WAPT (TV)
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| WAPT | |
|---|---|
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| Jackson, Mississippi | |
| Branding | 16 WAPT News |
| Slogan | Building Our Station Around You |
| Channels | Analog: 16 (UHF) |
| Affiliations | ABC |
| Owner | Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc. (WAPT Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc.) |
| First air date | October 3, 1970 |
| Call letters’ meaning | American Public Television (reference to American Public Life Insurance Company) |
| Transmitter Power | 4790 kW (analog) 1000 kW (digital) |
| Height | 359.1 m (analog) 332 m (digital) |
| Facility ID | 49712 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | |
| Website | www.wapt.com |
WAPT (analog channel 16; digital channel 21) is Jackson, Mississippi's longtime ABC affiliate.
Contents |
[edit] History
The station began broadcasting on Saturday, October 3, 1970 with, appropriately enough, ABC's coverage of an Ole Miss football game; newscasts debuted in 1971. Prior to its debut, Jackson was one of the largest, if not the largest, markets in the U.S. to have only two television stations (WLBT and WJTV). It is likely (although no direct evidence exists) that the FCC delayed granting licenses to any potential broadcasters in central Mississippi until WLBT, which had a long history of discrimination against African-Americans in news coverage and advocacy against Civil Rights, either changed its ways or lost its license. The latter happened in 1969, and the following year saw this station and Mississippi Educational Television (now Mississippi Public Broadcasting) debut, doubling viewing choices for central Mississippians within a year's time.
When Argyle Television restructured in the wake of its deal to sell its pre-1995 stations to New World Communications, it acquired the Northstar Television Group (which included WAPT and then-sister stations WZZM-TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan and WNAC-TV in Providence, Rhode Island). In August 1997, Argyle merged with the Hearst Corporation's broadcasting unit to form Hearst-Argyle Television.
In the 1990s, WAPT became one of many ABC affiliates (mostly in rural and Southern markets like Jackson) to ban Steven Bochco's controversial crime drama NYPD Blue. However, in January 1995, some sixteen months after its premiere, the station lifted its ban on the show.
In 2004, all of Hearst-Argyle's ABC affiliates, including WAPT, preempted the network's airing of Saving Private Ryan.
In 2005, WAPT was the victim of a prank by Sacha Baron Cohen for the mockumentary, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.[1]
In 2008, WAPT announced that it would begin a noon newscast, becoming the third noon newscast in Jackson.[2] WAPT also broadcasts their radar live on a digital subchannel.
[edit] News Staff
[edit] Current Personalities
Anchors
- Joyce Brewer - 5, 6 and 10 pm weekdays
- Desare Frazier - Weekend news anchor
- Brad McMullen - weekday mornings and 5pm; also does the "Pothole Patrol" report
- Scott Simmons - 6 and 10 pm weekdays
- Don Champion- Anchor/Reporter (Can also do weather)
- Sharita Erves- weekday morning anchor
Meteorologists
- Jennifer Cook - weekends
- David Hartman - chief meteorologist; weekday evenings
- Ethan Huston - weekday mornings
Sports
- Brittany Diehl - weekend sports anchor
- Christian Steckel- sports director; weekday evenings anchor
Reporters
- Greg Flynn
- Chantee Lans - also a producer
- Joseph Pleasant
- Megan West
[edit] Past Personalities
- Kevin Robinson - now a meteorologist for The Weather Channel
- Tom Burse - Chief Meteorologist
- Meg Ryan
- Stephanie Doss
- Adrienne Stein
- Katina Rankin
- Tony Bahou
- Andrea Molloy
- Cal Adams
- Cynthia Bowers-now at CBS News
- Stephanie Bell Flynt- now at WLBT
- Jamie Triplet
- Gene Edwards
- Whitney Vann
- Rick Whitlow - was at WJTV, but fired.
- Melissa Tamplin
- Tom Russo
- Brett Bullers
- Ken Johnson
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WAPT
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WAPT-TV
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