WCTV
Encyclopedia
WCTV is the CBS
-affiliated television station
for southwest Georgia
and Tallahassee, Florida
that is licensed to Thomasville, Georgia
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 46 from a transmitter in Metcalf along the Georgia and Florida
state line. This is 609.6 meters high and is the tallest man-made structure in Georgia. Owned by Gray Television
, the station has studios on Halstead Boulevard in Tallahassee along I-10
. Syndicated
programming on WCTV includes: Jeopardy!
, Wheel of Fortune
and Oprah
. It operates the area's MyNetworkTV
affiliate on a second digital subchannel as well as Comcast
digital cable channels 14 and 227.
Syndicated programming on WCTV-DT2 includes: Jerry Springer
, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, One on One
and Judge Alex
. WCTV operates a semi-satellite, WSWG
in Valdosta, Georgia
. That station serves as the CBS affiliate for Albany, Georgia
. Master control and most operations of WSWG are located WCTV's facilities although it has its own studios on 2nd Avenue Southwest in Moultrie
. As a semi-satellite, it airs most of this station's non-network programming although sometimes at different times. There are also programs that only air on WSWG and some are only seen on WCTV. It also airs separate station identifications and commercials.
(FCC) had allocated only one VHF channel to Tallahassee, channel 11. Florida State University
had managed to have the FCC designate that channel for noncommercial use so it could put WFSU-TV on-the-air. UHF was not considered viable at the time. Until the FCC required all sets to have all-channel capability in 1964, UHF stations were un-viewable without a converter. Even with one, the picture quality was marginal at best. Hoyt Wimpy, owner and founder of WPAX
radio in Thomasville, persuaded the FCC to grant the Phipps family a license for channel 6 in Thomasville, the nearest city to Tallahassee that had a VHF allocation available. This could provide city-grade coverage of Tallahassee and north central Florida as well as southwestern Georgia. WCTV operated a live studio in Thomasville for many years and still has a bureau there. It was the only commercial station in the area until WECA-TV (now WTXL-TV
) began operations in 1976. The station originally carried programming from all three networks but was a primary NBC
affiliate.
After only a year on-the-air, it switched to CBS and has been affiliated with that network ever since. However, it carried a secondary ABC
affiliation until WECA signed-on. It is still the only commercial VHF station in the market (the only other VHF stations are PBS
members WFSU-TV, still on channel 11, and Georgia Public Broadcasting
's WXGA-TV
on channel 8). It was owned by the Phipps family until being sold to Gray Communications, now Gray Television, in 1996. Gray's purchase of WCTV forced the company to sell WALB-TV, its flagship station in Albany, because WALB's signal has city-grade quality in most of the Georgia side of the market (including Thomasville and Valdosta
). WALB had doubled as the NBC affiliate for Tallahassee until WTWC signed-on in 1983. However in 2004, Gray purchased WSWG in Valdosta, a UPN
affiliate for the Albany market. The station dropped UPN in September of that year and is now a semi-satellite of WCTV. The acquisition created a strong combined signal with just under 50% overlap. This station had been the default CBS affiliate for Albany for many years. In March 2006, WCTV moved from its longtime studios on County Road 12 in northern Leon County
to new facilities on Halstead Boulevard in Tallahassee. The Halstead Boulevard location used to house the now-defunct Florida's News Channel
, a cable-only operation. On February 17, 2009, WCTV shut off its analog signal on channel 6 , even after the analog television shutdown
deadline was extended to June 12, and remained on channel 46 using PSIP
to display its virtual channel
as 6 on digital television receivers.
WSWG simulcasts every WCTV newscast except weeknights at 5. However, it has a separate news open. There are two news bureaus in southwest Georgia. This includes in Valdosta (on East Central Avenue) and Thomasville
(on North Broad Street). There are five WCTV personalities that cover the area and do not use WSWG branding. It also operates a Marianna
Bureau.
Originally, the station pre-empted the first hour of CBS's The Early Show
on weekday mornings to air another hour of its local news. On January 7, 2008, the network began to require all affiliates to show the program in its entirety. As a result, the third hour of the Good Morning Show moved to MyNetworkTV affiliates WCTV-DT2 and WSWG-DT2.
