WDIV-TV

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WDIV-TV
Detroit, Michigan
Branding	Local 4
Slogan	The Power of 4
Channels	Analog: 4 (VHF) Digital: 45 (UHF)
Affiliations	NBC NBC Weather Plus (DT2) .2 Network (Coming Mid-2008)
Owner	Post-Newsweek Stations, Inc. (Post-Newsweek Stations, Michigan, Inc.)
First air date	June 3, 1947[1]
Call letters’ meaning	We're Detroit's IV (4)[2]
Former callsigns	WWJ-TV (1947-1978)
Former affiliations	Secondary: DuMont (1947-1948)
Transmitter Power	100 kW (analog) 973 kW (digital)
Height	306 m (analog) 281 m (digital)
Facility ID	53114
Transmitter Coordinates	42°28′58.5″N, 83°12′18.9″W
Website	www.clickondetroit.com

WDIV ("Local 4") is the NBC television station based in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the only major television station in the area whose offices and studios are located in the city of Detroit. It is owned by Post-Newsweek Stations and is the flagship station and home base of the group with the offices of the group located alongside WDIV's studios; the "Local" branding now utilized by all stations in the group was launched here alongside its acquiring of flagship status.

The station's signal, transmitted from a 1004-foot (306-meter) antenna located on Greenfield Road in Southfield, encompasses the Metro Detroit area and can be picked up as far away as Flint, Lapeer, Adrian, Toledo, and even London, Ontario. WDIV is also one of only three stations that mention Windsor and London as among their primary viewing areas, with the other two being WMYD, and WTVS.

On cable, WDIV can be seen on Comcast Detroit channel 4 and AT&T channel 4(analog), Bright House Livonia channel 4 and Cogeco Windsor channel 5. It also serves several other Canadian cable-TV markets, including Rogers Cable in the city of Ottawa. It is also one of five local Detroit TV stations seen in Canada on the Star Choice satellite provider and was the original affiliate offered by CANCOM (now Shaw Broadcast Services) starting in the mid-1980s. CANCOM's carriage of WDIV stretches outside of Canada with cable carriage in places as varied as far northern New York state (Alexandria Bay NY), all of Bermuda, parts of Latin America and, for a time in the early 1990s, some parts of Ireland (with a delay). ^[3] In addition, WDIV is also carried on some cable systems in Mexico, via Shaw Broadcast Services, such the Cablemas system in Ciudad Juarez, which offers WDIV instead of KTSM-TV, the NBC affiliate in nearby El Paso, Texas.

[edit] History

WDIV was the first television station in Michigan, signing on as WWDT on October 23, 1946, for one day of demonstration programming^[4]. Regular programming commenced on June 3, 1947. On May 15 of that year the station changed its call letters to WWJ-TV after WWJ-AM. Both stations were owned by the Detroit News. Today the WWJ-TV callsign is used by channel 62 in Detroit, not affiliated with WDIV.

Channel 4 has always been an NBC affiliate, although it aired some programs from the DuMont Television Network prior to WJBK's sign-on in 1948.

Channel 4 had a number of broadcasting firsts in Michigan, including the first telecast of Detroit Tigers, Red Wings and Lions games as well as televised newscasts and color television broadcasts.

In 1978, the FCC was considering new regulations which would have imposed limits on ownership of newspaper and television media in the same market. In anticipation of this, the Evening News Association, which owned the Detroit News and WWJ-AM-FM-TV and the Washington Post, who owned WTOP-AM-FM-TV in Washington D.C., reached an agreement to swap television stations, perhaps intending to avoid the confusion which might result upon the announcement of new regulations. On July 27, 1978, WWJ-TV became WDIV-TV. The call letters are derived from "D" for Detroit and "IV" for Roman numeral 4. Additionally, in a series of promotional announcements with news anchor Dwayne X. Riley, the new call letters were said to represent the phrase, "Where Detroit Is Vital."

The "WWJ-TV" callsign was subsequently adopted for use 20 years later by the former "WGPR," now Channel 62, the CBS owned-and-operated station in Detroit. The current WWJ-TV is not related in any way to WDIV or to the old WWJ-TV.

