WTVY (TV)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from WTVY-TV)
Jump to: navigation, search
WTVY
Wtvy 2011.png

Wtvy dt2 2011.png

Wtvy dt3 2011.png
Dothan, Alabama/Panama City, Florida
Branding WTVY News 4
Slogan Your Hometown News Leader
Channels Digital: 36 (UHF)
Virtual: 4 (PSIP)
Subchannels 4.1 WTVY/CBS
4.2 MyNetworkTV
4.3 The CW
Affiliations CBS Television Network
Owner Gray Television, Inc.
(Gray Television Licensee, LLC)
First air date February 12, 1955
Former channel number(s) 9 (analog; 1955-1960?)
4 (analog; 1960-2009)
Former affiliations DT2:UPN (2005-2006)
Transmitter power 1,000 kW
Height 573 m
Transmitter coordinates 30°55′11.7″N 85°44′29.5″W / 30.919917°N 85.741528°W / 30.919917; -85.741528 (WTVY)
Website www.wtvy.com

WTVY, virtual channel 4, is the CBS-affiliated television station in Dothan, Alabama; it is owned by Gray Television. The station's signal, originating from a transmitter in Bethlehem, Florida, reaches portions of Alabama, Georgia and Florida. In addition to its CBS affiliation, WTVY carries programming from The CW and MyNetworkTV, respectively, on its two digital subchannels.

WTVY is also the designated CBS affiliate for the Panama City, Florida market, where Gray also owns that city's NBC affiliate, WJHG-TV; in exchange, WJHG is available in Dothan on cable since Dothan does not have its own NBC affiliate. In fact, WTVY's transmitter is located in the Panama City market even though being only 28 miles from Dothan.

Contents

[edit] Digital television

Channel Video Aspect Programming
4.1 1080i 16:9 Main WTVY-TV programming / CBS
4.2 480i 4:3 Dothan's CW
4.3 My4 (MyNetworkTV)

[edit] History

WTVY's first broadcast was on February 12, 1955, originally on channel 9, as a CBS affiliate. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.[1]

The station moved to channel 4 around 1960, where it still remains today. When the station moved to channel 4 in 1960, it also relocated to new studios with a 1,209 ft (368.5 m) tower in Webb, five miles (8 km) east of Dothan. At the time, the tower was the tallest structure in the state of Alabama. In the early 1970s WTVY became one of the first stations in the country to broadcast 24 hours a day. WTVY-FM still utilizes the tower to transmit its signal.

In 1978, WTVY moved to its current 2,035 ft (ASL) tower in Bethlehem, Florida (28 miles/45 km southwest of Dothan). The tower is the tallest structure in the state of Florida and one of the tallest broadcasting towers in North America. The tower is so tall, that on clear nights the strobe warning lights on the tower have been seen as far as 50 miles away in certain locations. In 1983, someone climbed the tower and and parachuted safely to the ground. It is particularly dangerous to parachute from this tower due to the hazard of getting tangled in the guy wires that stretch nearly a half mile from the tower. The move was made in part to improve its signal in Panama City, where it had been the default CBS affiliate since the early 1960s. The new tower provides grade B coverage to much of the Florida side of the Mobile/Pensacola market, including Fort Walton Beach and Destin. In 1993, WTVY moved its studios to the historic Houston Hotel building in downtown Dothan (now known as the Woods Building). WTVY operates on the first two floors. The news studio is actually located in what used to be the grand ballroom of the hotel. The building is tall enough (eight stories) that the station's studio-to-transmitter microwave dish is located on top of the building, not requiring a smaller tower to be built on the property.

For many years Charles Woods, a perennial aspirant to the governorship of Alabama, owned WTVY, through his Woods Communications company. The station ownership was transferred to Chemical Bank and operated under the corporate name of Dothan Holdings, LLC Benedek Broadcasting bought WTVY from Chemical Bank/Dothan Holdings in 1995 for a price of $28 million. WTVY was one of the Benedek stations that was purchased by Gray Television in 2002.

[edit] Programming

Syndicated programming includes Wheel of Fortune, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Rachael Ray, and Live with Kelly. All syndicated programming that is duplicated on WJHG and WMBB is still shown on WTVY on Panama City's cable systems. This is in contrast to SyndEx laws, which gives local stations the option to restrict importing of syndicated programming that is already available on an in-market station. This is likely due to WTVY's transmitter and tower being located in the Panama City DMA.

[edit] News operation

Newscasts air weekdays from 5-7 a.m., and 12-12:30, 5-5:30, 6-6:30 and 10-10:30 p.m. Central, and weekends at 6:00 on Saturday, 5:00 on Sunday, and 10:00 p.m. This is a considerable amount for a station serving two fairly small markets (Dothan is the 172nd market, Panama City is the 151st market).

WTVY has historically been a ratings powerhouse in the Wiregrass, winning every news timeslot. This is partly because its only local competition, ABC affiliate WDHN, has a coverage area only half as large.

The building WTVY is broadcasting from also has a radar dome that is used, but is "unreliable to the current TruVu Titan system," according to the staff of the station. Currently, the weather center of the station is using a TruVu Titan 6.2.4 radar specifically made for WTVY.

