WAFB

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WAFB
city =
station_
station_slogan = Louisiana's News Channel
station_branding = 9 News
MyBRTV (on DT4)
analog = 9 (VHF)
digital = 46 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = CBS
MNTV (on DT4)
network =
founded =
airdate = April 19, 1953
location = Baton Rouge, Louisiana
callsign_meaning = American Family
Broadcasting (former owner)
former_callsigns = WAFB-TV (1953-1988)
former_channel_numbers = 28 (1953-1960)
owner = Raycom Media
licensee = WAFB License Subsidiary, LLC
sister_stations = WBXH-CA
former_affiliations = NBC (1953-1955)
DuMont (1953-1955)
ABC (1953-1971)
all secondary
The Tube (on DT3, until 2007)
effective_radiated_power = 316 kW (analog)
46 kW (digital)
HAAT = 509 m (analog)
146 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 589
coordinates = coord|30|21|58.7|N|91|12|47.7|W|type:landmark_scale:2000 (analog)
coord|30|26|35.6|N|91|10|55|W|type:landmark_scale:2000 (digital)
homepage = [http://www.wafb.com/ wafb.com]

WAFB, channel 9, is the CBS-affiliated television station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Its analog transmitter is located southwest of Arlington. The station's digital transmitter is located in downtown Baton Rouge. Owned by Raycom Media, WAFB is sister to MyNetworkTV affiliate WBXH-CA. The two stations share studios on Government Street in downtown Baton Rouge.

History

The station began broadcasting on April 19, 1953 as the second television station in the state of Louisiana. Originally broadcasting on channel 28, WAFB moved to channel 9 in 1960 (WDAM-TV in Hattiesburg, Mississippi moved to channel 7 to accommodate the move) The station has always been a CBS affiliate but carried some NBC programming until WBRZ-TV signed on in 1955. WAFB also carried some ABC programming until WRBT (now WVLA) signed on in 1971 and some programming from DuMont until that network folded. In 1988, the station dropped the -TV suffix from its call letters.

Digital television

WAFB's digital signal is multiplexed. WAFB-DT2 broadcasts two feeds that includes a 24-hour local weather channel (known as "WAFB 24/7 Weather") and a cable news station (called "News Channel 9"). Those two channels can also be seen on Cox cable channel 9. On WAFB-DT4 is a full power standard definition digital signal of MyNetworkTV affiliate WBXH-CA. Due to its Class A status, that station does not broadcast a digital signal of its own. In 2009, WAFB's digital signal will leave channel 46 and move to channel 9 when the analog to digital conversion is complete.

Programming

WAFB is one of a handful of stations that shifts the air times of various CBS programming. "The Price Is Right" airs at 11 A.M. instead of 10 (back-to-back episodes of "Family Feud" airs from 10 to 11 A.M.) and "The Young and The Restless" airs at 4 P.M. instead of 11 A.M. The station's current syndicated library includes: "Montel", "Friends", "", "Soul Train", "Taxi", "The Odd Couple", "Who Wants to be a Millionaire", and others. The station aired "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune" until 1995 (they have since aired on WBRZ), plus "Live with Regis and Kelly" and "Oprah" until the late-1990s ("Oprah" moved to WBRZ, but since then, it has aired on WVLA while "Regis" was the other way around). It used to also air "The Phil Donahue Show", "Hard Copy", and "Sally Jesse Raphael", among other syndicated shows.

One locally produced show that brought years of enjoyment to children was hosted by Buckskin Bill Black (William Black) that ran from 1955 until 1990. There were several characters that were regulars on the show including Senor Puppet (a marionette voiced by Sid Crocker) and Whatsyourname (another puppet voiced by Mary Hiller). The show had a way of educating young children while making it fun to learn. Two games many adults can remember Buckskin playing were called "Hully Gully", which helped to teach counting numbers, and the "Monday Morning March". The two shows he hosted were called "Storyland" (for younger children during A.M. broadcasting) and "The Buckskin Bill Show" (for older children during the afternoons). "The Buckskin Bill Show" was also one of the first shows in the United States to have a sign-language interpreter for hearing-impaired viewers prior to closed-captioning. Through two gracious campaigns from his show, Buckskin Bill helped to start the Baton Rouge Zoo. During this campaign, he asked children to bring in their pennies to buy an elephant. The penny campaign was successful enough to purchase two. He is now involved with the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board.

WAFB also airs the Sunday services from the First United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge.

