WAND
Encyclopedia
WAND, virtual channel
17, is an NBC
-affiliated television station serving the Decatur
–Springfield
–Champaign
area. It is owned by Block Communications
. It broadcasts on digital UHF
channel 18 from a transmitter near Argenta
, with a translator, W31BX-D, in Danville
.
WAND began on June 17, 1953 as WTVP
, owned by Prairie Broadcasting Company of Decatur and broadcasting from a tower in southwest Decatur. It is the oldest station in central Illinois, and the state's second-oldest station on the UHF band. Initial hopes of carrying programs from all four networks of the time were dashed, and WTVP had to settle for a primary affiliation with ABC
and a secondary affiliations with DuMont
. It was one of ABC's first fourteen primary affiliates, and one of the few early ABC affiliates on the UHF band that survived the 1950s.
Like many stations in medium-sized markets, WTVP initially wasn't able to get a direct network feed. The station had to rely on kinescope
s of ABC and DuMont programming from New York City
, and the programs often aired two weeks after the live broadcast. By October, however, WTVP was able to get ABC programming live from a microwave link in Danville. At this time, it also took on a secondary CBS
affiliation. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network
. Even after WCIA signed on from Champaign in November, WTVP continued to air some CBS programs until 1959.
WTVP was sold to a Chicago
-based group in 1958, only to be sold two years later to Metromedia
. In 1961, the station activated a translator on channel 70 in Champaign. At the time, channel 17 provided only a grade B ("rimshot") signal to the Champaign-Urbana side of the market, and much of the area couldn't see it at all. It was sold to LIN Broadcasting at the end of 1965--the very first station in the LIN chain. On February 15, 1966, the call letters changed to the present WAND.
On October 8, 1966, WAND activated a new 1100 feet (335.3 m) tower in Argenta. It was topped with an experimental RCA
"Vee-Zee" antenna, and one of only two ever put into service. The second antenna was used by WJJY-TV
in nearby Jacksonville
. It was the first million-watt tower in the state, and added Champaign-Urbana to the station's city-grade coverage. As a result, WAND became the first station in the market to provide a city-grade signal to all four of the market's largest cities. At the same time, the channel 70 translator was moved to Danville, on channel 68 (with call sign
W68AA).
On March 26, 1978, WAND's tower was brought down by a massive ice storm. All but 100 feet of the tower fell down under the weight of massive sheets of ice. The collapse exposed a serious design flaw in the tower. Due to WAND's location on the lower end of the UHF dial, the antenna had been one of the heaviest ever used for broadcasting. However, the tower had been designed with the specifications of a much lighter antenna, and was thus not properly engineered to handle so much weight. The same storm brought down WJJY's tower, which was of a similar design and had been assembled by the same company. The station was off the air for two weeks until it returned to the air from its original tower. The translator was moved back to Champaign, still on channel 68. This left Danville without over-the-air programming from ABC for several months.
In 1979, WAND activated its current 1289 feet (392.9 m) tower, also in Argenta. It is the tallest broadcasting tower in Illinois, and with 5 million watts it was the most powerful analog signal in the state. The station also moved the translator back to Danville, this time on channel 31.
LIN wholly owned the station until March 2000, when it sold 67 percent of the station to Block Communications
in exchange for 100 percent of WLFI-TV
in Lafayette, Indiana
. However, LIN continued to operate the station for several years as part of the deal. On September 5, 2005, WAND became an NBC affiliate as part of a larger nationwide deal.
LIN sold its 33 percent share of WAND to Block Communications on November 9, 2007. As a result, LIN no longer operates the station; however, WAND's website remained in the old format of most of the other LIN-owned stations of the time until the WAND web site was redesigned in late 2009 or early 2010.
On February 17, 2009, the Danville repeater shut off its analog signal, and had their digital signal launched. W31BX now maps via PSIP to channels 17.1 and 17.2.
(HDTV) programming to central Illinois. Most syndicated television program
ming seen on the station is broadcast in 4:3 standard definition. High definition programming seen on the station that is broadcast by NBC is broadcast in 16:9
widescreen
high-definition video
.
WAND-TV began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition on June 26, 2010, becoming the first commercial television station in the Champaign-Urbana market to produce their local newscasts in HD.
station WXJ75, based in Springfield
.
StormCenter 17 Weather Team
Sports team
Reporters
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
17, is an NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
-affiliated television station serving the Decatur
Decatur, Illinois
Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...
