WWLP
Encyclopedia
WWLP is the NBC
-affiliated television station
for the Pioneer Valley
of Western Massachusetts
that is licensed to Springfield
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on VHF channel 11 from a transmitter on Provin Mountain
in the Feeding Hills
section of Agawam
. The station can also be seen on Comcast
channel 5 and Charter
channel 9. There is a high definition feed offered on Charter digital channel 787 and Comcast digital channel 822.
Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, WWLP has studios at Broadcast Center in the Sandy Hill section of Chicopee
next to the I-391
/MA 116
interchange. Syndicated programming on the station includes: Jeopardy!
, Wheel of Fortune
, Judge Judy
, and Friends
. WWLP operates a full-time Class A
digital repeater, WFXQ-CD channel 28, that has a transmitter at the top of the old Mount Tom Ski Area
in Holyoke
.
.
. The station aired an analog signal on UHF channel 61 and was an NBC affiliate from the start. At its sign-on, the channel had the distinction of being one of the first UHF television stations in the United States
after the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) opened the UHF band as well as Massachusetts
' oldest station outside of Boston
. It was founded by William L. Putnam and his company, Springfield Television
. WWLP's original studios were at the transmitter site in Feeding Hills.
It switched frequencies to UHF channel 22 on July 2, 1955. The previous analog allotment would remain unused until the second WTIC-TV
signed-on from Hartford, Connecticut
in 1984. From its beginnings, the Springfield/Holyoke
market
was designated as a "UHF island" because it was too close to Boston, Hartford/New Haven
, and the Capital District
of New York State for VHF analog service. As a result of technical limitations UHF stations faced in the 1950s, WWLP's signal was not viewable in much of the northern portion of the market (which at the time included Brattleboro, Vermont
and Keene, New Hampshire
). The station would sign-on two full-time satellites to solve that problem and extend its broadcasting radius (see below). From 1975 until 1979, the station aired nationally syndicated National Hockey League
games from The NHL Network.
After three decades, Putnam decided to retire from broadcasting by selling his company and its three stations (WWLP, KSTU-TV, and WKEF
) to Adams Communications in 1984. Adams ran into financial trouble and began breaking up the Springfield Television group in 1987 with the sale of KSTU to MWT Ltd. Adams sold WKEF to KT Communications in 1989 before selling WWLP to Paul Brisette (a former Adams Vice President) in January 1994. However, Brisette himself ran into trouble and sold all of his stations to Benedek Broadcasting
at the end of 1995. Current owner LIN TV acquired WWLP in early-2001 by swapping KAKE-TV
in Wichita, Kansas
and WOWT-TV
in Omaha, Nebraska
to Benedek. This was a result of Chronicle Broadcasting
, which owned the latter two, being liquidated. The sale could be seen as the ultimate undoing for Benedek which in 2002 declared bankruptcy and sold most of their stations (including WOWT and KAKE) to Gray Television
.
Back in early-2000, the station's studios and offices moved to the current home in the Sandy Hill area of Chicopee. However, its transmitter did not change locations. Shortly after the change, then-pending owner LIN TV constructed an addition at WWLP's new facilities which would serve as a master control hub for company-owned stations in the Northeast
. At this location, room for future expansion was made in the event LIN TV expanded their Northeast properties. That eventually became the case with sister stations WTNH
, WCTX
, WPRI-TV
(LIN TV flagship), and WNAC-TV
having master control and some internal operations currently located at the Chicopee studios.
WWLP was well known for producing As Schools Match Wits
, one of the longest running high school quiz programs in the United States. The program first came on-the-air in October 1961. In September 2006, the show was canceled because of the costs associated with new FCC regulations requiring all programming to be closed-captioned for the hearing impaired. The show returned to the air in January 2007 but on the area's PBS
affiliate WGBY-TV
and based at Westfield State College
. On May 18, 2007, LIN TV announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives including the sale of the company. WWLP ceased its analog service on February 17, 2009 but was ordered by the FCC to continue transmitting emergency bulletins, local news broadcasts, and information on the digital transition on its analog channel for an additional sixty days as part of the "nightlighting
" service , continuing to broadcast on its pre-transition digital channel 11. Through the use of PSIP
, digital television receivers display its virtual channel
as 22.
