WZZM-TV
Encyclopedia
WZZM channel 13 is the Western Michigan
affiliate television station for the American Broadcasting Company
. It's based in Grand Rapids, Michigan
, broadcasting at 16.5 kilowatts of power from a 324 m (1,063 ft) tower located in Newaygo County
, near Grant
. WZZM has been owned by the Gannett Company
, parent of the newspaper USA Today
, since 1998.
Although WZZM is the primary ABC affiliate in West Michigan, it primarily serves the northern portion of the Grand Rapids
- Battle Creek
- Kalamazoo
media market
. Its transmitter is about 40 miles (64.4 km) north of that of other regional channels, so its signal was unavailable in the two southern tiers of Michigan counties except in Kalamazoo until recently. Since April 2009, however, WZZM has been available on most cable systems in Southwest Michigan, although WOTV
is the ABC affiliate for that region. Until then, persons living in counties beyond the access of its signal relied upon television stations in the South Bend/Elkhart, Indiana
or Lansing
areas for the syndicated programs that WZZM offers.
in Cadillac
, then on channel 13, persuaded the group to swap channel locations.
The station officially went on the air on November 1, 1962 at 6:30 p.m.. The station went off the air just twenty minutes later, due to transmitter tube failure, returning to the air ten minutes later.
Sometime in late 1964, WZZM-TV opened a satellite station on Channel 12 in Kalamazoo.
(now WTVG
). It had to build its transmitter about 40 miles farther north than the other West Michigan stations and conform its signal to protect WSPD-TV. As a result, WZZM's signal barely reached Kalamazoo and just missed Battle Creek. Southwestern Michigan viewers had to rely on WSJV
in Elkhart, Indiana
, WXYZ-TV
in Detroit, or WLS-TV
in Chicago
for ABC programming until WUHQ-TV (now WOTV) signed on from Battle Creek in 1971.
WZZM certainly had humble beginnings; its first broadcasts were from a banquet room-turned studio at the Pantlind Hotel (now the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
). Live broadcasts included This Morning with Bud Lindeman, Shirley's Show and an evening news program, though the station's most notable show in many minds is The Bozo Show
, which was broadcast for more than 30 years. The news program improved in 1971 with the addition of the first weather radar in the West Michigan area, upgraded in 1974 to a computerized color version.
In August 1971, a multi-million dollar state-of-the-art studio was opened in Walker, with Congressman Gerald Ford
presiding over the ceremony. In the following years, WZZM became a formidable force in the Grand Rapids viewing community, gathering high ratings and a reputation as one of the top news programs in the West Michigan area.
In 1978, West Michigan Telecasters sold WZZM to Wometco Enterprises
of Miami. Wometco's stations were sold to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) in 1985. KKR sold the station to Price Communications in 1986. A local investor, Richard Appleton, formed Northstar Television in 1989 and bought WZZM. He tried to buy WUHQ in 1991 and turn it into a satellite of WZZM, which would have created a strong combined signal with about 40% overlap. However, the proposed deal fell through at the last minute. Ironically, WUHQ had served as a defacto satellite of WZZM for most of its history; its engineers had to switch to and from WZZM's signal on most occasions before the station was able to buy a network feed from ABC.
in Providence, Rhode Island
and WAPT-TV in Jackson, Mississippi
) was sold to Argyle Television. Gannett, WZZM's current owner, bought WZZM and sister station WGRZ-TV
in Buffalo, New York
in January 1997 by swapping WLWT-TV in Cincinnati, Ohio
and KOCO-TV
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
to Argyle. As a result, WZZM's licensee name is the one that was previously used by KOCO, Combined Communications Corporation of Oklahoma, Inc. (In a similar fashion, WGRZ's present-day licensee name was previously used by WLWT.)
In the 1990s, WZZM made an array of changes with the new millennium looming. New news vehicles were purchased, a new tape format (Beta SP) was introduced to digitize all media, a new radar receiver and new weather cameras were added across the state, and a new set was built, coinciding with WZZM's introduction of a new logo. In 2003, WZZM first started broadcasting in High Definition
.
For most of its history, the newscast was called Eyewitness News
until the late 1990s when it was replaced by WZZM 13 News.
5:30 Edition was introduced in 1993. It had soft news features in addition to the day's headlines. Many of its features were phased out and it became a standard newscast by 1997. Many of the features returned in 2004 when Take Five Grand Rapids premiered, later shortened to Take Five. Take Five originally aired at 5 p.m. but later moved to 4:30. In late August 2008, it was expanded to an hour, moved to 9 a.m., and renamed Take Five and Company. The Senior Producer of Take Five and Company is Denise Pritchard.
and Charter Communications
cable systems in West Michigan on channel 247; and on wzzm13.com. My 13 On Target Weather is a customizable e-mail and website service powered by myweather.net. It features headlines, weather conditions, and severe weather warnings.
