WONS-LP
Encyclopedia
WONS-LP channel 25 is a low-powered television station located in Olean, New York
, owned by Colonial Radio Group
, also owners of several radio stations in the market.
(ACTS) and Tempo Television
. Channel 20 was broadcast from the roof of the Palace Theater building in downtown Olean, but its signal was not well received outside of the city proper. The station acquired channel 25 (known then as W25AK) on August 24, 1987 as a repeater of the channel 20 signal, and signed on the air on April 12, 1989. The Palace Theater building was demolished in 1998 causing the channel 20 signal to go dark. Channel 25 became the primary channel for the station and changed its call sign to WONS (Olean's News Source) on March 8, 1999, gaining the shared UPN
affiliation with Buffalo, New York
station WNGS. The new UPN 25 held on to its affiliation until WNGS was added to the Olean, NY area cable line-up. WONS began to carry programming from the Urban America Television
Network and Shop at Home Network, as well as a small share of local content. WONS has also had past affiliations with Family Net, America One
Network (A1), the American Independent Network
(AIN), and Network One
. The station was also among the initial affiliates of Main Street TV, the forerunner of America One. In 2006, Urban America and Shop at Home both ceased operations. The channel was then affiliated with The Sportsman Channel
, although that network has moved exclusively to cable as of 2009.
WONS is now once again affiliated with America One
Television Network.
WONS is owned and operated by Choice Olean Television Station, Inc. and is known by the moniker "Choice TV". It has a Web site, WONSTV.com, but it currently only displays a station logo.
WONS was purchased by Colonial Radio Group
, owners of WBYB
, WXMT and WVTT, in October 2011.
“The Ranger Ron Show” was a daily children’s program starring Ron Koblinger, which featured cartoons and short subject features along with location appearances. One weekly feature was “Jeffrey’s Neighborhood”, a puppet show sponsored by a local church. Various characters regularly visited with Ranger Ron played by different employees of the station. The program aired through 1988.
“In Your Own Backyard” began broadcasting in the winter of 1986 and was originally hosted by Valerie Tigh. It was a magazine type show highlighting various attractions and events in the greater Olean area. It was later co hosted by Sheila Cleveland. Val Tigh was replaced by news director Ron Nicholas and the show’s name was changed to “20/20 Vision”. After the departure of Sheila Cleveland in 1988, Ron Nicholas assumed sole hosting duties and the name was changed once again to “Magazine 20”. The show was discontinued in 1989.
“Overview” (later known as “Overview with Ron Nicholas”) was an interview talk show format hosted by news director Ron Nicholas. The show featured interviews with local celebrities and politicians and nationally known personalities including Jean Shepard
of A Christmas Story
and Larry Linville
who played Frank Burns on M*A*S*H.
“Sports Scene” was a local sports highlights program produced and hosted by sports director Blaise O’Connor. The show covered local high school and college sports, local national sports teams, Little League baseball and local softball leagues. The show was later produced by EMTV.
“On Stage” hosted by Jean Davis and produced by Dana Kopec featured interviews and performances by local music acts. It aired from summer of 1988 to summer 1989.
“Video Review” critiqued new home video releases and originally hosted by Ron Nicholas and Tony Wenke. Wenke was replaced by Jean Davis for a short period before the show was discontinued.
News program – “Olean to Date” hosted by Rob Fair and Blaise O’Connor was a daily news program covering events and public interest stories in the greater Olean area. It was on the air for a few months in 1989.
"The Tom Chapman Show" - From November 1989 to March 1990, St. Bonaventure University
men's basketball coach Tom Chapman co-hosted "The Tom Chapman Show" along with local radio personality Francis Tomasino. The weekly show analyzed previous games and previewed upcoming contests. Along with airing on TV20, it also was televised by local cable sports channels in the Philadelphia and southern New Jersey
areas as part of their Atlantic 10 Conference programming. The show was also produced in 1990-91 by EMTV.
The station also carried the Olean Common Council meetings each week on a one day tape delay.
The station discontinued producing its own local productions in late 1990. Local programming was then produced by Enchanted Mountain Television (EMTV), a local television production company, exclusively for channel 20.