After LIN TV signed a deal to add TheCoolTV to its stations, WWLP became an affiliate of the new network on its second digital subchannel
. At one point, WWLP-DT2 had previously served as a live non-audio feed of its weather radar
. Due to the Springfield/Holyoke and Hartford/New Haven markets being close together, many stations in Connecticut
can be viewed in the Southern Pioneer Valley. Since WWLP's transmitter on Provin Mountain is not far from the state line, this can be picked up in northern areas of the state. WVIT
, which serves as Connecticut's NBC affiliate except for Fairfield County
, is currently the only Hartford/New Haven big three
station offered on Comcast's basic tier. Charter does not offer such access.
in Greenfield
signed-on as the first full-time satellite of WWLP. This served the northern portion of the Pioneer Valley market where WWLP's signal was marginal at best due to the area's rugged and mountainous terrain. From a transmitter on Gunn Mountain in Winchester, New Hampshire
(one of the highest points in the region), this could also be seen in Springfield as well creating a strong combined signal with over fifty percent overlap. In 1958, Putnam purchased a defunct station in Worcester
, WWOR-TV
(no relation to the current New York City
station with the same calls), and returned it to the air as a second full-time satellite of WWLP. Although it was relaying a Springfield-based station, WWOR was part of the Boston market. The channel was only broadcasting six hours a day in order to protect the interests of then-NBC affiliate WBZ-TV
. WWOR later changed its calls to WJZB-TV and became an Independent while continuing to simulcast some programming from WWLP.
WRLP and WJZB eventually went off-the-air due to financial difficulties with WJZB going dark in 1969 followed by WRLP in 1978. The latter's transmitter was shipped to Salt Lake City, Utah
almost immediately in order to launch KSTU-TV, an Independent sister station on UHF channel 20. That channel eventually became a Fox
affiliate on analog VHF channel 13 operating under a different owner.
Ever since its sign-on, WWLP has consistently had the most watched newscasts in the Pioneer Valley. This has been achieved (most of the time) by beating rival ABC
affiliate WGGB in the local Neilson ratings since both stations went on-the-air. There have been some brief periods when WGGB was on top and there have also been extended times where the stations were basically neck-and-neck with WWLP having a slight edge. However, WWLP consistently outpaced WGGB after the Sinclair Broadcast Group
acquired that channel in 1998 with a sizable margin in this channel's favor for most shows.
While operating as full-time satellites of WWLP, WRLP and WWOR/WJZB simulcasted local news from this station. However, when WRLP converted to a separate Independent channel in 1974, its own newscasts were established tailored toward the Northern Pioneer Valley as well as Brattleboro and Keene.
After WGGB recently became locally owned (bought by John J. Gormally who publishes the Business West magazine), there was a chance the ratings could change. However, as of the July 2008 sweeps period, WWLP continues its longtime dominance with WGGB stabilizing to a strong second. Although low-powered CBS
afifliate WSHM-LP
established its own news department in October 2005, it initially did not compete on the same level as WWLP and WGGB. However, its ratings grew substantially across the board during the May 2009 sweeps period to within decimal points of WGGB in several key demographics.
In addition to their main studios, WWLP operates a Hampshire County
Bureau on Main Street/MA 9/MA 10 in Downtown Northampton
as part of Thornes Market (location established in November 2010) and a Franklin County
Bureau in Greenfield. NBC affiliate WHDH-TV
in Boston shares its resources with WWLP for news coverage of Eastern Massachusetts. In turn, WWLP does the same for events from western areas of the state. Although it operates its own weather radar at the transmitter site on Provin Mountain, it is not seen on-air or online. During weather segments, the station does feature live NOAA
National Weather Service
radar data from several regional sites presented on-screen in a system known as "ESP: Live Doppler" (with "ESP" meaning Exclusive Storm Prediction). The station uses the "Tower V.3" news music package from 615 Music
. Throughout the existence of NBC Weather Plus
, WWLP never offered the service. All news anchors also serve as reporters.
