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In spite of its prominence as a top-10 television market during the 1950s, Pittsburgh had only one major commercial television station for close to a decade—[[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]]-owned WDTV (now [[KDKA-TV]]), which signed-on in 1949 and carried programs from all four television networks. Further development of stations in Pittsburgh was halted by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC)'s freeze on license awards, which ran from 1948 until 1952. Several months after the freeze was lifted by the Commission's ''Sixth Report and Order'', two stations on the new [[ultra high frequency|UHF]] band, WENS-TV (now [[WINP-TV]]) and WKJF-TV (now [[WPGH-TV]]) went on the air. For reasons that were both technical and financial, both stations were short-lived. Meanwhile, revisions to the FCC's [[very high frequency|VHF]] allocation table had given the Pittsburgh area three additional channels—4, [[WPXI|11]], and [[WQED (TV)|13]], the latter reserved for [[non-commercial educational]] purposes. The channel 4 frequency on which WTAE began operations during the [[analog television]] era was originally allocated to suburban [[McKeesport, Pennsylvania|McKeesport]], in [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Allegheny County]]; other official documents have listed the [[community of license]] as [[Irwin, Pennsylvania|Irwin]], in [[Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania|Westmoreland County]].
In spite of its prominence as a top-10 television market during the 1950s, Pittsburgh had only one major commercial television station for close to a decade—[[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]]-owned WDTV (now [[KDKA-TV]]), which signed-on in 1949 and carried programs from all four television networks. Further development of stations in Pittsburgh was halted by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC)'s freeze on license awards, which ran from 1948 until 1952. Several months after the freeze was lifted by the Commission's ''Sixth Report and Order'', two stations on the new [[ultra high frequency|UHF]] band, WENS-TV (now [[WINP-TV]]) and WKJF-TV (now [[WPGH-TV]]) went on the air. For reasons that were both technical and financial, both stations were short-lived. Meanwhile, revisions to the FCC's [[very high frequency|VHF]] allocation table had given the Pittsburgh area three additional channels—4, [[WPXI|11]], and [[WQED (TV)|13]], the latter reserved for [[non-commercial educational]] purposes. The channel 4 frequency on which WTAE began operations during the [[analog television]] era was originally allocated to suburban [[McKeesport, Pennsylvania|McKeesport]], in [[Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Allegheny County]]; other official documents have listed the [[community of license]] as [[Irwin, Pennsylvania|Irwin]], in [[Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania|Westmoreland County]].


