WTIC-TV

For the television station in Hartford known as WTIC-TV from 1957 to 1974, see WFSB.

WTIC-TV

Hartford / New Haven, Connecticut
Branding	FOX CT (general) FOX CT News (newscasts) (spoken as "FOX Connecticut")
Slogan	So FOX CT (general) Right Team. All the Time. (newscasts)
Channels	Digital: 31 (UHF) Virtual: 61 (PSIP)
Subchannels	61.1 Fox 61.2 Antenna TV
Owner	Tribune Company (Tribune Television Company)
First air date	September 17, 1984
Call letters' meaning	Travelers Insurance Company (original owner of WTIC radio)
Sister station(s)	WCCT-TV
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 61 (UHF, 1984-2009)
Former affiliations	Independent (1984-1986)
Transmitter power	380 kW
Height	506 m
Facility ID	147
Transmitter coordinates	41°42′13.1″N 72°49′54″W / 41.703639°N 72.83167°W / 41.703639; -72.83167
Website	ctnow.com

WTIC-TV, channel 61, is a television station in Hartford, Connecticut. Owned by the Tribune Company, WTIC-TV is a charter affiliate of the Fox Broadcasting Company. The station broadcasts from the Hartford Courant building in Hartford, and its transmitter is located on Rattlesnake Mountain in Farmington, Connecticut.

WTIC-TV is one of three media properties in Connecticut owned by Tribune; the others are The CW Television Network affiliate WCCT-TV (channel 20), and the Hartford Courant. This television station was once co-owned with Hartford's WTIC radio and WTIC-FM, which are now properties of CBS Radio.

Digital programming

Channel	Video	Aspect	Programming
61.1	1080i	16:9	Main WTIC-TV programming / FOX
61.2	480i	4:3	Antenna TV

On January 1, 2011, WTIC began carrying Antenna TV, a digital broadcast network owned by WTIC parent Tribune Broadcasting that features classic television series from the 1950s to 1990s and feature films from the libraries of Sony Pictures Entertainment and DLT Entertainment, on digital subchannel 61.2.

History

A group led by Arnold Chase (Arch Communications Corp.) won a construction permit for channel 61 in September 1983. Chase originally planned to call his new station WETG-TV, in memory of Ella T. Grasso (the first woman in Connecticut to be elected governor) who died in 1981. After permission was granted by Chase Broadcasting (owned by other Chase family members), owner of WTIC radio (1080 AM and 96.5 FM) to allow Arch to use the historic WTIC-TV call-sign, a waiver was granted by the FCC in early 1984. This call sign had last been used by what is now WFSB from 1957 to 1974. In memory of Grasso, WTIC showed clips of Grasso at work at sign off while church bells played the Star Spangled Banner. A graphic at the end mentioned that the station was dedicated in Grasso's memory. Grasso's son was part of Chase's group.

WTIC-TV began operation on September 17, 1984. Originally, it was a general entertainment independent station running cartoons, sitcoms, old movies, CBS shows pre-empted by WFSB, ABC shows pre-empted by WTNH, drama shows, and sports in competition with WCCT's predecessor, WTXX. In 1985-1986, the station invested in stronger programming and managed to become a charter Fox affiliate on October 6, 1986. However, by 1987, Arch encountered financial problems and WTIC nearly filed for bankruptcy. Many syndicators went unpaid and responded by pulling their programming from channel 61. Extensive litigation followed as the contracts that were standard in the industry at that time stated that if a single payment was missed, no more programs would be provided, but the station was still required to pay the full amount due under the contract. As the litigation progressed, the shows were replaced by low-budget barter programming. Central to the litigation were allegations of illegal "tie-in" sales by program syndicators that artificially drove up the cost of programming to WTIC. The cases soon settled on terms favorable to Chase and WTIC.

