WPVI-TV
Encyclopedia
WPVI-TV, channel 6, is an owned-and-operated
television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company
, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, USA
. WPVI has its studios located on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd
, and its transmitter is located in the Roxborough
neighborhood. The station's signal covers the Delaware Valley
area, comprising large portions of Pennsylvania
, New Jersey
, and Delaware
.
, publishers of The Philadelphia Inquirer
, along with WFIL radio
(560 AM) and WFIL-FM (102.1 FM, now WIOQ
).
WFIL radio had been an ABC radio affiliate dating back to ABC's days as the Blue Network
. However, WFIL-TV started out as a DuMont
affiliate, as ABC hadn't gotten into television yet. When ABC launched its television network on April 19, 1948, WFIL-TV became the fledgling network's first affiliate. Channel 6 joined ABC before the network's first owned-and-operated station, WJZ-TV in New York City
(now WABC-TV
), signed on in August. However, it retained a secondary affiliation with DuMont until DuMont shut down in 1956.
The WFIL stations were the flagship of the growing communications empire of Walter Annenberg
's Triangle Publications, which owned two Philadelphia newspapers (the morning Inquirer and, later, the evening Philadelphia Daily News
), periodicals including TV Guide
, Seventeen
, and the Daily Racing Form
, and a broadcasting group that would grow to ten radio and six television stations.
The WFIL radio stations originally broadcast from the Widener Building in downtown Philadelphia. With the anticipated arrival of WFIL-TV, Triangle secured a new facility for WFIL, located at Market and 46th streets. In 1963 (according to the WPVI web site) Triangle built one of the most advanced broadcast centers in the nation on City (or City Line) Avenue in the Wynnefield Heights community, in a circular building across from rival WCAU-TV. The station still broadcasts from there today even as a new digital media building is finally in use for Action News
and other original productions, while the original studio was turned over to public broadcaster WHYY-FM
-TV
.
Channel 6 has a long history of producing local shows. On Good Friday 1948 it broadcast a production of "Parsifal" from the John Wanamaker Store that featured Bruno Walter 50 players from the Philadelphia Orchestra, a Chorus of 300 and the Wanamaker Organ
. Perhaps its most notable local production was Bandstand, which began in 1952 and originated from WFIL-TV's newly-constructed Studio B (located in the 1952 addition to the original 1947 46th and Market Street studio). In 1957, ABC included the program as part of its weekday-afternoon network lineup and renamed it to reflect its more widespread broadcast – American Bandstand
.
Other well-known locally-produced shows included the children's programs Captain Noah and His Magical Ark
; a cartoon show hosted by Sally Starr; and Chief Halftown (whose host, Traynor Ora Halftown
, was a full-blooded member of the Seneca Nation
), and two variety programs: The Al Alberts
Showcase, a talent show emceed by the lead singer of the Four Aces
; and the Larry Ferrari
Show, on which the host played organ versions of both popular and religious music. WFIL-TV also produced an early, yet long-running, program on adult literacy, Operation Alphabet
.
Channel 6 was the first station to sign on from the Roxborough neighborhood. It originally used a 600 feet (182.9 m) tower, but in 1957 it moved to a new 1100 feet (335.3 m) tower which it co-owned with NBC
-owned WRCV-TV (channel 3, now KYW-TV
). The new tower added much of Delaware and the Lehigh Valley
to the station's city-grade coverage.
(FCC) barred companies from owning newspapers and broadcast outlets in the same market
-- the so-called "one to a market" rule. However, the FCC "grandfathered
" several existing newspaper and broadcasting situations in several markets. Triangle approached the FCC for permission to grandfather its combination of the Inquirer, the Daily News and WFIL-AM-FM-TV, but was turned down. As a result, in 1969, one year after the new regulation was made official, Triangle sold the Inquirer and the Daily News to Knight (later Knight-Ridder) Newspapers.
In 1971, the FCC forced Triangle to sell off its broadcasting properties due to protests from then-Pennsylvania Governor Milton Shapp
. Shapp complained that Triangle had used its three Pennsylvania television stations -— WFIL-TV, WLYH-TV
in Lebanon
and WFBG-TV (now WTAJ-TV
) in Altoona
-- in a smear campaign against him. The WFIL stations, along with radio and TV outlets in New Haven, Connecticut
and Fresno, California
, were sold to Capital Cities Communications
. As a condition of the sale, Capital Cities had to spin-off the radio stations to other entities (WFIL radio to LIN Broadcasting
and WFIL-FM to Richer Communications, which changed the call letters to WIOQ
), and channel 6 changed its call letters to the current WPVI-TV on April 27, 1971.
Despite the ownership change, channel 6 continued preempting ABC programming in favor of locally-produced and syndicated shows. In 1975, when ABC entered the morning news field with AM America
, WPVI did not carry it. Nor would channel 6 pick up AM Americas successor, Good Morning America
, in its entirety for nearly three years, choosing instead to carry Captain Noah and His Magical Ark in place of the second hour of GMA. WPVI-TV also did not run other ABC daytime programming, notably The Edge of Night
and numerous sitcom reruns. ABC was able to get most of its daytime schedule on the air in Philadelphia anyway, through contracts with independent stations WKBS-TV
(channel 48) and WTAF-TV (channel 29).
In March 1985, Capital Cities announced it was purchasing the American Broadcasting Company, a move that stunned the broadcast industry since ABC was some four times larger than CapCities at the time. Some have said that CapCities was only able to pull off the deal because WPVI-TV, the company's flagship property, had become very profitable in its own right. However, the merged company almost had to sell off channel 6 due to a large grade B signal overlap with WABC-TV. In the FCC's view, the merger gave the new company a duopoly
prohibited by the regulations of the time—the same "one-to-a-market" rule that forced Triangle to split its newspaper/broadcast combination in Philadelphia many years earlier. Capital Cities sought a waiver of the rules to keep WPVI, citing CBS' then-ownership of WCBS-TV
in New York and WCAU-TV in Philadelphia. The FCC granted the waiver, and when the transaction became final in early 1986, WPVI-TV became an ABC owned-and-operated station. The station was hitherto ABC's longest-tenured affiliate; this distinction went to Baltimore's WJZ-TV
and then to Washington, DC's WJLA when WJZ dropped ABC in 1995. A decade later, the Walt Disney Company purchased Capital Cities/ABC.
Even in the years after WPVI became an ABC-owned station, it continued to pre-empt an hour of ABC daytime programs in favor of other programs. Wildwood, New Jersey
-based NBC affiliate WMGM-TV
picked up the pre-empted ABC shows until 1987, when it moved back to channel 29, which was now WTXF-TV
. The pre-empted programs were usually magazine shows, game shows or reruns of ABC primetime sitcoms. Some leeway was made in the early 1990s, when WPVI was down to pre-empting only the first half-hour the Home Show
.
It was also after the CapCities-ABC merger that WPVI encountered infamy: On January 22, 1987, the station partially rebroadcast the suicide
of Pennsylvania
state treasurer R. Budd Dwyer on its noon newscast. Dwyer's suicide occurred at a press conference earlier that morning.