In early spring of 2006, WZZM finalized a major station over-haul, complete with a new logo, graphics, and promotional campaign, in order to recover from low viewership and to compete with first place West Michigan station WOOD
(Channel 8).
In late September 2006, WZZM announced on air through a series of commercials that the morning newscast with Derek Francis, Lauren Stanton, and Hally Vogel beat number one morning newscast "Daybreak" on WOOD-TV8, according to recent Nielsen ratings
.
On September 14, 2006, WZZM premiered a local HDTV special Great Lakes Adventure http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=59846. Lee Van Ameyde and Juliet Dragos host the special about Sleeping Bear Dunes, Mackinac Island
, Mackinac Bridge
, as well as Michigan's wine country, and charter boats. It re-aired on December 4, 2006, and is available for purchase.
In 2007, WZZM started promoting three websites co-produced with the Gannett newspapers in Michigan: MichiganMoms.com (now MomsLikeMe.com), MichiganSmartShopper.com, and MyMitten.com.
WZZM 13 aired its final Weekend Morning News on June 7, 2009. The change was due to the poor economy. The station had been airing it since late 2006. The Weekend Morning News returned to the air on Saturday, March 5, 2011 with Jennifer Pascua and Meteorologist Aaron Ofseyer.
On June 12, 2009
, WZZM moved back to channel 13 when the analog to digital conversion completed.
Theater 13 is the umbrella title for movies the station airs.
WZZM-13 is one of the first station in Michigan to produce and broadcast local TV commercials and promotions in High Definition. They also are the first station to air segments like their popular high school franchise '13 On Your Sidelines' in High Definition.
In late 2009, WZZM became the third station in West Michigan to begin airing local newscasts in widescreen standard definition. WWMT
was the last major station in West Michigan with 4:3 standard definition newscasts until April 16, 2011 when it became the second station in the market to upgrade to full high definition
newscasts. As a result, although all of West Michigan's major stations now air local newscasts in widescreen, WZZM remains the only one that still broadcast in enhanced definition widescreen rather than true high definition as WOOD-TV/WOTV became the third and fourth station to switch to HD on October 22, 2011.
The WZZM 13 weather radar is often called "13 X-RAD 3D". It combines the power of 3 National Weather Service Doppler radars to produce a 3D radar image.
. The column includes the forecast for the upcoming week, as of February 2006. It originally had a review of the previous week.
building in downtown Grand Rapids
. The colors it displayed were representative of the coming weather pattern. A poem was written about the weatherball's colors:
However, due to questions about its stability, it was removed in 1987, after 20 years of existence. WZZM located the weatherball, which had resided in a Kalamazoo
junkyard since its removal, and purchased it in 1999. In 2002, plans were announced to refurbish the stainless steel ball, and add new neon lights. The weatherball was perched on a 100-foot (30 m) monopole, and was lit on May 7, 2003. It is visible from both Interstate 96
and U.S. Highway 131, the two major freeways in the area.
Shortly after the reintroduction of the WZZM 13 Weatherball, a contest was held where viewers submitted video recordings of songs to coincide with the meanings of the weatherball. The winner chosen had their song on a new commercial that aired to inform the viewership of the significance of the colors. The winners were Dale Ray Schumaker and Allison Rae Schumaker of Holland, MI with their jingle, "Know Before You Go". "DJ Dale" Schumaker and Allison Rae Schumaker are prominent hit songwriters.
On June 5, 2008, the Weatherball was struck by lightning for the first time in its history. The lightning scrambled the electronics of the Weatherball, causing it to glow in a rainbow of colors. The Weatherball was temporarily turned off for repairs.
The station also has a costumed character mascot of the Weatherball named "Blinkie". A similar weatherball is also located on the Citizen's Bank building in Flint
. Gannett-owned ABC affiliate KXTV
in Sacramento, California
is the other Gannett station that owns a weather beacon
.
in Muskegon, Michigan
.
The Weather Chaser as pictured in the photo has since been transformed back into a live truck. The NEW Weather Chaser introduced in 2011 is an SUV. The NEW Weather Chaser was spotted on May 12,2011 in Grand Haven, Michigan
at Mary A. White Elementary School. Chief Meteorologist George Lessens was at Mary A. White Elementary School to help the students launch a weather balloon
.
set up for weather reports. Most weather reports are done outside, except when the weather makes it unsafe for the meteorologist to go outside, such as severe weather situations. The weather deck was introduced in 1999. From 1995 to 1999, the evening meteorologist reported from the parking lot. In Spring 2009, the Weather Deck was absent from many of the newscasts because lighting for the deck became too expensive for WZZM 13 to continue operation. Instead, these weather reports are done from in the studio. Occasionally the noon newscast has a "Weather Deck Guest" segment - a live interview from the deck. Regular weather segments did resume from the weather deck sometime during 2010.
football in 1995 with Friday Night Football. A few years later, the name was changed to 13 On Your Sidelines.
