WLVI-TV

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WLVI-TV
Cambridge/Boston, Massachusetts
Branding	Boston's CW
Slogan	Boston's CW 56
Channels	56 (UHF) analog, 41 (UHF) digital
Affiliations	CW
Owner	Sunbeam Television
Founded	September 27, 1953
Call letters meaning	W LVI (56 in Roman numerals, briefly had a dual meaning when station was branded "LiVIng 56")
Former callsigns	WTAO-TV (1953-56) WXHR-TV (1962-65) WKBG-TV (1965-74)
Former affiliations	DuMont/ABC (1953-56) Independent (1962-95) WB (1995-2006)
Transmitter Power	2240 kW/360 m(analog) 30 kW/345 m (digital)
Website	bostonscw.trb.com

WLVI-TV, channel 56, is a CW television network affiliate licensed to Cambridge, Massachusetts and serving the Boston and southern New Hampshire television market. WLVI-TV is owned by Sunbeam Television and is a sister to WHDH-TV (channel 7), Boston's NBC affiliate. The two stations share studios in WHDH's downtown Boston facility, and WLVI's transmitter is located in Newton, Massachusetts.

Contents 1 History 2 News operation 2.1 Current Newscast 2.2 Future Newscast 3 Current Staff 3.1 Local Management 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History

Channel 56 is one of Boston's heritage UHF stations, having first gone on the air on September 27, 1953 as WTAO-TV. WTAO was written off as failure in 1956 due to low viewership and lack of revenue from sponsors. The station went back on the air as WXHR in 1962 for a six-month FCC study before being taken off-air and purchased by Kaiser Broadcasting and the Boston Globe in 1965 and renamed as WKBG-TV (Kaiser (Broadcasting/Boston) Globe). The station returned to the air in December 1966.

As a Kaiser station, channel 56's schedule consisted primarily of cartoons, off-network sitcoms and old movies. However, it was willing to experiment with such projects as Universal Television's Operation Prime Time (although Paramount Television would contribute some programs as well) and syndicated reruns of National Geographic specials in prime time. Such common independent-station programming as a Saturday "Creature Double Feature" (following repeats of The Outer Limits) reached youthful and cult audiences. U.S. talk-show host Conan O'Brien has credited the station's rotation of classic musicals in its prime-time movie offering with encouraging him to consider a career as a performer.

The station constantly lagged behind the sports-heavy schedule of rival independent WSBK-TV (channel 38). But WKBG-TV did carry sports programming, including road games of the Boston Celtics from 1966 to 1969, road telecasts of the World Hockey Association's New England Whalers (now the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes) and road games of the Boston Bruins in 1966-67. Still, it was carried on every cable system throughout New England.

In 1974, the Boston Globe sold its share in WKBG back to Kaiser. The call letters were then changed to the current WLVI-TV and in 1977, Chicago-based Field Communications (which had owned 22.5 percent of Kaiser since 1972) purchased WLVI and the other Kaiser stations. In 1982, WLVI was sold to the Gannett Company, as part of a liquidation of Field's television assets.

Under Gannett, WLVI continued its general entertainment format of children's programming from 6:00 to 11:00 a.m., as well as from 1:00 to 5:30 p.m. as the WLVI Kids' Club. The station also added opened a news department, which later created a full-fledged 10:00 p.m. newscast, and continued use of the Field Communications-style station branding and logo. From 1985 to 1990, channel 56 again was the broadcast home of Celtics road games.

In 1994, Gannett sold the station to the Tribune Company, which affiliated the station with newly-launched WB network in January 1995. The station's newscast later became known as The Ten O'Clock News on WB 56.

The station was temporarily off the air in August 1998 when a crane that was erecting a nearby studio-to-transmitter link (STL) tower collapsed onto WLVI's building. Though no one was injured and the damage was confined to the station's office spaces, the incident resulted in several hundred thousand dollars worth of damages. The station used a satellite truck for network programming downlink and studio space at WCVB-TV (channel 5) for its 10 p.m. newscast.

In 1999, WLVI began a two-year stint as the flagship station of the Boston Red Sox. The station also discontinued its morning kids programming block in favor of a short-lived morning newscast. The station also began running more syndicated talk and reality shows. Afternoon children's programming continued to be provided by Kids WB until early 2006. Channel 56 was the last commercial station in the Boston market that continued to broadcast weekday children's programming.

On January 24, 2006, the WB and UPN networks announced that they would merge into a new network called the CW. On September 18, 2006, WLVI became the CW's Boston affiliate. At that point, WLVI became known as Boston's CW. To correspond to the affiliation switch, the station's daily 10 PM newscast became known as The Ten O'Clock News on Boston's CW.

