WJFW-TV
Encyclopedia
WJFW-TV is the NBC
-affiliated television station
for North Central Wisconsin
's Northern Highland
area licensed to Rhinelander
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 16 (PSIP virtual channel
12) from a transmitter east of the city in unincorporated
Oneida County
. The station can also be seen on Charter
channel 10 and in high definition on digital channel 612. Owned by Rockfleet Broadcasting
, WJFW has studios on County Road G in Rhinelander. Syndicated
programming on the station includes: Wheel of Fortune
, Jeopardy!
, Judge Judy
, and The People's Court
. It can be seen on a digital translator, W27AU-D channel 27, in Wausau
from a transmitter on Mosinee Hill southwest of the I-39/US 51
/WIS 29 interchange.
.
On May 23, 2011, WJFW replaced Universal Sports, in favor of Tribune Broadcasting
's Antenna TV
digital subchannel
network..
Alvin E. O'Konski. Airing an analog signal on VHF channel 12, its original studios were located next to its transmitter tower. This was at the time one of the tallest structures in the world. On November 17, 1968, a small plane with three passengers crashed into the tower knocking it out along with the station's building. It was off-the-air until a new tower was erected in the same location as the original. New studios were eventually built at the current location in Rhinelander.
After the new transmitter's completion, WAEO was back on-air September 1, 1969. When the new tower was completed in 1969, it was the 7th tallest structure in the world at 1,800 feet. The new tower was also the first in the United States
built exclusively for color television
transmission. On June 1, 1979, the station was sold to minority-owned company Seaway Communications. As a result, it was the first VHF commercial television station in the United States
to be owned by minority interests. In 1984, Dr. Jasper F. Williams (founder and CEO of Seaway Communications) was killed in a plane crash. In his memory, the call letters were changed to WJFW-TV in 1986.
In 1989, it activated a new translator on channel 27 in Wausau. The station's main transmitter is located further north than other North Central Wisconsin stations. This was a result of WISN-TV
in Milwaukee which also aired on channel 12 in the analog era. The other two VHF and one UHF stations in the area had aired their analog signals on channels which were also in use by Chicago
stations farther away and less prone to interference. As a result, WJFW only provided Grade B coverage of Wausau itself and some parts of Marathon County
could not watch the station at all except on cable. Seaway merged with Rockfleet, the station's current owner, in 1998. In mid-March 2009, the main signal added Universal Sports as a second digital subchannel
. After the translator performed a "flash-cut
" to digital, it began to offer Universal Sports on DT2 as well. WJFW's broadcasts have been digital-only since February 17, 2009.
(host on E!
) was a reporter and news anchor at this station in his early days.
Weather Watch 12 Meteorologists
Sports
Reporters
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 North Central Wisconsin
Central Wisconsin
Central Wisconsin refers to a region of Wisconsin that generally coincides with the Wausau-Rhinelander Television Market.-Counties in Central Wisconsin:*Adams County*Clark County*Florence County*Forest County*Langlade County*Lincoln County...
's Northern Highland
Northern Highland
The Northern Highland is a geographical region covering much of the northern territory of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The region stretches from the state border with Minnesota in the west to the Michigan border in the east, and from Douglas and Bayfield Counties in the north to Wood and Portage...
area licensed to Rhinelander
Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Rhinelander is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, Wisconsin, United States. Its population was 7,735 at the 2000 census.-Claim to fame:...
. 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 16 (PSIP 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....
12) from a transmitter east of the city 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...
Oneida County
Oneida County, Wisconsin
Oneida County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 36,776. Its county seat is Rhinelander.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,236 square miles , of which 1,124 square miles is land and 111 square...
. The station can also be seen on 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 10 and in high definition on digital channel 612. Owned by Rockfleet Broadcasting
Rockfleet Broadcasting
Rockfleet Broadcasting is a broadcasting company based in New York City. The company has three stations in its family.A fourth station is no longer under Rockfleet ownership. On May 10, 2007, it was announced that Rockfleet Broadcasting was planning to sell Fox affiliate WFQX-TV to Cadillac...
, WJFW has studios on County Road G in Rhinelander. 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: Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
, Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
, 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 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....
. It can be seen on a digital translator, W27AU-D channel 27, in Wausau
Wausau, Wisconsin
Wausau is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city. The city is adjacent to the town of Wausau.According to the 2000 census, Wausau had a population of 38,426 people...
from a transmitter on Mosinee Hill southwest of the I-39/US 51
U.S. Route 51 in Wisconsin
In the U.S. state of Wisconsin, U.S. Route 51 runs north–south down the central part of the state...
/WIS 29 interchange.