Hearings on the channel 4 permit opened in 1955, and it was originally granted by the FCC to the owners of [[KQV|KQV radio]] in 1956. Hearst, which entered Pittsburgh broadcasting when it purchased WCAE radio (1250 AM, later WTAE [AM] and now [[WDDZ (AM)|WDDZ]]) in 1931, and the other three losers later petitioned the FCC to re-open the permit hearings following the death of KQV co-owner Irwin D. Wolf. The subsequent reconsideration awarded channel 4 to Hearst. The agency's commissioners were divided on how to break the stalemate to the satisfaction of both winning parties, and suggested a merger between Hearst and the KQV group, who sold their radio station to ABC in order to appease FCC [[concentration of media ownership|cross-ownership restrictions]].<ref>"AB-PT Confirms Buy Of KQV for $700,000." ''[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting - Telecasting]]'', September 2, 1957, pg. 74. [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/57-OCR/1957-09-02-BC-0074.pdf]</ref> Together, both firms became equal partners in '''Television City, Inc.''', under which ownership WTAE went on the air.<ref>"VHFs go to Pittsburgh, Seattle." ''Broadcasting - Telecasting'', July 29, 1957, pg. 60. [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/57-OCR/1957-07-29-BC-0060.pdf]</ref> Hearst would purchase the remaining 50 percent of the station in 1962.<ref>"Hearst's $10.6 million buy." ''Broadcasting'', July 9, 1962, pg. 5. [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/62-OCR/1962-07-09-BC-0005.pdf]</ref><ref>"Changing hands." ''Broadcasting'', July 16, 1962, pg. 36. [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/62-OCR/1962-07-16-BC-0036.pdf]</ref><ref>"Changing hands." ''Broadcasting'', August 6, 1962, pp. 50-51. [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/62-OCR/1962-08-06-BC-0050.pdf][http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/62-OCR/1962-08-06-BC-0051.pdf]</ref> As such, WTAE is the only TV station affiliated with a major network in Pittsburgh to have not changed hands in ownership.
Hearings on the channel 4 permit opened in 1955, and it was originally granted by the FCC to the owners of [[KQV|KQV radio]] in 1956. Hearst, which entered Pittsburgh broadcasting when it purchased WCAE radio (1250 AM, later WTAE [AM] and now [[WDDZ (AM)|WDDZ]]) in 1931, and the other three losers later petitioned the FCC to re-open the permit hearings following the death of KQV co-owner Irwin D. Wolf. The subsequent reconsideration awarded channel 4 to Hearst. The agency's commissioners were divided on how to break the stalemate to the satisfaction of both winning parties, and suggested a merger between Hearst and the KQV group, who sold their radio station to ABC in order to appease FCC [[concentration of media ownership|cross-ownership restrictions]].<ref>[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/57-OCR/1957-09-02-BC-0074.pdf "AB-PT Confirms Buy Of KQV for $700,000."] ''[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting - Telecasting]]'', September 2, 1957, pg. 74.</ref> Together, both firms became equal partners in '''Television City, Inc.''', under which ownership WTAE went on the air.<ref>[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/57-OCR/1957-07-29-BC-0060.pdf "VHFs go to Pittsburgh, Seattle."] ''Broadcasting - Telecasting'', July 29, 1957, pg. 60.</ref> Hearst would purchase the remaining 50 percent of the station in 1962.<ref>[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/62-OCR/1962-07-09-BC-0005.pdf "Hearst's $10.6 million buy."] ''Broadcasting'', July 9, 1962, pg. 5.</ref><ref>[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/62-OCR/1962-07-16-BC-0036.pdf "Changing hands: Announced." ''Broadcasting'', July 16, 1962, pg. 36.</ref><ref>"Changing hands: Approved." ''Broadcasting'', August 6, 1962, pp. 50-51. [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/62-OCR/1962-08-06-BC-0050.pdf][http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/62-OCR/1962-08-06-BC-0051.pdf]</ref> As such, WTAE is the only TV station affiliated with a major network in Pittsburgh to have not changed hands in ownership.


