WFIE

WFIE

Evansville, Indiana
Branding	14 WFIE 14 News 14xtra (on DT2) This Evansville (on DT3)
Slogan	The Tri-State's News & Weather Leader
Channels	Digital: 46 (UHF) Virtual: 14 (PSIP)
Subchannels	14.1 NBC 14.2 local news & weather 14.3 This TV
Owner	Raycom Media (WFIE License Subsidiary, LLC)
First air date	November 15, 1953
Call letters' meaning	We're First In Evansville
Former callsigns	WFIE-TV (1953-2003)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 62 (1953-1961) 14 (1961-2009)
Former affiliations	DuMont (1953-1956, secondary) ABC (1953-1956, secondary) NBC Weather Plus (2005-2008, on DT2) The Tube (2006-2007, on DT3)
Transmitter power	521 kW
Height	311 m
Facility ID	13991
Transmitter coordinates	37°53′14.3″N 87°31′7.7″W / 37.887306°N 87.518806°W / 37.887306; -87.518806
Website	www.14wfie.com/

WFIE is the NBC-afifliated television station for the Tri-State area of Southwestern Indiana, Northwestern Kentucky and Southeastern Illinois that's licensed to Evansville, Indiana. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 46 (Ex-Analog Channel 14) from a transmitter in the Wolf Hills section of Henderson, Kentucky. Owned by Raycom Media, the station has studios on Mount Auburn Road in Evansville. Syndicated programming on WFIE includes: Wheel of Fortune, Oprah, Dr. Phil The Dr. Oz Show, and The World's Funniest Moments.

Digital programming

On WFIE-DT2, WOW! digital channel 104, and Insight digital channel 436 is a 24-hour local news and weather channel known as "14xtra". On weeknights, this also airs repeats of Oprah, Dr. Phil, and The Dr. Oz Show from the main channel. To satisfy the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) educational programming requirement, the channel airs shows targeted toward the age group on Sunday mornings. On WFIE-DT3, WOW! digital channel 112, and Insight digital channel 194 is This TV.

WFIE's digital signal on UHF 46 is multiplexed:

Channel	Video	Aspect	Programming
14.1	1080i	16:9	Main WFIE programming / NBC
14.2	480i	4:3	"14xtra"
14.3			This TV

History

WFIE was granted a construction permit on June 10, 1953, and began broadcasting on November 15, 1953 on analog UHF channel 62. The station, Indiana's sixth, was originally co-owned by Jesse, Isadore, and Oscar Fine.

WFIE was the first station to be based in Evansville, while WEHT's studios, then as now, were located across the Ohio River in Henderson, Kentucky, though it is licensed to Evansville.

WFIE was originally a primary NBC outlet with secondary ABC (shared with WEHT) and DuMont affiliations. ^[1] Both of those networks were dropped in August 1956 with the launch of WTVW (which took ABC) and the shutdown of DuMont. This left WFIE as a full-time NBC affiliate. It is the only station in the market to have never changed its primary affiliation. Also in 1956, WFIE became the area's first station to telecast color programming (by virtue of its NBC affiliation).

The Fine family sold the station to the George Norton family of Louisville, Kentucky (owners of fellow NBC affiliate WAVE-TV) in 1956. The Nortons' broadcasting holdings would eventually become known as Orion Broadcasting. With FCC approval, it moved to channel 14 in August 1961. It was the first station in Evansville to telecast live and local color programs beginning on March 10, 1966.

In October 1981, Orion merged with Cosmos Broadcasting Corporation, a subsidiary of insurance and broadcasting conglomerate Liberty Corporation. WFIE became the first television station in the market to broadcast in stereo in September 1985. Liberty bowed out of the insurance business in 2000 bringing WFIE directly under the company banner. In May 2002, the station began broadcasting digitally on channel 46.

On February 1, 2006, the Liberty Corporation merged with Raycom Media. In November 2006, WFIE added The Tube (a 24-hour music video channel similar to the early years of MTV) on digital channel 14.3 in accordance with many Raycom Media stations. In Summer 2007, The Tube shut down from the lack of advertiser support and this station ceased programming on 14.3 for the time. WFIE, along with many Raycom Media stations, added This TV to 14.3 on February 4, 2009.

News operation

News open 2007-2010.

The WFIE viewing area; counties where the station's signal reaches either over-the-air, on cable or satellite are shown in light red.

In August 1977, the station became first in Evansville to remotely broadcast local news, sports, and weather outside its studios. It was the second station in Indiana (first in Evansville) to build its own Doppler weather radar system (located adjacent to the studios) in February 1988. In Fall 2005, it launched a 24-hour local weather channel on digital channel 14.2. Known as "First Alert Weather Now", it was part of NBC Weather Plus and featured continuous weather and news information, with local and national forecasts, as well as metro Evansville and regional traffic updates. With the shutdown of the national service in 2008, WFIE-DT2 remained as a local weather channel.

