WLS-TV
Encyclopedia
WLS-TV, virtual channel
7, is an owned-and-operated
television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company
, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA
. The station operates their full power digital operations on UHF
channel 44, with their digital fill-in translator on VHF
channel 7. Both operating frequencies are transmitted from the Willis Tower. WLS-TV produces its broadcasts at 190 North State Street in The Loop
.
The WLS-TV call letters stand for "World's Largest Store," recognizing their now-former AM sister station's
founding part-owners, Sears, Roebuck and Company
.
to begin operations, followed by Detroit
, San Francisco
and Los Angeles
.
In February 1953 ABC merged with United Paramount Theatres
, the former theater division of Paramount Pictures
. UPT subsidiary Balaban and Katz
owned WBKB on channel 4 (which shared a CBS
affiliation with WGN-TV
) but the new American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, as the company was known then, could not keep both stations because of Federal Communications Commission
regulations at that time. As a result, WBKB's channel 4 license was sold to CBS and renamed WBBM-TV
; the station moved frequencies to channel 2 several months later. The old WBKB's talent stayed at the new WBBM-TV, while the WBKB call letters and management moved to channel 7. (From 1965 to 1968, the station's calls were modified to WBKB-TV.)
The general manager from the early 1950s to the mid-1960s was Sterling "Red" Quinlan,http://www.chicagotelevision.com/RED.htm who was a giant in early Chicago television. He was instrumental in the careers of Tom Duggan
, Frank Reynolds
, and Bob Newhart
. The station courageously aired The Tom Duggan Show in the mid-1950s, which was the most popular show in Chicago far out drawing other network competition. The station became WLS-TV on October 7, 1968, after WLS radio
(890 AM), which ABC had owned since 1959—subsequently (and ironically) merging WLS radio with WENR, its shared-time partner.
WLS-TV had claimed to be "Chicago's first television station" in sign-ons in the 1980s (implying a connection with the original WBKB on channel 4,) but admitted to its true roots with WENR with its 60th anniversary in 2008.
Upon completion of the digital transition
, WLS officially transferred the "WLS-TV" legal callsign from the now-defunct analog channel 7 to the original post-transition digital television
channel 7, and discontinued the "WLS-DT" callsign. In late 2009, after moving full-power digital operations to UHF channel 44, the "WLS-TV" callsign was moved to channel 44. Even though WLS-TV converted VHF channel 7 into a digital fill-in translator and it is a LD facility (-LD meaning "Low-power Digital
"), it uses the same call letters and suffix like their main full power facility. However, the PSIP
identifier for WLS-TV's virtual channel
s still continues to identify the station as "WLS-DT."
After the digital transition on June 12, 2009, WLS moved from out-of-core UHF Channel 52 to their pre-analog VHF channel 7 for their digital operations. WLS operated their digital signal at low power (4.75 kW) to protect the digital signal of WOOD-TV
in Grand Rapids, Michigan
(which also broadcasts on channel 7, but with much higher power). As a result, many viewers were not able to receive the station. The FCC sent extra personnel to Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York City
to deal with difficulties in those cities. WLS had received 1,735 calls just by the end of the day on June 12 (WBBM only received 600), and an estimated 5000 calls in total by June 16.
WLS-TV was just one station which needed to increase its signal strength or move its frequency to solve its problems, but a power increase required making sure no other stations were affected. WLS received a two-week experimental permit for a power increase late in June. WLS had also applied for a permit to construct a low-power fill-in digital translator station on UHF channel 32, (the former analog frequency of WFLD
) but abandoned that plan (the channel 32 RF frequency has since been claimed by WMEU-LD
). Eventually the FCC granted it a permit to transmit on a second frequency, Channel 44, formerly occupied by WSNS-TV
, and WLS announced the availability of that frequency on October 31, 2009.
