WTIC-TV

'WTIC-TV' is the Fox-afifliated television station for the state of Connecticut except Fairfield County. Licensed to Hartford, the station broadcasts an analog signal on UHF channel 61 and a digital signal on UHF channel 31. WTIC's transmitter is located between US 6 and I-84 in Farmington. The station is owned by Tribune as part of a duopoly with the area's CW affiliate WTXX. The two station share studios that are located on Church Street in Downtown Hartford (even though WTXX's street address is different) . WTIC is known on-air as "'''Fox 61'''".
WTIC serves as the default Fox affiliate for the Western Massachusetts market via cable as it does not have an affiliate of its own. However, there are rumors that WFXQ-CA might become the Fox affiliate for Western Massachusetts.

Contents

History

Newscasts

News Team

Former Staffers

Logos

External Links

History

A group led by Arnold Chase won a construction permit for channel 61 in September 1983. Chase originally planned to call his new station 'WETG-TV', in memory of Ella T. Grasso, the first woman in Connecticut to be elected governor, who died in 1981. However, the regulations for the use of non-commonly owned stations were relaxed by the FCC during 1984, and permission was obtained from the 1080 Corporation for Channel 61 to use WTIC-TV. The WTIC-TV calls had last been used by what is now WFSB from 1957 to 1974. In memory of Grasso, WTIC showed clips of Grasso at work at sign off, while church bells played the Star Spangled Banner. A graphic at the end mentioned that WTIC-TV was dedicated in Grasso's memory. [1]
WTIC-TV began operation on September 17, 1984. Originally, it was a general entertainment independent station running cartoons, sitcoms, old movies, CBS shows pre-empted by WFSB, ABC shows pre-empted by WTNH, drama shows and sports, in competition with WTXX. Arch eventually bought full control of the station.
In 1985-1986, the station invested in stronger programming and managed to become a charter Fox affiliate in 1986. However, by 1987, Arch and Chase encountered financial problems and nearly filed for bankruptcy. Many syndicators went unpaid and responded by pulling their programming from Channel 61. The shows were replaced by low-budget barter programming.
Chase Broadcasting acquired WTIC-TV in 1988. Although the barter programming continued, the station began to realize some sustained success in part due to the early success of the Fox network and shows like 21 Jump Street, Married...With Children. A milestone was reached in 1992 when WTIC began to regularly beat WTXX in the ratings.
Chase sold all its stations to Renaissance Broadcasting (who owned WTXX) in 1992. To follow prevailing FCC regulations, Renissance sold WTXX in March 1993 to a Roman Catholic non-profit group, Counterpoint Communications. Renaissance tried to negotiate a local marketing agreement with WTXX' new owners, in which it would buy WTXX' entire broadcast day. From the time the sale became final until July of 1993 Renaissance allowed WTXX to run The Disney Afternoon from 3 to 5 p.m. and some off network sitcoms from 5 to 7 p.m. weekdays free of charge as well as first run syndicated shows on weekends in this slot. However, Counterpoint rejected this, wanting a part-time arrangement. That July WTXX enetered into a part-time LMA with WVIT. Renaissance began moving WTXX' shows to WTIC-TV, which created a strong lineup for channel 61. Some programming such as older sitcoms, however, returned to syndicators and wound up on WTVU (now WCTX). The cartoons that did not move to WTIC were actually sold to WVIT and moved back to WTXX which they aired daily from 6 to 9 a.m. (until 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays) and weekdays from 3 to 7 p.m.
WTIC-TV was sold to the Tribune Company in 1997 as part of a group deal. At that point, the station took over management of WTXX (then a UPN affiliate, later WB, currently a The CW station). In 1998 WTIC-TV, replaced WVIT as WTXX's LMA partner, and the WVIT-produced newscast at 10 PM was replaced with a simulcast of the first half-hour of channel 61's news program, ''FOX 61 News at 10''. As of April 24, 2006, WTXX simulcasts the full WTIC newscast. In 2001, Tribune bought WTXX outright.
As time went on WTIC began dropping cartoons, movies, and older sitcoms in favor of more talk and reality shows. The weekday cartoons ended at the end of 2001 when Fox ended its weekday kids' block.
During the February 2007 sweeps period, WTIC beat out 11 PM leader WFSB with 100,000 viewers to WFSB's 98,000 viewers. WTIC achieved this by showing reruns of ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' and ''Seinfeld'' while WFSB, WVIT, and WTNH broadcasted their 11 PM local news.

