WWLP
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WWLP channel 22 is the NBC-affiliate television station for the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts that is licensed to Springfield. Its transmitter is located on Provin Mountain in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam. Owned by LIN TV, the station has studios at Broadcast Center in Chicopee. WWLP operates a full-time repeater, WFXQ-CA on channel 28, that is licensed to Holyoke. Its transmitter is located on Mount Tom. Syndicated programming on the station includes: Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, Judge Judy, and Friends.
History
WWLP began broadcasting on March 17, 1953. The station was located on channel 61 and was founded by William L. Putnam and his company, Springfield Television. The station's studios was located in Feeding Hills. WWLP had the distinction of being one of the first UHF television stations in the United States as well as being Massachusetts' oldest television station outside of Boston. WWLP switched from channel 61 to channel 22 on July 2, 1955. Springfield was designated as a "UHF island" because it was too close to Boston, Hartford / New Haven and the Capital District of New York State for VHF service. In 1957, WRLP-TV channel 32 in Greenfield signed on as a full-time satellite of WWLP serving the northern portion of the market (including Brattleboro, Vermont and Keene, New Hampshire) where WWLP's signal was marginal due to the area's rugged terrain. In 1958, Putnam bought WWOR-TV (no relation to the current New York station) a defunct station on channel 14 in Worcester and returned it to the air as another full-time satellite of WWLP.
However, that station only aired six hours a day. WWOR later changed its calls to WJZB-TV. Both stations eventually became independent but later went off the air (WJZB went dark in 1969 followed by WRLP in 1978). The WRLP transmitter was shipped to Salt Lake City, Utah almost immediately in order to launch independent station KSTU on UHF channel 20 (now a Fox affiliate on channel 13 operating under a different license). After three decades, Putnam decided to retire from broadcasting by selling his company and its three stations (WWLP, KSTU, and WKEF in Dayton, Ohio) to Adams Communications in 1984. Adams ran into financial trouble and began breaking up the Springfield Television group in 1987 with the sale of KSTU to MWT Ltd. Adams sold WKEF to KT Communications in 1989 before selling WWLP to Paul Brisette (a former Adams Vice President) in 1991.
However, Brisette himself ran into trouble and sold all of his stations to Benedek Broadcasting in 1996. LIN TV acquired WWLP in 2000 by swapping KAKE-TV in Wichita, Kansas and WOWT-TV in Omaha, Nebraska to Benedek. This was a result of Chronicle Broadcasting, which owned the latter two, being liquidated. The sale could be seen as the ultimate undoing for Benedek, which in 2002 declared bankruptcy and sold most of their stations (including WOWT and KAKE) to Gray Television. Back in early-2000, the station's studios and offices moved from their original home in Feeding Hills to their current home in Chicopee. However, its transmitter was not moved. Shortly after the change, then-pending owner LIN TV constructed an addition at WWLP's new studios which became a master control hub for their stations in the Northeast. At this location, room for future expansion was made in the event LIN TV expanded their Northeast properties. LIN TV stations that have master control located at the Chicopee facilities include: WTNH, WCTX, WPRI-TV, and WNAC-TV.
The station was known for producing As Schools Match Wits, one of the longest running high school quiz programs in the United States. The program first came on the air in October of 1961. In September of 2006, the show was canceled because it, combined with the network shows, sold more advertising than FCC regulations allow. The show returned to the air in January of 2007, but on the area's PBS affiliate WGBY-TV and based at Westfield State College. On May 18, 2007, LIN TV announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives including the sale of the company.
Digital television
In 2009, WWLP will continue digital broadcasts on channel 11 when the analog to digital transition is complete.[1]
News operation
From the 1980s until 1995, WWLP's newscasts were known as NewsCenter 22. After that, the title changed to 22 News. The station has traditionally had the most watched newscasts in the market. This has been achieved by beating ABC affiliate WGGB-TV in the ratings (most of the time) since both stations went on the air. There have been some brief periods when WGGB was on top and there have also been extended periods in which the stations were basically neck-and-neck with WWLP having a slight edge. However, WWLP has consistently outpaced WGGB ever since Sinclair Broadcast Group acquired that station in 1998 with a sizable margin in WWLP's favor for most shows. WGGB recently become locally owned (bought by John J. Gormally who publishes the Business West magazine), so there was a chance the ratings could change.
However, as of the July 2008 sweeps period, WWLP continues its dominance. The long term ratings ramifications of CBS affiliate WSHM-LP, which started to produce local newscasts in October of 2005, remain to be seen. In addition to their main studios, WWLP operates two news bureaus. The Hampshire County Bureau is located in Northampton and the Franklin County Bureau is located in Greenfield. WHDH-TV, the NBC affiliate in Boston, shares its resources with WWLP for news coverage of Eastern Massachusetts. WWLP does the same for news from western areas of the state. WWLP operates its own weather radar that is located at the transmitter site. In addition, the station uses live, NOAA National Weather Service radar data from several regional sites. The regional radars are presented on-screen in weather segments under the name "ESP Live Doppler" (with "ESP" meaning Exclusive Storm Prediction). The station uses the "Tower V.3" news music package from 615 Music. Currently, WWLP does not offer NBC Weather Plus.
