WDEF-TV

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WDEF–TV
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Branding	WDEF News 12
Slogan	Your Safe Families Station We Get To The Point
Channels	12 (VHF) analog, 47 (UHF) digital
Affiliations	CBS
Owner	Morris Multimedia
Founded	April 25, 1954
Former affiliations	NBC(1954–56) ABC(1954–58) DuMont(1954–55) UPN (2004-06) (all secondaries)
Website	www.wdef.com/

WDEF–TV channel 12 is the CBS affiliate for Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley. The station, whose call letters came from its former AM and FM sister stations, is owned by Morris Multimedia. Its transmitter is located in Signal Mountain, Tennessee.

Contents 1 History 2 News Department 2.1 Newscasts 2.2 Notable Personalities 3 External links

[edit] History

The station was Chattanooga's first television station. It signed on the air on April 25, 1954, carrying programming from all four networks, though it has always been a primary CBS affiliate. It was owned by Joe Engel, who owned the Chattanooga Lookouts baseball team as well as the WDEF radio stations, AM and FM. When WRGP–TV (now WRCB-TV) signed on 1956, WDEF shared ABC programming with WRGP until WTVC-TV moved from Rome, Georgia in 1958.

Channel 12 was very locally oriented in its early years, as it offered a mix of children's shows, talk, and variety programs. One of those programs, "Point Of View", is currently one of the longest–running local public–affairs programs in the country.

Luther Masingill is the station's best–known personality. He was discovered by Engel in 1940 and has been a fixture in Chattanooga broadcasting ever since. While hosting the morning show on WDEF–FM 92.3 (as he has since 1941), he hosts the "Community Calendar" segment on WDEF–TV's morning newscast. He also advertises lost pets on channel 12's Noon newscast, a feature unique to the station.

Mort Lloyd was the station's top anchor from the station's inception in 1954 until 1958. He returned to the anchor chair in 1970, until he stepped down to run for Congress in 1974. He won the Democratic nomination, but died in a plane crash while en route to a victory celebration. His widow, Marilyn, replaced him on the ballot and won in November, serving twenty years until 1995.

Its current slogan, or branding, is "WDEF News 12, Your Safe Families Station" — the station uses the theme to provide important information, safety tips, and sponsorship of related seminars and exhibitions that promote the safety and well–being of families and children.

In 2004, WDEF–TV began carrying UPN programming in late–night time slots, after CBS programming ended for the day. UPN programming had previously been carried in the Tennessee Valley on a low–powered outlet, WOOT-LP, channel 6. However, that deal came to an end on September 15, 2006, when UPN was folded into The CW, which made current WB affiliate WFLI-TV the new network's affiliate.

WDEF was acquired by Media General after being a Roy H. Park station for over 3 decades.

On April 6, 2006, Media General announced that, in addition to acquiring four stations owned and operated by NBC, it will sell four of its TV stations; WDEF is one of those. [1] On August 1, 2006, it was announced that WDEF will be sold to Morris Multimedia, pending consummation. [2] The sale was completed October 13, 2006.[3] As of November 2006, WDEF is still using the Media General-style logo and presentation.

[edit] News Department

[edit] Newscasts

Monday–Friday

• News 12 This Morning (5:30–8am) (first half of The Early Show on CBS is being preempted)
• News 12 at Noon (Noon–12:30pm)
• News 12 at 6:00 (6–6:30pm)
• News 12 at 11:00 (11–11:35pm) (formerly known as News 12 Nightside)

Saturday–Sunday

• News 12 at 6:00 (6–6:30pm)
• News 12 at 11:00 (11–11:30pm)

[edit] Notable Personalities

CURRENT PERSONALITIES

• Brooke Bennett, General Assignment Reporter
• Jay Berman, Weekend Sports Anchor/Reporter
• Lynette Charles, Weekend Meteorologist
• Patrick Core, Chief Meteorologist
• Rebecca Cruz, General Assignment Reporter
• Candice Lee, 6:00 and 11:00 Anchor
• Louis Lee, General Assignment Reporter
• Joe Legge, Noon Anchor/Reporter
• Luther Masingill, Reporter
• John Mercer, 6:00 and 11:00 Anchor
• Bill Mitchell, Weekend Anchor/Reporter
• Rick Nyman, Sports Director
• Rachel Oesch, Morning Anchor
• Brian Smith, Morning and Noon Meteorologist
• Abena Williams, General Assignment Reporter

PAST PERSONALITIES

• Allison Braxton, General Assignment Reporter (2003–06, now at WVUE)
• Jerry Brown, Anchor/Reporter (1986–87, 1999–2002, now at WMBB)
• Chip Chapman, Morning and Noon Meteorologist (now at WTVC and WDSI-TV)
• Brooke Cornell, Weekend Meteorologist (?)
• Ebony Hall, Reporter (1998-2004, now at WBMA)
• Matt King, Sports Director (?)
• Kristy Lindstrom, Weekend Meteorologist (?, now at WCBI)
• David Neal, Chief Meteorologist (1987–97, now at WBRC)
• Alison Starling, Anchor/Reporter (?, now at WJLA/News Channel 8)
• Kurt Williams, Anchor/Reporter (?, now at WTKR)

[edit] External links

• WDEF.com
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WDEF
• Location of WDEF studios on Wikimapia

CBS Network Affiliates in the state of Tennessee
WREG 3 (Memphis) - WTVF 5 (Nashville) - WVLT 8 (Knoxville) - WJHL 11 (Kingsport) - WDEF 12 (Chattanooga)
See also: ABC, CW, Fox, i, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS and Other stations in Tennessee