–Springfield
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
–Champaign
Champaign, Illinois
Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...
area. It is owned by Block Communications
Block Communications
Block Communications is a privately held holding company of various assets, mainly in the print and broadcast media, based in Toledo, Ohio. The company was founded in 1900 in New York City when Paul Block, a German immigrant who came to the United States fifteen years prior, formed an ad...
. It broadcasts on digital UHF
Ultra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
channel 18 from a transmitter near Argenta
Argenta, Illinois
Argenta is a village in Macon County, Illinois, United States, whose population was 921 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Decatur, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.- Geography :Argenta is located at ....
, with a translator, W31BX-D, in Danville
Danville, Illinois
Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is the principal city of the'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Danville and Vermilion County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 32,467. It is the county seat of...
.
History
WTVP
WTVP is the PBS station for Peoria, Bloomington, and Galesburg, Illinois. It operates on TV digital channel 46 and uses virtual channels starting with 47 to reflect its previous analog channel number. WTVP has 3 digital subchannels: WTVP HD, WTVP World, and WTVP Create. Its studio is located in...
, owned by Prairie Broadcasting Company of Decatur and broadcasting from a tower in southwest Decatur. It is the oldest station in central Illinois, and the state's second-oldest station on the UHF band. Initial hopes of carrying programs from all four networks of the time were dashed, and WTVP had to settle for a primary affiliation with ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and a secondary affiliations with DuMont
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
. It was one of ABC's first fourteen primary affiliates, and one of the few early ABC affiliates on the UHF band that survived the 1950s.
Like many stations in medium-sized markets, WTVP initially wasn't able to get a direct network feed. The station had to rely on kinescope
Kinescope
Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program made by filming the picture from a video monitor...
s of ABC and DuMont programming from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and the programs often aired two weeks after the live broadcast. By October, however, WTVP was able to get ABC programming live from a microwave link in Danville. At this time, it also took on a secondary CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliation. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network
NTA Film Network
The NTA Film Network was an early American television network founded by Ely Landau in 1956. The network was not a full-time television network like CBS, NBC, or ABC. Rather, it operated on a part-time basis, broadcasting films and several first-run television programs from major Hollywood studios...
. Even after WCIA signed on from Champaign in November, WTVP continued to air some CBS programs until 1959.
WTVP was sold to a Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based group in 1958, only to be sold two years later to Metromedia
Metromedia
Metromedia was a media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and owned Orion Pictures from 1986-1997.- Overview :...
. In 1961, the station activated a translator on channel 70 in Champaign. At the time, channel 17 provided only a grade B ("rimshot") signal to the Champaign-Urbana side of the market, and much of the area couldn't see it at all. It was sold to LIN Broadcasting at the end of 1965--the very first station in the LIN chain. On February 15, 1966, the call letters changed to the present WAND.
On October 8, 1966, WAND activated a new 1100 feet (335.3 m) tower in Argenta. It was topped with an experimental RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
"Vee-Zee" antenna, and one of only two ever put into service. The second antenna was used by WJJY-TV
WJJY-TV
WJJY-TV was a short-lived television station station based in Jacksonville, Illinois that was on the air from 1969 to 1971. It was the ABC television affiliate for Quincy, Illinois, and also reached Springfield as well.-History:...
in nearby Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Illinois
Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,940 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County....
. It was the first million-watt tower in the state, and added Champaign-Urbana to the station's city-grade coverage. As a result, WAND became the first station in the market to provide a city-grade signal to all four of the market's largest cities. At the same time, the channel 70 translator was moved to Danville, on channel 68 (with call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
W68AA).
On March 26, 1978, WAND's tower was brought down by a massive ice storm. All but 100 feet of the tower fell down under the weight of massive sheets of ice. The collapse exposed a serious design flaw in the tower. Due to WAND's location on the lower end of the UHF dial, the antenna had been one of the heaviest ever used for broadcasting. However, the tower had been designed with the specifications of a much lighter antenna, and was thus not properly engineered to handle so much weight. The same storm brought down WJJY's tower, which was of a similar design and had been assembled by the same company. The station was off the air for two weeks until it returned to the air from its original tower. The translator was moved back to Champaign, still on channel 68. This left Danville without over-the-air programming from ABC for several months.
In 1979, WAND activated its current 1289 feet (392.9 m) tower, also in Argenta. It is the tallest broadcasting tower in Illinois, and with 5 million watts it was the most powerful analog signal in the state. The station also moved the translator back to Danville, this time on channel 31.