22 News Storm Team
Reporters
Notable past personnel
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...
-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 the Pioneer Valley
Pioneer Valley
The Pioneer Valley is the colloquial name for the U.S. Commonwealth of Massachusetts's portion of the Connecticut River Valley. The Pioneer Valley consists of three counties in Massachusetts which collectively feature much of New England's most fertile farmland...
of Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts is a loosely defined geographical region of the U.S. state of Massachusetts which contains the Berkshires, the Pioneer Valley, and some or all of the Swift River Valley. The region is always considered to include Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties, and the...
that is licensed to Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
. 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 VHF channel 11 from a transmitter on Provin Mountain
Provin Mountain
Provin Mountain is a very narrow traprock mountain ridge located in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts. It is part of the Metacomet Ridge which extends from Long Island Sound near New Haven, Connecticut, north through the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts to the Vermont border...
in the Feeding Hills
Feeding Hills, Agawam, Massachusetts
Feeding Hills is a subsection of the town of Agawam, Massachusetts with its own zip code and post office. Line Street in Agawam is generally accepted by residents as being the pseudo-border. In the early- to mid-19th century, a ditch was dug here to separate the two sections...
section of Agawam
Agawam, Massachusetts
The Town of Agawam is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 28,438 at the 2010 census. Agawam sits on the western side of the Connecticut River, directly across from the City of Springfield, Massachusetts...
. The station can also be seen on 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...
channel 5 and Charter
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
channel 9. There is a high definition feed offered on Charter digital channel 787 and Comcast digital channel 822.
Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, WWLP has studios at Broadcast Center in the Sandy Hill section of Chicopee
Chicopee, Massachusetts
Chicopee is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States of America. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 55,298, making it the second largest city in...
next to the I-391
Interstate 391
Interstate 391 is an Auxiliary Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. State of Massachusetts. It runs from the I-91/I-391 interchange in Chicopee to the center of Holyoke, a distance of about . It runs near the Connecticut River throughout its journey in Chicopee, and crosses into...
/MA 116
Massachusetts Route 116
Route 116 is a south–north state highway in Massachusetts. The route runs from Springfield through mill towns, college towns and rural towns, crossing the Connecticut River three times before finally ending in Adams.-Route description:...
interchange. Syndicated programming on the station 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...
, Judge Judy
Judge Judy
Judge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
, and Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
. WWLP operates a full-time Class A
Class A television service
The class A television service is a system for regulating some low-power television stations in the United States. Class A stations are denoted by the broadcast callsign suffix "-CA" or "-CD" , although very many analog -CA stations have a digital companion channel that was assigned the -LD...
digital repeater, WFXQ-CD channel 28, that has a transmitter at the top of the old Mount Tom Ski Area
Mount Tom Ski Area
Mount Tom Ski Area was a ski resort in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in the Mount Tom Range in the western part of Massachusetts about 10 miles north of Springfield. It opened in 1962 and closed in 1998. Mt Tom was located off Rt. 5 on the North side of Holyoke Massachusetts and was just up the road from...
in Holyoke
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range of mountains. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 39,880...
.
Digital programming
On WWLP-DT2/WFXQ-CD2, Charter digital channel 260, and Comcast digital channel 288 is TheCoolTVTheCoolTV
THECOOLTV is a United States over-the-air digital subchannel launched in March 2009. The network's current program schedule consists of an all-music video lineup that can be customized to meet an affiliate's preference, along with the three hours per week of E/I programming as required by the...
.
| Channel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 22.1 | Main WWLP programming / NBC |
| 22.2 | TheCoolTV |
History
WWLP began broadcasting on March 17, 1953 one month before rival WGGB-TVWGGB-TV
WGGB-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts licensed to Springfield. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 40 from a transmitter on Mount Tom in Holyoke. The station can also be seen on Charter and Comcast channel 4...