Newscasts

All newscasts are simulcasted on sister station WTXX. In addition to their Hartford studios, WTIC operates a New Haven "Shoreline Bureau" in the newsroom of the ''New Haven Advocate''. The station also operates a "Waterbury Bureau" in the newsroom of the ''Republican-American''.
WTXX does not have a separate newscast opening for WTIC's newscast. Whenever FOX programming or sports delays the newscast on WTIC, it is still shown on WTXX at 10 PM but under the name of ''News at Ten''.
WTIC's long time Chief Meterologist John Carroll left the station in 2007.
In June of 2007 former weekend anchor / political reporter Rick Hancock returned to WTIC on a part time basis. Along with being a temporary fill in for Rebecca Stewart, he hosts a weekly internet and technology segment called "Rick's RSS". The segment showcases popular web features. Each week, he also profiles a Connecticut blogger in a podcast that can be found on WTIC's website.

News Team

'Anchors'

★ Brent Hardin - weeknights

★ Susan Christensen - weeknights

★ Rebecca Stewart - weekends (married to WTNH / WCTX reporter Jamie Muro, on maternity leave)

★ Rick Hancock - weekends (temporary fill in for Rebecca Stewart)
'Meterologists'

★ empty - Chief

★ Michael Friedmann - seen daily

★ Sam Samperi - webcast host (also fill in)
'Sports'

★ Rich Coppola - Director seen weeknights (also host of ''FOX 61 Sports Ticket'')

★ Bob Rumbold - weekends (also sports reporter and host of ''FOX 61 Sports Ticket'')

★ Amy Lundy - sports reporter
'Reporters'

★ Shelly Sindland - Senior Reporter, Political Correspondent, and host of ''Beyond the Headlines''

★ Laurie Perez - also webcast host

★ Tom Benemann - also fill in anchor

★ Jim Altman

★ John Charlton

★ Sarah Cody

★ Eric Zager

Former Staffers

★ Steve Berthiaume, sports anchor, has been with CNNSI, and SNY NY, currently with ESPN.

★ Steve Brown, reporter, now Chicago bureau reporter, Fox News Channel.

★ Mika Brzezinski, reporter, to WFSB, to WCBS, to CBS News, now anchor 'Morning Joe' MSNBC.

★ Beth Carroll, co-anchor, now host 'NH Outlook' NHPTV Concord, NH.

★ John Carroll, chief meteorologist

★ Katishia Cosley, reporter, now freelance reporter at KTRK Houston

★ Jay Crawford co-host of ESPN2's First Take,and host 1st & Ten ESPNews.

★ Ted Greenberg, reporter/anchor, now reporter WCAU Philly.

★ Rick Hancock, reporter/anchor, now Dean of Journalism school at Quinnipiac University.

★ Lynn Jolicouer, reporter, now reporter at WCVB Boston.

★ Justin Kiefer, meteorologist, now meteorologist WMBB Panama City FL.

★ Paul Lewis, news director, now news director at WNYT Albany.

★ Coleen Marren, news director, now news director WCVB Boston.

★ Jerome Martin, former VP/GM, now VP/GM WBDC Washington D.C.

★ Doug Meehan, reporter, now reporter at Fox25 Boston.

★ Tom Misczuk, award-winning reporter, deceased July 2004.

★ Irene O'Connor, reporter/anchor, now AM co-anchor WFSB.

★ Meg Oliver, reporter/anchor, now anchor CBS News 'Up to the Minute'.

★ Carolee Salerno, reporter/weekend anchor, now reporter/anchor WTNH New Haven.

★ Amelia Santaniello, weekend anchor/reporter, now evening co-anchor WCCO Minneapolis.

★ Pat Sheehan, co-anchor, now financial consultant.

★ Jason Shoultz, reporter, now producer/reporter 'America's Heartland' syndicated magazine.

★ Andrew Stockey, sports anchor, now AM co-anchor WTAE Pittsburgh.

★ Tony Terzi, sports anchor, now morning radio host, WEZN STAR99.9 Bridgeport.

★ Paul Williams, meteorologist, now at WLBT Jackson, MS.

★ Rob Williams, reporter, now AM co-anchor WXIX Cincinnati.

★ Gary Zenobi former VP/GM, Now?

Logos

External Links

★ Station Website

★ WTXX Website

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