In 1997, in a directive from the new Disney ownership, WPVI-TV began carrying the entire ABC network schedule for the first time ever. Unfortunately, it came at the expense of its highly-rated local show, AM/Live (formerly AM Philadelphia), which was shifted to overnights to make room for ABC's then-new talk show The View. AM/Live was moved to 12:35 a.m. following Politically Incorrect
and was renamed Philly After Midnight, where it lasted until 2001.
Today, WPVI carries the entire ABC line-up as well as syndicated programming such as Live! with Kelly and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
, both of which are provided by corporate cousin Disney-ABC Domestic Television. It also carries both Jeopardy!
and Wheel of Fortune. In fact, its entire weekday line-up, including syndicated shows, is identical to that of WABC-TV. Since 1977, WPVI has also been airing the Pennsylvania Lottery
live nighttime television drawings which occurs at 6:59 p.m. ET every night. The Powerball
drawings on Wednesdays and Saturdays and the Mega Millions drawings Tuesday and Fridays air during the 11 PM editions of Action News on those days.
On January 28, 2010, WPVI entered into a multi-year agreement with Major League Soccer
expansion team Philadelphia Union through which it will air every non-nationally televised game in HD, and show game rebroadcasts over their Live Well subchannel.
On December 4, 2010, WPVI updated its logo by placing a circle around the "6" logo (in a matter similar to other ABC O&Os) and replacing its red ABC logo with the "gloss ball" version launched three years previously by the network, becoming the last ABC O&O to add the new version to their logomark. The revised identity came with a brand new graphics package, but of course the classic "Move Closer to Your World" theme song remains the same as it has been for over 40 years.
channel 6, on June 12, 2009, as part of the DTV transition in the United States
. The station had been broadcasting its pre-transition digital signal over UHF
channel 64, but returned to channel 6 for its post-transition operations. Because of the nature of VHF-LO frequencies, WPVI-TV is difficult to tune without an outdoor VHF/UHF antenna. A temporary power increase to 30 kilowatts was granted, with WEDY
in New Haven, Connecticut
and WRGB
in Schenectady, New York
having to give their consent. Some viewers did notice an improvement in their signal. Because of potential interference to other stations and to FM radio
, there was doubt as to whether this increase could be granted. Three months later, WPVI was still getting complaints.
format, which was used by many stations throughout the United States
. When WFIL-TV premiered it on April 6, 1970, the format allowed the news program to have more stories than KYW-TV's Eyewitness News
due to strict time limits on story packages. Within a few months, the station surged to first place for the first time in its history. It had previously been an also-ran behind KYW-TV and WCAU-TV, as was the case with most ABC affiliates. Despite channel 6's newspaper roots, it was hampered by the fact that ABC was not on par with CBS and NBC until the early 1970s.
In 1970, Channel 6 stole first place in the ratings in Philadelphia. It has dominated the ratings for most of the time ever since, winning virtually every time slot. Its dominance has only been seriously challenged twice—in the 1980s, when WCAU-TV briefly took the lead at 5 p.m.; and in 2001, when WCAU took first place at 11 p.m. for a few months for the first time in decades. Many top executives in ABC's television station group worked at WPVI. WPVI's longtime anchor Jim Gardner
and weatherman Dave Roberts joined the station in 1976 and 1978 respectively, after each had spent time at WPVI's sister station WKBW-TV
in Buffalo, New York
. Sports anchor Gary Papa
joined in 1981 from another Buffalo station, WGR-TV.
The station's newscast has used the same theme music, "Move Closer to Your World
" by Al Ham
, since 1972. The composition has become as much a part of the Philadelphia consciousness as the Rocky
theme and has helped WPVI stay number one in the Delaware Valley for 30 years. The station tried to switch to a fuller, thunderous and authoritative version of the song by the London Philharmonic Orchestra
in September 1996, but switched back to the old version after four days of viewer complaints. Also, for nearly 30 years starting in the early 1980s, Jeff Kaye (of NFL Films) announced the familiar open: "Action News, Delaware Valley's leading news program," as well as rejoins and closings. Even through staff announcing changes for the station in general, Kaye remained the constant voice of Action News. However, as of the mid-2000s, his voice started to show signs of decaying; it got to the point where his newly-recorded opens in late January 2010 were pulled off in less than a week. On June 21, 2010, Kaye was replaced with veteran announcer Charlie Van Dyke
, who has been WPVI's station announcer since 2006.
Years of being in the lead have led WPVI to maintain an "if it isn’t broken, don't fix it" mentality. For instance, it has had the same "6" logo since becoming WPVI, although the logo has been treated differently over the years. For instance, in the early 1990s, WPVI began placing its stylized 6 on top of a blue box, which lasted until 1997 when the station rebranded itself to "6ABC" and began placing a red ABC logo inside the 6. In December 2010, WPVI debuted a revised identity, including an updated logo. The 6 is now placed inside a blue circle, with a black, glossy ABC logo. Grayscale versions of the previous logo remain in use. WPVI has frequently remastered "Move Closer to Your World" to make it sound less dated.
In recent years, attempts have been made to modernize the newscasts. In 1998, it began downplaying its use of chromakey graphics. The magnet board used for weather forecasts gave way to a video screen in 2000 and a chromakey wall in 2005. On February 13, 2006, Action News
debuted a revamped and fully modernized set which includes a glass etching background of several historical landmarks in Philadelphia positioned behind the anchor desk, shiftable lighting effects and a computerized Accu-Weather center. WPVI introduced a new HD-capable helicopter in February 2006. Live shots from the helicopter, officially named Chopper6 HD, were shown in high definition. Furthermore, on July 23, 2006, starting with the 6:00 p.m. broadcast, Action News
began broadcasting from its studio in full 720p HDTV. The official announcement was made on July 24. All news cameras on Action News are HD. On September 12, 2009, WPVI debuted another new revamped and fully modernized set, wider than the last set at the original round building, with a bigger newsdesk, AccuWeather center and background of glass sketches of the several historic landmarks in Philadelphia (now adding one of the Comcast Center
). It also added a touch-screen video wall, the first for any station in the country.
Most of WPVI's on-air staff has been at the station for over ten years, and several for twenty years or more. Jim Gardner has been with the station since 1976 and has been its main anchor since May 1977, the longest tenure as a main anchor in Philadelphia history. Rob Jennings has been the station's weekend anchor since 1977.
As there is no ABC affiliate or local station based in New Jersey, WPVI cooperates with WABC-TV in the production and broadcast of state-wide New Jersey political debates. When the two stations broadcast a state-wide office debate, such as Governor
or U.S. Senate, they will pool resources and have anchors or reporters from both stations participate in the debate. Additionally, the two stations cooperate in the gathering of news in New Jersey where their markets overlap, sharing reporters, live trucks, and helicopters.