. The station aired an analog signal on UHF channel 61 and was an NBC affiliate from the start. At its sign-on, the channel had the distinction of being one of the first UHF television stations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after the Federal Communications Commission
Federal 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) opened the UHF band as well as Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
' oldest station outside of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. It was founded by William L. Putnam and his company, Springfield Television
Springfield Television
Springfield Television Corporation was a group owner of television stations based in Springfield, Massachusetts. The company was founded by William Lowell Putnam, III, who launched the company's first television station, WWLP, on March 17, 1953. Springfield Television Corporation was a group owner...
. WWLP's original studios were at the transmitter site in Feeding Hills.
It switched frequencies to UHF channel 22 on July 2, 1955. The previous analog allotment would remain unused until the second WTIC-TV
WTIC-TV
WTIC-TV, channel 61, is a television station in Hartford, Connecticut. Owned by the Tribune Company, WTIC-TV is a charter affiliate of the Fox Broadcasting Company...
signed-on from Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
in 1984. From its beginnings, the Springfield/Holyoke
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range of mountains. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 39,880...
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...
was designated as a "UHF island" because it was too close to Boston, Hartford/New Haven
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, and the Capital District
Capital District
New York's Capital District, also known as the Capital Region, is a region in upstate New York that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, the capital of the state: Albany County, Schenectady County, Rensselaer County, and Saratoga County...
of New York State for VHF analog service. As a result of technical limitations UHF stations faced in the 1950s, WWLP's signal was not viewable in much of the northern portion of the market (which at the time included Brattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located in the southeast corner of the state, along the state line with New Hampshire. The population was 12,046 at the 2010 census...
and Keene, New Hampshire
Keene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cheshire County.Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England, and hosts the annual Pumpkin Fest...
). The station would sign-on two full-time satellites to solve that problem and extend its broadcasting radius (see below). From 1975 until 1979, the station aired nationally syndicated National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
games from The NHL Network.
After three decades, Putnam decided to retire from broadcasting by selling his company and its three stations (WWLP, KSTU-TV, and WKEF
WKEF
WKEF, virtual channel 22, is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Miami Valley area of Ohio, which is licensed to Dayton. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 51 from a transmitter at their Broadcast Plaza studios near the New Chicago section of the city...
) to Adams Communications in 1984. Adams ran into financial trouble and began breaking up the Springfield Television group in 1987 with the sale of KSTU to MWT Ltd. Adams sold WKEF to KT Communications in 1989 before selling WWLP to Paul Brisette (a former Adams Vice President) in January 1994. However, Brisette himself ran into trouble and sold all of his stations to Benedek Broadcasting
Benedek Broadcasting
Benedek Broadcasting is a former television broadcaster, who owned and operated 22 network-affiliated television stations throughout the United States, all affiliated with major television networks, serving mainly small and medium-size markets. The company was founded in the late 1970s by A...
at the end of 1995. Current owner LIN TV acquired WWLP in early-2001 by swapping KAKE-TV
KAKE-TV
KAKE, channel 10, is an ABC-affiliated television station based in Wichita, Kansas. The station is owned by Atlanta, Georgia-based Gray Television...
in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
and WOWT-TV
WOWT-TV
WOWT-TV, digital channel 22, virtual channel 6 via PSIP and Cox Communications cable channel 8, is the NBC affiliate television station in Omaha, Nebraska. WOWT also serves the state capital, Lincoln, 52 miles away, with broadcast and cable coverage...
in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
to Benedek. This was a result of Chronicle Broadcasting
Chronicle Publishing Company
The Chronicle Publishing Company was a print and broadcast media corporation headquartered in San Francisco, California that was in operation from 1865 until 2000...
, which owned the latter two, being liquidated. The sale could be seen as the ultimate undoing for Benedek which in 2002 declared bankruptcy and sold most of their stations (including WOWT and KAKE) to 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...
.
Back in early-2000, the station's studios and offices moved to the current home in the Sandy Hill area of Chicopee. However, its transmitter did not change locations. Shortly after the change, then-pending owner LIN TV constructed an addition at WWLP's new facilities which would serve as a master control hub for company-owned stations in the Northeast
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
. At this location, room for future expansion was made in the event LIN TV expanded their Northeast properties. That eventually became the case with sister stations WTNH
WTNH
WTNH is the ABC-affiliated television station for the state of Connecticut that is licensed to New Haven. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter in Hamden. Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, the station is sister to MyNetworkTV affiliate WCTX and the two...
