WPLG

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WPLG
Miami, Florida
Branding	Local10
Channels	10 (VHF) analog, 9 (VHF) digital
Translators	47 W47AC Big Pine Key
Affiliations	ABC
Owner	Post-Newsweek Stations
Founded	1957 (current license dates from November 20, 1961)
Call letters meaning	W Phillip L. Graham (In memory of the late Washington Post president)
Former callsigns	WPST-TV (1957-1964) WLBW-TV (1964-1970)
Former affiliations	None
Transmitter Power	316 kW Analog 15.8 kW Digital 30 kW Digital CP
Website	www.local10.com/

WPLG is an ABC network affiliate serving the entire Miami, Florida area. WPLG is owned and operated by Post-Newsweek Stations, a subsidiary of the Washington Post Company.

Contents 1 History 2 Newscasts 3 Notable Personalities 4 Trivia 5 External links

[edit] History

The station began broadcasting on August 2, 1957 as WPST-TV, as the second ABC affiliate in the Miami market under the ownership of National Airlines. Prior to this time ABC had been carried by WITV, channel 17. When the more powerful channel 10 came on the air, however, channel 17 quickly went out of business. In the early 60's the ownership of WPST got in trouble with the FCC and lost its license. L.B. Wilson won the right to start a new station on channel 10 which signed on November 20, 1961, just a week after WPST was forced to sign off. This new ABC station had the call letters WLBW-TV for the initials of its owner, as well as branding itself as "Colorvision 10", indicating that it was broadcasting in color (the rainbow in the current logo may be a homage to this moniker). In 1967, WLBW moved to its present studio facility location on Biscayne Boulevard. In 1969, WLBW was purchased by Katharine Graham. On March 16, 1970, WLBW was renamed WPLG, named for Katharine Graham's late husband Philip L. Graham.

The station became well-known in the 1970s for its popular anchor team. From 1976 to 1982 Glenn Rinker, Ann Bishop, Chuck Dowdle and Walter Cronise anchored "Newswatch 10". In 1982, Rinker left for another position in Orlando and was replaced by Mike Schneider. Schneider and Bishop anchored until 1986, when Dwight Lauderdale joined the anchor desk with Bishop on "Channel 10 Eyewitness News," becoming South Florida's first African-American nightly news anchor. By 1985, WPLG had surpassed rival WTVJ in the ratings and would dominate the ratings for over ten years. Ann Bishop would continue to anchor the news until 1995. She worked part-time at the station until she succumbed to colon cancer in 1997. Don Noe joined WPLG in 1979 and is one of Miami's most popular chief meteorologists.

WPLG deployed "Sky 10", Miami's first news helicopter in 1982.

WPLG is branded "Local10" under the station standardization adopted by Post-Newsweek, which means that all stations use the "Local Mandate."

When WTVJ, WCIX (now WFOR), and WSVN all swapped affiliations on New Years Day 1989, WPLG had remained an ABC affiliate. And, when WTVJ and WFOR swapped channel numbers, WPLG remained on Channel 10, and remained an ABC affiliate.

WPLG offers the ABC Weather Channel on DT2.

WPLG recently announced plans to relocate its studio facilities from 3900 Biscayne Boulevard to a location in southern Broward County. The station has been at its current location since the 1960s. Construction on the new facility is expected to be finished in 2009.

[edit] Newscasts

Weekdays

• Local10 Morning News - 5-7 a.m.
• Local10 News at Noon - Noon-1 p.m.
• Local10 News at Six - 6-6:30 p.m.
• Local10 News at Eleven - 11-11:35 p.m.

Saturday

• Local10 News Saturday/Sunday - 6-8 a.m. and 9-10 a.m.
• Local10 News Weekend - 6:30-7 p.m.
• Local10 News at Eleven - 11-11:30 p.m.

Sunday

• Local10 News Sunday - 6-8 a.m. and 9-10:30 a.m.
• Local10 News Weekend - 6:30 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Local10 News at Eleven - 11 p.m.-11:30 p.m.

