WPVI-TV

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WPVI-TV
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Branding	6 ABC Channel 6 Action News
Slogan	The Delaware Valley's Number 1 News Station
Channels	6 (VHF) analog, 64 (UHF) digital
Affiliations	ABC
Owner	Disney/ABC
Founded	September 13, 1947
Call letters meaning	W Philadelphia VI (six in roman numerals)
Former callsigns	WFIL-TV (1948-1971)
Former affiliations	CBS (1947-1948) DuMont (secondary, 1947-1956)
Transmitter Power	74.1 kW/332 m (analog) 500 kW/390 m (digital)
Website	www.6abc.com

WPVI-TV, channel 6, is an owned-and-operated station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. WPVI has its studios located on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd, and its transmitter is located in the Roxborough neighborhood. WPVI's signal covers the Delaware Valley area, comprised of large portions of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Contents 1 History 1.1 As WFIL-TV 1.2 As WPVI-TV 2 Action News 3 Radio 4 Current Anchor Lineups 4.1 Weekdays 4.2 Saturdays 4.3 Sundays 4.4 Reporters 4.5 Past News Personalities 5 Former Entertainment Personalities 6 See also 7 External links

[edit] History

[edit] As WFIL-TV

Philadelphia's second-oldest television station signed on the air on September 13, 1947 as WFIL-TV. It was owned originally by Triangle Publications, publishers of The Philadelphia Inquirer and operators of WFIL-AM (560 kHz.) and WFIL-FM (102.1 MHz., now WIOQ).

WFIL radio had been an ABC affiliate dating to its days as the Blue Network. However, WFIL-TV started out as a CBS station with a secondary DuMont affiliation, as ABC hadn't gotten into television yet. When WCAU-TV (channel 10) signed on in 1948, it took the CBS affiliation as WCAU radio had long been the CBS affiliate in Philadelphia. ABC had launched its television network only a few months before and WFIL-TV became the fledgling network's first affiliate. Ironically, ABC affiliated with channel 6 before its flagship station, WJZ-TV (now WABC-TV) in New York City signed on in August. It retained a secondary DuMont affiliation until that network's demise in 1956.

The WFIL stations were the flagship of the growing communications empire of Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications, which owned both Philadelphia newspapers (the morning Inquirer and, later, the evening Philadelphia Daily News), periodicals including TV Guide, Seventeen, and the Daily Racing Form, and a broadcasting group that would grow to ten radio and six television stations.

The WFIL radio stations originally broadcast from the Widener Building in downtown Philadelphia. With the anticipated arrival of WFIL-TV, Triangle secured a new facility for WFIL, located at Market and 46th streets. In 1964 Triangle built one of the most advanced broadcast centers in the nation on City (or City Line) Avenue in the Main Line, in a circular building across from rival WCAU-TV. The station still broadcasts from there today, while the original studio was turned over to public broadcaster WHYY-FM and Television.

Channel 6 has a rich history of producing local shows. Perhaps its most notable local production was American Bandstand, which began in 1952 from WFIL-TV's original 46th and Market studio before the ABC network picked it up five years later. As ABC's first affiliate, it also originated several network shows.

Channel 6 was the first station to sign on from the Roxborough neighborhood. It originally used a 600-foot tower, but in 1957 it moved to a new 1100-foot tower which it co-owned with NBC-owned WRCV-TV (channel 3, now KYW-TV). The new tower added much of Delaware and the Lehigh Valley to the station's city-grade coverage.

[edit] As WPVI-TV

Because of its ownership of newspapers and broadcast licenses based in the same area, Triangle began to feel pressure from the Federal Communications Commission to divest some of its properties in order to comply with its newly-enacted "one-to-a-market" rule. In 1969 Triangle sold the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News to Knight (later Knight-Ridder) Newspapers.

Two years later, Triangle began to break up its broadcasting group. The WFIL stations, along with outlets in New Haven, Connecticut and Fresno, California, were sold to Capital Cities Communications. As a condition of the sale, Capital Cities had to spin-off the radio stations to various other entities (i.e., WFIL-AM to LIN Broadcasting and WFIL-FM to Richer Communications, which changed the call letters), and channel 6 changed its call letters to the current WPVI-TV.

Despite the ownership change, channel 6 continued preempting ABC programming in favor of locally-produced and syndicated shows. In 1975, when ABC entered the morning news field with AM America, WPVI did not carry it. Nor would channel 6 pick up AM America's successor, Good Morning America, in its entirety for nearly three years, choosing instead to carry its local children's program Captain Noah and His Magical Ark in place of the second hour of GMA. WPVI-TV also did not run other ABC daytime programming, notably The Edge of Night and Family Feud (ironically, channel 6 aired the syndicated version of this game show in evenings later on). ABC was able to get most of its daytime schedule on the air in Philadelphia anyway, through contracts with independent stations WKBS-TV (channel 48) and WTAF-TV (channel 29).

