- WKRN-TV
-
WKRN-TV 
Nashville, Tennessee Branding Nashville's News 2 Slogan First. Fast. Accurate. Channels Digital: 27 (UHF)
Virtual: 2 (PSIP)Subchannels (see article) Affiliations ABC Owner Young Broadcasting, Inc.
(operated by Gray Television)
(WKRN, GP Debtor-in-Possession)First air date November 29, 1953 Call letters' meaning Knight-Ridder Nashville
(former owner)Former callsigns WSIX-TV (1953–1973)
WNGE-TV (1973–1983)Former channel number(s) Analog:
8 (1953–1973)
2 (1973-2009)Former affiliations CBS/ABC (1953–1954) Transmitter power 1000 kW Height 411 metres (1,348 ft) Facility ID 73188 Transmitter coordinates Coordinates: 36°08′34″N 86°44′46″W / 36.1428°N 86.7460°W 36°02′50″N 86°49′49″W / 36.04733°N 86.83025°W Website www.wkrn.com WKRN-TV, virtual channel 2.1 (digital channel 27), is the ABC-affiliated television station in Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Young Broadcasting under the operation of Gray Television. Its transmitter is located in Brentwood, Tennessee.
Contents
Digital programming
Channel Video Aspect Name Programming 2.1 720p 16:9 WKRN-DT Main WKRN programming / ABC 2.2 480i 4:3 WKRN-WX Nashville WX Channel In 2009, WKRN-TV turned off its analog transmitter and remained on its pre-transition channel 27.[1][2] However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display WKRN-TV's virtual channel as 2.
History
The station first signed on the air on channel 8 on November 29, 1953 as WSIX-TV, the second television station in Nashville. It was owned by Louis and Jack Draughon along with WSIX Radio (980 AM, now WYFN). The calls came from the 638 Tire Company in nearby Springfield, where the Draughon brothers had started WSIX-AM in 1930; neither the radio nor the television stations have ever had the number six in their frequencies, which would explain it otherwise. Originally a CBS affiliate sharing ABC with WSM-TV (channel 4, now WSMV), it became a full ABC affiliate after only one year when WLAC-TV (channel 5, now WTVF) signed on and took the CBS affiliation due to WLAC Radio's long history as a CBS radio affiliate. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.[3]
Its original studio was on Old Hickory Boulevard, just outside Nashville. In 1961, WSIX-AM-FM-TV moved to a new studio located at 441 Murfreesboro Road, where the TV station is located today. The current WKRN studios is where the Wilburn Brothers' television program, a Show Biz Inc., production, was produced during the 1960s and 1970s (however, WSM-TV had the rights to air the show in the Nashville market).
WSIX-TV, however, did not have much luck against WSM-TV and WLAC-TV. Part of the problem was a weak signal, as its transmitter was short-spaced to channel 8 in Atlanta--occupied first by WLWA-TV (now WXIA-TV) and currently occupied by WGTV. WSIX-TV was also hampered by a weaker network affiliation (ABC was not truly competitive with CBS and NBC until well into the 1970s).
The Draughons sold the WSIX stations to General Electric in 1966. In 1972, GE cut a deal with Nashville's PBS station, WDCN-TV (now WNPT), then on channel 2, to swap dial positions. GE did this because the channel 2 signal travels farther than the channel 8 signal under most conditions. The swap occurred on December 11, 1973, in the middle of evening prime-time programming. At the same time, even though General Electric still owned WSIX-AM-FM, it changed WSIX-TV's callsign to WNGE-TV (for Nashville General Electric), leaving the radio stations' call letters intact. This was only the third facility swap in American television history.
Knight Ridder bought WNGE-TV in 1983 and changed the calls to the current WKRN-TV. Young Broadcasting bought the station in 1989. It is merely a coincidence that the call letters reflect Young Broadcasting's flagship outlet, KRON-TV in San Francisco. Like all other ABC affiliates owned by Young Broadcasting, WKRN preempted ABC's broadcast of the movie Saving Private Ryan in 2004.