Ultimately, the FCC never imposed any limitations on ownership of television and newspapers in the same market, so the exchange of stations between the Evening News Association and the Washington Post was somewhat unique in television broadcasting. The Evening News was pleased to finally have a voice in the Nation's Capital, while the Washington Post perhaps regretted the loss of its prestigious television signal in Washington. However, operation of WDIV would prove to be very lucrative. The station later became available outside the Detroit market when it was selected for inclusion on many Canadian cable systems in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The station itself has never uplinked its programming to satellite, as Atlanta-based WTBS does.

In the 1970s and 1980s, WDIV preempted one to two hours of NBC's daytime programming everyday. The station also refused to air Late Night with David Letterman and its successor, Late Night with Conan O' Brien at 12:35 a.m. for many years. Instead, the station opted to rebroadcast The Jenny Jones Show, which lasted until 1999.

From 1999 through 2002, WDIV did not clear the soap opera Passions at 2:00 pm. Instead, it was tape-delayed to air on cross-town WADL-TV at noon, while WDIV aired daytime talk shows at 2:00 p.m. Sister station KPRC-TV in Houston did the same thing until August 30, 2004 when it became the last NBC station to carry Passions at 2:00 p.m. These two stations were the only NBC affiliate holdouts to the show.

As NBC decreased programming in its daytime schedule in the 1990s, preemptions on WDIV have become less common. Since the turn of the 21st century, WDIV has been running NBC's entire schedule with some preemptions for live local special programming from local fireworks events to Detroit Pistons basketball.

In 2004, the station bolstered local programming by securing broadcast rights to several Detroit Pistons basketball games, as well as returning as the host TV station for the North American International Auto Show. The station airs the auto show's charity preview, "America's Thanksgiving Parade" (both in high-definition), The Target Fireworks, and the charity event "The Hob-Nobble Gobble" which is held the night before the Thanksgiving parade.

On April 15, 2005, former WDIV employee John Owens was shot in the station's lobby by a man with a history of harassing WDIV employees. The man was charged with attempted murder while Owens remained in the hospital in critical but stable condition. On November 21st, 2006, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge James Callahan sentenced the man, Epifanio Rivas Jr. to 16 to 32 years in prison for the shooting but he also will be serving two years for a felony firearm conviction.

On January 8th, 2007, the station added a 30 minute afternoon newscast, Local 4 News First at 4 with Ruth Spencer as its solo anchor. It is also streamed live on the internet.

On Thursday, April 5, 2007, WDIV progressed further on their conversion to high-definition by unveiling a new high-definition news set, brand new HD graphics created by Renderon Broadcast Design^{[citation needed]}, and a rearrangement of the WDIV theme by Chris Crane.

In the spring of 2007, WDIV received an Edward R. Murrow Award, one of the highest honors in broadcast journalism. "The China Syndrome," reported and produced by Devin Scillian, was named Best Documentary.

On Sunday, August 19th, 2007, the 11pm edition of Local 4 News became the 2nd newscast in Detroit produced in High Definition.

On Friday, January 4th 2008 WDIV vice president and general manager Steve Wasserman announced he will be stepping down January 18. Wasserman will be replaced on a temporary basis by Alan Frank, President of the Detroit headquartered Post-Newsweek Stations Inc. who was WDIV's Vice President and GM [1]

[edit] Canadian Controversies

Though not in its own market, WDIV (plus WJBK and WXYZ) have seen their share of controversy from afar via their carriage to much of Canada (and fringe parts of North America) via CANCOM.

• The presence of Detroit stations on Canadian cable systems was cited in some areas (namely the Prairie Provinces) for an uptick in crime rates in the years after their introduction via the heavy reporting of crime stories on their newscasts. The most extreme of these cases was when community activists in Winnipeg, Manitoba allegedly cited WDIV's newscasts as the potential ignitor of the city's first drive-by shootings.
• In the wake of a Canadian media coverage gag order of the murder trial of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka in 1995, CANCOM was forced to black out WDIV's newscasts on their end with a disclaimer stating "THIS CHANNEL BLACKED OUT DURING THIS TIME DUE TO BROADCAST/PUBLISHING LAW DURING THE BERNARDO/HOLMOKA TRIAL". Though this did its intended purpose in Canada, it angered cable viewers not only in the Detroit market but other Michigan cities as well (which received the signal from CANCOM), as well as other areas of the US and the Caribbean that receive the CANCOM signal. After one week, WDIV management and CANCOM hammered out a deal in which the blackouts would be handled by Canadian cable systems in a manner similar to simsubbing.
• Though totally coincidental, viewers in the Ottawa, Ontario area decried WDIV's replacement of Rochester, New York's WHEC when Rogers Cable switched that area's systems US affiliates from a combination of Rochester and Buffalo to Detroit in 2003.