In June 2010, WZZM hired back Brent Ashcroft, who had left the station twelve years prior to become Sports Director of FOX 17 WXMI.
During the 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. newscasts, a meteorologist does a weather report from the "Game of the Week" location with Blinkie the Weatherball mascot. During the 6:00 p.m. newscast, the "Game of the Week" is previewed.
The 11:00 p.m. newscast is shortened to one news segment and one weather segment. During the weather segment, cheerleaders join the meteorologist on the weather deck.
The current format for 13 On Your Sidelines is:
The show airs every Sunday at 11:00am and is hosted by weekend anchor and health reporter Valerie Lego. In September 2008, it began airing Saturdays at 7:30pm in addition to the Sunday morning time slot http://www.wzzm13.com/news/health/healthy_you.aspx
Its slogan is "Learn a little. Live a little. Have some fun." It has some of the same soft news features that were on 5:30 Edition in the 1990s, such as movie reviews and cooking segments.
A key segment of this series is "Rescue My Home", which is similar to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
. Several times a year, a house is chosen for the makeover of a specific room. In early 2005, there was an "Extreme Mini-Makeover," which is similar to Extreme Makeover
. In addition to a week's worth of segments about the project, they air primetime "Rescue My Home" specials. Past projects included the living room, bedroom, and the yard.
In addition to segments about gardening, cooking, being a mother, healthy lifestyle, movies, restaurants, money management, and auto maintenance, the show features celebrity interviews and performances by local artists and national artists who are visiting Grand Rapids.
In 2008, Take Five begun a new segment, called the "Take Five Book Club". Each month a book is revealed. Then, on the first Monday of the next month, there is a discussion about the book. Take Five teamed up with the Book Nook & Java Shop in Montague to work on the book club.
On August 25, 2008, when Take Five moved to its new 9:00 am time slot following Good Morning America
the show expanded from a half hour to one hour, displacing Live With Regis And Kelly
, which had held the 9:00 am time slot at WZZM for more than 20 years. However, Live With Regis and Kelly was picked up by WWMT
. http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grpress/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/1210166159242351.xml&coll=6.
WZZM 13 On Target Weather Team
WZZM 13 Sports Team
WZZM 13 Traffic Time
13 On Your Sidelines
Western Michigan
West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for an arbitrarily selected region in the U.S. state of Michigan in its Lower Peninsula. There is no official definition for what constitutes "West Michigan." The area of West Michigan may also include parts Southern Michigan.-Definition:In general,...
affiliate television station for the 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...
. It's based in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
, broadcasting at 16.5 kilowatts of power from a 324 m (1,063 ft) tower located in Newaygo County
Newaygo County, Michigan
Newaygo County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Grand Rapids–Wyoming, MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 48,460. The county seat is White Cloud. Newaygo County was either named for an Ojibwe leader who signed the Saginaw...
, near Grant
Grant, Michigan
Grant is a city in Newaygo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 894 at the 2010 census. The city is on the boundary between Grant Township and Ashland Township, but is politically independent of both...
. WZZM has been owned by the Gannett Company
Gannett Company
Gannett Company, Inc. is a publicly-traded media holding company headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States, near McLean. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. Its assets include the national newspaper USA Today and the weekly USA Weekend...
, parent of the newspaper USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, since 1998.
Although WZZM is the primary ABC affiliate in West Michigan, it primarily serves the northern portion of the Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
- Battle Creek
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
- Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
media 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...
. Its transmitter is about 40 miles (64.4 km) north of that of other regional channels, so its signal was unavailable in the two southern tiers of Michigan counties except in Kalamazoo until recently. Since April 2009, however, WZZM has been available on most cable systems in Southwest Michigan, although WOTV
WOTV
WOTV is the ABC-affiliated television station for Southwestern Michigan that is licensed to Battle Creek. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 20 from a transmitter in Orangeville Township. The station can also be seen on Charter and Comcast channel 4. There is a high...
is the ABC affiliate for that region. Until then, persons living in counties beyond the access of its signal relied upon television stations in the South Bend/Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, northwest of Fort Wayne, east of Chicago, and north of Indianapolis...
or Lansing
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
areas for the syndicated programs that WZZM offers.
1960s
A local group known as West Michigan Telecasters received a construction permit for channel 9 in 1961. However, in mid-1962, John Fetzer, owner of WWTVWWTV
WWTV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the northern Lower and eastern Upper Peninsulas of Michigan. Licensed to Cadillac, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter at its studios on 130th Avenue, northeast of Tustin, in Osceola County. At 1,631...
in Cadillac
Cadillac, Michigan
Cadillac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Wexford County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,000. The city is situated at the junction of US 131, M-55 and M-115...