Digital programming
On WJFW-DT2 and Charter digital channel 967 is Antenna TVAntenna TV
Antenna TV is an American digital broadcast television network, primarily featuring classic television series from the 1950s to the 1990s, along with some feature films. It is owned by Tribune Broadcasting, a division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
.
| Channels | Video Display resolution The display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by all different factors in cathode ray tube , flat panel or projection... |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12.1 | 1080i 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels... |
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 WJFW programming / NBC |
| 12.2 | 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 | Antenna TV |
On May 23, 2011, WJFW replaced Universal Sports, in favor of Tribune Broadcasting
Tribune Broadcasting
The Tribune Broadcasting Company is a group of radio and television stations located throughout the United States which are owned and operated by the Tribune Company, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois and named for the flagship Chicago Tribune newspaper.- History :Tribune Broadcasting...
's Antenna TV
Antenna TV
Antenna TV is an American digital broadcast television network, primarily featuring classic television series from the 1950s to the 1990s, along with some feature films. It is owned by Tribune Broadcasting, a division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
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...
network..
History
The station signed-on October 20, 1966 as WAEO-TV, named after its original owner, CongressmanUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
Alvin E. O'Konski. Airing an analog signal on VHF channel 12, its original studios were located next to its transmitter tower. This was at the time one of the tallest structures in the world. On November 17, 1968, a small plane with three passengers crashed into the tower knocking it out along with the station's building. It was off-the-air until a new tower was erected in the same location as the original. New studios were eventually built at the current location in Rhinelander.
After the new transmitter's completion, WAEO was back on-air September 1, 1969. When the new tower was completed in 1969, it was the 7th tallest structure in the world at 1,800 feet. The new tower was also the first in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
built exclusively for color television
Color television
Color television is part of the history of television, the technology of television and practices associated with television's transmission of moving images in color video....
transmission. On June 1, 1979, the station was sold to minority-owned company Seaway Communications. As a result, it was the first VHF commercial television station in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to be owned by minority interests. In 1984, Dr. Jasper F. Williams (founder and CEO of Seaway Communications) was killed in a plane crash. In his memory, the call letters were changed to WJFW-TV in 1986.
In 1989, it activated a new translator on channel 27 in Wausau. The station's main transmitter is located further north than other North Central Wisconsin stations. This was a result of WISN-TV
WISN-TV
WISN-TV, virtual channel 12.1 , is a television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin serving as an affiliate of the ABC television network. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin and parts of northeastern Illinois, including Racine, Kenosha, Sheboygan and Waukesha...
in Milwaukee which also aired on channel 12 in the analog era. The other two VHF and one UHF stations in the area had aired their analog signals on channels which were also in use by 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...
stations farther away and less prone to interference. As a result, WJFW only provided Grade B coverage of Wausau itself and some parts of Marathon County
Marathon County, Wisconsin
Marathon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is part of the Wausau, WI, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 134,063. Its county seat is Wausau.-Geography:...
could not watch the station at all except on cable. Seaway merged with Rockfleet, the station's current owner, in 1998. In mid-March 2009, the main signal added Universal Sports as a 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...
. After the translator performed a "flash-cut
Flash-cut
A flash-cut, also called flash-cutover, is an immediate change in a complex system, with no phase-in period.Some telephone area codes were split immediately, rather than being phased in with a permissive dialing period. An example is telephone area code 213, which was split into 213 and 714 all at...
" to digital, it began to offer Universal Sports on DT2 as well. WJFW's broadcasts have been digital-only since February 17, 2009.
Newscasts
Unlike most NBC affiliates, WJFW does not air a full two-hour weekday morning show or midday newscast during the week. It also does not offer early evening news on weekends. Steve KmetkoSteve Kmetko
Steven Kmetko is an American entertainment television host and reporter.Kmetko was born in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. His most prominent job was on the E! cable network. He had previously worked as an entertainment reporter for CBS's Los Angeles affiliate . The television station replaced him with...
(host on E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
) was a reporter and news anchor at this station in his early days.
On-air staff
Anchors- Kira Lynne - weekday mornings and reporter
- Matt Doyle - middays at 11 a.m. and reporter
- Sarah Rasmussen - News Director; weeknights at 6 and 10; also reporter
Weather Watch 12 Meteorologists
- Matt Benz - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
- Matt Serwe - meteorologist; weekday mornings and noon
- Ryan Michaels - meteorologist; weekends and news reporter
Sports
- Joe Dufek - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10
- Marisa Silvas - weekend sports anchor and reporter
Reporters
- Michael Crusan
- Asavari Phadnis - health reporter
- Lane Kimble
- Lyndsey Stemm
Newscast titles
- Report to the North (1966-1973)
- Television 12 News (1973-1978)
- Newswatch 12 (1978-present)
Station slogans
- "Making A Difference" (1994-2000)
- "Where Local News Comes First" (2001-2005)
- "Your Northwoods News Leader" (2005-present)