WCVB-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WCVB-TV
station_
station_slogan = Local Live Coverage
You Can Count On
station_branding = "Channel 5" {general)
"NewsCenter 5 HD" (newscasts)
analog = 5 (VHF)
digital = 20 (UHF)
subchannels = (see article)
affiliations = ABC (1957-1961 and 1972-present)
founded = | airdate = November 26, 1957
"(current license dates to March 19, 1972)"
location = Boston, Massachusetts
callsign_meaning = Channel
V (five in Roman numerals)
Boston
former_callsigns = WHDH-TV (1957-1972)
owner = Hearst-Argyle Television
licensee = WCVB Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc.
sister_stations = WMUR-TV
former_affiliations = CBS (1961-1972)
effective_radiated_power = 61.7 kW (analog)
625 kW (digital)
HAAT = 353 m (analog)
390 m (digital)
facility_id = 65684
coordinates = coord|42|18|37.2|N|71|14|11.7|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.thebostonchannel.com/ www.thebostonchannel.com]

WCVB-TV, channel 5, is a television station located in Boston, Massachusetts. WCVB-TV is owned by Hearst-Argyle Television, and is affiliated with the ABC Television Network. Its studios and transmitter are located in Needham, Massachusetts.

History

As WHDH-TV

The first station in Boston to use channel 5 was WHDH-TV, which signed on November 26, 1957, owned by the "Boston Herald-Traveler" Corp. along with WHDH radio (AM 850, now occupied by WEEI; and FM 94.5, now WJMN). It was originally an ABC affiliate, but switched to CBS in 1961. [http://www.geocities.com/jehobden/tvgene.html] [http://www.theprovidencechannel.com/whdh/history.htm]

However, almost as soon as it signed on, the FCC began investigating allegations of impropriety in the granting of the television license. The struggle lasted 15 years. As a result, WHDH-TV never had a license longer than six months at a time. (Most television licenses last for three years.) In 1969, a local group, Boston Broadcasters, won a construction permit for a new channel 5 under the calls of WCVB-TV after promising to air more local programming than any other station in America at the time. Herald-Traveler Corp. fought the decision in court, but lost in 1972, and Boston Broadcasters was granted a license to operate its new station.

As WCVB-TV

On March 18, 1972, WHDH-TV signed off for the last time, replaced by the new WCVB-TV early the next morning. That same day, WCVB-TV began news operations as News 5. However, the Herald-Traveler refused to hand over its facilities to the new channel 5, forcing the station to rent tower space from WBZ-TV. For its studios, WCVB used an old International Harvester dealership in Needham, which the station continues to use today. Although WCVB operates under a different license, it claims the former WHDH-TV's history as its own. It also inherited all of WHDH-TV's personnel, including anchorman Jack Hynes.

CBS was not amused at the prospect of numerous preemptions in the nation's fifth-largest market and refused to have anything to do with WCVB. As a result, WCVB cut a deal with ABC. CBS then moved its programming back to WNAC-TV (channel 7, later WNEV-TV and now the current WHDH-TV), which had been Boston's original CBS affiliate from 1948 to 1961. Making good on its promise, WCVB aired more local programming than any other television station in the nation throughout the 1970s and the 1980s. One of its local programs was "Good Day!". This program, which first aired in 1973 (as "Good Morning!"), broke ground by taking its entire production on the road and broadcasting from locations outside the Boston area. "Good Day!", along with "The Morning Exchange" on WEWS in Cleveland, served as a basis for the format of ABC's "Good Morning America". The show aired from 1974 until 1991 (the show's cancellation), Eileen Prose hosted the last years of the program. The show's original hosts were John Willis, Janet Langhart and Martisha Palmer. Due to its commitment to local programming, the station was quick to preempt programs, including low-rated prime time ABC network programs. Most of the time these programs were picked up by an independent station such as WQTV (now WBPX) or Worcester-based WHLL-TV (now WUNI-TV). Since the mid-1990s WCVB has cleared the entire ABC television schedule, although it occasionally preempts network programming for local specials and movies. Notable examples are the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon and the 2004 preemption of "Saving Private Ryan" for another movie, "Far and Away."