, then on channel 13, persuaded the group to swap channel locations.
The station officially went on the air on November 1, 1962 at 6:30 p.m.. The station went off the air just twenty minutes later, due to transmitter tube failure, returning to the air ten minutes later.
Sometime in late 1964, WZZM-TV opened a satellite station on Channel 12 in Kalamazoo.
1970s-1980s
As a result of the swap with WWTV in 1962, WZZM was now short-spaced to WSPD-TV in Toledo, OhioToledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
(now WTVG
WTVG
This is about the TV station in Toledo, Ohio for the former WTVG-TV in Newark, New Jersey see WFUT-DT.WTVG, channel 13, is the ABC-affiliated television station for Northwest Ohio and licensed in Toledo, Ohio. WTVG's studios and offices are located in Toledo and its transmitter is located in...
). It had to build its transmitter about 40 miles farther north than the other West Michigan stations and conform its signal to protect WSPD-TV. As a result, WZZM's signal barely reached Kalamazoo and just missed Battle Creek. Southwestern Michigan viewers had to rely on WSJV
WSJV
WSJV is the Fox-affiliated television station for the Michiana area of Northern Indiana and Southwestern Michigan that is licensed to Elkhart. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 28 from a transmitter in Mishawaka, Indiana. Owned by Quincy Newspapers, the station has...
in Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, northwest of Fort Wayne, east of Chicago, and north of Indianapolis...
, WXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV
WXYZ-TV, channel 7, is an ABC-affiliated television station in Detroit, Michigan, USA. WXYZ-TV is owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, and is the media company's largest-market TV station property...
in Detroit, or WLS-TV
WLS-TV
WLS-TV, virtual channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The station operates their full power digital operations on UHF channel 44, with their digital fill-in translator on VHF channel...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
for ABC programming until WUHQ-TV (now WOTV) signed on from Battle Creek in 1971.
WZZM certainly had humble beginnings; its first broadcasts were from a banquet room-turned studio at the Pantlind Hotel (now the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
Amway Grand Plaza Hotel is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and is named after Amway Corporation, which is based in nearby Ada Township.Originally known as The Pantlind Hotel , Amway Grand Plaza Hotel reopened in 1981 after extensive renovations done by Marvin DeWinter & Associates including the...
). Live broadcasts included This Morning with Bud Lindeman, Shirley's Show and an evening news program, though the station's most notable show in many minds is The Bozo Show
Bozo the Clown
Bozo the Clown is a clown character very popular in the United States, peaking in the 1960s as a result of widespread franchising in early television.Originally created by Alan W...
, which was broadcast for more than 30 years. The news program improved in 1971 with the addition of the first weather radar in the West Michigan area, upgraded in 1974 to a computerized color version.
In August 1971, a multi-million dollar state-of-the-art studio was opened in Walker, with Congressman Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
presiding over the ceremony. In the following years, WZZM became a formidable force in the Grand Rapids viewing community, gathering high ratings and a reputation as one of the top news programs in the West Michigan area.
In 1978, West Michigan Telecasters sold WZZM to Wometco Enterprises
Wometco Enterprises
Wometco Enterprises is a company headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida; a suburb of Miami. It was a large media company but today it is known only as the owner of the Miami Seaquarium.- History :...
of Miami. Wometco's stations were sold to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) in 1985. KKR sold the station to Price Communications in 1986. A local investor, Richard Appleton, formed Northstar Television in 1989 and bought WZZM. He tried to buy WUHQ in 1991 and turn it into a satellite of WZZM, which would have created a strong combined signal with about 40% overlap. However, the proposed deal fell through at the last minute. Ironically, WUHQ had served as a defacto satellite of WZZM for most of its history; its engineers had to switch to and from WZZM's signal on most occasions before the station was able to buy a network feed from ABC.
1990s
In 1995, the Northstar Television group (WZZM, plus WNAC-TVWNAC-TV
WNAC-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for the state of Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts licensed to Providence. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter on Homestead Avenue in Rehoboth, Massachusetts...
in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
and WAPT-TV in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
) was sold to Argyle Television. Gannett, WZZM's current owner, bought WZZM and sister station WGRZ-TV
WGRZ-TV
WGRZ, virtual channel 2 , is the NBC-affiliated television station in Buffalo, New York. Its studio is located at 259 Delaware Avenue in downtown Buffalo. Its transmitter is located at 11530 Warner Hill Road in South Wales, New York...
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...
in January 1997 by swapping WLWT-TV in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
and KOCO-TV
KOCO-TV
KOCO-TV, virtual channel 5 , is the ABC affiliate in the Oklahoma City television market. The station is owned by Hearst Television, Inc., but uses "Ohio/Oklahoma Hearst Television, Inc." as their end tag during their newscasts, the same licensing purpose corporation as sister Cincinnati, Ohio...
