WTVG

WTVG, known on air as 13ABC, is the ABC owned and operated television station in Toledo, Ohio with a coverage area serving northwestern Ohio, Southeastern Michigan and Essex County, Ontario. Its transmitter is located in Oregon, Ohio. The station broadcasts its analog signal on VHF channel 13, and its digital signal on UHF channel 19.

WTVG is referred to as "13ABC" while their Houston sister station is KTRK-TV, known as "ABC13".

History

The station signed on the air on July 21, 1948 as WSPD-TV, owned by Storer Broadcasting along with WSPD radio (AM 1370 and FM 101.5, now WRVF). WSPD-TV was the first television station in the Storer Broadcasting chain. Originally, the station carried programming from all four television networks: NBC (primary affiliation), ABC, CBS and DuMont. With DuMont shutting down in 1955, the CBS affiliation moving to WTOL in 1958 and the ABC affiliation moving to WDHO (now WNWO-TV) in 1970, WSPD-TV became an exclusive NBC affiliate.

Storer also owned WJBK-AM-FM-TV in Detroit and WJW-AM-FM-TV in Cleveland. WSPD-TV's city-grade signal could be seen in the Detroit suburbs, while its grade B signal could be seen in Detroit and Cleveland. The FCC grandfathered this situation under its "one-to-a-market" rule in the 1970s. Storer sold off WSPD-FM in the early 70s and WSPD-AM in 1979, and channel 13 became WTVG.

The Storer stations were taken over by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) in 1985. As a result, WTVG lost its grandfathered protection and was not sold to Gillett Communications along with the other Storer stations in 1987. Instead, it was sold to a local employee/investor group called "Toledo Television, Inc." Toledo Television, in turn, was bought out by SJL Broadcast Management in 1991.

In 1994, New World Communications, the owner of most of WTVG's former sister stations, signed an affiliation deal with Fox Broadcasting Company, resulting in most of New World's stations switching affiliation to Fox. Among the stations due to switch was WJBK, Detroit's longtime CBS affiliate. To avoid being consigned to UHF in the 11th-largest market, CBS heavily wooed Detroit's longtime ABC affiliate, WXYZ-TV. WXYZ's owner, E.W. Scripps Company, then told ABC that unless it agreed to affiliate with Scripps-owned stations in four smaller markets, it would switch WXYZ to CBS. As a contingency, ABC approached SJL about buying WTVG and WJRT-TV in Flint, Michigan. Both stations' city-grade signals reached portions of the Detroit area. The deal closed on August 29, 1995. However, WTVG's affiliation contract didn't run out until November, so ABC had to run WTVG as an NBC affiliate for two months while NBC looked for a new affiliate in the area. On November 5, 1995, WTVG began airing ABC programming, sending the NBC affiliation to WNWO-TV. In 1996, Capital Cities/ABC was acquired by Disney. As it turned out, ABC had agreed to the affiliation deal with Scripps as well, and WXYZ remained an ABC affiliate.

For most of its history, WTVG led the news ratings in Toledo. This is largely because it was the only station in town for a decade. In recent years, however, it has fallen to second place behind WTOL.

Digital Channels

News Segments

I-Team

The 13 Action News I-Team works to uncover government waste, scams and problems that affect your safety and health.

In the past three years the I-Team has uncovered several scams, exposed wrongdoers, and recovered thousands of dollars for viewers. The I-Team has become known for their weekly Restaurant Report Card. It's one of the station's highest-rated segments.

Newsreel

Showcases local news briefs daily from 13abc Action News at 5:30

Restaurant Report Card

Every Thursday on 13 Action News at 6, the I-Team shows you which restaurants are getting some of the worst health violations in the area. Also each Thursday one violation free restaurant is given the green stamp of approval. Presented By Ronnie Dahl

Ask the Expert

Each weekday on 13 ABC Action News at noon, get your questions answered by local experts.

