WTVC

For the station on 97.7 FM originally called WROM-FM and later WKCX K-98, see WGPB-FM.

WTVC

Chattanooga, Tennessee
Branding	NewsChannel 9 This Chattanooga (on DT2)
Slogan	Depend On Us
Channels	Digital: 9 (VHF)
Subchannels	9.1 ABC 9.2 This TV
Affiliations	ABC, This TV
Owner	Freedom Communications (sale to Sinclair Broadcast Group pending) (Freedom Broadcasting of Tennessee Licensee, LLC)
First air date	March 13, 1953 (Rome, Georgia) February 11, 1958 Chattanooga
Last air date	1957 (Rome, Georgia)
Call letters' meaning	We're TeleVision Chattanooga
Former callsigns	WROM-TV (1953-1957)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 9 (VHF, 1953-2009) Digital: 35 (UHF)
Former affiliations	NBC (1953-1956) CBS (secondary, 1953-1954) ABC (secondary, 1953-1957) DuMont (secondary, 1953-1956) Independent (1957-1958)
Transmitter power	45 kW
Height	332 m
Facility ID	22590
Transmitter coordinates	35°9.0′38.0″N 85°19′6.0″W
Website	newschannel9.com

WTVC is the ABC television affiliate in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter on Signal Mountain in the community of Walden. Owned by Freedom Communications, the station has studios on Benton Drive in Chattanooga.

On Comcast cable systems, the station is aired on channel 10.

Digital programming

On WTVC-DT2, Charter digital channel 174 and Comcast digital channel 208 is This TV.

Channel	Video	Aspect	Programming
9.1	720p	16:9	Main WTVC programming / ABC
9.2	480i	4:3	"This TV Chattanooga"

History

As WROM-TV

The station signed on-the-air in 1953 as WROM-TV, licensed to Rome, Georgia. It transmitted a full-powered analog signal on VHF channel 9 at 316,000 watts from a tower on Horseleg Mountain west of Rome. WROM-TV also had secondary affiliations with CBS, ABC, and DuMont. The station lost CBS when WDEF-TV signed on in 1954. WROM-TV then carried NBC, ABC, and DuMont until 1956 when Dumont went off-the-air and WRGP-TV (now WRCB-TV) signed on and took the NBC affiliation. At that time, ABC opted for secondary affiliations with WDEF and WRGP because the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had reduced WROM-TV's Grade A signal, which made it difficult to be picked up in Chattanooga. WROM-TV continued as an independent station until late 1957. During its tenure as a Rome station, it claimed to be "Dixie's Largest Independent." The station ran a late-afternoon and prime-time schedule of old movies, "hillbilly" music performances (which were common on southern TV stations in the 1950s) and occasionally, ABC TV network fare such as "Omnibus." WROM-TV's sign-on and its subsequent move to Chattanooga, Tennessee years later changed Atlanta TV history and caused a fruit-basket turnover of southeast TV frequencies.

Martin Theaters (forerunner of Carmike Cinemas) bought the station in 1957 and in December of that year, took it off the air to move the transmitter 70 miles (110 km) north to Chattanooga. Martin had purchased WTVM in Columbus, Georgia in late-1956, and was granted permission to switch that station from channel 28 to channel 9, but ran into government regulations. FCC rules mandated a certain amount of separation for stations on the same channel and WROM's Grade-B signal reached Columbus. Also, the FCC normally did not allow common ownership of two stations with overlapping signals, though the FCC has since relaxed this particular restriction. The Chattanooga-Columbus channel reallocation was part of the last huge FCC national channel reallocation that saw channel numbers in the Southeast switch not only in Chattanooga and Columbus, but also in Dothan and Montgomery, Alabama; Greenwood, Tupelo, and Laurel, Mississippi; Florence, South Carolina and High Point, North Carolina.

In 1948, Atlanta's television market included pioneer station WSB-TV, owned by the Atlanta Journal newspaper, operating on channel 8. The more desirable channel 2 frequency was reserved for crosstown newspaper rival Atlanta Constitution and its station WCON-TV. When the Journal and Constitution merged in 1951, WSB TV moved to channel 2. WCON-TV never took to the air, and its sister radio station, WCON 550 AM, was reassigned to Gainesville, Georgia, where it is now WDUN-AM.

