Difference between revisions of "WINO (FDT)"

From Ava Zinn Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
[unchecked revision][checked revision]
(Stations)
(Notable former on-air staff)
 
(19 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
{{Distinguish2|co-owned Indianapolis Fox O&O [[WIND-FTV]]}}
 
{{Distinguish2|co-owned Indianapolis Fox O&O [[WIND-FTV]]}}
 
{{Infobox broadcast
 
{{Infobox broadcast
| call_letters            = WINO-FLD
+
| call_letters            = WINO-FDT
 
| city                    =  
 
| city                    =  
| station_logo            =  
+
| station_logo            = [[File:Fox 7 Fort Wayne.png|225px]]
| station_branding        = Fort Wayne's Fox 38/58 {{small|(general; official)}}<br>Fox 38/58 {{small|(general; colloquial)}}<br>Fox 38/58 News {{small|(newscasts)}}
+
| station_branding        = Fort Wayne's Fox 7 {{small|(general; official)}}<br>Fox 7 {{small|(general; colloquial)}}<br>Fox 7 News {{small|(newscasts)}}
 
| station_slogan          = ''Working For You''
 
| station_slogan          = ''Working For You''
| digital                  = [[WINO-FLD#Stations|(See table below)]]
+
| digital                  = [[WINO (FDT)#Stations|(See table below)]]
| subchannels              = [[WINO-FLD#Digital television|(See table below)]]
+
| subchannels              = [[WINO (FDT)#Digital television|(See table below)]]
 
| other_chs                =  
 
| other_chs                =  
 
| affiliations            = [[wikipedia: Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] '''(O&O)'''
 
| affiliations            = [[wikipedia: Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] '''(O&O)'''
Line 16: Line 16:
 
| airdate                  = {{Start date|2009|11|18}}
 
| airdate                  = {{Start date|2009|11|18}}
 
| enddate                  =  
 
| enddate                  =  
| callsign_meaning        = [[WINO-FLD#Stations|(See table below)]]
+
| callsign_meaning        = [[WINO (FDT)#Stations|(See table below)]]
 
| sister_stations          =  
 
| sister_stations          =  
| former_callsigns        = W12OH (2009–2012)
+
| former_callsigns        = W12OH (2009–2012)<BR>WINO-FLD (2012-2018)
| former_channel_numbers  = '''Analog''':<br>12 (UHF; 2006–2011)
+
| former_channel_numbers  = '''Analog''':<br>12 (UHF; 2006–2011)<BR>'''Digital''':<BR>12 (VHF; 2011-2018)
 
| former_affiliations      = [[wikipedia:Independent station (North America)|Independent]] (1994–1996)
 
| former_affiliations      = [[wikipedia:Independent station (North America)|Independent]] (1994–1996)
| effective_radiated_power = [[WINO-FLD#Stations|See table below]]
+
| effective_radiated_power = [[WINO (FDT)#Stations|See table below]]
| HAAT                    = [[WINO-FLD#Stations|See table below]]
+
| HAAT                    = [[WINO (FDT)#Stations|See table below]]
 
| class                    = [[wikipedia:Low-power broadcasting|LD]]
 
| class                    = [[wikipedia:Low-power broadcasting|LD]]
 
| facility_id              = [[WINO-FLD#Stations|See table below]]
 
| facility_id              = [[WINO-FLD#Stations|See table below]]
 
| coordinates              = [[WINO-FLD#Stations|See table below]]
 
| coordinates              = [[WINO-FLD#Stations|See table below]]
 
| licensing_authority      = [[wikipedia:Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
 
| licensing_authority      = [[wikipedia:Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
| homepage                = Fox3858.com
+
| homepage                = Fox7fortWayne.com
 
}}
 
}}
  
'''WINO-FLD''', [[virtual channel]] 12 ([[Ultra high frequency|UHF]] [[digital television|digital]] channel 38), is a [[wikipedia:Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]-owned and operated fantasy [[television station]] located in {{city-state|Fort Wayne|Indiana}}, United States. WINO-FLD maintains studio facilities located in Aboite, Indiana (with a Fort Wayne address), and its transmitter is located (near the Columbia City neighborhood) in southwestern Fort Wayne.
+
'''WINO''', [[wikipedia:virtual channel|virtual]] and [[wikipedia:very high frequency|VHF]] [[wikipedia:digital television|digital]] channel 7), is a [[wikipedia:Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]-owned and operated fantasy television station located in {{city-state|Fort Wayne|Indiana}}, United States. WINO maintains studio facilities located in Aboite, Indiana (with a Fort Wayne address), and its transmitter is located (near the Columbia City neighborhood) in southwestern Fort Wayne.
  
WINO transmits a [[wikipedia:low-power broadcasting|low-power]] digital signal, which provides an over-the-air broadcasting radius that is effectively limited to Fort Wayne proper and nearby areas in [[wikipedia:Allen County, Indiana|Allen]], [[wikipedia:DeKalb County, Indiana|DeKalb]], [[wikipedia:Adams County, Indiana|Adams]], [[wikipedia:Wells County, Indiana|Wells]] counties in Indiana and , [[wikipedia:Van Wert County, Ohio|Van Wert]] and [[wikipedia:Paulding County, Ohio|Paulding]] counties in Ohio. Because of this, the station's programming is [[simulcast]] on two other Northeast Indiana stations that act as full-power relays in order to reach the entire Fort Wayne [[wikipedia:media market|market]].
+
WINO transmits a digital signal, which provides an over-the-air broadcasting radius that is effectively limited to Fort Wayne proper and nearby areas in [[wikipedia:Allen County, Indiana|Allen]], [[wikipedia:DeKalb County, Indiana|DeKalb]], [[wikipedia:Adams County, Indiana|Adams]], [[wikipedia:Wells County, Indiana|Wells]] counties in Indiana and [[wikipedia:Van Wert County, Ohio|Van Wert]] and [[wikipedia:Paulding County, Ohio|Paulding]] counties in Ohio. Because of this, the station's programming is [[simulcast]] on two other Northeast Indiana stations that act as full-power relays in order to reach the entire Fort Wayne [[wikipedia:media market|market]].
  
The station's brand name, '''"Fox 38/58"''', is derived from the two full-power remote transmitters: '''WMRN-FTV''' (channel 38) in {{city-state|Roanoke|Indiana}} and '''WORT-FTV''' (channel 58) in {{city-state|Angola|Indiana}}, which were respectively operated as full-power satellites of ABC affiliate [[WMRI-FTV|WMRI]] (channel 9) and then-NBC affiliate [[WNDI-FTV|WNDI]] (channel 7, now silent). Although this makes it appear that WMRN is the main station, low-powered WINO is officially Fort Wayne's Fox affiliate.  WINO's signal does not extend outside of the immediate Fort Wayne area.  Many Birmingham viewers and cable providers obtain the signal from the higher-power WMRN/WORTstations.  Their combined power carries the Fox 38/58 signal to all of Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio from the Indiana-Michigan state line southward to Muncie.
+
The station's current brand name '''"Fox 7"''' because of its channel position on most cable systems in the market.
 +
 
 +
The station's former brand name, '''"Fox 38/58"''', is derived from the two full-power remote transmitters: '''WMRN-FTV''' (channel 38) in {{city-state|Roanoke|Indiana}} and '''WORT-FTV''' (channel 58) in {{city-state|Angola|Indiana}}, which were respectively operated as full-power satellites of ABC affiliate [[WMRI-FTV|WMRI]] (channel 9) and then-NBC affiliate [[WNDI-FTV|WNDI]] (channel 7, now occupied by WINO). Although this makes it appear that WMRN is the main station, low-powered WINO is officially Fort Wayne's Fox affiliate.  WINO's signal does not extend outside of the immediate Fort Wayne area.  Many Fort Wayne viewers and cable providers formerly obtained the signal from the higher-power WMRN/WORT stations.  Their combined power carries the Fox 7 signal to all of Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio from the Indiana-Michigan state line southward to Muncie.
  
