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owner = [[CBS Corporation]]|
owner = [[CBS Corporation]]|
licensee = CBS Television Licenses LLC|
licensee = CBS Television Licenses LLC|
sister_stations = [[WJZ (AM)|WJZ]], [[WJZ-FM]], [[WLIF]], [[WWMX]]|
sister_stations = [[WJZ (AM)|WJZ]], [[WJZ-FM]], [[WLIF]], [[WLZL]], [[WWMX]]|
former_affiliations = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (1948-1995)<br>[[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]] (1948-1955)|
former_affiliations = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (1948-1995)<br>[[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]] (1948-1955)|
former_channel_numbers = '''Analog:'''<br>13 (VHF, 1948-2009)<br>'''Digital:'''<br>38 (UHF, 1997-2009)|
former_channel_numbers = '''Analog:'''<br>13 (VHF, 1948-2009)<br>'''Digital:'''<br>38 (UHF, 1997-2009)|
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}}
}}


'''WJZ-TV''', channel 13, is an [[owned-and-operated station|owned and operated]] [[television station]] of the [[CBS]] Television Network, located in [[Baltimore, Maryland]], [[United States|USA]]. WJZ-TV's studios and offices are located on Television Hill in the [[Woodberry, Baltimore|Woodberry]] section of Baltimore, adjacent to the transmission tower it shares with four other Baltimore television stations.
'''WJZ-TV''', channel 13, is an [[owned-and-operated station|owned and operated]] [[television station]] of the [[CBS|CBS Television Network]], located in [[Baltimore, Maryland]], [[United States|USA]]. WJZ-TV's studios and offices are located on Television Hill in the [[Woodberry, Baltimore|Woodberry]] section of Baltimore, adjacent to the transmission tower it shares with four other Baltimore television stations.


== History ==
== History ==
Baltimore's third television station started on November 2, 1948 as '''WAAM'''. The station's original operator was '''Radio-Television of Baltimore, Inc.''', owned by a pair of Baltimore businessmen, brothers Ben and Herman Cohen.<ref>"Baltimore's WAAM(TV) opens as DuMont affiliate." ''Broadcasting - Telecasting'', November 8, 1948, pg. 27. [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/48-OCR/1948-11-08-BC-0034.pdf]</ref> Channel 13 was originally an [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate, the fifth affiliate of the network on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]]. Until 1956, it carried an additional primary affiliation with the [[DuMont Television Network]]. On the station's opening day WAAM broadcast the [[United States presidential election, 1948|1948 presidential election returns]], remaining on the air for 23 consecutive hours.<ref>"WAAM's big day; new TV outlet was on air 23 hours Nov. 2-3." ''Broadcasting - Telecasting'', November 15, 1948, pg. 98. [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/48-OCR/1948-11-15-BC-0098.pdf]</ref> Channel 13 has been housed in the same studio, located on what is now known as Television Hill, since its inception; the building was the first in Baltimore specifically designed for television. As a DuMont affiliate, WAAM originated many [[History of the Indianapolis Colts|Baltimore Colts]] games for for the network's [[NFL on DuMont|National Football League coverage]].<ref>http://www.dumonthistory.tv/3.html</ref><ref>http://www.dumonthistory.tv/a9.html</ref>
Baltimore's third television station started on November 2, 1948 as '''WAAM'''. The station's original operator was '''Radio-Television of Baltimore, Inc.''', owned by a pair of Baltimore businessmen, brothers Ben and Herman Cohen.<ref>"Baltimore's WAAM(TV) opens as DuMont affiliate." ''Broadcasting - Telecasting'', November 8, 1948, pg. 27. [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/48-OCR/1948-11-08-BC-0034.pdf]</ref> Channel 13 was originally an [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate, the fifth outlet of the network on the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]]. Until 1956, it carried an additional primary affiliation with the [[DuMont Television Network]]. On the station's opening day WAAM broadcast the [[United States presidential election, 1948|1948 presidential election returns]] and various entertainment shows, remaining on the air for 23 consecutive hours.<ref>"WAAM's big day; new TV outlet was on air 23 hours Nov. 2-3." ''Broadcasting - Telecasting'', November 15, 1948, pg. 98. [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/48-OCR/1948-11-15-BC-0098.pdf]</ref> Channel 13 has been housed in the same studio, located on what is now known as Television Hill, since its inception; the building was the first in Baltimore specifically designed for television. As a DuMont affiliate, WAAM originated many [[History of the Indianapolis Colts|Baltimore Colts]] games for for the network's [[NFL on DuMont|National Football League coverage]].<ref>http://www.dumonthistory.tv/3.html</ref><ref>http://www.dumonthistory.tv/a9.html</ref>