After the death of long-time sports director Gary Papa
, Channel 6 took eighteen months to name a replacement. In January of 2010, Keith Russell was named as the 6pm and 11pm sports anchor, while Jamie Apody was named the 5pm sports anchor, a position vacant since the departure of longtime 5pm anchor Scott Palmer. Russell and Apody split responsibility for the weekday evening sports report during the interim.
In the ABC series Body of Proof
(which is set around the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office and produced by ABC's television studio division), WPVI live trucks and microphones with the station's mic flag are seen in a fictional sense, though none of the station's staff have appeared in the course of the series.
AccuWeather team
Sports team
Traffic
Reporters
In the Lehigh Valley, WPVI is carried by Service Electric, RCN, and Blue Ridge Communications, which altogether encompasses nearly 1 million people. It can also be seen in Reading and most parts of Berks County.
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 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. WPVI has its studios located on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Bala Cynwyd is a community in Lower Merion Township which is located on the Main Line in southeastern Pennsylvania, bordering the western edge of Philadelphia at US Route 1 . It was originally two separate towns, Bala and Cynwyd, but is commonly treated as a single community...
, and its transmitter is located in the Roxborough
Roxborough, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Roxborough is a neighborhood in the Northwest Philadelphia section of the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is bordered to the southwest, along the Schuylkill River, by the neighborhood of Manayunk, along the northeast by the Wissahickon Creek section of Fairmount Park, and to...
neighborhood. The station's signal covers the Delaware Valley
Delaware Valley
The Delaware Valley is a term used to refer to the valley where the Delaware River flows, along with the surrounding communities. This includes the metropolitan area centered on the city of Philadelphia. Such educational institutions as Delaware Valley Regional High School in Alexandria Township...
area, comprising large portions of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
.
As WFIL-TV
Philadelphia's second-oldest television station signed on the air on September 10, 1947 as WFIL-TV. It was owned originally by Triangle PublicationsTriangle Publications
Triangle Publications, Inc. was an American media group first based at 400 North Broad Street , Philadelphia, and later at its TV Guide headquarters in Radnor, Pennsylvania. Triangle Publications was a privately-held corporation with the majority of stock owned by Walter Annenberg and his sisters...
, publishers of The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
, along with WFIL radio
WFIL
WFIL is a radio station and a former television station serving the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its transmitter is located in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania....
(560 AM) and WFIL-FM (102.1 FM, now WIOQ
WIOQ
WIOQ, known as "Q102", is a CHR/Pop radio station which is broadcast in the Philadelphia area. The station appeals to a generally young demographic. WIOQ is owned by Clear Channel Communications. Its transmitter is located in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia.-WFIL-FM/Popular 102:The...
).
WFIL radio had been an ABC radio affiliate dating back to ABC's days as the Blue Network
Blue Network
The Blue Network, and its immediate predecessor, the NBC Blue Network, were the on-air names of an American radio production and distribution service from 1927 to 1945...
. However, WFIL-TV started out as a DuMont
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
affiliate, as ABC hadn't gotten into television yet. When ABC launched its television network on April 19, 1948, WFIL-TV became the fledgling network's first affiliate. Channel 6 joined ABC before the network's first owned-and-operated station, WJZ-TV in 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...
(now 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...
), signed on in August. However, it retained a secondary affiliation with DuMont until DuMont shut down in 1956.
The WFIL stations were the flagship of the growing communications empire of Walter Annenberg
Walter Annenberg
Walter Hubert Annenberg was an American publisher, philanthropist, and diplomat.-Early life:Walter Annenberg was born to a Jewish family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on March 13, 1908. He was the son of Sarah and Moses "Moe" Annenberg, who published The Daily Racing Form and purchased The Philadelphia...
's Triangle Publications, which owned two Philadelphia newspapers (the morning Inquirer and, later, the evening Philadelphia Daily News
Philadelphia Daily News
The Philadelphia Daily News is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The newspaper is owned by Philadelphia Media Holdings which also owns Philadelphia's other major newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Daily News began publishing on March 31, 1925, under...
), periodicals including TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
, Seventeen
Seventeen (magazine)
Seventeen is an American magazine for teenagers. It was first published in September 1944 by Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications. News Corporation bought Triangle in 1988, and sold Seventeen to K-III Communications in 1991. Primedia sold the magazine to Hearst in 2003. It is still in the...
, and the Daily Racing Form
Daily Racing Form
The Daily Racing Form is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of race horses as a statistical service for bettors on horse racing in the United States....
, and a broadcasting group that would grow to ten radio and six television stations.
The WFIL radio stations originally broadcast from the Widener Building in downtown Philadelphia. With the anticipated arrival of WFIL-TV, Triangle secured a new facility for WFIL, located at Market and 46th streets. In 1963 (according to the WPVI web site) Triangle built one of the most advanced broadcast centers in the nation on City (or City Line) Avenue in the Wynnefield Heights community, in a circular building across from rival WCAU-TV. The station still broadcasts from there today even as a new digital media building is finally in use for Action News
Action News
Action News is a local television newscast format in the United States. It was conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at WFIL-TV by then-news director Mel Kampmann in 1970 as a response to the "Eyewitness News" format used on rival station KYW-TV...
and other original productions, while the original studio was turned over to public broadcaster WHYY-FM
WHYY-FM
WHYY-FM is an NPR member station serving the Delaware Valley area, which is the metro area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is located in Philadelphia. Its transmitter is located in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia.-History:...
-TV
WHYY-TV
For the former channel 12 in Wilmington, see WVUE .WHYY-TV, channel 12, is a non-commercial educational television station licensed to Wilmington, Delaware, USA...
.
Channel 6 has a long history of producing local shows. On Good Friday 1948 it broadcast a production of "Parsifal" from the John Wanamaker Store that featured Bruno Walter 50 players from the Philadelphia Orchestra, a Chorus of 300 and the Wanamaker Organ
Wanamaker Organ
The Wanamaker Grand Court Organ, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the largest operational pipe organ in the world, located within a spacious 7-story court at Macy's Center City . The largest organ by some measures is the Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ...
. Perhaps its most notable local production was Bandstand, which began in 1952 and originated from WFIL-TV's newly-constructed Studio B (located in the 1952 addition to the original 1947 46th and Market Street studio). In 1957, ABC included the program as part of its weekday-afternoon network lineup and renamed it to reflect its more widespread broadcast – American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
.
Other well-known locally-produced shows included the children's programs Captain Noah and His Magical Ark
Captain Noah and His Magical Ark
Captain Noah and His Magical Ark was a television program for children and was generally broadcast around the Philadelphia area. The series aired from 1967 to 1994. It was film and produced at the WPVI-TV, Channel 6 studios in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Captain Noah and His Magical Ark, was...
; a cartoon show hosted by Sally Starr; and Chief Halftown (whose host, Traynor Ora Halftown
Traynor Ora Halftown
Traynor Ora Halftown , better known as "Chief Halftown", was an entertainer who hosted a children's show that aired on WFIL-TV in Philadelphia from 1950 to 1999.....