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
to Argyle. As a result, WZZM's licensee name is the one that was previously used by KOCO, Combined Communications Corporation of Oklahoma, Inc. (In a similar fashion, WGRZ's present-day licensee name was previously used by WLWT.)
In the 1990s, WZZM made an array of changes with the new millennium looming. New news vehicles were purchased, a new tape format (Beta SP) was introduced to digitize all media, a new radar receiver and new weather cameras were added across the state, and a new set was built, coinciding with WZZM's introduction of a new logo. In 2003, WZZM first started broadcasting in 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...
.
For most of its history, the newscast was called 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...
until the late 1990s when it was replaced by WZZM 13 News.
5:30 Edition was introduced in 1993. It had soft news features in addition to the day's headlines. Many of its features were phased out and it became a standard newscast by 1997. Many of the features returned in 2004 when Take Five Grand Rapids premiered, later shortened to Take Five. Take Five originally aired at 5 p.m. but later moved to 4:30. In late August 2008, it was expanded to an hour, moved to 9 a.m., and renamed Take Five and Company. The Senior Producer of Take Five and Company is Denise Pritchard.
2000s
In 2005, the station launched the 13 On Target Weather Network, a weather channel broadcast on Channel 13-2; on ComcastComcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
and Charter Communications
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
cable systems in West Michigan on channel 247; and on wzzm13.com. My 13 On Target Weather is a customizable e-mail and website service powered by myweather.net. It features headlines, weather conditions, and severe weather warnings.
In early spring of 2006, WZZM finalized a major station over-haul, complete with a new logo, graphics, and promotional campaign, in order to recover from low viewership and to compete with first place West Michigan station WOOD
WOOD-TV
WOOD-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Southwestern Michigan licensed to Grand Rapids. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 7 from a transmitter in Middleville near the Barry and Allegan County line. The station can also be seen on Comcast and Charter channel...
(Channel 8).
In late September 2006, WZZM announced on air through a series of commercials that the morning newscast with Derek Francis, Lauren Stanton, and Hally Vogel beat number one morning newscast "Daybreak" on WOOD-TV8, according to recent Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
.
On September 14, 2006, WZZM premiered a local HDTV special Great Lakes Adventure http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=59846. Lee Van Ameyde and Juliet Dragos host the special about Sleeping Bear Dunes, Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island is an island and resort area covering in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European...
, Mackinac Bridge
Mackinac Bridge
The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the non-contiguous Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the bridge is the third longest in total suspension in the world and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages...
, as well as Michigan's wine country, and charter boats. It re-aired on December 4, 2006, and is available for purchase.
In 2007, WZZM started promoting three websites co-produced with the Gannett newspapers in Michigan: MichiganMoms.com (now MomsLikeMe.com), MichiganSmartShopper.com, and MyMitten.com.
WZZM 13 aired its final Weekend Morning News on June 7, 2009. The change was due to the poor economy. The station had been airing it since late 2006. The Weekend Morning News returned to the air on Saturday, March 5, 2011 with Jennifer Pascua and Meteorologist Aaron Ofseyer.
Digital television
The station's digital signal, VHF 13, is multiplexed:| Virtual 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13.1 | 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 WZZM programming / ABC HD |
| 13.2 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | 13 On Target Weather Network |
On June 12, 2009
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...
, WZZM moved back to channel 13 when the analog to digital conversion completed.
Programming
As a Gannett-owned television station WZZM continues to carry the entire ABC television lineup.Theater 13 is the umbrella title for movies the station airs.
WZZM-13 is one of the first station in Michigan to produce and broadcast local TV commercials and promotions in High Definition. They also are the first station to air segments like their popular high school franchise '13 On Your Sidelines' in High Definition.
In late 2009, WZZM became the third station in West Michigan to begin airing local newscasts in widescreen standard definition. WWMT
WWMT
WWMT is the CBS-affiliated television station for West Michigan licensed to Kalamazoo. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 8 from a transmitter on Chief Noonday Road/M-179, northwest of Yankee Springs Township, along the Barry and Allegan County line. The station can also...
was the last major station in West Michigan with 4:3 standard definition newscasts until April 16, 2011 when it became the second station in the market to upgrade to full 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...
newscasts. As a result, although all of West Michigan's major stations now air local newscasts in widescreen, WZZM remains the only one that still broadcast in enhanced definition widescreen rather than true high definition as WOOD-TV/WOTV became the third and fourth station to switch to HD on October 22, 2011.
Newscast titles
- The Big News (1962–1966)
- The Big 13 News (1966–1969)
- TV-13 News
- TV-13 Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness 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...
(1969–1975) - Area 13 Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness 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...
(1975–1984) - Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness 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...
13 (1984–1995) - 13 Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness 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...
(1995–1997) - WZZM 13 News (1997–present)
Station slogans
- WZZM-TV 13, Your Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness 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...
