WBNS-TV

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WBNS-TV
Image:Wbns2007.jpg
Columbus, Ohio
Branding 10TV
Slogan Central Ohio's News Leader
Channels Analog: 10 (VHF)

Digital: 21 (UHF)

Affiliations CBS
Owner Dispatch Broadcast Group
(WBNS-TV, Inc.)
First air date October 5, 1949
Call letters’ meaning Wolfe
Bank
Newspaper and
Shoes
Sister station(s) WBNS (AM), WBNS-FM
Transmitter Power 316 kW (analog)
1000 kW (digital)
Height 271 m (analog)
279 m (digital)
Facility ID 71217
Transmitter Coordinates 39°58′15.5″N, 83°1′39.2″W
Website www.10tv.com

WBNS-TV ("10TV") is the CBS television affiliate for Columbus and central Ohio. It broadcasts its analog signal on VHF channel 10, and its digital signal on UHF channel 21. It is owned by the Dispatch Broadcast Group, a subsidiary of the Columbus Dispatch. Both are owned by the Wolfe family.

WBNS-TV currently broadcasts in stereo and uses its SAP channel for a variety of purposes, including simulcasts of "1460 The Fan (WBNS-AM)" and simulcasts of NOAA weather radio. Its transmitter and studios are located in Columbus, just west of downtown. The Dispatch Broadcast Group broadcasting operations also include WTHR, the NBC affiliate in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Contents

[edit] History

WBNS-TV began operations on October 5, 1949. The call letters WBNS stand for Wolfe Bank, Newspaper, and Shoes. The station has always been a CBS affiliate, and is currently the longest-tenured affiliate of that network.

WBNS was known to produce such children's programming as Flippo the Clown, Romper Room, Luci's Toyshop, and programs hosted by popular Columbus Zoo personality Jack Hanna. The station also featured "Fritz the Nite Owl," who hosted midnight movies during the 1970s and Sunday state government talk called Capital Square in the 1990s. Throughout much of the 1990s and early years of the millennium WBNS-TV was home to the 10TV Kids News Network (KNN); a local show, "Produced by kids, for kids." The half-hour show aired Saturday mornings. Several KNN kids have gone on to pursue careers in television news and/or public relations, right here in Central Ohio.

WBNS was the first television station in the Columbus market to debut a news helicopter, "10TV SkyCam" (now "Chopper 10") in 1979, satellite news truck "10TV Skybeam" in 1986, and launch the Ohio News Network in 1997, which shares studio and office space with WBNS. It has been the TV home of Wheel of Fortune since 1983 and Jeopardy! since 1984.

The station has been a consistent ratings leader in programming and news ever since its inception. In fact, a popular phrase in Columbus was "4 and 6 do not equal 10", referring to WBNS and its rivals, WCMH-TV (channel 4) and WSYX (channel 6). The only significant exception is from 1985 to 1992 when WCMH featured the popular anchor team (and then-married couple) of Doug Adair and Mona Scott. In the mid-2000's, WBNS and WCMH bounced back and forth in the news ratings at 11 PM, but WBNS has consecutively placed first over the past year.

The first live high-definition broadcast on the station's digital signal, WBNS-DT, took place in September 1998 in which the broadcast was a football game between Ohio State and West Virginia, making the station a pioneer in American digital television. The station claims this to have been the first locally produced HD broadcast in the US, however as several other stations throughout the country also lay claim to this distinction, the veracity cannot be verified.

WBNS aired Ohio State Men's Basketball when ESPN and other national networks are not showing the team on national TV, through a regional service known as "ESPN Plus". During times when WBNS preempted primetime network programming, the station re-aired CBS primetime programming during the late-night hours for people to record if desired. This arrangement ended in 2007 with the announced launch of the Big Ten Network.

During the Super Bowl XLI, 10TV debuted a large marketing campaign to promote the launch of 10TV News in high definition. The song "Carousels (Dreaming of Tomorrow)" by Columbus rock band Alamoth Lane was used throughout the course of the campaign. Some of the band members were shot playing on the roof of WBNS with the Columbus skyline behind them. The song was also used to promote sister station WTHR's 50th Anniversary in 2007.[1]

The station began making preparations for the transition to HD in late March 2007, and debuted its 5pm newscast in high definition on April 2, becoming the first television station in Central Ohio to produce newscasts in HD. The station's newscasts are now known as "10TV News HD", after having been known as "10TV Eyewitness News" for many years; however, not every news broadcast is in HD. As of October 25, 2007, the 10 PM newscast is not broadcast in HD. WBNS' sister station in Indianapolis (WTHR) began broadcasting news in HD on November 15, 2006.

[edit] Current Personalities

WBNS-TV Eyewitness News open, 2004.
WBNS-TV Eyewitness News open, 2004.

[edit] Anchors

[edit] 10TV News HD - Weekdays

  • Andrea Cambern: 10TV News HD at 5, 5:30, 6, 10, & 11 PM (1991-present)
  • Karina Nova: traffic reporter (2006-present)
  • Heather Pick: morning/noon anchor (2002-present)
  • Jerry Revish: 10TV News HD at 5, 6, & 11 PM (1980-present)
  • Chuck Strickler: morning/noon anchor (1994-present)
  • Tracy Townsend: 10TV News HD at 5:30 PM (2006-present)

[edit] 10TV News HD - Weekends

  • Angela An: weekend morning anchor (2000-present)
  • Kurt Ludlow: weekend evening anchor (1986-1999, 2004-present)
  • John Fortney: weekend evening anchor (2005-present)

