WDSI-TV
Encyclopedia
WDSI-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station
for Chattanooga, Tennessee
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 40 (virtual channel
61.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter on Sawyer Cemetery Road in unincorporated
Hamilton County
. The station can also be seen on Comcast
and Charter
channel 11. There is a high definition feed offered on Comcast digital channel 434 and Charter digital channel 711. Owned by New Age Media, WDSI operates CW affiliate WFLI-TV
(owned by MPS Media, LLC) through a local marketing agreement
(LMA).
The two stations share studios on East Main Street/SR 8
/US 41
/US 76
in Chattanooga. Syndicated programming on the station includes Seinfeld
, My Name Is Earl
, How I Met Your Mother
, and Judge Joe Brown among others. WDSI can be seen off-air on a low-powered analog repeater
, WPDP-LP channel 25, in Cleveland
(officially listed as a Class A
outlet). It has a transmitter on Oswald Dome Road in the Cherokee National Forest
southeast of Benton Springs
.
affiliate. Syndicated programming on this station includes The People's Court
, Judge Mathis
, The Bill Cosby Show
, and The Wendy Williams Show
along with others.
WDSI' digital signal on UHF 40 is multiplexed:
with the calls WRIP-TV. It aired an analog signal on UHF channel 61. It was Tennessee
's second Independent outlet having launched a little over nine months after the state's first Independent, WMCV in Nashville, went off-the-air but only to return in 1976 as WZTV
. It is the state's oldest television station in continuous operation to have never had affiliation with any of the big three
networks (ABC
, CBS
, and NBC
). The station was plagued by financial problems not in the least because it was a UHF station serving a small market
in a very mountainous area. UHF stations, especially those on high channel numbers, usually do not get good reception at in rugged terrain.
Early programming on WRIP included older movies for most of its broadcast day along with some theatrical cartoons and shorts. These selections included Little Rascals, Three Stooges
, and Looney Toons. The station was on-the-air for about twelve hours a day signing-on at noon. It was put up for sale by its original owner in late-1973. By then, WRIP gradually shifted to a somewhat traditional Independent station but with a very low-budget approach. In 1973, it added cartoons, westerns, low budget syndicated shows, and locally-based religious shows. It was sold to Jay Sadow in mid-1974 and added two runs of the ninety-minute edition of The 700 Club
that fall and two runs of the two-hour version of the PTL Club in early-1975.
By 1976, the station was running mostly Christian
programs about twelve hours a day along with some low-budget secular programs such as children's programs (like New Zoo Revue
, Devlin
, and Gigantor
) outdoor sporting, and hunting shows as well as some low budget instructional shows about five hours a day. The station was basically profitable by selling thirty and sixty minute blocks of time most of the day to local religious broadcasters.
By 1978, WRIP was running Christian programs (both local and syndicated) for all except a couple of hours a day. The station produced and scheduled many hours per day of programs from local churches. By 1980, it was running nearly all religious shows (again half local and half syndicated) with a couple secular shows a day. In fall 1981, it began adding additional secular shows in the 3 to 7 p.m. time slot such as Superfriends, Little Rascals, McHale's Navy
, Make Room For Daddy, and Munsters among others. In Fall 1982, off network dramas such as Kojak
, Star Trek
; sitcoms such as I Love Lucy
, Brady Bunch, Leave It To Beaver
; and more cartoons such as Scooby Doo, Bugs Bunny
, Flintstones were added along with some older movies. The station was about half religious and half secular.
It seemed like it was being spruced up for a sale, because in January 1983, Jay Sadow sold the station to Roy Hess. The station immediately changed its call sign to the current WDSI-TV. It modified its then-hybrid religious/general entertainment format (which was leaning more on entertainment for the first time since about 1975) adding cartoons in the 7 to 9 a.m. time slot. The religious shows remained in the late mornings, but in the early afternoons, more old movies were added along with holdover classic sitcoms. Cartoons, older sitcoms, and drama shows continued in the late afternoons and early evenings. A prime-time movie was also added along with some older shows late at night. The station was on-the-air about twenty hours a day by then. Its on-air branding at that time was "Watch What We're Doing Now".