, was a full-blooded member of the Seneca Nation
Seneca nation
The Seneca are a group of indigenous people native to North America. They were the nation located farthest to the west within the Six Nations or Iroquois League in New York before the American Revolution. While exact population figures are unknown, approximately 15,000 to 25,000 Seneca live in...
), and two variety programs: The Al Alberts
Al Alberts
Al Alberts was a popular singer and composer. -Biography:Born Al Albertini in Chester, Pennsylvania, he went to South Philadelphia High School, whose alumni included many others who would become famous in show business, such as Joey Bishop, Buddy Greco, Al Martino, Mario Lanza, Chubby Checker,...
Showcase, a talent show emceed by the lead singer of the Four Aces
The Four Aces
The Four Aces is an American male traditional pop music quartet, popular since the 1950s. Over the last half-century, the group amassed many gold records. Its million-selling signature tunes include "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing", "Three Coins in the Fountain", "Stranger in Paradise", "Tell Me...
; and the Larry Ferrari
Larry Ferrari
Larry Ferrari , born Lazarus Louis Ferrari, was an American organist who hosted The Larry Ferrari Show from 1954 to 1997 on WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, a weekly Sunday morning half hour program of organ music.-Biography:Ferrari was born in Boston. He changed his name to "Larry" when...
Show, on which the host played organ versions of both popular and religious music. WFIL-TV also produced an early, yet long-running, program on adult literacy, Operation Alphabet
Operation Alphabet (TV series)
Operation Alphabet was a daily educational television program designed to teach literacy to adults. Produced in Philadelphia by WFIL-TV in association with the Philadelphia Junior Chamber of Commerce and the National Association for Public School Adult Education, the program was hosted by...
.
Channel 6 was the first station to sign on from the Roxborough neighborhood. It originally used a 600 feet (182.9 m) tower, but in 1957 it moved to a new 1100 feet (335.3 m) tower which it co-owned with 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...
-owned WRCV-TV (channel 3, now KYW-TV
KYW-TV
KYW-TV, virtual channel 3, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW-TV shares a studio facility with its sister station, CW flagship WPSG just north of Center City Philadelphia...
). The new tower added much of Delaware and the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
to the station's city-grade coverage.
As WPVI-TV
In 1968, the Federal Communications CommissionFederal 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...
(FCC) barred companies from owning newspapers and broadcast outlets in the same market
Concentration of media ownership
Concentration of media ownership refers to a process whereby progressively fewer individuals or organizations control increasing shares of the mass media...
-- the so-called "one to a market" rule. However, the FCC "grandfathered
Grandfather clause
Grandfather clause is a legal term used to describe a situation in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations, while a new rule will apply to all future situations. It is often used as a verb: to grandfather means to grant such an exemption...
" several existing newspaper and broadcasting situations in several markets. Triangle approached the FCC for permission to grandfather its combination of the Inquirer, the Daily News and WFIL-AM-FM-TV, but was turned down. As a result, in 1969, one year after the new regulation was made official, Triangle sold the Inquirer and the Daily News to Knight (later Knight-Ridder) Newspapers.
In 1971, the FCC forced Triangle to sell off its broadcasting properties due to protests from then-Pennsylvania Governor Milton Shapp
Milton Shapp
Milton Jerrold Shapp was the 40th Governor of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1971 to 1979 and was the first Jewish governor of Pennsylvania.- Early life :...
. Shapp complained that Triangle had used its three Pennsylvania television stations -— WFIL-TV, WLYH-TV
WLYH-TV
WLYH-TV is the CW-affiliated television station for South Central Pennsylvania licensed to Lancaster. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 23 from a transmitter on Butler Road in South Londonderry Township's Timber Hills section. The station can also be seen on Comcast...
in Lebanon
Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Lebanon, formerly known as Steitztown, is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,477 at the 2010 census, a 4.2% increase from the 2000 count of 24,461...
and WFBG-TV (now WTAJ-TV
WTAJ-TV
WTAJ-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Allegheny area of Pennsylvania that is licensed to Altoona, Pennsylvania. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32. It is owned by Nexstar Broadcasting Group...
) in Altoona
Altoona, Pennsylvania
-History:A major railroad town, Altoona was founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 as the site for a shop complex. Altoona was incorporated as a borough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868...
-- in a smear campaign against him. The WFIL stations, along with radio and TV outlets in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
and Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, were sold to Capital Cities Communications
Capital Cities Communications
Capital Cities redirects here. For the article about the seat of a government, see Capital .Capital Cities Communications was an American media company best known for its surprise purchase of the much larger American Broadcasting Company in 1985...
. As a condition of the sale, Capital Cities had to spin-off the radio stations to other entities (WFIL radio to LIN Broadcasting
LIN TV
LIN TV Corporation is an American holding company that operates 31 television stations.-History:LIN TV's roots trace back to the founding of its former parent, LIN Broadcasting Corporation, in 1961. LIN Broadcasting was engaged in radio, television, direct marketing, information and learning, music...
and WFIL-FM to Richer Communications, which changed the call letters to WIOQ
WIOQ
WIOQ, known as "Q102", is a CHR/Pop radio station which is broadcast in the Philadelphia area. The station appeals to a generally young demographic. WIOQ is owned by Clear Channel Communications. Its transmitter is located in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia.-WFIL-FM/Popular 102:The...
), and channel 6 changed its call letters to the current WPVI-TV on April 27, 1971.
Despite the ownership change, channel 6 continued preempting ABC programming in favor of locally-produced and syndicated shows. In 1975, when ABC entered the morning news field with AM America
AM America
AM America was a morning news program produced by ABC in an attempt to compete with the highly rated Today on NBC. The show never found an audience after its premiere on January 6, 1975...
, WPVI did not carry it. Nor would channel 6 pick up AM Americas successor, Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, in its entirety for nearly three years, choosing instead to carry Captain Noah and His Magical Ark in place of the second hour of GMA. WPVI-TV also did not run other ABC daytime programming, notably The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night is an American television mystery series/soap opera produced by Procter & Gamble. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network until November 28, 1975; the series then moved to ABC, where it aired from December 1, 1975, until December 28, 1984...
and numerous sitcom reruns. ABC was able to get most of its daytime schedule on the air in Philadelphia anyway, through contracts with independent stations WKBS-TV
WKBS-TV (Philadelphia)
WKBS-TV was an independent television station licensed to Burlington, New Jersey, which served the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area from 1965 to 1983. WKBS-TV had studio facilities located in South Philadelphia, and transmitter at the Roxborough tower farm in Philadelphia.-History:WKBS-TV began...
(channel 48) and WTAF-TV (channel 29).