  
Line 99: Line 101:
  
 
===Digital channels===
 
===Digital channels===
<!----
+
''The digital signals of WINO-FLP, WMRN-FTV and WORT-FTV are [[wikipedia:multiplexing|multiplexed]].''
The digital channels are [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]] on all stations, however each station (especially WABM and WDBB due to pre-existing affiliations) carries different channel feeds on their digital signals in addition to simulcasts of WBMA-LD and either of its digital subchannels:
+
 
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
|-
 
|-
! [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
+
! [[wikipedia:Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! [[Display resolution|Video]]
+
! [[wikipedia:Display resolution|Video]]
! [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
+
! [[wikipedia:Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! [[Program and System Information Protocol#What PSIP does|PSIP Short Name]]
+
! [[wikipedia:Program and System Information Protocol#What PSIP does|PSIP Short Name]]
! Programming<ref>{{cite web|title=RabbitEars TV Query for WBMA|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WBMA#station|website=[[RabbitEars]]|accessdate=November 25, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=RabbitEars TV Query for WABM|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WABM#station|website=RabbitEars|accessdate=November 25, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=RabbitEars TV Query for WDBB|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WDBB#station|website=RabbitEars|accessdate=November 25, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=RabbitEars TV Query for WGWW|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WGWW#station|website=RabbitEars|accessdate=November 25, 2015}}</ref>
+
! Programming
 
|-
 
|-
| 58.1 / 68.2 /<br>17.2 / 40.2<ref>{{cite web|title=Use an antenna to pick up ABC 33/40? Important info here|url=http://www.abc3340.com/story/26506234/use-an-antenna-to-pick-up-abc-3340-important-info-here|website=WBMA-LD|publisher=Sinclair Broadcast Group|accessdate=December 8, 2014}}</ref> || [[720p]] || [[16:9]] || ABC3340 || Main programming / ABC
+
| 12.1/38.1/58.1 || rowspan=2|[[wikipedia:720p|720p]] || rowspan=2|[[wikipedia:16:9|16:9]] ||Fox 38/58|| Main WINO/WMRN/WORT programming / Fox
 
|-
 
|-
| 58.2 / 68.3 || rowspan=2|[[480i]] || [[4:3]] || ABC3340 {{small|(WBMA)}}<br>WX {{small|(WDBB)}}<br>3340 WX {{small|(WABM)}} || James Spann 24/7 Weather
+
| 12.2/38.2/58.2 || My3858 || MY FWA TV/ MyNetworkTV<BR>{{small|(Starting September 2016)}}
 
|-
 
|-
| 58.3 || 16:9 || ABC3340 || [[American Sports Network]]
+
| 12.3/38.3/58.3 || [[wikipedia:480i|480i]] || [[wikipedia:4:3|4:3]] ||3858 Wx|| Weather
 
|-
 
|-
 +
 
|}
 
|}
---->
+
 
 +
 
 +
===Upcoming MyNetwork TV affiliation===
 +
On December 15, 2015, DakMedia came to terms on an extension of their existing MyNetworkTV stations and subchannels throughout their chain.  The press release announcing the extension also revealed DakMedia agreed to place MyNetwork TV on WINO+'s DT2 subchannel in the fall of 2016; it will replace [[WECW-FTV|WECW]] as Fort Wayne's MyNetworkTV affiliate at the time of that station's affiliation agreement expiry.<ref>??</ref> WINO+ became the third station to affiliate with MyNetworkTV. The network first aligned with WGOM in September 2006 before moving to WECW in 2010.
 +
 
 
===Analog-to-digital conversion===
 
===Analog-to-digital conversion===
 
Although WINO-FLP was not obligated to shut off its analog signal, as the law exempted low-powered stations from the [[wikipedia:Digital television transition in the United States|national transition from analog to digital television broadcasts]], the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) encouraged low-power television stations to vacate from high-band UHF channels 52 to 69, as these out-of-core allotments were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the conversion.
 
Although WINO-FLP was not obligated to shut off its analog signal, as the law exempted low-powered stations from the [[wikipedia:Digital television transition in the United States|national transition from analog to digital television broadcasts]], the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) encouraged low-power television stations to vacate from high-band UHF channels 52 to 69, as these out-of-core allotments were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the conversion.
Line 123: Line 130:
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
<!----
+
===WMRN===
 +
'''WMRN''' started operating as Fort Wayne's first independent station in October 1985, broadcasting on UHF channel 38, but because it did not return a profit suitable to the original owners, they sold the station to [[Patrice Rafferty|ATE Media Corporation]], owners of then-NBC affiliate [[WMRI-FTV|WFAZ]] (then on channel 36, now WMRI channel 9) 1990.
  
 +
Owner [[Patrice Rafferty]] rejuvenated the station by pumping money into it, purchasing new equipment, and improving the station's image.  Like WMRI in Fort Wayne, WMRN became an official ABC affiliate, as WNDI (and WORT below, for northeastern Indiana). ATE Media sold WMRN to MHB Television in 2009. Its transmitter is located near [[wikipedia:Roll, Indiana|Roll]], in rural [[wikipedia:Blackford County, Indiana|Blackford County]].
  
===WCFT-TV===
+
===WORT===
'''WCFT''' started operating as western Alabama's first-ever television station in October 1965, broadcasting on UHF channel 33. The original licensee, '''C'''hapman '''F'''amily '''T'''elevision, was a consortium of eight Tuscaloosa businessmen who saw the benefits of a television station, in both business and community service. WCFT began as an independent station, but because it did not return a profit suitable to the original owners, they sold the station to [[Hattiesburg, Mississippi]]-based Service Broadcasters in 1967.
+
On October 26, 1994, '''WFWC-FTV''' began broadcasting on channel 58 as a primary NBC affiliate with a secondary ABC affiliation. The station was operated by the Angola Broadcasting Company
  
The new owners rejuvenated the station by pumping money into it, purchasing new equipment, and improving the station's image.  Like [[WIAT|WBMG-TV]] in Birmingham, WCFT picked up in its first few years CBS and NBC programming not cleared by WAPI-TV (channel 13, now [[WVTM-TV]]). In 1970, WCFT became an official CBS affiliate, as did WBMG (and WHMA below, for eastern Alabama). In 1977, Arbitron made Tuscaloosa its own television market, ranking below number 170.  Service Broadcasters sold WCFT to Allbritton in 1995. Its transmitter is located near [[Windham Springs, Alabama]], in rural [[Tuscaloosa County, Alabama|Tuscaloosa County]].
+
WFWC ultimately served approximately 100,000 households in extreme northeast Indiana, and management fought almost constantly to maintain its own [[Arbitron]] market between Fort Wayne and Detroit. This was a maneuver critical to the station's survival as WFWC faced immense competition from the "spill-in" (grade B signal) coverage from larger stations in the nearby larger markets. Its ratings victories garnered it access to numerous national advertisers, a rarity for small-market stations of that time.  
  
===WJSU-TV===
+
In 1999, ownership of the station was transferred to the city of Fort Wayne Broadcasting and the call letters were changed to WORT.  The station was ultimately sold to MHB Television in 2009.
On October 26, 1969, '''WHMA-TV''' began broadcasting on channel 40 as a primary CBS affiliate with a secondary [[NBC]] affiliation. The station was operated by the Anniston Broadcasting Company, which was owned by members of the family of Harry M. Ayers (the station's namesake)The Ayers family also owned the ''Anniston Star'' newspaper and WHMA radio ([[WHMA-AM|1390 AM]] and 100.5 FM, now [[WNNX-FM]] in [[Atlanta]]). The station's inaugural general manager, [[Harry Mabry]], came to Anniston from Birmingham, where he had been news director of [[WBRC]] in Birmingham for several years. Mabry already was familiar with Anniston, though, having been an announcer on WHMA-AM over fifteen years earlier.
 
  
WHMA-TV ultimately served approximately 100,000 households in east central Alabama, and management fought almost constantly to maintain its own [[Arbitron]] market between Birmingham and Atlanta. This was a maneuver critical to the station's survival. Despite being the only station located within the Anniston/East Alabama market (other than [[Alabama Public Television]] translator WCIQ), WHMA faced immense competition from the "spill-in" (grade B signal) coverage from larger stations in the nearby larger markets. Its ratings victories garnered it access to numerous national advertisers, a rarity for small-market stations of that time. In 1970, WHMA, along with WBMG and WCFT (above), dropped NBC programming in favor of full-time CBS coverage after WAPI became the sole NBC affiliate for all of [[central Alabama]] that year.
+
===WINO/WMRN/WORT as a Fox affiliate===
 +
In 2008, Fox announced that it would end its Fort Wayne affiliation with WFTW by the end of June 2010. This was a result of merger of DakMedia and MHB Television, the latter of which sold then-NBC affiliate WNDI to X2 Broadcasting. However, WFTW's contract with Fox did not expire until June 2010, giving WFTW a year to find a new network. DakMedia reached a unique deal with MHB Television: Both WINO and WORT would become Fox affiliates; however there was a snag. Under Nielsen rules, neither station would likely appear in the Fort Wayne ratings books because they were both considered to be out of market stations. DakMedia's solution was to purchase '''W12OH''', a low-powered station in Fort Wayne that began operations 18 November 2009, and designate it as the primary station for Nielsen. While the channel 12 purchase was not a condition of the deal between Fox and DakMedia, it did result in WMRN and WORT ending their respective ABC and NBC affiliations and combine to act as full-powered satellites of W12OH.
  
In 1984, the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) forced the Ayers family to break up its media empire. Later, in a mid-1980s deal that concerned tax avoidance more than profit, ownership of the station was transferred to the trustees of [[Jacksonville State University]] and the call letters were changed to WJSU-TV.  The station was ultimately sold in the 1990s to Flagship Broadcasting.
 
