A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the earth's surface to any number of tuned receivers simultaneously.
103-507: WVPX-TV (channel 23) is a television station licensed to Akron, Ohio , United States, serving the Cleveland area as an affiliate of Ion Television . Owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings, it is jointly operated with Canton -licensed Grit affiliate WDLI-TV (channel 17), which transmits using WVPX-TV's full-power spectrum via a channel sharing agreement . Built and signed on by S. Bernard Berk's Summit Radio Corporation, this station originally
206-642: A barter in some cases. Huntington Tower Huntington Tower , earlier known as FirstMerit Tower, First National Bank Building, the First Central Tower and the First Central Trust Building , is a skyscraper in Akron, Ohio . The centerpiece of downtown Akron, it sits in the Cascade Plaza at the corner of King James Way and East Mill Street. The 330 ft (100 m) tower has been
309-510: A circus act on Fridays, in addition to Santa Claus reading letters throughout the month of December. Eventually with ABC-TV's The Mickey Mouse Club as a lead-in, the program ended on December 16, 1955, when Southwick left Akron to host mornings at KMBC (980 AM) in Kansas City, Missouri ; Southwick later presided over similar children's shows in Kansas City on KMBC-TV and KCIT-TV . TV
412-435: A test pattern card featuring the call sign and an illustration of the tower, while appliance stores in the city ran advertisements promoting either new television sets—or converter equipment to upgrade existing sets—concurrently promoting the station's upcoming launch. These signal tests continued on a regular set schedule until WAKR-TV formally signed on the air on July 19, 1953 ( 1953-07-19 ) . In contrast to
515-491: A video jockey on WAKR-TV in 1984, first hosting 23 Nite Videos , a Saturday night music video program; this show eventually became 23 Music Magazine , a daily program that aired both in late afternoons via tape and was broadcast live in the prime time access hour of 7 p.m., itself compensating for the station's continued inability to acquire syndicated programming. The weeknight program ended in early 1989, but Soule continued hosting 23 Nite Videos on weekend overnights into
618-468: A "news you can use" theme. News ceases at this moment. Dean Goodman, Paxson Communications president, to the WAKC newsroom on February 28, 1996 Hours after the transaction closed on February 28, 1996, Paxson Communications president Dean Goodman entered the newsroom at 1:40 p.m. and tersely said to the staff, "News ceases at this moment." Anchor Mark Williamson and videographer Tim Coffey were at
721-529: A combined $ 40 million in cash; Paxson was already closing in on the purchase of WOAC (channel 67) in Canton, with their chief financial officer having called that station "our entrée to Cleveland." Paxson was another company that specialized in home shopping, albeit of the infomercial variety, and whose founder co-founded the Home Shopping Network , but planned to retain WAKC's local operations and
824-629: A director for WMAL-TV in Washington, D.C. , who also had produced and directed programs on NBC-TV and ABC-TV, was hired to direct all local productions for the station. Komito left in 1955 for a management role at WTAP-TV in Parkersburg, West Virginia , eventually returning to the WAKR stations in 1963 as sales manager. Robert I. Bostian, who replaced Komito as production director, was promoted to program director two months after having joined; Bostian would remain
927-525: A faceless, out-of-state conglomerate. Bob Dyer On November 20, 1993, the Akron Beacon Journal reported that Summit/Group One was in talks to sell off WAKC to a then-undisclosed home shopping network. Three days later, Eden Prairie, Minnesota -based ValueVision announced their $ 6 million purchase of the station; the deal ended 40 years of continuous ownership by the Berk family. As ValueVision
1030-514: A letter of concern, disclosing that Summit/Group One had invested more than $ 2 million into WAKR-TV and suffered losses of over $ 5 million. As the station approached its 25th anniversary in 1978, Robert Bostian told the Beacon Journal that the station would have ceased operations early on had the Berks not absorbed a significant amount of said losses. Even with the numerous limitations facing
1133-455: A limited-run dance program devoted to big band music over WAKR-TV in 1958. One of the more successful local shows on WAKR-TV was another early-evening children's television program hosted by Jack Boigegrain (known on air as Jack Bennett) under the "Professor Jack" persona, which debuted on February 25, 1963. Bennett also presented weather reports in the late evenings, billed as the "Weather Profit". The program ended on April 1, 1966, after Bennett