Station (1970–1990) - WZZM-TV 13, Grand Rapids, an Advertiser Supported, Free Television Station (1983–1986; this was as the "top of the hour" legal ID)
- Working for You (1987–1997)
- 13 Works for You (1996–1997)
- Feel the Difference (1998–2003)
- WZZM Means Business (2003)
- The WZZM 13 News Difference (2003–2004)
- People Make the Difference (2004–2009)
- The Breaking News Leader (2006)
- The Severe Weather Leader (2006)
- West Michigan's Most Trusted Information Center (2008–present)
- On Your Side (2009–present)
Partners
- ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe 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...
- USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
- Gannett
- Careerbuilder
- Captivate Networks
- Grand Haven Tribune
- The Daily News (Greenville)
Awards
Over the years, WZZM has received numerous awards for journalistic excellence. Some of these include:- Emmy Sickle Cell Anemia: Paradox of Neglect, Station Award, 1971.
- Michigan Associated Press Sickle Cell Anemia: Paradox of Neglect, Best Documentary, 1971.
- United Press InternationalUnited Press InternationalUnited Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
's Michigan News Station of the Year, 1980-1985. - Michigan Association of Broadcasters' Best Newscast and Best Coverage of Spot News awards, 1998
- Michigan Association of Broadcasters' Station of the Year award, 2002.
- Michigan Television News Photographers Association' Station of the Year award, 2002.
On Target Forecast
The WZZM 13 team of meteorologists holds themselves accountable with a well-known target. The meteorologist reviews his or her forecast every day from the previous day in comparison to the actual weather. If they were exactly right, an arrow shoots and hits the bulls eye. If they were only a degree or two off, it is called a "Very Close" forecast. If they were 3-5 degrees off or if they were wrong in their prediction of sunlight or precipitation, it is called a "Close" forecast. If they were more incorrect than that, it is called a "Try Again," and the arrow shoots past the target completely.The WZZM 13 weather radar is often called "13 X-RAD 3D". It combines the power of 3 National Weather Service Doppler radars to produce a 3D radar image.
Advance Newspapers
Meteorologist George Lessens writes a weekly column for Advance NewspapersAdvance Newspapers
Advance Newspapers, based in Hudsonville, Michigan, publishes weekly community newspapers for Kent County, Michigan and portions of Muskegon, Ottawa, and Allegan counties. Advance Newspapers started as an independent company...
. The column includes the forecast for the upcoming week, as of February 2006. It originally had a review of the previous week.
Weatherball
The original weatherball was perched on top of the Michigan National BankMichigan National Bank
Michigan National Bank was a bank founded in Lansing, Michigan, which was established on 31 December 1940 when Howard J Stoddard consolidated six Michigan banks: First National Bank and Trust Company of Grand Rapids, First National Trust and Savings Bank of Port Huron, Lansing National Bank,...
building in downtown Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
. The colors it displayed were representative of the coming weather pattern. A poem was written about the weatherball's colors:
-
- Weatherball red, warmer weather ahead.
- Weatherball blue, cooler weather in view.
- Weatherball green, no change foreseen.
- Colors blinking bright, rain or snow in sight.
However, due to questions about its stability, it was removed in 1987, after 20 years of existence. WZZM located the weatherball, which had resided in a Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
junkyard since its removal, and purchased it in 1999. In 2002, plans were announced to refurbish the stainless steel ball, and add new neon lights. The weatherball was perched on a 100-foot (30 m) monopole, and was lit on May 7, 2003. It is visible from both Interstate 96
Interstate 96
Interstate 96 is an intrastate Interstate Highway that is entirely within the US state of Michigan. Its western terminus is at an interchange with US Highway 31 and Business US Highway 31 , on the western boundary of Norton Shores southeast of Muskegon. Its eastern terminus is at I-75 near the...
and U.S. Highway 131, the two major freeways in the area.
Shortly after the reintroduction of the WZZM 13 Weatherball, a contest was held where viewers submitted video recordings of songs to coincide with the meanings of the weatherball. The winner chosen had their song on a new commercial that aired to inform the viewership of the significance of the colors. The winners were Dale Ray Schumaker and Allison Rae Schumaker of Holland, MI with their jingle, "Know Before You Go". "DJ Dale" Schumaker and Allison Rae Schumaker are prominent hit songwriters.
On June 5, 2008, the Weatherball was struck by lightning for the first time in its history. The lightning scrambled the electronics of the Weatherball, causing it to glow in a rainbow of colors. The Weatherball was temporarily turned off for repairs.