As of June 2010, WLS is operating both channels 7 and 44 from their auxiliary transmitting facilities at the John Hancock Center
under an extension of an existing STA
, while construction continues of its maximized facilities at the Willis Tower. WLS is operating channel 7 as a fill-in translator with a power of 7 kW & operating their full power operations on channel 44 with a power of 1 MW. Through PSIP
technology, both operating frequencies are re-mapped and displayed as virtual channel 7, which would cause some digital tuners to have two versions of virtual channels 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3, while tuning sequentially. WLS-TV is expected to operate channel 44 at the 473.3 kW power level from the Willis Tower in the near future. On April 4, 2011, the station modified its construction permit application to boost its power level to 1 million watts from the Willis Tower. At this time, it has yet to be granted.
Since WLS-TV officially moved their full power operations to channel 44, it is the only ABC O&O to vacate its former analog allotment for its digital operations and the second ABC O&O to operate its full-power operations on the UHF band, after KFSN-TV
.
Prior to February 24, 2011, WLS-DT3 aired ABC 7 News Now with weather programming from The Local AccuWeather Channel
. The partnership between the ABC O&Os and AccuWeather ended in February 2011, with the ABC-owned stations replacing AccuWeather with a letterboxed standard-definition simulcast of their LiveWell subchannels.
format in the late 1960s after it became a hit at flagship WABC-TV
in New York
. Fahey Flynn
, a local broadcaster known for his bow ties and Joel Daly
served as the anchormen of the newscasts from 1968 until Flynn's death in 1983. In 1973, Eyewitness News surpassed WMAQ-TV
to become Chicago's top-rated news operation, a lead it held until WBBM-TV
surpassed it in 1979. For much of the 1970s and 1980s, it waged a spirited battle for second place in the Chicago news ratings.
By 1983, a disastrous anchor change had dropped WLS into third place. That prompted two major changes. First was the hiring of Dennis Swanson as General Manager, who in turn, hired Bill Applegate as News Director. Secondly, ABC commissioned Frank Gari
to write an updated version of the Cool Hand Luke
theme widely associated with the Eyewitness News format. The result was News Series 2000, which was quickly picked up by the other ABC O&Os.
Swanson was instrumental in hiring Oprah Winfrey
to host its then low-rated morning talk show, "AM Chicago," in 1983. Within a year, it had shot to first place. It was picked up nationally in 1986 and renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show
. Channel 7 aired it, along with most other ABC O&Os, until September 2011. Swanson also hired lead anchor John Drury
, who had previously worked at WLS, WBBM and WGN-TV
and Floyd Kalber
, who had led WMAQ-TV to the top of the ratings in the 1960s.
Drury and Mary Ann Childers
were a popular anchor team at WLS during the 1980s and 1990s, accompanied by weatherman Steve Deshler and sportscaster Tim Weigel
. In March 1986, WLS passed WBBM as the highest-rated news station in Chicago. It has held the lead ever since, aside from a brief period when WBBM managed to forge a tie for first.
As of 1996, the station currently brands its newscast as "ABC7 News" even though it still uses the same basic format from its Eyewitness News days. The station has been using its current news music package, News Series 2000 Plus (now called Stimulus) by Frank Gari
since 1992. It also updated the on-air graphics for its newscasts on Saturday, June 3, 2005.
The new State Street Studio officially debuted Monday, April 10, 2006, during the station's morning newscast, but it started broadcasting its newscasts from the new studio on Saturday, April 8, 2006. On the weekend of April 29–30, 2006, WLS-TV began using Chopper 7 HD. On Saturday, January 6, 2007, WLS-TV became the first Chicago television station to broadcast its entire news and local programming in high definition news although most remote field footage remains in 16:9 widescreen standard definition.
On Sunday, December 23, 2007, the State Street Studio became breaking news when a minivan drove through a reinforced studio window two minutes into the 10 p.m. newscast, startling anchor Ravi Baichwal on air and creating a 20° draft, but injuring no one.
