WFMJ-TV
Encyclopedia
WFMJ-TV is the NBC
-affiliated television station
for Youngstown, Ohio
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 20 from a transmitter on Mabel Street in Youngstown. Owned by the Maag family, the station has studios on West Boardman Street in downtown Youngstown. WFMJ-TV is locally owned along with the city's major newspaper. Syndicated
programming on the station includes: The Ellen DeGeneres Show
, Dr. Phil
, Inside Edition
, Judge Judy
and Live with Regis & Kelly.
, and FM 105.1, now WQXK
). The Maags then purchased the construction permit issued for channel 21 (originally granted to WUTV) and moved to that frequency on August 7, 1954.
WFMJ is the only locally owned and operated station in the market, and, in fact, one of the few stations left in the country that is still locally owned and operated. The station points it out very often in advertisements, as the "Only Locally-Owned Station in Youngstown", compared with rivals WKBN-TV
(owned by New Vision Television
, which also owns low-power Fox
affiliate WYFX-LP
) and WYTV
(owned by Parkin Broadcasting, which also owns the My Network TV digital subchannel MY-YTV, but operated under a local marketing agreement
with WKBN parent New Vision). As a result, WFMJ has been a strong ratings force in Youngstown for several years. WFMJ's newscasts typically garner higher ratings than its competitors combined in the morning, 6 and 11 newscasts.
WFMJ is one of the few stations in the country that can boast airing Live with Regis and Kelly
, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
, Dr. Phil
, and Oprah
on the same station. WFMJ's morning show (WFMJ Today), Today, and Live with Regis and Kelly ratings are among the highest in the country. WFMJ is also the Youngstown market's carrier station for the Ohio Lottery
and its weekly game show
, Cash Explosion Double Play
. On Thursday October 29, 2009, at 6:00pm, the station's weather graphics were changed to the 3D:LIVE weather central system.
In addition to its main service area of extreme northeastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania, WFMJ can be seen as far as the eastern and southern suburbs of Cleveland with a good antenna.
Channel 7 and in HD on Channel 721 in New Castle
& Bessemer
, both of which are located in Western Pennsylvania
. WFMJ is also carried on both the DirecTV
and Dish Network
home satellite systems.
away football games live along with Penguin Gameday and the YSU coaches show for both football and basketball. WFMJ also airs local sports coverage during the morning, 6 P.M., and 11 P.M. newscasts.
. She was replaced by Cindy Matthews in January 2008.
Cindy Matthews, co-anchor of WFMJ's 6 and 11 p.m. news broadcasts, left WFMJ TV in January 2011 to pursue her career. Her last newscast on WFMJ was Friday January 7, 2011.
In October of 2010 the station starting carrying Syndication programs, and Commercials when available in HD. In April of 2011 the station started carrying Ohio Lottery's Cash Explosion show in HD.
The Oparh Winfery Show ended its run on May 26, 2011 the station will air repeats till September 9, 2011.
. It operates WBCB as one of its digital subchannels and is available on all area cable systems on an analog basis including channel #16 on Armstrong and channel #14 on Time Warner. WBCB is also carried as a local channel available on the DirecTV home satellite system. WBCB launched in November 2004 as the market's first WB affiliate and was chosen by the new CW Network to serve the Youngstown DMA as its affiliate. The station carries a full 24/7 program schedule, including Seinfeld, TMZ, Extra, Access Hollywood, Friends, and Frasier.
The station formerly signed off on weekend early mornings from about 2:30 AM to 4:30 AM until 2011, when paid programming
filled the former off-air time, though on the digital signal color bars
were placed on the main signal while the WBCB channel continued to show syndicated programming and infomercials during WFMJ's off-air time. WFMJ was the last station in the Youngstown market to sign off on a regular basis. WYTV, which from 1997-2006 signed off on a nightly basis, ended the practice with the launch of MY-YTV
.
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
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 Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
. 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 20 from a transmitter on Mabel Street in Youngstown. Owned by the Maag family, the station has studios on West Boardman Street in downtown Youngstown. WFMJ-TV is locally owned along with the city's major newspaper. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on the station includes: The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, Dr. Phil
Dr. Phil (TV series)
Dr. Phil is a reality/talk television show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil debuted on September 16, 2002...
, Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
, Judge Judy
Judge Judy
Judge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
and Live with Regis & Kelly.
History
The station was founded by William F. Maag, Jr., publisher of the Vindicator. It was owned alongside and WFMJ radio (AM 1390, now WNIOWNIO
WNIO — branded 1390 WNIO — is an AM radio station in Youngstown, Ohio, USA broadcasting at 1390 kHz with an Sports talk radio format dubbed "The Sports Animal." WNIO also carries Ohio State University football and basketball, Cleveland Cavaliers basketball, and Pittsburgh Steelers...
, and FM 105.1, now WQXK
WQXK
WQXK is a commercial radio station in Youngstown, Ohio, USA, serving the Mahoning Valley market broadcasting at 105.1 MHz with a country music format. It is one of seven radio stations in the Youngstown market owned by Cumulus Media with studios in "The Radio Center" in Youngstown.-History:The...
