WFLD
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| WFLD | |
|---|---|
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| Chicago, Illinois | |
| Branding | Fox Chicago Fox News Chicago |
| Slogan | The Most Powerful Name in Local News. |
| Channels | 32 (UHF) analog, 31 (UHF) digital |
| Affiliations | Fox |
| Owner | Fox Television Stations Group |
| Founded | January 4, 1966 |
| Call letters meaning | W FieLD Communications, the station's founding owner |
| Former affiliations | Independent (1966-1986) |
| Transmitter Power | 5000 kW/418.4 m (analog) 200 kW/475 m (digital) |
| Website | www.myfoxchicago.com |
WFLD-TV is an owned-and-operated television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, based in Chicago, Illinois. It is identified on the air as simply "Fox Chicago." WFLD is co-owned with WPWR-TV (channel 50), Chicago's MyNetworkTV affiliate. WFLD's transmitter sits on top of the John Hancock Center.
WFLD is a typical Fox station airing thirty-four hours of news every week along with syndicated first run talk/court/reality shows, off-network sitcoms, Fox's primetime network programming, and sports.
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[edit] History
The station began life on January 4, 1966, from its downtown Chicago studios. Its founding owner was Field Enterprises, which also owned the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News and was owned by heirs of the Marshall Field's department store chain. The station was christened the "Station of Tomorrow" by the Sun-Times in an April 1966 article because of its innovative technical developments in broadcasting its signal. It also broadcast news from the Sun-Times-Daily News newsroom.
Field Enterprises sold a majority ownership in WFLD to Kaiser Broadcasting in 1972, and the two companies' new partnership would see WFLD joining Kaiser's stable of UHF independent stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Detroit. In 1977, Kaiser ended the partnership by selling its share of the stations back to Field Enterprises, with Field regaining 100-percent ownership of channel 32.
From the late 1960s to the 1980s, WFLD carried a wide variety of syndicated series, movies, and local public affairs programming. To counter-program against its more established VHF rivals, channel 32 offered documentaries, adult dramas, westerns, and live sports, though for much of the time it trailed WGN-TV (channel 9) in the ratings among Chicago's independent stations until the late 1970s. When it won bids to air shows in syndication such as M*A*S*H, All in the Family, Happy Days, and others, the station finally beat WGN-TV in the ratings, and the two stations continued to go head-to-head throughout the 1980s.
In 1968, WFLD-TV acquired broadcast rights to the Chicago White Sox baseball team from WGN-TV, carrying them initially until 1972, and again from 1982 to 1989. During the 1980s WFLD also aired games of the NBA's Chicago Bulls, until WGN-TV acquired broadcast rights to both teams in 1990 (Chicago-area attorney and real estate investor Jerry Reinsdorf owns both franchises). WFLD was also noteworthy as the longtime home of the local B-movie program Svengoolie, which currently airs on WCIU-TV (channel 26).
In 1983, Field sold WFLD to Metromedia as part of a company-wide liquidation. At that time programming changed slightly but graphics were abruptly changed to reflect the new ownership. Metromedia's television stations, including WFLD, were sold to the News Corporation in 1986, and they formed the core of the new Fox Broadcasting Company.
Following the 1986 sale to the new Fox ownership, the station continued to compete aggressively in the market. Now known on-air as Fox 32, the station expanded its news presence as well. Fox's news presence began in 1986 with the premiere of the half-hour "Fox 32 News at 7" (touted as "the news that doesn't get home before you do") along with a half-hour 11PM newscast[1] which lasted until they consolidated both newscasts to compete with then-independent WGN's 9PM newscast. The newscast was moved back to 7PM by the fall of 1988,[2] and returned to 9PM by the fall of 1989,[3] in anticipation of Fox's expanding prime time schedule. The station started airing a morning newscast called Fox Thing in the Morning (now Fox News in the Morning) in place of the morning cartoon block.
The afternoon cartoon block, which became Fox Kids by 1992, continued on the station, as well as the top-rated off-network sitcoms in the evening. It also added more first-run talk shows and court shows. When Fox ended the weekday kids block in January of 2002, WFLD added more first-run reality and talk shows to the lineup.