WCVB-TV was sold by Boston Broadcasters to Metromedia in 1982 for $220 million, the biggest sale ever made for a local station at the time. ["Metromedia - WCVB-TV Boston - $220 million." "Broadcasting", July 27, 1981.] In 1986, Metromedia sold their television stations to the News Corporation and the 20th Century Fox film studio, who later used Metromedia's group of independent stations to launch the Fox Broadcasting Company. ["Another spin for TV's revolving door." "Broadcasting", May 6, 1985.] Channel 5 was included in the original deal, but was subsequently spun-off to the Hearst Corporation, who had purchased fellow ABC affiliate KMBC-TV in Kansas City, Missouri from Metromedia in 1982. That station was sold to make room in Metromedia's group for WCVB (to comply with then-FCC limits on the number of commonly-owned VHF stations, which at the time was five per company), and it is believed that Metromedia gave Hearst a right of first refusal offer if WCVB ever went up for sale again. ["Hearst's rise in the ownership ranks." "Broadcasting", May 6, 1985.] Fox would get its own station in Boston in 1987, when it bought WXNE-TV (channel 25) from the Christian Broadcasting Network and renamed it WFXT.

Local programming

WCVB currently produces two major programs:
*"Chronicle", a local nightly newsmagazine started in 1982, is still broadcasting on weekdays as of 2007. It focuses on topics of special interest throughout New England, though at times the program focuses on subjects outside the region such as Ireland. "The Main Streets and Back Roads", one of the program's longest running series, looks at life in New England, primarily in the rural areas. A New Hampshire version of the program is produced by WCVB's sister station WMUR. The WCVB edition began broadcasting in HD on March 3, 1999. It was the first local program to broadcast in HD in New England.
*"CityLine", which airs Sundays at noon, looks at urban issues and interests within the Boston area. Its long-time host is Karen Holmes Ward.

While the station is no longer so involved in locally-produced programming as it once was, it has had some influential programs:
*"Candlepin Bowling", which ran Saturdays at 12 noon for nearly four decades, and was hosted for nearly all of that time by legendary WCVB sports anchor Don Gillis.
*"Good Day!", an inspiration for "Good Morning America".
*"Miller's Court", a dramatized mock-trial program with a live audience. (hosted Harvard Law Professor Arthur Miller)
*"Park Street Under", an influence for "Cheers".
*"The Baxters", a sitcom on an American family, with a discussion component. Norman Lear would later bring the show to the national audience.

Until the late 1990s, WCVB broadcast an annual holiday season showing of the 1954 film "White Christmas", preempting ABC's network programming.

From February 1994 to May 1998, WCVB was also the official station for "Lottery Live", the weeknight broadcasts of the Mass State Lottery drawings. Unlike predecessor host station WHDH-TV, where both "Lottery Live" weeknight drawings aired between 7:50 and 8:00pm, WCVB chose to air the daily Numbers Game at 7:53 (during "Chronicle") while the specialty game (Megabucks, Mass Millions, etc) was held over until 11:10 (later 11:20) during "NewsCenter 5 Tonight". A frequent substitute host for Dawn Hayes on the drawings was Nancy O'Neil, wife of former Red Sox pitcher Dennis Eckersley.

During the original Channel 5 era, the Lottery also backed a Saturday night game show, "Bonus Bonanza", hosted by Dawn Hayes and Brian Tracey. The show had randomly drawn contestants play elimination games (a la "Price is Right") to win big cash prizes. At the shows end, the three players for the night would come back for a bonus round. Each would place a cylinder on a numbered space from 1 to 12. Then a motorized cube would be let go for 30 seconds, in order to knock the cylinders down. After 30 seconds, any person with a cylinder still standing won the Cash amount associated with their number choice. Prizes ranged from $25,000 to $200,000 in cash. The $200,000 was won several times in its 3 year run on WCVB. The program also served as the runoff program for the various contests associated with the Massachusetts lottery. One such contest featured contestants playing for a Cruise for 20, a Chevrolet Blazer truck, and $25,000 a year for life. "Bonus Bonanza" had a solid run from January 1995 to March 1998. After Channel 5's contract with the lottery commission was up, the drawings moved back to WBZ-TV.