The [[Westinghouse Electric (1886)|Westinghouse Electric Corporation]] purchased WAAM from the Cohen brothers in May 1957.<ref>"WBC'S WAAM (TV) buy: $4.4 million." ''Broadcasting'', May 13, 1957, pg. 112. [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/57-OCR/1957-05-13-BC-0098.pdf]</ref> Westinghouse took control of the station in August of that year, and renamed it '''WJZ-TV''' the following month.<ref>"WAAM (TV) becomes WJZ-TV as FCC waives call rule." ''Broadcasting'', August 5, 1957, pg. 92. [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/57-OCR/1957-08-05-BC-0092.pdf]</ref> The WJZ call letters had previously resided on ABC's flagship radio/television combination in [[New York City]], which changed its calls to [[WABC (AM)|WABC-AM]]-[[WPLJ|FM]]-[[WABC-TV|TV]] in 1953. However, Westinghouse's history with that set of call letters went back even further, as it was the original owner of WJZ radio, the flagship station of [[NBC]]'s [[Blue Network]], which would eventually become ABC.
The [[Westinghouse Electric (1886)|Westinghouse Electric Corporation]] purchased WAAM from the Cohen brothers in May 1957.<ref>"WBC'S WAAM (TV) buy: $4.4 million." ''Broadcasting'', May 13, 1957, pg. 112. [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/57-OCR/1957-05-13-BC-0098.pdf]</ref> Westinghouse took control of the station in August of that year, and renamed it '''WJZ-TV''' the following month.<ref>"WAAM (TV) becomes WJZ-TV as FCC waives call rule." ''Broadcasting'', August 5, 1957, pg. 92. [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/57-OCR/1957-08-05-BC-0092.pdf]</ref> The WJZ call letters had previously resided on ABC's flagship radio/television combination in [[New York City]], which changed its calls to [[WABC (AM)|WABC-AM]]-[[WPLJ|FM]]-[[WABC-TV|TV]] in 1953. However, Westinghouse's history with that set of call letters went back even further, as it was the original owner of WJZ radio, the flagship station of [[NBC]]'s [[Blue Network]], which would eventually become ABC.

Revision as of 19:31, 17 March 2013

This article is about the television station in Baltimore, Maryland. For the former WJZ-TV located in New York City, see WABC-TV.

{{Infobox broadcast}} may refer to:

{{Template disambiguation}} should never be transcluded in the main namespace.

WJZ-TV, channel 13, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. WJZ-TV's studios and offices are located on Television Hill in the Woodberry section of Baltimore, adjacent to the transmission tower it shares with four other Baltimore television stations.

History

Baltimore's third television station started on November 2, 1948 as WAAM. The station's original operator was Radio-Television of Baltimore, Inc., owned by a pair of Baltimore businessmen, brothers Ben and Herman Cohen.[1] Channel 13 was originally an ABC affiliate, the fifth outlet of the network on the East Coast. Until 1956, it carried an additional primary affiliation with the DuMont Television Network. On the station's opening day WAAM broadcast the 1948 presidential election returns and various entertainment shows, remaining on the air for 23 consecutive hours.[2] Channel 13 has been housed in the same studio, located on what is now known as Television Hill, since its inception; the building was the first in Baltimore specifically designed for television. As a DuMont affiliate, WAAM originated many Baltimore Colts games for for the network's National Football League coverage.[3][4]

The Westinghouse Electric Corporation purchased WAAM from the Cohen brothers in May 1957.[5] Westinghouse took control of the station in August of that year, and renamed it WJZ-TV the following month.[6] The WJZ call letters had previously resided on ABC's flagship radio/television combination in New York City, which changed its calls to WABC-AM-FM-TV in 1953. However, Westinghouse's history with that set of call letters went back even further, as it was the original owner of WJZ radio, the flagship station of NBC's Blue Network, which would eventually become ABC.

All of Baltimore's television stations had fairly short transmitting towers in the medium's early years. But in 1959, the three stations banded together to build the world's first three-pronged candelabra tower.[7] Constructed behind the WJZ-TV studios, it was the tallest free standing TV antenna in the United States at the time of its completion. The tower significantly improved channel 13's coverage in central Maryland, and also added new viewers in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and Delaware.[8]

The WJZ-TV studio and office facility, on Television Hill in Baltimore.