). The Maags then purchased the construction permit issued for channel 21 (originally granted to WUTV) and moved to that frequency on August 7, 1954.
WFMJ is the only locally owned and operated station in the market, and, in fact, one of the few stations left in the country that is still locally owned and operated. The station points it out very often in advertisements, as the "Only Locally-Owned Station in Youngstown", compared with rivals WKBN-TV
WKBN-TV
WKBN-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Youngstown, Ohio. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 41 from a transmitter at WKBN's studios on Sunset Boulevard in Boardman Township. Owned by New Vision Television, WKBN is sister to and shares studios with low-power...
(owned by New Vision Television
New Vision Television
New Vision Television is a broadcast company based in Los Angeles, California. The company owns or manages 18 television stations in medium sized markets.-New Vision I:...
, which also owns low-power Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate WYFX-LP
WYFX-LP
WYFX-LD is the Fox-affiliated television station for the Mahoning Valley of Northeastern Ohio, licensed to Youngstown. It broadcasts a low-powered digital signal UHF channel 19 from a transmitter on Sunset Boulevard in Boardman Township. Owned by New Vision Television, the station is sister to CBS...
) and WYTV
WYTV
WYTV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Mahoning Valley of Northeastern Ohio and Northwestern Pennsylvania that is licensed to Youngstown. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 36 from a transmitter on Shady Run Road in Boardman Township...
(owned by Parkin Broadcasting, which also owns the My Network TV digital subchannel MY-YTV, but operated under 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...
with WKBN parent New Vision). As a result, WFMJ has been a strong ratings force in Youngstown for several years. WFMJ's newscasts typically garner higher ratings than its competitors combined in the morning, 6 and 11 newscasts.
WFMJ is one of the few stations in the country that can boast airing Live with Regis and Kelly
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, Dr. Phil
Dr. Phil (TV series)
Dr. Phil is a reality/talk television show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil debuted on September 16, 2002...
, and Oprah
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
on the same station. WFMJ's morning show (WFMJ Today), Today, and Live with Regis and Kelly ratings are among the highest in the country. WFMJ is also the Youngstown market's carrier station for the Ohio Lottery
Ohio Lottery
The Ohio Lottery is run by the Ohio Lottery Commission. Its games include Pick 3 and Pick 4 , Rolling Cash 5, Ten-OH!, Keno, Classic Lotto, Powerball, Mega Millions, and scratch tickets. The marketing slogan is "Take a chance on education. Odds are, you'll have fun!" In 1973, the creation of the...
and its weekly game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
, Cash Explosion Double Play
Cash Explosion
Cash Explosion, known as Cash Explosion Double Play from 1989 until 2006, is an official Ohio Lottery TV game show, which is broadcast on television stations throughout Ohio...
. On Thursday October 29, 2009, at 6:00pm, the station's weather graphics were changed to the 3D:LIVE weather central system.
In addition to its main service area of extreme northeastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania, WFMJ can be seen as far as the eastern and southern suburbs of Cleveland with a good antenna.
Cable positions
WFMJ can be seen on Time Warner Youngstown cable channel 3, Armstrong channel 2, and Time Warner Warren channel 4. It can also be seen on ComcastComcast
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...
Channel 7 and in HD on Channel 721 in New Castle
New Castle, Pennsylvania
New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Pittsburgh and near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border just east of Youngstown, Ohio; in 1910, the total population was 36,280; in 1920, 44,938; and in 1940, 47,638. The population has fallen to 26,309 according to the...
& Bessemer
Bessemer, Pennsylvania
Bessemer is a borough in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,172 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bessemer is located at ....
, both of which are located in Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
. WFMJ is also carried on both the DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
and Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
home satellite systems.
Local sports programming
WFMJ founded the market's first expanded Friday Night high school football coverage with The Overtime Report. WFMJ also carries select Youngstown State UniversityYoungstown State University
Youngstown State University, founded in 1908, is an urban research university located in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. As of fall 2010, there were 15,194 students and a student-faculty ratio of 19:1. It is recognized as being one of the premier schools in the country, comparable to Ivy League...
away football games live along with Penguin Gameday and the YSU coaches show for both football and basketball. WFMJ also airs local sports coverage during the morning, 6 P.M., and 11 P.M. newscasts.
On-air staff changes
Autumn Ziemba, co-anchor of WFMJ's 6 and 11 p.m. news broadcasts, left WFMJ in June 2007 after her contract ended. She stated that she made the decision in order to pursue other interests and spend more time with her family. On her last night as co-anchor, an announcement was made of her plans; however, viewers were unable to hear the announcement due to inclement weather that caused the channel's signal to go out. Afterwards, Ziemba got married and was a freelance reporter for WEWS in Cleveland; she is currently a weekend reporter for WJWWJW
WJW, channel 8, is a Fox-affiliated television station in Cleveland, Ohio. WJW is owned by Local TV LLC, a subsidiary of private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners...
. She was replaced by Cindy Matthews in January 2008.