In August 2009, Gray Television took over management of WKRN as a consequence of the bankruptcy of Young Broadcasting, who continues to hold the license and facilities of the station.
Programming
The station has an agreement with the Tennessee Titans to air Bridgestone Titans on 2 with Mike Munchak, the team's coach's show that originally aired from 8pm-9pm Tuesday evenings, pre-empting ABC programming in that timeslot during the NFL season (which has featured low-rated and critically drubbed sitcoms for the majority of the 2000s). The show can now be seen on Tuesday and Saturday evenings at 6:30pm, pre-empting Wheel of Fortune in that timeslot during football season.
The station received heavy criticism from viewers in November 2009 for not airing V at the network's original timeslot. V then aired early Wednesday mornings after Jimmy Kimmel Live! [4]. WKRN claimed the thirteen-year agreement to air the coach's show does not allow for the moving of that show to accommodate high-demand network programming without notice months in advance. However, in the past the program has moved at times to accommodate other high-demand programs such as Dancing with the Stars during the early portion of the season and network holiday programming. The station also reversed a plan to air V over NashvilleWX on digital channel 2.2 at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays the day before the premiere. WKRN's sister station in Green Bay, WBAY-TV (coincidentally, also broadcasting on virtual channel 2) also faced the same situation with a locally produced football program covering the Green Bay Packers NFL team, but after a week moved that program to air before primetime to accommodate V.
News operation
The two main evening news anchors, Bob Mueller and Anne Holt, have been associated with WKRN since the early 1980s. WKRN is also the only traditional network affiliate in Nashville that does not run an hourlong newscast at 6 p.m., although its newscasts for the evening begin at 4 p.m., including ABC's World News with Diane Sawyer at 5:30 p.m.
On October 11, 2011, WKRN started broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition, becoming the last Nashville television station to do so. This included a brand new news set that was built in a separate studio, replacing the working newsroom set that had been their home since the 1980s.
Before the advent of satellite technology in the 1980s, the Vanderbilt Television News Archive taped all ABC News broadcasts from the airwaves of WSIX/WNGE/WKRN.
News/station presentation
Newscast titles
- WSIX-TV News (1953–1961)
- The Tennessee Report (1961–1965)
- The Six O'Clock Report/The Eleven O'Clock Report (1965–1968)
- Newsnight (1968–1969)
- Eyewitness News (1969–1972)
- The Big News (1972–1974)
- Dateline: Today (1974–1975)
- NewsCenter 2 (1975–1976)
- NewsWatch 2 (1976–1983)
- Channel 2 News (1983–1994)[5]
- News 2 (1994–2011)[6]
- Nashville's News 2 (2011–present)
Station slogans
- The Powerhouse! (1973–1975)
- We're The One You Can Turn To Channel 2 (1978-1979; local version of ABC ad campaign)
- 2 a New Beat (1979–1980)
- The News Specialists (1981–1983)
- Come on Along with Channel 2 (1982–1983; local version of ABC ad campaign)
- Let's Get Involved (1983–1985)
- The Winner's Circle! (1985–1986)
- Something's Happening Here (1987–1990; local version of ABC ad campaign)
- On Your Side (1990–1996)
- Where Coverage Comes First! (1996–1998)
- First. Fast. Accurate. (1998–present; news slogan)
- Start Here (2007–present; local version of ABC ad campaign)
This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.News team
Current on-air staff[7][8] (as of October 2011)
Current anchors
- John Dwyer - weekdays at 4 and 4:30, and Sundays at 5 and 10 p.m.
- Anne Holt - weekdays at 4 and 4:30,, and weeknights at 5 and 6 p.m.
- Erin Holt - Saturdays at 5 and 10 p.m.; also reporter
- Julie Kroenig - weekday mornings News 2 This Morning (4-7 a.m.)
- Bob Mueller - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.; also host of This Week with Bob Mueller
- Lauren Murphy - weekend mornings News 2 This Morning Weekend
- Neil Orne - weekday mornings News 2 This Morning (4-7 a.m.)