  
===WBMA/WCFT/WJSU as an ABC affiliate===
+
The new station debuted on August 1, 2010 from studios in the ____ office complex in Fort Wayne. Its first slogan was "We're Building Our Station Around You". Unlike most advertising catchwords, the phrase was quite accurate because the station's programming consultants surveyed numerous numbers of people across northeast Indiana to literally built a new station from the ground up.
In 1995, Birmingham's longtime ABC affiliate, WBRC, was sold to [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]].  However, WBRC's contract with ABC did not expire until September 1996, giving ABC a year to find a new affiliate in Birmingham. ABC reached a unique deal with Allbritton: Both WCFT and WJSU would become ABC affiliates; however there was a snag. Under Nielsen rules, neither station would likely appear in the Birmingham ratings books because they were both considered to be out of market stations.  Allbritton's solution was to purchase '''W58CK''', a low-powered station in Birmingham that began operations 18 November 1994, and designate it as the primary station for Nielsen. While the channel 58 purchase was not a condition of the deal between ABC and Allbritton, it did pave the way for Anniston and Tuscaloosa to be merged back into the Birmingham market. WJSU and WCFT would end separate operations and combine to act as full-powered satellites of W58CK. Both stations also ceded exclusive CBS rights in all of central Alabama to WBMG.  Under this arrangement, Allbritton assumed control of WJSU's operations under a local marketing agreement.  This lasted until Allbritton bought WJSU outright in 2008.
 
  
The new station debuted on September 1, 1996 from studios in the Riverchase office complex in Hoover. Its first slogan was "We're Building Our Station Around You," which was also used on [[WKYC-TV]] in [[Cleveland]] for some years.  Unlike most advertising catchwords, the phrase was quite accurate because the station's programming consultants surveyed numerous numbers of people across central Alabama to literally built a new station from the ground up.
+
W12OH officially changed its call letters to WINO-FLP on September 23, 2012; it had been unofficially using the WINO calls since it began operations. WINO+ became the third station in Fort Wayne to affiliate with Fox. The network first affiliated with WTOR in 1990 before moving to WFTW in 2004.
  
W58CK officially changed its call letters to WBMA-LP on September 23, 1997; it had been unofficially using the WBMA calls since it began operations. For a time in the mid-1990s, WCFT served as the default ABC affiliate for the Columbus/[[Tupelo, Mississippi|Tupelo]] market.
+
==Programming==
 +
WINO+ clears the entire Fox schedule with one notable exception: it airs the ''[[wikipedia:Xploration Station|Xploration Station]]'' block on both Saturdays (airing 10-11 a.m.) and Sundays (11 a.m.-noon after ''Fox News Sunday'') due to the January 2016 addition of its weekend morning newscasts; this differs from WFTW and WTOR during their tenures with the network. The only other exception are during instances where the station carries breaking news or severe weather coverage, or special programming.  
  
 +
In addition to carrying the entire Fox schedule, [[wikipedia:Broadcast syndication|syndicated]] programming broadcast by WINO+ ({{as of|September 2015|lc=y}}) includes ''[[The Dr. Oz Show]]'', ''[[FABLife]]'', ''[[Scandal (TV series)|Scandal]]'', ''[[Cougar Town]]'', ''Divorce Court'' ''Judge Judy'' and ''Modern Family''.<ref>??</ref>
  
===Early history and formation of trimulcast with WCFT-TV and WJSU-TV===
+
===Sports programming===
On May 5, 1994, Great American Communications (which would later be renamed Citicasters following the completion of its restructuring) agreed to sell WBRC and three other television stations – NBC affiliate [[WDAF-TV]] in [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], CBS affiliate [[KSAZ-TV]] in [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] and ABC affiliate [[WGHP]] in [[High Point, North Carolina]] – to [[New World Pictures#New World Communications|New World Communications]], which reach an agreement with [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] to affiliate twelve of its television stations with the network on May 23 of that year, for $350 million in cash and $10 million in [[warrant (finance)|share warrant]]s.<ref>{{cite news|title=COMPANY NEWS; GREAT AMERICAN SELLING FOUR TELEVISION STATIONS|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/06/business/company-news-great-american-selling-four-television-stations.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|publisher=[[The New York Times Company]]|date=May 6, 1994|accessdate=December 12, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Geoffrey Foisie">{{cite web|title=Argyle socks away profit. (New World Communications Group Inc. acquires Argyle Television Holdings)|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-15493423.html|author=Geoffrey Foisie|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=Cahners Business Information|via=HighBeam Research|date=May 30, 1994|accessdate=December 12, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Fox Gains 12 Stations in New World Deal|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4230288.html|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|publisher=[[Sun-Times Media Group|Hollinger International]]|via=[[HighBeam Research]]|date=May 23, 1994|accessdate=June 1, 2013}}</ref> Three weeks later, New World agreed to buy [[NBC]] affiliate [[WVTM-TV]] (channel 13) and three other stations – ABC affiliate [[KTVI]] in [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], and CBS affiliates [[KDFW]] in [[Dallas]] and [[KTBC (TV)|KTBC]] in [[Austin, Texas]] – from Argyle Television Holdings, in a purchase option-structured deal worth $717 million.<ref name="Geoffrey Foisie"/>
+
Since becoming a Fox O&O, WINO+ carries select Indianapolis Colts NFL games broadcast by [[wikipedia:NFL on Fox|the network]] when they host an [[wikipedia:National Football Conference|NFC]] opponent.  
  
New World subsequently decided to transfer WBRC and WGHP to a [[trust company]] it established, with the intent to sell them to [[Fox Television Stations]] due to conflicts with the FCC's ownership rules at the time (in the case of Birmingham, New World could not keep WBRC and WVTM since the FCC then forbade a single company from owning two television stations in the same market; the concurrent Argyle and Citicasters acquisitions also put New World three stations over the agency's twelve-station ownership limit). Although it was now owned by the [[owned-and-operated station]] group of one network, Fox Television Stations had to operate WBRC as an ABC affiliate after the sale closed on July 24, 1995 as the station's affiliation contract with the network was not set to expire until September 1996, giving the network a year to find a new partner to replace WBRC as its Birmingham affiliate. ABC first approached soon-to-be-former Fox station [[WTTO]] (channel 21, now a [[The CW|CW]] affiliate) for a deal, but turned them down after its owner [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]] only expressed interest in carrying ABC's [[prime time]] and news programming, and had not intention of starting a news department for the station (even though its Tuscaloosa satellite WDBB operated one at the time discussions began, before shutting it down in December 1995).
 
  
In November 1995, [[Allbritton Communications]] purchased [[CBS]] affiliate WCFT-TV (channel 33) in [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama|Tuscaloosa]] from Federal Broadcasting for $20 million; then in January 1996, after terminating a deal to purchase soon-to-be former Fox affiliate WNAL-TV (channel 44, now Ion Television owned-and-operated station [[WPXH-TV]]) in [[Gadsden, Alabama|Gadsden]], Allbritton acquired the non-[[broadcast license|license]] assets of WJSU-TV (channel 40) in [[Anniston, Alabama|Anniston]] from Osborne Communications Corporation for $12 million under a [[local marketing agreement]] (which included an option to eventually purchase the station outright). Allbritton wanted to relocate WJSU's transmitter facilities closer to Birmingham to provide a stronger signal within that metropolitan area and nearby Tuscaloosa;<ref>{{cite web|title=Allbritton takes another route to Birmingham|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-17986166.html|author=Elizabeth Rathbun|periodical=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|publisher=[[Reed Business Information|Cahners Business Information]]|via=HighBeam Research|date=January 8, 1996|accessdate=December 12, 2015}}</ref> however, the relocation was prohibited under FCC regulations that required a station's transmitter site be located no more than {{convert|15|miles}} from its [[city of license]] (Anniston is {{convert|63|mi|km}} north-of-due-east of Birmingham), which would have required an application to change the city of license closer to Birmingham in order to legally allow the move.
+
Most pre-season and regular season games are televised over-the-air locally are split between [[WTOR-FTV|WTOR]] (through [[wikipedia:NFL on CBS|CBS]]' rights to the team's [[American Football Conference]] division), with [[WFTW-FTV|WFTW]] (channel 6) carrying non-preseason games via [[wikipedia:NBC Sunday Night Football|Sunday Night Football]] and ABC affiliate [[WMRI-FTV|WMRI]] (channel 9) via [[wikipedia:Monday Night Football|ESPN's Monday Night Football]] on occasions when a game involving the Colts is scheduled.
 