That left room for a new channel 8 in Atlanta. A group of Atlanta businessmen, including an executive from the Davison's departmernt store chain, pooled their capital and launched WLTV as Atlanta's first full-time ABC TV affiliate. WLTV's studios were installed in a small building directly behind WSB TV, because that move allowed the station to utilize WSB's old channel 8 transmitting tower. WLTV operated on a very tight budget and offered little in the way of local programming or news coverage.

By 1953, WROM-AM had launched its new Rome TV station on channel 9, and Cincinnati-based Crosley Broadcasting had purchased Atlanta's channel 8 WLTV, changing its call letters to WLWA TV. As soon as both stations were operating, viewers in northwest Atlanta and to the south of Rome began experiencing trouble watching either station. Crosley also wanted to increase transmitting power at its new station, which necessitated a change to present-day channel 11 (now WXIA-TV).

By 1958, WROM's owners were making moves to cash in on their investment. The station began carrying a full prime time slate of ABC Network programs, overlapping programming with WLWA.

In 1959, WROM's owners accepted an offer to sell their TV outlet to a group of Chattanooga-based investors. Chattanooga had only two VHF stations at the time, WRGP-TV (now WRCB-TV) channel 3 (NBC) and WDEF-TV channel 12 (CBS). Chattanooga offered channel 9's investors a better economic model than Rome. The station received FCC approval to move and became Chattanooga ABC affiliate WTVC. That move 60 miles to the north opened opportunities for other television broadcasters to the south.

Atlanta regained channel 8 as a frequency, though it was reclassified as a non-commercial facility, clearing the way for the University of Georgia's Athens-based educational station, WGTV (which, years later, relocated to Atlanta.) Columbus, Georgia NBC affiliate WDAK TV 28 was able to move to VHF channel 9, while Dothan, Alabama CBS affiliate WTVY moved from channel 9 to the more desirable channel 4 and Columbus CBS affiliate WRBL moved from channel 4 to channel 3. In Birmingham, Alabama, WBRC-TV (an NBC affiliate) moved from channel 4 to channel 6.

Ironically, Rome lost a second television frequency 40 years later, when WZGA (UHF channel 14, now today's WPXA-TV) moved to Atlanta after several years of operation. WROM-AM is still on the air on AM 710.

As WTVC

Channel 9 returned to full-power as ABC affiliate WTVC in Chattanooga on February 11, 1958. To this day, it still operates under WROM's old FCC license. Chattanooga also became one of the smallest television markets in the country to have three VHF stations. The station is the only station in Chattanooga to have never had a secondary affiliation with another network.

WTVC developed a strong reputation for local programming in its early years. Among the shows that WTVC pioneered was the children's educational show Funtime with Marcia Kling. Although Funtime ended many years ago, Marcia Kling who became known as "Miss Marcia" is still associated with the station after 45 years. Shock Theater which aired on Saturday nights developed a cult following with WTVC Programming Director Tommy Reynolds dressed up as Dracula with the moniker "Doctor Shock" alongside his irreverent sidekick "Dingbat". The Bob Brandy Show which aired in the afternoons featured cartoons and kids activities hosted by WTVC advertising executive Bob Brandy, his wife Ingrid, and their horse Rebel.

In 1969, Martin Theaters was sold to Augusta, Georgia businessman J.B. Fuqua. Fuqua also owned WJBF-TV in Augusta, WTVW-TV in Evansville, Indiana, and KTHI-TV (now KVLY-TV) in Fargo, North Dakota. Over the next few years each station was sold with WTVC being purchased in 1980 by the A.H. Belo Corporation of Dallas, Texas. In 1984, current owner Freedom Communications bought the station along with KFDM in Beaumont marking the newspaper chain's second television acquisition. Belo had to put WTVC and KFDM on the market after it announced plans to purchase Corinthian Broadcasting from Dun & Bradstreet in order to comply with the FCC-mandated ownership limit of five VHF television stations which was in effect at the time.