LIN wholly owned the station until March 2000, when it sold 67 percent of the station to Block Communications
Block Communications
Block Communications is a privately held holding company of various assets, mainly in the print and broadcast media, based in Toledo, Ohio. The company was founded in 1900 in New York City when Paul Block, a German immigrant who came to the United States fifteen years prior, formed an ad...
in exchange for 100 percent of WLFI-TV
WLFI-TV
WLFI-TV, channel 18, is the CBS television affiliate in West Lafayette, Indiana that serves the Lafayette, Indiana metropolitan area. It operates on digital channel 11. Its transmitter is located in Rossville, Indiana...
in Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
. However, LIN continued to operate the station for several years as part of the deal. On September 5, 2005, WAND became an NBC affiliate as part of a larger nationwide deal.
LIN sold its 33 percent share of WAND to Block Communications on November 9, 2007. As a result, LIN no longer operates the station; however, WAND's website remained in the old format of most of the other LIN-owned stations of the time until the WAND web site was redesigned in late 2009 or early 2010.
Digital television
On June 6, 2011, the FCC granted WAND a construction permit to move its digital frequency back to its former analog allotment on channel 17; and to operate its digital signal to the maximum 1 million watts--equivalent to 5 million watts for an analog transmitter. At this time, no date has been announced on when the channel change will commence.On February 17, 2009, the Danville repeater shut off its analog signal, and had their digital signal launched. W31BX now maps via PSIP to channels 17.1 and 17.2.
High-definition programming
WAND was the first station to bring high-definition televisionHigh-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
(HDTV) programming to central Illinois. Most syndicated television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
ming seen on the station is broadcast in 4:3 standard definition. High definition programming seen on the station that is broadcast by NBC is broadcast in 16:9
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
high-definition video
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
.
WAND-TV began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition on June 26, 2010, becoming the first commercial television station in the Champaign-Urbana market to produce their local newscasts in HD.
24-hour Doppler Radar channel
WAND also broadcasts a second digital subchannel with a live 24-hour Doppler Radar feed and the audio overlay of NOAA Weather Radio All HazardsNOAA Weather Radio All Hazards
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is a network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Service office. It is operated by the NWS, an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the United States Department of...
station WXJ75, based in Springfield
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
.
News operation
WAND broadcasts on-demand weather, as well as portions of its newscasts, on its website, making it the first in the area to do so.Weather
In late 1993, a live Doppler radar was installed atop of the station. Then in 2006, new technology was introduced called "Live Doppler 4X". "Live Doppler 4X" consists of four real-time radars that run from various locations from Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. The Stormcenter 17 meteorologists can pinpoint storms locations from Iowa and Missouri and track them through all of Central Illinois. WAND became one of the few stations to have 3D Live Doppler using its previous Live Doppler 4X technology. The four radars still sweep, and now the Stormcenter 17 meteorologists can give a storm rating and show three-dimensional storm views. WAND also has its own advanced weather vehicle to track severe weather occurring in Central Illinois, called "Stormrunner 17". The vehicle provides real-time Weatherbug observationst and streams live video back to the station.Newscast titles
- Eyewitness News (1960s-1970s)
- Scene 17 Report (1970s)
- The News (1970s-early 1980s)
- News 17 (mid-late 1980s)
- WAND News (late 1980s-2005)
- NewsCenter 17 (2005-2009)
- StormCenter 17 (2008-present; also used as weather branding)
Station slogans
- Central Illinois' News Station (1992-1998 and 2002-2007)
- Live. Local. Latebreaking. (1998-2002)
- The Best News You'll Get Today (2007-2008)
- Where Weather Comes First, StormCenter 17 (2008-2009)
- The Only Source for Live, Local Radar, StormCenter 17 (2009-present)
News music packages
- Stravinsky by Stephen Arnold Music (1998-2005)
- Metropolis by Stephen Arnold Music (2005-2007)
- The Rock by Stephen Arnold Music (2007-present)
On-air staff
Current on-air staff (as of September 19,2011)
Anchors- Liz Adeola - weekends at 5 and 10 p.m.
- Scot England - weekday mornings "StormCenter 17 Today"
- Stephanie Summers - weekday mornings "StormCenter 17 Today"
- Dawn Sterling - weeknights at 4:30, 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
- Sean Streaty - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
StormCenter 17 Weather Team
- Lee Davis (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
and NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
Seals of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weekdays at noon and 4:30, and weeknights at 5 p.m. - J.C. Fultz (NWA Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Greg Trumbold - meteorologist; weekday mornings "StormCenter 17 Today" and noon
- Kevin Chierek - meteorologist; weekends at 5 and 10 p.m.