 
Shortly after the WJSU purchase took place, ABC reached a unique deal with Allbritton – which the network had a strong relationship with, particularly as the group's [[flagship (broadcasting)|flagship station]], [[WJLA-TV]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], had long been one of ABC's strongest affiliates – in which WCFT and WJSU would become the new ABC affiliates for Central Alabama, with WCFT acting as the main station. In April 1996, a few months after the Birmingham deal, Allbritton's ties to ABC were sealed wholesale when Allbritton reached a ten-year affiliation agreement with ABC that renewed contracts with the group's three existing ABC affiliates (WJLA-TV, [[KTUL]] in [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]] and [[WHTM]] in [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]]) and resulted in two of its other stations switching to the network (NBC affiliate WCIV (now [[Heroes & Icons]] affiliate [[WGWG]]) in [[Charleston, South Carolina]] and [[The WB|WB]] affiliate WBSG-TV (now [[Ion Television]] [[owned-and-operated station]] [[WPXC-TV]]) in [[Brunswick, Georgia]], the latter of which would become a satellite of [[WJXX]] in nearby [[Jacksonville, Florida]] when Allbritton signed that station on in February 1997).<ref>{{cite web|title=Allbritton Communications Co. and ABC have signed a 10-year affiliation agreement|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-18220783.html|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=Cahners Business Information|via=HighBeam Research|date=April 22, 1996|accessdate=December 12, 2015}}</ref>
 
 
 
A key problem with the deal, however, was that under Nielsen rules, neither WCFT or WJSU would likely be counted in the Birmingham ratings books as it ranked Tuscaloosa and Anniston as separate markets at the time. Allbritton's solution to this issue was to purchase '''W58CK''', a low-power [[Independent station (North America)|independent station]] in Birmingham that began operations on November 18, 1994 (under the ownership of Shirley James), which would serve as the primary station for the purpose of being counted in local ratings diaries.<ref>{{cite web|title=Birmingham TV News: A Bit on 33/40|url=http://www.reocities.com/southernmedia1/stationhistories.htm|website=ReoCities}}</ref> While the purchase of channel 58 was not a condition of the deal between ABC and Allbritton, it did pave the way for Anniston and Tuscaloosa to be merged back into the Birmingham television market in September 1998<ref>{{cite web|title=A Quick Jaunt Through Birmingham, Alabama|page=A selection from a decade of visits to tower and studio sites in the Northeast and beyond|url=http://www.fybush.com/site-020605.html|author=Scott Fybush|website=Fybush.com|date=June 5, 2002|accessdate=January 30, 2014}}</ref> (at the start of the 1998–99 television season). That move benefited all of the major Birmingham stations, as it not only increased their viewership in Tuscaloosa and Anniston, but also resulted in Birmingham's placement in Nielsen's national market rankings jumping by twelve spots from 51st to 39th place.<ref name="em121597">{{cite web|title=Birmingham's WBMG-TV cleans house with news staff|author=Jon Lafayette|periodical=Electronic Media|page=2|date=December 15, 1997}}</ref>
 
 
 
W58CK became an ABC affiliate on September 1, 1996, at which time WCFT and WJSU also ended separate operations and became full-powered satellite stations of W58CK, with Allbritton assuming control of WJSU's operations under the originally proposed LMA, which was transferred to Flagship Broadcasting upon that company's purchase of that station (this lasted until Allbritton purchased WJSU-TV outright in 2008). The respective studio facilities of both stations – located near Skyland Boulevard in Tuscaloosa and on Noble Street in downtown Anniston – were converted into news bureaus, with their [[master control]] operations being migrated to W58CK's new studios on Concourse Parkway in Hoover.<ref name="allbrittonalldigital">{{cite web|title=Allbritton goes all-digital in Alabama|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-18640355.html|author=Glen Dickson|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=Cahners Business Information|via=HighBeam Research|date=September 2, 1996|accessdate=December 12, 2015}}</ref> WCFT and WJSU also ceded the CBS programming rights in central Alabama to WBMG (channel 42, now [[WIAT]]), which had recently upgraded its transmitter to provide a much stronger full-power signal throughout much of the Birmingham market, and WNAL-TV, which took over as CBS's northeastern Alabama affiliate on September 1.
 
 
 
Even though WBMA was the official ABC affiliate for the Birmingham market, Allbritton chose to brand the combined operation as "ABC 33/40", using the over-the-air channel numbers of WCFT and WJSU instead, making it appear as if WCFT was the primary station. The three stations' combined signal footprint covered the majority of Central Alabama (with the exception of certain areas to the immediate north and south of Birmingham proper that could not receive a [[Broadcast range|Grade B]] signal from W58CK/WBMA or the Tuscaloosa and Anniston satellites) and provided at least secondary coverage from the Alabama-[[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] state line westward to [[Columbus, Mississippi]]. [[Cable television|Cable]] (and eventually, [[direct-broadcast satellite|satellite]]) providers within the market received the signal of either WCFT or WJSU, both of which provided at least secondary coverage of Birmingham's inner ring.
 
 
 
Its original slogan from the time of affiliation until 2006 was "We're [Always] Building Our Station Around You", which unlike most advertising catchphrases, was quite accurate; the station's programming consultants surveyed a large number of central Alabama residents to literally build a new station from the ground up, catering to the interests of its potential viewers. At the time it joined the network, WCFT began serving as the default ABC affiliate for the Columbus–[[Tupelo, Mississippi|Tupelo]] market; this lasted until [[WKDH]] signed on as the market's ABC station in 2001 (WKDH shut down in 2013 following the termination of a [[local marketing agreement]] with NBC affiliate [[WTVA]], which took over the ABC affiliation on a digital subchannel). W58CK, which had been informally been using the WBMA calls from the time it began operations, officially changed its call letters to '''WBMA-LP''' on September 23, 1997.
 
 
 
In June 1998, ABC parent [[The Walt Disney Company]] entered into negotiations to purchase the eight Allbritton stations and the LMAs with WJSU and WJXX, reportedly offering the company more than $1 billion to acquire them (which if successful, would have made WBMA+ the Birmingham market's third network-owned station, as – in addition to the WBRC purchase by Fox – New World sold WVTM to NBC in 1996, and Birmingham the smallest American television market with at least three major network O&Os).<ref>{{cite web|title=Disney in Talks to Buy WJLA; ABC Would Take Over Allbritton's Television Empire|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-652595.html|author=Jerry Knight|author2=Paul Farhi|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|publisher=[[Graham Media Group|The Washington Post Company]]|via=HighBeam Research|date=June 17, 1998|accessdate=December 12, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=ABC dealing for Allbritton's TVs|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-20849938.html|author=Sara Brown|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=Cahners Business Information|via=HighBeam Research|date=June 22, 1998|accessdate=December 12, 2015}}</ref> Negotiations between Disney and Allbritton broke down when the former dropped out of discussions to buy the stations the following month.<ref>{{cite web|title=Disney Ends Talks to Buy WJLA|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-667225.html|author=Paul Farhi|newspaper=The Washington Post|publisher=The Washington Post Company|via=HighBeam Research|date=July 25, 1998|accessdate=December 12, 2015}}</ref>
 
 
 
Between May 26, 2008 and March 23, 2009, Nielsen Media Research mistakenly undercounted viewership for WBMA+ in its diary ratings tallies. Due to a "procedural error", ratings for WBMA-LP, and WCFT and WJSU respectively (which were traditionally measured collectively as "WBMA+" due to the unique trimulcast structure) failed to properly measure viewership through the three stations' digital signals – the feeds also distributed to local cable and satellite providers – together and combine them with ratings counts for their analog signals, resulting in ratings for WBMA's digital signal only being counted. The error significantly reduced the total viewership and ratings share estimates recorded to less than half of what station management expected.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nielsen Shortchanges WBMA Birmingham|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/programming/nielsen-shortchanges-wbma-birmingham/34899?rssid=20065|author=Michael Malone|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=Reed Business Information|date=June 4, 2009}}</ref> It was later explained that Nielsen had undercounted and overcounted at various times between February 2008 and November 2009, as well as a time in January 2010 that primetime ratings had been shortchanged (including occasional zero shares). The confusion stemmed from the station's unique three-station simulcasting setup.<ref>{{cite web|title=Birmingham's Nielsen Woes Continue|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/local-tv/birmingham%E2%80%99s-nielsen-woes-continue/42238|author=Michael Malone|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=Reed Business Information|date=June 4, 2009}}</ref>
 
  
 +
==News operation==
  
==Programming==
+
WINO+ presently broadcasts 70 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 12 hours on weekdays, and five hours each on Saturdays and Sundays). In addition, the station produces the hour-long [[infotainment]] program ''Talk of Fort Wayne'', which airs weekday mornings at 9:00&nbsp;a.m., and the half-hour sports highlight and discussion program ''The Zone'', which airs on Sunday nights following the 10:00&nbsp;p.m. newscast.
<!----
 
In addition to carrying the entire ABC schedule, [[Broadcast syndication|syndicated]] programming broadcast by WBMA-LD ({{as of|September 2015|lc=y}}) includes ''[[The Dr. Oz Show]]'', ''[[FABLife]]'', ''[[Scandal (TV series)|Scandal]]'', ''[[Cougar Town]]'', ''[[Person of Interest (TV series)|Person of Interest]]'' and ''[[Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=WBMA-LD schedule|url=http://wbma.titantv.com|website=Titan TV|publisher=Broadcast Interactive Media, LLC|accessdate=December 12, 2015}}</ref>
 
  
In September 2006, WBMA+ moved the popular soap opera ''[[All My Children]]'' from 10:00&nbsp;a.m. (where the program aired since it assumed the ABC affiliation in September 1996) to 12:00&nbsp;p.m. WBRC had aired ''All My Children'' on a day-behind [[broadcast delay|delayed]] basis as an ABC affiliate until WBRC became a Fox owned-and-operated station. This practice continued when WBMA+ affiliated with the network. The move to the noon timeslot marked the first time since the [[soap opera]] premiered in 1970 that ''All My Children'' had aired in pattern in the Birmingham market (its replacement, ''[[The Chew]]'', which debuted in September 2011, also airs at 12:00&nbsp;p.m.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Chew' airing at 12:00|url=http://www.abc3340.com/category/191070/programming|website=WBMA-LD|publisher=Allbritton Communications Company}}</ref>).
+
For statewide news coverage throughout northeast Indiana, WINO+ shares resources with its Indianapolis and South Bend sister stations ([[WIND-FTV]] and [[WSBI-FTV]]). Additionally, the three stations cooperate in the gathering of news  and weather coverage where their markets overlap, sharing reporters, live trucks, and helicopters.
  