WDSI provided, free of charge, UHF antennas (which customers could obtain at local convenience stores) so viewers could watch the station. At that time, many households in the Chattanooga DMA were still not wired for cable
. After the overhaul in programming, the station was again sold to Donatelli and Klein in 1985. Stronger, more recent sitcoms and better movies were added to the schedule and the religious shows were scaled back even more becoming regulated Sunday mornings. On October 9, 1986, WDSI became a charter affiliate of Fox beginning with The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers and has remained with the network ever since. It was a typical Fox station at that time running a blend of newer cartoons, recent off network sitcoms, classic cartoons, old sitcoms, old movies, and drama shows.
In 1993, the station was sold to Pegasus Communications. As time went on due to changes in the industry, classic sitcoms and movies were replaced by more modern talk/reality shows and court shows. Cartoons began to fall off the schedule from 1999 until 2002 and replaced by more first run reality programs. In 2002, WDSI began broadcasting a digital signal on UHF channel 40. On September 5, 2006, the station launched Fox's new sister network MyNetworkTV on a new second digital subchannel
. It was not until March 2009 that WDIS-DT2 was added to area digital cable systems. On January 19, 2008, WDSI ceased broadcasting in analog on channel 61 and now transmits only in digital on channel 40. Throughout its history, the station has produced and aired several local programs.
affiliate WTVC
produced Chattanooga's first nightly prime time newscast at 10 on then-Independent WFLI. This was possible through an outsourcing arrangement known as a new share agreement where one station produces news for another. The show was eventually cancelled for an unknown reason. Starting in 1996, WTVC aired a second broadcast at 10 on WDSI seen every night through another news share agreement. This time around, the ABC affiliate provided meteorologists, sports anchors, and news reporters while WDSI had its own news anchors.
Although the newscast was produced with assistance from WTVC, WDSI aired the majority of news segments from a expanded facility at its own studios. Eventually in 2000, the operation was expanded into a full local news department competing with the area's big three outlets. The station launched its own news department with broadcasts offered on weekday mornings, weekday afternoons at 4, and every night at 10. This would remain the case until 2004 when WDSI reduced its news department and re-established the previous outsourcing arrangement with WTVC.
Currently, the station is the primary producer of a nightly prime time newscast known as Fox 61 First at 10 with its own weeknight news anchor and reporter based at its studios. WTVC provides all other personnel including additional reporters. On weeknights, the news segment airs from WDSI's studios while the weather forecast and sports report come from WTVC's facility on Benton Drive near the Bonny Oaks Drive/SR 17 interchange
with SR 58
/SR 153
. The entire show originates from WTVC on weekends (see sister station WPXT
in Portland, Maine
for a similar operation, now defunct). Fox 61 First at 10 can be seen for 35 minutes on weeknights and thirty minutes on weekends.
Anchors
Reporters
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
. It broadcasts a high definition
High-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...
digital signal on UHF channel 40 (virtual channel
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....
61.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter on Sawyer Cemetery Road in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Hamilton County
Hamilton County, Tennessee
Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It was named for Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 310,935 . Its county seat is Chattanooga....
. The station can also be seen on Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
and Charter
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
channel 11. There is a high definition feed offered on Comcast digital channel 434 and Charter digital channel 711. Owned by New Age Media, WDSI operates CW affiliate WFLI-TV
WFLI-TV
WFLI-TV is the CW-affiliated television station for Chattanooga, Tennessee licensed to Cleveland. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 42 from a transmitter on Sawyer Cemetery Road in unincorporated Hamilton County. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Charter...
(owned by MPS Media, LLC) through a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
(LMA).
The two stations share studios on East Main Street/SR 8
Tennessee State Route 8
State Route 8 is a south–north route that connects Chattanooga, Tennessee to McMinnville.- Route description :State Route 8 begins concurrent to US-41 / US-76 at the Georgia border in Chattanooga. As Ringgold Road, SR-8 travels into downtown Chattanooga, where it becomes East Main Street...
