WFMJ-TV
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| WFMJ-TV | |
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| Youngstown, Ohio | |
| Branding | 21 WFMJ |
| Slogan | More Local News |
| Channels | Analog: 21 (UHF) |
| Affiliations | NBC The CW (DT2) |
| Owner | Vindicator Printing Company (WFMJ Television, Inc.) |
| First air date | March 8, 1953 |
| Call letters’ meaning | William F. Maag, Jr. (founder) |
| Former channel number(s) | 73 (1953-1954) |
| Transmitter Power | 3720 kW (analog) 460 kW (digital) |
| Height | 302 m (analog) 295 m (digital) |
| Facility ID | 72062 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | |
| Website | www.wfmj.com |
WFMJ-TV, channel 21, is the NBC affiliate in Youngstown, Ohio. The station was founded on channel 73 on March 8, 1953 by the Maag family, owners of The Youngstown Vindicator and WFMJ radio (now WNIO-AM and WQXK-FM). The Maags then purchased the construction permit issued for channel 21 (originally granted to WUTV), and moved to that frequency on August 7, 1954.
Channel 21's studios are located on West Boardman Street in downtown Youngstown; its transmitter is located on Mabel Street in Youngstown. WFMJ-TV's signal can be picked up as far away as suburban Pittsburgh; it serves extreme eastern Ohio and extreme western Pennsylvania.
WFMJ is the only locally owned and operated station in the market, and, in fact, one of the few stations left in the country that is still locally owned and operated. The station points it out very often in advertisements, as the "Only Locally-Owned Station in Youngstown", compared with rivals WKBN-TV (owned by New Vision Television, which also owns low-power Fox affiliate WYFX) and WYTV (owned by Parkin Broadcasting, which also owns the My Network TV digital subchannel My YTV). As a result, WFMJ has been a strong ratings force in Youngstown for several years with first place ratings in its morning, 6 and 11pm newscasts.
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[edit] Trivia
WFMJ's call letters are the initials of one of the founding members of the Maag family, William F. Maag, Jr.
[edit] Sports programs
WFMJ founded the market's first expanded Friday Night high school football coverage with The Overtime Report. WFMJ is also the only local station broadcasting "LIVE" Youngstown State University away football games along with the Penguin Gameday and YSU coaches show for both football and basketball. WFMJ air local sports coverage in its morning, 6 and 11pm newscasts Monday through Sundays. WFMJ also airs NBC sports including NBC'S Sunday Night Football.
[edit] On-Air Staff Changes
Autumn Ziemba, co-anchor of WFMJ's 6 and 11 p.m. news broadcasts left WFMJ in June 2007 after her contract ended. She stated that she made the decision in order to pursue other interests and spend more time with her family. On her last night as co-anchor, an announcement was made of her plans; however, viewers were unable to hear the announcement, due to inclement weather that caused the loss of programming. Ziemba recently got married and is now a reporter for WEWS in Cleveland. She was replaced by Cindy Matthews in January 2008.
Frank Marzullo, morning weather forecaster of WFMJ's popular morning show WFMJ Today, announced on August 13, 2007 that he will be leaving the station after almost seven years. This will break up the Youngstown market's longest-running news team, consisting of Scott Schneider, Laurie Lehosky, and Marzullo. Marzullo left in August 2007 to assume a new position on the FOX19 Morning News, as weekday morning meteorologist at WXIX-19 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Mark Monstrolla, who was brought in while Marzullo was away, is now the morning meteorologist.
On Friday, May 9, 2008 Laurie Lehosky announced that she would be leaving WFMJ on May 23, 2008. Laurie stated on the regular morning broadcast that she is leaving to follow her husband's new job in Phoenix. Longtime health reporter Susan Deleo is also leaving the station in two weeks for a job in medical sales.
This means that in less than one year the longest running anchor team at the time, in the city of Youngstown, who had been together alomost 8 years, lost two main stays of its popular morning show. Scott Schneider who started the program in its early years in the mid to late 90's is the only one who remains on the dominant morning program.
[edit] On Air Schedule
WFMJ Today: weekdays 5 to 7 a.m. 21 News Midday Report: weekdays at Noon 21 News 6pm: seven days a week 21 News 11pm: seven days a week
[edit] Other stations
WFMJ also owns Youngstown's CW affiliate, WBCB. It operates WBCB as one of its digital subchannels and is available on all area cable systems on an analog basis including channel #16 on Armstrong and channel #14 on Time Warner. WBCB launched in November of 2004 as the market's first WB affiliate and was chosen by the new CW Network to serve the Youngstown DMA as its affiliate. The station carries a full 24/7 program schedule including Seinfeld, Friends and Frasier.
[edit] External links
- WFMJ-TV
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WFMJ
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WFMJ-TV
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