On April 30, 1997, WBMA+ decided that it would not air "[[The Puppy Episode]]", an episode of the ABC [[situation comedy|sitcom]] ''[[Ellen (TV series)|Ellen]]'' that gained notoriety for [[Ellen DeGeneres]]'s character Ellen Morgan (and in effect, DeGeneres herself) [[coming out]] as a [[lesbian]], after ABC declined a request by station management to air the episode on [[broadcast delay|tape delay]] in a late-night timeslot. The station's then-[[general manager]] Jerry Heilman cited a need to respect the family values of the region's largely conservative [[evangelicalism|evangelical]] community as the basis of its decision.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ala. station pulls plug on `Ellen'|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4394026.html|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|publisher=Sun-Times Media Group|via=HighBeam Research|date=April 15, 1997|accessdate=December 12, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=ALABAMA STATION WON'T SHOW 'ELLEN' OUTING|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23380439.html|agency=[[Associated Press]]|newspaper=[[The Columbian]]|publisher=Columbian Publishing Company|via=HighBeam Research|date=April 11, 1997|accessdate=December 12, 2015}}</ref> Some [[gay rights]] and [[civil libertarian]] activists decried the decision as a blatant example of [[censorship]]; in response, per a request by the [[LGBT]] organizations [[GLAAD]] and locally based Birmingham Pride Alabama, ABC downlinked a special satellite feed of the episode's broadcast to the [[Boutwell Memorial Auditorium]] in downtown Birmingham that was viewed by about 1,000 people, mainly local [[homosexuality|gay and lesbian persons]], and their supporters.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Gay Groups Preempt Alabama 'Ellen' Blackout|url=http://www.glaad.org/releases/gay-groups-preempt-alabama-ellen-blackout|website=[[GLAAD]]|date=April 22, 1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Ellen: The Real Story of Ellen Degeneres|author=Kathleen Tracy|publisher=[[Kensington Books]]|page=251|year=2005|ISBN=0-7860-1750-3}}</ref> Some area cable providers also carried the network feed of the episode by way of out-of-market ABC affiliates such as [[WSB-TV]] in Atlanta. WBMA+ would eventually air the episode when it was re-aired by the network later that same season.
 
  
--->
 
  
==News operation==
+
W12OH began airing regular long-form newscasts once it became an Fox affiliate on August 1, 2010, which were originally branded as ''The (airtime) News on Fort Wayne's Fox 38/58'' (later shortened to ''Fox 38/58 News'' in 2011). At that time, the station launched a full slate of local news programming, airing newscasts at 5:00, 11:00&nbsp;a.m., 5:00, 6:00 and 10:00&nbsp;p.m. on Monday through Fridays (the late newscast being then titled ''The Night Team on Fort Wayne's Fox 38/58''), along with weekend evening newscasts. WMRN and WORT began simulcasting its newscasts on that date, following their conversion into satellite stations of channel 12 as part of the "Fox 38/58" trimulcast operation.
  
WINO+ presently broadcasts 64 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 12 hours on weekdays, and two hours each on Saturdays and Sundays). In addition, the station produces the hour-long [[infotainment]] program ''Talk of Ohioana'', which airs weekday mornings at 9:00&nbsp;a.m., and the half-hour sports highlight and discussion program ''The Zone'', which airs on Sunday nights following the 10:00&nbsp;p.m. newscast.
+
W12OH maintained certain primary personnel from WMRI and WNDI's news staffs that MHB Television had transferred from those stations to the new combined operation, including WMRI anchor Dave Barton, who has served as co-anchor of the weeknight newscasts since their debut. In addition, the station hired many well-known Fort Wayne television personalities to work as part of its news staff in the run-up to the department's launch; among them were news anchors Eboni Hill and Tina Hannsen, sports anchor Richard Pantazi, and meteorologists Wendy Prater and [[Lisa Singelton]], all of whom had previously worked at either rival [[WTOR-FTV|WTOR]] or WFTW during their latter years of its Fox affiliation, and former WNDI-FTV news personality Pam Hines, who were later hired to anchor the station's morning newscasts.  
  
 +
Although it is a newer competitor to the other major Fort Wayne stations), WINO+'s newscasts have fared much better than those of other upstart news departments created following affiliation deals resulting from the Fox-New Avon agreement, especially considering WINO's status as an upstart when MHB Television affiliated it with Fox and WMRN and WORT's lack of over-the-air and cable coverage within the core Fort Wayne area during their respective tenures as satellites of WMRI and WNDI. Its newscasts have been formidable competition to those of its rivals in the Fort Wayne market. The station spent much of the early 2010s in a spirited battle with WTOR for second place in the [[wikipedia:media market|market]] behind longtime leader WMRI, however in recent years since 2014, WINO+'s news ratings have fought a resurgent WFTW for third overall as WMRI fell to second behind WTOR. Much of the early success it achieved with its newscasts was due to the hirings of well-known talent as well as its extensive coverage of severe weather events affecting its viewing area.
  
W12OH began airing regular long-form newscasts once it became an Fox affiliate the following day on September 1, which were originally branded as ''The (airtime) News on Fort Wayne's Fox 38/58'' (later shortened to ''ABC 38/58 News'' in 2011). At that time, the station launched a full slate of local news programming, airing newscasts at 5:00, 11:00&nbsp;a.m., 5:00, 6:00 and 10:00&nbsp;p.m. on Monday through Fridays (the late newscast being then titled ''The Night Team on Fort Wayne's Fox 38/58''), along with weekend evening newscasts. WMRN and WORT began simulcasting its newscasts on that date, following their conversion into satellite stations of channel 12 as part of the "Fox 38/58" trimulcast operation.
+
WINO+'s 10:00 p.m. in-house newscast competes against hour-long newscasts all produced by the big three stations: Independent station WXXC (channel 47)'s ''INNCD 47 Action News at 10:00PM'' produced by CBS affiliate WTOR (channel 41), CW affiliate WGOM (channel 27)'s ''The News at 10:00 on WGOM'' produced by NBC affiliate WFTW (channel 6), MyNetworkTV affiliate WECW (channel 51)'s ''NewsCenter 9 at 10:00 on Star 51'' produced by ABC affiliate WMRI (channel 9) and previously a half-hour newscast on WNDI-FDT2 that was produced by WNDI (channel 7). WINO+'s 7:00 p.m. in-house newscast competes against the first half of WTOR's hour-long ''CBS 41 Action News at 7:00PM'', WECW and WGOM's ''NewsCenter 9 at 7'' and ''The News at 7:00 on WGOM'', respectively. The station's 4:00 p.m. newscasts compete against hour-long newscasts on WTOR's ''CBS 41 Action News at 4:00'' (previously shown on WXXC), WFTW's ''The News at 4:00 on NBC 6'', and WMRI's ''NewsCenter 9 First at Four'' and ''Indiana News Tonight with [[Karly Ryder]]''.  
  
W12OH maintained certain primary personnel from WMRI and WNDI's news staffs that DakMedia had transferred from those stations to the new combined operation, including WMRI anchor Dave Baron, who has served as co-anchor of the weeknight newscasts since their debut. In addition, the station hired many well-known Fort Wayne television personalities to work as part of its news staff in the run-up to the department's launch; among them were news anchors Eboni Hill and Tina Hannon, sports anchor Mark Pantazi, and meteorologists Wendy Prater and [[Lisa Singelton]], all of whom had previously worked at either rival [[WTOR-FTV|WTOR]] or WFTW during their latter years of its Fox affiliation, and former WNDI-FTV news personality Pam Hines, who were later hired to anchor the station's morning newscasts.  
+
The station launched a three-hour long weekend morning newscast on January 2, 2016.
  
Although it is a newer competitor to the other major Fort Wayne stations), WINO+'s newscasts have fared much better than those of other upstart news departments created following affiliation deals resulting from the Fox-New Avon agreement, especially considering WINO's status as an upstart when MHB Television affiliated it with Fox and WMRN and WORT's lack of over-the-air and cable coverage within the core Fort Wayne area during their respective tenures as sattelites of WMRI and WNDI. Its newscasts have been formidable competition to those of its rivals in the Fort Wayne market. The station spent much of the early 2010s in a spirited battle with WTOR for second place in the [[wikipedia:media market|market]] behind longtime leader WMRI, however in recent years since 2014, WINO+'s news ratings have fought a resurgent WFTW for third overall as WMRI fell to second behind WTOR. Much of the early success it achieved with its newscasts was due to the hirings of well-known talent as well as its extensive coverage of severe weather events affecting its viewing area.
 