/US 41
U.S. Route 41 in Tennessee
U.S. Route 41 is a United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to Copper Harbor, Michigan. In Tennessee, the highway is paralleled by Interstate 24 all the way from Georgia to Kentucky, and I-24 has largely supplanted US-41 as a major highway, especially for large and heavy...
/US 76
U.S. Route 76
U.S. Route 76 is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.-Tennessee:...
in Chattanooga. Syndicated programming on the station includes Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
, How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
, and Judge Joe Brown among others. WDSI can be seen off-air on a low-powered analog repeater
Broadcast relay station
A broadcast relay station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator , rebroadcaster , or repeater is a broadcast transmitter which relays, repeats, or reflects the signal of another radio station or television station, usually to an area not covered by the signal of the originating station...
, WPDP-LP channel 25, in Cleveland
Cleveland, Tennessee
Cleveland is a city in Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 41,285 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bradley County...
(officially listed as a Class A
Class A television service
The class A television service is a system for regulating some low-power television stations in the United States. Class A stations are denoted by the broadcast callsign suffix "-CA" or "-CD" , although very many analog -CA stations have a digital companion channel that was assigned the -LD...
outlet). It has a transmitter on Oswald Dome Road in the Cherokee National Forest
Cherokee National Forest
The Cherokee National Forest is a large National Forest created on July 19, 1936, by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, operated by the U.S. Forest Service and encompassing some 640,000 acres .-Location:...
southeast of Benton Springs
Benton, Tennessee
Benton is a town in Polk County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,138 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Polk County.Benton is included in the Cleveland, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
.
Digital programming
On WDSI-DT2, Charter channel 2, and Comcast digital channel 226 is the area's MyNetworkTVMyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
affiliate. Syndicated programming on this station includes The People's Court
The People's Court
The People's Court is a US television court show in which small claims court cases are heard, though what is shown is actually a binding arbitration....
, Judge Mathis
Judge Mathis
Judge Mathis is a syndicated television legal reality show produced originally by Black Pearl Productions. In 2008, it entered its tenth season produced by AND Syndicated Productions and Telepictures. It is taped at NBC Tower in Chicago, but includes cases and litigants from other U.S....
, The Bill Cosby Show
The Bill Cosby Show
The Bill Cosby Show is an American situation comedy that aired for two seasons on NBC's Sunday night schedule from 1969 until 1971, under the sponsorship of Procter & Gamble. There were 52 episodes made in the series. It marked Cosby's first solo foray in television, after his co-starring role with...
, and The Wendy Williams Show
The Wendy Williams Show
The Wendy Williams Show is a syndicated talk show hosted by Wendy Williams that premiered on July 14, 2008, as six-week sneak peek, in Detroit, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York City. The test run was picked up for a full season that began its run on July 13, 2009 in over 70% of the country in...
along with others.
WDSI' digital signal on UHF 40 is multiplexed:
| Channels | Name | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61.1 | WDSI-DT | 720p 720p 720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan... |
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 ... |
Main WDSI programming / FOX |
| 61.2 | WDSI-MT | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | "MyNetworkTV Chattanooga" |
History
The station signed-on January 24, 19721972 in television
The year 1972 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1972.For the American TV schedule, see: 1972-73 American network television schedule.-Events:...
with the calls WRIP-TV. It aired an analog signal on UHF channel 61. It was Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
's second Independent outlet having launched a little over nine months after the state's first Independent, WMCV in Nashville, went off-the-air but only to return in 1976 as WZTV
WZTV
WZTV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Nashville, Tennessee. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 15 from a transmitter on Knob Road north of downtown along I-24...
. It is the state's oldest television station in continuous operation to have never had affiliation with any of the big three
Big Three Television Networks
The Big Three Television Networks are the three traditional commercial broadcast television networks in the United States: ABC, CBS and NBC...
networks (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...
, 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...
, and 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...
). The station was plagued by financial problems not in the least because it was a UHF station serving a small market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
in a very mountainous area. UHF stations, especially those on high channel numbers, usually do not get good reception at in rugged terrain.