Specialty Programming

• Sports Jam Sunday - 11:30PM-Midnight (Sundays only)

[edit] Notable Personalities

CURRENT PERSONALITIES

• Alex Alvarez, I-NEWS Web Reporter (appears only on Local10.com)
• Trent Aric, Meteorologist
• Rad Berky, General Assignment Reporter
• Jacey Birch, Meteorologist/Reporter
• Kellie Butler, General Assignment Reporter
• Jimmy Cefalo, Sports Director
• Anjanette Flowers, General Assignment Reporter
• Terrell Forney, General Assignment Reporter
• Megan Glaros, Meteorologist
• John Guaraldi, Meteorologist
• Jen Herrera, Weekday Traffic Reporter
• Calvin Hughes, Morning/Noon Anchor/Reporter
• Laurie Jennings, 6 p.m. & 11 p.m. Anchor
• Kristi Krueger, Morning & Noon Anchor/Reporter
• Alex Loeb, Sports Anchor/Reporter
• Roger Lohse, Broward Newsroom Reporter
• Dwight Lauderdale, 6 p.m. & 11 p.m. Anchor
• Diane Magnum, Weekend Morning Anchor/Reporter
• Will Manso, Sports Anchor/Reporter
• Max Mayfield- Hurricane Specialist
• Glenna Milberg, Community Affairs Reporter
• Neki Mohan, Weekend Evening Anchor/Reporter
• Yvonne Nava, General Assignment Reporter
• Don Noe, Chief Meteorologist
• Charles Perez, General Assignment Reporter/Fill-In Anchor
• Michael Putney, Political Reporter/"This Week In South Florida" Host
• John Henry Smith, Sports Anchor/Reporter
• Janine Stanwood, General Assignment Reporter
• Julie Summers, General Assignment Reporter
• Todd Tongen, General Assignment Reporter
• Jeff Weinsier, Investigative Reporter
• Ashley White, Weekend Traffic Reporter

PAST PERSONALITIES

• Ann Bishop, (1960s-1997) Deceased
• Wendy Corona, (2004-2006), now at KPRC in Houston
• Walter Cronise, chief meteorologist
• Liz Cho, now at WABC-TV
• Chuck Dowdle, sports director (1970s-80s) Now at WSB-TV
• Larry King, Now at CNN
• Matt Lorch, Now at WHDH-TV
• Bryan Norcross, meteorologist (mid 1980s)
• Glenn Rinker, 6/11pm anchor (1976-1982) Deceased
• Dominique Sachse, now at KPRC in Houston
• Mike Schneider, 6/11pm anchor (1982-1986)
• Jon Scott, anchor (-1988)
• Molly Turner, ?
• Gina Cancelliere, meteorologist (now in KLAS-TV Las Vegas)

[edit] Trivia

• Glenn Rinker was seen anchoring a "Newswatch 10" broadcast in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film The Shining (based on Stephen King's novel of the same name).

[edit] External links

• WPLG website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WPLG
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W47AC

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Broadcast television in the South Florida (Miami / Fort Lauderdale / Key West) market (Nielsen DMA #16)

Miami-Dade / Fort Lauderdale, Florida stations WPBT 2 (PBS) - WFOR 4 (CBS) - WTVJ 6 (NBC, WX+ on DT2) - WSVN 7 (FOX, The AccuWeather Channel Channel on DT2) - WPLG 10 (ABC) - WLRN 17 (PBS) - WLTV 23 (UNI) - WIMP-CA 25 (HSN) - WBFS 33 (MNTV) - WPXM 35 (ION) - WPMF-LP 38 (Ind) - WSFL 39 (The CW, The Tube on DT2) - WJAN-CA 41 (Ind) - WHFT 45 (TBN) - WSBS-CA 50 (Ind) - WFUN-LP 48 (HSN) - WSCV 51 (TEL) - WLMF-LP 53 (SCOLA) - WGEN-LP 55 (Ind) - WEYS-LP 56 (ALMA) - WPPB 63 (Ind/Edu.) - WAMI 69 (TFU)

Local television stations In Key West (These stations either serve Miami proper, or are repeaters of Miami stations.) WGEN 8 (Ind) - WSBS 22 (Ind) - W38AA 38 / W39AC 39 (CBS) - W44AC 44 / W52BB 52 / W58BU 58 (NBC) - W47AC 47 (ABC) - WKIZ-LP 49 (FOX)

Local digital television channels WHDT-LP 44 (Ind) See also: Broadcast television stations in West Palm Beach and Bahamas