ABC 7 MetroVision Weather
Sports team
Traffic
Reporters
190 North
Windy City Live
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....
7, is an owned-and-operated
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company
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...
, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The station operates their full power digital operations on 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 44, with their digital fill-in translator on VHF
Very high frequency
Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency...
channel 7. Both operating frequencies are transmitted from the Willis Tower. WLS-TV produces its broadcasts at 190 North State Street in The Loop
Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
.
The WLS-TV call letters stand for "World's Largest Store," recognizing their now-former AM sister station's
WLS (AM)
WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....
founding part-owners, Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
.
History
The station first went on the air as the third TV station in Chicago on September 17, 1948 as WENR-TV. It was named after WENR radio, ABC's Chicago radio affiliate. As one of the original ABC-owned stations on channel 7, it was the second station after New York CityWABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
to begin operations, followed by Detroit
WXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV, channel 7, is an ABC-affiliated television station in Detroit, Michigan, USA. WXYZ-TV is owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, and is the media company's largest-market TV station property...
, San Francisco
KGO-TV
KGO-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, based in San Francisco, California...
and Los Angeles
KABC-TV
KABC-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, licensed to Los Angeles, California. KABC-TV's studios are located in Glendale, California...
.
In February 1953 ABC merged with United Paramount Theatres
United Paramount Theatres
Plitt Theatres was one of the largest chain of cinemas in the United States.The theater chain was divested from Paramount Pictures as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. ....
, the former theater division of Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. UPT subsidiary Balaban and Katz
Balaban and Katz
The first incarnation of the Balaban and Katz Theatre corporation appeared in 1916 in Chicago by A. J. Balaban, Barney Balaban, Sam Katz, and Morris Katz. It held its first meeting as a Delaware corporation on January 21, 1925. Famous Players-Lasky Corporation bought a controlling interest in...
owned WBKB on channel 4 (which shared a 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 with WGN-TV
WGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
) but the new American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, as the company was known then, could not keep both stations because of Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
regulations at that time. As a result, WBKB's channel 4 license was sold to CBS and renamed WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
; the station moved frequencies to channel 2 several months later. The old WBKB's talent stayed at the new WBBM-TV, while the WBKB call letters and management moved to channel 7. (From 1965 to 1968, the station's calls were modified to WBKB-TV.)
The general manager from the early 1950s to the mid-1960s was Sterling "Red" Quinlan,http://www.chicagotelevision.com/RED.htm who was a giant in early Chicago television. He was instrumental in the careers of Tom Duggan
Tom Duggan
Thomas Duggan Goss was an NBC and ABC radio and television commentator in Chicago and Los Angeles and a crusader against Chicago mob involvement in boxing and politics....
, Frank Reynolds
Frank Reynolds
Frank James Reynolds was an American television journalist for ABC and CBS News.He was a New York-based anchor of the ABC Evening News from 1968 to 1970 and later as the Washington D.C.-based co-anchor of World News Tonight from 1978 until his death in 1983...
, and Bob Newhart
Bob Newhart
George Robert Newhart , known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide...
. The station courageously aired The Tom Duggan Show in the mid-1950s, which was the most popular show in Chicago far out drawing other network competition. The station became WLS-TV on October 7, 1968, after WLS radio
WLS (AM)
WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....
(890 AM), which ABC had owned since 1959—subsequently (and ironically) merging WLS radio with WENR, its shared-time partner.
WLS-TV had claimed to be "Chicago's first television station" in sign-ons in the 1980s (implying a connection with the original WBKB on channel 4,) but admitted to its true roots with WENR with its 60th anniversary in 2008.
Digital programming
WLS's digital signal on UHF 44 is multiplexed:| Channel | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.1 | 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 | Main WLS-TV programming / 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... |
| 7.2 | Live Well Network | ||
| 7.3 | 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 w/ 16:9 letterbox Letterbox Letterboxing is the practice of transferring film shot in a widescreen aspect ratio to standard-width video formats while preserving the film's original aspect ratio. The resulting videographic image has mattes above and below it; these mattes are part of the image... |
Upon completion of the digital transition
DTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...