News team
Anchors
- Jackie Brousseau - weekday mornings
- Rich Tettemer - weekday mornings and Noon
- Dan Elias - weeknights at 5 and reporter
- Veronica Cintron - weeknights at 5 and 6
- reporter
- Barry Kriger - weeknights at 5:30, 6, and 11
- Jaclyn Cashman - weeknights at 5:30
- host of 22 News in Focus and investigative reporter
- Jackie Ibanez - weekend mornings
- Lynn Barry - weekend evenings and reporter
22 News Storm Team
- Brian Lapis (NWA Seal of Approval) - weeknights
- Rick Sluben - weekday mornings and Noon
- Shiri Spear - weekend mornings and environmental reporter
- Adam Strzempko - weekend evenings
Sports
- Ryan Walsh - Wednesdays through Sundays at 6 and 11
Reporters
- Sy Becker - movie critic
- Nancy Dell - registered dietitian
- Anthony DiLorenzo
- Julie Tremmel
- Jackie Ibanez
- Shane Symolon - Franklin County Bureau reporter
- Alexis Miller
- Kala Rama - Hampshire County Bureau reporter
Previous staff
Anchors
- Marianne Ward, No longer working in Television.
- Lydia Kulbida, WNYT
- Kathryn Kirby, Went to WVIT before leaving television.
- Latoyia Foster (Edwards), NECN
- Jerry Gretzinger, WRGB
- Jerry Giordano, KTUL
- Shirley Chan, WFXT
- Sonia Baghdady, WTNH
- Michael Thompson, News Director at WOSU[disambiguation needed]
- Kristen Triggs, Teaching.
- Brenda Garton, Communications Professor - Western New England College - Springfield, MA
- Chelsea Sobel, News 12 Connecticut.
- Beth Carroll, NHPTV (Via WGGB )
- Dan Jaehnig, WJAR, now WFXT
- Dave Madsen, WGGB
- Steve Lacy, WCVB
- Kristen Saloomey, Went to WHEC , unknown now.
- Pauline Chiou, CBS News
- Kevin Kelly, Went to WKEF, WSPA, WPTF, among others. Now at WGHP, Greensboro, NC
- Michelle Smith, WRGB, now taking a break from Television to raise her 2 children
- Keith Silver, Communications Professor - American International College - Springfield, MA, Also former News Driector
- Ed Kennedy, Retired, Also Former News Director
- Jack Hawkins, Retired
- Barbara Pitoniak, Retired
- Kitty Broman, Retired, Married to longtime Owner William L. Putnam
Meteorologists
- John Quill, Deceased
- Bruce Avery, WRHU-FM
- Evan Rubin (Andrews), KDFW
- Nick Morganelli, WSHM & Freelance at NECN; city councilor, Westfield, MA
- Steve Caporizzo, WTEN
- John DiPasquale, WTVH, Syracuse
- Darren Sweeney, WFSB, now WVIT
- Todd Gross, KTVX
Sports
- Rich Tettemer, Morning News Anchor WWLP
- Jamie Podworski, Physical Education Teacher/Coach at Agawam High School
- Steve Roulier, Advertising and Publicity Coordinator at Western New England College
- Morgan Hook, Reporter WWLP, WRGB, now Press Aide to NY Gov. David Patterson
- Bob Rumbold, WTIC-TV
- Nikki Monsilovich, WECT
- Jason Osborne, Attorney; USAF; Rank: Captain. Litigation Specialist - Air Force Legal Operations Agency (AFLOA); Arlington, VA.
- Rich Cappola WTIC-TV
- John Deutzman, Reporter at WNYW
- Bill Rasmussen, Founder of ESPN
- Rollie Jacobs
Reporters
- Elyce Kirchner, KOVR
- Lori Lipkin, Returned to Florida
- Danielle Pepe, Went to WBBH, Now unknown
- Ellen Cheng, Los Angeles, California Asian News Network
- John Moroney, NECN
- Maggie Poteaux, Went to WATE, Now unknown
- Patti Smith-Barrett, Went to WPIX, Now unknown.
- Drew Bailey, Washington D.C.
- Anita Wilson, Left television to pursue other interests.
- Jeff Seeley, Freelance: ESPN, CBS Sports, NESN, Cox Sports, Comcast SportsNet...
- Myrna Maloney, Left television to pursue other interests.
- Morgan Hook, WRGB now Press Aide to NY Gov. David Paterson
- Donna Savarese, KMOV St. Louis
- Dion Lim, KMBC
- Craig Smith, WRGB
- Heather Rosbeck, Actress, Married to Billionaire William Wrigley Jr.[1]
- Jordan St. John, WGGB, WTNH. Left television to pursue other interests. Currently Deputy Chief of Public Affairs for the U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, D.C.
- Jade Rivera, left television to pusue other interests
- Stassi Heropolous
- Howard Thompson, WPIX