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#17328632627471236-455: A local version of American Bandstand , which WAKR-TV also carried; dropped from the schedule at the end of 1961, it was temporarily revived in 1962 thanks to viewer demand. WAKR-TV also launched Akron Tonight —a late-evening variety show featuring local musical acts and Akron news headlines—on March 30, 1959; the show was briefly reworked the following February into a weekly program presented by WAKR's Charlie Greer. Greer had previously hosted
1339-415: A much shorter wavelength, and thus requires a shorter antenna, but also higher power. North American stations can go up to 5000 kW ERP for video and 500 kW audio, or 1000 kW digital. Low channels travel further than high ones at the same power, but UHF does not suffer from as much electromagnetic interference and background "noise" as VHF, making it much more desirable for TV. Despite this, in
1442-540: A new affiliate contract for WAKC, effectively keeping the home shopping programming off of the station entirely. This sudden change again attracted the ire of Bob Dyer, who openly asked in his June 22, 1994, column why their initial plans for WAKC becoming a home shopping outlet of some sort—all of which were publicly announced to investors, the FCC and the Securities and Exchange Commission —had been abandoned with no explanation. It
1545-723: A nightly "double-feature" showcase. WAKR-TV itself was able to join ABC officially on September 15, 1953, after Ohio Bell Telephone Company technicians completed the installation of receivers for the Bell System -operated relay network. An additional film package of 20th Century-Fox , Columbia Pictures and David O. Selznick releases was purchased by the station in 1956 and utilized in afternoons and prime time as an early form of counterprogramming against television network fare; owing to WAKR-TV's flexible schedule, these movies usually ran in complete form, with minimal edits for time. Milton F. Komito,
1648-417: A pane of glass, then reversed by a mirrored camera, this would directly lead in to his radio program that started at 7:15 pm. Long-time WAKR midday host Jack Ryan—despite having no background in meteorology —later served as WAKR-TV's lead weatherman throughout the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. Live events and sports coverage heard on WAKR would find itself shown on WAKR-TV. Six days after the station's launch,
1751-551: A part of WAKR-TV and Summit Radio management through the late 1980s as station vice president and once summed up the station's purpose by saying, "Our local programming is geared to giving Akron what it wants—news, advertising, announcements and local shows all about Akron." From the beginning, WAKR-TV eschewed the Cleveland market proper in favor of Akron and Canton, boasting the only television newscast that focused specifically on both cities, sharing resources with WAKR, which had earned
1854-527: A primary DuMont affiliate, and WEWS-TV (channel 5), then a primary CBS-TV affiliate. WXEL attained the market's CBS affiliation on March 1, 1955, resulting in WEWS becoming a primary ABC-TV affiliate alongside WAKR-TV. Due to both the station's permanent studios still being under construction and ABC not yet programming on a full-time basis, WAKR-TV acquired a film package consisting of high-profile Republic Pictures and United Artists releases to fill airtime via
1957-621: A public pledge to keep and expand WAKC's news department, while an ABC affiliate representative said they were not notified of the sale beyond existing newspaper articles and that no effort had been made to communicate with them. Roger G. Berk, Jr. took public exception to the speculation over WAKC's future, saying that ValueVision would be able to retain a news operation because it would own the station, as opposed to affiliates in other markets that had different owners. In addition, city councils in Akron and Barberton approved public resolutions that opposed
2060-471: A second floor viewing room with windows where advertisers could watch programs being produced in the studios below. You at WAKR-TV must always realize, that the people will be greatly influenced by your programs... I'm sure you will realize your duties to these people. The Rev. C. Willard Fetter, on WAKR-TV's opening program WAKR-TV became an ABC-TV affiliate when they signed on, owing to WAKR radio's existing ABC Radio affiliation; Berk attributed
2163-519: A trademark for WAKR (since expired) that was transferred to DKM, resulting in WAKR-TV changing its callsign to WAKC-TV that November 3; Roger Berk, Jr. chose the calls to allude to the previous identity and to recognize "Akron/Canton" as their area of influence. The terms of the radio station sale called for WAKR and WONE-FM to be moved out of the Copley Road studios, as Summit/Group One retained ownership of