[edit] News/station presentation

[edit] Newscast titles

  • WTVY News (1955–1964)
  • Television 4 Reports (1964–1970)
  • TV-4 News (1970–1985)
  • WTVY News (1985–1998)
  • WTVY News 4 (1998–present)

[edit] Station slogans

  • "The Tri–State's News Leader" (1991–1995)
  • "Your Hometown News Leader" (1995–present)
Television.svg This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

[edit] News team

[edit] Current on-air staff[2]

Anchors

  • Vanessa Araiza - weekend evenings; also weekday reporter
  • Tessa Darlington - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
  • Reginald Jones - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
  • Demetria McClenton - weekend mornings; also weekday reporter
  • Gina Pitisci - weekday mornings and Live@Lunch (at noon)

4WARN Weather

  • Connor Vernon (AMS Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
  • Oscar Fann - meteorologist; weekend evenings
  • Martha Spencer - meteorologist; weekday mornings and Live@Lunch (at noon)

Sports team

  • Kim Allen - sports director; weekday mornings, and weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
  • Ben Stanfield - sports anchor; weekend evenings, also sports reporter
  • Paul Stockman - sports and general assignment reporter

Reporters

  • Bryan Anderson - Marianna Bureau reporter
  • Muriel Bailey - general assignment reporter; also weekend script writer
  • Deanna Bettineschi - general assignment reporter
  • Jalissa Ellis - multimedia journalist; also web producer
  • Bethany Gillis - general assignment reporter
  • Mike Gurspan - Coffee County Bureau reporter
  • Rayne McKenzie - special assignment reporter; also Live@Lunch producer and weeknight executive producer
  • Giselle Phillip - weekend reporter
  • Devon Sellers - Dale County Bureau reporter; also weekend producer
  • Jason Wright - multimedia journalist; also station webmaster

[edit] Former on-air staff

Bob Peterman, Anchor, moved to WDTB(WMBB) Panama City, Deceased, Bob Powell, Anchor, Rex Roach, Jr., Anchor, Bob Howell, Anchor WSFA, Herb Strickland, Anchor, Deceased, John Williams, Anchor, Deceased, Terry Graham, Anchor, Deceased, John Micheal (Hornsby), Anchor, Stefanie Hicks, Anchor, WAKA Montgomery,

  • Angie Casey - anchor [3]

Skylar Zwick, Anchor, Tony Scott, Weather, Tom Nebel, Meteorologist, Gary Bruce, Weather,

Jeff Sanders, Weather, WAKA Montgomery, Ashley Brand, Meterologist, ABC 33/40 Birmingham, Al Roberts, Sports Anchor, Deceased, Brad Sherwood, Sports Anchor,

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Require Prime Evening Time for NTA Films" ([dead link]), Boxoffice: 13, November 10, 1956, http://issuu.com/boxoffice/docs/boxoffice_111056-1 
  2. ^ Meet the Team
  3. ^ "Familiar Dothan television personality leaving WTVY", Dothan Eagle, December 26, 2008, http://www2.dothaneagle.com/news/2008/dec/26/familiar_dothan_television_personality_leaving_wtv-ar-198952/ 

[edit] External links
ABC Network Affiliates
CBS Network Affiliates
KBTX · KKTV · KOLN/KGIN · KWTX · KXII · WCAV · WCTV · WIBW · WIFR · WKYT · WRDW · WSAW · WSWG · WTVY · WVLT · WYMT
The CW Network Affiliates1
KBTX · KWTX · WBKO · WJHG · WKYT · WTOK · WYMT
Fox Network Affiliates
KXII1 · WAHU · WBKO1 · WHSV1 · WSYM2 · WTAP1
Independent Television Station
MyNetworkTV Affiliates1
KKTV · KOLN/KGIN · KXII · WAHU · WCTV · WHSV · WIBW · WITN · WJHG · WRDW · WSAW · WSAZ · WSWG · WTOK · WTVY · WTAP · WVLT
NBC Network Affiliates
KKCO · WEAU · WILX · WITN · WJHG · WMTV · WNDU · WOWT · WSAZ · WTAP
1These stations broadcast these networks on their digital subchannels.
2Gray and Journal Broadcast Group entered into a "news share" agreement.
Annual Revenue: $332.1 USD (2006) · Employees: N/A · Stock Symbol: NYSE: GTN · Website: graycommunications.com
Local stations

WDIQ/WGIQ (2.1/43.1 PBS/APT) • WTVY (4.1 CBS, 4.2 MNTV, 4.3 The CW, 4.4 weather radar) • WJJN-LP 5 (Ind/FN) • WDHN (18.1 ABC) •
WDFX (34.1 Fox) • WDON-LP 41 (future NBC [1] [2])
Adjacent locals
Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable with cable television

Panama City: WJHG (7.1 NBC, 7.2 The CW, 7.3 MNTV) • WBIF (51.1 Daystar)
Montgomery: WSFA (12.1 NBC, 12.2 Local Weather, 12.3 RTV) • WIYC (67.1 AMV)
Stations

WPAF 2 (Ind) • WTVY (4.1 CBS, 4.2 MNTV, 4.3 CW) • W06CQ 6 (Ind) • WJHG (7.1 NBC, 7.2 CW, 7.3 MNTV, 7.4 VIPIR Weather) • WMBB (13.1 ABC, 13.2 This TV) • WPFN 22 (A1) • WWEO 24 (FN) • WPGX (28.1 Fox) • W34DH 34 (Silent) • WPCT (46.1 Tourist) • WBIF (51.1 Daystar) • WFSG (56.1 PBS)
CBS network affiliates in the state of Alabama
MyNetworkTV network affiliates in the state of Alabama
CW network affiliates in the state of Alabama
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WTVY_(TV)&oldid=477918355"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export