News operation

The station's news department produces 25 hours of news programming each week. This includes two newscasts on sister station WBXH-CA (weeknights at 9, which began on January 8, 2007, and Saturday mornings). WAFB's weekday morning news is repeated on WBXH-CA. WAFB newscasts had the second-highest ratings at 10 P.M. in any of the country's biggest television markets according to "The Des Moines Register" in Iowa. Nielsen Media Research ratings for November showed that 16.2% of all households in the Baton Rouge market watched the newscast. The only station to get a bigger share of the local audience was KCCI, the CBS affiliate in Des Moines, which was watched by 17.9% of area households. Currently, WAFB is the top rating channel in the Baton Rouge viewing area. In the recent ratings period, the station beat the others ones combined at 5, 6, and 10. On March 3, 2008, WAFB became the first in Baton Rouge and the 3rd in Louisiana to broadcast their news in high definition. The station is the only one in the market to broadcast local news at Noon on the weekends (on "News Channel 9"). It has used many versions of Frank Gari's Newschannel since 1986.

News team

Anchors
*George Sells - 9NEWS at 6 (M-F)
**Managing Editor
**George Sells Louisiana
*Donna Britt - 9NEWS at 6 & 10 (M-F)
**Power of 9
*Andre' Moreau - 9NEWS at 10 (M-F)
*Jeanne Burns - 9NEWS This Morning
*Matt Williams - 9NEWS This Morning
**Crime Stoppers reporter
*Paul Gates - 9NEWS at 5 (M-F)
**Investigative reporter
**WAFB Editorial Board chairman
*Greg Meriwether - My 9NEWS at 9
**Weeknight "Street Beat" reporter
*Phil Rainier - 9NEWS at Noon (M-F)
**Healthline reporter
*Kellee Henessey - 9NEWS Sat. and Sun. Mornings
**St. Jude Telethon
**March of Dimes
*Cheryl Mercedes- 9NEWS Weekends at 6 & 10

"WAFB Storm Team"
*Jay Grymes (AMS Seal of Approval and NWA Member) - 9NEWS at 6 & 10
**Chief Meterologist
*Steve Caparotta - 9NEWS at 5 & My 9NEWS at 9
*Diane Deaton - 9NEWS This Morning & 9NEWS at Noon
*Scott Oswalt - 9NEWS Weekends

Sports
*Steve Schneider - 9NEWS at 6 & 10
**Sports Director
*Jacques Doucet
**Anchor, 9NEWS Weekends
*Erin Cofiell

Reporters
*Jim Shannon
*Keitha Nelson
*Caroline Moses - Capitol Correspondent
*Tyana Williams
*Andrew Michaels
*Allen Tumey - "Tumey's Travels" segment producer

Producers
*Robb Hays - Asst. News Director
*Meg Green - 10pm
**Executive Producer
*Angelle Dupre - 6pm
**St. Jude Telethon
*Joe Rawley - 5pm & Noon
**Sportsline Friday Night
*Daniel Brown - 9NEWS This Morning
*Nathan Dewberry - My 9NEWS at 9
**The 5th Season
*Keren Henderson - Sat. and Sun. 6&10pm
*Robert McCray - 9NEWS Sat. and Sun. Mornings
*Josh Auzenne - WAFB.com

Former on-air staff

*James Verrett - now court-side reporter with the Atlanta Hawks
* Julie Baxter - now practicing law with Moore, Walters, Thompson in Baton Rouge; adjunct Media Law professor at LSU's School of Mass Communication
* Glynn Boyd - now at WGNO in New Orleans
* Tim Brando - sports. Now broadcasts for various sports outlets, including CBS Sports and Jefferson Pilot Sports.
* George Caldwell (Sells) - now at News 12 Long Island in New York
* Isaiah Carey - now at KRIV in Houston, TX
* Marie Centanni - former member of LA Governor Kathleen Blanco's staff; new mother
* Matt Clough - now at KUSA-TV in Denver, CO
* Avery Davidson - now at LA Farm Bureau
* Jennifer Donelan - now at WJLA in Washington, D.C.
* Jay Gormley - filmmaker
* Mike Graham - retired meteorologist, has since become active in performance arts.
* Jennifer Hale - now at WVTM in Birmingham, AL
* Victor Howell - now a basketball analyst at Cox Sports Television. He is also the host of the "CST Tonight!" and "Saints Tonight!" studio shows.
* Cyndi Nguyen - now at WGNO in New Orleans, LA
* Nancy Parker - now at WVUE in New Orleans, LA
* Vernon Roger - anchor of 12pm and 5pm broadcasts. Remembered for his cajun cooking segments and his "taste test." Committed suicide in 2002.
* Scott Rogers - started his own "Around Town" TV show where he speaks with local dignitaries.
* Pat Simon - now at KSLA in Shreveport, LA
* Sylvia Weatherspoon - now at WBRZ-TV
* Valentina Wilson - now at WVLA-TV

External links

* [http://www.wafb.com/ WAFB "9 News"]
* [http://www.gowafb.com/ WAFB wireless]
* [http://www.mybrtv.com WBXH-CA "MyBRTV"]
*TVQ|WAFB