Over the years, WJZ-TV frequently pre-empted ABC programming in favor of local shows and syndicated content from Westinghouse's broadcasting division, Group W (notably the former ABC daytime soap opera Dark Shadows, which WJZ-TV pre-empted during the mid-1960s). However, ABC was more than satisfied with channel 13, which was one of its strongest affiliates. Additionally, Baltimore viewers could watch ABC programs on Washington, D.C.'s WMAL-TV/WJLA-TV (channel 7), whose signal decently covers most of the Baltimore area.

From 1957 to 1964, one of the station's highest-rated programs was The Buddy Deane Show, an in-studio teen dance show similar to ABC's American Bandstand, which WJZ-TV also pre-empted in favor of the Deane program. Deane's program was the inspiration for the John Waters 1988 motion picture Hairspray and its subsequent Broadway musical version, which in turn has been made into a film.

In 1994, ABC agreed to an affiliation deal with the broadcasting division of the E.W. Scripps Company, which called for three of Scripps' television stations to become ABC affiliates. ABC agreed to the deal as a condition of keeping its affiliation on Scripps' two biggest stations, WXYZ-TV in Detroit and WEWS in Cleveland. Both stations had been heavily wooed by CBS, which was about to lose its longtime Detroit and Cleveland affiliates to Fox. One of the stations due to switch was Baltimore's then-NBC affiliate, WMAR-TV. ABC was reluctant to include WMAR in the deal; it had been a ratings also-ran for over 30 years while WJZ-TV was one of the strongest ABC affiliates in the nation. However, not wanting to be relegated to UHF in two markets with few viable choices for a new affiliate, ABC opted to end its 47-year affiliation with channel 13 and move its affiliation to channel 2.[9]

Group W felt betrayed by ABC after so many years of loyalty. At the time, channel 13 had been affiliated with ABC longer than any station not owned by the network. As a safeguard, it began to shop for an affiliation deal of its own. Eventually, Westinghouse agreed to a long-term affiliation contract with CBS. As a result, WJZ-TV and sister stations in Philadelphia and Boston switched to CBS (Westinghouse's two other television stations, in Pittsburgh and San Francisco, were already CBS affiliates).[10] The affiliation switch, the second in Baltimore television history, occurred early on the morning of January 2, 1995.[11] As a result, channel 13 became the third station in Baltimore to affiliate with CBS. The network had originally affiliated with WMAR-TV in 1948 before moving to WBAL-TV in 1981. Westinghouse then bought CBS on November 24, 1995, making WJZ-TV a CBS owned-and-operated station. It should be noted that WJZ-TV nearly lost its ABC affiliation in 1977 when the network briefly wooed WBAL-TV in the wake of ABC's first run as the United States' most-watched network in primetime. However, WBAL-TV declined the ABC affiliation offer due to ABC's last-place network evening newscast offerings of the time, keeping ABC on channel 13 for the next 18 years.[12][13]

WJZ-TV has used its current stylized "13" logo, using a font face exclusive to Group W, since 1967. The only real change came in May 1997, when it added the CBS Eye to its logo. WJZ currently does not brand under the "CBS Mandate" (which would have required WJZ to call itself "CBS 13"), preferring to use its call letters.

The CBS affiliation came with an added plus in 1998, when the network gained the rights to air all afternoon National Football League games wherein the visitors were part of the American Football Conference. The NFL's current team in Baltimore, the Ravens, play in the AFC, thus most of their games are carried by WJZ-TV.

Digital television

Digital channel

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming
13.1 1080i 16:9 WJZ-TV Main WJZ-TV programming / CBS

Analog-to-digital conversion

WJZ-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 13, on June 12, 2009, as part of the DTV transition in the United States. The station had been broadcasting its pre-transition digital signal over UHF channel 38, but returned to channel 13 for its post-transition operations.[14][15] Rival WMAR-TV took channel 38 as WMAR-DT moved from channel 52 at the time as a result of the phaseout of channels 52-69.

The switch caused problems for some viewers, but WJZ-TV has been granted a power increase that helps some people.[16]

Out-of-market coverage

In Delaware, it is carried on Comcast in Sussex County. There is no coverage in most of Kent County except in the area of Chesapeake City for Atlantic Broadband cable subscribers. There is no coverage in all of New Castle County. New Castle and Kent counties are part of the Philadelphia market, which also carries KYW, the market's CBS affiliate. Only Sussex County is part of the Salisbury, Maryland market which carries its CBS affiliate, WBOC. In the beginning of CATV, almost if not all of Delaware once carried WJZ.[17]

In Maryland, the eastern shore communities of Cambridge, East New Market/Secretary, Pocomoke City, Ocean City, Salisbury and Snow Hill carry WJZ. These areas are in the Salisbury market which WBOC is carried. From Hagerstown and west towards Cumberland, WJZ is carried there as well in the far northwestern part of the Washington, D.C. market. Between Hagerstown and Cumberland, the towns of Hancock and Oldtown do not carry WJZ.