In March 1985, Capital Cities announced it was purchasing the American Broadcasting Company, a move that stunned the broadcast industry since ABC was some four times larger than CapCities at the time. Some have said that CapCities was only able to pull off the deal because WPVI-TV, the company's flagship property, had become very profitable in its own right. However, the merged company almost had to sell off channel 6 due to a large grade B signal overlap with WABC-TV. In the FCC's view, the merger gave the new company a duopoly
Duopoly (broadcasting)
In United States broadcast television and radio, duopoly is a term used to describe a single company which owns two or more stations in the same city or community....
prohibited by the regulations of the time—the same "one-to-a-market" rule that forced Triangle to split its newspaper/broadcast combination in Philadelphia many years earlier. Capital Cities sought a waiver of the rules to keep WPVI, citing CBS' then-ownership of WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan....
in New York and WCAU-TV in Philadelphia. The FCC granted the waiver, and when the transaction became final in early 1986, WPVI-TV became an ABC owned-and-operated station. The station was hitherto ABC's longest-tenured affiliate; this distinction went to Baltimore's WJZ-TV
WJZ-TV
WJZ-TV, channel 13, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Baltimore, Maryland. WJZ-TV's studios and offices are located on Television Hill in the Woodberry section of Baltimore, adjacent to the transmission tower it shares with four other Baltimore...
and then to Washington, DC's WJLA when WJZ dropped ABC in 1995. A decade later, the Walt Disney Company purchased Capital Cities/ABC.
Even in the years after WPVI became an ABC-owned station, it continued to pre-empt an hour of ABC daytime programs in favor of other programs. Wildwood, New Jersey
Wildwood, New Jersey
Wildwood is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area and is a popular summer resort destination. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's year-round population was 5,325...
-based NBC affiliate WMGM-TV
WMGM-TV
WMGM-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for South Jersey that is licensed to Wildwood. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 36 from a transmitter along CR 601 in Swainton east of the Garden State Parkway. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 4 and in...
picked up the pre-empted ABC shows until 1987, when it moved back to channel 29, which was now WTXF-TV
WTXF-TV
WTXF-TV, virtual channel 29 , is an owned-and-operated station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
. The pre-empted programs were usually magazine shows, game shows or reruns of ABC primetime sitcoms. Some leeway was made in the early 1990s, when WPVI was down to pre-empting only the first half-hour the Home Show
Home Show
Home, also referred to as The Home Show, was a daytime/nighttime informational talk show that aired on ABC from 1988 to 1994.The program was co-hosted by Robb Weller and former Good Morning America co-host Sandy Hill during the first season. Gary Collins hosted the show for the remainder of its run...
.
It was also after the CapCities-ABC merger that WPVI encountered infamy: On January 22, 1987, the station partially rebroadcast the suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
state treasurer R. Budd Dwyer on its noon newscast. Dwyer's suicide occurred at a press conference earlier that morning.
In 1997, in a directive from the new Disney ownership, WPVI-TV began carrying the entire ABC network schedule for the first time ever. Unfortunately, it came at the expense of its highly-rated local show, AM/Live (formerly AM Philadelphia), which was shifted to overnights to make room for ABC's then-new talk show The View. AM/Live was moved to 12:35 a.m. following Politically Incorrect
Politically Incorrect
Politically Incorrect is a late-night, half-hour political talk show hosted by Bill Maher that ran from 1993 to 2002. It premiered on Comedy Central from 1993 to 1997, and later on ABC in 1997, which cancelled it in 2002....
and was renamed Philly After Midnight, where it lasted until 2001.
Today, WPVI carries the entire ABC line-up as well as syndicated programming such as Live! with Kelly and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (US game show)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is an American television quiz show which offers a maximum prize of $1,000,000 for correctly answering 14 consecutive multiple-choice questions of random difficulty. Until 2010, the format required contestants to correctly answer 15 consecutive questions of increasing...
, both of which are provided by corporate cousin Disney-ABC Domestic Television. It also carries both 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...
and Wheel of Fortune. In fact, its entire weekday line-up, including syndicated shows, is identical to that of WABC-TV. Since 1977, WPVI has also been airing the Pennsylvania Lottery
Pennsylvania Lottery
The Pennsylvania Lottery is operated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The lottery was created by the Pennsylvania General Assembly on August 26, 1971; two months later, Henry Kaplan was appointed as its first executive director...
live nighttime television drawings which occurs at 6:59 p.m. ET every night. The Powerball
Powerball
Powerball is an American lottery game sold in 44 jurisdictions as a shared jackpot game. It is coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association , a non-profit organization formed by an agreement with lotteries. Powerball is a game whose advertised jackpot starts at $20 million and can roll into...
drawings on Wednesdays and Saturdays and the Mega Millions drawings Tuesday and Fridays air during the 11 PM editions of Action News on those days.
On January 28, 2010, WPVI entered into a multi-year agreement with Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
expansion team Philadelphia Union through which it will air every non-nationally televised game in HD, and show game rebroadcasts over their Live Well subchannel.
On December 4, 2010, WPVI updated its logo by placing a circle around the "6" logo (in a matter similar to other ABC O&Os) and replacing its red ABC logo with the "gloss ball" version launched three years previously by the network, becoming the last ABC O&O to add the new version to their logomark. The revised identity came with a brand new graphics package, but of course the classic "Move Closer to Your World" theme song remains the same as it has been for over 40 years.
Digital programming
| Channel | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 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 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 WPVI programming / ABC |
| 6.2 | Live Well Network HD | ||
| 6.3 | 480p 480p 480p is the shorthand name for a video display resolution. The p stands for progressive scan, i.e. non-interlaced. The 480 denotes a vertical resolution of 480 pixel high vertically scanning lines, usually with a horizontal resolution of 640 pixels and 4:3 aspect ratio or a horizontal resolution of... |
4:3 with 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... |
Live Well Network SD |
Analog-to-digital conversion
WPVI-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHFVery 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 6, on June 12, 2009, as part of the DTV transition in the United States
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...
. The station had been broadcasting its pre-transition digital signal over 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 64, but returned to channel 6 for its post-transition operations. Because of the nature of VHF-LO frequencies, WPVI-TV is difficult to tune without an outdoor VHF/UHF antenna. A temporary power increase to 30 kilowatts was granted, with WEDY
Connecticut Public Television
Connecticut Public Television is the PBS member network for the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is owned by Connecticut Public Broadcasting, who also owns Connecticut Public Radio. Together, the television and radio stations make up the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
and WRGB
WRGB
WRGB, channel 6, is a television station located in Schenectady, New York, USA. WRGB is owned by Freedom Communications, and is the CBS affiliate for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy television market...
in Schenectady, New York
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
having to give their consent. Some viewers did notice an improvement in their signal. Because of potential interference to other stations and to FM radio
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
, there was doubt as to whether this increase could be granted. Three months later, WPVI was still getting complaints.
News operation
The station is famous for pioneering the Action NewsAction News
Action News is a local television newscast format in the United States. It was conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at WFIL-TV by then-news director Mel Kampmann in 1970 as a response to the "Eyewitness News" format used on rival station KYW-TV...
format, which was used by many stations throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. When WFIL-TV premiered it on April 6, 1970, the format allowed the news program to have more stories than KYW-TV's Eyewitness News
Eyewitness 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...
due to strict time limits on story packages. Within a few months, the station surged to first place for the first time in its history. It had previously been an also-ran behind KYW-TV and WCAU-TV, as was the case with most ABC affiliates. Despite channel 6's newspaper roots, it was hampered by the fact that ABC was not on par with CBS and NBC until the early 1970s.
