WOTV

WOTV

Battle Creek/Kalamazoo, Michigan
City of license	Battle Creek
Branding	WOTV 4 (general) 24 Hour News 8
Slogan	My ABC is WOTV 4
Channels	Digital: 20 (UHF)
Subchannels	41.1 ABC 41.2 TheCoolTV
Owner	LIN TV Corporation (WOOD License Company, LLC)
First air date	July 24, 1971
Call letters' meaning	variation of WOOD-TV
Sister station(s)	WOOD-TV, WXSP-CD
Former callsigns	WUHQ-TV (1971-1992)
Former channel number(s)	41 (UHF analog, 1971-2009)
Transmitter power	270 kW
Height	311 m
Facility ID	10212
Transmitter coordinates	42°34′15″N 85°28′7″W
Website	wotv.com

WOTV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Southwestern Michigan that is licensed to Battle Creek. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 20 from a transmitter in Orangeville Township. The station can also be seen on Charter and Comcast channel 4. There is a high definition feed offered on Comcast digital channel 237 and Charter digital channel 780. Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, WOTV is sister to NBC affiliate WOOD-TV and Class A MyNetworkTV affiliate WXSP-CD.

All three share studios on College Avenue Southeast in the Heritage Hill section of Grand Rapids. Syndicated programming on WOTV includes: The Dr. Oz Show, Swift Justice with Nancy Grace, The Real Housewives, The Wendy Williams Show, and Grace Under Fire. On early Saturday and Sunday mornings, the station simulcasts WOOD-DT3 which is a live feed of the "Storm Team 8 Live Doppler Network".

Overview

WOTV primarily serves the southern portion of the market (Kalamazoo and Battle Creek) while the area's other ABC affiliate, WZZM-TV, serves the northern portion. That station has a transmitter northwest of Grand Rapids in Grant. Recently, WOTV has begun billing itself as a full market ABC station including Grand Rapids. It provides at least secondary coverage to nearly all of the Southwestern Michigan area.

The station currently identifies on-air as WOTV 4 in reference to its channel position on area cable systems. Its current logo displays both digits for channel 41, its defunct analog signal, but highlights the numeral four in positive space and displays the numeral one immediately adjacent in negative space (similar to the hidden numeral 11 in the former Big Ten Conference logo).

Digital programming

On WOTV-DT2, Charter digital channel 240, and Comcast digital channel 296 is TheCoolTV.

Virtual channel	Video	Aspect	Programming
41.1	720p	16:9	main WOTV programming/ABC HD
41.2	480i	4:3	WOTV-DT2 TheCoolTV

History

The station signed on July 24, 1971 as WUHQ-TV (UHF HeadQuarters). It was owned by Channel 41, Inc. a group of nineteen investors from Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. WUHQ signed-on because the southern portion of the market did not receive an adequate signal from WZZM. Originally licensed on VHF channel 9, that station swapped channels with WWTV in Cadillac and moved to channel 13 just before signing-on in 1962. As a result, its transmitter is farther north than the other Southwestern Michigan stations in order to protect WTVG in Toledo, Ohio. Before WUHQ signed-on, viewers in Kalamazoo and Battle Creek watched ABC from either WSJV in Elkhart, Indiana, WXYZ-TV in Detroit, or WLS-TV in Chicago.

In the early days, the station could not get ABC to provide a direct network feed. This forced channel 41 to switch to and from WZZM's signal during the times when ABC network programming was being shown. This practice, however, was less than satisfactory as WZZM often pre-empted network shows in favor of locally originated or other programming (such as Billy Graham crusades). In cases where WUHQ had advance notice of such changes, the station was able to procure filmed copies of the pre-empted network programming for broadcast. However, WZZM sometimes pre-empted a program with no advance notice such as for breaking local news or severe weather reports. When this happened, WUHQ simulcasted WSJV, usually with less than satisfactory results. At times, atmospheric conditions were not suitable enough to simulcast WSJV, forcing WUHQ to substitute a film or other non-network programming.

WZZM's owners, Northstar Television, planned to buy WUHQ in 1991 and turn it into a satellite. This would have created a strong combined signal with about 40% overlap. Northstar received Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval to do this but the deal fell through when the company was unable to come up with the funds necessary to close the transaction. Instead, WUHQ's owner entered into a local marketing agreement (LMA) with LIN Broadcasting, owner of WOTV in Grand Rapids. The deal closed on November 11, 1991. Shortly after, channel 8 regained its heritage WOOD-TV calls and moved WOTV calls to channel 41. The previous calls are currently used on a low-powered Daystar affiliate in Grand Rapids.

In 1996, WOTV boosted its transmitter power to five million watts, making it the most powerful station in West Michigan. It now had at least Grade B coverage throughout the entire market. AT&T bought WOOD-TV and the LMA with WOTV in 1994, when LIN spun off its television division as LIN TV. However, LIN TV continued to operate both stations. LIN TV reacquired WOOD-TV from AT&T in 1999 and bought WOTV outright in 2002. As of December 2006, all operations of the station have been consolidated into WOOD-TV's facilities in Grand Rapids. Reporter Gerry Barnaby, who joined WOTV in 1993, left the station at end of the year. WOTV's studios on West Dickman Road (M-96) in Battle Creek were donated to a city entity, Battle Creek Unlimited, and the equipment went to the Calhoun County Vocational Educational Center.

