WFTV

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WFTV
Orlando, Florida
Branding	WFTV 9 (general) Channel 9 Eyewitness News (newscasts)
Slogan	Coverage You Can Count On
Channels	9 (VHF) analog, 39 (UHF) digital
Affiliations	ABC
Owner	Cox Television
Founded	February 1, 1958
Call letters meaning	Wonderful Florida TeleVision
Former callsigns	WLOF-TV (1958-63)
Former affiliations	None
Website	wftv.com

WFTV, "WFTV 9" is a television station based in Orlando, Florida, affiliated with the ABC network. It transmits its analog signal on VHF channel 9, and its digital signal on UHF channel 39 from a transmitter located in Bithlo, Florida.

The station signed on the air on February 1, 1958 as WLOF-TV (for "We Love Orlando, Florida"). It had been an ABC affiliate since its launch. For years, the station was owned by SFN TV. It changed its call letters to WFTV in 1963.

The station was acquired by Cox Enterprises in 1985, and is currently co-owned with WRDQ (Action 27). Alongside its own "Eyewitness News" broadcasts, WFTV also produces a nightly 10pm newscast ("Action News" at 10) for WRDQ.

The primary news anchors at WFTV are Bob Opsahl and Martie Salt. They anchored the main afternoon newscasts from 1984 through 1994, when Ms. Salt transferred to a TV station in Tampa. She returned to anchor WFTV's news again with Opsahl in 2003. Opsahl is one of the longest-serving (at one station) local news anchors in Florida.

Marla Weech, a former anchor for WFTV, was paired up with Bob Opsahl during most of Salt's absence. Together, they anchored the highest-rated local newscast in America. Weech currently works for WKMG.

Tom Terry is the "Chief Meteorologist". Terry, along with several Fort Myers meteorologists, predicted the early turn by Hurricane Charley in 2004, sending it into Charlotte Harbor instead of Tampa Bay, before the National Hurricane Center did. Terry is also credited with being the only Orlando area TV meteorologist to give advanced warning of Charley's impending track by showing a new track on the day's noon newscast that brought the hurricane through the Orlando area. This track was contrary to the 11am prediction from the National Hurricane Center. [1]

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, "Channel 9 Eyewitness News" made the claim of being "Central Florida's News Leader" as its slogan, but dropped the claim in the 2000s after transitioning to "Coverage You Can Count On". Its main 5pm newscast was termed "Live at Five" until the early 2000s.

WFTV was also the original station for former CNN anchor and current NBC News correspondent Natalie Allen.

WFTV carries a high-profile programming lineup with shows such as Oprah Winfrey, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.

WFTV can also be found on Bright House Networks in Polk and Citrus counties on channel 20, although both counties are both part of the Tampa Bay market.

Contents 1 Ocala 2 Newscasts 2.1 HDTV 3 Preemptions 4 See also 5 External links

[edit] Ocala

As of July 2006, WFTV and WFTV-DT is now seen on the co-owned Cox Cable system in Ocala (WFTV on cable channel 9 and WFTV-DT on channel 729) in addition to Gainesville's WCJB-TV. Ocala and Marion County are both part of the Orlando market. Prior to July 2006, Cox in Ocala only offered WCJB, due to contractual obligations, even though Ocala is not in the same television market as Gainesville.

[edit] Newscasts

Weekdays

• Channel 9 Eyewitness News Daybreak - 5AM-7AM
  • Anchors: Greg Warmoth and Vanessa Echols
  • Weather: Brian Shields
  • Traffic: Bob Baxa
• Channel 9 Eyewitness News at Noon - NOON-1PM
  • Anchors: Barbara West and Vanessa Echols
  • Weather: Brian Shields
• Channel 9 Eyewitness News at 5:00 - 5PM-5:30PM
  • Anchors: Bob Opsahl and Martie Salt
  • Weather: Tom Terry
• Channel 9 Eyewitness News at 5:30 - 5:30PM-6PM
  • Anchors: Bob Opsahl and Barbara West
  • Weather: Tom Terry
• Channel 9 Eyewitness News at 6:00 - 6PM-6:30PM
  • Anchors: Bob Opsahl and Martie Salt
  • Weather: Tom Terry
  • Sports: Zach Klein
• Action 27 News at Ten - 10PM-10:30PM, on WRDQ "Action 27"
  • Anchors: Cynthia Demos and Chris Egert
  • Weather: Tom Terry
  • Sports: Zach Klein
• Channel 9 Eyewitness News at 11:00 - 11PM-11:35PM
  • Anchors: Bob Opsahl and Martie Salt
  • Weather: Tom Terry
  • Sports: Zach Klein

