WSFA

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WSFA
city =
station_
station_slogan = Coverage, Community, Commitment
station_branding = WSFA 12 News
analog = 12 (VHF)
digital = 14(UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = NBC
NBC Weather Plus (DT2)
RTN (DT3)
network =
founded =
airdate = December 25, 1954
location = Montgomery, Alabama
callsign_meaning = With the
South's
Finest
Airport
former_callsigns = WSFA-TV (1954-1986)
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Raycom Media, Inc.
licensee = WSFA License Subsidiary, LLC
sister_stations =
former_affiliations =
effective_radiated_power = 316 kW (analog)
600 kW (digital)
HAAT = 610 m (analog)
507 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 13993
coordinates = coord|31|58|28.6|N|86|9|44.2|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.wsfa.com/ www.wsfa.com]

WSFA is an NBC-affiliated television station broadcasting on VHF channel 12 in Montgomery, Alabama. It is owned by Raycom Media, and is one of the company's two flagship stations, along with WBTV in Charlotte. Its transmitter is located near Grady, Alabama.

WSFA's signal is the strongest in the state, covering a large area extending from the geographical center of the state in Chilton County to the Florida state line and the Black Belt region of southwestern Alabama to the Chattahoochee River bordering the state of Georgia. As such, the station is the default NBC affiliate for the Dothan/southeastern Alabama market as well, as that area has no NBC station of its own.

WSFA carries NBC Weather Plus on one of its digital subcarriers, and carries programs from the Retro Television Network, owned by Equity Media Holdings Corporation on its other subcarrier. [ [http://ir.emdaholdings.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=275305 Equity Media Holdings Corporation - RTN to Launch in Montgomery] ]

History

The call letters W"SFA" stand for "S"outh's "F"inest "A"irport. These call letters can be traced back to 1930, when Gordon Persons (later to become Governor of Alabama) opened Alabama's fourth radio station under the same name in Montgomery. The radio station was located in what is now the Gunter Annex of Maxwell Air Force Base, but was then Montgomery Regional Airport. Persons publicized the station with the call letters and the slogan they represented.

WSFA quickly became a landmark in Montgomery, and the station was most famous in its early days for launching the career of country music legend Hank Williams, a native of nearby Georgiana, in the 1940s. By the mid-1950s, the new medium of television was sweeping the nation, and, accordingly, Persons won the construction permit for Montgomery's second television station, on channel 12. Ironically, channel 12 was supposed to be occupied by Montgomery's first television station, WCOV-TV. However, due to a delay in getting a transmitter for channel 12, WCOV-TV was forced to move to channel 20--a historical accident that would ultimately cost it Montgomery's CBS affiliation 30 years later.

On Christmas Day, December 25, 1954, WSFA-TV aired its first broadcast. When the television studios were built, the radio station moved into the facility along with the new TV station. In February 1955, just two months after going on the air, the radio and television stations were purchased by the Oklahoma Publishing Company. At that time, the stations were operated by a staff of 35. In 1956, the radio station was sold, changed its call letters to WHHY, and moved to a downtown location. [ [http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=47387&nav=menu33_10 History of WSFA-TV] ]

The TV station, now operating apart from its former namesake radio partner, also was again sold, this time to the Broadcasting Company of the South of Columbia, South Carolina in 1959. During that period, WSFA gained a national reputation for its coverage (fed periodically to the NBC network) of local events in the Civil Rights Movement such as the Bus Boycott of 1955 involving Rosa Parks and the varied activities of Martin Luther King, Jr. during his pastorate at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. The station's news director for much of the Civil Rights era was Frank McGee, who eventually joined NBC News and hosted "The Today Show" until his death in 1974.

The Broadcasting Company of the South, a subsidiary of Liberty Life Insurance Company, renamed itself Cosmos Broadcasting Corporation in 1965. Later in the decade, Liberty reorganized itself as The Liberty Corporation, with Cosmos and Liberty Life as its subsidiaries.

The station's reputation as a strong news station dates from its original purchase by the Oklahoma Publishing Company. For example, it was one of the first stations outside a major market to own film processing equipment. Channel 12 has received much praise from critics for its thorough and straightforward coverage of state politics. When Liberty bought WSFA, the station's image as a strong news station led Liberty to beef up the news departments at its other properties as well.

