WTTE

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WTTE is the Fox-affiliated television station for Columbus, Ohio. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 36 from a transmitter on Stimmel Road. The station can be seen on Insight, Time Warner, and WOW! channel 8. For high definition digital cable, it is offered on Insight channel 910, Time Warner channel 1008, and WOW! channel 208. WTTE is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting but operated through a local marketing agreement (a.k.a. LMA) by the Sinclair Broadcast Group. This makes it sister to ABC affiliate WSYX. However, Sinclair effectively owns WTTE as well due to Cunningham's ownership structure. The two share studios on Dublin Road (a.k.a. U.S. 33) in the Grandview Heights section of Columbus. Syndicated programming on WTTE includes: My Name Is Earl, Two and a Half Men, Family Guy, and The Office.

Digital programming

The station's digital channel is multiplexed.

Channel	Programming	Mode	Resolution	Aspect Ratio
28.1	Main WTTE programming / FOX	720p	1280 × 720	16:9
28.2	TheCoolTV Music Videos	480i	704 × 480	4:3

History

The station began operations on June 1, 1984 as the first general entertainment independent station in central Ohio. It was owned by the Commercial Radio Institute, forerunner of the Sinclair Broadcast Group. It quickly became the dominant independent station in the area largely because its programming policy was far less conservative than that of the other independent in the area, Christian-oriented WSFJ-TV. The station became a charter Fox affiliate on October 6, 1986. From 1995 until 1997, it carried a secondary affiliation with UPN which was then picked up by WWHO.

In 1996, Sinclair merged with River City Broadcasting who owned WSYX. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules at the time did not allow one person to own two stations in a single market. Sinclair kept the longer-established WSYX and sold WTTE to Glencairn, Ltd. owned by former Sinclair executive Edwin Edwards. However, nearly all of Glencairn's stock was held by the Smith family who were founders and owners of Sinclair. In effect, Sinclair still owned WTTE, and now had a duopoly in Columbus in violation of FCC rules. Sinclair and Glencairn further circumvented rules by moving WTTE's operations into WSYX' studios under a local marketing agreement, with WSYX as senior partner. Glencairn owned ten other stations—all in markets where Sinclair also had a station. Sinclair was eventually fined $40,000 for its illegal control of Glencairn.

The two companies attempted to merge in 2001 after the FCC allowed duopolies. However, the FCC would not allow Sinclair to repurchase WTTE. The FCC does not allow duopolies between two of the four highest-rated stations in a single market. Also the Columbus market, despite its relatively large size, has only seven full-power stations—too few to legally permit a duopoly. WTTE thus remained under the banner of Glencairn, which was then renamed Cunningham Broadcasting. However, the Smith family still controls nearly all of Cunningham's stock, so Sinclair still effectively has a duopoly in Columbus. By nearly all accounts, Sinclair has used Glencairn / Cunningham as a shell corporation to evade FCC ownership rules.

In 2006, all Sinclair-controlled Fox affiliates including WTTE extended their affiliation contracts until at least March 2012. WTTE-DT2 was formerly an affiliate of The Tube, a 24-hour digital music channel. Like other Sinclair-owned stations, this was dropped in January 2007 and the network ceased operations that October due to the lack of advertising. It has been off-the-air since that time.

According to Nielsen Media Research in the May 2011 ratings period, WTTE was the 2nd most watched Fox affiliate in the United States in prime time. The station remains intensely competitive in the Columbus television market with it remaining an extremely strong competitor against WBNS-TV and WCMH-TV averaging roughly 300,000 viewers each night during the station's 10 o'clock newscast despite its earlier time slot. WTTE typically wins the demographic viewership battle each and every ratings period. The demographic win is a much sought after attribute for television sales associates in the area for local advertising purposes.

WTTE was one of only two full-power television stations in the Columbus market (the other being WWHO) that honored the original DTV transition date of February 17, 2009. At 11:59 p.m. on that date, WTTE transferred all its programming to its digital signal. However for two weeks afterward, analog channel 28 aired a repeating loop of a short informational film (in both English and Spanish) about the DTV changeover and how to upgrade to digital television. Analog channel 28 has since gone dark. Although WTTE remained on its pre-transition channel number, 36, it uses PSIP to display its virtual channel as 28 on digital television receivers.

On October 18, 2010 the station reactivated their 28.2 digital subchannel for the first time since December 2006, when WTTE discontinued carrying the now-defunct The Tube Music Network due to a disagreement between Sinclair and The Tube over E/I programming. 28.2 now carries theCoolTV, another music video network which has E/I programming pre-inserted as part of their national schedule.

WTTE is also considered an alternate ABC affiliate airing that network's programs when WSYX is unable to do so such as during a breaking news emergency or local special.

News operation

File:Wtte news.png

Weekday morning news open.

The station began a 10 p.m. newscast in 1995 and was the second in central Ohio after an attempt by WWHO that was produced by WCMH. Former Fox 28 Kids Club host Yolanda Harris was one of the original anchors and now serves as weeknight co-anchor on WTTE and WSYX. By August 1999, this station's newscast was absorbed into WSYX's news department which then began producing WTTE's news programs under the NewsCenter branding that WSYX used at the time. This title was eventually dropped. Today, WSYX produces four hours of news each week on WTTE. It places a prime focus on its weather operation that uses the full suite of "Weather Central" technology by placing the forecast near the beginning of each broadcast and by providing weather updates every ten minutes on weekday mornings.

WTTE did not participate in the wider implementation of Sinclair's now-defunct, controversial News Central format for its newscasts but did air "The Point", a one-minute political commentary, that was also controversial and a requirement of all Sinclair-owned stations with newscasts until the series was discontinued in December 2006. WSYX launched its newscasts in high definition on May 10, 2008 making it the third Columbus and second Sinclair-owned station to make the upgrade. The WTTE broadcasts, Fox 28 News at 10 and Good Day Columbus, were included in the change.

News team

Anchors

• Pete Scalia - weekday mornings
• Carolyn Bruck - weekday mornings
• Yolanda Harris - weeknights
• Bob Kendrick - weeknights
• Walter Allen - weekends and reporter

Fox 28 First Warning Meteorologists

• Jerry Martz (AMS and NWA Seal of Approval) - Chief seen weeknights and "Jerry's Garden" segment producer
• Lisa Colbert - weekday mornings
• Dana Turtle - weekends
  • weather and science reporter

Sports

• Clay Hall - Director seen weeknights

Reporters

• Susan Burton - health and medical
• Johnny DiLoretto - entertainment weekday mornings 7 to 9
• AJ Ross - Day
• Dana Jay
• Dave Detling
• Ashley Yore
• Tom Bosco
• Maria Durant
• Carol Luper
• Mike McCarthy
• Steve Levine
• Chelby Kosto

External links

• WTTE "Fox 28"
• WSYX "ABC 6"
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