Difference between revisions of "WINO (FDT)"

Latest revision as of 14:38, 11 January 2019

Template:Distinguish2

WINO-FDT

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.

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.

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^[update]) 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]

External links[edit]