WATM-TV
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| WATM-TV | |
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| Altoona/Johnstown/State College, Pennsylvania | |
| Branding | ABC23 |
| Slogan | We're Here For You! |
| Channels | 23 (UHF) analog, 24 (UHF) digital |
| Affiliations | ABC (1953-1980s and since 1988) |
| Owner | Palm Television (managed by Peak Media) |
| Founded | 1953 (original incarnation, on channel 38) October 13, 1986 (current incarnation, on channel 23) |
| Call letters meaning | Altoona Television Market |
| Former callsigns | WOPC-TV (1953-early 1980s) WWPC-TV (1986-88) |
| Former affiliations | Fox (1987-88, as satellite of WWCP-TV) |
| Website | www.abc23.com |
WATM-TV is an ABC-affiliated television station on channel 23 in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Palm Television, but is operated by Peak Media under a local marketing agreement with the area's Fox affiliate, WWCP-TV. Its transmitter is located in Dysart, Pennsylvania. WATM's signal is somewhat weak (708,000 watts); many viewers have difficulty receiving the station without a set-top or outdoor antenna even in Altoona (approximately five miles from WATM's Dysart transmitter).
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[edit] History
[edit] On channel 38
This station originally signed on in 1953 as WOPC-TV, on channel 38, Altoona's ABC affiliate. At the time, Altoona-State Colege and Johnstown were separate markets. The station was unable to afford a network feed; for most of its history engineers simply switched to and from the signal of WTPA-TV (now WHTM-TV) in Harrisburg. Already struggling for viewership, it was dealt a fatal blow in 1982, when Johnstown and Altoona-State College were collapsed into a single market. WOPC's signal was all but unviewable in the western portion of the enlarged market. It went dark shortly afterward. For the next few years, WHTM was the de facto ABC affiliate for the eastern side of the market, while WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh served the western portion.
[edit] On channel 23
In 1986, WWCP-TV, the area's soon-to-be Fox affiliate, faced a problem. It had originally been slated to be a Pittsburgh station, but its owners petitioned the FCC to move the license to Johnstown. In their petition, WWCP's owners cited lower programming costs in the Johnstown/Altoona/State College market. They also cited possible interference with WJW in Cleveland. The FCC granted the request, on condition that WWCP build its transmitter in a location that would allow Pittsburgh to get a grade B signal from the station. However, this meant that channel 8 would be virtually unviewable in the eastern portion of the market.
WWCP's owners solved this problem by buying the dormant channel 38 license and moving it to channel 23. As a result, the old WOPC returned to the air on October 13 as WWPC-TV, a satellite of WWCP.
At the time, WHTM and WTAE both pre-empted moderate amounts of ABC programming, and it soon became obvious that Johnstown/Altoona/State College needed its own ABC affiliate. As a result, WWPC split from WWCP and became an ABC affiliate on August 27, 1988 under new calls, WATM. WATM is still managed by WWCP (which remains a Fox affiliate) under a local marketing agreement.
[edit] Programming
WATM-TV airs only one newscast per day, at 11:00 pm. The newscast is focused on Altoona, State College and surrounding areas. Syndicated programs include Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, Extra, Martha, The Tyra Banks Show, The Montel Williams Show, and Maury.
[edit] ABC 23 News Anchors
- Angie Boddorf (news anchor) Monday-Friday Edition
- Travis Koshko (chief meteorologist) Monday-Friday Edition
- Meredith McDonough (news anchor) Weekend Edition
- Josh Bandish (meteorologist) Weekend Edition
- Greg Whitmer (sports director) Monday-Friday Edition
[edit] External links
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Local television stations |
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Significantly Viewed Out-of-Market Broadcast Stations |
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WTAE 4 (Pittsburgh) - WPVI 6 (Philadelphia) - WNEP 16 (Scranton) - WATM 23 (Altoona) - WJET 24 (Erie) - WHTM 27 (Harrisburg) |
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| See also: CBS, CW, Fox, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS, and Other stations in Pennsylvania | |
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