Currently, since August 2004, the drawings have returned to WCVB, albeit with a revamped format. The idea of a host and present lottery ball machine have been dropped, with only on-screen graphics displaying the already-drawn winning numbers for a minute or so. A rotating group of off-screen voiceovers announce the drawings. In the case of the daily Numbers Game however, a mid-screen shot of the traditional "number wheels" are featured, with the balls resting on the chosen digits.

Over the past several years, WCVB's sports department has produced New England Patriots pre-season games. They are also seen on sister station WMTW-TV in Portland and WNAC-TV in Providence. In addition, WCVB used to pre-empt ABC programming to air some Patriots games aired during ESPN Sunday Night Football. This now happens during some ESPN Monday Night Football Patriots games.

Until 2005, when the Boston Red Sox were involved in post-season action, WCVB simulcasted those games from ESPN. MLB divisional playoff games have since moved to TBS.

Digital television

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009 http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf] , WCVB-TV will continue digital broadcasts on its current pre-transition channel number, 20. [http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101230904&formid=387&fac_num=65684 CDBS Print ] ] However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display WCVB's virtual channel as 5.

Community outreach

Since 1972, WCVB-TV, as a part of its commitment to serving the community through extensive local programming, has run a series of different public service campaigns to help to educate people on relevant issues and values of the day. Each campaign has had a different theme, ranging from racial unity to family values and achieving success through continued education. Here's a comprehensive list of the programs developed by channel 5 over the last few decades:

*"The New England Network" (1970s)
*"Five All Night with George Fennel" (1970s)
*"Great Expectations" (1988-1990)
*"A World of Tolerance" (1990-1991)
*"Family Works!" (1991-1993)
*"Success By 6" (1993-1996)
*"The HealthBeat Project" (1996-2001)
*"Keeping Kids On Track" (2001-2003)
*"CommonWealth 5" (2001-present)
*"Choosing to Participate" (coming soon)

News operation

As WHDH, its newscasts were known "WHDH-TV News". This title was used until March 18, 1972, when the station signed off for the last time and was replaced by WCVB. The next day, on March 19, WCVB began news operations as "News 5". This newscast title was used until 1973 when it was replaced with the current "NewsCenter" title. Since then, the station has been known for exceptional news coverage and was consistently at the top of the news ratings since the early-1980s. Through the next couple decades, the station boasted the most-watched news team of Chet Curtis and Natalie Jacobson who married each other while co-anchors. However, by the late-1990s and early-2000s, the station was in a period of transition as it saw major competition from a resurgent WHDH.

At the same time, the station, known for the longevity and stability of its on-air staff, saw the end of its longtime anchor team of Curtis and Jacobson as well as their marriage (which ended in a bitter divorce at the same time). Natalie Jacobson continued to anchor the news at channel 5 while Chet Curtis is at half sister station NECN, a regional cable news channel. On July 18, 2007, Jacobson retired from WCVB. In mid-October of 2002, WCVB launched its weather radar that is currently known as "Storm Team 5 HD Doppler". This made the station the first in the market to operate its own weather radar. It is located west of Boston in Hopkinton. Also in 2002, Chief Meteorologist Dick Albert was joined by former rival Harvey Leonard who left WHDH to become co-chief meteorologist with Albert. Widely regarded as two of Boston's top meteorologists, Leonard and Albert were honored by the Associated Press in 2005 for "Best Weathercast in New England". In February of 2007, meteorologist Mike Wankum, who was Chief Meteorologist at WLVI-TV, was hired to work as the weekend evening meteorologist.