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#17328632627472266-678: A typical commercial spot on channel 23 only cost $ 150 for an advertiser compared to $ 300 for the same spot load on a Cleveland station; by the mid-1990s, channel 23 charged $ 200 while the Cleveland stations charged anywhere between $ 1,500 to $ 2,000. Management referred to the revenue disparity that resulted as a " Catch-23 ," preventing the station from acquiring any high-profile syndicated programming and having to resort to less-desirable off-network reruns like McHale's Navy and I Dream of Jeannie . The station successfully fought to be excluded from market limitations for syndicated programming in 1974 for two years, and after cable television
2369-425: A variety of ways to generate revenue from television commercials . They may be an independent station or part of a broadcasting network , or some other structure. They can produce some or all of their programs or buy some broadcast syndication programming for or all of it from other stations or independent production companies. Many stations have some sort of television studio , which on major-network stations
2472-496: Is non-commercial educational (NCE) and considered public broadcasting . To avoid concentration of media ownership of television stations, government regulations in most countries generally limit the ownership of television stations by television networks or other media operators, but these regulations vary considerably. Some countries have set up nationwide television networks, in which individual television stations act as mere repeaters of nationwide programs . In those countries,
2575-470: Is broadcast via terrestrial radio waves. A group of television stations with common ownership or affiliation are known as a TV network and an individual station within the network is referred to as O&O or affiliate , respectively. Because television station signals use the electromagnetic spectrum, which in the past has been a common, scarce resource, governments often claim authority to regulate them. Broadcast television systems standards vary around
2678-792: Is often used for newscasts or other local programming . There is usually a news department , where journalists gather information. There is also a section where electronic news-gathering (ENG) operations are based, receiving remote broadcasts via remote pickup unit or satellite TV . Outside broadcasting vans, production trucks , or SUVs with electronic field production (EFP) equipment are sent out with reporters , who may also bring back news stories on video tape rather than sending them back live . To keep pace with technology United States television stations have been replacing operators with broadcast automation systems to increase profits in recent years. Some stations (known as repeaters or translators ) only simulcast another, usually
2781-691: Is what keeps the team going. It's sheer guts. Robert Bostian WAKR-TV's audience was often outranked by WEWS in Arbitron and Nielsen ratings diary reports, even in Summit County . Arbitron estimated in 1976 that one percent of all television sets in Summit County were tuned in to the station's 6 p.m. news. By 1991, the ratings service put the estimate at 3 percent for channel 23's 6 p.m. news, and 1 percent for their 11 p.m. news. Station management and ownership were frequently critical of how
2884-473: The All-Channel Receiver Act , these problems which would not be totally resolved until Summit Radio successfully petitioned the FCC to amend channel allocations between Canton and Akron, allowing WAKR-TV to move to a reassigned channel 23 allocation at higher power. As part of the petition, Summit Radio disclosed that WAKR-TV had amassed a "seven-figure" operating deficit dating back to 1953. This
2987-468: The First Central Tower in the city's downtown, a UHF mast was affixed to the top of the building to much fanfare, with onlookers watching from the ground level during the multi-day process, and pictures of the tower installation published on the front page of the Akron Beacon Journal several times. Test transmissions began on June 7, 1953 ( 1953-06-07 ) , that consisted solely of
3090-479: The Nipkow disk . Most often the term "television station" refers to a station which broadcasts structured content to an audience or it refers to the organization that operates the station. A terrestrial television transmission can occur via analog television signals or, more recently, via digital television signals. Television stations are differentiated from cable television or other video providers as their content
3193-610: The UHF band. After the release of the FCC's Sixth Report and Order lifted the freeze in 1952, the Commission reassigned the proposed Akron license from a VHF signal to one of two potential UHF signals, as channel 11 was no longer available in order to protect what would become WTOL in Toledo and WIIC-TV (now WPXI ) in Pittsburgh . Moreover, the Commission collapsed both Akron and Canton into