[edit] Digital channels

[edit] Analog-to-digital conversion

After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009 ^[5], WDIV will remain on its current pre-transition channel number, 45. ^[6] However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display WDIV's virtual channel as 4.

[edit] Local programs and personalities

WDIV was the launching pad for several locally produced shows that went national. The station broadcast the Dr. Sonya Freidman talk show Sonya live at 4 p.m. It was so popular that the station, under the banner of Post-Newsweek Stations, syndicated it on a delayed basis to the USA Network cable network (which is now co-owned with NBC under NBC Universal). WDIV also produced the afternoon variety show The Tony Orlando Show at 4 p.m. However, the station's management pulled the plug after a year for an afternoon talk show named Jenny Jones.

Another shot for WDIV came when the station signed WOMC morning man Dick Purtan to do live segments during a 4-5 comedy block called Purtan's People. It was followed by WOMC's Tom Ryan with a monthly special that showed B-Movies with comedy skits. This was during the heyday of NBC's late night success SCTV and Joe Flaherty's Count Floyd. Ryan's character was known as Count Scary. Eventually, Count Scary was dropped by WDIV and moved on to WKBD-TV's Shocktoberfest. One local program idea that almost cost the station was for a Detroit-based comedy/drama called Hamtramck, which aired only once. It created a storm of controversy as ethnic groups said the show was racist. The backlash caused then-WDIV general manager Amy McCombs to resign.

Meteorologist Chuck Gaidica hosted the Michigan Lottery's game shows and his own show. Sports Director Bernie Smilovitz also hosted a couple of shows, including The Chuck and Bernie Show, which featured then Detroit Pistons coach Chuck Daly, and The Sparky and Bernie Show, which featured Detroit Tigers manager Sparky Anderson. Smilovitz also hosted Bernie's Bloopers/Weekend At Bernies specials.

In recent years, WDIV news has become what may be termed sensationalistic, featuring reports by the Rescue 4 Undercover team. These reports often deal with sexual topics or issues of personal safety (Is Your Favorite Movie Theater Safe?), but scored high ratings and viewer comments for their breaking news coverage of the Tara Grant disappearance that became a murder case with the arrest of her husband, Stephen.

[edit] Current Personalities and Local 4 News Broadcasts assignments

News Anchors

• Rachel Bianco - Local 4 News Morning Weekend
• Kori Chambers - Local 4 News at Noon; Local 4 News Morning Weekdays; Reporter (rumored to be leaving for Chicago)
• Ama Daetz - Local 4 News at 6 & 11 Weekends, General Assignment Reporter
• Karen Drew - Local 4 News at Noon, First at 4 fill in, and fill in for Carmen and Ruth, also Investigative Reporter, and Fill in Weeknight Anchor
• Steve Garagiola - Weekend Evenings, also fill in sports anchor; "Vote 4 The Best!"
• Guy Gordon - Co-Anchor of Local 4 News Morning, Local 4 News at Noon; Local 4 News at 5PM, 6PM, & 11PM Fill/In; "Auto Insight"
• Carmen Harlan - 5:30, 6:00 and 11 p.m. Weeknights; Covers Big Events (ex. America's Thanksgiving Parade)
• Devin Scillian- 5pm,5:30, 6:00 and 11 p.m. Weeknights; Covers Big Events (ex. America's Thanksgiving Parade)
• Ruth Spencer - 4 and 5 p.m. Weeknights, also Consumer Reporter
• Rhonda Walker - Co-Anchor of Local 4 News Morning; Fill in at Noon or First at 4.

