- WFMZ-TV
Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WFMZ-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan = Your Life
Your World
Your News
station_branding = "69 WFMZ-TV" (general)
"69 News" (newscasts)
analog = 69 (UHF)
digital = 46 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = IndependentThe AccuWeather Channel (DT2)
network =
founded =
airdate =November 25 ,1976
location =Allentown, Pennsylvania
callsign_meaning = Family Minded Zone
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Maranatha Broadcasting Company, Inc.
licensee =
sister_stations =
former_affiliations =
effective_radiated_power = 5000 kW (analog)
400 kW (digital)
HAAT = 313 m (analog)
331 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 39884
coordinates = coord|40|33|52.2|N|75|26|23.6|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.wfmz.com/ www.wfmz.com]WFMZ-TV is a general interest independent television station in
Allentown, Pennsylvania , which is part of the Philadelphia DMA. Its studio and transmitter are located on South Mountain in Allentown. WFMZ went on the air onThanksgiving 1976 with two daily newscasts and a mix ofreligious and general interest programming.WFMZ mainly serves the
Lehigh Valley and Berks County areas with cable coverage in much of the Philadelphia DMA. There is over the air signal coverage in some northwestNew Jersey counties that are part of theNew York City DMA. WFMZ also serves as a local station in news and cable coverage to Carbon County and Monroe County within theWilkes-Barre -Scranton DMA.The schedule consists of some first run syndicated programs like "
Judge Judy ", "Judge Joe Brown ", "Jury Duty", "Family Feud ", "Deal or No Deal", "Merv Griffin's Crosswords " and classic TV shows such as "Family Ties ", "I Love Lucy ", "Matlock" and "Hawaii Five-0 ", and paid programming airing during the overnight hours. The station also produces various programs aboutbusiness ,sports andhealth related issues.News Operation
WFMZ-TV originally had two daily newscasts called "News Pulse" that ran when the station launched in 1976. These would be renamed "Channel 69 News" until finally settling on "69 News". Those two newscasts have expanded to over fifty a week including the Philadelphia area's only local Spanish newscast (which launched in
February 2003 ). In2005 , WFMZ formed a partnership with Philadelphia station WPVI which allows the stations to cooperate in news gathering purposes. The current set for 69 News debuted inApril 2006 . High-definition news broadcasts began onMay 1 ,2008 .News Team
Anchors
*Perla López Baray - Edición en Español
*Jaciel Cordoba - Sunrise and Noon
*Wendy Davis - weeknights at 5-6:30 PM and 10-11 PM
*Rob Vaughn - weeknights at 5-6:30 PM and 10-11 PMAnchors/Reporters
*John Derr - weekend evenings, health beat reporter
*Karin Mallett - weekend evenings, weekday Berks Edition reporter
*Eve Tannery - Sunrise anchor and noon reporter
*Nancy Werteen - Thursday Noon, Connect with Kids reporterWeather Anchors
*Matt Broderick - Sunrise and Noon meteorologist
*Kathy Craine - weeknights 6 PM
*Ed Hanna - chief meteorologist, weeknights 5-6 PM, 10-11 PM
*Mark Shanaberger - weekend evening meteorologist
*Zenddy Caicedo Tintle - Edición en EspañolSports Anchors
*Troy Hein - sports director, weeknights 5 PM, 6 PM, 10-11 PM
*Dave Lesko - sports reporter, chief sports photographer
*Tim McMaster - weeknights 5:30 PM
*Jim Vaughn - weekend sports anchor, sports reporterReporters
*Melissa Batulis - Berks Edition reporter
*Linda Candelo - Edición en Español reporter
*Rick Edwards - traffic reporter
*Stephanie Esposito - Wednesday-Sunday reporter
*Jaccii Farris - Senior Reporter, Docujournalist
*J.C. Kelleher - fill-in traffic reporter/producer
*Bo Koltnow - evening reporter
*Joscelyn Moes - evening reporter
*Dwayne Parker - Edición en Español reporter
*Jackie Shutack - Saturday-Wednesday reporter
*Joel D. Smith - Berks Edition reporterAccuWeather Channel
The AccuWeather Channel debuted onFebruary 4 ,2001 . It is broadcasted on WFMZ DT2 and digital cable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and according to WFMZ, was the first 24 hour localweather channel in theUnited States . Local weather updates are given every 15 minutes from one of WFMZ's meteorologists, plus national updates provided by AccuWeather. A link on the station's website offers live streaming video of this channel.Weekdays
*Morning Outlook (5 AM-Noon): Matt Broderick
*Afternoon Outlook (Noon-5 PM): Matt Broderick
*Evening Outlook (5-11 PM): Ed Hanna (Mon-Tue) or Mark Shanaberger (Wed-Fri)
*Overnight Outlook (11 PM-5 AM): Ed Hanna (Mon-Tue) or Mark Shanaberger (Wed-Fri)Weekends
*Morning Outlook (5 AM-Noon): Mark Shanaberger
*Afternoon Outlook (Noon-5 PM): Mark Shanaberger
*Evening Outlook (5-10:30 PM): Mark Shanaberger
*Overnight Outlook (10:30 PM-5 AM): Mark ShanabergerLocal Programming
"The Big Ticket"
"The Big Ticket" is a
high school football highlight show that airs every Friday at 11pm during the high school football season. Highlights from local games in TheLehigh Valley andBerks County air along with interviews from players & coaches. It debuted in1995 and is currently hosted by Troy Hein and Tim McMaster, with reports from Dave Lesko and Jim Vaughn."Business Matters"
"Business Matters" is a program hosted by Tony Iannelli, where a panel of experts gather to discuss various business issues. It airs Mondays at 7:30 PM.
"Election Central"
"Election Central" is televised live every year during the May and November elections. Up to the minute results, live interviews and live reports are featured.
"The Freddy Awards"
"The Freddy Awards" which debuted in 2003 is fashioned after Broadway’s
Tony Awards . A panel of evaluators view participating high schools musical performances. The best are honored in a ceremony that is broadcast live in HD on WFMZ every year. Ed Hanna and Shelley Brown host the ceremony from The State Theater in Easton."Law Journal"
[http://www.lawjournaltv.com/ "Law Journal"] debuted in
1993 and is hosted byattorney Christopher Naughton, who is joined by various attorneys who answer questions about law related topics. Viewers can call in and receive free advice from any of the attorneys about the topic of the week. It airs live on Mondays at 8 PM."Lehigh Sports Magazine"
"Lehigh Sports Magazine" is hosted by Troy Hein and features interviews with
Lehigh University coaches and players. It airs Mondays at 7:30 PM during Lehigh's fall sports season."Sertoma Auction"
The Sertoma Auction is televised live on WFMZ every year. Merchants donate items and bidders can call or log on to WFMZ.com to place their bids. The auction raises money for various organizations in the Lehigh Valley. Various WFMZ personalities volunteer their time to the auction.
"Talk With Your Doctor"
"Talk With Your Doctor" is hosted by Doug Eberhart, who is joined by various doctors from St. Luke's Hospital, and offers viewers the chance to call in and receive free medical advice. It airs Mondays at 6:30 PM.
External links
* [http://www.wfmz.com/ Official Web Site of WFMZ-TV]
* [http://www.wfmz.com/wireless WFMZ Wireless]
* [http://www.wfmz.com/tour/set/intro.asp Tour of the set and studio for WFMZ's "69 News"]
*TVQ|WFMZ
*BIA|WFMZ|TV|TV
* [http://www.awchannel.com/ Official Web Site of WFMZ's Accu-Weather Channel]
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