Shortly before the station signed-on, the FCC moved the channel 4 assignment to Pittsburgh proper following several years of petitioning by then-[[List of mayors of Pittsburgh|Pittsburgh mayor]] (and future [[Governor of Pennsylvania]]) [[David L. Lawrence]]. However, the FCC had recently changed its rules so that channel 4 could have based its main studio in Pittsburgh even if it had been licensed in McKeesport or Irwin.<ref>"For the record." ''Broadcasting'', February 24, 1958, pg. 187: "...(FCC) amended TV table of assignments and shifted ch. 4 from Irwin to Pittsburgh, Pa. ... At same time, modified CP of Television City Inc., to specify operation of WTAE (ch. 4) in Pittsburgh
Shortly before the station signed-on, the FCC moved the channel 4 assignment to Pittsburgh proper following several years of petitioning by then-[[List of mayors of Pittsburgh|Pittsburgh mayor]] (and future [[Governor of Pennsylvania]]) [[David L. Lawrence]].<ref>[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/58-OCR/1958-02-24-BC-0187.pdf "For the record: Allocations-TV channel changes."]] ''Broadcasting'', February 24, 1958, pg. 187: "...(FCC) amended TV table of assignments and shifted ch. 4 from Irwin to Pittsburgh, Pa. ... At same time, modified CP of Television City Inc., to specify operation of WTAE (ch. 4) in Pittsburgh instead of McKeesport..."</ref> The station's original ownership group's connections with powerful U.S. Senator from [[Florida]], [[George Smathers]] led to televised U.S. House hearings with both Lawrence and Smathers testifying in 1958. Both were eventually exonerated with Governor Lawrence claiming that in fact it was the city's solicitors office (whose director he appointed) which may have been guilty of any improper influence, with Smathers and Lawrence merely fulfilling their duty to their respective constituents.<ref>[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RvRRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xnYDAAAAIBAJ&dq=lawrence%20sons%20pittsburgh&pg=5779%2C2453881]</ref> WTAE was thus short-spaced to other channel 4 stations in [[WCMH-TV|Columbus, Ohio]]; [[WOAY-TV|Oak Hill, West Virginia]]; [[WIVB-TV|Buffalo, New York]]; and [[WRC-TV|Washington, D.C.]]; the transmitter was located southeast of the city as a result of the move.
instead of McKeesport..." [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/58-OCR/1958-02-24-BC-0187.pdf]</ref> The station's original ownership group's connections with powerful U.S. Senator from [[Florida]], [[George Smathers]] led to televised U.S. House hearings with both Lawrence and Smathers testifying in 1958. Both were eventually exonerated with Governor Lawrence claiming that in fact it was the city's solicitors office (whose director he appointed) which may have been guilty of any improper influence, with Smathers and Lawrence merely fulfilling their duty to their respective constituents.<ref>[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RvRRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xnYDAAAAIBAJ&dq=lawrence%20sons%20pittsburgh&pg=5779%2C2453881]</ref> WTAE was thus short-spaced to other channel 4 stations in [[WCMH-TV|Columbus, Ohio]]; [[WOAY-TV|Oak Hill, West Virginia]]; [[WIVB-TV|Buffalo, New York]]; and [[WRC-TV|Washington, D.C.]]; the transmitter was located southeast of the city as a result of the move.


In the early years, Channel 4 was best known in the market for its locally originated entertainment programming, most notably the after-school children's shows ''[[Ricki & Copper]]'', [[Paul Shannon]]'s ''[[Adventure Time (WTAE-TV series)|Adventure Time]]'', and Hank Stohl's ''Rodney 'n' Knish''. (Knish was a mop-shaped puppet with a darning egg for a nose).{{Citation needed|date=April 2008}} Another popular early program was the late night movie show ''Shock Theatre''. The show was hosted by former Pittsburgh radio disc jockey Bob Drews, who portrayed Sir Rodger (often misspelled as Sir Roger). ''Shock Theatre'' featured monster movies such as "The Invisible Man" and "Frankenstein" in-between live-action comedic skits.
In the early years, Channel 4 was best known in the market for its locally originated entertainment programming, most notably the after-school children's shows ''[[Ricki & Copper]]'', [[Paul Shannon]]'s ''[[Adventure Time (WTAE-TV series)|Adventure Time]]'', and Hank Stohl's ''Rodney 'n' Knish''. (Knish was a mop-shaped puppet with a darning egg for a nose).{{Citation needed|date=April 2008}} Another popular early program was the late night movie show ''Shock Theatre''. The show was hosted by former Pittsburgh radio disc jockey Bob Drews, who portrayed Sir Rodger (often misspelled as Sir Roger). ''Shock Theatre'' featured monster movies such as "The Invisible Man" and "Frankenstein" in-between live-action comedic skits.

Revision as of 15:44, 21 March 2013

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WTAE-TV, channel 4, is an ABC-affiliated television station located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. WTAE-TV has been owned by the broadcasting subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation since its inception, and has its studios on Ardmore Boulevard in the suburb of Wilkinsburg (though with a Pittsburgh mailing address). The station's transmitter is located in Buena Vista, Pennsylvania.

History

File:WTAElogo1950s.jpg
An early WTAE-TV station identification. WTAE's distinct present logo has been in use since 1973.

WTAE-TV began broadcasting on September 14, 1958 as Pittsburgh's ABC affiliate. From the beginning, the Hearst Corporation has been involved in the station's ownership. How the station came to be was the result of a long and complicated drama surrounding the awarding of the station's construction permit and ultimate broadcast license.

