WDAZ-TV
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| WDAZ-TV (semi-satellite of WDAY-TV, Fargo, North Dakota) |
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| Grand Forks, North Dakota | |
| City of license | Devils Lake, North Dakota |
| Branding | WDAZ 8 Television WDAZ News |
| Slogan | Your Home Team |
| Channels | Analog: 8 (VHF) |
| Affiliations | ABC |
| Owner | Forum Communications Company |
| First air date | 1967[1] |
| Call letters’ meaning | taken from WDAY-TV with a Z |
| Sister station(s) | WDAY-TV |
| Former affiliations | NBC (1967-1983) |
| Transmitter Power | 316 kW (analog) 100 kW (digital) |
| Height | 451 m (analog) 389 m (digital) |
| Facility ID | 22124 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | |
| Website | www.wdaz.com |
WDAZ-TV, channel 8, is an ABC affiliate located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The station serves the northern half of the Fargo-Grand Forks television market. The station also has significant viewership in southern Manitoba, Canada including Winnipeg.
The station is owned by Forum Communications of Fargo, North Dakota, which also owns the Grand Forks Herald. Licensed to serve Devils Lake, North Dakota, WDAZ also operates a studio and sales office in Devils Lake. The station broadcasts from a 1,400-foot tower located near Dahlen, North Dakota, which is roughly between Grand Forks and Devils Lake.
While WDAZ identifies as a station in its own right, it is generally considered to be a semi-satellite of WDAY-TV. It produces its own newscasts, and airs its own commercials. However, it rebroadcasts most of WDAY-TV's syndicated programming, and the two stations often share news stories. WDAZ serves the northern portion of the Fargo-Grand Forks market, while WDAY-TV serves the southern portion.
The station is noted for being nationally honored with the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for Continuing Coverage during the Red River Flood of 1997. The station also became exposed on YouTube for its report on the emo trend on February 23, 2007.
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[edit] History
WDAZ went on the air for the first time on January 29, 1967 as a semi-satellite of WDAY-TV. Unlike the other Fargo stations, WDAY-TV does not put a strong signal into Grand Forks and the northern part of the market. It must conform its signal to protect CBC Television station CBWT of Winnipeg, which is also on channel 6. WDAZ was the first station to sign on serving the Grand Forks area. Originally an NBC affiliate, it switched to ABC along with sister station WDAY-TV in May 1983; KTHI-TV (now KVLY-TV) became the new NBC affiliate.
The station won the Edward R. Murrow Award for continuing coverage in 1997 for staying on-the-air providing coverage of the 1997 flood while Grand Forks was evacuated. In 2007, WDAZ began broadcasting in high-definition.
WDAZ is one of the few stations in the country that still signs off at night. It goes off the air after its 12:08 a.m. airing of Jimmy Kimmel Live and does not show World News Now.
[edit] Internet exposure
WDAZ's report on the emo youth trend on its February 23, 2007 newscast made national exposure on YouTube,[2][3] being one of the most watched videos during the week of February 25, 2007. It was later added on eBaumsWorld's daily video updates.[4] The video was also on Rolling Stone magazine's Web site[5] and VH1's Best Week Ever Web site,[6] and Spin magazine.[7]
The video has been heavily blogged and discussed about on online message boards. Critics of the news report have stated the report has been an exaggeration based on the Web sources used, which were meant to be satirical of the emo trend.[8][9]
On its March 1, 2007 newscast, the station briefly responded to the national attention that the story has received. They stated that numerous phone calls and emails have been sent to the station in response to the video clip. On March 8, 2007, a commentary in the co-owned The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead was made on the emo trend.[10]
[edit] Newscasts
[edit] News
WDAZ produces local newscasts during Monday through Friday at 5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m., Saturdays at 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., and a Sunday newscast at 10:00 p.m. The morning newscast, First News, at 6:00am Monday through Fridays, is simulcast with WDAY-TV. Longtime WDAZ personalities include news anchors Milo Smith and Terry Dullum, and sports anchor Pat Sweeney. Local weather forecasts are pre-recorded from WDAY-TV meteorologists. Chuck Bundlie was the station's first news director and anchor, serving from 1967-1992.
WDAZ's newscasts are the most watched in Grand Forks because it is the only TV station in Grand Forks that produces newscasts. The station sometimes claims to have more people watching its newscasts than its competitors (KVLY, KXJB-TV and KBRR) combined.
[edit] Sports
WDAZ is also known for its coverage of University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux athletics. WDAZ airs a weekly sports program, "Fighting Sioux Coaches Show" with Pat Sweeney for Fighting Sioux football and basketball featuring interviews, highlights, and previews during the college athletic seasons. The station also produces telecasts in conjunction with the University of North Dakota both for its own airwaves and a cable network known as the Fighting Sioux Sports Network. This network, also known as "FSSN", broadcasts Fighting Sioux hockey, football, and basketball games which are distributed on cable television by Midcontinent Communications and other cable systems in North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota. The Fighting Sioux Sports Network is also available all across the North American continent via Free-To-Air satellite. WDAZ Sports Director Pat Sweeney handles UND play-by-play on FSSN.
