WGNO

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WGNO
city =
station_
station_slogan = Getting Answers
station_branding = ABC 26
analog = 26 (UHF)
digital = 26 (UHF licensed)
15 (UHF, temporary)
other_chs =
affiliations = ABC
network =
founded =
airdate = October 1967 [The "Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook" says October 16, while the "Television and Cable Factbook" says October 14.]
location = New Orleans, Louisiana
callsign_meaning = Greater
New
Orleans
-or-
We've
Got
New
Orleans
(also a homage to Tribune's Chicago flagship station WGN-TV, and a portmanteau of "WGN" and "NO" abbreviation for New Orleans)
former_callsigns = WWOM-TV (1967-1971)
WGNO-TV (1971-Present)
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Tribune Company
licensee = Tribune Television New Orleans, Inc.
sister_stations = WNOL-TV
former_affiliations = independent (1967-1995)
The WB (1995-1996)
effective_radiated_power = 3140 kW (analog)
800 kW (digital)
HAAT = 309 m (analog)
132 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 72119
coordinates = coord|29|58|57.4|N|89|56|57.8|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.abc26.com/ www.abc26.com]

WGNO, "ABC 26" is the ABC affiliate for the greater New Orleans, Louisiana area, as well parts of southern and coastal Mississippi. It broadcasts on analog channel 26, and is owned by Tribune Broadcasting. The station offers ABC programming along with syndicated programming and local news. Its transmitter is located in New Orleans.

History

The station signed on in October 1967 as WWOM-TV (The "W"onderful "W"orld "O"f "M"ovies). It was the first independent station in Louisiana, as well as the first new commercial station to sign on in the city since WWL-TV signed on in 1957. Initially, the station was on the air 8 hours a day from late afternoon to midnight. It programmed mostly old movies and a couple off network shows. It was owned by David Wagenvoord until its sale to Communications Corp. of the South in 1971, and its call letters were changed to the current WGNO.

As WGNO, the station began running more off network sitcoms and westerns and moderate amounts of cartoons. The station was on the air about 12 hours a day by 1972. It began signing on at 10 a.m. in 1974 and expanded to about 19 hours a day by 1975. WGNO was sold to Seymour Smith and family in 1976. It continued to program a general entertainment format with vintage sitcoms, older movies, cartoons and religious shows. The station was purchased by Glendive Media in 1978. WGNO offered Japanese cartoons dubbed into English including "Speed Racer", "Princess Knight" and "Space Giants".

By 1980, WGNO began running more cartoons in early mornings and late afternoons. They also acquired more recent off network sitcoms as well. Tribune Broadcasting bought the station in 1983. By coincidence, most Tribune stations had call letters with WGN in them (ex WGN-TV Chicago, KWGN Denver, WGNX (formerly WANX, now WGCL) Atlanta). But Channel 26 had WGN in their calls long before Tribune even thought of buying the station. The WGN stood for "World's Greatest Newspaper" as far as Tribune Broadcasting was concerned. Therefore, Channel 26 kept the WGNO call letters. With the slogan "New Orleans Style," the station continued to grow, and as other competitors signed on, WGNO remained the leading independent station in the market. Fox affiliation went to WNOL, as a result of a corporate deal with their then-owners, TVX Broadcasting. WGNO remained an independent station.

In January of 1995, after 28 years, WGNO ceased to be an independent station when it affiliated with the new WB Network.

WVUE, the long-time ABC affiliate was sold to a company with interest in Fox. WVUE evicted ABC to become a Fox station on January 1, 1996. WGNO then became the market's new ABC affiliate. The WB affiliation, along with the cartoons and some of the syndicated programming, moved to WNOL channel 38, the former Fox affiliate. WGNO then launched newscasts in the evening and at 10pm in March 1996.

In 1997, WNOL later came under management by Tribune, and WGNO officially became sister station to WNOL after Tribune purchased the latter in 2000, creating a "duopoly" operation in the market. WNOL is the senior partner in the duopoly because of its network affiliate history.Fact|date=September 2008 In other Tribune duopolies, a Big Four affiliate is usually the senior partner.Fact|date=September 2008

In July 2005, the station moved its facilities from the [http://www.wtcno.org/ World Trade Center New Orleans] to a facility at the New Orleans Centre.

On the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina (August 29, 2007), WGNO began broadcasting from new high-definition-ready studios in the Galleria Center in nearby Metairie. Included in WGNO's new facility are a brand-new news set and weather center. Revamped logos and graphics were introduced, and now the 5:00 pm, 6:00 pm, and 10:00 pm News can be seen in High Definition.

The station is unique for having its own bounty hunter, Tat-2, as part of its "Wheel of Justice" sweeps series. [http://abc26.trb.com/news/wgno_news_tat2ii052208,0,3524949.story] , [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ratw-yh2Epk]

WGNO will launch two new weekday newscasts beginning Sept. 29 — a two-hour morning news broadcast from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., and a 30-minute newscast at 11:00 a.m. The station is also getting a new vice president and general manager, Phil Waterman from WVLA (NBC), WGMB (FOX), WBRL (CW), and independent station KZUP in Baton Rouge. [http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2008/09/15/daily.7/]

Hurricane Katrina

As Hurricane Katrina approached in August 2005, WGNO's operations were moved to fellow ABC affiliate WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge.

For a time after Hurricane Katrina hit, nightly newscasts were broadcast from various locations throughout the New Orleans area because the main studio was inaccessible. Temporary facilities (including a makeshift studio and control room) were eventually established in two trailers outside of the Louisiana Superdome, and most of the station's broadcast equipment was purchased from eBay resellers.