Both WOTV and WZZM have had a unique history of having one ABC affiliate pre-empt network programming during Labor Day weekend for the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon while another airs the pre-empted ABC programming. In recent years, WOTV has aired the MDA Telethon while WZZM has aired ABC programming preempted by the telethon. It was the other way around in previous years however. Also, Bill Steffen is the only current news personality to appear on the telethon on both stations having been employed by WZZM and WOOD-TV. On May 18, 2007, LIN TV announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives that could have resulted in the sale of the company.

On June 12, 2009, WOTV's digital signal remained on channel 20 when the analog to digital conversion was completed. In late-October 2010 with LIN TV beginning to launch digital translators of WOOD-TV in the southwestern portion of the market and near universal availability of WXSP on cable and satellite, WOTV discontinued its simulcast of WXSP on a second digital subchannel. This was replaced with TheCoolTV, a 24-hour music video network.

News operation

News open simulcasted from WOOD-TV.

Early in the station's history, it established a news operation that was the breeding ground for some of the area's most famous television personalities. However, the channel had no luck whatsoever competing against WOOD-TV and WWMT due to the limited viewer base. Even with Kalamazoo (the market's second largest city) there was simply not enough viewership in the southern parts of the market for WOTV to make any headway in the ratings.

In addition, WWMT has traditionally had a focus in the southern areas of the market including the operation of a news bureau in Battle Creek. As a result, this station's original news department was shut down in 1990. WOOD-TV then began simulcasting some of its newscasts on WOTV as well as airing specially produced newscasts covering Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. Essentially, the station was functioning as a news bureau for WOOD-TV.

On February 9, 1991, news anchor Diane Newton King was murdered in her home near Marshall. Her husband, Bradford King, was convicted of first-degree murder and is currently serving a life sentence. The case received national attention in 2004 when it was aired on Court TV's Forensic Files. The case was also profiled on A&E's City Confidential in an episode titled "Bad News in Battle Creek". In 1992, WOTV brought back a full news department for a second time branded as 41 News. However, like the previous attempt, the channel could not gain enough viewers or make a dent in the ratings. LIN TV finally decided to shut down WOTV's news operation for good in August 2003. Since then, the station has simulcasted some of WOOD-TV's newscasts but this time without any separate opens or segments. There are also weeknight prime time weather updates featuring Chief Meteorologist Bill Steffen.

Currently, only the second hour of WOOD-TV's weekday morning show and nightly newscast at 6 (first half-hour only) can be seen on WOTV. After the news department was shut down, its current on-air slogan was adopted to promote ABC programming paired with WOOD-TV's market leading newscasts. There is also encouragement for people to watch ABC on WOTV instead of WZZM. The "Phrase That Pays" is a regularly scheduled contest built around the slogan. On October 5, 2009, WOOD-TV became the second station in Southwestern Michigan to begin offering local newscasts in 16:9 enhanced definition widescreen. Although not truly high definition, the broadcast match the ratio of HD television screens. The simulcasts on WOTV were included in the upgrade. Then on October 22, 2011, WOOD-TV became the third television station in southwestern Michigan to broadcast local newscasts in high definition. The simulcasts on WOTV were included in the upgrade as well.

Newscast titles

• TV-41 News (1970s-1980s)
• News Check 41 (1980s-1990)
• News 8 on TV-41 (1990-1992, used during simulcasts from WOOD-TV)
• 41 News (1992-2003)
• 24 Hour News 8 (2003-present, used during simulcasts from WOOD-TV)

Station slogans

• "Let The One Shine In" (1977, localized version of ABC ad campaign, used by WUHQ instead of ABC's "Still The One" slogan while using the same music)
• "The 41 And Only" (early-1980s)
• "West Michigan's 24-Hour News Source" (early 1990s)
• "News That's Close to Home" (mid-1990s)
• "News From Where You Live" (1990s-August 2003)
• "My ABC is WOTV 4" (2003-present)

News team

Anchors

• Brett Thomas - weekday mornings and Executive Producer
• Emily Linnert - weekday mornings and reporter
• Brian Sterling - weeknights
• Marc Thompson - weekends and reporter
• Lori Cook "Maranda" - Children and Family Services Manager as well as Where You Live host
  • heard on WSRW-FM 105.7

Storm Team 8 Meteorologists

• Bill Steffen (AMS Seal of Approval) - Chief seen weeknights
• Terri DeBoer (AMS Seal of Approval) - weekday mornings
• Kyle Underwood (AMS/NWA Seals of Approval) - weekends

Sports

• Jack Doles - Director seen weeknights and Football Frenzy host
• Jason Terzis - Saturdays and Sports Overtime host
  • sports reporter and producer
• Larry Figurski - Sundays and Football Frenzy host
  • sports reporter

Reporters

• Eva Aguirre Cooper - Communications Director
• Anne Schieber - "Your Money" investigative
• Dee Morrison - weekday mornings
• Henry Erb - Senior investigative
• Rick Albin - political
• Crystal Hilliard
• Tony Tagliavia
• Dani Carlson
• Leon Hendrix
• Joe LaFurgey
• Ken Kolker

External links

• WOTV
• WOOD-TV
• WXSP-CD
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WOTV