, WLS officially transferred the "WLS-TV" legal callsign from the now-defunct analog channel 7 to the original post-transition digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
channel 7, and discontinued the "WLS-DT" callsign. In late 2009, after moving full-power digital operations to UHF channel 44, the "WLS-TV" callsign was moved to channel 44. Even though WLS-TV converted VHF channel 7 into a digital fill-in translator and it is a LD facility (-LD meaning "Low-power Digital
Low-power broadcasting
Low-power broadcasting is electronic broadcasting at very low power and low cost, to a small community area.The terms "low-power broadcasting" and "micropower broadcasting" should not be used interchangeably, because the markets are not the same...
"), it uses the same call letters and suffix like their main full power facility. However, the PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
identifier for WLS-TV's 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....
s still continues to identify the station as "WLS-DT."
After the digital transition on June 12, 2009, WLS moved from out-of-core UHF Channel 52 to their pre-analog VHF channel 7 for their digital operations. WLS operated their digital signal at low power (4.75 kW) to protect the digital signal of WOOD-TV
WOOD-TV
WOOD-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Southwestern Michigan licensed to Grand Rapids. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 7 from a transmitter in Middleville near the Barry and Allegan County line. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Charter channel...
in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
(which also broadcasts on channel 7, but with much higher power). As a result, many viewers were not able to receive the station. The FCC sent extra personnel to Chicago, Philadelphia, and 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...
to deal with difficulties in those cities. WLS had received 1,735 calls just by the end of the day on June 12 (WBBM only received 600), and an estimated 5000 calls in total by June 16.
WLS-TV was just one station which needed to increase its signal strength or move its frequency to solve its problems, but a power increase required making sure no other stations were affected. WLS received a two-week experimental permit for a power increase late in June. WLS had also applied for a permit to construct a low-power fill-in digital translator station on UHF channel 32, (the former analog frequency of WFLD
WFLD
WFLD, virtual channel 32 , is the Fox owned-and-operated television station, based in Chicago, Illinois; through its parent company News Corporation, the station is owned in a duopoly with area MyNetworkTV affiliate WPWR-TV...
) but abandoned that plan (the channel 32 RF frequency has since been claimed by WMEU-LD
WMEU-CA
WMEU-CA is a class A station in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by Weigel Broadcasting, which also owns sister stations WCIU-TV and WWME-CA. The station is an extension of WWME's classic programming format, and brands as "MeToo"...
). Eventually the FCC granted it a permit to transmit on a second frequency, Channel 44, formerly occupied by WSNS-TV
WSNS-TV
WSNS-TV, channel 44, is an owned-and-operated station of the Spanish-language Telemundo network, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. This station is owned by NBCUniversal, which is also the parent company of Telemundo...
, and WLS announced the availability of that frequency on October 31, 2009.
As of June 2010, WLS is operating both channels 7 and 44 from their auxiliary transmitting facilities at the John Hancock Center
John Hancock Center
John Hancock Center at 875 North Michigan Avenue in the Streeterville area of Chicago, Illinois, is a 100-story, 1,127-foot tall skyscraper, constructed under the supervision of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, with chief designer Bruce Graham and structural engineer Fazlur Khan...
under an extension of an existing STA
Special temporary authority
In U.S. broadcast law, a special temporary authorization or special temporary authority is a type of broadcast license which temporarily allows a broadcast station to operate outside of its normal technical or legal parameters...