“Game of the Week” – EMTV aired local sports games on a tape delay featuring high school football, Little League baseball, local softball leagues, St. Bonaventure University basketball and Alfred University football.
“The 12th Ward” – EMTV continued to air the Olean Common Council meetings on tape delay. Following each meeting “The 12th Ward” was aired, a live phone-in talk show hosted by Joseph Weatherell and featured one or two Olean alderpersons to discuss local politics and answer viewers questions. When Time-Warner Cable assumed coverage of the council meetings as per their franchise agreement with the city, EMTV discontinued airing the meetings.
“It’s Your Turn” – When EMTV stopped airing the Common Council meetings, “The 12th Ward” was changed to “It’s Your Turn”, an open line talk show hosted by Don Kellogg. The program topics were chosen by the viewers, giving the public a vehicle to bring their concerns to light.
“Wrangler’s Round-up” hosted by local radio personality Ron Weston. The show featured the latest country music videos and also interviews with popular performers, including Kitty Wells
. The show was later changed to “Country View” and hosted by radio personality Peggy Banks.
“Twin Tiers Today” and “Twin Tiers Live” was a local news cast and interview show hosted by Ron Weston and Don Kellogg with sports by Blaise O’Connor. The morning program, “Twin Tiers Live” was an hour long news and interview program and “Twin Tiers Today” was a live half hour news cast at 5:00pm and repeated at 7:00pm.
“The 19th Hole” – visited and showcased local golf courses. Hosted by Don McLean, the show ran for one season on EMTV. The show was resurrected two years later and produced by JW Productions and McLean Communications.
"The Tom Chapman Show" was produced by EMTV for one season (90-91) under the assistance of the media department of St. Bonaventure University.
EMTV ceased operations in 1994. Programming for W25AK/WONS was continued by JW Productions until August 2000.
“The 19th Hole” hosted by Don McLean. One season produced by JW Productions in cooperation with McLean Communications in 1996.
“WONS News” anchored by news director Dick Say with Blaise O’Connor covering sports.
“Overview” – interview format talk show hosted by Dick Say featuring local personalities and politicians.
After August 2000, local programming on WONS has been provided by a variety of sources.
}
Olean, New York
Olean is a city in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. Olean is the largest city in Cattaraugus County, and serves as the financial, business, transportation and entertainment center of the county. It is one of the principal cities of the Southern Tier region of New York.The city is...
, owned by Colonial Radio Group
Colonial Radio Group
Colonial Radio Group, Inc. is the owner of several radio stations in the United States. It is controlled by the Androlunis family and currently is based in Olean, New York, with all of its current stations based in the western Twin Tiers region of New York and Pennsylvania.-New York:* Portville -...
, also owners of several radio stations in the market.
History
WONS-LP first signed on March 7, 1986 as W20AB on channel 20 and was affiliated with the American Christian Television SystemAmerican Christian Television System
The American Christian Television System was a television network developed in the 1980s by the Southern Baptist Convention . Plans for the network involved a combination of low and full-power stations, most of which were to be built, and carriage on local cable TV networks.Religious denominations...
(ACTS) and Tempo Television
Satellite Program Network
Satellite Program Network, or SPN, was a satellite and cable TV network which broadcast in the United States from 1979 to the mid 1980s. SPN was created by Ed Taylor, an associate of Ted Turner and the head of the Southern Satellite Systems company...
. Channel 20 was broadcast from the roof of the Palace Theater building in downtown Olean, but its signal was not well received outside of the city proper. The station acquired channel 25 (known then as W25AK) on August 24, 1987 as a repeater of the channel 20 signal, and signed on the air on April 12, 1989. The Palace Theater building was demolished in 1998 causing the channel 20 signal to go dark. Channel 25 became the primary channel for the station and changed its call sign to WONS (Olean's News Source) on March 8, 1999, gaining the shared 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...
affiliation with Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
station WNGS. The new UPN 25 held on to its affiliation until WNGS was added to the Olean, NY area cable line-up. WONS began to carry programming from the Urban America Television
Urban America Television
Urban America Television was an over-the-air television broadcast network in the United States. According to the company's website, the network had 70 affiliate stations. UATV had a reach of 22 million households in the United States. It was a successor to the earlier American Independent...
