WECT
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| WECT | |
|---|---|
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| Wilmington, North Carolina | |
| Branding | WECT (general) WECT News (newscasts) |
| Slogan | Where News Comes First |
| Channels | |
| Subchannels | 6.1 NBC |
| Owner | Raycom Media (WECT License Subsidiary, LLC) |
| First air date | April 9, 1954 |
| Call letters’ meaning | Eastern Carolina Television |
| Sister station(s) | WSFX-TV |
| Former callsigns | WMFD-TV (1954-1958) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 6 (VHF, 1954-2008) |
| Former affiliations | DuMont (1954-1956) ABC (1954-1964) CBS (1954-1980s) all secondary |
| Transmitter Power | 575 kW |
| Height | 280 m |
| Facility ID | 48666 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | 34°19′16″N 78°13′43″W / 34.32111°N 78.22861°W |
| Website | wect.com |
WECT is the NBC-affiliated television station for Wilmington, North Carolina. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 44 from a transmitter in Delco. While there is no longer an over-the-air analog signal, it can be seen on cable including Time Warner and Charter channel 7 as well as ATMC channel 6. There is a high definition signal on Time Warner and Charter digital channel 706. Owned by Raycom Media, the station operates FOX affiliate WSFX-TV through a shared service agreement (SSA). That station is owned by Southeastern Media Holdings. The two stations share studios on Shipyard Boulevard in downtown Wilmington. Syndicated programming on WECT includes: Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, Oprah, and Dr. Phil. The station usually airs the entire NBC schedule except for the network's late night repeat of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Instead, it airs paid programming during those hours. WECT also produces an outdoor-type program called Downeast Gardener that airs in segments during the morning newscast on Wednesdays and as a full program on Saturday mornings at 7:30.
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[edit] History
As the first television station in Wilmington, channel 6 began broadcasting on April 9, 1954. It had the call sign WMFD-TV and was co-owned with WMFD-AM 630. In 1958, the station's calls changed to the current WECT. At its launch, channel 6 carried secondary affiliations with DuMont (which went silent in 1956) and ABC (until 1964 when WWAY signed-on). WECT was also a secondary CBS station until the 1970s primarily carrying that network's Sunday afternoon NFL coverage. At one point, WECT was carried on cable systems in the Triangle region of North Carolina (Raleigh, Durham, Fayetteville, and Chapel Hill) for a time when NBC did not have a full-time affiliate in that market. As a result of the station's long-held popularity, it is still carried on cable systems in Dunn, Fayetteville, Jacksonville, Lumberton, Raeford and Southern Pines even though their respective markets have their own NBC affiliates. The station's analog signal once served as the default NBC station for the northern and eastern portions of the nearby Florence / Myrtle Beach, South Carolina market since that area was one of the few on the East Coast without its own NBC affiliate. For many years, it even identified as "Wilmington / Myrtle Beach" to acknowledge its viewership in the Grand Strand.
However, WECT's reception in the northern parts of that area (such as Laurinburg) was not as good as other stations and coverage has been reduced further as a result of a digital transition which left WECT a UHF station. While Myrtle Beach itself is just outside the fringe area for WECT's new digital signal, North Myrtle Beach is just inside it. The southern and western portions of the Florence / Myrtle Beach market were served by another Raycom station, WIS-TV in Columbia. On May 8, 2008, the FCC announced that five stations in Wilmington (including WECT) had agreed to voluntarily cease analog broadcasting on September 8 [1] five months ahead of the February 17, 2009 tentative date for television stations to complete the analog-to-digital transition. [2][3] The market was used by the FCC as a post-transition test market. On August 7, 2008, a new digital-only station, WMBF-TV that is also owned by Raycom Media, began broadcasting in Myrtle Beach covering the 2008 Olympic Games as part of its first network programming. On August 8, WECT disappeared from most cable systems in the Florence / Myrtle Beach market when WMBF signed on due to FCC regulations. For long time viewers, this was controversial as WECT had been on cable systems in Laurinburg and Lumberton for decades. On December 1, WECT returned to the Lumberton Time Warner cable lineup on digital Channel 220. This is next to WMBF's high definition channel. There is no word if other towns throughout the Florence / Myrtle Beach market will get their original NBC station back. As of March 17, 2009, WECT and WWAY is still carried by Time Warner in Rowland. That area is part of the Florence / Myrtle Beach / Lumberton market.
[edit] News/Station Presentation
[edit] Newscast Titles
- Your Esso Reporter (1954-1962)
- The World Today/The World Tonight (1962-1966)
- Eyewitness News (1966-1974)
- NewsCenter 6 (1974-1984)
- WECT NewsCenter (1984-1995)
- News 6 (1995-2005)
- WECT News (2005-present)
[edit] News team
Since September 22, 2003, WECT has been producing a nightly 10 o'clock newscast for WSFX. It is currently the only primetime news in the market. On September 13, 2006, it began to produce an hour-long extension of its weekday morning news at 7 on WSFX. All news programs on that station broadcast from a secondary set at WECT's studios. On August 31, 2008, WECT became the first station in Wilmington to air news in high definition. The launch came with a new graphics package and the WSFX broadcasts were included in the upgrade. WECT operates its own weather radar that is known on-air as "First Alert Digital Doppler" that is located north of Russtown. From April 15, 2005 until the end of December 2008, the station offered the now-defunct NBC Weather Plus on its second digital subchannel. This continues to air as a local weather channel, known as "WECT Weather Plus", that has local weather updates and doppler radar with a NOAA radio feed. Via digital cable, it can seen on Charter channel 136, Time Warner channel 939, and ATMC channel 939.
