraced by viewers and Live at Five at Four has remained the brand for the 4 p.m. program. In 2010, Live at Five at Four debuted new graphics to better reflect programming shown on the newscast.
Until late March 2011, WBIR-TV produced a 10 p.m. newscast for CW affiliate WBXX-TV. On March 28, WBIR-TV began producing a nightly 10 p.m. newscast for Fox affiliate WTNZ (channel 43). WBIR will also begin producing a weekday morning news show at 7 a.m. for that station beginning in June. Both stations' newscasts began airing in high definition on June 1, 2011, making WBIR and WTNZ the second and third stations in Knoxville to make the upgrade.[15]
[edit] News/station presentation
[edit] Newscast titles
- The Esso Reporter (1956–1960)
- The Big News (1960–early 1970s)
- Action 10 News (early 1970s; 1977-2004)
- NewsCenter 10 (1970s–1977)
- 10News (2004–present)[16]
[edit] Station slogans
- Straight from the Heart (of East Tennessee) (1983–present)
This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.[edit] Newscast themes
- The Action News Theme by Unknown Composer (1970–1974)
- NBC TV-Radio Newspulse by Fred Weinberg Productions, Inc. (1974–1982)
- WBIR 1982 News Theme by Unknown Composer (1982–1983)
- TuesdayC by Tuesday Productions (?-?)
- Theme From Firepower by Gato Barbieri (1983–1985)
- Power News V.1 and V.2 by 615 Music (1985–1997)
- Newsmark by 615 Music (1997–2000)
- Heartland by 615 Music (2000–2008)
- Gannett News Music Package by Rampage Music (2008–2013)
- This Is Home by Gari Media Group (2013-present)
[edit] News team
[edit] Current on-air staff
The station's current on-the-air staff include:[17]
- Anchors
- John Becker – weeknights at 5, 6 and 11:00 p.m.; also host of Inside Tennessee
- Russell Biven – weekday mornings (4:30-7) and LIVE at Five at 4:00
- Abby Ham – weekday mornings (4:30-7)
- Beth Haynes – weekdays on LIVE at Five at 4 and weeknights at 5
- Ashley Izbicki - weekend mornings (8-9 on Saturdays and 7-8 and 9-9:30 a.m. on Sundays); also weeknight reporter
- Moira Kaye - weekday morning headline news (4:30-10:30a.m.) and weekdays at noon
- Jennifer Meckles - weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
- Robin Wilhoit – weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.
- Weather
- Todd Howell (NWA member) – chief meteorologist; weekday afternoons on LIVE at Five at 4 and weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.
- Mike Witcher (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and NWA Seals of Approval) – meteorologist; weekday mornings (4:30-7) and weekdays at noon
- Kirsten Horne - meteorologist; weekend mornings (8-9 on Saturdays and 7-8 and 9-9:30a.m. on Sundays) and weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.
- Sports
- Kris Budden – sports anchor; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.; also weekday fill-in
- Steve Phillips – sports director; weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.
- Terry Brooks - sports reporter and fill-in sports anchor
- Reporters
- Eleanor Beck - reporter
- Steve Butera – reporter
- Allison Bybee – weekday morning reporter (4:30-7) and fill-in anchor
- Erin Donovan – LIVE at Five at 4 reporter and fill-in host and Live a Little feature reporter
- John Henry – reporter
- Evan Johnson - Reporter
- Jonathan "JJ" Jones - 10abouttown feature reporter
- Jim Matheny – general assignment reporter
- Ed Rupp – weekday traffic reporter 4:30-9a.m., Live at five at 4 and 5pm
- Ken Schwall – Positively Schwall feature reporter
- Mary Scott - Reporter and fill-in anchor
- Stoney Sharp – reporter and fill-in anchor
- Emily Stroud – LIVE at Five at 4 fill-in host and reporter
- Heidi Wigdahl - reporter
- Bill Williams – special reporter
[edit] Notable former on-air staff
- Jim Acosta – National Political Correspondent, CNN[18]
- Lindsey Nelson – reporter (deceased)
- LaSandra Brown - reporter and fill -n anchor
- Cheryl Scott - weekend meteorologist; now at WMAQ in Chicago, Il
- Julya Johnson - weekend meteorologist; now weekday morning meteorologist at WATE in Knoxville
[edit] Popular culture
The station was mentioned in Mountain Treachery, an Amazon.com e-novel by Matt Reid.
[edit] References
- ^ "Require Prime Evening Time for NTA Films", Boxoffice, November 10, 1956: 13
- ^ "FCC approves sales and transfers of 5 stations." Broadcasting - Broadcast Advertising, January 17, 1944, pg. 22. [1]
- ^ "FCC okays ownership shifts for KTHT, WBIR." Broadcasting - Telecasting, April 13, 1953, pg. 52. [2]
- ^ "Changing hands." Broadcasting, October 12, 1959, pg. 54. [3]
- ^ "Changing hands." Broadcasting, September 26, 1960, pg. 50. [4]
- ^ "Principals complete WBIR-AM-TV transfer." Broadcasting, January 16, 1961, pg. 53. [5]
- ^ "Southeast newspapers, stations plan merger." Broadcasting, August 14, 1967, pp. 54-55. [6][7]
- ^ Television Factbook #49, WBIR-TV, WFBC-TV Histories, 1980 Edition)
- ^ "Everything old is new again on MeTV!". WBIR.com. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
- ^ a b Terry Morrow, WBIR stops production of 'The Heartland Series', Tele-Buddy's Tinseltown Tales, knoxnews.com, February 12, 2009
- ^ Fred Brown, 'Heartland Series' says goodbye; Many turn out to celebrate longtime WBIR series, Knoxville News Sentinel, August 9, 2009
- ^ Terry Morrow, 10,000 fans turn out for last 'Heartland Series' taping, Knoxnews.com, August 12, 2009
- ^ Knoxville News / Knoxville Weather, KnoxvilleTennessee.com website, accessed October 6, 2009
- ^ WBIR-TV, Gannett website, accessed October 6, 2009
- ^ 10News now broadcasting in high definition on WBIR & WTNZ [8],"10News now broadcasting in high definition on WBIR & WTNZ"
- ^ WBIR NBC 2010 Open
- ^ Meet the Team, WBIR.com. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
- ^ "CNN Promotes Jim Acosta to National Political Correspondent". CNN. February 6, 2012.
[edit] External links
- WBIR-TV
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WBIR
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WBIR-TV
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