WTOK-TV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| WTOK-TV | |
|---|---|
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| Meridian, Mississippi | |
| Branding | ABC 11 NewsCenter 11 |
| Slogan | East Mississippi and West Alabama's News Leader |
| Channels | Analog: 11 (VHF) |
| Affiliations | ABC WTOK-DT2: Fox (primary) MyNetworkTV (secondary) The Sportsman Channel (overnight) WTOK-DT3: The CW |
| Owner | Gray Television, Inc. (Gray Television Licensee, Inc.) |
| First air date | September 27, 1953 |
| Former affiliations | Primary: CBS (1953-1980) Secondary: NBC (1953-1968) ABC (1953-1980) DuMont (1953-1955) Fox (mid-1990s) |
| Transmitter Power | 316 kW (analog) 400 kW (digital) |
| Height | 165 m (analog) 136.4 m (digital) |
| Facility ID | 4686 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | |
| Website | www.wtok.com |
WTOK-TV, channel 11, is the ABC-affiliated television station for Meridian, Mississippi. Licensed to the city, the station broadcasts and analog signal on VHF channel 11 and a digital signal on UHF channel 49. Its transmitter is located south of the city along S.R. 145. Owned by Gray Television, the station has studios on 23rd Avenue in downtown Meridian. WTOK is known on-air as ABC 11.
Contents |
[edit] Digital television
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 11.1 / 49.1 | main WTOK programming / ABC HD |
| 11.2 / 49.2 | Fox Meridian |
| 11.3 / 49.3 | Meridian's CW |
[edit] Overview
Syndicated programs on WTOK include Judge Judy, Oprah, Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy!.
The station operates the area's Fox affiliate on its second digital subchannel. Known on-air as Fox Meridian, it is also offered on Comcast cable channel 10. WTOK-DT2 is a secondary MyNetworkTV affiliate and airs that network's programming from 9 to 11 p.m. Overnight, the station airs programming from The Sportsman Channel. WTOK-DT2 airs syndicated programming such as Everybody Loves Raymond, Two And A Half Men, King of the Hill, Family Guy, and Friends.
WTOK also operates the area's CW affiliate on its third digital subchannel. Known on-air as Meridian's CW, it is offered on Comcast cable channel 8 as well.
[edit] History
The station began broadcasting on September 27, 1953 as the second television station in Mississippi and the first on the VHF band (WJTV in Jackson had started broadcasting in January of that year on a UHF frequency). It started as a primary CBS affiliate but carried programming from ABC, NBC and DuMont as well. DuMont folded in 1955, NBC went to WLBM (now WGBC) in the early-1960s (via its status as a satellite of Jackson's WLBT) and CBS went to WHTV (now WMDN) in 1980. WTOK also served as a partial Fox affiliate in the mid-1990s carrying NFL broadcasts as well as selected Fox programming in late night time-slots.
At one point WTOK was co-owned with KARK-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1988, then-owner United Broadcasting was taken over by investment firm Merrill Lynch who then sold its three stations off to separate buyers. That year, Benedek Broadcasting bought WTOK. When Benedek's parent company went bankrupt in 2002, current owner Gray Television bought most of the Benedek stations, including WTOK.
WTOK has long been the dominant station in eastern Mississippi due to its status as the only VHF station in the area. For a time in the early-1990s, it was the only over-the-air commercial station in town by default after both of its rivals went off-the-air.
In early-2006, WTOK began broadcasting a Fox affiliate on its second digital subchannel. For Meridian viewers, WTOK-DT2 replaced Foxnet as well as Tuscaloosa, Alabama's Fox affiliate, WDBB. Starting on September 5, 2006, WTOK-DT2 began airing programming from Fox's new sister network, MyNetworkTV.
In 2006, Gray Television signed a deal to add The CW (the new network created by the merger of The WB and UPN) on new digital subchannels of four of its owned stations (including WTOK). WTOK-DT3 began broadcasting The CW on the network's launch date September 18, 2006. The station is part of the national CW Plus service.