In the middle of 1985, Capital Cities announced it was purchasing the American Broadcasting Company, a move that stunned the broadcast industry since ABC was some ten times larger than CapCities at the time. Some have said that CapCities was only able to pull off the deal because WPVI-TV, the company's flagship property, had become very profitable in its own right. However, the merged company almost had to sell off channel 6 due to a significant signal overlap with ABC's New York City flagship station, WABC-TV. In the FCC's view, the merger gave the new company a duopoly prohibited by the regulations of the time -- the same "one-to-a-market" rule that forced Triangle to split its newspaper/broadcast combination in Philadelphia many years earlier. Capital Cities sought a waiver of the rules to keep WPVI, citing CBS' then-ownership of WCBS-TV in New York and WCAU-TV in Philadelphia. The FCC granted the waiver, and when the transaction became final in 1986, WPVI-TV became an ABC owned-and-operated station. A decade later, the Walt Disney Company purchased Capital Cities/ABC.

Even in the years after WPVI became an ABC-owned station, they continued to pre-empt an hour of ABC daytime programs in favor of other programs. Wildwood, New Jersey-based NBC affiliate WMGM-TV picked up the preempted ABC shows until 1987, when they moved back to channel 29, which was now WTXF-TV. The pre-empted programs were usually magazine shows, game shows or reruns of ABC primetime sitcoms. Some leeway was made in the early 1990s, when WPVI was down to pre-empting only the first half-hour the Home Show.

It was also after the CapCities-ABC merger that WPVI encountered infamy: on January 22, 1987, the station partially re-broadcasted the suicide of Pennsylvania treasurer Budd Dwyer on its noon newscast. Dwyer's suicide occurred at a press conference earlier that morning.

In 1997, in a directive from the new Disney ownership, WPVI-TV began carrying the entire ABC network schedule for the first time ever. Unfortunately, it came at the expense of its highly-rated local show, AM/Live (formerly AM Philadelphia), which was shifted to overnights to make room for ABC's then-new talk show The View. AM/Live was moved to 12:35 a.m. following Politically Incorrect and was renamed Philly After Midnight, where it lasted until 2001. Also in 1997, WPVI adopted the "network-plus-channel number" branding format and was now known on-air as 6 ABC.

Today, WPVI carries the entire ABC lineup as well as syndicated programming such as Live with Regis and Kelly and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, both of which are provided by corporate cousin Buena Vista Television. In fact, its entire weekday lineup, including syndicated shows, is identical to that of WABC-TV.

[edit] Action News

The station is famous for pioneering the "Action News" format, which was used by many stations throughout the United States. When it premiered on April 6, 1970 the format allowed the news program to have more stories than KYW's Eyewitness News due to strict time limits on story packages. Within a few months, the station surged to first place for the first time in its history. It had previously been an also-ran behind KYW and WCAU, which was surprising given its newspaper roots. WPVI went back and forth with KYW for first place for most of the 1970s. Since 1977, however, WPVI has dominated the Philadelphia ratings, winning virtually every time slot. Its dominance has only been seriously challenged twice--in the 1980s, when WCAU briefly took the lead at 5 pm; and in 2001, when WCAU took first place at 11 pm for the first time in decades. WPVI is one of many ABC O&O's to not use the Eyewitness News branding. The Eyewitness News branding would not be able to be used by WPVI, as KYW uses it in the Philadelphia market. However, it is not likely that ABC would have even considered dropping the Action News branding in any case.

The station has used the same theme since 1972, "Move Closer to Your World" by Al Ham. The composition has become as much a part of the Philadelphia consciousness as the Rocky theme and has helped WPVI stay number one in the Delaware Valley for 30 years. The station tried to switch to a fuller, thunderous and authoritative version of the song by the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1997, but switched back to the old version after five days of viewer complaints.

Years of being in the lead have led WPVI to keep things old-fashioned, with an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. For instance, it has had the same "6" logo since the 1970s; the only significant change coming in 1997 when it began calling itself "6ABC" and began placing the ABC "dot" logo inside the "6." It has frequently remastered "Move Closer to Your World" to make it sound less dated.