Until June 12, 2009, WTVC aired its digital signal on UHF channel 35. It now broadcasts on digital channel 9.

The first studios for WTVC were located at its transmitter site on Signal Mountain. In 1960, it moved to new facilities in the Golden Gateway Shopping Center in downtown Chattanooga next to a Zayre department store. Over the years, however, the station outgrew the building. In 2000, WTVC moved into new digitally-equipped 26,000-square-foot (2,400 m²) studios located adjacent to the Highway 58 / Highway 153 interchange.

Freedom announced on November 2, 2011 that it would bow out of television and sell its stations, including WTVC, to Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Programming

WTVC clears all of the ABC network schedule, including newscasts, entertainment, sports, children's programming, and most news special reports. Syndicated programming on WTVC includes: Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, Dr. Phil, Regis and Kelly from WABC-TV, and The Doctors.

WTVC is the exclusive home for the weekly University of Tennessee Volunteer Television Network highlights shows featuring head football coach Derek Dooley, head men's basketball coach Cuonzo Martin, head women's basketball coach Pat Summitt, and other UT athletic-related programs.

Newscasts

Currently, WTVC airs 24 hours and 30 minutes of news each week. That includes four hours and 30 minutes each weekday, and 2 hours on weekends. In the event of special sports coverage overlapping news time, the station streams a live newscast on its website. The station also airs a public affairs show, "This-N-That", with longtime personality Don Welch at 12:30 weekdays, which has a weather segment and news updates whenever necessary.

Through the late-1960s and mid-1970s, WTVC branded its newscasts under the Eyewitness News label. In 1975, this switched to Action News. In the late-1980s, it was one of the first stations in the country to adopt the NewsChannel branding.

In the early 1990s, WTVC produced a 10 P.M. newscast for then-independent WFLI-TV but that was eventually cancelled. In 1996, the station began airing a nightly 10 o'clock broadcast on Fox affiliate WDSI-TV using station meteorologists, sports anchors, news reporters and news video, while WDSI provided separate news anchors. In 2000, that station launched its own news department and aired local news on weekday mornings, weekday afternoons at 4, and nightly at 10. In 2004, the news department at WDSI closed down and a news share agreement with WTVC was re-established. Since then, this station has been producing Fox 61 First At 10 on WDSI. That station's website has video from the primetime show.

From the 1960s through the 1970s, WTVC newscasts were usually in last place, but it was not until new owners Belo took over, that the ratings began to favor WTVC. Since the mid-1980s, WTVC had waged a spirited battle with WRCB for first place in the local news ratings weekdays, while WDEF has usually trailed both stations.

News/station presentation

Newscast titles

• The Pepsi-Cola Report (1958–1961)
• The Chattanooga Report (1961–1965)
• Newswatch (1965–1970)
• Eyewitness News (1970–1975)
• Action News (1975–1989)
• NewsChannel 9 (1989–present)

Station slogans

• "Depend On Us" (2004–present)

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News team

Anchors

• Kim Chapman - weeknights at 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m.
• Lindsay Jackson - weekend evenings
• Sarah Jennings - weekday mornings Good Morning Chattanooga and noon
• Kevin Sims - weekday mornings Good Morning Chattanooga; also reporter
• Calvin Sneed - senior anchor; weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m., also chief investigative reporter
• Dave Staley - weekend evenings; also sports reporter

Storm Track 9 Weather

• David Glenn (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.
• Bill Race (AMS Seal of Approval) - senior meteorologist; weekday mornings and weekdays at noon
• Jason Disharoon - meteorologist; weekend evenings

Sports team

• Darrell Patterson - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.
• Dave Staley - sports reporter

Reporters

• Jana Barnello - general assignment reporter
• Natalie Jenereski - weekday morning traffic reporter
• John Madewell - general assignment reporter
• Marissa Mitchell - general assignment reporter
• John Pless - general assignment reporter
• Karen Zatkulak - general assignment reporter

This-N-That

• Don Welch - host/co-producer
• Marcia Kling - senior topics reporter

External links

• WTVC "NewsChannel 9"
• WTVC-DT2 "This TV Chattanooga"
• WTVC mobile
• WDSI-DT "Fox 61"
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WTVC