In 1970, Channel 6 stole first place in the ratings in Philadelphia. It has dominated the ratings for most of the time ever since, winning virtually every time slot. Its dominance has only been seriously challenged twice—in the 1980s, when WCAU-TV briefly took the lead at 5 p.m.; and in 2001, when WCAU took first place at 11 p.m. for a few months for the first time in decades. Many top executives in ABC's television station group worked at WPVI. WPVI's longtime anchor Jim Gardner
Jim Gardner (broadcaster)
Jim Gardner is the stage name of James Goldman , an American news anchor for WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.A native New Yorker, Jim has lived most of his adult life in the Delaware Valley. In 1970, Jim received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University...
and weatherman Dave Roberts joined the station in 1976 and 1978 respectively, after each had spent time at WPVI's sister station WKBW-TV
WKBW-TV
WKBW-TV, channel 7, is the ABC affiliate for the Buffalo, New York television market, and is one of many local Buffalo TV stations seen over-the-air and on cable in Canada. Its transmitter is located at 8909 Center Street in Colden. The station is owned by the Granite Broadcasting Corporation, who...
in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. Sports anchor Gary Papa
Gary Papa
Gary Papa was a sportscaster with WPVI-TV in Philadelphia from April 1981 to June 2009 and was the 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11:00 p.m. sportcaster. He joined the station as a weekend sportscaster and was promoted to the 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. newscasts in 1991, and was named sports director one...
joined in 1981 from another Buffalo station, WGR-TV.
The station's newscast has used the same theme music, "Move Closer to Your World
Move Closer to Your World
Move Closer to Your World is a television news music package composed by jingle writer Al Ham under his Mayoham Music label. In the 1970s it was considered an anthem for local television news, and is considered the anthem of WPVI-TV in Philadelphia for its Action News programs to the current day...
" by Al Ham
Al Ham
Albert W. Ham was an American composer and jingle writer. He was notable as the composer of the Move Closer to Your World music package used since the 1970s on WPVI-TV's Action News broadcasts in Philadelphia, as well as many on many other newscasts in the United States throughout the 1970s and...
, since 1972. The composition has become as much a part of the Philadelphia consciousness as the Rocky
Rocky
Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
theme and has helped WPVI stay number one in the Delaware Valley for 30 years. The station tried to switch to a fuller, thunderous and authoritative version of the song by the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
in September 1996, but switched back to the old version after four days of viewer complaints. Also, for nearly 30 years starting in the early 1980s, Jeff Kaye (of NFL Films) announced the familiar open: "Action News, Delaware Valley's leading news program," as well as rejoins and closings. Even through staff announcing changes for the station in general, Kaye remained the constant voice of Action News. However, as of the mid-2000s, his voice started to show signs of decaying; it got to the point where his newly-recorded opens in late January 2010 were pulled off in less than a week. On June 21, 2010, Kaye was replaced with veteran announcer Charlie Van Dyke
Charlie Van Dyke
Charlie Van Dyke is a former radio disc jockey who is best known for the voice work he has done for numerous radio and television stations....
, who has been WPVI's station announcer since 2006.
Years of being in the lead have led WPVI to maintain an "if it isn’t broken, don't fix it" mentality. For instance, it has had the same "6" logo since becoming WPVI, although the logo has been treated differently over the years. For instance, in the early 1990s, WPVI began placing its stylized 6 on top of a blue box, which lasted until 1997 when the station rebranded itself to "6ABC" and began placing a red ABC logo inside the 6. In December 2010, WPVI debuted a revised identity, including an updated logo. The 6 is now placed inside a blue circle, with a black, glossy ABC logo. Grayscale versions of the previous logo remain in use. WPVI has frequently remastered "Move Closer to Your World" to make it sound less dated.
Action News
Action News is a local television newscast format in the United States. It was conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at WFIL-TV by then-news director Mel Kampmann in 1970 as a response to the "Eyewitness News" format used on rival station KYW-TV...
debuted a revamped and fully modernized set which includes a glass etching background of several historical landmarks in Philadelphia positioned behind the anchor desk, shiftable lighting effects and a computerized Accu-Weather center. WPVI introduced a new HD-capable helicopter in February 2006. Live shots from the helicopter, officially named Chopper6 HD, were shown in high definition. Furthermore, on July 23, 2006, starting with the 6:00 p.m. broadcast, Action News
Action News
Action News is a local television newscast format in the United States. It was conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at WFIL-TV by then-news director Mel Kampmann in 1970 as a response to the "Eyewitness News" format used on rival station KYW-TV...
began broadcasting from its studio in full 720p HDTV. The official announcement was made on July 24. All news cameras on Action News are HD. On September 12, 2009, WPVI debuted another new revamped and fully modernized set, wider than the last set at the original round building, with a bigger newsdesk, AccuWeather center and background of glass sketches of the several historic landmarks in Philadelphia (now adding one of the Comcast Center
Comcast Center (office building)
Comcast Center is a skyscraper in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 58-story, tower is the tallest building in Philadelphia and the fifteenth tallest building in the United States. Originally called One Pennsylvania Plaza when the building was first announced in 2001, the Comcast Center...
). It also added a touch-screen video wall, the first for any station in the country.
Most of WPVI's on-air staff has been at the station for over ten years, and several for twenty years or more. Jim Gardner has been with the station since 1976 and has been its main anchor since May 1977, the longest tenure as a main anchor in Philadelphia history. Rob Jennings has been the station's weekend anchor since 1977.
As there is no ABC affiliate or local station based in New Jersey, WPVI cooperates with WABC-TV in the production and broadcast of state-wide New Jersey political debates. When the two stations broadcast a state-wide office debate, such as Governor
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
or U.S. Senate, they will pool resources and have anchors or reporters from both stations participate in the debate. Additionally, the two stations cooperate in the gathering of news in New Jersey where their markets overlap, sharing reporters, live trucks, and helicopters.
After the death of long-time sports director Gary Papa
Gary Papa
Gary Papa was a sportscaster with WPVI-TV in Philadelphia from April 1981 to June 2009 and was the 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11:00 p.m. sportcaster. He joined the station as a weekend sportscaster and was promoted to the 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. newscasts in 1991, and was named sports director one...
, Channel 6 took eighteen months to name a replacement. In January of 2010, Keith Russell was named as the 6pm and 11pm sports anchor, while Jamie Apody was named the 5pm sports anchor, a position vacant since the departure of longtime 5pm anchor Scott Palmer. Russell and Apody split responsibility for the weekday evening sports report during the interim.
In the ABC series Body of Proof
Body of Proof
Body of Proof is an American medical drama television series created by Chris Murphey and produced by ABC Studios. Starring Dana Delany as medical examiner Dr. Megan Hunt, the series premiered on March 29, 2011 on ABC....