Early programming on WRIP included older movies for most of its broadcast day along with some theatrical cartoons and shorts. These selections included Little Rascals, Three Stooges
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
, and Looney Toons. The station was on-the-air for about twelve hours a day signing-on at noon. It was put up for sale by its original owner in late-1973. By then, WRIP gradually shifted to a somewhat traditional Independent station but with a very low-budget approach. In 1973, it added cartoons, westerns, low budget syndicated shows, and locally-based religious shows. It was sold to Jay Sadow in mid-1974 and added two runs of the ninety-minute edition of The 700 Club
The 700 Club
The 700 Club is the flagship news talk show of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing in syndication throughout the United States and Canada. In production since 1966, it is currently hosted by Pat Robertson, Terry Meeuwsen, Kristi Watts, and Gordon P. Robertson, two of whom will host on any...
that fall and two runs of the two-hour version of the PTL Club in early-1975.
By 1976, the station was running mostly Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
programs about twelve hours a day along with some low-budget secular programs such as children's programs (like New Zoo Revue
New Zoo Revue
New Zoo Revue is an American half-hour children's television show that ran in syndication from 1972-1977. Stations usually broadcast the program in the early or middle part of the morning hours, when many pre-schoolers were watching it as well as similar shows such as the franchised Romper Room and...
, Devlin
Devlin
Devlin may refer to:* Devlin * Devlin , a UK MC* Devlin , a 1974 animated TV series by Hanna-Barbera* Devlin, a 1988 novel by Roderick Thorp* Devlin , a 1992 TV movie based on the novel...
, and Gigantor
Gigantor
Gigantor is an American adaptation of the anime version of Tetsujin 28-go, a manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama released in 1956. It debuted on U.S. television in 1964. As with Speed Racer, the characters' original names were altered and the original series' violence was toned down for American viewers...
) outdoor sporting, and hunting shows as well as some low budget instructional shows about five hours a day. The station was basically profitable by selling thirty and sixty minute blocks of time most of the day to local religious broadcasters.
By 1978, WRIP was running Christian programs (both local and syndicated) for all except a couple of hours a day. The station produced and scheduled many hours per day of programs from local churches. By 1980, it was running nearly all religious shows (again half local and half syndicated) with a couple secular shows a day. In fall 1981, it began adding additional secular shows in the 3 to 7 p.m. time slot such as Superfriends, Little Rascals, McHale's Navy
McHale's Navy
McHale's Navy is an American television sitcom series which ran for 138 half-hour episodes from October 11,1962, to August 31, 1966, on the ABC network. The series was filmed in black and white and originated in a one-hour drama called Seven Against the Sea, broadcast on April 3, 1962...
, Make Room For Daddy, and Munsters among others. In Fall 1982, off network dramas such as Kojak
Kojak
Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...
, Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
; sitcoms such as I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
, Brady Bunch, Leave It To Beaver
Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver is an American television situation comedy about an inquisitive but often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood...
; and more cartoons such as Scooby Doo, Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
, Flintstones were added along with some older movies. The station was about half religious and half secular.
It seemed like it was being spruced up for a sale, because in January 1983, Jay Sadow sold the station to Roy Hess. The station immediately changed its call sign to the current WDSI-TV. It modified its then-hybrid religious/general entertainment format (which was leaning more on entertainment for the first time since about 1975) adding cartoons in the 7 to 9 a.m. time slot. The religious shows remained in the late mornings, but in the early afternoons, more old movies were added along with holdover classic sitcoms. Cartoons, older sitcoms, and drama shows continued in the late afternoons and early evenings. A prime-time movie was also added along with some older shows late at night. The station was on-the-air about twenty hours a day by then. Its on-air branding at that time was "Watch What We're Doing Now".
WDSI provided, free of charge, UHF antennas (which customers could obtain at local convenience stores) so viewers could watch the station. At that time, many households in the Chattanooga DMA were still not wired for cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
. After the overhaul in programming, the station was again sold to Donatelli and Klein in 1985. Stronger, more recent sitcoms and better movies were added to the schedule and the religious shows were scaled back even more becoming regulated Sunday mornings. On October 9, 1986, WDSI became a charter affiliate of Fox beginning with The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers and has remained with the network ever since. It was a typical Fox station at that time running a blend of newer cartoons, recent off network sitcoms, classic cartoons, old sitcoms, old movies, and drama shows.