Rescue 4 Undercover Investigative Team

• Kevin Dietz
• Karen Drew
• Jim Kiertzner
• Marc Santia (Neighborhood Crime Alerts)

Traffic

• Gail Anderson - Local 4 News Morning Weekend; Fill/In
• Alycia Zee - 5 p.m. Weeknights
• "Metro Joe" Joe Adams - Sky 4 Reporter for Local 4 News Morning
• Ross Marrosso - Sky 4 Reporter for Local 4 News at 4, 5, and 6.
• Tom Sherony - Sky 4 Pilot
• Sky 4 - 1975 Bell JetRanger
• Lauren Podell -Local 4 Morning Traffic
• Heather Zara - 4pm and 5pm Traffic

Reporters

• Rachel Bianco
• Derricke Dennis
• Art Edwards - Seen on Local 4 News Morning (rumored to be leaving for Portland, OR)
• Silva Harapetian
• Jon Jordan - Fashion Reporter
• Mara MacDonald
• Ross Marroso - Sky 4
• Rod Meloni - Financial Reporter
• Paula Tutman - LOCAL4 NEWS Morning reporter; Founder of "Detroit's Make A Wish Fondation."
• Roger Weber
• Hank Winchester (rumored to be leaving for Los Angeles)
• Dr Frank McGeorge - Local 4 Doctor
• Sean Mehan - Morning Cam (Shown on Morning Powercast Weekdays)
• Tim Pamplin - Night Cam

School Authority(Coming In Early 2008)

• Steve Garagiola
• Ama Daetz

Local4Casters Weather Team

• Kim Adams - Weekdays, 4pm weather anchor
• Chuck Gaidica - "Director of Meteorology", Weeknights
• Andrew Humphrey - Weekends/Fill-In (AMS-CBM)
• Paul Gross - Fill-In/Weather Producer
• Eric Braate - Started mid-May as Local4 News Morning Meteorologist (from KPRC Channel 2, Houston's NBC affiliate)

Sports

• Katrina Hancock - Weekends
• Bernie Smilovitz- Weekdays

[edit] Current Local 4 News Segments

• Ruth To The Rescue
• Auto Insight
• New 4 Women
• Auto Show Coverage
• Rescue 4: Undercover
• Neighborhood Crime Alerts
• Bernie's Video Arcade/Classic Video Arcade
• Weekend At Bernie's
• Celebrity Apprentince (By Bernie)
• Kim's Quiz
• School Authority
• Ask Andrew
• 4 The Best
• I Am Detroit
• High School Sports (Fall: Friday Football Frenzy) (Winter: Local 4's Hoop Stars)
• 4 Your Health

[edit] Former news staffers at WDIV & WWJ (pre-1978)

• Al Ackerman - Sports anchor (1970s and 1980s), left for WXYZ-TV
• Bob Allison - Ask Your Neighbor host, did TV news features, hosted long running "Bowling For Dollars"
• Tom Becherer - News director (1974-1977)
• Bob Bennett - Long-time general assignment reporter (1968-2000) (drowned in 2004)
• Jerry Blocker - Education reporter and later the first African-American anchor in Detroit (1960s and 1970s)
• Jim Brandstatter - Sports producer and reporter (1970s)
• Betty Carrier - 1970s reporter and anchor
• James F. Clark - 1960s news director
• Mort Crim-heads his own production company and is pitchman for "Majic Window"
• Carol Duvall - 1960s-1970s TV personality and noon anchor. Left for HGTV now retired
• Sonny Eliot - TV weathercaster and WWII POW. Still on air in 2008 on WWJ (AM); on WDIV in the 1970s, he had a way of using portmanteaus to describe the weather, e.g. "fair" and "cool" became "feh-ool, and there's no feh-ool like an old feh-ool"
• Bill Fyfe - 1960s 6 p.m. news anchor, left to become WXYZ-TV news director and KABC-TV news director. Selected the now-famous "Eyewitness News" theme from movie "Cool Hand Luke"
• Bob Giles - Station's first news producer
• Louise Lind Giles - Detroit's first female news producer
• Chris Hansen- Dateline NBC correspondent
• Fran Harris - Early TV host and news personality (1950-1960s)
• John Hogan - Anchor in the 1970s
• Tom Hoyt - News writer, now Ford Motor Company executive
• John Hultman - left to anchor at WBBM-AM Chicago
• Dave Kelley - News director (1970s)
• Don Kremer - Sportscaster (1960-1976), left for PR Director (Detroit Lions)
• Charlie Lord - TV reporter in the 1960s, left TV for antiques
• Gen. S.L.A. Marshall - Military analyist during the Vietnam War era
• John Matthews - 1970s reporter
• Lou Prato - News director (1970s)
• George Pruette - 1970s labor reporter and 11 p.m. news anchor
• Dwayne X. Riley - Labor and feature reporter, former anchor in the 1970s
• Ted Russell - Anchor in the 1970s
• Wes Sargenson - Replaced by Mort Crim. Now at WXIA-TV Atlanta
• John Spears - early TV automotive reporter (1960s - 1970s)
• Milt Weiss - News director (1970s)
• Dick Westerkamp - 1960s news anchor

