WROC-TV

{{Infobox broadcast}} may refer to:

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WROC-TV, virtual channel 8, is a CBS affiliate based in Rochester, New York, owned and operated by Nexstar Broadcasting Group. WROC-TV operates Fox affiliate WUHF (channel 31, owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group) through a shared services agreement. The two share studios on Humboldt Street in Rochester. WROC-TV's transmitter is located on Pinnacle Hill in Brighton, New York.

History

WROC-TV is Rochester's oldest television station, signing on June 11, 1949 as WHAM-TV, an NBC affiliate on channel 6. It was owned originally by Stromberg-Carlson, a telephone equipment manufacturer, along with WHAM radio. The station was also affiliated with the now defunct DuMont Television Network. ([1])

WROC-TV moved to channel 5 on July 24, 1954, as part of a revision of upstate New York's VHF allotments resulting from the Federal Communications Commission's Sixth Report and Order of 1952. However, WROC on channel 5 dealt with interference issues from CBLT, a CBC Television station from Toronto, after that station moved from its original channel 9 allocation to channel 6 in 1956. CBLT was replaced on channel 9 by CFTO-TV in 1960, and that channel relocation would later play an indirect role in WROC's second frequency shift, eight years later.

Stromberg-Carlson sold its broadcast holdings in 1956, with WHAM-TV going to Transcontinent Broadcasting, which owned WGR radio and WGR-TV in Buffalo. The new owners changed the call letters to the current WROC-TV. In 1961, Transcontinent sold the station to Veterans Broadcasting Company, which earlier that year sold its half of what is today WHEC-TV (channel 10) to the Gannett Company, then based in Rochester. (The WHAM-TV callsign is now used on Rochester's ABC affiliate, channel 13, previously known as WOKR. Other than the shared callsign, that station is unrelated to the earlier WHAM-TV.)

Under Veterans' ownership, WROC-TV moved to channel 8 on September 8, 1962 as part of another channel allocation change, this one being a switch involving Rochester and Syracuse. The FCC moved WROC-TV's former channel 5 east to Syracuse, and it was taken by Meredith Corporation-owned WHEN-TV (now WTVH), which was previously on channel 8. The move also allowed a new station on channel 9 to enter the Syracuse market; it signed-on as WNYS-TV (later WIXT and now WSYR-TV) the following day.

Veterans Broadcasting merged with Rust Craft Broadcasting in 1964. Rust Craft became a subsidiary of Ziff Davis in 1979. Rust Craft then sold WROC-TV and sister stations WEYI-TV in Saginaw, Michigan, WRDW-TV in Augusta, Georgia and WTOV-TV in Steubenville, Ohio to Television Station Partners LP in 1983. Television Station Partners sold WROC along with WEYI and WTOV to Smith Broadcasting in 1996. Nexstar bought WROC in 1999.

Under the stewardship of Television Station Partners, WROC-TV made another switch: On July 1, 1989, after 40 years with NBC, channel 8 swapped network affiliations with WHEC-TV and became a CBS station.

Since the 1970s, WROC's newscasts have struggled in the Nielsen ratings, usually placing a distant third behind WOKR/WHAM-TV and WHEC-TV. Even with the strong NBC prime-time line-up in the mid-to-late 1980s (the last few years of WROC's affiliation contract with NBC) and the strong CBS line-up during the 2000s, WROC's newscasts remained in third place for the most part, although it slowly grew in market share over the course of the decade. In the November 2008 ratings period, however, WROC's 11 pm newscast finished ahead of the slumping WHEC for the first time in many years.

For many years WROC-TV was one of three Rochester area stations offered on Cable in the Ottawa/Gatineau and Eastern Ontario regions. The Rochester area stations were replaced with Detroit stations when the microwave relay system that provided these signals was discontinued. Until January 2009, WROC was also available in many Central Ontario communities such as Belleville, Cobourg and Lindsay.

Digital television

When the analog television shutdown and digital conversion took place on June 12, 2009, WROC-TV remained on its pre-transition digital channel 45 for its post-transition operations. WROC-TV's analog signal over channel 8 was officially turned off at 11:35 P.M. that evening, following their late newscast. However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display WROC-TV's virtual channel as 8.1.

For many years WROC were one of three Rochester area stations offered on cable in the Ottawa, Gatineau, Quebec, and eastern Ontario regions. The Rochester area stations were replaced with Detroit stations when the microwave relay system that provided these signals was discontinued.

News operation

File:Wroc news.png

Their nightly 11 o'clock news open.

In August 1957, WROC-TV began airing the area’s first 11 o'clock broadcast called Eleventh Hour News. Regular sports segments were added to the show on April 7, 1958. In 1981, channel 8 acquired a live truck to assist in news gathering efforts. Since the 1970s, their newscasts have struggled in the Nielsen ratings usually placing a distant third behind WOKR/WHAM-TV and WHEC-TV.

Even with strong primetime programming from NBC in the mid-to-late 1980s, and from CBS during the 2000s, WROC's broadcasts remained in third place for the most part. However, they slowly grew in market share over the course of the decade. In the November 2008 ratings period, the station's 11:00 P.M. newscast finished ahead of the slumping WHEC for the first time in many years.

