WJFW-TV

WJFW-TV

Rhinelander/Wausau, Wisconsin
Branding	Newswatch 12
Slogan	Your Northwoods News Leader
Channels	Digital: 16 (UHF) Virtual: 12 (PSIP)
Subchannels	12.1 NBC 12.2 Antenna TV
Translators	27 W27AU-D Wausau
Owner	Rockfleet Broadcasting (Northland Television, LLC)
Founded	October 20, 1966
Call letters' meaning	Jasper F. Williams (former owner)
Sister station(s)	WVII-TV, WFVX-LP
Former callsigns	WAEO-TV (1966-1986)
Former channel number(s)	12 (VHF analog, 1966-2009)
Transmitter power	269 kW
Height	362 m
Facility ID	49699
Transmitter coordinates	45°40′3.3″N 89°12′29.4″W
Website	wjfw.com

WJFW-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for North Central Wisconsin's Northern Highland area licensed to Rhinelander. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 16 (PSIP virtual channel 12) from a transmitter east of the city in unincorporated Oneida County. The station can also be seen on Charter channel 10 and in high definition on digital channel 612. Owned by Rockfleet Broadcasting, WJFW has studios on County Road G in Rhinelander. Syndicated programming on the station includes: Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, Judge Judy, and The People's Court. It can be seen on a digital translator, W27AU-D channel 27, in Wausau from a transmitter on Mosinee Hill southwest of the I-39/US 51/WIS 29 interchange.

History

Logo used until 2010.

The station signed-on October 20, 1966 as WAEO-TV, named after its original owner, Congressman Alvin E. O'Konski. Airing an analog signal on VHF channel 12, its original studios were located next to its transmitter tower. This was at the time one of the tallest structures in the world. On November 17, 1968, a small plane with three passengers crashed into the tower knocking it out along with the station's building. It was off-the-air until a new tower was erected in the same location as the original. New studios were eventually built at the current location in Rhinelander.

After the new transmitter's completion, WAEO was back on-air September 1, 1969. When the new tower was completed in 1969, it was the 7th tallest structure in the world at 1,800 feet. The new tower was also the first in the United States built exclusively for color television transmission. On June 1, 1979, the station was sold to minority-owned company Seaway Communications. As a result, it was the first VHF commercial television station in the United States to be owned by minority interests. In 1984, Dr. Jasper F. Williams (founder and CEO of Seaway Communications) was killed in a plane crash. In his memory, the call letters were changed to WJFW-TV in 1986.

In 1989, it activated a new translator on channel 27 in Wausau. The station's main transmitter is located further north than other North Central Wisconsin stations. This was a result of WISN-TV in Milwaukee which also aired on channel 12 in the analog era. The other two VHF and one UHF stations in the area had aired their analog signals on channels which were also in use by Chicago stations farther away and less prone to interference. As a result, WJFW only provided Grade B coverage of Wausau itself and some parts of Marathon County could not watch the station at all except on cable. Seaway merged with Rockfleet, the station's current owner, in 1998. In mid-March 2009, the main signal added Universal Sports as a second digital subchannel. After the translator performed a "flash-cut" to digital, it began to offer Universal Sports on DT2 as well. WJFW's broadcasts have been digital-only since February 17, 2009.

Digital Television

On WJFW-DT2 and Charter digital channel 967 is Antenna TV.

Channel	Video	Aspect	Programming
12.1	1080i	16:9	Main WJFW-TV programming / NBC
12.2	480i	4:3	Antenna TV

On May 23, 2011, WJFW replaced Universal Sports, in favor of Tribune Broadcasting's Antenna TV digital subchannel network.

Newscasts

Unlike most NBC affiliates, WJFW does not air a full two-hour weekday morning show. Steve Kmetko (host on E!) was a reporter and news anchor at this station in his early days.

On-air staff

Anchors

• John Quarderer - News Director
• Kira Lynne - weekday mornings and producer
• Matt Doyle - middays at 11 a.m. and weeknights at 5 p.m.
• Lane Kimble - weeknights at 6 p.m. & 10 p.m.
• Jenn Sullivan - weekends and reporter

Weather Watch 12 Meteorologists

• Matt Benz - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
• Matt Serwe - meteorologist; weekday mornings and noon
• Ryan Michaels - meteorologist; weekends and news reporter

Sports

• Joe Dufek - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10
• Marisa Silvas - weekend sports anchor and reporter

Reporters

• Michael Crusan
• Lyndsey Stemm
• Lex Gray
• Kailey Burton - producer
• Ben Meyer

Newscast titles

• Report to the North (1966-1973)
• Television 12 News (1973-1978)
• Newswatch 12 (1978-present)

Station slogans

• "Making A Difference" (1994-2000)
• "Where Local News Comes First" (2001-2005)
• "Your Northwoods News Leader" (2005-present)

External links

• WJFW-DT "NBC 12"
• NBC
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WJFW-TV
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W27AU-D