In spite of its prominence as a top-10 television market during the 1950s, Pittsburgh had only one major commercial television station for close to a decade—DuMont-owned WDTV (now KDKA-TV), which signed-on in 1949 and carried programs from all four television networks. Further development of stations in Pittsburgh was halted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s freeze on license awards, which ran from 1948 until 1952. Several months after the freeze was lifted by the Commission's Sixth Report and Order, two stations on the new UHF band, WENS-TV (now WINP-TV) and WKJF-TV (now WPGH-TV) went on the air. For reasons that were both technical and financial, both stations were short-lived. Meanwhile, revisions to the FCC's VHF allocation table had given the Pittsburgh area three additional channels—4, 11, and 13, the latter reserved for non-commercial educational purposes. The channel 4 frequency on which WTAE began operations during the analog television era was originally allocated to suburban McKeesport, in Allegheny County; other official documents have listed the community of license as Irwin, in Westmoreland County.

Hearings on the channel 4 permit opened in 1955, and it was originally granted by the FCC to the owners of KQV radio in 1956. Hearst, which entered Pittsburgh broadcasting when it purchased WCAE radio (1250 AM, later WTAE [AM] and now WDDZ) in 1931, and the other three losers later petitioned the FCC to re-open the permit hearings following the death of KQV co-owner Irwin D. Wolf. The subsequent reconsideration awarded channel 4 to Hearst. The agency's commissioners were divided on how to break the stalemate to the satisfaction of both winning parties, and suggested a merger between Hearst and the KQV group, who sold their radio station to ABC in order to appease FCC cross-ownership restrictions.[1] Together, both firms became equal partners in Television City, Inc., under which ownership WTAE went on the air.[2] Hearst would purchase the remaining 50 percent of the station in 1962.[3][4][5] As such, WTAE is the only TV station affiliated with a major network in Pittsburgh to have not changed hands in ownership.

Shortly before the station signed-on, the FCC moved the channel 4 assignment to Pittsburgh proper following several years of petitioning by then-Pittsburgh mayor (and future Governor of Pennsylvania) David L. Lawrence.[6] The station's original ownership group's connections with powerful U.S. Senator from Florida, George Smathers led to televised U.S. House hearings with both Lawrence and Smathers testifying in 1958. Both were eventually exonerated with Governor Lawrence claiming that in fact it was the city's solicitors office (whose director he appointed) which may have been guilty of any improper influence, with Smathers and Lawrence merely fulfilling their duty to their respective constituents.[7] WTAE was thus short-spaced to other channel 4 stations in Columbus, Ohio; Oak Hill, West Virginia; Buffalo, New York; and Washington, D.C.; the transmitter was located southeast of the city as a result of the move.

In the early years, Channel 4 was best known in the market for its locally originated entertainment programming, most notably the after-school children's shows Ricki & Copper, Paul Shannon's Adventure Time, and Hank Stohl's Rodney 'n' Knish. (Knish was a mop-shaped puppet with a darning egg for a nose).[citation needed] Another popular early program was the late night movie show Shock Theatre. The show was hosted by former Pittsburgh radio disc jockey Bob Drews, who portrayed Sir Rodger (often misspelled as Sir Roger). Shock Theatre featured monster movies such as "The Invisible Man" and "Frankenstein" in-between live-action comedic skits.

On April 24, 1980, WTAE-TV personality Nick Perry, who hosted Bowling for Dollars and also called the lottery drawings for the Pennsylvania Lottery, fixed the Lottery's daily numbers drawing so that the it could come up as "6-6-6". Perry served jail time, and the drawings were moved to WHP-TV in Harrisburg a year later. This resulted in lotteries now being audited and monitored with "witnesses" from the government and/or accounting firms, and also inspired the movie Lucky Numbers. KDKA-TV aired the Lottery drawings in the Pittsburgh market after this incident until 2009 when they moved back to WTAE-TV.