Weekends

• Channel 9 Eyewitness News Daybreak Saturday - 5:30AM-10AM
  • Anchor: Christina Arangio
  • Weather: Julie Watkins
• Channel 9 Eyewitness News Daybreak Sunday - 5:30AM-9AM
  • Anchor: Christina Arangio
  • Weather: Julie Watkins
• Channel 9 Eyewitness News at Noon - NOON-12:30PM
  • Anchor: Christina Arangio
  • Weather: Julie Watkins
• Channel 9 Eyewitness News at 6:00 - 6PM-6:30PM
  • Anchor: Cynthia Demos and Ryan Andrews
  • Weather: Arch Kennedy
  • Sports: Jenny Dunn
• Action 27 News at Ten - 10-10:30PM, on WRDQ "Action 27"
  • Anchor: Cynthia Demos and Ryan Andrews
  • Weather: Arch Kennedy
  • Sports: Jenny Dunn
• Channel 9 Eyewitness News at 11:00 - 11PM-11:35PM
  • Anchor: Cynthia Demos and Ryan Andrews
  • Weather: Arch Kennedy
  • Sports: Jenny Dunn
• Sports Night On 9 - 11:35PM-12:05AM Sunday nights
  • Hosted by Zach Klein

[edit] HDTV

On June 29th, WFTV/WRDQ became the first Florida television station to offer newscasts in 720p HD (High Definition). It is the first Cox owned and operated station and the 10th U.S. station to offer it. With the switch to HD came a new HD set from FX Group and HD graphics from Giant Octopus. This switch had also later changed the stations news music package to Eyewitness News, which WFTV had previously used from 1995-1997.

[edit] Preemptions

WFTV was one of the few ABC affiliates that pre-empted Jimmy Kimmel Live. WFTV's sister stations in Atlanta (WSB-TV) and Charlotte (WSOC-TV), as well as Sinclair Broadcast Group affiliate WEAR-TV in Pensacola, also did not air the program. On November 21, 2005, however, the station did start airing the late night talk show, and now airs almost the entire ABC schedule with little preemption.

These preemptions are currently limited to some of ABC's weekend morning programming. Three out of four hours of the ABC Kids lineup are shown, while weekend editions of Good Morning America are not shown in lieu of expanded morning news on the weekends. WFTV's sister stations in Atlanta (WSB-TV) and Charlotte (WSOC-TV) also do not air the program.

In the early 1980s, WFTV preempted the soap opera The Edge of Night, which was preempted by many other ABC affiliates as well.

From 1994 thru 1996, WFTV did not air ABC's 11:00 AM program while it was The Home Show and Mike & Maty. The station began to carry such programming overnights starting in 1996, not starting to air it in its proper timeslot until The View debuted in 1997.

In 1992, WFTV dropped two of the five hours of ABC's Saturday morning cartoons in order to add a two hour newscast. The next year, when the newscast expanded to three hours, the station ceased airing the block completely.

In 1996 an hour of ABC cartoons was restored on Sunday mornings. A year later, WFTV began to carry two hours of the lineup that were under the One Saturday Morning banner. In 1999, WFTV began its current practice to run three hours of the lineup.

Finally, in 2004 all Cox-owned ABC affiliates including those mentioned above preempted the movie Saving Private Ryan.

[edit] See also

• Bob Opsahl
• Martie Salt
• WFTV TV Tower Christmas
• WFTV Tower Saint Cloud
• Joint Venture TV Tower Bithlo

[edit] External links

• WFTV Official Website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WFTV