That reputation, along with its history as the area's only VHF station until 1985 and its large service territory (almost all of southeastern Alabama), has made channel 12 the far-and-away market leader for as long as records have been kept. WSFA has further cemented its hold on local audiences with programs such as the Auburn University football coach's Sunday post-game show, hosted for many years by former WSFA sports director Phil Snow. Also, its early morning "Today in Alabama" is reputed to be one of the highest, if not the highest, rated local morning shows in the U.S.

Liberty exited the insurance business in 2002, bringing WSFA directly under the Liberty banner. Liberty merged with Raycom in 2006. Since Raycom is headquartered in Montgomery, this made WSFA Raycom's flagship station. However, with Raycom's 2006 purchase of Lincoln Financial Media's television stations, WSFA now shares flagship status with Charlotte's WBTV.

Tracing back from its humble beginnings as the upstart TV arm of a local radio station, WSFA is still broadcasting from its original south Montgomery location. Several expansions of the Delano Avenue facility now provide room for a staff of more than 100 and two large telecasting studios.

Syndicated Programing:

*"Judge Judy" - 3:00pm
*"Judge Joe Brown" - 3:30pm
*"Oprah Winfrey" - (Premiered on WSFA 12 on September 8, 2008 at 4pm - Formerly on WAKA-TV (CBS 8)
*"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" - 1:00pm
*"Entertainment Tonight" - 6:30pm On September 8, 2008,"Access Hollywood" was moved to "WRJM-TV" (My 67); the show was moved because "Alabama LIVE" moved to a full hour (11am-12pm); "The People's Court" was moved to "WCOV-TV" (FOX 20) on September 8, 2008 as well.

High Definiton!

On Saturday, August 3, 2008, WSFA 12 News began broadcasting their local newscast in high definition. The set and the graphics were redesigned in the transition.

WSFA 12 Newscasts

WSFA 12 News offers 5 hours & 30mins. of newscasts each weekday.
*Today In Alabama (5am-7am)
*Alabama "LIVE!" (11am-12pm)
*WSFA 12 News At Noon (12pm-12:30pm)
*WSFA 12 News At 5 (5pm-5:30pm)
*WSFA 12 News At 6 (6pm-6:30pm)
*FOX News At Nine (9pm-9:35pm)on WCOV-TV (FOX 20) & WDFX-TV (FOX 34)
*WSFA 12 News At 10 (10pm-10:35pm)

WSFA 12 News offers 1 hour and 30 minutes of newscasts on Saturdays
*WSFA 12 News At 6 (6pm-6:35pm)
*FOX News At Nine (9pm-9:30pm)
*WSFA 12 News At 10 (10pm-10:35pm)

WSFA 12 News offers 2 hours of newscasts on Sundays
*Today In Alabama: Sunday Special Edtion
*WSFA 12 News At 5 (5pm-5:30pm)
*FOX News At Nine (9pm-9:30pm)
*WSFA 12 News At 10 (10pm-11pm)

Important Dates at WSFA 12

On January 15, 2007, WSFA 12 News added a new newscast at 11a.m. called, "Alabama LIVE!". the show reflects on WSFA 12's slogan which is "Coverage, Community, Commitment". Special guests are on the show everyday. The show's hosted by WSFA 12 News Anchor Kim Hendrix. On Monday, January 7, 2008, WSFA 12 News launched a 35 minute newscast, FOX News at Nine, which airs on two FOX affilites one hour earlier than WSFA 12 News at 10. It's called, "FOX News at Nine" because it has local news for two FOX affliiates, WCOV-TV (FOX 20) in Montgomery, Alabama and WDFX-TV (FOX 34) in Dothan, Alabama.

On Saturday, August 3, 2008, WSFA 12 News began broadcasting their local newscasts in high definition. The news set and the graphics were redesigned in the transition.

On Monday, September 8, 2008, WSFA 12 News officially added an extra 30 minutes to Alabama "LIVE!". The show was formerly 30 minuets. Now, it's one full our, leading into WSFA 12 News at Noon.