Chase Broadcasting (owned by Arnold Chase's father's organization) acquired WTIC in 1988. Although the barter programming continued, the station began to realize some sustained success in part due to the early success of the Fox network and shows like 21 Jump Street and Married...With Children. A milestone was reached in 1992, when WTIC began to regularly beat WTXX in the ratings. Chase sold all its stations to Renaissance Broadcasting, who owned WTXX, in 1992. To follow prevailing Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations, Renaissance sold WTXX in March 1993 to a Roman Catholic non-profit group, Counterpoint Communications. Renaissance tried to negotiate a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Counterpoint in which it would buy WTXX's entire broadcast day, except for overnights and an hour during the day in which WTXX was to run Catholic programming. During negotiations, which lasted from the time the sale became final until July 1993, Renaissance agreed to have WTXX run The Disney Afternoon from 3 to 5 p.m. and some off network sitcoms from 5 to 7 p.m. weekdays free of charge, as well as first run syndicated shows on weekends in this slot. However, Counterpoint wanted only a part-time arrangement, and negotiations ultimately fell through, WTXX then entered into a part-time LMA with WVIT.

WTIC-TV used this logo from 2006 to 2008.

In selling WTXX, Renaissance retained much of that station's programming, which was then moved to WTIC to create a stronger lineup for channel 61. Some programming (such as older sitcoms), however, was returned to their syndicators and wound up first on WTWS (now WHPX-TV) and then WTVU (now WCTX). The cartoons that did not move to WTIC were sold to WVIT, which ultimately moved them back to WTXX.

This WTIC-TV logo, introduced in 2008, is based on the logos used by stations owned by Fox Television Stations. This version was phased out after the move to the Courant facilities, though a "Fox CT News" version remains in use during newscasts.

WTIC was sold to the Tribune Company in 1997 as part of a group deal. One year later, it replaced WVIT as the LMA partner for WTXX (then a UPN affiliate, later WB, currently a The CW station). In 2001, Tribune bought WTXX outright. Both stations became sister properties of the Hartford Courant after Times Mirror merged with Tribune in 2000.

As time went on, WTIC began dropping cartoons, movies, and older sitcoms in favor of more talk and reality shows. The weekday cartoons ended at the end of 2001 when Fox ended its weekday kids' block.

Since the network entered sports programming in 1994, WTIC has had to deal with issues regarding Major League Baseball and National Football League coverage. Connecticut is split between the traditional home territories for Boston and New York City teams. The football issue is not typically as stark because the New York Giants and New England Patriots play in separate conferences, each with their own network television deals, so there is little overlap. However, it is often a source of frustration during baseball season. Fox picks both the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox for its baseball broadcast windows from time-to-time. MLB limits Fox to a single game and does not allow other channels to broadcast baseball in that window (from 3:30 to 7 P.M.) This creates serious anger among Connecticut baseball fans when WTIC must broadcast either the Yankees or the Red Sox as the usual cable channels (YES and NESN) are blacked out for the team not broadcast by Fox. WTIC generally shows each team as many times as possible.

This also had an effect on the Springfield/Holyoke, Massachusetts television market because the station had served as the area's default affiliate since that area did not have an affiliate of its own. This changed on March 31, 2008 when ABC affiliate WGGB-TV added Fox on its second digital subchannel. Beginning with the 2008 season to alleviate coverage issues, game broadcasts of the New York Mets from sister station WPIX will alternate between WTIC and WTXX.

News operation

WTIC-TV's news open. The logo and graphics used during newscasts are identical to those used by stations owned by Fox Television Stations.

Currently, WTIC-TV produces a total of 45½ hours of news each week (seven hours on weekdays, three hours on Saturdays and 3½ hours on Sundays), the most of any station in the Hartford-New Haven market. In 1989, WTIC debuted its nightly 10 o'clock newscast which was the second in the market after a short-lived attempt on WHCT-TV (now WUVN) in 1969. News anchor Pat Sheehan had been the anchor on that station. In 1998, when WTIC replaced WVIT as WTXX's LMA partner, the WVIT-produced 10 p.m. broadcast was replaced with a simulcast of the first half-hour of this channel's news program. On April 24, 2006, WTXX began to simulcast the full hour. That station did not have a separate news opening for the nightly broadcasts. Whenever Fox programming or sports delayed the news on WTIC, it was still shown on WTXX but under the name of News at Ten. There was also a "News at Ten" logo bug in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen in place of "Fox 61 News". WTXX discontinued its simulcast of the 10 p.m. newscast in June 2010, shortly before changing its callsign to WCCT-TV; that station continues to show the newscast when it is preempted on WTIC.