The station also has a costumed character mascot of the Weatherball named "Blinkie". A similar weatherball is also located on the Citizen's Bank building in Flint
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
. Gannett-owned ABC affiliate KXTV
KXTV
KXTV, channel 10, is an ABC affiliate television station in Sacramento, California. It is owned and operated by the Gannett Company. Its transmitter tower is located in Walnut Grove, California, and studios are located on Broadway, just south of Business Loop 80 at the south edge of downtown...
in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
is the other Gannett station that owns a weather beacon
Weather beacon
A weather beacon is a beacon that indicates the local weather forecast in a code of colored or flashing lights. Often, a short poem or jingle accompanies the code to make it easier to remember....
.
Weather Chaser
The Weather Chaser was introduced in 2001. It was a mobile version of the in-studio weather office capable of live broadcasts from anywhere in the broadcast area. During severe weather, the meteorologist using the Chaser was able to track and report storm conditions on location. It has not been mentioned on air in recent months. It was spotted being used in August 2006 as a live shot vehicle at the Unity Christian Music FestivalUnity Christian Music Festival
Unity Christian Music Festival is a three day Christian music festival held annually during the month of August at Heritage Landing in Muskegon, Michigan....
in Muskegon, Michigan
Muskegon, Michigan
Muskegon is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,401. The city is the county seat of Muskegon County...
.
The Weather Chaser as pictured in the photo has since been transformed back into a live truck. The NEW Weather Chaser introduced in 2011 is an SUV. The NEW Weather Chaser was spotted on May 12,2011 in Grand Haven, Michigan
Grand Haven, Michigan
Grand Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Ottawa County. Grand Haven is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2010 census, Grand Haven had a population of 10,412. It is part of the...
at Mary A. White Elementary School. Chief Meteorologist George Lessens was at Mary A. White Elementary School to help the students launch a weather balloon
Weather balloon
A weather or sounding balloon is a balloon which carries instruments aloft to send back information on atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity and wind speed by means of a small, expendable measuring device called a radiosonde...
.
Weather deck
The weather deck is a deckDeck (building)
In architecture, a deck is a flat surface capable of supporting weight, similar to a floor, but typically constructed outdoors, often elevated from the ground, and usually connected to a building...
set up for weather reports. Most weather reports are done outside, except when the weather makes it unsafe for the meteorologist to go outside, such as severe weather situations. The weather deck was introduced in 1999. From 1995 to 1999, the evening meteorologist reported from the parking lot. In Spring 2009, the Weather Deck was absent from many of the newscasts because lighting for the deck became too expensive for WZZM 13 to continue operation. Instead, these weather reports are done from in the studio. Occasionally the noon newscast has a "Weather Deck Guest" segment - a live interview from the deck. Regular weather segments did resume from the weather deck sometime during 2010.
Sports
WZZM started expanded coverage of high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
football in 1995 with Friday Night Football. A few years later, the name was changed to 13 On Your Sidelines.
In June 2010, WZZM hired back Brent Ashcroft, who had left the station twelve years prior to become Sports Director of FOX 17 WXMI.
During the 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. newscasts, a meteorologist does a weather report from the "Game of the Week" location with Blinkie the Weatherball mascot. During the 6:00 p.m. newscast, the "Game of the Week" is previewed.
The 11:00 p.m. newscast is shortened to one news segment and one weather segment. During the weather segment, cheerleaders join the meteorologist on the weather deck.
The current format for 13 On Your Sidelines is:
- "Game of the Week"
- Reports on 12 other games, giving a total of 13.
- The in-studio audience is composed of cheerleaders and marching bandMarching bandMarching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
s. - ScoreboardScoreboardA scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game or match. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards in the past used a mechanical clock and numeral cards to...
segments announcing the results of all other games. - Commentary on the 13 games.
- Ticker showing scores from all sports, not just high school football.
- Other sports news.
WZZM 13's Healthy You
WZZM 13's Healthy You debuted on Sunday June 24, 2007.The show airs every Sunday at 11:00am and is hosted by weekend anchor and health reporter Valerie Lego. In September 2008, it began airing Saturdays at 7:30pm in addition to the Sunday morning time slot http://www.wzzm13.com/news/health/healthy_you.aspx
Take Five & Company
Take Five & Company, originally named Take Five Grand Rapids, is a live talk and entertainment show on WZZM weekdays at 9:00 a.m. (from its premiere in early 2004 to September 2005, it originally aired at 5:00 p.m.). It is hosted by Catherine Behrendt and Stephanie Webb.Its slogan is "Learn a little. Live a little. Have some fun." It has some of the same soft news features that were on 5:30 Edition in the 1990s, such as movie reviews and cooking segments.
A key segment of this series is "Rescue My Home", which is similar to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a reality television series providing home renovations for less fortunate families and community schools etc...
. Several times a year, a house is chosen for the makeover of a specific room. In early 2005, there was an "Extreme Mini-Makeover," which is similar to Extreme Makeover
Extreme Makeover
Extreme Makeover is a television program from ABC in which individuals volunteered to receive an extensive makeover in Hollywood. The show was created by television producer Howard Schultz. It first aired as a television special. It began airing in 2002 on Thursday nights at 8pm. A total of 55...