(which is set around the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office and produced by ABC's television studio division), WPVI live trucks and microphones with the station's mic flag are seen in a fictional sense, though none of the station's staff have appeared in the course of the series.
Action News at 4pm
On May 26, 2011 Action News added a 4pm newscast to their schedule, the launch occurring the day after the airing of Oprah Winfrey's final episode. The newsteam for this broadcast includes news anchors Brian Taff and Shirleen Allicot, feature anchor Alicia Vitarelli, Meteorologist Adam Joseph, and reporter Sarah Bloomquist. Bloomquist will be utilizing the newest vehicle of 6abc, Mobile 6 for her reporting. This brings the total amount of "Action News" broadcasts to 40 hours and 5 minutes a week.Newscast titles
- The RCA Color Newsreel (1958-1960s)
- WFIL-TV News (1970-1971)
- Channel 6 Action NewsAction NewsAction News is a local television newscast format in the United States. It was conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at WFIL-TV by then-news director Mel Kampmann in 1970 as a response to the "Eyewitness News" format used on rival station KYW-TV...
(1970-1971 as WFIL-TV; 1971–present as WPVI-TV)
Station slogans
- The Philadelphia Inquirer Station (1950s; as WFIL-TV)
- Move Closer to Your World (1970s; music still used by its Action NewsAction NewsAction News is a local television newscast format in the United States. It was conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at WFIL-TV by then-news director Mel Kampmann in 1970 as a response to the "Eyewitness News" format used on rival station KYW-TV...
branded newscasts) - Delaware Valley's Leading News Program (1975–present)
- Hello Philly/Say Hello (1980s; used during period station used Frank Gari's "Hello News" as image campaign)
- Philadelphia's Watching Channel 6 (1990–1992)
- More Stories... From More Places. That's Channel 6 Action NewsAction NewsAction News is a local television newscast format in the United States. It was conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at WFIL-TV by then-news director Mel Kampmann in 1970 as a response to the "Eyewitness News" format used on rival station KYW-TV...
. (2009–present)
Newscast music
- "The Action News Theme" (1970–1972), an original composition by Tom Sellers; commissioned by Mel Kampmann while he was a student at Temple UniversityTemple UniversityTemple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
. (Sellers was later an arranger on such hits as "Rock the BoatRock the Boat (Hues Corporation song)"Rock the Boat" is a disco song by the group Hues Corporation in 1974. "Rock the Boat" was written by Waldo Holmes, who also wrote the Blacula songs....
" by the Hues CorporationHues CorporationThe Hues Corporation was a pop and soul trio formed in Santa Monica, California in 1969. They are best known for their 1974 hit, "Rock the Boat" which sold over two million copies.-Career:...
); it was also used by sister stations WNBF-TV (now WBNG-TVWBNG-TVWBNG-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Upstate New York's Eastern Southern Tier licensed to Binghamton. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 7 from a transmitter on Ingraham Hill Road southwest of downtown. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable...
) in Binghamton, New YorkBinghamton, New YorkBinghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
and WNHC-TV (now WTNH-TV) in New Haven; KTLAKTLAKTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
in Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
; and KSTP-TVKSTP-TVKSTP-TV, channel 5, is the ABC affiliate for the Twin Cities. Its transmitter is located at the Shoreview Telefarm. It is the flagship station of Hubbard Broadcasting, which also owns several other broadcasting properties across the United States....
in St. Paul, Minnesota. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ62nY68eWo - "Move Closer to Your WorldMove Closer to Your WorldMove Closer to Your World is a television news music package composed by jingle writer Al Ham under his Mayoham Music label. In the 1970s it was considered an anthem for local television news, and is considered the anthem of WPVI-TV in Philadelphia for its Action News programs to the current day...
", composed by Al Ham for Mayoham Music (1972–present)- An updated version of "Move Closer to Your World" by the London Philharmonic (four days in 1996)
Current on-air staff (as of May 26, 2011)
Anchors- Shirleen Allicot - weekdays at 4 p.m.
- Sarah Bloomquist - weekdays at noon; also Mobile 6 reporter for 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.
- Tamala EdwardsTamala EdwardsTamala Monique Edwards is an American television news anchor and reporter.She began her journalism career as a correspondent for Time magazine in 1993, eventually working in the Washington, D.C. bureau...
- weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.) - Jim GardnerJim Gardner (broadcaster)Jim Gardner is the stage name of James Goldman , an American news anchor for WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.A native New Yorker, Jim has lived most of his adult life in the Delaware Valley. In 1970, Jim received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University...
- weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m. - Nydia Han - Sunday mornings and noon; also consumer reporter
- Rob Jennings - weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.
- Monica MalpassMonica MalpassMonica Malpass is an American journalist and television anchor for WPVI Action News in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She co-anchor's the WPVI 5 p.m. weekday newscast and hosts the station's political talk show, Inside Story....
- weeknights at 5 p.m.; also host of The Inside Story - Matt O'DonnellMatt O'DonnellMatt O'Donnell joined WPVI-TV in 1996 as a general assignment reporter. In 2004, he was promoted to the morning anchor position with Sarah Bloomquist and currently anchors the morning newscast with Tamala Edwards, who joined the news team in 2005.-External links:**...
- weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.) - Walter Perez - weekend mornings and Sundays at noon; also Lehigh ValleyLehigh ValleyThe Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
correspondent - Brian Taff - weekdays at 4 p.m.
- Alicia VitarelliAlicia VitarelliAlicia Vitarelli is a new anchor for Action News in Philadelphia. She joined the Action News team in October 2010. On occasion, Alicia teams up with NJ 101.5 radio host Dennis Malloy to cook up Italian specialties for a weekend cooking show called "A Roma Aroma."She previously worked for News 12...
- weekdays at 4 p.m. (Headline Blitz Anchor) - Rick Williams - weekdays at noon and weeknights at 5 p.m.
AccuWeather team
- Adam Joseph (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) - meteorologist; weekdays at 4 p.m. & 5:30pm - Melissa Magee (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)- meteorologist; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m - David MurphyDavid Murphy (reporter)David Murphy has been with WPVI since 1990 and is currently part of "Double team AccuWeather" along with Karen Rogers and is the noon weathercaster. He holds American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association seals of approval. He began as a general assignment reporter, and then...
(AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.) - Karen RogersKaren RogersKaren Rogers is an American meteorologist. She has been with WPVI-TV, channel 6 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since 1996 and is currently the morning traffic reporter and part of the "Double Team AccuWeather" with David Murphy....
(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) - meteorologist; weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.) - Chris Sowers(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) - meteorologist; weekend mornings and Sundays at noon - Cecily TynanCecily TynanCecily Tynan is an American television reporter who has been with WPVI-TV since 1995. Currently, she is the 5, 6, & 11 p.m. weathercaster...
(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) - meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6, and 11 p.m.
Sports team
- Jamie Apody - sports anchor; weeknights at 5 p.m.
- Keith Russell - sports anchor; weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.