The station launched a weekday morning newscast on March 3, 2008. The 7 a.m. hour competes with WCTX's morning show, which is produced by sister station WTNH, and airs for one hour. On August 4, 2009 the weekday morning newscast was expanded to 4½ hours and began airing from 4:30-9 a.m. During the 8 a.m. hour, the format of the program includes several talk show segments focusing on entertainment, lifestyle, and health. This hour is simulcast on WCCT; the station's simulcasts of portions of the morning newscast have been intermittent throughout the newscast's existence. Since launching the morning broadcast, WTIC-TV has entered into a weather department partnership with WTIC radio (1080 AM). The weather center now features meteorologists from the radio and television stations. Weather reports can also be heard on WTIC, WTIC-FM (96.5 FM), WRCH (100.5 FM), WZMX (93.7 FM), and WZBG (97.3 FM).

Starting on September 8, 2008, a weeknight 11 p.m. newscast was added. On September 21, the station launched a weekday midday newscast at 11 a.m.^[1] An weeknight 6 p.m. newscast was planned, but did not not debut on that date. On August 23, 2010 WTIC launched an hour-long late afternoon newscast at 4 p.m. on weekdays.^[2] Currently, in addition to simulcating the 8 a.m. hour of WTIC's morning newscast, WCCT rebroadcasts the 11 p.m. newscast at 1 a.m. on weeknights; on weekends, it airs the 10 p.m. newscast at that time.

In July 2009, news reporter Shelly Sindland filed both state and federal complaints alleging age and sex discrimination in the station's newsroom.^[3][4] Media sites also raised questions about the way the case was covered by the Hartford Courant which operates under the same management team as WTIC.^[5]

Along with obtaining world and national news footage from Fox News, WTIC is also broadcasts world and national news footage from CNN NewsSource. The station broadcasts the Comcast Sports Desk at 10:45 on Saturday and Sunday nights. WTIC also produces a weekly public affairs show, The Real Story, which airs Sunday mornings at 8:30 with a repeat on WCCT at 11.

On December 12, 2009; WTIC, WCCT (then WTXX), and the Hartford Courant moved into their new combined newsroom facilities in downtown Hartford, and WTIC re-branded from FOX 61 to FOX CT (a transition completed in July 2010). In addition; WTIC began broadcasting newscasts in high definition, becoming the second station in the market to do so. WCCT's newscasts also made the transition. On January 22, 2011; WTIC launched weekend morning newscasts, airing from 7-9 a.m.; the station is the third Tribune-owned station with a weekend morning newscast (CW affiliate WGN-TV in Chicago and Fox affiliate WXIN in Indianapolis debuted weekend morning newscasts before WTIC, CW affiliate KTLA in Los Angeles launched a weekend morning newscast a few months later).^[6] On September 26, 2011, WTIC expanded its weekday morning newscast to 5½ hours from 4:30-10 a.m.; with the expansion, the 11 a.m. newscast was dropped from the schedule.^[7]

Ratings

During the February 2007 sweeps period, WTIC beat 11 p.m. leader WFSB with 100,000 viewers to that station's 98,000. It achieved this by showing reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond and Seinfeld while the big three stations broadcast their local news. Since the February 2008 ratings period, WTIC's evening newscast has usually been the most watched 10 or 11 p.m. broadcast in the market. The station has been one of Fox's strongest affiliates ever since the network was launched.