In April 2006, WGNO announced that it was temporarily moving its broadcast operations back to the World Trade Center New Orleans tower. Management at the New Orleans Centre terminated the station's lease when it decided not to reopen the complex -- the station had only moved into the facility a few weeks before Katrina. In February 2007, Tribune announced that rather than move WGNO to WNOL's facility on Canal Street, it would be moving to the Galleria building in nearby Metairie. This would make WGNO the first local station to move outside of New Orleans - station management indicated that they wanted to keep WGNO in New Orleans, but that there wasn't a facility suitable for the purpose. [http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/money-1/1171091977178990.xml?MPBZ2&coll=1 New Orleans Times-Picayune/NOLA.com, accessed February 10, 2007] The move to the Galleria was complete and broadcasting began at their new home on August 29, 2007, the second-year anniversary of Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina also destroyed WGNO's analog and digital transmitters. After considering building a new hurricane-hardened building on their existing transmitter site, as well as various alternate sites, WGNO ultimately has decided to lease transmitter and tower space from WDSU at their transmitter site. [http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/E7-17643.htm Federal Register: September 10, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 174)] As of March 1, 2008, WGNO has completed its "post transition" channel 26 DTV transmitter. Since this transmitter operates on the same frequency as their analog transmitter (26) it will not be powered up until their analog transmitter shuts down on or before February 17, 2009, at which time the station will flash cut to digital. [http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=620193] In the interim, its digital signal (with full resolution HDTV content) is being carried on a sub-channel of WNOL's digital transmitter on channel 15.

Hurricane Gustav

With the approach of Hurricane Gustav, WGNO's audio was simulcast on WTIX-FM (94.3); the station also cancelled the local segments of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, which was airing as normally scheduled on sister station WNOL-TV. [http://www.abc26.com/pages/landing_news/?Jerry-Lewis-Local-Telethon-Postponned-Du=1&blockID=44699&feedID=1154] WGNO received help covering Gustav from a parternship between Tribune Company and Local TV LLC -- stations that sent crews to New Orleans include WBRC, WHO-TV and WHNT-TV.On Monday, September 1, CNN.com began to simulcast WGNO's broadcast on one of CNN's four live video feeds.

Digital television

In 2009, WGNO will remain on channel 26 when the analog to digital conversion is complete.http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf]

News Staff

"Anchors"
*Anna Adair - Good Morning New Orleans
*Ed Daniels - sports director; weekdays
*Michael Hill - weekdays 5, 6, 9 (on WNOL), and 10
*Jon Huffman - Good Morning New Orleans
*Cyndi Nguyen - Good Morning New Orleans and 11am
*Adam Norris - sports; weekends
*Liz Reyes - weekdays 5, 6, 9 (on WNOL), and 10
*Curt Sprang - weekends

"Meteorologists"
*Bruce Katz (AMS Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weekday evenings
*Hank Allen - Good Morning New Orleans and 11am
*April Gonzales - Weekends

"Reporters"
*Glynn Boyd - Host The 411
*Sheldon Fox
*Lalia Marcos
*Meredith Mendez - North Shore reporter
*Joe Rowley
*Catherine Shreves - Host NOLA Marketplace

Former On-Air Staff

*Jason Allen (currently with WGCL-TV in Atlanta)
*Tom Bagwell (currently at WLAE)
*Rick Barrett
*Val Bracy - reporter (currently at WVUE)
*Kim Davis (later at KPRC-TV in Houston)
*Yunji de Nies - reporter (currently with ABC News)
*Mark Deane
*Brooke Erickson - sports reporter (now at Cox Sports Television)
*Brad Giffen
*Doug Mouton - reporter (currently at WWL-TV)
*Paul Murphy - reporter (currently at WWL-TV)
*Chris Nakamoto (currently at WBRZ in Baton Rouge)
*Joni Naquin (later at WWL-TV)
*Janella Newsome (now associate director of university communications and marketing Dillard University)
*Dawn Ostrom (currently doing freelance work)
*Jeff Peterson
*Kris Rhodes
*Harry MacCulla
*Susan Roesgen (currently with CNN)
*Eric Richey - sports anchor (currently at WVUE)
*Mike Russ (currently at WPMI in Mobile, Alabama)
*Mike Janssen
*Melinda Spaulding (currently at KRIV in Houston)
*André Trevigne - anchor

Former Show's that aired on WGNO26

* Access Hollywood
* Alice
* The Andy Griffith Show
* Batman
* Blossom
* Barney Miller
* Gimme A Break
* Step By Step
* Mama's Family
* Full House
* The Facts of Life
* Gearldo
* Good Times
* Magnum P.I.
* Matlock
* The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
* Judge Joe Brown
* The Flintstones
* The Jetsons
* Scooby Doo
* In The Heat of The Night
* I Love Lucy
* Taxi
* Hollywood Squares
* Too Close For Comfort
* Home Improvement
* Sally Jessy Raphael
* Growing Pains
* Simon and Simon
* Star Trek
* Perfect Strangers
* 26 Mintues
* ABC 26 Weather Now

News/Station Presentation

Newscast Titles

*"ABC26 News" (1996-present) (From the beginning of the newscasts)

tation Slogans

*"New Orleans Style" (1983?-1995?)
*"We've Got New Orleans" (1971-late 70's, Mid 90s, 2003-2004)
*"More News" (1996-2005)
*"Getting Answers" (2005-present)

External links

* [http://www.abc26.com/ WGNO ABC26 Homepage]
*TVQ|WGNO
*BIA|WGNO|TV|TV

References