[edit] Former news staffers at WDIV-TV (1978 and beyond)

• Kathy Adams - anchor/reporter (1990-1997)
• Asha Blake - weekend anchor/health reporter (1993-1996, went to NBC News, and was at KWGN-TV in Denver)
• Robert Batot - meteorologist (1998-1999)
• John Boruk - weekend sports anchor from (2005-2006; now at Philadelphia's Comcast SportsNet)
• Doug Bruckner - reporter (now at Extra)
• Mort Crim - News Anchor/Radio Reporter (1978-1997, now runs Mort Crim Communications and at Majic Windows)
• Vince DeMentri - reporter (1993-1994, now at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia)
• Rick Edlund - weekend anchor (1998-2000), now at KDFW
• Dennis Edwards - reporter (early 1990s, now at WJZ-TV in Baltimore)
• Doug Evans - reporter (1993-1998)
• Tony Fama - investigative reporter (1994-1998)
• Ben Frazier - anchor/reporter (1980-1983)
• Shon Gables - morning anchor (2000-2003, left WCBS-TV in New York in April 2006)
• Rick & Vicki Griffin husband-and-wife meteorologists (1984-1989, Cuddle-Alert baby boy, Steven Griffin, born 1987)
• Chris Hansen - investigative reporter/anchor (1988-1993, now at NBC News)
• Laurel Hess - reporter (1996-1999)
• Fred Heumann - sports anchor/reporter (1994-2003, now at WLNS-TV in Lansing, MI)
• Fred Hickman - sports anchor/reporter (1980's, now seen on ESPN's SportsCenter)
• Doug Hill - meteorologist (1980-1982, now at WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C.)
• Jason Hill - reporter (now at KVUE-TV in Austin, TX)
• Andrea Joyce - sports reporter (1983-1985)
• Emery King - Anchor/Chief Political Reporter (1986-2005, now with Detroit Medical Center)
• Kristi Krueger - health reporter/anchor (1990-1993, now at WPLG-TV in Miami)
• Lila Orbach-Lazarus - "Good Health" correspondent/anchor (1997-2005, now at WJBK-TV)
• Marcella Lee - reporter (1999-2004, now at KFMB-TV in San Diego)
• Jac LeGoff - anchor/commentator (1985-1988)
• Mike Lewis - police reporter (1982-2004, now journalism director at Oakland University in Rochester, MI)
• Mike Lyons - meteorologist (1988-1991)Now at WPBF-TV
• Davey Marlin-Jones - film critic (1978-1987), also worked at WUSA-TV in Washington, DC.
• Rich Mayk
• Beth McLeod - traffic reporter (2004-2008); lottery and special assignment reporter (1997-2007)
• Fred McLeod - weekend sports anchor /host of "Sports Final Edition" on Sunday nights (1989-2006; currently the TV play-by-play voice of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers)
• Jennifer Moore - anchor/business reporter (1981-1992)
• Dan Mountney - former 11 p.m. anchor (1978-1999)
• Vickie Newton - morning anchor/reporter (1997-2000, now at KMOV-TV in St. Louis)
• Bob Pisor - noon anchor (1980s-1991)
• Margie Reedy - anchor/reporter (1984-1990) Last at NECN
• Mal Sillars - longtime meteorologist
• Robbin Simmons-5pm Anchor and General Assignment Reporter (went back to WSVN Miami as Weekend Anchor /General Assignment Reporter)
• Darrielle Snipes - reporter (2001-2004, now at KOCO-TV
• Tom Sorrells - meteorologist (1995-2000, now at WKMG-TV in Orlando)
• George Siegal - meteorologist (1995-2001)
• Brian Teigland - meteorolgist (1984-1987, now at WPTY-TV in Memphis, also co-host "Memphis Wrestling" on WLMT)
• Anne Thompson - reporter (1986-1997, now at NBC News)
• Jeff Vaughn - morning anchor/reporter (1999-2007; now at KSHB-TV in Kansas City)
• Scott Wahle - sports anchor/reporter (1987-1989, now at WBZ-TV in Boston, also lead anchor of WBZ produced 9PM news on sister station WSBK)
• Suzanne Wangler - Chopper 4 reporter (1995-2000), later News Director/producer/Anchor at WLAJ ABC3/CW5 Lansing (as Suzanne Page); found dead February 23, 2008. She hanged herself in her Royal Oak home following an embezzlement accusation that lead to her arrest^[7]
• Jill Washburn - traffic reporter (1997-2004)
• Tracy Gary - traffic reporter (2003-2004, now at WNIC-FM in Detroit Area, weekend weather anchor at WKBD TV)
• Dell Warner - Seniors reporter
• Mike Wendland - investigative/technology reporter (1980-1998, now at the Detroit Free Press)
• Nerissa Williams - anchor/reporter (1980-1985)
• Eric Wilson- Now at WKMG TV Orlando, Florida's CBS Affiliate
• Michael Ann Wolf - weekend anchor/reporter (1995-2006)
• Reynolds Wolf - meteorologist (1999-2002, now at CNN)
• Van Earl Wright - sports anchor (1993-1996, now lead announcer of NBC's American Gladiators)
• Eli Zaret - sports anchor (1981-1986)
• M.L. Elrick - investigative reporter (2006-2007) (Leaving for Detroit Free Press)