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3296-525: The armistice agreement which formally suspended the Korean War well before any of the Cleveland market stations reported the news. Another alliance existed with the Akron Beacon Journal , as publisher Knight Newspapers—a forerunner of Knight Ridder —held a minority stake in Summit Radio from 1946 to 1977. In addition to local news and sports, the station tried producing different programs characteristic of
3399-405: The broadcast range , or geographic area, that the station is limited to, allocates the broadcast frequency of the radio spectrum for that station's transmissions, sets limits on what types of television programs can be programmed for broadcast and requires a station to broadcast a minimum amount of certain programs types, such as public affairs messages . Another form of television station
3502-534: The electricity bill and emergency backup generators . In North America , full-power stations on band I (channels 2 to 6) are generally limited to 100 kW analog video ( VSB ) and 10 kW analog audio ( FM ), or 45 kW digital ( 8VSB ) ERP. Stations on band III (channels 7 to 13) can go up by 5 dB to 316 kW video, 31.6 kW audio, or 160 kW digital. Low-VHF stations are often subject to long-distance reception just as with FM. There are no stations on Channel 1 . UHF , by comparison, has
3605-451: The newspaper's five-county circulation area would have resulted in the 50th biggest television market in the country, and the Akron metropolitan statistical area itself could have been the 100th largest television market, on par with El Paso and Savannah 's MSAs. The ratings issues for channel 23, in turn, were reflected in advertising rates for the newscasts that were a fraction of what Cleveland stations would charge for. In 1976,
3708-488: The 1970s and 1980s, WAKR-TV continued to struggle. Even with the move to channel 23, the Akron and Cleveland markets were collapsed into one, forcing the station to operate in the shadows of the three high-profile VHF stations in the Cleveland market. As one of two ABC affiliates broadcasting in the same market, WAKR-TV continued to clear the network's lineup in pattern with next to no deviations. Most notably, this included running Good Morning America in its entirety from
3811-520: The ABC affiliation and local programming. A subsequent sale to Paxson Communications (now Ion Media ) resulted in all newscast production ceasing immediately upon consummation on February 28, 1996, and disaffiliation from ABC at years' end; these moves made Akron the largest city in Ohio without a traditional television network affiliate or commercial television newscast. Renamed WVPX-TV, the station has been an affiliate of Ion Television since it launched under
3914-570: The ABC affiliation. Those intentions had credibility: Paxson had previously acquired WPBF , ABC's West Palm Beach affiliate, and gradually invested into that station's operations while Lowell "Bud" Paxson personally came to the studio promising staffers he would "sink more money" into the station's infrastructure. One month after the Paxson sale was announced, on September 25, 1995, WAKC launched an additional hourlong newscast at 5 p.m. titled Your News , which focused on lifestyle topics and stories with
4017-563: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cuyahoga Falls preparing a series on Mormonism ; Williamson called the station only to hear an after-hours voicemail greeting, and by the time they returned to the station, fellow employees notified him and Coffey, not the new management. Reporter Steve Litz, later with Dayton's WHIO-TV and Miami's WTVJ , was told by executives while in a hallway, "we're firing you and your co-workers. Go around
4120-407: The Cleveland market and now limited the combined market to three existing VHF signals—channels 3, 5 and 8 (changed from 4, 5 and 9). Summit Radio was awarded the permit for WAKR-TV on channel 49 by September 4, 1952; a coin flip determined the winning bid between Summit and WADC as the other frequency available, channel 65, was not considered operable at the time. With WAKR already housed at
4223-587: The Pax TV name on August 31, 1998, and was owned and operated by the network until 2021. WKYC owner Gannett operated the station from 2001 until 2005, producing a daily half-hour Akron newscast during this period. WVPX-TV and WDLI-TV currently share studios on Renaissance Parkway in Warrensville Heights and transmitter facilities on Ohio SR 261 in Norton, Ohio . In early December 1947, Summit Radio Corporation,
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4326-627: The U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is taking another large portion of this band (channels 52 to 69) away, in contrast to the rest of the world, which has been taking VHF instead. This means that some stations left on VHF are harder to receive after the analog shutdown . Since at least 1974, there are no stations on channel 37 in North America for radio astronomy purposes. Most television stations are commercial broadcasting enterprises which are structured in