In 1993, the station was sold to Pegasus Communications. As time went on due to changes in the industry, classic sitcoms and movies were replaced by more modern talk/reality shows and court shows. Cartoons began to fall off the schedule from 1999 until 2002 and replaced by more first run reality programs. In 2002, WDSI began broadcasting a digital signal on UHF channel 40. On September 5, 2006, the station launched Fox's new sister network MyNetworkTV on a new second digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
. It was not until March 2009 that WDIS-DT2 was added to area digital cable systems. On January 19, 2008, WDSI ceased broadcasting in analog on channel 61 and now transmits only in digital on channel 40. Throughout its history, the station has produced and aired several local programs.
News operation
In the early-1990s, ABCAmerican 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...
affiliate WTVC
WTVC
WTVC is the ABC television affiliate in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter on Signal Mountain in the community of Walden...
produced Chattanooga's first nightly prime time newscast at 10 on then-Independent WFLI. This was possible through an outsourcing arrangement known as a new share agreement where one station produces news for another. The show was eventually cancelled for an unknown reason. Starting in 1996, WTVC aired a second broadcast at 10 on WDSI seen every night through another news share agreement. This time around, the ABC affiliate provided meteorologists, sports anchors, and news reporters while WDSI had its own news anchors.
Although the newscast was produced with assistance from WTVC, WDSI aired the majority of news segments from a expanded facility at its own studios. Eventually in 2000, the operation was expanded into a full local news department competing with the area's big three outlets. The station launched its own news department with broadcasts offered on weekday mornings, weekday afternoons at 4, and every night at 10. This would remain the case until 2004 when WDSI reduced its news department and re-established the previous outsourcing arrangement with WTVC.
Currently, the station is the primary producer of a nightly prime time newscast known as Fox 61 First at 10 with its own weeknight news anchor and reporter based at its studios. WTVC provides all other personnel including additional reporters. On weeknights, the news segment airs from WDSI's studios while the weather forecast and sports report come from WTVC's facility on Benton Drive near the Bonny Oaks Drive/SR 17 interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
with SR 58
Tennessee State Route 58
State Route 58 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee that serves as a major route for many communities in Roane County, Meigs County, and Hamilton County...
/SR 153
Tennessee State Route 153
Tennessee 153 is a state highway in Chattanooga. It runs from Interstate 75 a few miles east of the I-75/I-24 interchange, to US 27 just south of Soddy-Daisy. The route serves as a bypass around downtown Chattanooga for I-75 travelers heading towards US 27 north...
. The entire show originates from WTVC on weekends (see sister station WPXT
WPXT
WPXT is the CW-affiliated television station for Southern Maine and Northern New Hampshire licensed to Portland. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 43 from a transmitter in South Gray along I-95/Maine Turnpike/Gold Star Memorial Highway...
in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
for a similar operation, now defunct). Fox 61 First at 10 can be seen for 35 minutes on weeknights and thirty minutes on weekends.
News team
+ denotes WDSI personnelAnchors
- + Carly Flynn Morgan - weeknight news and producer
- Lindsay Jackson - weekend news also reporter and producer
- Dave Staley - weekend news and sports (also sports reporter and "Dave's Diamond Darlings" segment producer)
- David Glenn (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 seen weeknights - Jason Disharoon - weekend meteorologist
- Darrell Patterson - Sports DirectorSports DirectorA sports director is an individual at a television or radio station who is in charge of the sports department. In local news, the sports director is typically the station's primary sportscaster, and often anchors the primetime newscasts on weekdays. They are in charge of sports programming and...
seen weeknights
Reporters
- Jessica Oh - multimedia journalist
- + Jana Barnello - weeknights
- Natalie Jenereski
- Marissa Mitchell
- Karen Zatkulak
- John Madewell
- John Pless