News/station presentation

Newscast titles

• WTIC News at 10 (1989–1994)
• Fox 61 News (1994–2010)^[8]
• Fox CT News (2009–present)

Station slogans

• We're All Yours (1984–1986)
• Connecticut's Prime News (2005–2007)
• Right Team. All the Time. (2007–present; primary news slogan)
• So Fox CT (2010–2011; localized version of Fox ad campaign)
• Connecticut's Newsroom (2010–present)

This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

News team ^[9][10]

Current anchors

• Erika Arias - weekday mornings (5-10 a.m.)
• Jennifer Bosworth - Fridays at 4, 10, 11, Saturdays at 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
• Logan Byrnes - weekday mornings (4:30-10 a.m.)
• Rich Coppola - Sunday mornings (7-9 a.m.)
• Brent Hardin - weekdays at 4, and Sunday-Thursdays at 10 and 11 p.m.
• Audrey Kuchen - Fridays at 4, 10, 11, and Saturdays at 10 p.m.
• Tim Lammers - Saturday mornings (7-9 a.m.)
• Rachel Lutzker - weekday morning traffic reporter, host of Fox CT Morning Extra 9-10am
• Alison Morris - Sunday-Thursdays at 4, 10 and 11 p.m.

Fox CT Weather Center

• Rachel Frank (AMS member; NWA member) - weekdays at 4 p.m., and Sunday-Thursdays at 10 and 11 p.m.
• Dan Amarante - meteorologist; weekend mornings (7-9 a.m.) and Saturdays at 10 p.m.
• Joe Furey - meteorologist; weekday mornings, also director of New England Weather Service
• Geoff Fox - weather anchor; weeknights at 11 p.m., and Fridays at 4, 10 and 11 p.m., also Monday-Thursday 4 p.m. science and technology reporter

Sports team (both seen on Comcast Sports Desk)

• Rich Coppola - sports director; Sunday-Thursdays at 10 and 11 p.m.
• Bob Rumbold - sports anchor; Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 10 p.m., also sports reporter
• Tim Lammers - sports anchor; fill-in, also sports producer

Reporters

• Jim Altman - general assignment reporter
• Jenn Bernstein - general assignment reporter
• John Charlton - general assignment reporter
• Narmeen Choudhury - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
• Sarah Cody - "Daytrippers" feature reporter
• George Colli - New Haven bureau reporter
• Anthony DiLorenzo - general assignment reporter
• Sara Grant - web producer; seen weekdays at 4 p.m.
• Rick Hancock - "Rick's RSS" segment reporter
• Ayana Noni Harry - general assignment reporter
• Laurie Perez - general assignment reporter and host of The Real Story
• Michael "Prolifik" Garofalo - weekday 4 p.m. traffic reporter; also heard on WKSS-FM
• Jeevan Vittal - general assignment reporter
• Beau Berman - general assignment reporter

Notable former on-air staff

• Steve Berthiaume - sports anchor (later at CNNSI, and SNY, currently with ESPN)
• Mika Brzezinski - reporter (later at WFSB, WCBS in New York, and then at CBS News; now anchor of Morning Joe on MSNBC)
• Jay Crawford - sports anchor (now co-host of ESPN2's First Take, and host of 1st & Ten on ESPNews)
• Meg Oliver - reporter/anchor (now with ABC News)

References

1. ^ http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/190904-Tribune_Merging_Hartford_TV_and_Paper_Operations.php
2. ^ http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-fox-ct-4pm-show-0822,0,5143059.story
3. ^ http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/media_matters/veteran_reporter_files_agedisc.php
4. ^ http://www.ctemploymentlawblog.com/2009/07/articles/decisions-and-rulings/fox-61-reporter-discrimination-case-faq-analysis-and-whats-next-part-i/
5. ^ http://thelaurelct.com/2009/07/09/hartford-media-managers-judgment-called-into-question/
6. ^ FOX CT Adds Weekend News/Personalities, Hartford Courant, January 11, 2011. Retrieved 1-12-2011.
7. ^ WTIC Revamps Morning News Schedule, TVNewsCheck, September 23, 2011.
8. ^ WTIC-TV 1997 FOX 61 News Open
9. ^ Meet The News Team
10. ^ WTIC Hartford Makes Anchor Moves, TVNewsCheck, September 12, 2011.

External links

Connecticut portal

• Official website
• WTIC mobile
• WCCT-TV website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WTIC-TV