4429-431: The WAKR schedule to the present day as Forum 360 . Staff were eventually separated, however. Tim Daugherty—who had been hired by Summit/Group One as part of WONE-FM's initial airstaff following its conversion from WAEZ on January 1, 1985—was retained by WAKC as their lead weatherman, despite minimal on-camera experience and, like Jack Ryan before him, no meteorological background. Meanwhile, Carol Costello briefly stayed with
4532-588: The WAKR stations in 1984 as a reporter, covering the Akron police beat and multiple court trials. Sportscaster Jeff Phelps began his broadcast career in 1981 co-hosting a weekly program with Kent State Golden Flashes football coach Ed Chlebek on WAKR-TV, in addition to being a color commentator for Kent State football broadcasts on WAKR. Denny Schreiner was WAKR and WAKR-TV's sports director prior to joining ESPN as lead play-by-play voice for their PBA Tour coverage. Future WKYC meteorologist Mark Nolan and future WEWS chief meteorologist Mark Johnson worked together at
4635-424: The building for any former employees. One videographer who was the station's current "employee of the month" was notified of his firing over the telephone as his 13-month-old daughter was at a hospital being treated for rheumatoid arthritis . No public on-air notice was given, nor were any newscast promos or "NorthOhio News Station" station identifications removed, resulting in some viewers expressing surprise over
4738-713: The building, both radio stations left the following year. A co-op agreement was also established between the radio stations and WAKC; one WAKR reporter was notably fired due to his displeasure over having to record a video segment for a public affairs program jointly aired on both radio and television. WAKR and WAKC also continued co-production of Civic Forum of the Air in coordination with the Jewish Community Center of Akron; this weekly public affairs program, which aired on Sunday mornings on WAKC throughout this time, debuted on both radio and television on June 4, 1961, and remains on
4841-403: The city's tallest building since its completion in 1931. The 27-story building is art deco in style and is covered in glazed architectural terra-cotta . Its lobby is built of Tennessee marble , white brick, and terra cotta, and features a large banking hall with arched windows. The tower is also noted for its role in local broadcasting. Studios for WAKR radio were originally housed in
4944-484: The company's motives based on their prospectus , suggesting that WAKC was bought to help get their home shopping programming on cable thanks to the FCC's " must-carry " regulations for full-power television stations that apply to all cable systems. One of those representatives, vice president of broadcast operations Mike Jones, took over as WAKC's vice president and general manager when the deal closed on April 18, 1994; concurrently, ValueVision and ABC came to an agreement on
5047-502: The distinction of being one of the first radio stations in the United States to house an active news department at its 1940 establishment. WAKR personalities began appearing on the television side, including long-time radio staffers Jack Fitzgibbons, Bill Murphy and Bob Wylie; indeed, the first live programs over WAKR-TV were a local newscast anchored by Bill Murphy, followed by a Bob Wylie-headlined sportscast. Jack Fitzgibbons would become
5150-452: The era, continuing to utilize talent from the radio station. WAKR morning host Torey Southwick became the emcee of an early-evening children's television program on WAKR-TV titled The Hinky-Dinks , which debuted on December 14, 1953, as part of an expansion of the station's broadcast day. Placing an emphasis on participation among the youngsters in the studio audience , The Hinky-Dinks featured puppetry , pet parades, birthday parties and
5253-450: The evenings as a cost-saving measure, but that was reversed by 1990. The newscast production never evolved from its " no-frills " approach to journalism and began to be seen as an anachronism compared to flashy graphics, " happy talk " and tabloid journalism elements seen on the Cleveland stations, all of which regularly beat WAKC in the ratings in the Akron area by sizable margins. Some investments had been made, including teleprompters for
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#17328632627475356-403: The family-owned business of S. Bernard Berk and owners of WAKR (1590 AM) and WAKR-FM (97.5) —and Allen Simmons, owner of radio station WADC (1350 AM) —filed competing applications with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for what was initially seen as the lone television channel assigned to Akron, originally intended as a VHF license on channel 11. The applications were filed at