- Jeff Skversky - sports anchor; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m., also sports reporter
Traffic
- Matt Pellman - Traffic.com reporter; weekdays at 4, and weeknights at 5 p.m.
- Karen Rogers - weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.)
Reporters
- Amy Buckman - "Saving with 6ABC" reporter/producer
- Dann Cuellar - general assignment reporter
- Cathy Gandolfo - New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
reporter - Ali Gorman - "HealthCheck" reporter
- David Henry - general assignment reporter
- Kenneth Moton - Atlantic City Reporter
- Nora Muchanic - New Jersey bureau correspondent
- Vernon OdomVernon OdomVernon Odom is a local Philadelphia TV journalist.Odom received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Political Science from Morehouse College and later continued his education at Columbia University. He started with WPVI-TV, in Philadelphia in 1976...
- general assignment reporter; also host of Visions - Erin O'Hearn - general assignment reporter; also "Right Now on the Net" reporter
- Chad Pradelli - general assignment reporter
- John Rawlins - general assignment reporter
- Katherine Scott - general assignment reporter
- Lisa Thomas-LauryLisa Thomas-LauryLisa Thomas-Laury is a news anchor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.Ms. Thomas-Laury started at WPVI-TV in Philadelphia on February 20, 1978, as noon co-anchor and reporter. In 1983, she was promoted to the 5 p.m. newscast, co-anchoring it until 2003 with now-retired news anchor Marc...
- feature reporter
Notable former staff
- Al AlbertsAl AlbertsAl Alberts was a popular singer and composer. -Biography:Born Al Albertini in Chester, Pennsylvania, he went to South Philadelphia High School, whose alumni included many others who would become famous in show business, such as Joey Bishop, Buddy Greco, Al Martino, Mario Lanza, Chubby Checker,...
- Dick Clark
- Larry FerrariLarry FerrariLarry Ferrari , born Lazarus Louis Ferrari, was an American organist who hosted The Larry Ferrari Show from 1954 to 1997 on WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, a weekly Sunday morning half hour program of organ music.-Biography:Ferrari was born in Boston. He changed his name to "Larry" when...
- Dave FrankelDave FrankelDave Frankel was a television weatherman and news anchor in Philadelphia before leaving the air to become an attorney. He joined WPVI-TV 6-ABC in 1984 as an investigative reporter. He became the morning weatherman in 1989. Dave was a prominent and popular personality at the station. In 1997 he...
- Irving FryarIrving FryarIrving Dale Fryar is a former American football wide receiver of the National Football League.Fryar grew up in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey and played high school football at Rancocas Valley Regional High School...
- Traynor (Chief) HalftownTraynor Ora HalftownTraynor Ora Halftown , better known as "Chief Halftown", was an entertainer who hosted a children's show that aired on WFIL-TV in Philadelphia from 1950 to 1999.....
- Frank HallFrank HallFrank Hall was an Irish broadcaster, journalist, satirist and film censor. He is best remembered for his satirical revue programme Hall's Pictorial Weekly.-Early life:...
- Bob Horn
- Marc Howard (retired)
- Larry KaneLarry KaneLarry Kane is an American journalist best known as the only American reporter whom The Beatles let travel with them on their 1964 and 1965 North American tours. Kane authored a book about his experiences on the tour, called Ticket To Ride, and Lennon Revealed, a New York Times and Los Angeles...
- Wally KennedyWally KennedyWally Kennedy hosted AM Philadelphia , Philly After Midnight, and Inside Story on WPVI-TV over a twenty year period. The programs each won their respective time periods in the Nielsen ratings, remaining the most successful talk programs in the TV market. He also hosted a local, news-driven Sunday...
- Tug McGrawTug McGrawFrank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. was a Major League Baseball relief pitcher and the father of Country music singer Tim McGraw and actor/TV personality Mark McGraw and Cari McGraw...
- W. Carter Merbreier ("Captain Noah"Captain Noah and His Magical ArkCaptain Noah and His Magical Ark was a television program for children and was generally broadcast around the Philadelphia area. The series aired from 1967 to 1994. It was film and produced at the WPVI-TV, Channel 6 studios in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Captain Noah and His Magical Ark, was...
) - Patricia MerbreierPatricia MerbreierPatricia "Pat" Merbreier was an American television personality and actress. She was best known for playing Mrs. Noah on the Philadelphia-based WPVI syndicated children's program, Captain Noah and His Magical Ark, for approximately 3,600 episodes between 1967 and 1994. Her real life husband, W...
("Mrs. Noah") - SallyAnn MoseySallyAnn MoseySallyAnn Mosey is a meteorologist for the FOX owned-and-operated television station WTXF-TV in Philadelphia. She serves as meteorologist on the station’s popular weekday morning show Good Day Philadelphia from 4:30 a.m...
- Jim O'BrienJim O'Brien (reporter)Jim O'Brien was the stage name of James Oldham , who came to Philadelphia in 1970 to become a disc jockey at radio station WFIL-AM, after short stints at KHJ in Los Angeles and WOR-FM in New York City....
(died in 1983) - Gary PapaGary PapaGary Papa was a sportscaster with WPVI-TV in Philadelphia from April 1981 to June 2009 and was the 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11:00 p.m. sportcaster. He joined the station as a weekend sportscaster and was promoted to the 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. newscasts in 1991, and was named sports director one...
(died on June 18, 2009) - Dave Roberts (retired)
- Sally Starr
- Don Tollefson
- Joe TorresJoe Torres (journalist)Joe Torres is a Hispanic-American news anchor and reporter who is currently working for WABC-TV in New York...
- Lucy YangLucy YangLucy Yang is a Taiwanese-American journalist. Yang is currently a mainstream reporter for WABC-TV in New York City, reporting for the station's 5, 6 and 11 PM broadcasts. Yang joined the Eyewitness News team in the fall of 1993 as a general assignment reporter.Upon Yang's arrival in New York, she...
Cable and satellite carriage
Outside of the Philadelphia market in central New Jersey, WPVI is carried in southern Middlesex County on Comcast in the municipalities of Plainsboro, South Brunswick, Monroe, Cranbury, Jamesburg, Helmetta, Spotswood, and East Brunswick on Channel 6. Cablevision Monmouth County also carries WPVI on Channel 6 on Cablevision Monmouth and Monmouth/Wall outlets. All of Ocean County carries WPVI on Comcast and Cablevision outlets. Due to a contract dispute with ABC, WPVI was blacked out on March 8, 2010 to Cablevision customers in Monmouth, Ocean and Mercer counties. Verizon FiOS carries WPVI on Channel 16 in Ocean County and extreme Southern Monmouth county. WPVI is also carried by Comcast in all of New Castle County, Delaware, and some of Kent County. As such, WPVI is significantly viewed in Warren, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties.In the Lehigh Valley, WPVI is carried by Service Electric, RCN, and Blue Ridge Communications, which altogether encompasses nearly 1 million people. It can also be seen in Reading and most parts of Berks County.