Sports team
- Jon Nilles - sports anchor; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Noah Newman - sports anchor; weekends at 5 and 10 p.m., also weeknight sports reporter
Reporters
- Robert Burton - Springfield reporter
- Sheena Elzie - Decatur reporter
- Gordon Graham - Springfield Bureau chief
- Samantha Singer - Decatur reporter
- Paula Thornton - Investigative reporter
- Mark Rivera - Decatur reporter
Former on-air staff
- Abbie Alford
- Rick Barrett
- Joe Bauer
- Lisa Benson
- Bob Billman
- Brandon Blocker
- Gabrielle Biondo
- Loren Boatman (deceased)
- Warren Brinegar
- Mike Browning
- Marcus Canada
- Brian Canaday
- Ross Cavitt
- Bob Cashen
- Ken Charles
- Mike Cheever
- 'Jim Clayton
- Mike Cleff
- Don Coleman
- John Davey
- Jillian Deam
- Bob Dolan
- Travell Eiland
- Anne Ferry
- Peter Gray
- Tom Green
- Maria Gum
- Cindy Gutteridge
- Glen Horn
- Mikaela Hunt (now morning anchor/reporter for WCMH-TVWCMH-TVWCMH-TV, channel 4, is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, affiliated with the NBC television network and owned by Media General. The station's studios and transmitter are located in Columbus. NBC-4 broadcasts from its studio and office complex near the Ohio State University on Olentangy River...
in Columbus, Ohio) - Brian Jodice
- Christina Jue
- Patricia Kakridas
- Lisa Kiava
- Karen Konyar
- Mark Kulda
- Scott Lin
- Chris Madarasz
- Terry Martin
- Mike Mazzocco
- Dan Medina
- Jill Monier
- Julie Moore
- Elizabeth Moors
- Elizabeth Moreau
- George Moyer
- Vanessa Murphy
- Bob Murray
- Grant NapearGrant NapearGrant Napear is a broadcaster for the Sacramento Kings. Napear is the play-by-play announcer for the Kings and also hosts an afternoon sports-talk program, The Grant Napear Show, on Sports 1140 in Sacramento. This sports-talk program runs from 3-7 P.M...
- Reed O'Brien
- Eun Hee Pai
- Al Pigg
- Ron Rector
- Robert Reese
- Leandra Reilly
- Jeff Ruffner
- Devin ScillianDevin ScillianDevin Scillian is an American journalist and children's author. His thirteen books include the national bestseller A Is For America , Fibblestax , and Memoirs of a Goldfish . His most recent book is D Is For Down Under: An Australia Alphabet illustrated by Geoff Cook, published by Sleeping Bear...
(now main news anchor with WDIV-TVWDIV-TVWDIV-TV, virtual channel 4, is an NBC-affiliated television station based in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is owned by Post-Newsweek Stations and is the flagship station and home base of the group with the offices of the group located alongside WDIV's studios; the "Local" branding now...
in Detroit) - Kim Sherwood
- Gayle Simpson
- Jerry Slabe
- Lisa Sparrow
- Fred Straub
- Cathy Styles
- Laine Sylvester
- Lon Tay
- Marcus Thorpe (now reporter/fill-in anchor with WCMH-TVWCMH-TVWCMH-TV, channel 4, is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, affiliated with the NBC television network and owned by Media General. The station's studios and transmitter are located in Columbus. NBC-4 broadcasts from its studio and office complex near the Ohio State University on Olentangy River...
in Columbus) - Dawn Torchia
- Mindy Mintz
- Mike Vaughan
- Frank Vascellaro (now anchor with WCCO-TVWCCO-TVWCCO-TV, is the CBS owned and operated television station that serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. Its transmitter is at the Telefarm complex in Shoreview, Minnesota.- History :...
in Minneapolis/St. Paul) - Dana Wadell
- Dick Westbrook
- George Wilson
- Kim Wilson
- John Wingate, former KSTP-TV (Mpls) consumer/investigative reporter, current communications consultant
- David Winter
- Bob WrightRobert Charles WrightRobert Charles "Bob" Wright was a U.S. television businessman, having served as Chairman of NBC Universal. He graduated from Chaminade High School, the College of the Holy Cross and earned an LLB from the University of Virginia Law School....
- Rick Zurak
- Steve Butera