In June 2011, a channel 4 staff photographer was charged with a sexual crime when an alleged victim stated that the photographer had inappropriate physical contact with her. The photographer arrived in a company news vehicle with company equipment and claimed he was doing an interview. Although management at WTAE claims that he was not on duty at the time - even though he was using company resources.[8]

WTAE and the Salvation Army collecting funds for Project Bundle Up at the 2011 Head of the Ohio regatta.

In 1986, WTAE partnered with the Salvation Army and started Project Bundle Up, an operation to make sure that children and seniors get warm clothing. WTAE has run the Project Bundle Up Auction which is an auction where local businesses donate products to be auctioned off, and the Project Bundle Up Telethon a traditional telethon where viewers call in to donate money, businesses donate money and all of the proceeds from the auction and telethon benefit the Salvation Army. In 2007, WTAE moved the auction to the Internet.

Although it was the only ABC affiliate in the region when it signed on at the time, WTAE also pre-empted and/or delayed a handful of ABC programs, most notably its daytime lineup from the 1960s to the late 1990s. One of these shows was One Life to Live, which it passed on from its 1968 debut up until 1978, when the serial expanded to an hour-long format. Those that did not air on channel 4 ended up on either WPGH-TV or WPTT. Today, WTAE runs nearly the entire ABC schedule. The station cut back its Saturday morning newscast to three hours, but it still runs a news-intensive schedule, alongside its top-rated syndicated first-run talk shows.

Channel 4 has carried Live! with Kelly and Michael (and its predecessors) since its national debut in 1988 and Entertainment Tonight since 1989. For an ABC affiliate that is owned by a company that does not own a network, WTAE-TV has the local rights to CBS Television Distribution's The Rachael Ray Show, ET, and Inside Edition instead of CBS-owned KDKA-TV, which is rare in several television markets where a network O&O would air shows produced by its sister company, since WTAE-TV's parent company had made long-term contract deals for these programs before CBS took over syndication rights.

At various times, WTAE has also served as the default ABC affiliate for the neighboring Johnstown-Altoona, Wheeling-Steubenville, and Clarksburg-Weston television markets (all of which could receive WTAE as a grade B signal). With WTAE having long been one of ABC's strongest affiliates, both parties reportedly resisted efforts by other TV stations in those cities to obtain a full-time ABC affiliation. Since then, one station was eventually granted affiliation in Altoona (WATM-TV), while WBOY-TV in Clarksburg and WTRF-TV in Wheeling launched ABC stations on one of their digital subchannels in August 2008 on Your ABC and ABC Ohio Valley, respectively. WTAE is still available on cable in all of those markets today. In addition to those areas, WTAE can also be seen on several out-of-market cable systems throughout northwestern and central Pennsylvania, and several locations in eastern and northeast Ohio.

WTAE was also one of many ABC stations that pre-empted the special showing of Saving Private Ryan late in 2004 because they were concerned that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would impose a fine on them if they had aired the World War II movie due to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy earlier that year. It was later determined that the movie showing was not a violation of FCC regulations.

Digital television

Digital channels

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming
4.1 1080i 16:9 WTAE-HD Main WTAE-TV programming / ABC
4.2 480i 4:3 THIS-TV This TV

On August 3, 2009, WTAE converted its traffic/weather subchannel into a This TV affiliate due to the success of RTV airing on WPXI-DT2.[9]

Analog-to-digital conversion

In March 2009, WTAE applied for FCC authorization to build a 9250-watt digital broadcast translator on channel 22[10] to cover portions of the northern Pittsburgh area which were unable to receive channel 4's digital signal.[11] WTAE had to wait for WPMY, which had been operating in analog nightlight mode after terminating regular analog UHF 22 programming on the original February 17 deadline, to leave the channel entirely on March 19.

WTAE is one of a handful of ABC-affiliated stations and one of four Hearst-owned ABC affiliates (the other three are WCVB-TV in Boston, KMBC-TV in Kansas City and KETV in Omaha) that broadcast their HDTV signals in 1080i rather than the 720p format of most other ABC stations.