[edit] Coverage

WDIV is carried on most cable systems in Southeast Michigan, Southwestern Ontario, and Northwestern Ohio. It is seen on the following systems:

Coverage on cable systems outside the Detroit / Windsor market may be subject to syndex and network blackouts in the United States, and simsubbing in Canada. WDIV-TV is not available in Lansing (Comcast), Erie County, Ohio (Buckeye), Bowling Green, or Findlay (Time Warner Cable).

[edit] News/Station Presentation

[edit] Newscast Titles

• Detroit Newsreel (1950s-1963)
• The Six O'Clock Report/The Eleven O'Clock Report (1963-1967)
• Eyewitness News (1967-1974)
• News 4 (1974-1994)
• WDIV News/NewsBeat/NightBeat (1994-2000)
• Local First News (2000-2005)
• Local 4 News (2005-present)

[edit] Station Slogans

• 1978-1980: We're 4 Detroit
• 1980-1988; 1994-2000: Go 4 It!
• 1988-1990: Come Home to the Best, Only On Channel 4 (localized version of NBC ad campaign)
• 1990-1991: WDIV, The Place to Be (localized version of NBC ad campaign)
• 2000-2006: Where Local News Comes First
• 2006-Present: The Power of 4

• Local 4 Local First Always

Local 4 News Morning: Worth Waking Up 4 Local 4 News at 11: We're Staying Up 4

[edit] Station Logos

WDIV logo used from 1978 to 1980, with the NAB's Seal of Good Practice.	WDIV's logo from 1980-2000. Several variations were used in between, including the line 4 sometimes being featured with NBC's Proud N logo [The 'N' merged with the 11 feathered peacock) from 1980-1984 for general programming purposes, and a Go 4 It logo, which was often shown in promos and general programming from 1980-1988, and from 1994-2000. The 1990s Go 4 it logo also featured the current NBC logo, from 1996-2000.	WDIV's "Go 4 It!" slogan, from June 13, 1987's issue of TV Guide	WDIV's logo from 1998.
Local 4 logo used from 2000-2002. This is the last logo to feature the "line 4".	The current 'Local 4' logo, used since September 2002. The station got rid of the old line 4 and updated its 4 logo with a more generic look.	The current alternate 'Local 4' logo, without the NBC logo within.

[edit] External links

• WDIV's website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WDIV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WDIV-TV

[edit] References