, WCTX
WCTX
WCTX is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for the state of Connecticut that is licensed to New Haven. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter in Hamden. Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, the station is sister to ABC affiliate WTNH and the two...
, WPRI-TV
WPRI-TV
WPRI-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the state of Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts that is licensed to Providence. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 13 from a transmitter on Homestead Avenue in Rehoboth, Massachusetts...
(LIN TV flagship), and WNAC-TV
WNAC-TV
WNAC-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for the state of Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts licensed to Providence. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter on Homestead Avenue in Rehoboth, Massachusetts...
having master control and some internal operations currently located at the Chicopee studios.
WWLP was well known for producing As Schools Match Wits
As Schools Match Wits
As Schools Match Wits is a high school quiz show, hosted by Beth Ward, that airs on PBS member station WGBY in Springfield, Massachusetts, and produced in association with Westfield State College...
, one of the longest running high school quiz programs in the United States. The program first came on-the-air in October 1961. In September 2006, the show was canceled because of the costs associated with new FCC regulations requiring all programming to be closed-captioned for the hearing impaired. The show returned to the air in January 2007 but on the area's 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....
affiliate WGBY-TV
WGBY-TV
WGBY-TV is a PBS station licensed to the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. It is a division of the WGBH Educational Foundation, based in Boston, Massachusetts, but has its own independent web presence, logo, and local programming. Its transmitter is located on the peak of Mt...
and based at Westfield State College
Westfield State College
Westfield State University is a comprehensive, coeducational, four-year public university in Westfield, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1838 by noted educator and social reformer Horace Mann as the first public co-educational college in America without barrier to race, gender and economic class...
. On May 18, 2007, LIN TV announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives including the sale of the company. WWLP ceased its analog service on February 17, 2009 but was ordered by the FCC to continue transmitting emergency bulletins, local news broadcasts, and information on the digital transition on its analog channel for an additional sixty days as part of the "nightlighting
Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act
The Short-term Analog Flash and Emergency Readiness Act, or SAFER Act, is a U.S. law to require the Federal Communications Commission to allow the continuation of full-power analog TV transmissions in 2009 for 30 more days, for the purpose of broadcasting public service announcements regarding the...
" service , continuing to broadcast on its pre-transition digital channel 11. Through the use of 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...
, digital television receivers 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 22.
After LIN TV signed a deal to add TheCoolTV to its stations, WWLP became an affiliate of the new network on its second digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
. At one point, WWLP-DT2 had previously served as a live non-audio feed of its 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...
. Due to the Springfield/Holyoke and Hartford/New Haven markets being close together, many stations in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
can be viewed in the Southern Pioneer Valley. Since WWLP's transmitter on Provin Mountain is not far from the state line, this can be picked up in northern areas of the state. WVIT
WVIT
WVIT, virtual channel 30, is the NBC owned and operated television station for the state of Connecticut, licensed to New Britain. WVIT has its offices and studios located in West Hartford, and transmitter based in Farmington, Connecticut....
, which serves as Connecticut's NBC affiliate except for Fairfield County
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Fairfield County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The county population is 916,829 according to the 2010 Census. There are currently 1,465 people per square mile in the county. It is the most populous county in the State of Connecticut and contains...
, is currently the only Hartford/New Haven big three
Big Three Television Networks
The Big Three Television Networks are the three traditional commercial broadcast television networks in the United States: ABC, CBS and NBC...
station offered on Comcast's basic tier. Charter does not offer such access.