Weather team
- Lisa Patton - chief meteorologist; weekdays at 4 and 4:30, and weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
- Justin Bruce - meteorologist; weekday mornings News 2 This Morning (4-7 a.m.)
- Davis Nolan (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekend mornings News 2 This Morning Weekend
- Allison Chinchar - meteorologist; weekends at 5 and 10 p.m.
Sports team
- Cory Curtis - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Dawn Davenport - sports anchor; weekends at 5 and 10 p.m., also sports reporter
Reporters
- Jerry Barlar - general assignment reporter
- Chris Bundgaard - general assignment reporter
- Andy Cordan - general assignment reporter
- Todd Dunn - general assignment reporter
- Roxanna Haynes - general assignment reporter
- Karen Higbee - general assignment reporter
- Erin Holt - general assignment reporter
- Heather Jensen - weekday morning reporter
- Tiani Jones - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
- Lori Mitchell - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
- Amy Napier Viteri - general assignment reporter
- Joseph Pleasant - general assignment reporter
- Jamey Tucker - general assignment reporter
References
- ^ "hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf" (PDF). http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf.
- ^ "CDBS Print". http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101231033&formid=387&fac_num=73188.
- ^ "Require Prime Evening Time for NTA Films". Boxoffice: 13. November 10, 1956. http://issuu.com/boxoffice/docs/boxoffice_111056-1.
- ^ http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?S=11400190
- ^ WKRN Nightside Open, 1991
- ^ WKRN News 2 at 6 Open (January 21, 2003)
- ^ Anchors
- ^ Reporters/VJs
External links
- WKRN-TV website
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WKRN-TV
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WKRN-TV
Broadcast television in Middle Tennessee, including Nashville Stations WKRN (2.1 ABC, 2.2 Nashville WX Channel) • WSMV (4.1 NBC, 4.2 Off Air) • WTVF (5.1 CBS, 5.2 NewsChannel 5+, 5.3 This TV) • WRTN-LP 6 / WRTN-LD 7 (RTV) • WNPT (8.1 PBS, 8.2 NPT2) • WETV-LP 11 (Ind) • WZTV 17 (FOX) • WIIW-LP 19 (IND) • WCTE 22 (PBS) • WJDE-LP 24 (Ind) • WNTU-LP 26 (DAY) • WNPX 28 / 20 (ION) • WUXP (30.1 MNTV, 30.2 theCoolTV) • WJNK-LP 34 (Ind) • WHTN (39.1 CTN, 39.2 CTNi) • WLLC-LP 42 (TFA) • WPGD (50.1 TBN, 50.2 Church, 50.3 JCTV, 50.4 Enlace, 50.5 Smile) • WNAB (58.1 CW, 58.2 The Country Network) • WJFB (66.1 Jewelry TV, 44.2 America One)
Tennessee Broadcast television: Chattanooga • Huntsville, AL • Jackson • Knoxville • Memphis • Nashville • Paducah, KY • Tri-Cities
Kentucky Broadcast television: Bowling Green • Charleston/Huntington, WV • Cincinnati, OH • Evansville, IN • Knoxville, TN • Lexington • Louisville • Nashville, TN • Paducah • Tri-Cities, TN and VA
See also Huntsville TVABC Network Affiliates in the state of Tennessee See also: ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, ION, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS and Other stations in TennesseeKey people Adam Young (founder) · Vincent J. Young (chairman) · Deborah A. McDermott (president) · Peter Grazioli (CIO)ABC network affiliates CBS network affiliates MyNetworkTV network affiliates: NBC network affiliate: Local weather channels 1Broadcasts Retro Television Network on a digital subchannel
2Owned by Venture Technologies Group and managed by WLNS under a JSAWebsite: youngbroadcasting.com
Categories:- ABC network affiliates
- Television stations in Nashville, Tennessee
- Channel 27 digital TV stations in the United States
- Channel 2 virtual TV stations in the United States
- Television channels and stations established in 1953
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