Network and Shop at Home Network, as well as a small share of local content. WONS has also had past affiliations with Family Net, America One
America One
America One is an over-the-air television network in the United States. The network serves over 170 LPTV, Class A, Full Power, Cable and Satellite affiliate stations...
Network (A1), the American Independent Network
American Independent Network
The American Independent Network was one of the first major attempts at building a television network, consisting of low-powered television stations. Started by Don Shelton, Randy Moseley, and Lynn Synder, it was similar to the older Channel America , and was the foundation for Urban America TV...
(AIN), and Network One
Network One
Network One was a small "independent" network, consisting of mostly low-powered television stations, scattered across the Continental United States, similar to Urban America Television, America One, or the better-known Ion...
. The station was also among the initial affiliates of Main Street TV, the forerunner of America One. In 2006, Urban America and Shop at Home both ceased operations. The channel was then affiliated with The Sportsman Channel
The Sportsman Channel
Sportsman Channel is a television speciality channel dedicated to hunting, shooting and fishing programming. It launched in 2003.-History:Sportsman Channel was started in 2003 by C. Michael Cooley and Todd D. Hansen of Muskego, Wisconsin...
, although that network has moved exclusively to cable as of 2009.
WONS is now once again affiliated with America One
America One
America One is an over-the-air television network in the United States. The network serves over 170 LPTV, Class A, Full Power, Cable and Satellite affiliate stations...
Television Network.
WONS is owned and operated by Choice Olean Television Station, Inc. and is known by the moniker "Choice TV". It has a Web site, WONSTV.com, but it currently only displays a station logo.
WONS was purchased by Colonial Radio Group
Colonial Radio Group
Colonial Radio Group, Inc. is the owner of several radio stations in the United States. It is controlled by the Androlunis family and currently is based in Olean, New York, with all of its current stations based in the western Twin Tiers region of New York and Pennsylvania.-New York:* Portville -...
, owners of WBYB
WBYB
WBYB is a talk radio formatted commercial radio station, licensed to Kane, Pennsylvania. WVTT operates at an effective radiated power of 840 watts...
, WXMT and WVTT, in October 2011.
Local Programming
The station produced and aired a number of locally produced programs. The original local programs were all produced in-house by the station.“The Ranger Ron Show” was a daily children’s program starring Ron Koblinger, which featured cartoons and short subject features along with location appearances. One weekly feature was “Jeffrey’s Neighborhood”, a puppet show sponsored by a local church. Various characters regularly visited with Ranger Ron played by different employees of the station. The program aired through 1988.
“In Your Own Backyard” began broadcasting in the winter of 1986 and was originally hosted by Valerie Tigh. It was a magazine type show highlighting various attractions and events in the greater Olean area. It was later co hosted by Sheila Cleveland. Val Tigh was replaced by news director Ron Nicholas and the show’s name was changed to “20/20 Vision”. After the departure of Sheila Cleveland in 1988, Ron Nicholas assumed sole hosting duties and the name was changed once again to “Magazine 20”. The show was discontinued in 1989.
“Overview” (later known as “Overview with Ron Nicholas”) was an interview talk show format hosted by news director Ron Nicholas. The show featured interviews with local celebrities and politicians and nationally known personalities including Jean Shepard
Jean Shepard
Ollie Imogene Shepard , better known as Jean Shepard, is an American honky tonk singer-songwriter who was a pioneer for women in country music. Shepard released a total of 73 singles to the Hot Country Songs chart, one of which reached the #1 spot...
of A Christmas Story
A Christmas Story
A Christmas Story is a 1983 American Christmas comedy film based on the short stories and semi-fictional anecdotes of author and raconteur Jean Shepherd, including material from his books In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories. It was directed by Bob Clark...
and Larry Linville
Larry Linville
Lawrence Lavon "Larry" Linville was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of obnoxious, pious, self-important and inept surgeon Major Frank Burns in the television series M*A*S*H.-M*A*S*H:...
who played Frank Burns on M*A*S*H.