Programming

Local

  • Channel 4 Action Sports Sunday (sports wrap-up show Sundays at 11:30 p.m. - midnight)
  • Steelers Primetime - extended Steelers coverage during NFL season
  • Project Bundle-Up Telethon, seasonal partnership with Salvation Army

Syndicated/first-run

Aside from local news and ABC lineup, WTAE's other offerings include Live! with Kelly and Michael, Rachael Ray, The Dr. Oz Show, Entertainment Tonight, and Inside Edition.

Past programming

News operation

File:WTAE OPEN.jpg
News open seen nightly at 11

Like its NBC rival, WIIC-TV, Channel 4 was not a major player in terms of news coverage in those early years, as the Pittsburgh market was dominated by KDKA-TV and anchor Bill Burns. That changed, however, in 1969, when longtime KDKA radio-and-TV newscaster Paul Long was brought in, along with his KDKA meteorologist-sidekick Joe DeNardo. From then on the market was competitive[citation needed], and Long would continue to be Channel 4's lead news presence well into the 1980s before easing into a more "senior" role. WTAE was also known for the "legendary" news crew of Paul Long and Don Cannon from the late 1960s into the 1990s.

Sports has also been a major division at WTAE. In 1972, WTAE sportscaster Myron Cope, thanks to a phone call from a local female fan, introduced the phrase "The Immaculate Reception" to describe Franco Harris' miraculous, running shoestring catch that gave the Pittsburgh Steelers a 13-7 playoff victory over the Oakland Raiders. (Cope chuckled at the woman's call, and responded, "I'm not sure I can say that!" Fortunately, he thought better of it, and figured out an innocuous way to introduce the phrase on air, prefacing the remark by saying, "It comes from a good Christian lady.") WTAE and its channel 4 logo was immortalized in the 1979 basketball comedy film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, whose fictional sportscaster "Murray Sports" (played by Harry Shearer) was also patterned after Cope. The last sports director was Andrew Stockey, who left the position in 2006 to become a news anchor. However, in 2011, he returned to head the sports department. Along with Mr. Stockey, the sports department consists of Guy Junker, John Meyer, Justin Rose, and Bill Hillgrove (Steeler Insider) as of 2013.

In June 1992, the station expanded its news production, adding a Saturday morning newscast from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (matching WPXI's Saturday morning newscast of the same length which began in 1990) and a three-hour Sunday morning newscast. The station also extended its weekday early evening newscast to begin at 5 p.m., and began to air a weekday morning newscast from 5 to 7 a.m. In 1997, the station expanded its Sunday morning newscast by an hour and began to air its Saturday morning newscast from 6 to 10 a.m. Today, WTAE offers four-and-a-half hours of live news each day.

In 2002, Jean Connelly became the first woman from Western PA to be inducted into the Pennsylvania Broadcasters Hall of Fame. In doing so, she joined ranks with Paul Long, David Crantz, and Fred Young. Connelly is famous for producing and hosting her own talk show, The Jean Connelly Show.

WTAE unveiled a new set designed by FX Group during the 5 p.m. newscast on Tuesday, September 4, 2007. Also in 2007, WTAE started its own channel on YouTube.

On Monday, September 15, 2008, WTAE became the second station in the market to launch local news and weather in High Definition. As of September 2011, field reports began being broadcast in SD 16:9.

Ratings

Over the past decade, Pittsburgh has been a perennially competitive market for local news, with news ratings usually differing by less than a full ratings point. During the February 2013 Nielsen ratings period, WTAE-TV's newscasts had the largest audience in all time periods.[12]

Awards and honors

In March 2008, the station won a "Freedom of Information Award" and an IRE Medal from Investigative Reporters and Editors for "pushing open the front door" of the state-run student loan agency.[13]

In April 2008, that same effort resulted in a Peabody Award for the station, in recognition of "station's relentless legal campaign to obtain public records of a state-run student loan program" which "netted evidence of financial misconduct and pushed the state to rewrite an antiquated right-to-know law."[14]