In recent years, attempts have been made to modernize the newscasts. The magnetboard used for weather forecasts gave way to a video screen in 2000 and a chromakey wall in 2005. On February 13, 2006, Action News debuted a revamped and fully modernized set which includes a glass etching background of several historical landmarks in Philadelphia positioned behind the anchor desk, shiftable lighting effects and a computerized Accu-Weather center[1]. WPVI introduced a new HD-capable helicopter in February 2006. Live shots from the helicopter, officially named Chopper6 HD, were shown in high definition. Furthermore, on July 23, 2006, starting with the 6:00 p.m. broadcast, Action News began broadcasting from their studio in full 720p HDTV. The official announcement was made on July 24. Field reports are still upconverted for the digital broadcast, although the station has promised to upgrade its remote cameras soon.

Most of WPVI's personalities have been at the station for 10 years; several for 20 years or more. Jim Gardner has been with the station since 1976 and has been main anchor since 1979, the longest tenure as a main anchor in Philadelphia history. Dave Roberts (joined in 1978) has been the main weatherman since 1983 (after the accidental death of popular weatherman Jim O'Brien), and Rob Jennings has been weekend anchor since 1981.

WPVI cooperates with sister station WABC-TV in the production and broadcast of statewide New Jersey political debates. When the two stations broadcast a statewide office debate, such as Governor or U. S. Senate, they will pool resources and have anchors or reporters from both stations participate in the debate. Additionally, the two stations cooperate in the gathering of news in New Jersey where their markets overlap; sharing reporters, live trucks and helicopters.

WPVI offers live streaming video of "Action News Now", which offers live local and national weather updated from AccuWeather. Local news headlines and updates are also provided. The format of "Action News Now" is much like NBC Weather Plus. WSVN, WFMZ-TV, WLS-TV, and WABC-TV also offer similar live video services by AccuWeather. The station's radar is known as "Storm Tracker 6 HD".

[edit] Radio

WPVI holds the distinction of being the only Philadelphia television signal that can be heard on AM or FM radio. The station can be heard at 87.7 FM at a slightly lower volume that other FM stations.

[edit] Current Anchor Lineups

[edit] Weekdays

• 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. (anchored by Matt O'Donnell and Tamala Edwards, David Murphy on weather and Karen Rogers or Matt Pellman with traffic)
• 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. (anchored by Rick Williams and Sarah Bloomquist with David Murphy on weather)
• 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (anchored by Rick Williams and Monica Malpass, Matt Pellman with traffic and Dave Roberts on weather)
• 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. (anchored by Rick Williams and Monica Malpass, Special Reports by Lisa Thomas Laury, Matt Pellman with traffic, Jamie Apody with sports and Cecily Tynan on weather)
• 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (anchored by Jim Gardner, Gary Papa with sports and Dave Roberts on weather)
• 11 p.m. to 11:35 p.m. (anchored by Jim Gardner, Gary Papa with sports and Cecily Tynan on weather)

[edit] Saturdays

• 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. (anchored by Jessica Borg and Walter Perez with Erica Grow on weather)
• 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (anchored by Rob Jennings, Keith Russell with sports and Adam Joseph on weather)
• 11 p.m. to 11:35 p.m. (anchored by Rob Jennings, Keith Russell with sports and Adam Joseph on weather)

[edit] Sundays

• 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. (anchored by Jessica Borg and Walter Perez with Erica Grow on weather)
• 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (anchored by Jessica Borg and Walter Perez with Erica Grow on weather)
• 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. (anchored by Jessica Borg and Walter Perez with Erica Grow on weather)
• 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (anchored by Rob Jennings, Keith Russell with sports and Adam Joseph on weather)
• 11 p.m. to 11:35 p.m. (anchored by Rob Jennings, Keith Russell with sports and Adam Joseph on weather)

[edit] Reporters

• Jamie Apody, sports
• Amy Buckman
• Anita Brikman, health
• Cathy Caldwell, traffic fill-in
• Dann Cuellar
• Cathy Gandolfo, New Jersey correspondent
• Nydia Han, Action News Consumer Report
• David Henry
• Denise James
• Nora Muchanic, New Jersey correspondent
• Vernon Odom, host of Visions (Saturdays 7:30p.m.)
• Erin O'Hearn
• Don Polec, features (Don Polec's World)
• Chad Pradelli
• John Rawlins
• Lauren Wilson