- Anchors
- Bob Townsend - weekday mornings and seen on Downeast Gardener
- Kim Ratcliff - weekday mornings and Noon
- Frances Weller - weeknights at 5 (5 to 5:20), 6, and 11
- "Buddy Check 6" segment producer
- Jon Evans - weeknights at 5 (5:20 to 5:40), 6, 10, and 11
- Genevieve Barker - weeknights at 5 (5:40 to 6) and 10
- Claire Simms - Saturdays
- Lynda Figueredo - Sundays
First Alert Weather Team
- Robb Ellis - weeknights
- Eric Davis (AMS Seal of Approval) - weekday mornings and Noon
- Colin Hackman - weekends and reporter
Sports
- Bob Bonner - Director seen weeknights at 6, 10, and 11
- Kevin Hull - weekends and reporter
Reporters
- Heather Setzler - arts and entertainment
- Executive News Producer
- Laura Sinacori - producer
- Casey Roman - investigative
- Kristy Ondo - producer
- Claire Hosmann - "Lifewatch" segment producer
- Max Winitz
- Gavin Johnson
- Claire Simms
- Lynda Figueredo
[edit] Station alumni
- Jim Hanchett- now news director at WCAV in Charlottesville, VA
- Shirley Gilbert-anchored Carolina in the Morning. Weathercaster. Deceased.
- Ken Murphy - Anchor (retired on December 31, 2004 after 40 years at the station, died in January 2007 at the age of 67)
- Maureen O’Boyle, reporter - had a nationally syndicated talk show for a time. Now main co-anchor at WBTV in Charlotte.
- Jeff Goldblatt, anchored Carolina in the Morning – Moved on to a number of positions from Richmond, Virginia to Washington, DC. Correspondent for the nationally syndicated show, American Journal. Currently with FOX News.
- Ken Lemon - One time Myrtle Beach Bureau Chief, then general assignment reporter. Moved to WSOC-TV in Charlotte.
- Beth Parker, weekend anchor – Reporter for WTTG in Washington, DC.
- Ken Medlin, Sport's Director- now Sports Reporter at WRAL-TV in Raleigh
- Ned Bauer, reporter – Has worked at numerous stations and produced special programming for C-SPAN and CNN.
- Bryan Moore, anchored Carolina in the Morning – Moved onto WLFL Fox 22, and News 14 Carolina in Raleigh, NC. Now Manager of Marketing Communications and Special Events with Northrop Grumman in Newport News, Virginia.
- Elizabeth Gardner, weather, currently a morning meteorologist with WRAL-TV
- Mitch Davis, Bureau Chief/reporter 1991-1997. Went on to anchor weekends and later serve as Executive Producer at WBTW in Myrtle Beach 1999-2006. Now Daybreak executive producer with WSOC-TV
- Chad Headley, Photojournalist/Truck Op -- Now Aerial Photojournalist for WGN-TV in Chicago.
- John Field - Photographer/Editor/Tape Roller from 1993-1998 for WECT News at 5, 6, and 11 p.m. Moved out of the television industry and into research.
- Nicole Ferguson, reporter -- Now a reporter for WGHP in Greensboro, NC
- Dan Henry- Meteorologist (90's) now Chief Meteorologist at KDFW, Dallas, TX
- Chris Marshall- Meteorologist (90's) Now ?
- Steve White- Weekend Sports Anchor 1996-99. Moved on to WZZM ABC in Grand Rapids, MI as Sports Anchor/Reporter. Now VP of Operations for The NGA Hooters Tour in North Myrtle Beach, SC.
- Kim Fields, Anchor -- Now anchors at WTVC in Chattanooga, TN
- Maggie Alexander, Reporter -- Now is a reporter with WIS in Columbia, SC
- Ashley Hayes, Reporter -- Now is a reporter for WSB-TV Atlanta, GA
- George Elliott, Chief Meteorologist -- retired December 31, 2008.
- Craig Carnesi, Meteorologist now weekend Meteorologist at KSPR in Springfield, MO
- David Zuckerman, Established Myrtle Beach News bureau in 1981. Served as reporter/cameraman/editor till 1985. Now owns a video production company in Jacksonville, Florida
[edit] Logos
 WECT logo used from May 8, 1986 until 1995. |
 Station logo logo used from 1995 until 2005. |
Revised WECT logo used since 2005. Similar to previous logo but enhanced for high definition. |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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