On Monday, September 15, 2008, WSFA 12 News Anchor Tonya Terry became the host of her own show called, "Talk with Tonya". The show comes on every Monday at 9am on one of WSFA 12's digital channels, 12.3 (Retro Television Network).

On Sunday, October 12, 2008, WSFA 12 News will premiere a new Sunday morning newscast, Today In Alabama: Sunday Special Edition. The show will be anchored by WSFA 12 News Anchor Sally Pitts and WSFA 12 Meteorologist Allyson Rae.

Current News Personalities

News Anchors

* Bob Howell - Weeknights, WSFA 12 News at 6 & 10
* Valorie Lawson - Weeknights, WSFA 12 News at 6 & 10
* Kim Hendrix - Weekdays, Alabama "LIVE!" & WSFA 12 News at 5
* Mark Bullock - Weeknights, WSFA 12 News at 5 (Sunday-Thursday) & FOX News At Nine (Monday-Thursday)
* Tonya Terry - Weekdays, Today In Alabama, WSFA 12 News at Noon, Host of "Talk with Tonya"
* Judd Davis - Weekdays, Today In Alabama & WSFA 12 News at Noon

News Reporters
* Jennifer Oravet - Weekdays, Morning Reporter
* Bryan Henry - Evening Reporter
* Cody Holyoke - Evening Reporter
* Eileen Jones - Evening Reporter
* Sally Pitts - Evening Reporter, anchor of WSFA 12 News Saturdays & FOX News At Nine
* Melissa McKinney - Evening Reporter
* Daniel Curtis - Evening Reporter, Wiregrass Newsroom

Traffic Tracker
*Andi Scott - Weekdays, Today In Alabama (Also heared on WLWI 92.3-FM)

Doppler 12 StormVision Meteorologists:

* Rich Thomas - Weeknights, Chief Meteorologist
* Josh Johnson - Morning & Noon Meteorologist
* Dan Atkinson - Weekend Meteorologist
* Allyson Rae - Weeknights, FOX News At Nine Meteorologist

WSFA 12 Sports Team:

* Jeff Shearer - Weeknights, Sports Director
* Derek Steyer - Weekends, Sports Achor & Reporter
* Kyle Montgomery - Sports Anchor/Reporter, also FOX News At Nine
* Abby Chin - Sports Anchor/Reporter

Some of the Past Personalities

*Rob Hatchell - Meteorologist (Left in 2008,Now at WMBF-TV)
*Chris Holmes - News Anchor/Reporter (Left in 2008)
*Ashley Anderson - News Reporter (Left in 2007, Now at WAFF-TV as Bobby Shuttleworth)
*John Heckman - Sports Anchor/Reporter (Left in 2007)
*Carrie Johnson - News Anchor
*Mickey Ferguson - Meteorologist (Now at WBRC-TV)
*Phil Snow - Sports Anchor
*Bill Taylor - News Anchor
*Jeff Gerber - Meteorologist (Left in 2005)
*Michael Bridell - News Anchor
*Jennifer Van Vraken - News Achor (Now at WVUE-TV)
*Joey Parker - News Anchor (Left in 2003, Now at WCJB-TV)
*David Hagood - News Anchor (Now at WAKA-TV)
*Ryan Vaughn - Meteorologist (Left in 2006, Now at KAIT-TV)
*Deloris Keith - News Anchor (Left in 2005)
*Stacy Nuemann - News Reporter (Left in 2007)
*Keysha Perry - News Reporter
*Beth Jett - News Reporter
*Theo Travers - News Reporter (Left in 2006, Now at WREG-TV)
*Jennifer Schram - Meteorologist
*Debbie Williams - News Reporter (Now at WKRG-TV)

News/Station Presentation

Newscast Titles
*"News Room With Frank McGee" (1955-1956)
*"WSFA-TV News" (1956-1980s)
*"WSFA 12 News" (2002- Present)

References

External links

* [http://www.wsfa.com/ WSFA website]
*TVQ|WSFA
*BIA|WSFA|TV|TV
*TitanTV|WSFA