On September 1, 2005, a nightly half hour prime time show produced by WROC called Fox First at 10 began airing on WUHF. It airs from a secondary set at WROC's facilities. Eventually, this expanded to 45 minutes followed by a fifteen minute sports highlight program known as Sports Extra. WROC's meteorologists also provide weather forecasts for sister station WUTR in Utica.

Newscast titles

• News 8 (1981-1987)
• Eyewitness News (1987-)
• NewsChannel 8 (1990s)
• News 8 (-1998)
• News 8 Now (1998-2009)
• News 8 (2009-Present)

Station slogans

• "Take a Look at TV-8" (1978-1981)
• "8's on your side" (1998-2004)
• "See the difference, everyday" (2004-2009)
• "The Team You Can Trust" (2009-present)

News team

Anchors

• Katrina Irwin - weekday mornings and Noon
• Kevin Doran - weeknights; also managing editor
• Maureen McGuire - weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6, and 11
• TBD - weekends

Stormwatch 8 Meteorologists

• Scott Hetsko - chief meteorolgist, seen weeknights
• Brian Neudorff - weekday mornings and Noon
• Bob Metcalfe - weekends

Sports

• John Kucko - Director seen weeknights
• Thad Brown - weekends and sports reporter
• Cory Hepola - sports reporter and "Cory Stories" segment producer

Reporters

• Lauren MacDonough - website and "Hot Off the Web" segment producer
• Evan Axelbank
• Matt Molloy
• Meghan Backus
• Ali Touhey
• Jason Frazer

Past personalities

• Jecoliah Ellis, former reporter
• Marty Aarons, former Anchor
• Gary Adams, former reporter
• Linda Allen, former Anchor, now at WJTV Jackson, MS
• Melanie Barnas, former Morning and Noon Anchor
• Rachel Barnhart, former Reporter, now at WHAM-TV Rochester
• Duane Brozek, former Anchor/Features Reporter
• Virginia Butler, former Anchor, now at YNN Rochester
• Ty Chandler, former Reporter, now at NY1 New York
• Chris Cimino, former Meteorologist, now at WNBC-TV New York
• Eric Collins, former Reporter, now at ESPN
• Christine Crafts, former Meteorologist, now at SUNY Brockport
• Brett Davidsen, former Reporter, now at WHEC-TV Rochester
• Tom Decker, former Anchor, now retired as media relations director, National Safety Council
• J.C. DeLass, former Sports Anchor, now station manager at WYSL
• Robin DeWind, former Anchor/Reporter, now at WHEC-TV Rochester
• Tina Dunbar, former Reporter
• Jerry Fiore, former Anchor/Features Reporter
• Pete Gallivan, former Reporter, now at WGRZ Buffalo
• Mike Goldberg, former Chief Meteorologist
• Rob Haswell, former Meteorologist, now at WITI Milwaukee
• Elizabeth Harness, former anchor, now Mgr. Corp. Communications/Public Affairs, Bausch + Lomb
• Kai Kim, former Anchor
• Bob Kirk, former Senior Correspondent, former News Director
• Kevin Jolly former Reporter, now at WKBW Buffalo
• Valerie Lacy, former Anchor
• Lia Lando, former Anchor
• Steve Levine, former 8 On Your Side reporter
• Johanne Lochard, former Reporter, now at KSAT-TV San Antonio
• Melissa Long, former Anchor/Reporter, now at CNN
• Dave McKinley Former Acchor and Reporter, Now at WGRZ-TV Buffalo NY
• Wanda Miller, former Anchor, now at Rochester Institute of Technology
• Anne Montgomery, former sports reporter (1980s), later at ESPN, now a teacher at South Mountain High School
• Bob Mills, former Weather, now in Atlanta as fulltime freelance author
• Matt Morano, former Meteorologist, now at News 14 Carolina
• Jonathan Myers, former Meteorologist, now at WWL-TV New Orleans
• Wanda Neal, former Reporter
• Cathy Orosz, former Reporter, now at WITI Milwaukee
• Jim Parsons, former Anchor, now at WTAE-TV Pittsburgh
• Renee Phillips, former Anchor
• Glenn Richards, former Meteorologist, now at WOFL-TV Orlando
• Tom Ryan, former reporter and Anchor, former General Manager of Wroc Radio
• Dave Savini, former Reporter, now at WBBM-TV Chicago
• Lisa Scott, former Anchor
• Peter Standring, former Reporter, now at NOVA scienceNOW (PBS)
• Gino Startari, former weeknight Sports reporter/former weekend Sports anchor
• John Stehlin former Meteorologist, now at WIVB-TV
• Bob Stokes, former Meteorologist, formerly of The Weather Channel
• Robin Taylor, former Reporter
• Liz Vega, former Anchor
• Jacquie Walker, former Anchor, now at WIVB-TV Buffalo
• Darin Watkins, former Anchor
• Joylynn Whitfield, former Reporter
• Kevin Williams, former Chief Meteorologist, now at WHEC-TV Rochester
• Mark Wolf, former Anchor
• Mary Beth Wrobel, former Chief Meteorologist, now at WIVB-TV Buffalo
• Dave Yates, former Sports Anchor/Reporter

External links

• WROC-TV website
• CBS
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