WJAC-TV

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WJAC-TV
Johnstown/Altoona/State College, Pennsylvania
Branding	WJAC-TV / Channel 6
Slogan	Coverage You Can Count On
Channels	Analog: 6 (VHF) Digital: 34 (UHF)
Affiliations	NBC RTN (DT2) (as of early 2009)
Owner	Cox Enterprises, Inc. (WPXI, Inc.)
First air date	September 15, 1949
Call letters’ meaning	Johnstown Automotive Company (original owner)
Former channel number(s)	13 (1949-1952)
Former affiliations	All secondary: CBS (1949-1953) ABC (1949-1980s) DuMont (1949-1955)
Transmitter Power	70.8 kW (analog) 1000 kW (digital)
Height	341 m (analog) 386 m (digital)
Facility ID	73120
Transmitter Coordinates	40°22′17″N, 78°58′57″W (analog) 40°22′17″N, 78°58′55″W (digital)
Website	www.wjactv.com

WJAC-TV is the NBC network affiliated television station serving the entire Johnstown-Altoona-State College, Pennsylvania metropolitan area and is owned and operated by Cox Enterprises, which also owns fellow NBC affiliate WPXI in nearby Pittsburgh.

[edit] Technical Information

This station is licensed to Johnstown and broadcasts on VHF channel 6 at 70.8 kilowatts and in high definition on UHF channel 34 at 1,000 kilowatts, as authorized by the Federal Communications Commission. Its transmitter is located in the Morrellville neighborhood of Johnstown. However, the nearby mountain ridges prevent most of Altoona and all of State College from receiving channel 6's signal.

Because the audio portion of VHF channel 6 is broadcast at 87.75 MHz, it is possible to "listen to the TV" on most standard FM car radios (or any standard FM radio, for that matter) -- a feature frequently employed by area residents.

[edit] History

WJAC-TV first began its broadcasting operations on September 15, 1949 -- originally owned by Johnstown Automotive Company. At the time, not only was it the oldest television station in the market, but it was also the third smallest television station in the country marketwise to be granted a commercial license on or before December 31, 1949 -- only behind CBS affiliate WBNG-TV Binghamton, New York and fellow NBC affiliate WICU-TV in Erie. When it first began its operation, it was broadcasting on channel 13 before moving to channel 6 in 1952. Upon its sign-on, it aired programming from all four networks of the time — NBC, CBS, ABC and DuMont. CBS disappeared from WJAC-TV's schedule when WARD-TV on channel 56 (now Pittsburgh CW affiliate WPCW on channel 19) signed on in 1953, followed by DuMont when it shut down network operations in 1955. However, WJAC continued to air a few ABC shows into the 1980s. [1]

For many years since Johnstown Automotive sold the station, WJAC was owned by The Tribune-Democrat until tightened FCC cross-ownership regulations forced the newspaper to spin off the television station to a private owner in 1982. WJAC was subsequently sold to Sunrise Television in 1997 before being acquired by Cox in 2000, which also acquired Wheeling/Steubenville NBC affiliate WTOV in the same deal. The two stations and WPXI are occasionally marketed together as a result.

Today, WJAC 6 News continues carrying out its commitment to serve its community.

In the 50's and 60's, its slogan was "serving millions from atop the Alleghenies". This old slogan has been used recently in various ways in the broadcast, including as a 5 second ad before a newscast. It also has been used as the newscast's "Covering The Alleghenies" segment, where minor stories from around the area are told in brief.

WJAC also gained a reputation for its locally-produced programs at the station through the years. "Scholastic Quiz", a game show featuring local high school students, and "Seniors Today", a public affairs program targeted to those 65 and older, would become mainstays of WJAC's programming and make host Ron Lorence (who would later build WRSC-AM and then buy WYSN-FM south of Johnstown in Somerset) a local household name.

On November 28, 2007 The Tribune Democrat reported that WJAC will take on the news operations of WWCP-TV and WATM-TV effective January 14, 2008. The news is still "FOX 8 News at 10" and also uses the same music package and voiceovers as the former broadcast. Though the news more closely resembles a WJAC broadcast. WJAC simulcasts the 11 PM news to WATM.

WJAC also airs the Pennsylvania Lottery televised nighttime drawings live 7 nights a week and the live Powerball drawing on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

[edit] Anchors

• Sunrise & Noon: Bill Brown and Kyla Campbell (Anchors) Jim Burton (Weather)
• 5:00 PM: Tim Rigby and Jennifer Johnson (Anchors) Tony Martin (Weather)
• 5:30 PM: Jennifer Johnson (Anchor) Tony Martin (Weather)
• 6:00-6:30 PM: Marty Radovanic and Jennifer Johnson (Anchors) Tony Martin (Weather) Tim Rigby/Matt Maisel (Sports)
• 10:00 PM (FOX 8): Katie Sabatino (anchor) Tony Martin (Weather) Tim Rigby (Sports)
• 11:00 PM: Marty Radovanic (Anchor) Tony Martin (Weather) Tim Rigby (Sports)
• Saturday Sunrise: TBD (Anchor) Tim Tender (Weather)
• Weekend Nights (WJAC & FOX 8): Rich Klindworth (Anchor) Tim Tender (Weather) and Matt Maisel (Sports)

[edit] Former Personalities

• Jarod Latch, weekend sports anchor until 2007, now at WSOC-TV in Charlotte.
• Katie Collett, morning anchor/reporter until 2007, now at WAVY-TV in Portsmouth, VA.
• Dave Roush now at News 12 The Bronx in New York City.
• Jon Meyer, weekend news anchor until 2002, now at WNEP-TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
• MaryEllen Locher, anchor/reporter until 1983, later worked in Steubenville, OH and Chattanooga, TN. MaryEllen lost her battle with cancer on June 9, 2005.
• Jeff Levkulich, Bedford/Altoona Bureau Chief 1998-2001. Now, Morning/Noon Anchor WKBN-TV, Youngstown OH
• Dave Jones, Blair County Bureau reporter 1999-2000, now Washington Bureau Chief for Sinclair Broadcast Group
• Jay Patrick (Holcomb), former weathercaster, now out of broadcasting, due to legal domestic troubles.

[edit] External links

• WJACTV.com - WJAC Channel 6 News Website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WJAC-TV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WJAC-TV