On September 14, 2006, four days prior to the launch of the CW, Tribune Broadcasting announced that WLVI would be sold to Sunbeam Television for $117.3 million. After getting final approval in late November 2006, Sunbeam consolidated WLVI with its existing Boston station, WHDH-TV. WLVI was moved into WHDH's studios in downtown Boston, and the station's news department was closed. The consolidation resulted in about 130 layoffs from WLVI, though some newsroom staffers were retained by WHDH, which will take over production of WLVI's daily 10 p.m. newscast. Soon enough, as is the case with many duopolies between a major network affiliate and a minor network affiliate, WLVI may take on the responsibility of airing NBC programs when WHDH is not able to such as in a news-related emergency.

Although WLVI's sale from Tribune to Sunbeam Television is now official, Tribune still operates WLVI's website. A new website is expected to be created in the near future, however.

[edit] News operation

On December 1, 1969, WKBG-TV debuted a 10 PM newscast, called Ten PM News, anchored by legendary Boston TV anchorman Arch MacDonald. The newscast was short-lived, however. Another station in the Boston market, WXPO in Lowell, had also briefly done a 10 PM newscast in 1969.

Field Communications started a news department shortly before putting the station up for sale and would start a 10 PM weeknight newscast, which was a pair of ten-minute locally-produced inserts in what otherwise was an hour-long simulcast of CNN Headline News. Under Gannett ownership, WLVI-TV introduced a half-hour, 10 PM newscast on April 23, 1984, the third attempt at a primetime newscast in the Boston market.

Due to the increasing popularity of WFXT's daily 10 p.m. newscast, and after Tribune closed local TV newsrooms in Philadelphia and San Diego, there were unconfirmed rumors that Tribune Broadcasting would shut down the WLVI news department and have it outsourced to another channel or even cancelled altogether. WLVI had denied that its newsroom would be closed.

Now as a result of the sale to Sunbeam Broadcasting, WHDH will take over production of WLVI's 10 PM newscast, using its existing staff. As the sale only covers the license, network affiliation and technical equipment, most of WLVI's 150 employees will remain employed by Tribune, who is likely to lay them off. WHDH has set December 19, 2006, as a date to begin producing WLVI newscasts. At that time, the newscast will become known as 7 News at 10 on Boston's CW. In 2007, there may eventually be a new morning newscast on WLVI as well. [1]

Currently, WLVI's newscast airs weekdays 10-11 PM, Saturdays 10-10:30 PM, and Sundays 10-11 PM.

[edit] Current Newscast

The Ten O'Clock News on Boston's CW

Weekdays

• Anchors: Frank Mallicoat & Karen Marinella
• Weather: Mike Wankum
• Sports: Mike Ratté

Weekends

• Anchor: Stephanie Leydon
• Weather: Joe Venuti
• Sports: Jamie Kenneally

[edit] Future Newscast

7 News at 10 on Boston's CW (begins December 19, 2006)

Weekdays

• Anchors: Matt Lorch & Frances Rivera
• Weather: Pete Bouchard
• Sports: Joe Amorosino

Weekends

• Anchors: Jeff Glor & Nichelle King
• Weather: Terry Casey (In January 2006, Dylan Dreyer, who is currently at WJAR)
• Sports: Dave Briggs

[edit] Current Staff

• Karen Marinella, Weekday Anchor and Host of "One on One With Karen Marinella"
• Frank Mallicoat, Weekday Anchor
• Mike Wankum, Chief Meteorologist
• Mike Ratté, Sports Director
• Kristen Caira, Reporter
• Adam Chodak, Video Journalist
• Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald Media Managing Editor and Host of "Your Town Tonight"
• Darcie Fisher, Health Reporter
• Terrel Harris, Reporter
• Jack Hynes, Senior Correspondent
• Lauren Jiggetts, Reporter
• Stephanie Leydon, Reporter and Weekend Anchor
• Jamie Kenneally, Weekend Sports Anchor and Reporter
• Paul Mueller, Reporter
• Jim Smith, Reporter
• Joe Venuti, Weekend Meteorologist

[edit] Local Management

• General Manager/Vice President: Vincent Manzi
• Director of Creative Services & Programming: Steven Ratner
• Chief Engineer: Franco La Pietra
• General Sales Manager: Robert Burns
• Local Sales Manager: Paul Magnes
• Local Sales Manager: Jim Norton
• National Sales Manager: Jennifer Boyle
• Traffic Director: Ruth Stroman
• Director of Finance: Erich Mettler
• Community Affairs & PR: Kristen Holgerson

[edit] References

• About Us: Overview (2005). BostonsCW.trb.com.
• WLVI-TV (3-27-2005). The Boston TV Dial.
• "Channel 7 owner to buy WLVI-TV 56". Boston Globe, September 15, 2006.

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WLVI-TV