Contract Dispute

At the end of 2011, on air talent at WTAE took to both Twitter[15] and Facebook[16] to get the word out about unfair treatment by management. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports, "WTAE's on-air staff maintains it is being denied severance benefits for workers fired without cause, a minimum salary scale, overtime pay after eight hours in a work day, retirement benefits on the same terms as other employees at the station, and consideration for unscheduled call-outs, split shifts and work on the sixth consecutive day and thereafter."[17] General Manager Michael Hayes states that bargaining has been taking place in good faith. An online petition has been launched in support of the anchors, reporters, meteorologists, and sportscasters.[18]

News/station presentation

Newscast titles

  • News & Views with John B. Hughes (1950s-1960s)
  • The Channel 4 News (1970s)
  • Channel 4 Action News (1970s-1989 and 1995–present)
  • WTAE 4 News (1989–1995)

On-air personnel

Current on-air staff

Anchors
  • Wendy Bell - weeknights at 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00 p.m. (1998–present)
  • Mike Clark - weeknights at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m. (1995–present)
  • Kelly Frey - weekday mornings (4:30-7:00 a.m.); also weeknight reporter (2000–present)
  • Janelle Hall - weekend mornings (5:00-7:00 and 8:00-10:00 a.m.); also weeknight reporter (2004–present)
  • Shannon Perrine - weekends at 6:30 and 11:00 p.m.; also weeknight reporter (1999–present)
  • Andrew Stockey - weeknights at 5:00; also 6:00 and 11:00 p.m. sports anchor (1995–present)
  • Sally Wiggin - weekdays at noon (1980–present)
  • Michelle Wright - weekday mornings (4:30-7:00 a.m.) (1994–present)
Weather Watch 4
  • Ashley Dougherty - Meteorologist; weekend mornings (5:00-7:00 and 8:00-10:00 a.m.; 2012–present)
  • Mike Harvey (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and NWA Seals of Approval) - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.[19] (2010–present)
  • Demetrius Ivory - Meteorologist; weekday mornings (4:30-7:00 a.m.) and weekdays at noon (2005–present)
  • Ray Petelin (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - Meteorologist; weekends at 6:30 and 11:00 p.m. (2011–present)
Action Sports
  • Andrew Stockey - sports anchor, weeknights at 6:00 and 11:00; also news anchor weeknights at 5:00 p.m. (1995–present)
  • Guy Junker - sports anchor; weekends at 6:30 and 11:00 p.m. (1984–1990; 2006–present)
  • John Meyer - sports anchor; weekday mornings (4:30-7:00 a.m.) (2009–present)[20]
  • Justin Rose - sports producer (2012–present)
  • Bill Hillgrove - "Steelers Insider" reporter[21]
Traffic Watch 4
  • Janelle Hall - Weekday Morning Traffic (4:30-7:00 a.m.) and Breaking News (2004–present)
  • Sam Hall - "Sky 4" reporter (2008–present)
Reporters
  • Kelly Brennan - general assignment reporter (2012–present) [22]
  • Marcie Cipriani - general assignment reporter (2000–present)
  • Andrew Del Greco - general assignment reporter (2012–present)
  • Ashlie Hardway - Westmoreland County Bureau Chief (2009–present)
  • Bob Hazen - general assignment reporter (2012–present)
  • Sheldon Ingram - general assignment reporter (1992–present)
  • Bob Mayo - general assignment reporter (1994–present)
  • Amber Nicotra - general assignment reporter (2008–present)
  • Jim Parsons - "Team 4" investigative reporter (1998–present)
  • Paul Van Osdol - "Team 4" investigative reporter (1999–present)

Hearst Television Washington Bureau

  • Sally Kidd - Washington DC bureau reporter
  • Nikole Killion - Washington DC bureau reporter
  • Hallie Jackson - Washington DC bureau reporter
  • Kate Amara - Washington DC bureau reporter