[edit] Past News Personalities

• Betsy Aaron - reporter
• Phil Andrews - sports anchor (1990-2005, now with the Comcast Sports Network)
• Gunnar Back - anchor (1956-1971, deceased)
• Jack Brayboy - sports reporter (1982-2005)
• Phyllis Burke - reporter (1983-1986)
• Dr. Francis Davis - weatherman (1948-1971, deceased)
• Dave Frankel - news/weather anchor and reporter (1984-1997, now a lawyer)
• Karen Friedman - anchor/reporter (1984-1996, now runs her own communications company)
• Irving Fryar - sports reporter (1997-1999)
• Bob Gale - reporter (circa 1973)
• Mariellen Gallagher - anchor/reporter (1973-1983, now Deputy Director of Public Affairs at Columbia University [2])
• Ana Garcia - reporter (1988-1993, now at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles)
• Robin Garrison - noon anchor (1981-1994)
• Frank Hall - news anchor (1951-1959)
• Bob Hite - anchor/reporter (1975-1977, now at WFLA-TV in Tampa)
• Marc Howard - 5 p.m. anchor (1977-2002, now at KYW-TV - CBS 3)
• Dwayne Jackson - reporter (1986-1998)
• Larry Kane - original main anchor of Action News (1968-1976, now at CN8)
• Les Keiter - reporter (1962-1970)
• Susanne LaFrankie - Harrisburg Bureau political correspondent (1987-1998, now a radio host at WPHT-AM [3])
• Steve Levy - back-up sports reporter/anchor (1976-1982)
• Gary Majors - morning anchor (1981-1985)
• Lorne Matalon - reporter (1984-1987, now at WUNC-FM in Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
• Tug McGraw - sports reporter (1988-1994, deceased)
• Collin McNeil - reporter (1979-1984)
• SallyAnn Mosey - meteorologist (1998-2006, now at WNBC-TV in New York)
• Jacqui Mullen - reporter (1968-1973)
• Jim O'Brien - weather/news anchor and Dialing for Dollars host (1976-1983, deceased)
• Scott Palmer - 5 p.m. sports anchor (1981-2005)
• Joe Pellegrino - sports anchor (1971-1976)
• Flora Posteraro - weekend morning anchor/reporter (1990-1997, now at WHTM in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)
• Elliot Rodriguez - morning anchor (1982-1987, now at WFOR-TV in Miami)
• Joe Sanchez - reporter (1978-1983)
• Gwen Scott - reporter (1975-1976)
• Hank Sperka - reporter (1966-1986)
• George Strait - reporter/anchor (1972-1976)
• Mike Strug - reporter (1966-1978, now at WCAU-TV)
• Kristen Sze - reporter (1993-1997, now at KGO-TV/KBWB in San Francisco)
• Don Tollefson - sports anchor (1975-1990, now at WTXF-TV)
• Abby Van Pelt - reporter (1975-1981)
• Chris Wagner - noon anchor/reporter (1977-1990)
• Pat Warren - reporter (1976-1982)
• Ralph Wenge - reporter (1962-1970)
• Bill White - reporter (1970-1971)
• Lucy Yang - reporter (1989-1993, now at WABC-TV in New York)

[edit] Former Entertainment Personalities

• Al Alberts
• Dick Clark
• Larry Ferrari
• Traynor Ora Halftown
• Bob Horn
• Wally Kennedy
• Lorne Matalon
• Carter Merbrier aka Captain Noah

[edit] See also

• WPVI-TV Anchors
• WPVI-TV Reporters

[edit] External links

• 6ABC website
• WPVI Wireless
• Modern Television - R. Budd Dwyer
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WPVI-TV
• Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
• Interactive Tour of New Action News set

v • d • e

Broadcast television in the Philadelphia / Camden / Wilmington market (Nielsen DMA #4)

KYW 3 (CBS) - WPVI 6 (ABC) - W07DC 7 (ABC) - WELL-LP 8 (DS) - WCAU 10 (NBC) - WHYY 12 (PBS) - WPHL 17 (MNTV) (The Tube on DT2) - WNJS 23/WNJT 52 (PBS/NJN) - W25AW 25 (A1) - WFPA-CA 28 (TFR) - WTXF 29 (Fox) - WQAV-LP 34 (AV/Ind) - WYBE 35 (Public) - WLVT 39 (PBS) - W40AZ 40 (Smile) - WMGM 40 (NBC) - WGTW 48 (TBN) - WTVE 51 (Religious) - WPSG 57 (The CW) - WBPH 60 (FamNet) - WPPX 61 (ION) - WWSI 62 (TEL) - WUVP 65 (UVN) - WFMZ 69 (Ind)

Local digital television channels

WMCN 44 (ShopNBC)

Past broadcast stations WKBS 48 (Ind)

Local cable television channels

CN8 - Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia - MCTV 26 (Mercer Co., NJ)

See also Broadcast television in the New York City, Scranton/Wilkes Barre and Susquehanna Valley markets