[edit] Weather

  • Chris Bradley, chief meteorologist seen at 5, 6, 10, and 11 PM (2006-present)
  • Mike Davis, morning/noon meteorologist (1987-present)
  • Brandon Roux, weekend evening meteorologist (2007-present)
  • Carlos Gonzales, weekend morning meteorologist (2007-Present)

[edit] Sports

  • Jeff Hogan: Sports Director, Weeknights (1998-present)
  • Dom Tiberi: Weekends (1981-present)
  • Dan Fronczak: sports reporter (2006-present)

[edit] Reporters

Investigative

  • Paul Aker

Other Reporters

  • Patrick Bell (2002-present)
  • Cara Connelly (2007-present)
  • Andy Hirsch (2007-present)
  • Maureen Kocot (1995-present)
  • Kevin Landers (1999-present)
  • Tanisha Mallett (2006-present)
  • Glenn McEntire (2007-present)
  • Tino Ramos: (1994-present)
  • Lindsay Seavert (2006-present)
  • Tom Walker, Washington, D.C. Correspondent
  • Brittany Westbrook (2007-present)

[edit] Chopper 10

  • Terry Ault: Chopper 10 chief pilot/reporter (1979-present)
  • Greg Casagrande: Chopper 10 line pilot (2001-present)

[edit] Former Personalities

  • Kim Adams, meteorologist (mid-1990's now at WDIV-TV in Detroit,MI)
  • Jeffrey Babcock: reporter (1988-1990); formerly of WABC-TV, Good Morning New York, consumer and finance reporter
  • Cornell Barnard: Reporter, Now at KXTV 10 in Sacramento, Ca
  • James Black: reporter (2005-present)
  • Derrick Blakeley: reporter (1978-1980)Now at WBBM Chicago, IL
  • Barry Brickman: sports anchor (-1987)
  • Roy Briscoe: anchor (1960s)
  • Kevyn Burger: reporter
  • Keith Cate: weekend anchor (1988-1993)now at WFLA-TV in Tampa,FL
  • Laura Cole: reporter (2004-2007) now at KOVR in Sacramento, CA
  • Carol Costello: 6/11pm anchor (1990-1992) Now at CNN
  • Jay Crawford: sports anchor (1993-1998)now at ESPN
  • Christine Dobbyn: reporter(early 2000's) now at KTRK-TV in Houston,TX
  • Jim Donovan: consumer reporter (2000-2003) Now at KYW-TV Philadelphia, PA
  • Charles Ely: anchor reporter (1974-1978) (now with KTUL)
  • Lou Forrest: 6/11pm anchor (1975-1988)
  • Mike Gleason: sports director (-1997)
  • Tom Gleba: anchor (1950s and '60s)
  • Bob Grossi: chief meteorologist (1989-1991)
  • Chuck Gurney: meteorologist (2000-2006)
  • Joe Holbrook: first chief meteorologist (1949-1989 retired)
  • Kelly Hudson: reporter.
  • Dave Kaylor: evening anchor (1980-2005 retired)
  • Officer Mike Kilburn: traffic (1990s-2004)Now at WCMH NBC4 Columbus
  • Lisa Kick: reporter (90's-2006 and moved to Charlotte,NC)
  • Stu Klitenic: sports (1980s)
  • Dave Layman: anchor (1978-1980)
  • Chet Long: evening anchor
  • Theresa Lukenas: evening anchor (1986-1988)
  • Carol Luper: reporter (1978-1989) Now with WSYX-TV
  • Caroline Lyders: reporter
  • Laura Main: anchor (1998-2005) now at KWGN-TV in Denver
  • Dave Malkoff: Overnight Update Anchor / Associate Producer (now at KCBS-TV)
  • Jennifer Mandalay: morning anchor (1992-1996)
  • Melissa Marsh: meteorologist (2001-2006)
  • Roger McCoy: anchor
  • Bob McMaster: weather (1949-?)
  • Ryan Miller: sports (-2006)
  • Eve Mueller: reporter (1993-2007)
  • Ron Olsen, reporter (1974-1976, now with KTLA-TV, Los Angeles)
  • Bob Orr: anchor (1978-1985, 1988-1993)now a CBS News correspondent.
  • Penny Moore: lead reporter (1981-1987, 1992-2007)
  • Al Owens: reporter (1976-1978)
  • Angela Pace: 6/11pm anchor (1992-2006 moved up to management with the station)
  • Bill Pepper: anchor
  • Christy Perry: morning/noon anchor (mid '80s)
  • Patrick Preston: reporter
  • Gary Radnich: sports director (1982-1985)
  • Tom Ryan: evening anchor. (-1979)
  • Brandi Sauers: anchor
  • Mona Scott: morning anchor/reporter (1995-1998 lives in Orlanda,FL and runs newsblues.com)
  • Chris Shumway: meteorologist (1996-2000)
  • Tom Sorrells: meteorologist (1991-1996)now main weather forecaster on WKMG-TV in Orlando
  • Terri Sullivan: reporter/weekend anchor (1990-1993) now anchor at WSYX-TV
  • Paula Toti: reporter/weekend anchor, now business reporter weekend anchor at WKRC-TV in Cincinnati
  • Dana Tyler: evening anchor (1981-1990), now noon and 6 pm co-anchor at WCBS-TV in New York City
  • Kim Vaughan: reporter
  • Lee Vlisidies: sports
  • Tom Walker: reporter
  • Janet Watkins: weekend morning weathercaster (1981-2007)

Notable entertainment personalities who have worked for WBNS over the years include

[edit] Slogans

  • "There's a Forrest in Your Future" (1975): promoting the arrival of anchorman Lou Forrest to 10TV.
  • "People You Can Count On!" (1980s)
  • "Your 24 Hour News Source" (1991-2001)
  • "Central Ohio's News Leader" (2003-)

[edit] External links