  
  
 
===Weather coverage===
 
===Weather coverage===
WINO+ has placed a significant emphasis on weather in its news coverage and has become known throughout Northeast Indiana for its comprehensive severe weather coverage led by former chief meteorologist [[Lisa Singleton]], who joined WINO+ in October 2010, after disagreements with WFTW management over CW's edgier programming. WINO+ has maintained a long-standing policy to preempt regular programming and run wall-to-wall, uninterrupted severe weather coverage in the event that the [[National Weather Service]] Fort Wayne office issues a [[tornado warning]] for any county within its viewing area. The station operates "StormChaser 38/58", a [[Jeep]] customized for [[storm chasing]] purposes, which is equipped with a dashcam and a computer programmed with software relaying data from several radar sources; and "AirLink 38/58", a helicopter that is normally used for newsgathering, but is also occasionally used to show the paths of violent and long-track tornadoes.
+
WINO+ has placed a significant emphasis on weather in its news coverage and has become known throughout Northeast Indiana for its comprehensive severe weather coverage led by former chief meteorologist [[Lisa Shingleton]], who joined WINO+ in October 2010, after disagreements with WFTW management over CW's edgier programming and has since moved to rival WTOR. WINO+ has maintained a long-standing policy to preempt regular programming and run wall-to-wall, uninterrupted severe weather coverage in the event that the [[National Weather Service]] North Webster office issues a [[tornado warning]] for any county within its viewing area. The station operates "StormChaser 38/58", a [[Jeep]] customized for [[storm chasing]] purposes, which is equipped with a dashcam and a computer programmed with software relaying data from several radar sources; and "AirLink 38/58", a helicopter that is normally used for newsgathering, but is also occasionally used to show the paths of violent and long-track tornadoes.
 
 
WINO+ also operates a network of "SkyCam" throughout Indiana that provide live video as well as weather data from observation sites throughout the state, including downtown Fort Wayne, Marion, Angola; [[Inverness, Shelby County, Alabama|Inverness]]; [[Gadsden, Alabama|Gadsden]]; [[Jasper, Alabama|Jasper]]; [[Mount Cheaha, Alabama|Mount Cheaha]]; [[Cullman, Alabama|Cullman]]; [[Clanton, Alabama|Clanton]]; [[Gulf Shores, Alabama|Gulf Shores]] and [[Hamilton, Alabama|Hamilton]], and [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]]. It also operates a few SkyCam sites in Mississippi, including in [[Starkville, Mississippi|Starkville]] and [[Columbus, Mississippi|Columbus]], based in locations where the signal from the WMRN tower can be received. In the latter half of 2013, WINO+ upgraded many of its SkyCams to [[high-definition video|high-definition]], and additionally set up new HD SkyCams in the [[Riverchase Galleria]] complex (atop the [[Galleria Tower]]) in Hoover; atop the [[Alabama Power Headquarters Building]] in downtown Birmingham; atop DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa; and in several other locations around central Alabama.
 
 
 
Despite being a relatively new station to the Birmingham market, WINO+ achieved notice in the market as it has captured of several of the state's most significant weather events in recent history through both its SkyCams and its tower cameras. On [[2011 Super Outbreak|June 29, 2012]], the ____ SkyCam caught footage of a multiple-vortex windstorm that struck the city's downtown area.  Footage of that same derencho as it tracked eastward into western DeKalb County was captured by the Birmingham SkyCam (located atop the [[Daniel Building]]) as it passed through the northwestern suburbs of the city almost an hour later.
 
 
 
Additionally, WINO+ operates "TowerLink" cameras that are mounted on current transmitters of WINO and its repeater stations, some of which have also played parts in the station's storm coverage. The Fort Wayne TowerLink camera (located on WINO-FLD's current tower) caught footage of a major power outage in western Birmingham, which indicated the presence of a destructive nighttime [[April 1998 Birmingham tornado|F5 tornado]] on April 8, 1998.  
 
  
 +
WINO+ also operates a network of "SkyCam" throughout Indiana that provide live video as well as weather data from observation sites throughout the state, including downtown Fort Wayne, Marion, Angola. It also operates a few SkyCam sites in Ohio, including in Van Wert and Defiance, based in locations where the signal from the WMRN tower can be received. In the latter half of 2013, WINO+ upgraded many of its SkyCams to [[high-definition video|high-definition]], and additionally set up new HD SkyCams in the Parkview Health Medical Center in Fort Wayne; and in several other locations around northeast Indiana.
  
 +
Despite being a relatively new station to the Fort Wayne market, WINO+ achieved notice in the market as it has captured of several of the state's most significant weather events in recent history through both its SkyCams and its tower cameras. On June 29, 2012, the Fort Wayne SkyCam caught footage of a multiple-vortex windstorm that struck the city's downtown area.  Footage of that same derencho as it tracked eastward into western DeKalb County was captured by the Fort Wayne SkyCam (located atop the Star Financial Building) as it passed through the northwestern suburbs of the city almost an hour later.
  
 
===On-air staff===
 
===On-air staff===
 +
====Current on-air staff====
 +
'''Current Anchors'''
  
====Notable current on-air staff====
+
*'''Dave Barton''' - weeknights at 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 and 11 p.m.
<!----
+
*'''Pamela Hines''' - weeknights at 4, 5, 6, and 6 p.m.
* [[James Spann]] ([[American Meteorological Society|AMS]] [[American Meteorological Society#Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) Seal|Certified Broadcast Meteorologist]] Seal of Approval) – chief meteorologist; weeknights
+
*'''[[Hillary Matthewson]]''' - weekday mornings (6-10 a.m.) and 11 a.m.
 
+
*'''Tina Hansen''' - weekday mornings (4-7 a.m.) and 11 a.m.; also weekday morning 7-10 a.m. reporter
 
+
<!---
===News/station presentation===
+
*'''Nicole Allshouse''' - "Talk of Ohioana" co-host
====Newscast titles====
+
*'''Pamela Hough''' - weekday mornings (5-7 a.m.) and weeknights at 5 p.m.
*''TV-33 News'' (1970`s; WCFT)
 
*''[[Eyewitness News]]'' (1970`s-1980`s; WCFT)
 
*''(33) [[Eyewitness News]]'' (1980s-1996; WCFT)<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-bhXWzpX6U</ref>
 
*''TV-40 News'' (1980s-1996; WJSU)
 
*''The (time) News on Alabama's ABC 33/40'' (general) / ''The Night Team on Alabama's ABC 33/40'' (10 p.m. newscast; 1996-2001)
 
*''ABC 33/40 News'' (2001-present)<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hf0lJql-_c</ref>
 
 
 
====Station slogans====
 
*''Alabama's All Electronic News Station'' (late 1970s)
 
*''West Alabama's News Leader'' (late 1980s-1996; WCFT slogan)
 
*''Northeast Alabama's Local TV News Source'' (early 1980s-1996; WJSU slogan)
 
*''We're Building Our Station Around You'' (1996-1998)
 
*''Where News Comes First'' (1998-2001)
 
*''We're Always Building Our Station Around You'' (2001-2005)  
 
*''Alabama's News Leader'' (2002-present)<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4QyCPj29Cw</ref>
 
{{inc-video}}
 
 
 
===On-air staff===
 
====Current on-air staff<ref>{{cite web|title=ABC 33/40 News - Talent Bios|url=http://www.abc3340.com/Global/category.asp?C=191749|publisher=WBMA-LP|accessdate=23 September 2010}}</ref>====
 
'''Current Anchors'''
 
*'''Nicole Allshouse''' - "Talk of Alabama" co-host
 
*'''Dave Baird''' - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
 
*'''Pam Huff''' - weekday mornings (5-7 a.m.) and weeknights at 5 p.m.
 
 
*'''Tracy Haynes''' - weekday mornings (5-7 a.m.) and "Talk of Alabama" co-host
 
*'''Tracy Haynes''' - weekday mornings (5-7 a.m.) and "Talk of Alabama" co-host
 
*'''Brenda Ladun''' - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
 
*'''Brenda Ladun''' - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
*'''Linda Mays''' - weekdays at 11 a.m. and weeknights at 5 p.m.
+
 
 
*'''Yenu Wodajo''' - weekday mornings (4:30-5 a.m.); also weekday morning 5-7 a.m. reporter
 
*'''Yenu Wodajo''' - weekday mornings (4:30-5 a.m.); also weekday morning 5-7 a.m. reporter
 +
--->
  
 
'''''Storm Alert Weather'''''
 
'''''Storm Alert Weather'''''
*'''[[James Spann]]''' ([[American Meteorological Society|AMS]] [[Certified Broadcast Meteorologist]] Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
+
*'''Jack Spaide''' ([[American Meteorological Society|AMS]] [[Certified Broadcast Meteorologist]] Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 4, 5, 6, 10 and 11 p.m.
*'''Ashley Brand''' (AMS and [[National Weather Association|NWA]] Seals of Approval) - meteorologist; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m.
+
*'''Ashley Banns''' (AMS and [[National Weather Association|NWA]] Seals of Approval) - meteorologist; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m.
*'''Jason Simpson''' - meteorologist; weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.) and 11 a.m.
+
*'''Elizabeth Atkins''' - meteorologist; weekday mornings (4-10 a.m.) and 11 a.m.
  
