WRGT-TV
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| WRGT-TV | |
|---|---|
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| Dayton, Ohio | |
| Branding | Fox 45 |
| Slogan | Dayton's News Source |
| Channels | Analog: 45 (UHF) |
| Affiliations | Fox MyNetworkTV (DT2) |
| Owner | Cunningham Broadcasting Corporation (LMA with Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.) (WRGT Licensee, LLC) |
| First air date | September 23, 1984 |
| Call letters’ meaning | The WRiGhT Brothers (who were from Dayton) |
| Sister station(s) | WKEF |
| Former affiliations | independent (1984-1986) |
| Transmitter Power | 5000 kW (analog) 425 kW (digital) |
| Height | 357 m (analog) 351 m (digital) |
| Facility ID | 411 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | |
| Website | www.daytonsnewssource.com |
WRGT-TV is a broadcast television station in Dayton, Ohio affiliated with the Fox network. It broadcasts on channel 45. WRGT is owned by Cunningham Broadcasting Corporation, but operated by the Sinclair Broadcast Group under a local marketing agreement with Dayton's ABC affiliate, WKEF-TV. However, Sinclair effectively owns WRGT due to Cunningham's ownership structure (see below).
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[edit] History
WRGT signed on as an independent station on September 23, 1984, owned by Act III Broadcasting. The station ran a general entertainment format consisting of cartoons, classic sitcoms, recent off network sitcoms, old movies, drama shows and sports. It was Act III's second station, following WVAH-TV in Charleston, West Virginia two years earlier.
Act II founded WRGT following a high stake "in-contest" competition amongst four potential owners in the late 1970s. Dayton Telecasting Inc. became the founder of WRGT-TV with its first slogan "Off To a Flying Start", featuring an animated Wright "B" flyer used in its first promos (the WRGT calls is an obvious reference to the Wright Brothers).
Prior to WRGT's sign-on, the only source of non-network programming in Dayton (aside from WXIX-TV and WIII-TV [now WSTR-TV in Cincinnati and WTTE in Columbus; which all reach portions of the Dayton market) was WTJC (channel 26, now WBDT), a mostly religious station. However, Act III persuaded WTJC's owner, Miami Valley Christian Television, to sell most of WTJC's non-religious programming to WRGT. For all intents and purposes, WRGT was now the only general-entertainment station in Dayton...and the first independent station since the demise of WKTR-TV in 1970 (now public station WPTD) and WSWO-TV in Springfield in 1972 (now WBDT after being Christian station WTJC from 1980 to 1988 following eight years of being silent.)
Despite the competition from larger-market stations (WXIX and WSTR were both available on cable), WRGT prospered. It would not have any real competition in Dayton until 1999, when channel 26 became a WB affiliate as WBDT (it was briefly a Pax TV affiliate before then). After Fox launched in 1986, Act III signed an affiliation deal with Fox. All of Act III's stations, including WRGT, became charter affiliates of the fledgling network.
Act III merged with Abry in 1994. A few months later, Abry merged with Sinclair, but sold WRGT to Sullivan Broadcasting. However, Sullivan outsourced WRGT's operations to Sinclair. By 1999 more reality and talk shows would be in Fox 45's mix.
In 1998 Sullivan's managing partner, Sinclair, bought WKEF, then an NBC affiliate. In 2001, Sinclair purchased most of Sullivan's other stations, but could not buy WRGT for two reasons. The Dayton market has only seven full-power stations-—not enough to legally permit a duopoly. Also, the FCC does not allow common ownership of two of the four highest-rated stations in a single market. With this in mind, WRGT was sold to Glencairn, Ltd.. However, nearly all of Glencairn's stock was controlled by trusts in the name of the Smith family, founding owners of Sinclair. This effectively gave Sinclair a duopoly in Dayton. Glencairn later changed its name to Cunningham Broadcasting. There is nearly uncontestable evidence that Glencairn/Cunningham is merely a shell corporation which Sinclair uses to circumvent FCC ownership rules.[citation needed]
Also in 1998, WRGT started their 10pm newscast, using WKEF's newsteam. In the 2006 February Sweeps period, Fox 45's 10pm newscast was the fastest growing newscast out of any in the Dayton market, sometimes winning the 10pm timeslot on certain nights. Later that year, WRGT began airing a morning newscast from 7-9 am.
Sinclair and Fox finalized a six-year affiliation contract extension for Sinclair's 19 Fox affiliates in mid-2006, including WRGT. WRGT's affiliation contract now expires in March 2012. [1]
WRGT is also considered an alternate ABC affiliate, airing that network's programs when WKEF is unable to do so, such as during a breaking news emergency or local specials.
WRGT, along with CBS affiliate WHIO-TV, are the only 2 stations in the Dayton market who have not changed their network affiliation, even through the swaps of 2004.
[edit] Newscasts
- Weekdays
Fox 45 In the Morning 7:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m.
Anchors
- Asa George
- Pete Scalia
'Weather
- Chief Meteorologist Mike Terwilleger
Traffic
- Rhonda Moore
Fox 45 Dayton's News Source at 10,11 Monday-Thursday,
- Anchors: Mark Pompilio, Candace Hunter
- Weather: Greg Dixon
- Sports: Ryan Brant
- Weekends
Saturday
Anchor
- Don Hammond
Sunday
Anchors
- Mark Pompilio
- Candace Hunter
[edit] My Network TV Dayton
In August of 2006, it was confirmed that MyNetworkTV would air on WRGT-DT2.[2] Additionally, FOX 45 is now airing My Network TV's two programs on its main station in the early morning hours (1 A.M. and 2 A.M.)
On September 16, 2006 Time Warner Cable added My Network TV to its digital cable lineup on channel 746. The channel has been branded as "My TV Dayton" and airs the My Network TV primetime block from 8:00PM - 10:00PM, paid programming from 2:00AM - 3:00AM with a break at 9:00AM for "Fox 45 In the Morning", and airing syndicated shows the rest of the day.
[edit] Previous Logo
 WRGT logo from 1986. The fonts in this logo were very similar to the ones used by stations owned by Meredith Corporation; however, Meredith never owned WRGT. |
[edit] External links
- DaytonsNewsSource.com
- MyTV Dayton
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WRGT
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WRGT-TV
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