5459-459: The following decade, and won the 1993 Billboard Music Video Award for best pop/adult contemporary regional video program. A screenshot taken from a promo for 23 Music Magazine would later be used at the beginning and end of a music video for The Black Keys ' 2019 single " Lo/Hi " in an apparent tribute to the show. You just deliver the news. And you don't tell people how to think. You don't tell them it's an 'awful' murder. Yeah, it's awful that
5562-419: The ground level from 1940 until 1953. The top of the building also held a television mast originally used by WAKR's TV adjacent, WAKR-TV (now WVPX-TV ) and WAKR-FM . Erected in 1953 for WAKR-TV's sign-on and later donated to PBS member station WEAO , the antenna reached a height of 134.7 metres (442 ft) but was removed in 2019. The tower replaced the neo-Gothic Hamilton Building, completed on
5665-420: The highest point available in the transmission area, such as on a summit , the top of a high skyscraper , or on a tall radio tower . To get a signal from the master control room to the transmitter, a studio/transmitter link (STL) is used. The link can be either by radio or T1 / E1 . A transmitter/studio link (TSL) may also send telemetry back to the station, but this may be embedded in subcarriers of
5768-522: The kid got run over by the steamroller... we don't ask his mother, 'How do you feel?' I don't do that because you know how she feels, for crissakes. Mark Williamson Summit Radio sold off WAKR, WONE-FM, and their radio stations in Dayton, Dallas and Denver—held under the "Group One Broadcasting" subsidiary —to DKM Broadcasting for approximately $ 60–65 million on July 15, 1986. Negotiations between Summit and DKM had been underway for six months prior, and
5871-400: The local television station has no station identification and, from a consumer's point of view, there is no practical distinction between a network and a station, with only small regional changes in programming, such as local television news . To broadcast its programs, a television station requires operators to operate equipment, a transmitter or radio antenna , which is often located at
5974-419: The main broadcast. Stations which retransmit or simulcast another may simply pick-up that station over-the-air , or via STL or satellite. The license usually specifies which other station it is allowed to carry. VHF stations often have very tall antennas due to their long wavelength , but require much less effective radiated power (ERP), and therefore use much less transmitter power output , also saving on
6077-420: The network. While WEWS had the larger measured audience by a commanding margin throughout, both stations would continue to fight for each other's viewership. One last attempt at a local variety/talk show occurred in the early 1970s with WAKR morning personality and WAKR-TV evening sportscaster Jerry Healey as host. The Jerry Healey Show launched on November 27, 1972, at 11 a.m. weekdays and aired until Healey left
6180-504: The news department only had one camera capable of recording sound. Such shortages were not unique. The station ceased telecasting Akron Zips basketball games after the 1968–69 season when their remote unit used for the games—which only functioned in black-and-white—was donated to the university, and a replacement color remote unit was cost-prohibitive. It was almost like we're sort of in it together ... working for good video [for an audition tape] instead of money. Mark Nolan Similar to
6283-612: The newsroom instead watching WJW's newscast, which focused on lead anchor Robin Swoboda 's departure from that station. In an era when more and more local broadcasters are worshiping at the Shrine of the Tabloid ... the Berk family and its news managers usually have erred on the side of caution. Far more often than not, they have been responsible, conscientious journalists. It is sad to see yet another local, family-owned broadcasting outlet gobbled up by
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#17328632627476386-416: The place and pass the word to your friends that we won't be needing you people anymore." Earlier in the day, Williamson admitted to attendees at a senior center that "the station was in turmoil" due to the pending ownership change. Dean Goodman later gave a brief interview to other media outlets in the station's lobby, while two armed security guards were already stationed at the entrance, preventing access to
6489-496: The program's 1975 launch; WEWS did not carry GMA until 1978, and until September 1994 only aired the first hour, opting out at 8 a.m. for The Morning Exchange . At the same time, the carriage of ABC's lineup in its entirety was occasionally seen as a liability for channel 23 whenever WEWS opted to preempt lower-rated or weaker programming. WAKR-TV, however, did have success carrying a steady amount of paid local and national religious programming, including The 700 Club , which
