WYZZ-TV
Encyclopedia
WYZZ-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station
for Central Illinois
licensed to Bloomington
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 28 (or virtual channel
43.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in Montgomery Township
. The station can also be seen on Comcast
channel 6 and in high definition on digital channel 910. Owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group
, WYZZ is operated by the Nexstar Broadcasting Group
through a local marketing agreement
(LMA) as a sister outlet to CBS
affiliate WMBD-TV
. The two stations share studios on North University Street in Peoria
. Syndicated
programming on this station includes Two and a Half Men
, Entourage
, Everybody Loves Raymond
and The Simpsons
among others.
.
and aired an analog signal on UHF channel 43. Ir was founded as WBLN (standing for We BeLieve iN) by members of Peoria's Grace Presbyterian Church. Except for the call sign, it was unrelated to the old WBLN that broadcasted on UHF channel 15 in the 1950s. The station was a religious
Independent and first new outlet to sign-on since future sister WMBD hit the airwaves 24 years earlier. WBLN was sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in 1985 which changed its calls to the current WYZZ-TV.
On October 6, 1986, the station became the market
's charter affiliate of Fox. In 2002, Sinclair and the Nexstar Broadcasting Group (owner of WMBD) entered into a local marketing agreement (LMA) calling for WYZZ to be a subordinate entity in an arrangement allowing WMBD to control programming for this station. WYZZ moved from its studios on East Lincoln Street in Bloomington to WMBD's facilities in Peoria. In August 2005, a similar agreement would be established between Nexstar's WROC-TV
and Sinclair's WUHF
in Rochester, New York
.
In May 2006, Sinclair and Fox finalized a six-year affiliation contract extension for the company's nineteen affiliates including WYZZ. Its affiliation contract now expires in March 2012. WYZZ broadcasts digitally on UHF channel 28 and (like most Sinclair-owned stations) has been digital-only since February 17, 2009. According to a post on The Peoria Chronicle website, WYZZ and WMBD were planning on terminating the local marketing agreement between the two effective April 1, 2010. Since the two station still operate together today, it appears this move was not followed through with.
affiliate WAOE
(that is produced by NBC
affiliate WEEK-TV
). At some point in time after WEEK-TV and WHOI combined operations, the two stations became Peoria's first news department to upgrade local news to 16:9 enhanced definition widescreen
. Although not truly high definition, the shows match the aspect ratio
of HD television screens.
All broadcasts currently seen on WYZZ and WMBD remain in pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition and it is unclear if and/or when Nexstar/Sinclair plans on upgrading these two stations to enhanced definition or even full HD level. In addition to the main facility in Peoria, WYZZ and WMBD operate a Twin Cities
Bureau on East Lincoln Street in Bloomington that were this station's original studios while functioning as a separate entity. Therefore, this makes the two stations the only outlet in the area with a significant Bloomington-based news and advertising sales operation.
Reporters
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for Central Illinois
Central Illinois
Central Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois that consists of the entire central section of the state, divided in thirds from north to south. It is an area of mostly flat prairie. The western section was originally part of the Military Tract of 1812 and forms the distinctive western...
licensed to Bloomington
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
. It broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on UHF channel 28 (or 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....
43.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter in Montgomery Township
Montgomery Township, Woodford County, Illinois
Montgomery Township is located in Woodford County, Illinois. The population was 2,099 at the 2000 census.- External links :***...
. The station can also be seen on Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
channel 6 and in high definition on digital channel 910. Owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
, WYZZ is operated by the Nexstar Broadcasting Group
Nexstar Broadcasting Group
Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc., is an entity of broadcast television stations headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company consists of 50 television stations across the U.S., ranging from market sizes 9 to 201 . 43 of the stations are broadcasting at full power, with the other 4 broadcasting at...
through a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
(LMA) as a sister outlet to 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...
affiliate WMBD-TV
WMBD-TV
WMBD-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Central Illinois licensed to Peoria. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 30 from a transmitter on Pinecrest Drive in Groveland Township's East Peoria section. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 7 and in...
. The two stations share studios on North University Street in Peoria
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on this station includes Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
, Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
, Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...
and The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
among others.
Digital programming
On WYZZ-DT2 and Comcast digital channel 807 is TheCoolTVTheCoolTV
THECOOLTV is a United States over-the-air digital subchannel launched in March 2009. The network's current program schedule consists of an all-music video lineup that can be customized to meet an affiliate's preference, along with the three hours per week of E/I programming as required by the...