• Mondays-Chris Cooper, financial planner
• Tuesdays-Mark Iagulli, personal trainer
• Wednesdays-Julie Welshans, registered dietitian
• Thursdays-Dr. Daniel Cassavar, cardiologist
• Fridays-Dr. Ruby Nucklos, internist

Weather & Traffic

13ABC has a team of four meteorologists:

• Stan Stachak-Chief Meteorologist
• Jay Berschback
• Theresa Pollick
• Kristin Emery
• Jim Madaus (fill-in)
• Susan Ware (fill-in)

Resources

• 13ABC owns and operates a 350,000 Watt Doppler Radar named Live Doppler 13000
• Systems from Baron Services:
  • VIPIR (Volumetric Imaging and Processing of Integrated Radar)
  • FasTrac
  • StormWarn
  • Neighborhood IRIS (Internet Radar Imaging Server)

Traffic

• Shown every 10 minutes along with weather in the mornings 5am-7am

Time Saver Traffic Team:

• Greg Jones
• Joel Gerrard (fill-in)

Sports

13ABC Action News Sports Rob Powers and the Powers Pack

• Rob Powers
• Joe Nugent
• David Holmes

Football Friday-During Regular Season

• Showcases Northwest Ohio High school Football Games

Basketball Friday-During Regular Seasons

• Showcases Northwest Ohio Girls & Boys Basketball

13th Frame

For 35 weeks each year 13 Action News Sports sponsors the 13th Frame, each Thursday night at 11pm Rob Powers travels to a local bowling alley to give away $250.

Rules-

• $1 per pin
• $250 for a turkey (three strikes) in a row
  • Last seasons final winner- Andy Kirk
    • Occasionally during a losing streak the previous week’s prize money accumulates until someone wins the large jackpot.

Newscasts

• 13 ABC Action News Good Morning - 5am - 7am
  • Rebecca Regnier
  • Jeff Smith
  • Sashem Brey
  • Jay Berschback
  • Greg Jones

• 13 ABC Action News at Noon
  • Susan Ross-Wells
  • Jeff Smith
  • Jay Berschback

• 13 ABC Action News at 5
  • Diane Larson
  • Lee Conklin
  • Stan Stachak

• 13 ABC Action News at 5:30
  • Susan Ross-Wells
  • Rob Powers
  • Stan Stachak

• 13 ABC Action News at 6 and 11
  • Diane Larson
  • Lee Conklin
  • Stan Stachak
  • Rob Powers

• 13 ABC Action News Saturday and Sunday Mornings 6am - 8am
  • Melissa Andrews
  • Efrem Graham
  • Theresa Pollick

• 13 ABC Action News Weekends
  • Kristian Brown
  • Bill Hormann
  • Kristin Emery
  • Joe Nugent

Reporters

• Anthony Cabrera
• Ronnie Dahl (I-Team)
• Tony Geftos
• Lissa Guyton
• Jennifer Jarrell
• Alexis Means
• Sanna Orra
• Zack Ottenstein

Personalities & Trivia

• Kristin Emery was recently hired by WTVG. She started June 1st. She takes the places of Meteorologist Susan Ware, who went on maternity leave in February. Ware said that she wanted to work on a fill in basis. Earlier this year, Leslie LoBue from WJRT-TV in Flint helped fill in for Ware, then Jim Madaus from WXYZ-TV came in April.

• Alexis Means won an Emmy for best spot news coverage for "Gunmen in the School," a breaking news story in which a gunmen was seen on surveillance video walking in to a Toledo Public School with a gun.

• On June 21, 2006, Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan was under a moderate risk for severe weather. A massive complex of thunderstorms moved into Michigan and took a turn to the southeast. A tornado warning was later issued for Lucas County. During this, Jeff Smith was with his wife, Lisa, who had gone into labor at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center. Later that night, she gave birth to a boy — Dugan Jeffrey Smith. Efrem Graham and Sashem Brey have been filling in for Smith in the mornings, while Rebecca Regnier fills in at Noon.

• On January 15, 2007, Stan Stachak returned to 13 ABC Action News. He had been off for several weeks to have knee replacement surgery.

• 13 Action News utilizes the Sony PDW510 XDCAM Camcorder (DVCAM)

• All Toledo stations (WTVG, WTOL, WNWO, and WUPW) use the Jeep Liberty as an ENG vehicle, due to the fact that they are made locally by DaimlerChrysler.

Past Personalities

• Elisa Amigo
• Jala Anderson
• Gordon Boyd
• Dave Chudowsky
• Hakem Dermish
• Tim Gerber
• Katrina Hancock
• Erica Hurtt
• Jason Knowles
• Jason Martinez
• Christa Quinn
• Adora Udoji
• Kelli Wiese
• Diane Wilson
• Kareen Wynter

See also

• Circle 7 logo - WTVG's Circle 13 logo is a derivative of the Circle 7 logo

References

• Michigan's Radio & TV Broadcast Guide: WTVG
• TheTVDirectors.com

Wikipedia information about WTVG This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "WTVG". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.