WSYR-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WSYR-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan = NewsChannel 9 is Everywhere
station_branding = NewsChannel 9 WSYR
analog = 9 (VHF)
digital = 17 (UHF)
other_chs =
subchannels = 9.1 ABC 9.2
network =
founded =
airdate = September 9, 1962
location = Syracuse, New York
callsign_meaning = SYRacuse
former_callsigns = WNYS-TV (1962-1978)
WIXT (1978-1982)
WIXT-TV (1982-2005)
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Newport Television, LLC
licensee =
sister_stations =
former_affiliations =
effective_radiated_power = 79.4 kW (analog)
105 kW (digital)
HAAT = 462 m (analog)
402 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 73113
coordinates = coord|42|56|42.5|N|76|1|26.6|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.9wsyr.com/ www.9wsyr.com]

WSYR-TV (known as WIXT-TV until 2005) is a television station located in Syracuse, New York; broadcasting on analog channel 9 / digital channel 17 and affiliated with the ABC television network. Its transmitter is located in Pompey, New York. Until recently, WSYR was carried via cable as an ABC affiliate in Northern NY in communities such as Ogdensburg, Potsdam, Massena, and Malone. Since then, most of those markets have replaced the station with WSYR's sister, WWTI, also an ABC affiliate (although both were available in the aforementioned markets for a short time; WVNY-TV from Burlington, Vermont now serves Malone).

History

Channel 9 was the last of Syracuse's major network affiliates to sign on the air doing so on September 9, 1962 after a channel shuffle involving rival WHEN-TV and Rochester's WHAM-TV allowed a third VHF station in Syracuse. The original call letters were WNYS-TV (Now Used for WNYS, MyNetworkTV in the Syracuse DMA). WNYS-TV signed on as an ABC affiliate owned by a group of area investors. Later owners included Coca Cola and The Outlet Company, and it has never switched networks.

Fire overtook the stations studios located in the basement of the Shopping Town Mall in April 1967. [http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=cb2d78e1-482c-4f91-beb9-65e3ba16cd69] After that WNYS shared studios with WCNY-TV in Liverpool until their DeWitt studios were rebuilt.

The station was sold to The Outlet Company in 1978 and the callsign was changed to WIXT-TV (IX standing for the Roman numeral 9). The Ackerley Group bought the station in 1982. After going from third to first place in Syracuse news ratings work commenced on a new facility in East Syracuse in 1985. Work was completed in 1986 along with WIXT moving from DeWitt to their new location off of Bear St. Clear Channel Communications bought Ackerley in 2001, it put WIXT under the same ownership as WSYR, the market's news/talk radio station. The callsign was then changed to WSYR-TV in July 2005, creating a small amount of confusion as rival NBC affiliate WSTM-TV was known as WSYR-TV from February 15, 1950 until its sale to Times-Mirror in 1980.

WSYR-TV's studio facility is also the "Digital CentralCasting" control hub for Newport Television's stations in Rochester, Watertown, Binghamton, and Elmira. This system was implemented to help with the upcoming digital television transition in 1999-2000. This included an addition to the current building and a new set and newsroom built by NewSet. Other stations throughout Ackerley's New York cluster also received similar looking sets.

Also in 2000, in a response to lost ratings, NewsChannel 9 began a new segment called "Your Stories." [http://www.newslab.org/resources/yourstories.htm] Your Stories is where viewers can call the station, not have to deal with an automated phone system, and get right on line with a staffer for help with questions. The most popular topics are turned into segments, which air at 5:16pm during the 5pm newscast. Your Stories was reinvented in 2007, when WSYR-TV started the "Consumer Protection Unit." The unit is divided into 3 different parts, Your Stories, The Real Deal, and Consumer Reports. The Real Deal was introduced as a headliner for stories about scams, bad deals, and ripoffs. Your Stories still remains for other general knowledge segments suggested from viewers.

In 2004, WSYR-TV premiered a talk show produced through their station titled "Bridge Street." The program airs every weekday at 10:00AM on NewsChannel 9.

On December 22, 2006, Nancy Duffy, a General Assignment Reporter for WSYR-TV died after long-term illness. She became the first woman police reporter in Central New York after joining the Syracuse Herald-Journal in 1966. She was Syracuse’s first TV female reporter when she moved to WHEN-TV (now WTVH-TV) in 1967. She became the first woman to join the Syracuse Press Club, and later served as its president. In 1970, Nancy served as press secretary at Syracuse City Hall. She returned to Channel 5 after a year, and moved to NewsChannel 9 as a reporter and morning anchor in 1977.