, while construction continues of its maximized facilities at the Willis Tower. WLS is operating channel 7 as a fill-in translator with a power of 7 kW & operating their full power operations on channel 44 with a power of 1 MW. Through PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol
The Program and System Information Protocol is the protocol used in the ATSC digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the broadcast MPEG transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch...
technology, both operating frequencies are re-mapped and displayed as virtual channel 7, which would cause some digital tuners to have two versions of virtual channels 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3, while tuning sequentially. WLS-TV is expected to operate channel 44 at the 473.3 kW power level from the Willis Tower in the near future. On April 4, 2011, the station modified its construction permit application to boost its power level to 1 million watts from the Willis Tower. At this time, it has yet to be granted.
Since WLS-TV officially moved their full power operations to channel 44, it is the only ABC O&O to vacate its former analog allotment for its digital operations and the second ABC O&O to operate its full-power operations on the UHF band, after KFSN-TV
KFSN-TV
KFSN-TV, UHF channel 30, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Fresno, California. The station's transmitter is located in Meadow Lakes, California. Its signal covers the Central San Joaquin Valley and the mountain...
.
Prior to February 24, 2011, WLS-DT3 aired ABC 7 News Now with weather programming from The Local AccuWeather Channel
The Local AccuWeather Channel
The Local AccuWeather Channel is a 24-hour, weather-oriented, commercially sponsored broadcast and cable television network in the United States owned and operated by AccuWeather, Inc., which is headquartered in State College, Pennsylvania....
. The partnership between the ABC O&Os and AccuWeather ended in February 2011, with the ABC-owned stations replacing AccuWeather with a letterboxed standard-definition simulcast of their LiveWell subchannels.
Station oddities
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! aired with a one-hour delay at 12:02 a.m. since WLS-TV aired reruns of The Oprah Winfrey ShowThe Oprah Winfrey ShowThe 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....
at 11:02 p.m. after Nightline. (This practice ended after the Oprah reruns ended on September 9, 2011; Jimmy Kimmel was moved to 11:02 p.m. on September 12.) - WLS-TV is the only ABC owned-and-operated station not to air Live with Regis and KellyLive with Regis and KellyLive! 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...
, with the WABC-TVWABC-TVWABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
-produced show airing on WGN-TVWGN-TVWGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
instead.
Former syndicated programming produced in Chicago
- At the Movies - nationally syndicated filmFilmA film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
reviewReviewA review is an evaluation of a publication, a product or a service, such as a movie , video game, musical composition , book ; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, a play, musical theater show or dance show...
program, produced at WLS-TV's studios, and syndicated by Disney-ABC Domestic Television. It aired Saturdays 10:35 p.m. with reruns Sundays 10:30 a.m. The program was cancelled and aired its final original broadcast on Saturday, August 14, 2010. - The Oprah Winfrey ShowThe Oprah Winfrey ShowThe 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....
- former A.M. Chicago 9 a.m. local program, retained name about one year after Oprah WinfreyOprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
became host - originally created by WLS-TV, but it was later produced by Harpo ProductionsHarpo ProductionsHarpo Productions, Inc. is an incorporated US-based multimedia production company founded by Oprah Winfrey . It also includes Harpo Films & Harpo Radio, Inc....
and CBS Television DistributionCBS Television DistributionCBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, formed from the merger of CBS Corporation's two domestic television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions, including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment...
at Oprah's Harpo Studios. It aired weekdays at 9 a.m. The program ended with its final original broadcast airing on May 25, 2011. Reruns continued weeknights at 11:02 p.m. until September 9, 2011.
Other WLS-TV produced programs
- 190 North - local lifestyle program named after the station's studio address at 190 N. State St. in the LoopChicago LoopThe Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
and hosted by Janet Davies; began broadcasting in HD on Sunday, May 6, 2007- Sundays 10:35 p.m., reruns Saturdays 11:05 p.m. (reruns air later during fall college football season)
- Let's Dish, for the Live Well Network
- Shown locally on Channel 7.2.
- Windy City Live - local morning talk show that launched on May 26, 2011, and hosted by Ryan Chiaverini and Valerie Warner; following the conclusion of The Oprah Winfrey ShowThe Oprah Winfrey ShowThe 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....