Former on-air staff

  • Scott Baker (1993–2006) (anchor)
  • Myron Cope (1970–1995) (sports commentary) (died 2008)
  • Stephen Cropper (1995–2011) (meteorologist), now at WPXI [8]
  • Faith Daniels (1983-1985) (anchor/reporter)
  • Joe DeNardo (1969–2004) (chief meteorologist, retired) [9]
  • Debra Fox (1976–1986) (reporter/anchor)
  • Ari Hait - general assignment reporter (2006–2011), now at sister station WPBF-TV
  • Keith Jones - general assignment reporter (2010–2012) at NBC10 in Philadelphia
  • Megan Jones (call for action)
  • Erin Kienzle (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - Meteorologist; weekend mornings (2006–2011)
  • Susan Koeppen (2000-2004) (consumer reporter/anchor), formerly on the Early Show on CBS, now at KDKA-TV
  • Jennifer Miele (2004-2011) (Westmoreland County Bureau chief)
  • Joe Negri (co-host/musician)
  • Nina Pineda (1996–2000) (reporter), now at WABC-TV in New York)
  • Jake Ploeger (2000–2009) (sports; anchor/reporter)
  • Ken Rice (1988–1994) (anchor/reporter), now 5 and 11 o'clock anchor at KDKA-TV
  • Stan Savran (1980–1991) (sports)
  • Aaron Saykin (2006–2009) (Call 4 Action reporter), returned to WGRZ-TV in Buffalo, New York.[23]
  • Mike Schneider (1977–1982) (reporter/anchor), now at Bloomberg Television
  • Paul Shannon (1959–1975) (host of Adventure Time)
  • Scott Stiller (2000-2011) (morning traffic reporter)
  • Ricki Wertz (1958–1982) (children's television show host)
  • Jeff Hill (1992-1996) Meteorologist now at FOX 5 Atlanta

References

  1. ^ "AB-PT Confirms Buy Of KQV for $700,000." Broadcasting - Telecasting, September 2, 1957, pg. 74.
  2. ^ "VHFs go to Pittsburgh, Seattle." Broadcasting - Telecasting, July 29, 1957, pg. 60.
  3. ^ "Hearst's $10.6 million buy." Broadcasting, July 9, 1962, pg. 5.
  4. ^ [http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/62-OCR/1962-07-16-BC-0036.pdf "Changing hands: Announced." Broadcasting, July 16, 1962, pg. 36.
  5. ^ "Changing hands: Approved." Broadcasting, August 6, 1962, pp. 50-51. [1][2]
  6. ^ "For the record: Allocations-TV channel changes."] Broadcasting, February 24, 1958, pg. 187: "...(FCC) amended TV table of assignments and shifted ch. 4 from Irwin to Pittsburgh, Pa. ... At same time, modified CP of Television City Inc., to specify operation of WTAE (ch. 4) in Pittsburgh instead of McKeesport..."
  7. ^ [3]
  8. ^ http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/wtae-cameraman-accused-of-sexual-assault_b12526
  9. ^ http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/tunedin/archive/2009/07/30/wtae-drops-weather-channel-adds-movie-channel.aspx
  10. ^ FCC Application ID#1290721, WTAE HEARST-ARGYLE TELEVISION, Channel 22 PITTSBURGH PA DTV REPLACEMENT TRANSLATOR
  11. ^ NorthEast Radio Watch, Scott Fybush, March 2, 2009
  12. ^ http://www.wtae.com/news/WTAE-Takes-the-Ratings-Lead-at-11pm/-/9681432/19126380/-/format/rsss_2.0/-/2rpndpz/-/index.html?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=pittsburghnews4. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ^ WTAE's PHEAA coverage honored, a March 2008 article from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
  14. ^ 67th Annual Peabody Awards Winners Announced, from the Peabody Awards website at the University of Georgia
  15. ^ [4], @Fairness4WTAE Twitter Account
  16. ^ [5]
  17. ^ [6]
  18. ^ [7]
  19. ^ http://www.pbrtv.com/blog/index.html
  20. ^ http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/tunedin/archive/2009/06/15/wtae-names-sports-anchor-makes-hire.aspx
  21. ^ http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/wtaenewsteam/301750/detail.html
  22. ^ http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/WTAE-Hires-Reporter-Kelly-Brennan/-/10927008/17152350/-/r78lhwz/-/index.html
  23. ^ http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09206/986202-67.stm

External links

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