On April 20, 2007, Clear Channel entered into an agreement to sell its entire television stations group to Newport Television, a broadcasting group established by Providence Equity Partners.cite press release|title=Clear Channel Agrees to Sell Television Station Group to Providence Equity Partners|publisher=Clear Channel Communications|url=http://www.clearchannel.com/Corporate/PressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=1943|date=2007-04-20|accessdate=2007-04-20] WSYR (AM) was not part of the sale, and the current plan is for the call letters to stay WSYR.

Portions of WSYR's programming, most notably its noon newscast, are being streamed on the Internet as of January 2007.

In July 2008, 46-year station veteran Mike Price retired. The NewsChannel 9 WSYR news studio was renamed "Mike Price Studio" in dedication to his work during 'Bridge Street' on July 9, 2008.

News/Station Presentation

Newscast Titles

*"Charles Hammond and the News" (1962-1972)
*"9 News" (1972-1974, 1993-1998)
*"Eyewitness News" (1974-1993)
*"NewsChannel 9" (1993-present)

tation Slogans

*"Coverage You Can Count On" (1998-2005) "Still used sporadically"
*"The News That Matters, From The People You Trust" (2005-2007) "Still on anchors section of website"
*"NewsChannel 9 is Everywhere" (2007-present)

pecial Affiliations

*Cortland High School- (CVC) "Cortland Video Club" - Jim Forshee [http://www.cortlandvideoclub.com]
*Cable News Network- (CNN) - Provides local reports to CNN Center in Atlanta, GA.

Digital Programming

WSYR-DT (UHF 17) operates two subchannels of digital programming:

Newscasts

Weekdays

*The Morning News (5:00-7:00am, repeat on 9.2 from 7:00-9:00am)
*The Morning News Cut-Ins during Good Morning America (approx. 7:25, 7:55, 8:25 and 8:55am)
*NewsChannel 9 at Noon (12:00-12:30pm, repeat on 9.2 from 1:00-1:30pm)
*NewsChannel 9 at 5:00/5:30/6:00 (5:00-6:30pm, repeat on 9.2 from 6:30-8:00pm)
*NewsChannel 9 (11:00-11:35pm, repeats on 9.2 at midnight, 1:00am and 4:00am)

Weekends

*The Morning News Weekend (7:00-8:00am)
*NewsChannel 9 Weekend (6:00-6:30pm)
*NewsChannel 9 Weekend (11:00-11:35pm)

Weekend newscasts are not repeated on 9.2. The 6:00 weekend newscast is often delayed or pre-empted altogether by live ABC Sports programming.

On-Air Talent

Anchors

*Carrie Lazarus (Noon, 5-6:30PM Anchor & Family Healthcast)
*Rod Wood (5-6:30PM & Anchor & Consumer Reports)
*Dan Cummings (The Morning News Anchor)
*Christie Casciano (The Morning News Anchor & On The Lookout)
*Tanja Babich (The Morning News Weekend Anchor & General Assignment Reporter)
*Kelly Quinn (6:00PM & 11:00PM Weekend Anchor)

Weather

*Brandon Capasso (Off-air Meteorologist)
*Mark Chapin (The Morning News Weekend & 6PM, 11PM Weekend Meteorologist)
*Dave Eichorn (5-6:30PM & 11PM Chief Meteorologist)
*Dave Longley (The Morning News & Noon Meteorologist)
*Jim Teske (On air fill-in)

ports

*Ashley Adamson (Weekend Sports Anchor/Reporter)
*Steve Infanti (Sports Director)
*Sal Maneen (Sports Reporter)

Reporters

*Tanja Babich (The Morning News Weekend Anchor & General Assignment Reporter)
*Kim Brown (The Morning News & General Assignment Reporter)
*Tim Fox (Special Assignment Reporter)
*Jeff Kulikowsky (General Assignment Reporter)
*Jennifer Lewke (Consumer Investigator)
*Kevin Torres (Photojournalist)
*Ray Villeda (General Assignment Reporter)
*Kelly Quinn (6:00PM & 11:00PM Weekend Anchor & General Assignment Reporter)

Bridge Street (Daytime Talk)

*Rick Gary (Co-Host)
*Carrie Lazarus (Co-Host)

External links

* [http://www.9wsyr.com/ NewsChannel 9 WSYR]
* [http://mobile.9wsyr.com/ 9 WSYR Mobile]
* [http://community.9wsyr.com/blogs/plugged_in_the_dtv_switch Plugged In: The DTV Switch]
*TVQ|WSYR
*BIA|WSYR|TV|TV
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iQ7zAPhkyw&mode=related&search= From YouTube: 1974 promos for WNYS "Eyewitness News"]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJkZijwgDxk= From YouTube: WNYS-TV's "9 News" with Rod Carr from Spring 1972]

References