.- Weekdays 9 a.m., reruns Weeknights 12:02 a.m. beginning September 12, 2011
Former WLS-TV produced programs
- The Chicago Huddle - local sports program about the Chicago Bears hosted by Ryan Chiaverini The program aired Sundays 10:30 a.m. during football season. It last aired during the 2009-2010 season.
- Chicagoing - local public affairs program hosted by Bill Campbell, aired Sunday mornings at 11:30 a.m. The program aired its final broadcast on Sunday, December 26, 2010.
News operations
WLS, like the other ABC owned-and-operated stations, adopted the Eyewitness NewsEyewitness News
Eyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
format in the late 1960s after it became a hit at flagship WABC-TV
WABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
in New York
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...
. Fahey Flynn
Fahey Flynn
Fahey Flynn was a radio and television newscaster who spent the majority of his career in Chicago...
, a local broadcaster known for his bow ties and Joel Daly
Joel Daly
Joel T. Daly is an American former news presenter. He served as an anchor for Chicago's WLS-TV from 1967 to 2005.- News career :...
served as the anchormen of the newscasts from 1968 until Flynn's death in 1983. In 1973, Eyewitness News surpassed WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois. WMAQ-TV's main studios and offices are located within the NBC Tower in the Streeterville neighborhood, with an auxiliary street-level studio on the Magnificent Mile at 401...
to become Chicago's top-rated news operation, a lead it held until WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
surpassed it in 1979. For much of the 1970s and 1980s, it waged a spirited battle for second place in the Chicago news ratings.
By 1983, a disastrous anchor change had dropped WLS into third place. That prompted two major changes. First was the hiring of Dennis Swanson as General Manager, who in turn, hired Bill Applegate as News Director. Secondly, ABC commissioned Frank Gari
Frank Gari
Frank Gari is a popular singer and songwriter from the late 1950s and early 1960s. His best known songs as a performer are "Utopia" , "Lullaby of Love" and "Princess" , all of which hit the U.S. Top 40 in 1961. He co-wrote with Roger McGuinn the song Beach Ball for Bobby Darin...
to write an updated version of the Cool Hand Luke
Cool Hand Luke
Cool Hand Luke is a 1967 American prison drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starring Paul Newman. The screenplay was adapted by Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson from Pearce's 1965 novel of the same name. The film features George Kennedy, Strother Martin, J.D...
theme widely associated with the Eyewitness News format. The result was News Series 2000, which was quickly picked up by the other ABC O&Os.
Swanson was instrumental in hiring Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
to host its then low-rated morning talk show, "AM Chicago," in 1983. Within a year, it had shot to first place. It was picked up nationally in 1986 and renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show
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....
. Channel 7 aired it, along with most other ABC O&Os, until September 2011. Swanson also hired lead anchor John Drury
John Drury
John Drury was an anchorman from Chicago, IL. He appeared on both WGN-TV and WLS-TV. Upon his retirement came the news that he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease...
, who had previously worked at WLS, WBBM and WGN-TV
WGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
and Floyd Kalber
Floyd Kalber
Floyd Kalber was a noted American television journalist and anchorman, nicknamed "The Big Tuna."Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he spent two years in the army during World War II and began his television career as KMTV-Omaha's first newscaster...
, who had led WMAQ-TV to the top of the ratings in the 1960s.
Drury and Mary Ann Childers
Mary Ann Childers
Mary Ann Childers was a reporter and anchor at WBBM-TV in Chicago from 1994 to March 31, 2008. Prior to that, she spent 14 years as an anchor at WLS-TV, where she became the first female to anchor a top-rated 10pm newscast in Chicago. It was announced on March 31, 2008 that she would be leaving...
were a popular anchor team at WLS during the 1980s and 1990s, accompanied by weatherman Steve Deshler and sportscaster Tim Weigel
Tim Weigel
John Timothy Weigel , known professionally as Tim Weigel, was a Chicago broadcaster who spent most of his career as a television sports anchor and reporter.- Early life and education :...