6592-476: The programmes seen on its owner's flagship station, and have no television studio or production facilities of their own. This is common in developing countries . Low-power stations typically also fall into this category worldwide. Most stations which are not simulcast produce their own station identifications . TV stations may also advertise on or provide weather (or news) services to local radio stations , particularly co-owned sister stations . This may be
6695-425: The radio stations after WAKC did not offer her a substantial on-air position, ultimately leaving the market altogether. While the Berks had initially invested the profits from the radio station divestitures into WAKC, the economic and financial struggles which had impacted the station throughout its existence never improved. WAKC attracted some negative attention for pre-recording their 11 p.m. newscast earlier in
6798-474: The recent merger with United Paramount Theaters to create American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres as a determining factor for the affiliation. At the same time, ABC-TV was in an aggressive push to sign up as many affiliates as possible to compensate for their lack of competitiveness against CBS-TV , NBC-TV and DuMont . When WAKR-TV launched, ABC-TV had only secondary affiliations in the Cleveland market on both WXEL (channel 9; later channel 8), then
6901-423: The reputation WAKR developed in the 1940s and 1950s as a "stepping stone" for future famous radio and television announcers, WAKR-TV became a training ground for future broadcasters. Long-time anchorman Ted Henry began his career as a reporter for both WAKR and WAKR-TV in 1965, as did veteran Cleveland news anchor and reporter Dick Russ in 1976. Future CNN anchor Carol Costello , a Minerva native, got her start at
7004-452: The sale. By mid-December, two ValueVision representatives visited the station and made multiple pledges to the staff, including no reduction in newscast output, no layoffs, and that WAKC would not become a 24-hour home shopping channel; other promises even included the establishment of a news bureau in Washington, D.C. Despite the assurances, Beacon Journal TV columnist Bob Dyer questioned
7107-444: The same time WEWS-TV had commenced operations as the first television station in Ohio. Both applications remained under review and went before a commission hearing on July 15, 1948, and WAKR had gone so far as to make a purchase order for VHF transmitting equipment from RCA , before the FCC implemented a freeze on any additional television licenses that September 30, while it studied the possibility of adding additional channels via
7210-529: The same transmitter equipment on top of the First Central Tower at their launch. The changes at WAKR-TV were not just technical: founder S. Bernard Berk died on July 11, 1966, at age 69. His widow Viola Berk initially assumed control over Summit Radio then transferred control over in 1970 to son Roger G. Berk, who had been actively involved with the TV station since its establishment. While WAKR thrived throughout
7313-553: The site in 1900. Around 2000, the tower was given a $ 2.5 million facelift, including a $ 1.8 million restoration of the tower's terra-cotta , brick, and limestone facade. The painstaking process involved the removal of some 450 blocks weighing up to 75 pounds (34 kg) for cleaning and reassembly. Over 1,100 other pieces of the masonry and tilework were repaired on site. In 2007, the tower underwent another restoration. Completed by Cleveland-based VIP Restorations, it included repointing of all masonry and terra-cotta joints, repairs to
7416-509: The staff about the new owners' commitment to news, while Tayek had assumed most of Mark Williamson's administrative duties. Despite the changes, viewership remained minimal and the quality was uneven at best; general manager Mike Jones even sent a memo to the staff calling one August 1995 newscast he had viewed "the worst newscast ever produced in the history of broadcasting." Bob Dyer later likened Jones unfavorably to then- Browns head coach Bill Belichick in his newspaper column, saying that Jones
7519-449: The staffers. WAKR-TV was able to add an 11 p.m. newscast on September 20, 1976, and while Anthony gradually left his on-air position, he remained active in channel 23's operations into the mid-1980s and at WAKR until 1992. Under Anthony, the news department attained a reputation for hard work and scrappiness, competing against the Cleveland stations with a smaller staff, fewer resources and sometimes equipment shortages; at one point,
7622-461: The station and they said, "about ten seconds ago, they (Paxson management) said none of us had jobs." Television station The Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow ( TV Station Paul Nipkow ) in Berlin , Germany , was the first regular television service in the world. It was on the air from 22 March 1935, until it was shut down in 1944. The station was named after Paul Gottlieb Nipkow , the inventor of