“Sports Scene” was a local sports highlights program produced and hosted by sports director Blaise O’Connor. The show covered local high school and college sports, local national sports teams, Little League baseball and local softball leagues. The show was later produced by EMTV.
“On Stage” hosted by Jean Davis and produced by Dana Kopec featured interviews and performances by local music acts. It aired from summer of 1988 to summer 1989.
“Video Review” critiqued new home video releases and originally hosted by Ron Nicholas and Tony Wenke. Wenke was replaced by Jean Davis for a short period before the show was discontinued.
News program – “Olean to Date” hosted by Rob Fair and Blaise O’Connor was a daily news program covering events and public interest stories in the greater Olean area. It was on the air for a few months in 1989.
"The Tom Chapman Show" - From November 1989 to March 1990, St. Bonaventure University
St. Bonaventure University
St. Bonaventure University is a private, Franciscan Catholic university, located in Allegany, Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. It has roughly 2,400 undergraduate and graduate students....
men's basketball coach Tom Chapman co-hosted "The Tom Chapman Show" along with local radio personality Francis Tomasino. The weekly show analyzed previous games and previewed upcoming contests. Along with airing on TV20, it also was televised by local cable sports channels in the Philadelphia and southern New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
areas as part of their Atlantic 10 Conference programming. The show was also produced in 1990-91 by EMTV.
The station also carried the Olean Common Council meetings each week on a one day tape delay.
The station discontinued producing its own local productions in late 1990. Local programming was then produced by Enchanted Mountain Television (EMTV), a local television production company, exclusively for channel 20.
“Game of the Week” – EMTV aired local sports games on a tape delay featuring high school football, Little League baseball, local softball leagues, St. Bonaventure University basketball and Alfred University football.
“The 12th Ward” – EMTV continued to air the Olean Common Council meetings on tape delay. Following each meeting “The 12th Ward” was aired, a live phone-in talk show hosted by Joseph Weatherell and featured one or two Olean alderpersons to discuss local politics and answer viewers questions. When Time-Warner Cable assumed coverage of the council meetings as per their franchise agreement with the city, EMTV discontinued airing the meetings.
“It’s Your Turn” – When EMTV stopped airing the Common Council meetings, “The 12th Ward” was changed to “It’s Your Turn”, an open line talk show hosted by Don Kellogg. The program topics were chosen by the viewers, giving the public a vehicle to bring their concerns to light.
“Wrangler’s Round-up” hosted by local radio personality Ron Weston. The show featured the latest country music videos and also interviews with popular performers, including Kitty Wells
Kitty Wells
Ellen Muriel Deason , known professionally as Kitty Wells, is an American country music singer. Her 1952 hit recording, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", made her the first female country singer to top the U.S. country charts, and turned her into the first female country star...
. The show was later changed to “Country View” and hosted by radio personality Peggy Banks.
“Twin Tiers Today” and “Twin Tiers Live” was a local news cast and interview show hosted by Ron Weston and Don Kellogg with sports by Blaise O’Connor. The morning program, “Twin Tiers Live” was an hour long news and interview program and “Twin Tiers Today” was a live half hour news cast at 5:00pm and repeated at 7:00pm.
“The 19th Hole” – visited and showcased local golf courses. Hosted by Don McLean, the show ran for one season on EMTV. The show was resurrected two years later and produced by JW Productions and McLean Communications.
"The Tom Chapman Show" was produced by EMTV for one season (90-91) under the assistance of the media department of St. Bonaventure University.
EMTV ceased operations in 1994. Programming for W25AK/WONS was continued by JW Productions until August 2000.
“The 19th Hole” hosted by Don McLean. One season produced by JW Productions in cooperation with McLean Communications in 1996.
“WONS News” anchored by news director Dick Say with Blaise O’Connor covering sports.
“Overview” – interview format talk show hosted by Dick Say featuring local personalities and politicians.
After August 2000, local programming on WONS has been provided by a variety of sources.
External links
}