In the February 2007 ratings period, WCVB placed first in every local news timeslot it competed in. Channel 5 even displaced WHDH in total viewers and the 25-54 demo at 11 P.M. It was the first time since 1998 that WCVB swept all of its newscast timeslots. Only WFXT's 10 o'clock news drew more viewers than any of the "big three" affiliate late evening newscasts. That victory was short-lived, however. In the May 2007 ratings period, WHDH regained the lead at 11 o'clock after another close battle. On May 14, starting at 5 P.M., WCVB began producing its local newscasts in high definition. The station is the first in the Boston market, as well as in New England, to make the transition. Hearst-Argyle's cluster in Sacramento, California (KCRA-TV and KQCA) were the first stations in the company to upgrade.

This change resulted in the debut of a new studio set designed by FX Group and on-air graphics. However, channel 5 kept the same Hearst-Argyle theme music. The station operates a Aérospatiale AS350B helicopter entitled "Sky 5" that is live broadcast capable and shared with NECN. For statewide news coverage throughout Massachusetts, WCVB shares its resources with two other ABC affiliates in the state: WLNE-TV in New Bedford (the network's Providence, Rhode Island station) and WGGB-TV in Springfield. WCVB provides national news from ABC News for NECN. During the week, WCAP-AM 980 in Lowell simulcasts WCVB's newscasts from 5 to 6 A.M. and from 5:30 to 6:30 P.M.

News/Station Presentation

Newscast Titles

*"WHDH-TV News" (1957-1972)
*"News 5" (1972-1973)
*"NewsCenter 5" (1973-present)

News team

;Anchors
* David Brown - weekday mornings
* Liz Brunner - weeknights at 6 PM; Fridays only 5 & 11 PM
* Pam Cross - weekend evenings (also reporter)
* Bianca De La Garza - weekday mornings
* Bob Halloran - Friday and Saturday evenings
* Ed Harding - Sundays-Thursdays 5, 6 & 11 PM
* Steve Lacy - weekend mornings (also reporter)
* Shiba Russell - weekend mornings (also reporter)
* Heather Unruh - Sundays-Thursdays 5 & 11 PM
* Susan Wornick - weekdays Noon

;Weather
* Dick Albert - chief meteorologist/weeknights 5 & 6 PM
* David Epstein - weekend mornings
* Harvey Leonard - co-chief meteorologist/weeknights 5:30 & 11 PM
* J.C. Monahan - weekday mornings & Noon
* Mike Wankum - weekend evenings
* Joe Venuti - weather producer and substitute meteorologist
* David Brown - fill in

;Sports
* Mike Dowling - Friday and Saturday nights; also sports reporter
* Mike Lynch - sports director/Sunday-Thursday evenings; also host of "Patriots All Access"

;"Chronicle"
* Mike Barnicle - commentator
* Anthony Everett - anchor
* Peter Mehegan - reporter
* Ted Reinstein - reporter/producer
* Mary Richardson - anchor
* Shayna Seymour - reporter/producer

;Reporters
* Amalia Barreda
* Jim Boyd
* Jack Harper
* Karen Holmes Ward - host of "City Line"
* Gail Huff
* Dr. Timothy Johnson (health and science editor; also reports for ABC News)
* Todd Kazakiewich
* Sean Kelly (investigative)
* Sally Kidd
* Laurie Kinney
* Traci Mitchell
* Jorge Quiroga
* Rhondella Richardson (investigative)
* Mary Saladna
* Kelley Tuthill (investigative)
* Janet Wu (State House reporter)
* Susan Wornick (investigative)

Notable alumni

References

* [http://www.thebostonchannel.com/newscenter5/286237/detail.html WCVB's Station Timeline (2005). "TheBostonChannel.com"] .
* [http://www.80stvthemes.com/promos/wcvb.html WCVB Boston. "The '80s TV Theme SuperSite"] .
* [http://www.bostonradio.org/stations/65684.html The Boston TV Dial: WCVB-TV] , The Archives @ BostonRadio.org, 2006-04-02.

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDWl0HZpZqA A behind-the-scenes look at WCVB-TV in 1977]
* [http://www.thebostonchannel.com/ WCVB-TV "Channel 5"]
* [http://wap.wcvb.com/ WCVB wireless]
* [http://www.abc.com/ ABC]
*TVQ|WCVB
*BIA|WCVB|TV|TV