WDEF-TV
Chattanooga, Tennessee | |
---|---|
Branding | WDEF News 12 |
Slogan | Local, Quick and to the Point |
Channels | Digital: 12 (VHF) |
Subchannels |
12.1 CBS 12.2 Bounce TV |
Owner |
Morris Multimedia, Inc. (WDEF-TV, Inc.) |
First air date | April 25, 1954 |
Former channel number(s) |
Analog: 12 (1954-2009) Digital: 47 (2004-2009) |
Former affiliations |
All secondary: DuMont (1954–1955) NBC (1954-1956) ABC (1954-1958) UPN (2004-2006) Tuff TV (ON DT 2) 2009-2011 |
Transmitter power | 26 kW |
Height | 384 m |
Facility ID | 54385 |
Transmitter coordinates | 35°8′6″N 85°19′25″W / 35.13500°N 85.32361°W |
Website | www.wdef.com |
WDEF–TV, channel 12, is the CBS affiliate television station for Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley. The station, whose call letters came from its former AM and FM sister stations, is owned by Morris Multimedia. Its transmitter is located in Signal Mountain, Tennessee. On cable, WDEF-TV is carried on Comcast channel 13. Syndicated programming on WDEF includes: Judge Judy, Dr. Phil, The Insider, and The Andy Griffith Show.
Digital television
Channel | Video | Aspect | Programming |
---|---|---|---|
12.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | Main WDEF-TV programming / CBS |
12.2 | 480i | 4:3 | Bounce TV |
WDEF's broadcasts have been digital-only since February 17, 2009.[1][2][3]
History
The station signed on the air on April 25, 1954, carrying programming from all four networks, though it has always been a primary CBS affiliate. It was owned by Joe Engel, who owned the Chattanooga Lookouts baseball team as well as WDEF radio (AM 1370 and FM 92.3). It took the CBS affiliation from WROM-TV (now WTVC, (channel 9). It lost NBC to WRGP-TV (now WRCB-TV) in 1956, and lost ABC to WTVC (the former WROM) in 1958. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.[4]
For many years, WDEF was owned by Park Communications, which was bought by Media General in 1997. In 2006, Media General sold the station to Morris Multimedia.[5]
Programming
In its early years, WDEF was locally oriented, offering a mix of children's shows, talk and variety programs, including Point Of View, one of the longest–running local public–affairs programs in the United States.[6]
WDEF has been the local home of Tennessee Titans (based in Nashville) games since 1998 (when the team was still called the Oilers). This comes with its CBS affiliation, as CBS carries all National Football League games played in the afternoon that feature a road team from the American Football Conference, which the Titans play in.
News operation
Luther Masingill is the station's best–known personality. He was discovered by Engel in 1940 and has been a fixture in Chattanooga broadcasting ever since. While hosting the morning show on WDEF-FM (as he has since 1941), he hosts the "Community Calendar" segment on WDEF–TV's morning newscast; he also advertises lost pets on channel 12's noon newscast.
Mort Lloyd was the station's top anchor from the station's inception in 1954 until 1958, when he moved to rival NBC affiliate WRGP-TV. He returned to the anchor chair at channel 12 from 1970 until he stepped down to run for Congress in 1974. He won the Democratic nomination, but died in a plane crash while en route to a victory celebration. His widow, Marilyn Lloyd, replaced him on the ballot and won in November, serving twenty years until 1995.
On April 4, 2009 beginning with the station's 11 p.m. newscast, WDEF-TV became the first station in the Chattanooga market to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition.
News/station presentation
Newscast titles
- Chattanooga Newsreel (1950s)
- The Tri-State Report (1969-1985)
- NewsCenter 12 (1985-1992)
- (WDEF) News 12 (1992–present)[7]
Station slogans
- "New Tall Tower, More Picture Power" (1960s)
- "Chattanooga's News Source" (1980s)
- "People You Can Count On" (1995-1997)
- "When Local News Comes First" (1997-2002)
- "Local, Quick and to the Point" (2002–present)
On-air staff
Current on-air staff[8]
Anchors
- Alisha Searl - weekdays at noon; also reporter
- Dreanne Newton - weekday mornings; also reporter
- Joe Legge - weekday mornings; also reporter
- John Mercer - weeknights at 6, 7 and 11 p.m.; also reporter
- Amy Katcher - weeknights at 6, 7 and 11 p.m.
- Erik Avanier - weekends at 11 p.m.; also reporter
Storm Team 12
- Patrick Core (AMS Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 6, 7 and 11 p.m.
- Chip Chapman - weather anchor; weekday mornings and weekdays at noon
- Megan Wise - meteorologist; weekends at 11 p.m.
Sports team
- Rick Nyman - sports director; weeknights at 6, 7 and 11 p.m.
- Webb Wright - sports anchor; weekends at 11 p.m., also sports reporter
Reporters
- Luther Masingill - "Community Calendar" feature reporter
- Bill Mitchell - general assignment reporter
- Mandy Odom - general assignment reporter
- Caitlyn Jones - general assignment reporter
- James P Mahon - general assignment reporter
References
- ↑ http://wdef.com/news/pick_a_date_congress_sends_mixed_message_to_tv_stations_viewers/02/2009
- ↑ "List of TV stations to end analog on Tuesday" From Google (February 13, 2009)
- ↑ WDEF News 12 Goes All Digital: See What You Missed Overnight, Joe Legge, WDEF-TV, February 18, 2009
- ↑ "Require Prime Evening Time for NTA Films". Boxoffice: 13. November 10, 1956.
- ↑ "Media General Completes Sale of WDEF-TV in Chattanooga to Morris Multimedia". Media General. October 13, 2006. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
- ↑ "About Us". WDEF. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
- ↑ WDEF News at Noon open
- ↑ Meet the News Team
External links
- WDEF.com
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WDEF
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WDEF-TV
- Location of WDEF studios on Wikimapia
- Huntsville Rewound-Huntsville AL TV Memories
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