They produce a weeknight 10 o'clock newscast on Fox affiliate WTLH
. That station promotes the broadcast as local news airing one hour earlier. It is the first and only prime time show in the market
. WCTV airs the news from a secondary set at its studios. The first segment of the show is posted on WTLH's website. It operates its own weather radar
called "Pinpoint Megawatt Doppler" at its facilities.
On August 3, 2009, WCTV became the second station in Tallahassee to broadcast local news in high definition.
In October 2011 a now-defunct Tallahassee children's center, Ollie Wallie's, sued WCTV claiming that the station and reporters Jerry Askin and Candace Sweat defamed the center by reporting on unfounded allegations of a sexual assault of a child by a staff member. WCTV stated that the suit had no merit and intended to vigorously defend itself.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
-affiliated television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for southwest Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
that is licensed to Thomasville, Georgia
Thomasville, Georgia
Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The city is the second largest in Southwest Georgia after Albany.The city deems itself the City of Roses and holds an annual Rose Festival. The town features plantations open to the public, a historic downtown, a large...
. It broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on UHF channel 46 from a transmitter in Metcalf along the Georgia and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
state line. This is 609.6 meters high and is the tallest man-made structure in Georgia. Owned by Gray Television
Gray Television
Gray Television, Inc. is a communications company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with administrative offices in Albany, Georgia.Established in 1946 by James H...
, the station has studios on Halstead Boulevard in Tallahassee along I-10
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on WCTV includes: Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
, Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
and Oprah
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
. It operates the area's MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
affiliate on a second digital subchannel as well as Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
digital cable channels 14 and 227.
Syndicated programming on WCTV-DT2 includes: Jerry Springer
The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries...
, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, One on One
One on One (TV series)
One on One is an American sitcom that aired on the now-defunct UPN from its September 3, 2001 premiere until May 15, 2006. The series stars Flex Alexander as a single sportscaster, who becomes a full-time dad when his ex-wife decides to accept a job out of the country and his teenage daughter...
and Judge Alex
Judge Alex
Judge Alex is a United States syndicated courtroom television show that debuted September 12, 2005. The host/arbitrator is the Hon. Alex Ferrer, a former police officer, lawyer, and Florida judge. The show was produced in Houston at the television studios of Fox's KRIV , as was previously done with...
. WCTV operates a semi-satellite, WSWG
WSWG
WSWG is the CBS-affiliated television station for Southwestern Georgia, licensed to Valdosta. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 43 from a transmitter northeast of Adel in Cook County. The station can also be seen on Mediacom channel 6 and in high definition on digital...
in Valdosta, Georgia
Valdosta, Georgia
Valdosta is the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. It is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 54,518. The Valdosta metropolitan area, according to the 2010 estimate, has a population of 139,588...
. That station serves as the CBS affiliate for Albany, Georgia
Albany, Georgia
Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area and the southwest part of the state. The population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the...
. Master control and most operations of WSWG are located WCTV's facilities although it has its own studios on 2nd Avenue Southwest in Moultrie
Moultrie, Georgia
Moultrie is the county seat and largest city of Colquitt County and the third largest in Southwest Georgia behind Thomasville and Albany. As of 2009, Moultrie's population is 15,199 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of 6.07 percent....
. As a semi-satellite, it airs most of this station's non-network programming although sometimes at different times. There are also programs that only air on WSWG and some are only seen on WCTV. It also airs separate station identifications and commercials.
Digital television
The station's digital signal is multiplexed.| Channel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 6.1 | Main WCTV programming / CBS |
| 6.2 | MyNetworkTV |
History
The station first signed-on September 15, 1955 from studios on North Monroe Street in Tallahassee. WCTV was originally owned by John H. Phipps. Although it has always considered itself a Tallahassee station, it was licensed to Thomasville because the Federal Communications CommissionFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) had allocated only one VHF channel to Tallahassee, channel 11. Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
had managed to have the FCC designate that channel for noncommercial use so it could put WFSU-TV on-the-air. UHF was not considered viable at the time. Until the FCC required all sets to have all-channel capability in 1964, UHF stations were un-viewable without a converter. Even with one, the picture quality was marginal at best. Hoyt Wimpy, owner and founder of WPAX
WPAX
WPAX is a radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format. Licensed to Thomasville, Georgia, USA, the station serves the Tallahassee area. The station is currently owned by Lenrob Enterprises, Inc. and features programing from CBS Radio and Jones Radio Network....
radio in Thomasville, persuaded the FCC to grant the Phipps family a license for channel 6 in Thomasville, the nearest city to Tallahassee that had a VHF allocation available. This could provide city-grade coverage of Tallahassee and north central Florida as well as southwestern Georgia. WCTV operated a live studio in Thomasville for many years and still has a bureau there. It was the only commercial station in the area until WECA-TV (now WTXL-TV
WTXL-TV
WTXL-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Tallahassee, Florida. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 27 from a transmitter northwest of Monticello, Florida along the state line with Georgia. It can also be seen on Charter channel 3 as well as Mediacom and Comcast...