In Pennsylvania, it is carried in Greencastle, Delta, Hanover, Rising Sun, Waynesboro and York County (but not in the city of York) which are in the Harrisburg-Lancaster-York market. In the Philadelphia market, it is carried in Oxford in Chester County.

In Virginia well west of Washington, D.C. in the far western end of their market, WJZ is carried on cable alongside with WUSA, the CBS affiliate for Washington, D.C. It is carried on cable in the Shenandoah Valley in Elkton, Front Royal, Luray and Winchester. In West Virginia, it is carried in the Martinsburg area; it is part of the Washington, D.C. market, which carries WUSA as well. In Keyser, Mineral County, WJZ is carried on cable.

During the 1970s and possibly the 1980s with CATV, WJZ was once on the cable lineups in Salem and Cumberland counties in southwestern New Jersey.[17]

WJZ's former analog signal could be picked up via antenna as far west as Warrenton and Culpepper, Virginia and as far east as Salem County, New Jersey. There is no satellite coverage outside of the Baltimore market for WJZ.

Programming

WJZ-TV is the Baltimore-area affiliate of the It's Academic high school quiz competition. Channel 13 has also served two stints as the television home of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team, and has been the over-the-air home of the Orioles since 1994. It is one of the few "Big Three" stations that airs baseball on a regular basis.

News operation

WJZ anchors Don Scott and Jessica Kartalija preparing for a live-shot during the funeral of former Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer, April 28, 2011

Soon after Westinghouse bought WJZ-TV, it significantly beefed up the station's news department. Within a few years, it passed WMAR-TV for second place. Like the other Group W stations, WJZ-TV adopted the Eyewitness News format pioneered at sister station KYW-TV in Philadelphia. By the early 1970s, WJZ-TV had passed WBAL-TV for first place—a lead it held for over 30 years. In recent years, however, WBAL-TV has taken over the top spot at 5, 6 and 11 p.m., though WJZ-TV is still a strong second. However, in the official November 2009 Nielsen ratings sweeps period, the first since the debut of The Jay Leno Show (which aired on WBAL-TV), WJZ-TV has returned to a dominant position at 11 p.m. for the first time since the early 2000s. Both stations have since been in a virtual dead heat at that time slot. However, since the November 2011 Nielsen sweeps period, WJZ has dominated over WBAL in all news time slots in both total households and the 25-54 demo; however, WBAL remains a strong second. It has been one of CBS's strongest O&Os ever since the 1995 affiliation switch.

WJZ-TV was the first station in Baltimore to hire a full-time consumer reporter, as well as the first station to organize an investigative reporting team. In 1965, shortly after it adopted the Eyewitness News format, Wiley Daniels became the first African-American anchor in Baltimore. He worked alongside Jerry Turner, one of the most popular anchormen in Baltimore television history. Al Sanders succeeded Daniels in 1977; he and Turner were the top news team until Turner's death. Denise Koch succeeded Turner upon his death in 1987; she remains at the anchor desk alongside Vic Carter, who succeeded Sanders following the latter's death in 1995. Like other CBS-owned stations, channel 13 offers a web only newscast, "WJZ At Your Desk", shown weekdays.

In 1976, Oprah Winfrey became an anchor for the station's 6:00 p.m. newscast. She also co-hosted channel 13's local talk show, People Are Talking with Richard Sher, which premiered on August 14, 1978, and ran until she left for Chicago in 1983. The segment continues to run on the morning newscasts.

Since 1987, WJZ-TV's news theme has been "Chroma Cues" by Music Oasis, which was specifically written for the station. Although the other CBS-owned stations (WCBS-TV, KCBS-TV, WBBM-TV, etc.) are currently using The CBS Enforcer Music Collection by Gari Media Group and a standardized graphics package, WJZ has yet to switch.

Since September 2008, The Baltimore Sun has been the newspaper partner of WJZ-TV; involving sharing content, story leads, and teaming up on stories. WJZ promotes Baltimore Sun stories in its news broadcasts. The Sun promotes WJZ's stories and weather team on its pages (coincidentally, The Baltimore Sun was the founder and original owner of WMAR-TV).