[edit] News operation
Since 2005, WTOK has been the only station in the area to air local news. The station's newscasts are branded under the NewsCenter label.
Unlike most ABC affiliates, WTOK does not broadcast a midday newscast during the week. WTOK-DT2 "Fox Meridian" rebroadcasts the 6 a.m. hour of Good Morning Meridian at 8 in the morning. It also rebroadcasts the weeknight and Sunday night editions of NewsCenter 11 at 10 at Midnight.
Like most CW Plus affiliates, WTOK-DT3 airs the nationally syndicated morning show, The Daily Buzz, weekday mornings from 5 to 8.
The station uses live, NOAA National Weather Service radar data from a site located east of Jackson. It is known on-air in weather segments as "True View Live Doppler". During severe weather, WTOK simulcasts its coverage on WMOX-AM 1010 as well as via live streaming video on its website.
WTOK is unique in that it's main anchor team is comprised of two males, unlike most newscasts which now usually feature a male and female anchor.
[edit] News team
Anchors
- Andrea Williams - weekday mornings
- reporter
- Rebecca Ward
- producer
- Wade Phillips - weeknights at 5
- reporter
- John Johnson - News Director seen on weeknights at 6
- Director of Community Relations
- Tom Daniels - weeknights at 6 and 10
- Lindsey Brown - weekends
- reporter
- Sheila McLain - News manager
WeatherCenter 11 Meteorologists
- Trent Hughes (AMS Member) - Chief seen on weeknights
- Stephen Bowers - weekday mornings
- Jason Dunning- weekends
Sports
- Lindsey Hall - Director seen on weeknights at 6 and 10
- Nick Adam - weekends
- sports reporter
Reporters
- Sidney Luvene - Chief photographer
- Christian Monsour - Photographer
- Chris Brennaman
- Tametria Conner
- Lindsey Brown
[edit] Former staff
- Ethan Huston - Weekend Weather
- Heather Cook - Weekend Sports Anchor
- Josh Johnson - Chief Meteorologist (now weather producer with WXIA-TV in Atlanta, Georgia)
- Charles Daniel - Morning Meteorologist & Reporter (now Morning Meteorologist on Wake Up Alabama with WIAT-TV in Birmingham, Alabama)
- Renee' LaSalle - Weekend Anchor & Reporter (now with WDEF-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee)
- Chris Whited - Morning Meteorologist & Reporter (now morning meteorologist and environmental reporter with KRBC-TV/DT in Abilene, Texas)
- Gina Neville - Anchor
- Melissa Pace - Anchor & Reporter
- Garrett Sheehan - Reporter
- Brett Newtson - Weekend Sports Anchor
- Lea Doolittle - Reporter
- Barbara Kidd - News Manager
- LaTonya Norton - Weekend Anchor & Reporter (now with WDSU-TV in New Orleans, Louisiana)
- Clay Miller - Weekend Sports Anchor & Reporter (now with WBBH-TV in Fort Myers, Florida)
- Joe Norwood - Photographer (now Lauderdale County, Mississippi District 4 Supervisor)
- George McDonald - Reporter & Photographer (now with WAKA-TV in Montgomery, Alabama)
- Jeff Shepard - Weekend Sports Anchor
- Tyler Helms - Weekend Anchor & Reporter
- Stan Torgerson - Reporter (deceased)
- Jim Loznicka - Chief Meteorologist (now chief meteorologist with WPMI-TV in Mobile, Alabama)
- Wes Wyatt - Chief Meteorologist (now with WVUA-TV in Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
- Jason Simpson - Chief Meteorologist (now morning meteorologist with ABC 33/40 in Birmingham, Alabama)
- Aisha Greer (Tyler)- Reporter (now anchor with WTGS-TV in Savannah, Georgia)
- Jamie Triplett - Weekend Sports Anchor & Reporter
- Leah Garey - Reporter
[edit] External links
- WTOK-TV "ABC 11"
- WTOK wireless
- WTOK-DT2 "Fox Meridian"
- WTOK-DT3 "Meridian's CW"
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WTOK
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WTOK-TV
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