Cindy Matthews, co-anchor of WFMJ's 6 and 11 p.m. news broadcasts, left WFMJ TV in January 2011 to pursue her career. Her last newscast on WFMJ was Friday January 7, 2011.
Digital programming
WFMJ-DT broadcasts on digital channel 20.| Virtual channel | Physical channel | Programming |
|---|---|---|
| 21.1 | 20.1 | Main WFMJ-TV programming / NBC |
| 21.2 | 20.2 | Main WFMJ-DT2 WFMJ-DT2 WFMJ-DT2, known on-air as WBCB, is CW Network affiliate for Youngstown, Ohio and New Castle, Pennsylvania. Launched in November 2004 as a WB affiliate, WBCB is the sister station of Youngstown's NBC affiliate, WFMJ. The station operates on WFMJ's digital subchannel on channel 20.2, though through... programming / The CW |
Anchors
- Scott Schneider - Morning co-anchor of "WFMJ Today" & noon co-anchor
- Lauren Lindvig - Morning co-anchor of "WFMJ Today" & noon co-anchor
- Bob Black - Evening co-anchor at 6PM & 11PM
- Leslie Barrett - Evening co-anchor at 6PM & 11PM
- Jennifer Baligush - Weekend anchor at 6PM & 11PM / reporter
Reporters
- Mike Case - Morning reporter / fill-in anchor
- Michelle Nicks - Evening reporter
- Talia Hagler - Reporter
- Glenn Stevens - Reporter / fill-in anchor
- Sally Phillips - Reporter / fill-in weekend anchor
- Janet Rogers - Reporter
- Matt Stone - Reporter / fill-in weather
- Susan Campbell - Health reporter
Storm Tracker 21
- Mark Koontz - Chief Meteorologist
- Mark Monstrola - Morning & noon meteorologist
- Jess Briganti - Weekend Weather Anchor
21 Sports
- Dana Balash - Sports Director
- Mike Ackelson - Weekend sports anchor / sports reporter
- Rob Decker - Sports reporter / fill-in sports anchor
Station Slogans
- Come Home To The Best, Only on 21
- In Touch with You (1990-1993)
- Your News Leader (1993-1999)
- More Local News (2000-present)
- Locally Owned, Locally Connected-Website (2011–present)
Local HD
It was announced on May 8, 2010 that WFMJ would begin broadcasting its news in HD in "the next few weeks". However, as of November 2011, newscasts are still aired in 4:3 standard definition with HD pillar boxes . Viewers can view severe weather and lottery scrolls in 16:9 format. Once WFMJ begins HD newscasts, every channel in the Youngstown, Ohio market will be broadcasting their news in high definition.In October of 2010 the station starting carrying Syndication programs, and Commercials when available in HD. In April of 2011 the station started carrying Ohio Lottery's Cash Explosion show in HD.
Syndication Programming Moves
During the summer of 2011 the station ran promos stating that Ellen DeGeneres Show will be moving to 5PM on September 12, 2011 replacing the "The Oparh Winfery Show on the station. On that same day Dr. Phil will moving to the 3PM. The new "Anderson Cooper" syndicated talk show which will air at 4PM starting the same day.The Oparh Winfery Show ended its run on May 26, 2011 the station will air repeats till September 9, 2011.
Other stations
WFMJ also owns Youngstown's CW affiliate, WBCBWFMJ-DT2
WFMJ-DT2, known on-air as WBCB, is CW Network affiliate for Youngstown, Ohio and New Castle, Pennsylvania. Launched in November 2004 as a WB affiliate, WBCB is the sister station of Youngstown's NBC affiliate, WFMJ. The station operates on WFMJ's digital subchannel on channel 20.2, though through...
. It operates WBCB as one of its digital subchannels and is available on all area cable systems on an analog basis including channel #16 on Armstrong and channel #14 on Time Warner. WBCB is also carried as a local channel available on the DirecTV home satellite system. WBCB launched in November 2004 as the market's first WB affiliate and was chosen by the new CW Network to serve the Youngstown DMA as its affiliate. The station carries a full 24/7 program schedule, including Seinfeld, TMZ, Extra, Access Hollywood, Friends, and Frasier.
The station formerly signed off on weekend early mornings from about 2:30 AM to 4:30 AM until 2011, when paid programming
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
filled the former off-air time, though on the digital signal color bars
SMPTE color bars
The SMPTE color bars are a type of television test pattern, and is most commonly used in countries where the NTSC video standard is dominant, such as those in North America. The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers refers to this test pattern as Engineering Guideline EG 1-1990...
were placed on the main signal while the WBCB channel continued to show syndicated programming and infomercials during WFMJ's off-air time. WFMJ was the last station in the Youngstown market to sign off on a regular basis. WYTV, which from 1997-2006 signed off on a nightly basis, ended the practice with the launch of MY-YTV
WYTV-DT2
WYTV-DT2 is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for the Mahoning Valley of Northeastern Ohio and Northwestern Pennsylvania. It is a second digital subchannel of the area's ABC affiliate WYTV that is owned by PBC Broadcasting but operated by New Vision Television though a shared services...
.