 
'''Sports team'''
 
'''Sports team'''
*'''Mike Raita''' - sports director; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m., also host of "The Zone"
+
*'''Richard Pantazi''' - sports director; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m., also host of "The Zone"
*'''Jeff Speegle''' - sports anchor; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m., also sports reporter
+
*'''Jeff Steele''' - sports anchor; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m., also sports reporter
*'''Kevin Scarbinsky''' - co-host of "The Zone"; also ''[[Birmingham News]]'' sports columnist
+
 
*'''Doug Segrest''' - co-host of "The Zone"; also ''Birmingham News'' sports columnist
 
*'''Chris Harris''' - sports reporter; also fill-in sports anchor and sports producer
 
  
 
'''Reporters'''
 
'''Reporters'''
 +
<!---
 
*Honora Gathings - general assignment reporter
 
*Honora Gathings - general assignment reporter
*Ebony Hall - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
+
*Eboni Hill - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
*Isaiah Harper - general assignment reporter  
+
*Isaiah Halows - general assignment reporter  
*Ana Jasen - general assignment reporter
+
*Ada Jansen - general assignment reporter
*Jeremy King - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
+
*Jeremy Jones- general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
*Thomas Lower - technology reporter
+
*Thomas Lowe - technology reporter
 
*Bryant Somerville - general assignment reporter
 
*Bryant Somerville - general assignment reporter
---->
+
-->
  
 
====Notable former on-air staff====
 
====Notable former on-air staff====
 
+
* [[Eboni Hill]] - anchor/reporter (2010-2017), now at rival WTOR
 +
* [[Lisa Singleton]] - chief meteorologist (2010-2013), now at rival WTOR
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==

Latest revision as of 14:38, 11 January 2019

Template:Distinguish2

WINO-FDT
Fox 7 Fort Wayne.png
Branding Fort Wayne's Fox 7 (general; official)
Fox 7 (general; colloquial)
Fox 7 News (newscasts)
Slogan Working For You
Channels Digital: (See table below)
Subchannels (See table below)
Affiliations Fox (O&O)
Owner Fox Fantasy Television Stations
(WINO Licensee, LLC)
First air date November 18, 2009 (2009-11-18)
Call letters' meaning (See table below)
Former callsigns W12OH (2009–2012)
WINO-FLD (2012-2018)
Former channel number(s) Analog:
12 (UHF; 2006–2011)
Digital:
12 (VHF; 2011-2018)
Former affiliations Independent (1994–1996)
Transmitter power See table below
Height See table below
Class LD
Facility ID See table below
Transmitter coordinates See table below
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Template:FCC-TV-Station-profile
Template:TVQ
Website Fox7fortWayne.com

WINO, virtual and VHF digital channel 7), is a Fox-owned and operated fantasy television station located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. WINO maintains studio facilities located in Aboite, Indiana (with a Fort Wayne address), and its transmitter is located (near the Columbia City neighborhood) in southwestern Fort Wayne.

WINO transmits a digital signal, which provides an over-the-air broadcasting radius that is effectively limited to Fort Wayne proper and nearby areas in Allen, DeKalb, Adams, Wells counties in Indiana and Van Wert and Paulding counties in Ohio. Because of this, the station's programming is simulcast on two other Northeast Indiana stations that act as full-power relays in order to reach the entire Fort Wayne market.

The station's current brand name "Fox 7" because of its channel position on most cable systems in the market.

The station's former brand name, "Fox 38/58", is derived from the two full-power remote transmitters: WMRN-FTV (channel 38) in Roanoke, Indiana and WORT-FTV (channel 58) in Angola, Indiana, which were respectively operated as full-power satellites of ABC affiliate WMRI (channel 9) and then-NBC affiliate WNDI (channel 7, now occupied by WINO). Although this makes it appear that WMRN is the main station, low-powered WINO is officially Fort Wayne's Fox affiliate. WINO's signal does not extend outside of the immediate Fort Wayne area. Many Fort Wayne viewers and cable providers formerly obtained the signal from the higher-power WMRN/WORT stations. Their combined power carries the Fox 7 signal to all of Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio from the Indiana-Michigan state line southward to Muncie.


Stations[edit]

While WINO is technically considered the main station and official Fox affiliate for the Fort Wayne market, the signal of the low-powered WINO is simulcast on two full-powered stations within the market to ensure reception across Northeast Indiana and some adjacent areas. Nielsen Media Research treats the signals as one station in local ratings counts, using the identifier name WINO+. For the sake of brevity, the station will be referred to hereafter in this article by that name, when referencing the station and its repeaters.

Station City of license Physical channel VC1 First air date Call letters’
meaning
ERP HAAT Facility ID Transmitter coordinates
WINO-FLD2 Fort Wayne, Indiana 38 (UHF) 12 September 1, 2010 INdiana and Ohio 15 kW 255 m
WMRN-FTV3 Roanoke 21 (UHF) 38 October 19854 WMRI Mario'N 278 kW 657 m
WORT-FTV5 Angola 40 (UHF) 58 October 26, 1994 FORT Wayne 200 kW 359 m

Notes:

  • 1: Virtual channel (PSIP).
  • 2. WINO-FLD used the callsign W12OH until 2012, at which time the callsign was officially changed to WINO-FLP.
  • 3. WMRN-FTV was an independent station from 1985 to 1990, and affiliated with NBC from 1990 to 2005 and ABC from 2005 to 2010 as satellite of WMRI from 1990 to 2010.
  • 4. The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says WMRN-FTV signed on October 27, while the Television and Cable Factbook says it signed on October 29.
  • 5. WORT-FTV used the callsign WFWC-FTV from its 1994 inception until 1999. It was an ABC affiliate from 1994 to 2005 and NBC from 2005 to 2010 as satellite of WNDI from 1994 to 2010.

Digital television[edit]

Digital channels[edit]

The digital signals of WINO-FLP, WMRN-FTV and WORT-FTV are multiplexed.

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming
12.1/38.1/58.1 720p 16:9 Fox 38/58 Main WINO/WMRN/WORT programming / Fox
12.2/38.2/58.2 My3858 MY FWA TV/ MyNetworkTV
(Starting September 2016)
12.3/38.3/58.3 480i 4:3 3858 Wx Weather


Upcoming MyNetwork TV affiliation[edit]

On December 15, 2015, DakMedia came to terms on an extension of their existing MyNetworkTV stations and subchannels throughout their chain. The press release announcing the extension also revealed DakMedia agreed to place MyNetwork TV on WINO+'s DT2 subchannel in the fall of 2016; it will replace WECW as Fort Wayne's MyNetworkTV affiliate at the time of that station's affiliation agreement expiry.[1] WINO+ became the third station to affiliate with MyNetworkTV. The network first aligned with WGOM in September 2006 before moving to WECW in 2010.

Analog-to-digital conversion[edit]

Although WINO-FLP was not obligated to shut off its analog signal, as the law exempted low-powered stations from the national transition from analog to digital television broadcasts, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) encouraged low-power television stations to vacate from high-band UHF channels 52 to 69, as these out-of-core allotments were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the conversion.

On December 3, 2010, the FCC granted WINO-FLP a construction permit to flash-cut its digital signal into operation on UHF channel 38 (formerly occupied by the analog signal of WMRN) and shut down the analog signal. WINO-FLP had a permit to operate on VHF channel 11, but due to possible interference with WIFX-FTV in Indianapolis and fellow Fox affiliates WLMI in Lansing, Michigan (both of which transmits on its former analog frequency), the station decided to modify the application to transmit the signal on UHF channel 38.[2] WINO-FLP signed on its low-power digital signal in late May 2011, under the call letters WINO-FLD; through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former VHF analog channel 12.

History[edit]

WMRN[edit]

WMRN started operating as Fort Wayne's first independent station in October 1985, broadcasting on UHF channel 38, but because it did not return a profit suitable to the original owners, they sold the station to ATE Media Corporation, owners of then-NBC affiliate WFAZ (then on channel 36, now WMRI channel 9) 1990.

Owner Patrice Rafferty rejuvenated the station by pumping money into it, purchasing new equipment, and improving the station's image. Like WMRI in Fort Wayne, WMRN became an official ABC affiliate, as WNDI (and WORT below, for northeastern Indiana). ATE Media sold WMRN to MHB Television in 2009. Its transmitter is located near Roll, in rural Blackford County.

WORT[edit]

On October 26, 1994, WFWC-FTV began broadcasting on channel 58 as a primary NBC affiliate with a secondary ABC affiliation. The station was operated by the Angola Broadcasting Company

WFWC ultimately served approximately 100,000 households in extreme northeast Indiana, and management fought almost constantly to maintain its own Arbitron market between Fort Wayne and Detroit. This was a maneuver critical to the station's survival as WFWC faced immense competition from the "spill-in" (grade B signal) coverage from larger stations in the nearby larger markets. Its ratings victories garnered it access to numerous national advertisers, a rarity for small-market stations of that time.

In 1999, ownership of the station was transferred to the city of Fort Wayne Broadcasting and the call letters were changed to WORT. The station was ultimately sold to MHB Television in 2009.