.
| Channels | Name | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43.1 | WYZZ-HD | 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 WYZZ programming / FOX |
| 43.2 | WYZZ-DT2 | 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 | TheCoolTV |
History
The station signed-on October 18, 19821982 in television
The year 1982 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1982.For the American TV schedule, see: 1982-83 American network television schedule.-Events:...
and aired an analog signal on UHF channel 43. Ir was founded as WBLN (standing for We BeLieve iN) by members of Peoria's Grace Presbyterian Church. Except for the call sign, it was unrelated to the old WBLN that broadcasted on UHF channel 15 in the 1950s. The station was a religious
Religious broadcasting
Religious broadcasting refers to broadcasting by religious organizations, usually with a religious message. Many religious organizations have long recorded content such as sermons and lectures, and have moved into distributing content on their Internet websites.While this article emphasises...
Independent and first new outlet to sign-on since future sister WMBD hit the airwaves 24 years earlier. WBLN was sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in 1985 which changed its calls to the current WYZZ-TV.
On October 6, 1986, the station became the market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
's charter affiliate of Fox. In 2002, Sinclair and the Nexstar Broadcasting Group (owner of WMBD) entered into a local marketing agreement (LMA) calling for WYZZ to be a subordinate entity in an arrangement allowing WMBD to control programming for this station. WYZZ moved from its studios on East Lincoln Street in Bloomington to WMBD's facilities in Peoria. In August 2005, a similar agreement would be established between Nexstar's WROC-TV
WROC-TV
WROC-TV, virtual channel 8, is a CBS affiliate based in Rochester, New York, USA, owned and operated by Nexstar Broadcasting Group. WROC-TV operates Fox affiliate WUHF through a shared services agreement. The two share studios on Humboldt Street in Rochester...
and Sinclair's WUHF
WUHF
WUHF is the Fox-affiliated television station for Rochester, New York. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 28 from a transmitter on Pinnacle Hill on the border between Rochester and Brighton. The station can also be seen on Time Warner channel 7 and in high definition on...
in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
.
In May 2006, Sinclair and Fox finalized a six-year affiliation contract extension for the company's nineteen affiliates including WYZZ. Its affiliation contract now expires in March 2012. WYZZ broadcasts digitally on UHF channel 28 and (like most Sinclair-owned stations) has been digital-only since February 17, 2009. According to a post on The Peoria Chronicle website, WYZZ and WMBD were planning on terminating the local marketing agreement between the two effective April 1, 2010. Since the two station still operate together today, it appears this move was not followed through with.
Newscasts
Through a news share agreement, sister station WMBD produces a nightly prime time newscast on WYZZ. Known on-air as Fox 43 News at 9, this thirty minute broadcast competes with a weeknight-only half-hour show seen on MyNetworkTVMyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
affiliate WAOE
WAOE
WAOE is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for West-Central Illinois licensed to Peoria. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter at studios on Springfield Road in East Peoria. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 11...
(that is produced by 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...
affiliate WEEK-TV
WEEK-TV
WEEK-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for West-Central Illinois licensed to Peoria. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 25 from a transmitter at studios on Springfield Road in East Peoria. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 10 and in high definition...
). At some point in time after WEEK-TV and WHOI combined operations, the two stations became Peoria's first news department to upgrade local news to 16:9 enhanced definition widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
. Although not truly high definition, the shows match the aspect ratio
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,...
of HD television screens.
All broadcasts currently seen on WYZZ and WMBD remain in pillarboxed 4:3 standard definition and it is unclear if and/or when Nexstar/Sinclair plans on upgrading these two stations to enhanced definition or even full HD level. In addition to the main facility in Peoria, WYZZ and WMBD operate a Twin Cities
Bloomington-Normal, Illinois
Bloomington-Normal refers to the twin municipalities of Bloomington and Normal in McLean County, in Central Illinois. The combined population of the two communities in a special census in 2006 was 125,000.-Sports:...
Bureau on East Lincoln Street in Bloomington that were this station's original studios while functioning as a separate entity. Therefore, this makes the two stations the only outlet in the area with a significant Bloomington-based news and advertising sales operation.
Station slogans
- "TV 43, We Bring Home the Fun!" (1980s)
- "Your Place to Be" (general, 2008-present)
- "An Hour Earlier and Never Too Late" (news, 2008-present)
News team
Anchors- Cynthia Schweigert - weeknight news
- Jacob Long - weekend news and Twin Cities Bureau Chief
- Marcus Bailey - Chief Meteorologist seen weeknights
- Brandon Arnold - weekend meteorologist and news reporter (also "I Challenge Brandon" segment producer)
- Kurt Pegler - Sports DirectorSports DirectorA sports director is an individual at a television or radio station who is in charge of the sports department. In local news, the sports director is typically the station's primary sportscaster, and often anchors the primetime newscasts on weekdays. They are in charge of sports programming and...
seen weeknights - Kyle Dierking - weekend sports and sports reporter
Reporters
- Thom Parker - Chief Photographer
- Maria Chandler
- Eugene Daniel
- Kim Behrens
- Lisa Miller