Satellites
In 1957, WRLP-TVWRLP-TV
WRLP-TV was a television station in Greenfield, Massachusetts which broadcast on UHF channel 32 from 1957 to 1978. For most of its history, it was a satellite of WWLP in Springfield....
in Greenfield
Greenfield, Massachusetts
Greenfield is a city in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,456 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Franklin County. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Community College, the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Franklin County Fair...
signed-on as the first full-time satellite of WWLP. This served the northern portion of the Pioneer Valley market where WWLP's signal was marginal at best due to the area's rugged and mountainous terrain. From a transmitter on Gunn Mountain in Winchester, New Hampshire
Winchester, New Hampshire
Winchester is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,341 at the 2010 census. The primary settlement in the town, where 1,733 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the Winchester census-designated place...
(one of the highest points in the region), this could also be seen in Springfield as well creating a strong combined signal with over fifty percent overlap. In 1958, Putnam purchased a defunct station in Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, WWOR-TV
WJZB-TV
WJZB-TV was a television station in Worcester, Massachusetts, which existed on UHF channel 14 from 1953 to 1969.The station signed on in December 1953 as WWOR-TV , the second independent station in the Boston area. The transmitter was located on Asnebumskit Hill in Paxton, Massachusetts...
(no relation to the current New York City
WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV programming service, licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship...
station with the same calls), and returned it to the air as a second full-time satellite of WWLP. Although it was relaying a Springfield-based station, WWOR was part of the Boston market. The channel was only broadcasting six hours a day in order to protect the interests of then-NBC affiliate WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilities, shared with sister station WSBK-TV , are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham,...
. WWOR later changed its calls to WJZB-TV and became an Independent while continuing to simulcast some programming from WWLP.
WRLP and WJZB eventually went off-the-air due to financial difficulties with WJZB going dark in 1969 followed by WRLP in 1978. The latter's transmitter was shipped to Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
almost immediately in order to launch KSTU-TV, an Independent sister station on UHF channel 20. That channel eventually became a Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate on analog VHF channel 13 operating under a different owner.
News operation
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...
affiliate WGGB in the local Neilson ratings since both stations went on-the-air. There have been some brief periods when WGGB was on top and there have also been extended times where the stations were basically neck-and-neck with WWLP having a slight edge. However, WWLP consistently outpaced WGGB after the Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
acquired that channel in 1998 with a sizable margin in this channel's favor for most shows.
While operating as full-time satellites of WWLP, WRLP and WWOR/WJZB simulcasted local news from this station. However, when WRLP converted to a separate Independent channel in 1974, its own newscasts were established tailored toward the Northern Pioneer Valley as well as Brattleboro and Keene.
After WGGB recently became locally owned (bought by John J. Gormally who publishes the Business West magazine), there was a chance the ratings could change. However, as of the July 2008 sweeps period, WWLP continues its longtime dominance with WGGB stabilizing to a strong second. Although low-powered CBS
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...
afifliate WSHM-LP
WSHM-LP
WSHM-LD is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. Licensed to Springfield, it broadcasts a low-powered high definition digital signal on UHF channel 21 from a transmitter shared with low-powered Retro Television Network affiliate WTXX-LP on Ridge...
established its own news department in October 2005, it initially did not compete on the same level as WWLP and WGGB. However, its ratings grew substantially across the board during the May 2009 sweeps period to within decimal points of WGGB in several key demographics.
In addition to their main studios, WWLP operates a Hampshire County
Hampshire County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 152,251 people, 55,991 households, and 33,818 families residing in the county. The population density was 288 people per square mile . There were 58,644 housing units at an average density of 111 per square mile...
Bureau on Main Street/MA 9/MA 10 in Downtown Northampton
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
as part of Thornes Market (location established in November 2010) and a Franklin County
Franklin County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 71,535 people, 29,466 households, and 18,416 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 31,939 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
Bureau in Greenfield. NBC affiliate WHDH-TV
WHDH-TV
WHDH, digital channel 42 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest NBC station not owned by the network. Owned by Sunbeam Television, WHDH is a sister station to CW affiliate WLVI...
in Boston shares its resources with WWLP for news coverage of Eastern Massachusetts. In turn, WWLP does the same for events from western areas of the state. Although it operates its own weather radar at the transmitter site on Provin Mountain, it is not seen on-air or online. During weather segments, the station does feature live NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
radar data from several regional sites presented on-screen in a system known as "ESP: Live Doppler" (with "ESP" meaning Exclusive Storm Prediction). The station uses the "Tower V.3" news music package from 615 Music
615 Music
615 Music is a broadcast production music company based in Nashville, Tennessee. 615 Music composes television news music packages and custom image campaigns for many television networks around the world. 615 Music also operates out of Los Angeles...