On April 3, 2006, WFIE abandoned 615 Music's popular "News One" theme music in favor of "NBC Flagship" as part of "The NBC Collection" by Gari Communications. This marked the station's first theme change since 1996. In early-August 2006, it began branding its newscasts as "14 News" dropping the "NewsWatch 14" identity. In a further transition, the station rebranded the weather department under the "First Alert" label on September 22, 2006. This is a departure from the "Storm Team" brand used since the mid-1990s.

On April 16, 2007, WFIE introduced "Dual Doppler" to the market with the debut of a second weather radar in Owensboro, Kentucky atop the Owensboro Medical Health System Hospital main building on East Parrish Avenue (KY 54). In addition to its main studios, the station operates Western Kentucky Newsrooms in Owensboro and Madisonville. It is the only channel in the area to have a weekday morning show that begins at 4:30. WFIE-DT2 also airs a prime time newscast weeknights at 9 which competes with an hour-long show on independent station WTVW.

On July 11, 2011, WFIE began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition during the station's 5 p.m. newscast, becoming the first station in the Evansville market to begin offering local newscasts in high definition. On September 12, 2011, WFIE will debut a 4 p.m. newscast that will compete against the 4 p.m. newscast on ABC affiliate WEHT; Jackie Monroe (currently the anchor of the station's 10 p.m. newscast and the 9 p.m. newscast seen on digital channel 14.2) will anchor of the new late-afternoon newscast.^[2]

Newscast titles

• The Tri-State News Report (1953-1958)
• The Marlboro News (1958-1961)
• The Runyan/Etzel Report a.k.a. Channel 14 News (1961-1971)
• Newslens (1971-1978)
• NewsWatch (1978-1994)
• NewsWatch 14 (1994-2006)
• 14 News (2006-present)

Station slogans

• "(This is) 14 Country" (1971-1981)
• "14 Country, Proud As A Peacock!" (1979–1981; localized version of NBC network advertising campaign)
• "14 Country, Our Pride Is Showing" (1981-1982; localized version of NBC network advertising campaign)
• "We're Channel 14, Just Watch Us Now" (1982-1983, localized version of NBC ad campaign)
• "14 Country, Be There" (1983-1984, localized versions of NBC ad campaign)
• "14 Country, Let's All Be There!" (1984-1986, localized versions of NBC ad campaign)
• "Come Home to Channel 14" (1986-1987, localized versions of NBC ad campaign)
• "Come on Home to Channel 14" (1987-1988, localized versions of NBC ad campaign)
• "14 Country's the 1-4 All!" (1987–present; used during period station used Frank Gari's "The One For/4 All", general slogan)
• "Come Home To The Best, Only on Channel 14!" (1988-1990, localized versions of NBC ad campaign)
• "WFIE, The Place To Be!" (1990-1992, localized versions of NBC ad campaign)
• "The Tri-State's News Leader" (1991-2006, primary slogan)
• "It's a Whole New Channel 14" (1992-1993, localized versions of NBC ad campaign)
• "The Stars Are Back on 14 Country" (1993-1994, localized versions of NBC ad campaign)
• "Live. Local. Latebreaking." (1994-1999, secondary slogan)
• "The Tri-State's News & Weather Leader" (2006-present, news slogan)
• "14 Country, More Colorful." (2010-present; localized version of NBC ad campaign)

News team

Anchors

• Brandon Bartlett - weekend evenings; also weeknight reporter
• Mike Blake - Midday with Mike host
• David James - managing editor; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
• Dan Katz - weekday mornings and 11 a.m. (alternates with Beth Sweeney)
• Ann Komis - weeknights at 5 and 6 p.m.
• Jackie Monroe - weekdays at 4 (beginning September 12), weeknights at 9 (on 14Xtra) and 10 p.m.
• Beth Sweeney - weekday mornings and 11 a.m. (alternates with Dan Katz)
• Araceli Thiele - weekend evenings; also weeknight reporter

14 News First Alert Weather

• Jeff Lyons (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6, 9 (on 14Xtra) and 10 p.m.
• Byron Douglas (NWA Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings and 11 a.m.
• Chad Sewich (NWA Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekend evenings, also news reporter

Sports (also seen on Touchdown Live!)

• Bo McFall - sports director; weeknights at 6, 9 and 10 p.m., and weekend evenings

Reporters

• Jasmin Embers - Western Kentucky newsroom
• Laura Forbes - weekday morning reporter
• Becky Graham - general assignment reporter
• Brett Hoffland - general assignment reporter
• Dave Kirk - Owensboro correspondent
• Emily Mieure - 'Just In' correspondent
• Lorilyn Prestidge - general assignment reporter
• Nick Ulmer - general assignment reporter; also vice president, general manager and "Taking a Stand" segment producer
• Kendra Yagow - general assignment reporter

References

1. ^ "The History of WFIE-TV". The Boneyard. http://www.evansville.net/user/boneyard/wfie.htm. Retrieved 2007-02-12. 
2. ^ 14WFIE planning HD news launch on July 11, will add new 4PM newscast beginning Sept. 12, Jake's DTV Blog, June 28, 2011.

External links

• WFIE channel 46
• WFIE mobile
• WFIE-DT3 This TV
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WFIE