In the mid-1990s, after several years of being known on the air as "Fox 32" (or even "Fox Thirty-Two"), the station rebranded itself as "Fox Chicago" due to the fact that many Chicagoans watch WFLD via cable (channel 12 or channel 3 on most area cable systems). Fox purchased WPWR-TV in 2002, and WPWR's operations were integrated into WFLD's facilities in downtown Chicago.
In January 2003, WFLD dropped the Fox Saturday morning cartoon block, now outsourced by Fox to producer "4 Kids TV", and the programs now air on WPWR in the same four-hour time block. In the near future, WFLD will be adding a Saturday morning newscast in its place from 6 to 9 AM (which for now syndicated kid shows and informercials air). WFLD is the first of the original six Fox-owned stations (owned prior to the New World stations purchase) to drop Fox's Saturday children's programming.
On May 7, 2006, WFLD adopted a new look for its newscasts, including new theme music and graphics, a new broadcast set, as well as a new station logo.
On September 11, 2006, WFLD launched an entirely redesigned website which is part of the myFox network.
Coming April 9, 2007, WFLD will launch a 10pm Newscast with Former Co-Anchor of FOX News in the Morning David Novarro and long-time Chicago Anchor Lauren Cohn to compete with other three O&O Stations WBBM (CBS) WMAQ (NBC) WLS-TV (ABC).
[edit] Newscasts
[edit] Weekdays
- Fox News In The Morning - 5 a.m.-9 a.m.
- Anchors: Nancy Loo and Patrick Elwood (5 to 6 a.m.), Mike Barz and Tamron Hall (6 to 9 a.m.)
- Weather: Tammie Souza
- Traffic: Sondra Solarte
- Fox News Chicago at Noon - 12 p.m.- 1 p.m.
- Anchors: Nancy Loo and Patrick Elwood
- Weather: Tammie Souza
- Fox News Chicago at 9PM - 9 p.m.-10 p.m.
- Anchors: Robin Robinson and Mark Suppelsa
- Weather: Amy Freeze
- Sports: Corey McPherrin
- the TEN - Fox News Chicago - 10 p.m.-10:35 p.m.
- Beginning April 9th
- Anchors: David Novarro and Lauren Cohn
- Weather: Amy Freeze
- Sports: Corey McPherrin
[edit] Saturday
- Fox News Chicago at 5PM - 5 p.m.-6 p.m.
- Anchors: Byron Harlan and Nancy Pender
- Weather: Mark Strehl
- Sports: Jill Carlson
- Fox News Chicago at 9PM - 9 p.m.-10 p.m.
- Anchors: Byron Harlan and Nancy Pender
- Weather: Mark Strehl
- Sports: Jill Carlson
[edit] Sunday
- Fox Chicago Sunday - 8 a.m.-9 a.m.
- Hosts: Dane Placko and Jack Conaty
- Fox News Chicago at 9PM - 9 p.m.-10 p.m.
- Anchors: Byron Harlan and Nancy Pender
- Weather: Mark Strehl
- The Final Word - 10 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
- Anchor: Cory McPherrin
- Analyst: Tom Waddle
[edit] Trivia
- Chicago is the largest market with a Fox station on the UHF dial.
- WFLD is also the first Fox UHF O&O to adopt a logo similar to that of sister WTVT. The new logos inspired by Fox News Channel use the logo colors red and blue and match the look of the network.
[edit] News Personalities
[edit] Current
Anchors
- Lauren Cohn - Weeknights at 10 p.m. (Beginning April 9th)
- Mike Barz- Weekday mornings 6 to 9 a.m.
- Patrick Elwood - Weekday mornings 5 to 6 a.m. and Noon
- Tamron Hall - Weekday mornings 6 to 9 a.m.
- Byron Harlan - Weekends
- Nancy Loo - Weekday mornings 5 to 6 a.m. and Noon
- David Novarro - Weeknights at 10 p.m. (Beginning April 9th)
- Nancy Pender - Weekends
- Robin Robinson - Weeknights at 9 p.m.
- Mark Suppelsa - Weeknights at 9 p.m.