. In addition to a week's worth of segments about the project, they air primetime "Rescue My Home" specials. Past projects included the living room, bedroom, and the yard.
In addition to segments about gardening, cooking, being a mother, healthy lifestyle, movies, restaurants, money management, and auto maintenance, the show features celebrity interviews and performances by local artists and national artists who are visiting Grand Rapids.
In 2008, Take Five begun a new segment, called the "Take Five Book Club". Each month a book is revealed. Then, on the first Monday of the next month, there is a discussion about the book. Take Five teamed up with the Book Nook & Java Shop in Montague to work on the book club.
On August 25, 2008, when Take Five moved to its new 9:00 am time slot following 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...
the show expanded from a half hour to one hour, displacing Live With Regis And Kelly
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
, which had held the 9:00 am time slot at WZZM for more than 20 years. However, Live With Regis and Kelly was picked up by WWMT
WWMT
WWMT is the CBS-affiliated television station for West Michigan licensed to Kalamazoo. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 8 from a transmitter on Chief Noonday Road/M-179, northwest of Yankee Springs Township, along the Barry and Allegan County line. The station can also...
. http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grpress/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/1210166159242351.xml&coll=6.
Take Five & Company
- Catherine Behrendt - Host of Take Five. She joined the station in 1987. During the 1990s, she anchored the news in the morning and noon. She is also the head of the Community and Local Programming Department.
- Stephanie Webb - Co-Host and reporter for Take Five. She does many interviews with celebrities and other famous people. She formerly worked at WGRDWGRD-FMWGRD-FM is an active rock radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The station is owned by Townsquare Media.WGRD-FM is the flagship station of The Free Beer and Hot Wings Show, a comedy/talk program, on weekday mornings...
and FOX 17 in Grand Rapids.
News team
Anchors- Juliet Dragos - weeknights at 5:30, 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.
- Derek Francis - weekdays mornings from 5 a.m.-7 a.m. and Super Saver Reporter.
- Valerie Lego - Sundays 6:30 p.m. and 11 p.m., Health Reporter, Host of WZZM 13's Healthy You
- Jennifer Pascua - weekend mornings from 6 a.m.-8 a.m.
- Lauren Stanton - weekdays mornings from 5 a.m.-7 a.m. and Noon. Also Try It Before You Buy It Reporter
- Lee VanAmeyde - weeknights at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.
- Brent Ashcroft - Saturdays at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.
WZZM 13 On Target Weather Team
- George Lessens (AMSAMS-Companies:*AMS *Auxiliary Medical Services* Austria Mikro Systeme, the old name of austriamicrosystems*American Management Systems*AMS Pictures*Arbiter Modeling Systems Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Australia*Association of Muslim Schools...
Certified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast Meteorologist is a rating for meteorologists given by the American Meteorological Society.The Certified Broadcast Meteorologist program was established to raise the professional standard in broadcast meteorology and encourage a broader range of scientific understanding,...
)- Chief Meteorologist - Weeknights 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. and Sunday 6:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. - Joe Kopecek (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist)- Meteorologist - Weeknights 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Fills in evenings for George and fills in morning and noon occasionally.
- Aaron Ofseyer - Meteorologist - Weekend mornings and currently filling in weekday mornings and weekdays at noon until new meteorologist is hired
WZZM 13 Sports Team
- Tom Clyde - Sports Director - Weeknights at 6 p.m.
- Dan Harland - Wednesday-Friday 11 p.m., Weekends at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.
- Brent Ashcroft - Monday & Tuesday 11 p.m.
WZZM 13 Traffic Time
- Dave Kaechele - Traffic reports during morning news Monday-Friday 6 a.m.-7 a.m.
13 On Your Sidelines
- Fridays at 11:15pm during high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
season. - Brent Ashcroft - Anchor
- Jeff White - Producer
- Tom Clyde - Sports Director
- Dan Harland - Anchor
Reporters
- Brent Ashcroft
- Angela Cunningham
- Phil Dawson
- Amy Fox
- Jon Mills
- Blake Naftel
- Steve Patterson
- Peter Ross
- Sarah Sell
Former on-air staff
- Jay SchadlerJay SchadlerJay Schadler is a correspondent on the ABC News program PrimeTime. He worked at WCVB in Boston, Massachusetts, WZZM in Grand Rapids, Michigan and KSTP in Minneapolis before joining ABC News in 1982....
- worked at WZZM during the 1970s. He currently works at ABC NewsABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
. - Bill Seidman (died 2009) - former FDICFederal Deposit Insurance CorporationThe Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is a United States government corporation created by the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933. It provides deposit insurance, which guarantees the safety of deposits in member banks, currently up to $250,000 per depositor per bank. , the FDIC insures deposits at...
chairman and president of WZZM at one time