. In March 1986, WLS passed WBBM as the highest-rated news station in Chicago. It has held the lead ever since, aside from a brief period when WBBM managed to forge a tie for first.
As of 1996, the station currently brands its newscast as "ABC7 News" even though it still uses the same basic format from its Eyewitness News days. The station has been using its current news music package, News Series 2000 Plus (now called Stimulus) by Frank Gari
Frank Gari
Frank Gari is a popular singer and songwriter from the late 1950s and early 1960s. His best known songs as a performer are "Utopia" , "Lullaby of Love" and "Princess" , all of which hit the U.S. Top 40 in 1961. He co-wrote with Roger McGuinn the song Beach Ball for Bobby Darin...
since 1992. It also updated the on-air graphics for its newscasts on Saturday, June 3, 2005.
On Sunday, December 23, 2007, the State Street Studio became breaking news when a minivan drove through a reinforced studio window two minutes into the 10 p.m. newscast, startling anchor Ravi Baichwal on air and creating a 20° draft, but injuring no one.
Ratings
According to the Nielsen local news ratings for the February 2011 sweeps period, WLS-TV remained in first place overall, with the 10 p.m. newscast getting a 9.7 rating share, down a tenth of a point from a 9.8 during the same time the previous year. The station remained in second place for its prime-time lead-in.News Station/Presentation
- Tomorrow`s News Today (1949-1954)
- Channel 7 News (1954-1965)
- NewsNight (1965-1968)
- Flynn-Daly News (1968–1969)
- Flynn-Daly Eyewitness News (1969-1973)
- Channel 7 Eyewitness News (1969–1996)
- ABC 7 News (1996–present)
Station Slogans
- 7's On Your Side (1980–1983)
- 7`s On The Move (1984–1985)
- Stand Up and Tell'em Chicago's Great (1985–1992; image campaign based on Frank Gari's Turn To News)
- The Chicago`s Area Leading News (late 1980s-1991)
- Chicago`s #1 News (1991–present)
- People Make the Difference (2000–present)
- Your News. Your Way. (2008–present)
Current on-air staff
Anchors- Stacey Baca - weekend mornings; also weekday reporter & The ñ Beat contributor
- Ravi BaichwalRavi BaichwalRavi Baichwal is a news anchor and reporter at WLS-TV in Chicago. In 2008 he won the Chicago Emmy Award for best anchor from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He was a CTV News Channel Morning anchor weekdays from 6 AM to 10 AM from 2002 to 2006...
- weekend evenings; also weekday reporter - Ben Bradley - Sunday mornings; also weekday reporter
- Kathy BrockKathy BrockKathy Brock is a news anchor at WLS-TV, Chicago's ABC affiliate. She is a co-anchor of the station's 6 pm and 10 pm news broadcasts alongside Alan Krashesky and Ron Magers, respectively.-Personal Life and Education:...
- weeknights at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. - Cheryl BurtonCheryl BurtonCheryl Burton is a news anchor at WLS-TV in Chicago. She anchors the station's 5 p.m. newscast alongside Ron Magers and is a contributor on the 10 p.m. newscast.-Education and Personal Life:...
- weeknights at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. contributor - Judy Hsu - weekday mornings; also reporter
- Karen Jordan - weekend evenings; also weekday reporter
- Alan KrasheskyAlan KrasheskyAlan Krashesky is a news anchor and reporter for WLS-TV in Chicago, Illinois. Krashesky currently anchors the 4pm and 6pm weekday newscasts on WLS-TV, an ABC-TV owned and operated station. In addition, he hosts NewsViews, a weekly political and current affairs discussion segment...