Reporters
- Lilia Chacon
- Jack Conaty - Political Editor, Co-Host of Fox Chicago Sunday
- Michelle Gielan (Also a fill-in anchor)
- Darlene Hill (Former morning anchor)
- Anne Kavanaugh (Seen Weekday mornings)
- Dane Placko - Co-Host of Fox Chicago Sunday
- Mark Saxenmeyer - Special Projects Reporter
- Margaret Shortridge - Family and Health Reporter
- Sondra Solarte - Weekday Mornings Traffic Anchor/Noon Reporter
- A.J. Sterling
- Darian Trotter - Will debut on April 9th
- David Viggiano - Entertainment Reporter
- Craig Wall
- Tera Williams
- Larry Yellen - Investigative Reporter/Legal Analyst
Weather
- Steve Baron - Fill-In, Senior Web Producer of myFoxChicago.com
- Amy Freeze - Chief Meteorologist, Weeknights
- Tammie Souza - Mornings
- Mark Strehl - Weekends
Sports
- Jill Carlson - Weekend Anchor
- Corey McPherrin - Sports Director, Weeknights
- Tom Waddle - Analyst for Fox Kickoff Life and The Final Word
[edit] Former
- Lisa Argen - weather (1993-1995)Now with KGO-TV
- Kathy Balou - morning meteorologist (?)
- Rick DiMaio - morning meteorologist (1995-2001),Chief Meteorologist (2001-2007)
- Maurice DuBois - Anchor/Reporter (1994-1997; now at WCBS-TV in New York)
- Jon Duncanson - Morning Anchor (1995-1998)
- Sylvia Gomez - Weekend Anchor (1996-1997)
- Jonathan Hoenig - morning financial analyst (2000-2002; now at Fox News Channel)
- Dr. J - financial analyst
- Walter Jacobson - Anchor/Reporter/"Perspectives" Host (1993-2005)
- Michelle Leigh - morning meteorologist (2001-2006)
- Kris Long - anchor (1989-1993)
- Brant Miller - Meteorologist (1989-1991, now at WMAQ-TV)
- Johnny Morris - Sports Anchor/Commentator (1994-1998)
- Marianne Murciano - morning news anchor (1993-2001)
- Michael Pomeranz - Anchor/Reporter (1997-2000, now at KARE-TV in Minneapolis)
- Richard Roeper - lifestyle commentator and movie critic (1994-2001; now at WLS-TV)
- David Rose - morning anchor (1993-1994, now at WCPO-TV in Cincinnati)
- Steve Perez Schill - evening weather anchor (1995-2001)
- Bob Sirott - morning news anchor (1993-2001, now at WMAQ-TV)
- Al Vaughters - reporter (1990-1994, now at WIVB-TV in Buffalo)
- Harry Volkman - weekend meteorologist (1996-2005)
- Bruce Wolf - morning sports anchor (1987-2006; now at WMAQ-TV)
- Joe Zone - sports anchor/reporter (1993-1996)
- Bill Zwecker - movie critic (2000-2003, now at WBBM-TV)
This list is incomplete. You can help by expanding it
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Station Website
- WFLD-TV Conducts A Test Of The Emergency Broadcast System, 1984
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WFLD
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WBBM 2 (CBS) - W04CQ 4 (Silent) - WMAQ 5 (NBC) - WLS 7 (ABC, The AccuWeather Channel on DT3) - WGN 9 (The CW, The Tube on DT2) - WTTW 11 (PBS, Create on DT3) - WOCK-CA 13 (Azteca América) - W13BQ 13 (DW) - W18AT 18 / W54BK 54 (LeSEA) - WYCC 20 (PBS) - W64CQ 22 (TBN) - WWME-CA 23 (Ind) - WHVI-LP 24 (LeSEA) - WCIU 26 (Ind) - WSPY-LP 30 (A1) - WFLD 32 (Fox) - WEDE-CA 34 (Ind) - WWTO 35 (TBN) - WCPX 38 (ION) - WOCH-CA 41 (Ind) - WSNS 44 (TEL) - WFBT-CA 48 (Ind) - WPWR 50 (MNTV) - W54BE 54 (Edu. Ind) - WLFM-LP 55 (Ind) - WYIN 56 (PBS) - WXFT 60 (TFT) - WCHU-LP 61 (MTV3) - WJYS 62 (Ind) - WGBO 66 (UNI) |
| Local cable television channels |
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WFLD 32 (Chicago) - WQRF 39 (Rockford) - WYZZ 43 (Bloomington) - "CGEM" 54.3 (Quincy) - WRSP 55 / WCCU 27 (Springfield / Urbana) |
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| See also: ABC, CBS, CW, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS and Other Stations in Illinois | |