WINO/WMRN/WORT as a Fox affiliate[edit]

In 2008, Fox announced that it would end its Fort Wayne affiliation with WFTW by the end of June 2010. This was a result of merger of DakMedia and MHB Television, the latter of which sold then-NBC affiliate WNDI to X2 Broadcasting. However, WFTW's contract with Fox did not expire until June 2010, giving WFTW a year to find a new network. DakMedia reached a unique deal with MHB Television: Both WINO and WORT would become Fox affiliates; however there was a snag. Under Nielsen rules, neither station would likely appear in the Fort Wayne ratings books because they were both considered to be out of market stations. DakMedia's solution was to purchase W12OH, a low-powered station in Fort Wayne that began operations 18 November 2009, and designate it as the primary station for Nielsen. While the channel 12 purchase was not a condition of the deal between Fox and DakMedia, it did result in WMRN and WORT ending their respective ABC and NBC affiliations and combine to act as full-powered satellites of W12OH.


The new station debuted on August 1, 2010 from studios in the ____ office complex in Fort Wayne. Its first slogan was "We're Building Our Station Around You". Unlike most advertising catchwords, the phrase was quite accurate because the station's programming consultants surveyed numerous numbers of people across northeast Indiana to literally built a new station from the ground up.

W12OH officially changed its call letters to WINO-FLP on September 23, 2012; it had been unofficially using the WINO calls since it began operations. WINO+ became the third station in Fort Wayne to affiliate with Fox. The network first affiliated with WTOR in 1990 before moving to WFTW in 2004.

Programming[edit]

WINO+ clears the entire Fox schedule with one notable exception: it airs the Xploration Station block on both Saturdays (airing 10-11 a.m.) and Sundays (11 a.m.-noon after Fox News Sunday) due to the January 2016 addition of its weekend morning newscasts; this differs from WFTW and WTOR during their tenures with the network. The only other exception are during instances where the station carries breaking news or severe weather coverage, or special programming.

In addition to carrying the entire Fox schedule, syndicated programming broadcast by WINO+ (as of September 2015) includes The Dr. Oz Show, FABLife, Scandal, Cougar Town, Divorce Court Judge Judy and Modern Family.[3]

Sports programming[edit]

Since becoming a Fox O&O, WINO+ carries select Indianapolis Colts NFL games broadcast by the network when they host an NFC opponent.


Most pre-season and regular season games are televised over-the-air locally are split between WTOR (through CBS' rights to the team's American Football Conference division), with WFTW (channel 6) carrying non-preseason games via Sunday Night Football and ABC affiliate WMRI (channel 9) via ESPN's Monday Night Football on occasions when a game involving the Colts is scheduled.

News operation[edit]

WINO+ presently broadcasts 70 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 12 hours on weekdays, and five hours each on Saturdays and Sundays). In addition, the station produces the hour-long infotainment program Talk of Fort Wayne, which airs weekday mornings at 9:00 a.m., and the half-hour sports highlight and discussion program The Zone, which airs on Sunday nights following the 10:00 p.m. newscast.

For statewide news coverage throughout northeast Indiana, WINO+ shares resources with its Indianapolis and South Bend sister stations (WIND-FTV and WSBI-FTV). Additionally, the three stations cooperate in the gathering of news and weather coverage where their markets overlap, sharing reporters, live trucks, and helicopters.


W12OH began airing regular long-form newscasts once it became an Fox affiliate on August 1, 2010, which were originally branded as The (airtime) News on Fort Wayne's Fox 38/58 (later shortened to Fox 38/58 News in 2011). At that time, the station launched a full slate of local news programming, airing newscasts at 5:00, 11:00 a.m., 5:00, 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. on Monday through Fridays (the late newscast being then titled The Night Team on Fort Wayne's Fox 38/58), along with weekend evening newscasts. WMRN and WORT began simulcasting its newscasts on that date, following their conversion into satellite stations of channel 12 as part of the "Fox 38/58" trimulcast operation.

W12OH maintained certain primary personnel from WMRI and WNDI's news staffs that MHB Television had transferred from those stations to the new combined operation, including WMRI anchor Dave Barton, who has served as co-anchor of the weeknight newscasts since their debut. In addition, the station hired many well-known Fort Wayne television personalities to work as part of its news staff in the run-up to the department's launch; among them were news anchors Eboni Hill and Tina Hannsen, sports anchor Richard Pantazi, and meteorologists Wendy Prater and Lisa Singelton, all of whom had previously worked at either rival WTOR or WFTW during their latter years of its Fox affiliation, and former WNDI-FTV news personality Pam Hines, who were later hired to anchor the station's morning newscasts.

Although it is a newer competitor to the other major Fort Wayne stations), WINO+'s newscasts have fared much better than those of other upstart news departments created following affiliation deals resulting from the Fox-New Avon agreement, especially considering WINO's status as an upstart when MHB Television affiliated it with Fox and WMRN and WORT's lack of over-the-air and cable coverage within the core Fort Wayne area during their respective tenures as satellites of WMRI and WNDI. Its newscasts have been formidable competition to those of its rivals in the Fort Wayne market. The station spent much of the early 2010s in a spirited battle with WTOR for second place in the market behind longtime leader WMRI, however in recent years since 2014, WINO+'s news ratings have fought a resurgent WFTW for third overall as WMRI fell to second behind WTOR. Much of the early success it achieved with its newscasts was due to the hirings of well-known talent as well as its extensive coverage of severe weather events affecting its viewing area.

WINO+'s 10:00 p.m. in-house newscast competes against hour-long newscasts all produced by the big three stations: Independent station WXXC (channel 47)'s INNCD 47 Action News at 10:00PM produced by CBS affiliate WTOR (channel 41), CW affiliate WGOM (channel 27)'s The News at 10:00 on WGOM produced by NBC affiliate WFTW (channel 6), MyNetworkTV affiliate WECW (channel 51)'s NewsCenter 9 at 10:00 on Star 51 produced by ABC affiliate WMRI (channel 9) and previously a half-hour newscast on WNDI-FDT2 that was produced by WNDI (channel 7). WINO+'s 7:00 p.m. in-house newscast competes against the first half of WTOR's hour-long CBS 41 Action News at 7:00PM, WECW and WGOM's NewsCenter 9 at 7 and The News at 7:00 on WGOM, respectively. The station's 4:00 p.m. newscasts compete against hour-long newscasts on WTOR's CBS 41 Action News at 4:00 (previously shown on WXXC), WFTW's The News at 4:00 on NBC 6, and WMRI's NewsCenter 9 First at Four and Indiana News Tonight with Karly Ryder.

The station launched a three-hour long weekend morning newscast on January 2, 2016.


Weather coverage[edit]

WINO+ has placed a significant emphasis on weather in its news coverage and has become known throughout Northeast Indiana for its comprehensive severe weather coverage led by former chief meteorologist Lisa Shingleton, who joined WINO+ in October 2010, after disagreements with WFTW management over CW's edgier programming and has since moved to rival WTOR. WINO+ has maintained a long-standing policy to preempt regular programming and run wall-to-wall, uninterrupted severe weather coverage in the event that the National Weather Service North Webster office issues a tornado warning for any county within its viewing area. The station operates "StormChaser 38/58", a Jeep customized for storm chasing purposes, which is equipped with a dashcam and a computer programmed with software relaying data from several radar sources; and "AirLink 38/58", a helicopter that is normally used for newsgathering, but is also occasionally used to show the paths of violent and long-track tornadoes.

WINO+ also operates a network of "SkyCam" throughout Indiana that provide live video as well as weather data from observation sites throughout the state, including downtown Fort Wayne, Marion, Angola. It also operates a few SkyCam sites in Ohio, including in Van Wert and Defiance, based in locations where the signal from the WMRN tower can be received. In the latter half of 2013, WINO+ upgraded many of its SkyCams to high-definition, and additionally set up new HD SkyCams in the Parkview Health Medical Center in Fort Wayne; and in several other locations around northeast Indiana.

Despite being a relatively new station to the Fort Wayne market, WINO+ achieved notice in the market as it has captured of several of the state's most significant weather events in recent history through both its SkyCams and its tower cameras. On June 29, 2012, the Fort Wayne SkyCam caught footage of a multiple-vortex windstorm that struck the city's downtown area. Footage of that same derencho as it tracked eastward into western DeKalb County was captured by the Fort Wayne SkyCam (located atop the Star Financial Building) as it passed through the northwestern suburbs of the city almost an hour later.

On-air staff[edit]

Current on-air staff[edit]

Current Anchors

  • Dave Barton - weeknights at 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 and 11 p.m.
  • Pamela Hines - weeknights at 4, 5, 6, and 6 p.m.
  • Hillary Matthewson - weekday mornings (6-10 a.m.) and 11 a.m.
  • Tina Hansen - weekday mornings (4-7 a.m.) and 11 a.m.; also weekday morning 7-10 a.m. reporter

Storm Alert Weather

  • Jack Spaide (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 4, 5, 6, 10 and 11 p.m.
  • Ashley Banns (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - meteorologist; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m.
  • Elizabeth Atkins - meteorologist; weekday mornings (4-10 a.m.) and 11 a.m.

Sports team

  • Richard Pantazi - sports director; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m., also host of "The Zone"
  • Jeff Steele - sports anchor; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5 and weekends at 10 p.m., also sports reporter


Reporters

Notable former on-air staff[edit]

  • Eboni Hill - anchor/reporter (2010-2017), now at rival WTOR
  • Lisa Singleton - chief meteorologist (2010-2013), now at rival WTOR

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ??
  2. {??
  3. ??

External links[edit]