) began operations in 1976. The station originally carried programming from all three networks but was a primary NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate.
After only a year on-the-air, it switched to CBS and has been affiliated with that network ever since. However, it carried a secondary ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliation until WECA signed-on. It is still the only commercial VHF station in the market (the only other VHF stations are PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
members WFSU-TV, still on channel 11, and Georgia Public Broadcasting
Georgia Public Broadcasting
Georgia Public Broadcasting is the public broadcasting radio and television state network in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is operated by the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission....
's WXGA-TV
WXGA-TV
WXGA-TV digital channel 8, part of the GPB network is licensed to Waycross, Georgia. It serves the southeastern corner of the state, including the lower portions of the Georgia Atlantic Coast and the Okefenokee Swamp, from a transmitter located south of Hasty; the signal travels in about a 50-mile ...
on channel 8). It was owned by the Phipps family until being sold to Gray Communications, now Gray Television, in 1996. Gray's purchase of WCTV forced the company to sell WALB-TV, its flagship station in Albany, because WALB's signal has city-grade quality in most of the Georgia side of the market (including Thomasville and Valdosta
Valdosta, Georgia
Valdosta is the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. It is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 54,518. The Valdosta metropolitan area, according to the 2010 estimate, has a population of 139,588...
). WALB had doubled as the NBC affiliate for Tallahassee until WTWC signed-on in 1983. However in 2004, Gray purchased WSWG in Valdosta, a UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
affiliate for the Albany market. The station dropped UPN in September of that year and is now a semi-satellite of WCTV. The acquisition created a strong combined signal with just under 50% overlap. This station had been the default CBS affiliate for Albany for many years. In March 2006, WCTV moved from its longtime studios on County Road 12 in northern Leon County
Leon County, Florida
Leon County is a county located in the state of Florida, named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. At the 2010 Census, the population was 275,487. The county seat of Leon County is Tallahassee which also serves as the state capital. The county seat is home to two of Florida's major...
to new facilities on Halstead Boulevard in Tallahassee. The Halstead Boulevard location used to house the now-defunct Florida's News Channel
Florida's News Channel
Florida's News Channel was a regional cable news television channel seen on selected cable systems in September 1998. It originated from Florida's state capitol, Tallahassee, Florida, at studios remodelled from a former movie theater. The network was run by Mike Vasilinda...
, a cable-only operation. On February 17, 2009, WCTV shut off its analog signal on channel 6 , even after the analog television shutdown
DTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...
deadline was extended to June 12, and remained on channel 46 using PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
to display its virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
as 6 on digital television receivers.
News operation
Thomasville, Georgia
Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The city is the second largest in Southwest Georgia after Albany.The city deems itself the City of Roses and holds an annual Rose Festival. The town features plantations open to the public, a historic downtown, a large...
(on North Broad Street). There are five WCTV personalities that cover the area and do not use WSWG branding. It also operates a Marianna
Marianna, Florida
Marianna is a city in Jackson County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,230 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,200 . It is the county seat of Jackson County and is home to Chipola College...
Bureau.
Originally, the station pre-empted the first hour of CBS's The Early Show
The Early Show
The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...
on weekday mornings to air another hour of its local news. On January 7, 2008, the network began to require all affiliates to show the program in its entirety. As a result, the third hour of the Good Morning Show moved to MyNetworkTV affiliates WCTV-DT2 and WSWG-DT2.
They produce a weeknight 10 o'clock newscast on Fox affiliate WTLH
WTLH
WTLH is the Fox-affiliated television station for Southwestern Georgia and Tallahassee, Florida, in the United States. Licensed to Bainbridge, Georgia, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 50 from a transmitter in Metcalf, Georgia near the Florida state line. The station...