[edit] Personalities
[edit] Anchors
- Terry Dullum (Weekday Anchor of 5 p.m. Newscasts Producer)
- Cassie Walder (Weekday Co-anchor of 6 p.m. Newscasts/News Director)
- Milo Smith (Weekday Co-anchor of 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Newscasts/Producer)
- Casey Wonnenberg (Weekend Anchor of 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Newscasts/Reporter)
[edit] Weather
- John Wheeler (Chief Meteorologist - Weekday Evenings)
- Daryl Ritchison (Meteorologist - Weekday Mornings and Midday)
- Rob Kupec (Meteorologist - Weekends)
[edit] Sports
- Pat Sweeney (Weekdays)
- James Degelder (Weekends)
- Jeremy Eisenzimmer
- Rob Horken (Ernie the Angler)
[edit] Reporters and photographers
- Jessica Dugan (Reporter)
- Bill Haug (UBS Stock Market Report)
- Arlene Martini (UBS Stock Market Report)
- Chris Regimbal (Chief Photographer)
- David Schwab (Reporter)
- Joel Porter (Reporter)
- Stephanie Goetz (Reporter)
- Patrick Wynne (Photographer)
[edit] Locally produced programs
Most locally produced programs outside of newscasts are weekend University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux coaches shows for Fighting Sioux football and basketball featuring interviews, highlights, and previews during the college athletic seasons, and is seen after the 10:00 p.m. news on Sunday. WDAZ formerly broadcast a political talk show called Agenda, which was primarily on local and regional issues. WDAY-TV produces a local outdoors show called Great Outdoors seen occasionally on WDAZ.
[edit] Logos and screenshots
 WDAZ logo (c. 1983) |
 WDAZ logo from 1983, prior to the station's affiliation change from NBC to ABC. |
 Intro logo of The 10 O'Clock Report from 1985. |
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 Current intro logo to all opening WDAZ newscasts. |
[edit] Coverage area
Although WDAZ broadcasts in a small market that reaches only 82,000 television households, the station is also carried on Shaw Communications and MTS TV in southern Manitoba including the nearby Winnipeg, Manitoba region, reaching an additional 256,000 homes. Winnipeg is several times larger than the entire population of WDAZ's American coverage area (and indeed the entire population of the Fargo/Grand Forks market).
WDAZ and Prairie Public Television are the only stations from this region that still air in Manitoba, after KVLY (formerly KTHI) and KXJB were replaced with other network affiliates in March 1986. This was due to a Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission decision that allowed the Winnipeg cable companies to replace the CBS and NBC affiliates with Detroit stations because of complaints about poor reception, but denied them the ability to replace WDAZ with WXYZ or PPTV with WTVS (although this station would later be added as a second PBS station to cable customers). [1] Shaw Cable airs WDAZ on cable channel 7 and MTS TV airs WDAZ on cable channel 13.
WDAZ can also be seen over the air in extreme southern Manitoba, and in southern parts of Winnipeg with a rooftop antenna. The reception of WDAZ over the air is poor, as its transmitter is over 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Winnipeg.
Advertising from Winnipeg businesses sometimes air on the station, although this is sometimes ineffective due to simultaneous substitution. Because WDAZ is carried on cable in southern Manitoba, it has become somewhat of a regional superstation.
Some areas that carry WDAZ on cable in western Minnesota are actually in the northwestern part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN television market.
[edit] Translators
WDAZ rebroadcasts on the following translators (low power rebroadcasters):
- K48CQ 48 Roseau, Minnesota
- K57AR 57 Baudette, Minnesota
- K57AS 57 Grygla, Minnesota
- K61AR 61 Williams, Minnesota
- K67BC 67 Norris Camp, Minnesota
[edit] WDAZ-TV tower
WDAZ-TV broadcasts from a 445.2 meter (1,460.2 feet) high guy-wired aerial mast, making it the third tallest tower in North Dakota after the KVLY-TV tower and KXJB-TV tower. The tower is located in Dahlen, North Dakota, roughly located between Grand Forks and Devils Lake.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- WDAZ website
- Fargo CW
- Tower site photos on endmilled.com
- I Must Be Emo: WDAZ News Report on YouTube
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WDAZ
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WDAZ-TV
[edit] References
- ^ The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says January 29, while the Television and Cable Factbook says February 8.
- ^ I Must Be Emo - News Report. Retrieved on 2007-03-01.
- ^ I Must Be Emo - News Report (full version w/ending). Retrieved on 2007-03-01.
- ^ Emo Point System. Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
- ^ Clip of the Day: Cause of Death? Emo. Retrieved on 2007-03-01.
- ^ ICYMI: Watch Out! The Emo's Are Coming!!. Retrieved on 2007-03-01.
- ^ I Must Be Emo News Report. Retrieved on 2007-03-10.
- ^ Insta Emo Kit. Retrieved on 2007-03-01.
- ^ How To Dress Emo 2.0. Retrieved on 2007-03-01.
- ^ The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Retrieved on 2007-03-08.
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