. Throughout the existence of NBC Weather Plus
NBC Weather Plus
NBC Weather Plus was a 24-hour, commercially sponsored, weather-oriented broadcast/cable television network jointly owned by NBC Universal and the local affiliates of the NBC network. It debuted on November 15, 2004 and shut down on December 31, 2008...
, WWLP never offered the service. All news anchors also serve as reporters.
Newscast titles
- The Big News (1960s)
- NewsCenter 22 (1970s-1995)
- 22 News (1995–present)
Station slogans
- "The News Leader" (1986–2001, news)
- "Working For You" (1995–present, general)
News team
Anchors- Jackie Brousseau - weekday mornings
- Rich Tettemer - weekday mornings and noon
- Elysia Rodriguez - weeknights at 5 and 6
- Barry Kriger - weeknights at 5:30, 6, and 11
- Laura Hutchinson - weeknights at 5:30 and 22 News inFocus host
- Shannon Halligan - weekend mornings
- Jackie Bruno - weekend evenings and Hampshire County Bureau reporter
22 News Storm Team
- Brian Lapis (NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
Seal of Approval) - weeknights - Ashley Baylor - weekday mornings and noon
- Nick Bannin - weekend mornings and "Green Team" segment producer
- Adam Strzempko - weekend evenings and weekend website producer
Reporters
- Sy Becker - "Sy's Look at the Movies" segment producer and occasional general assignment
- Ryan Walsh - multi-platform journalist
- Heidi Voight - multi-platform journalist
- Christine Lee - State House Bureau
- Joyce Ogirri - multi-platform journalist
- Nicole Nalepa - multi-platform journalist
- Matt Caron - Franklin County Bureau
- Jessica Stanley - I-team Member
- Nancy Dell - registered dietitian
Notable past personnel
- Sonia BaghdadySonia BaghdadySonia Baghdady is an award-winning news anchor for News 8 in Connecticut. She anchors the weekday evening shows "News 8 at 5, 5:30 and 11pm"...
- now at WTNHWTNHWTNH is the ABC-affiliated television station for the state of Connecticut that is licensed to New Haven. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter in Hamden. Owned by the LIN TV Corporation, the station is sister to MyNetworkTV affiliate WCTX and the two... - Todd GrossTodd GrossTodd Gross is a meteorologist. Todd currently is back in Massachusetts doing voice overs and video on the web. Todd's also doing the weather for snow contractors and providing updates on his website www.toddgross.com He was an active on-air television and radio meteorologist at KTVX ABC4 in Salt...
- now at KTVX - Bill RasmussenBill RasmussenBill Rasmussen is the co-founder and first president and CEO of ESPN.-Early career:After success in the advertising business, Rasmussen’s career in the media began at WTTT radio in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1962. In 1965, he moved to WWLP-TV, Springfield, where he spent eight years as Sports...
- founder of ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... - Donna SavareseDonna SavareseDonna Savarese is a two-time Emmy Award winning television journalist and news anchor most recently with KMOV in St. Louis, Missouri, the CBS affiliate. She anchored the 6pm newscast Monday-Friday. Prior to KMOV, Savarese was the weekend anchor and reporter at KIAH in Houston, Texas...
- later at KMOVKMOVKMOV, virtual channel 4, is the CBS-affiliated television station in St. Louis, Missouri. KMOV is owned by the Dallas-based Belo Corporation, with its studio and office facilities in St... - Howard ThompsonHoward Thompson (film critic)Howard Thompson was an US journalist and film critic whose career of forty-one years was spent at the New York Times....
- now at WPIXWPIXWPIX, channel 11, is a television station in New York City built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WPIX also serves as the flagship station of The CW Television Network...