- weekdays at 4 and 6 p.m.; also host of Sunday morning NewsViews - Ron MagersRon MagersRon Magers is a weeknight anchor for WLS-TV, the ABC owned-and-operated station in Chicago, the city's number one station. He currently co-anchors the top-rated 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. broadcasts with Cheryl Burton and Kathy Brock, respectively...
- weeknights at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. - Sylvia PerezSylvia PerezSylvia Perez co-anchors the 11am newscast on Chicago's WLS-TV with Linda Yu. She is also the station's "Healthbeat" reporter covering daily health and medical investigative stories for the 4pm and 10pm newscasts. Ms. Perez first joined ABC 7 in June 1989.Prior to joing ABC7, Sylvia worked in...
- weekdays at 11 a.m.; also 4 p.m. "Healthbeat" contributor - Hosea Sanders - weekday mornings; also reporter
- Linda YuLinda YuLinda Yu is a news anchor for WLS-TV in Chicago. At ABC7, she anchors the 11am newscast with Sylvia Perez and the 4pm newscast with Alan Krashesky. Linda first joined the station in 1984 after five years with rival NBC O & O WMAQ-TV...
- weekdays at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
ABC 7 MetroVision Weather
- Jerry TaftJerry TaftJerry Taft is the chief meteorologist for WLS-TV in Chicago.A veteran of the United States Air Force, Taft earned a Bachelor of Science degree in meteorology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
(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...
Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. - Mark Bishop (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; Saturday mornings
- Tracy Butler (AMS 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) - meteorologist; weekday mornings and 11 a.m. - Mike Caplan - weather anchor; weekdays at 4 p.m.
- Phil Schwarz (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; Sunday mornings and weekend evenings
Sports team
- Mark GiangrecoMark GiangrecoMark Giangreco is the sports director and lead sports anchor for WLS-TV in Chicago, Illinois. Giangreco currently anchors the sports segment on ABC7 during the 5pm and 10pm newscasts. -Education and career:...
- sports director; weeknights at 5 and 10 p.m. - Jim RoseJim Rose (sports anchor)Jim Rose is a sports anchor who currently works for WLS-TV, the ABC affiliate in Chicago. He joined the station in 1982 from WIXT-TV in Syracuse, New York. He was once married to WLS-TV news anchor Cheryl Burton. -References:...
- sports anchor; weekdays at 4, and weeknights at 6 p.m. - Rafer WeigelRafer WeigelRafer Weigel is the weekend sports anchor and reporter at WLS-TV in Chicago. He was sports anchor for CNN HLN’s Morning Express with Robin Meade and a former actor.-Background:...
- sports anchor; weekend evenings; also sports reporter
Traffic
- Roz Varon - weekday mornings
Reporters
- Steve Dolinsky - food reporter/"Hungry Hound"
- Jessica D'Onofrio - general assignment reporter
- Michelle Gallardo - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
- John Garcia - general assignment reporter; also The ñ Beat contributor
- Chuck GoudieChuck GoudieChuck Goudie is an American television journalist based in Chicago. He has been the chief investigative correspondent of ABC7 News, WLS-TV, in Chicago since 1990. He has been with ABC since April, 1980...
- chief investigative reporter; also 6 p.m. "Intelligence Report" contributor - Theresa Gutierrez - general assignment reporter; also host of The ñ Beat
- Evelyn Holmes - general assignment reporter
- Leah Hope - general assignment reporter; also host of Heart & Soul
- Eric Horng - general assignment reporter
- Jason Knowles - general assignment reporter
- Frank Mathie - feature reporter
- Paul Meincke - general assignment reporter
- Karen Meyer - disability issues reporter
- Sarah Schulte - general assignment reporter
- Charles Thomas - political reporter; also host of Heart & Soul
190 North
- Janet Davies - host; also features and entertainment reporter & fill-in anchor
Windy City Live
- Ryan Chiaverini - host
- Valerie Warner - co-host
Notable former on-air staff
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