. That station promotes the broadcast as local news airing one hour earlier. It is the first and only prime time show in the market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
. WCTV airs the news from a secondary set at its studios. The first segment of the show is posted on WTLH's website. It operates its own weather radar
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
called "Pinpoint Megawatt Doppler" at its facilities.
On August 3, 2009, WCTV became the second station in Tallahassee to broadcast local news in high definition.
In October 2011 a now-defunct Tallahassee children's center, Ollie Wallie's, sued WCTV claiming that the station and reporters Jerry Askin and Candace Sweat defamed the center by reporting on unfounded allegations of a sexual assault of a child by a staff member. WCTV stated that the suit had no merit and intended to vigorously defend itself.
Anchors
- Julie Montanaro - Weeknights at 6pm (also crime and courts reporter)
- Lee Gordon - Weeknights at 5:30pm, 6pm, and 11pm (also 10pm anchor on FOX 49)
- Angela Howard - Weeknights at 5pm, 5:30pm, and 11pm
- Art Myers - Weekday Mornings from 5:30am-7am on the Good Morning Show, and at noon
- Shonda Knight - Weekdays at noon (also executive producer)
- Lauren Searcy - Weekdays on Daybreak at 5am and on the Good Morning Show from 5:30am-7am (and occasional reporter)
- Gary Parker - Weekend Evenings (also investigate reporter)
- Deneige Broom - Weekend Mornings on the Good Morning Show (also Gadsen county reporter)
Reporters
- Lanetra Bennett - Taylor, Suwannee and Lafayette Counties reporter
- Ashley Mitchem
- Donnitra Gilbert - Thomasville Bureau Reporter
- Greg Gullberg - Valdosta Bureau Reporter
- Mike Springer
- Bryan Anderson - Marianna Bureau Reporter
- Dontaye Carter
- Caroline Gonzmart - Thomasville Bureau Reporter
- Jerry Askin
- Triston Sanders - Health Reporter (also News Director)
Weather
- Mike McCall - Chief Meteorologist; Weeknights at 5pm, 5:30, 6pm, 11pm (also 10pm on FOX 49)
- Rob Nucatola - Weekday Mornings and Noon
- Nate Harrington - Weekend Mornings and Nights
- Lindsey Day - fill-in (also general assignment reporter)
Sports
- Elton Gumbel - Sports Director; Weeknights at 5pm, 5:30pm, 6pm, 11pm, (also 10pm on FOX 49) "Cousin of Greg and Bryant Gumbel"
- Sam Lane - Weekends (also weekday sports reporter)
- Jason Kahn - Sports Reporter
Newscast titles
- The Georgia-Florida Report (1955-1958)
- Your Esso Reporter (1958-1962)
- Big 6 News (1962-1974)
- NewsCenter 6 (1974-1979)
- Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
(1979-2001) - WCTV Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
(2001-present)
Station slogans
- "The Area's #1 News Team" (1980s-1990s)
- "The Look Of Tallahassee Is Channel 6" (1991-1992; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
- "Coverage You Can Count On" (2001-present)
News music
- WNDUWNDU-TVWNDU-TV is a television station in South Bend, Indiana. The station is an affiliate of the NBC television network. Its transmitter is located in South Bend. WNDU-TV broadcasts in HDTV on Channel 42, additionally simulcasting a local Doppler radar image...
1986 News Theme - Turnedge Library (2001-2005)
- WKYT News (2005-present)
Notable employees
- Jackie JohnsonJackie JohnsonJacqueline "Jackie" Johnson is an American weather forecaster and television personality for KCBS-TV news at 5, 6 and 11 PM in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...
(weekends & weather; now at KCAL-TVKCAL-TVKCAL-TV, channel 9, is an independent television station in Los Angeles, California, USA, owned by the CBS Corporation. KCAL-TV shares its studio facilities with KCBS-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.-Digital...
/KCBS-TVKCBS-TVKCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...
Los Angeles) - Robert Shaw (Sports Personality) (Executive Producer & Sports Personality; now at Bloomberg L.P.Bloomberg L.P.Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P...
in Bloomberg Sports and Bloomberg TelevisionBloomberg TelevisionBloomberg Television is a 24-hour global network broadcasting business and financial news. It is distributed globally, reaching over 200 million homes worldwide. It is owned and operated by Bloomberg L.P...