On October 25, 2009, WJZ-TV became the third Baltimore station to begin airing newscasts in high definition. For several months after the upgrade, field reports were still presented in 4:3 standard definition until they switched over to 16:9 widescreen. As of September 2011, all of WJZ-TV's locally produced video footage, including remote field reports, are in HD, making it the first station in Baltimore to do so.

On-air staff[18]

Anchors

  • Gigi Barnett - weekend mornings Eyewitness News Morning Edition (6:00-8:00 Saturdays and 8:00-9:00 a.m. Sundays); also weekday reporter
  • Mary Bubala - weekdays at 4:00 and weeknights at 5:00 p.m.; also reporter
  • Vic Carter - weekdays at 4:30 and weeknights at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
  • Kai Jackson - weekdays at 4:00 and weeknights at 5:00 p.m.
  • Jessica Kartalija - weekdays at noon; also reporter
  • Denise Koch - weekdays at 4:30 and weeknights at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
  • Adam May - Saturdays at 6:00, Sundays at 6:30 and weekends at 11:00 p.m.; also weekday reporter and weekday fill-in anchor
  • Don Scott - weekday mornings Rise n' Shine / Eyewitness News Morning Edition (5:00-7:00 a.m.) and weekdays at noon
First Warning Weather
  • Bob Turk (associate member, AMS) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 4:00, 4:30, 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
  • Marty Bass - meteorologist; weekday mornings Rise n' Shine / Eyewitness News Morning Edition (5:00-7:00 a.m.) and weekdays at noon
  • Tim Williams (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekend mornings (6:00-8:00 Saturdays and 8:00-9:00 a.m. Sundays) and Thursdays and Fridays at noon
  • Bernadette Woods (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; Mondays-Wednesdays at noon and Saturdays at 6:00, Sundays at 6:30 and weekends at 11:00 p.m.
Sports team
  • Mark Viviano - sports director; weeknights at 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
  • Stan Saunders - sports anchor; Saturdays at 6:00, Sundays at 6:30 and weekends at 11:00 p.m.; also sports reporter
Traffic
  • Sharon Gibala - weekday mornings Rise n' Shine / Eyewitness News Morning Edition (5:00-7:00 a.m.); also Sunday morning reporter
  • Kristy Breslin - weekdays at 4:00, 4:30 and 5:00 p.m.
Reporters
  • Alex DeMetrick - environmental and investigative reporter
  • Monique Griego - general assignment reporter
  • Mike Hellgren - general assignment reporter
  • Christie Ileto - general assignment reporter
  • Captain Jeff Long - "SkyEye Chopper 13" pilot/reporter
  • Ron Matz - general assignment reporter, also guest personality on the Eyewitness News Morning Edition
  • Meghan McCorkell - general assignment reporter
  • Rochelle Ritchie - general assignment reporter
  • Mike Schuh - general assignment reporter
  • Derek Valcourt - general assignment reporter
  • Pat Warren - general assignment reporter

Notable former on-air staff

References

  1. ^ "Baltimore's WAAM(TV) opens as DuMont affiliate." Broadcasting - Telecasting, November 8, 1948, pg. 27. [1]
  2. ^ "WAAM's big day; new TV outlet was on air 23 hours Nov. 2-3." Broadcasting - Telecasting, November 15, 1948, pg. 98. [2]
  3. ^ http://www.dumonthistory.tv/3.html
  4. ^ http://www.dumonthistory.tv/a9.html
  5. ^ "WBC'S WAAM (TV) buy: $4.4 million." Broadcasting, May 13, 1957, pg. 112. [3]
  6. ^ "WAAM (TV) becomes WJZ-TV as FCC waives call rule." Broadcasting, August 5, 1957, pg. 92. [4]
  7. ^ "Candelabra." Broadcasting, August 10, 1959, pg. 60. [5]
  8. ^ [6]
  9. ^ Foisie, Geoffrey (June 20, 1994). "ABC pre-empts CBS in Cleveland, Detroit" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  10. ^ Zier, Julie A. (July 18, 1994). "CBS, Group W form historic alliance" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  11. ^ Zurawik, David (1 January 1995). "Get ready, get set, get confused, in TV's big switch in Baltimore Changing Channels". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  12. ^ "In brief." Broadcasting, March 21, 1977, pg. 30. [7]
  13. ^ "In brief." Broadcasting, March 28, 1977, pg. 34. [8]
  14. ^ CDBS Print
  15. ^ http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=616897
  16. ^ Dickson, Glen (2009-06-22). "WPVI Gets Power Boost From FCC". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
  17. ^ a b http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/coals7/forms/search/cableSearchNf.cfm
  18. ^ WJZ-TV anchors and reporters

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WJZ-TV&oldid=545032642"