7725-524: The station's first live telecast of an outdoor event occurred with coverage of Akron's Sesquicentennial Parade. The following week, the station broadcast film of the 1953 Beacon Journal Soap Box Derby and All-American Finals in prime time, with Bob Wylie providing play-by-play. Wylie in particular soon became known as the "Voice of the Zips", thanks to the station's broadcasts of Akron Zips football and basketball . WAKR-TV also touted itself as having broken news of
7828-405: The station's lead anchorman and news director alongside his daily radio news reports, positions he held until leaving broadcasting in 1969 to become Akron's deputy mayor. Future progressive rock radio personality Scott Muni , who was WAKR's evening host from 1956 to 1958, presented the nightly weather report at 6:55 p.m. on WAKR-TV featuring a unique setup allowing him to write the forecast on
7931-418: The station's local productions were curtailed, with one of the last local prime time shows being Bob Lee Playhouse , a limited-run weekly variety show in the spring of 1963 hosted by WAKR's Bob Lee. Carrying the ABC lineup in pattern also resulted in WAKR-TV's broadcast schedule largely mirroring fellow ABC primary affiliate WEWS's schedule, although WEWS more freely preempted or rescheduled weaker offerings from
8034-490: The station's overall audience; these allegations would persist into the 1990s. A legitimate geographical disadvantage existed for the station. Summit County accounted for 14 percent of the Cleveland area of dominant influence (ADI)—as defined by Arbitron in 1991—and Summit County and the surrounding four counties accounted for one-third of the Cleveland ADI. Later analysis by Beacon Journal columnist Bob Dyer suggested that
8137-408: The station, local newscast production remained consistent. Fred Anthony joined WAKR as a reporter in 1969, then became news director for both the radio and television stations, and lead anchor for WAKR-TV's 6 p.m. newscast. The station won the 1973 Ohio Associated Press award for best regularly scheduled news program, with Anthony receiving credit for helping instill "a renewed sense of pride" among
8240-452: The station, with Johnson training Nolan. Eventual lead anchor and news director Mark Williamson started his tenure with channel 23 in 1979; one of the first major stories he covered while doing helicopter-based traffic reports for the WAKR stations was the August 2, 1979, plane crash that killed Thurman Munson . One bright spot for the TV station came when WAKR personality Billy Soule became
8343-412: The stations at the end of 1973; Healey then hosted TGIF Party , a weekly WAKR-TV program on Friday nights throughout the summer of 1974. In promoting the station's sign-on, UHF signals were touted as not being any different from VHF signals in a technical sense, and S. Bernard Berk provided optimistic words that "about 99.44/100% of the Akron area will receive (WAKR-TV) without difficulty." Such sentiment
8446-462: The studio cameras and an electronic weather map system, but these had already been put into use by the Cleveland stations years earlier. A June 17, 1991, incident later recounted in the Akron Beacon Journal detailed anchor Jim Kambrich—who himself would serve as an anchor at WNYT in Albany, New York , from 1994 to 2020—concluding his 11 p.m. newscast on set, only to find a reporter and two interns in
8549-511: The surveys were set up, with Roger G. Berk stating that Arbitron never had given the station a fair share, while WAKR-TV never formally subscribed to the service, preventing Arbitron from more intently measuring the county; Roger's son Roger G. Berk, Jr. would refer to the ratings as "statistically invalid." Station manager Robert Bostian once raised the possibility of Akron viewers confusing WEWS for WAKR-TV based on informal phone surveys, and also claimed that ratings sampling procedures underestimated
8652-467: The syndicated Today's Health airing in place of the 6 p.m. news. Williamson expressed regret over not being able to break the news of the news department's shutdown, saying, "I was looking at that ugly building with that awful decor and thinking how I've been there almost every day for 17 years. And I was just crying my eyes out because I knew I'd never see it like that again." Williamson's wife, Beacon Journal columnist Mary Ethridge, disclosed that he
8755-411: The time, it was the only such turntable custom-built for a television studio. S. Bernard Berk's wife, Viola Berk, drafted the architectural plans for the new studios, scrapping plans drawn by a professional architect as being "pretty, but not practical". Formally opened that December as the "WAKR Television Center", the complex boasted an ultra-modern front lobby and interior designed by Viola Berk, and
8858-454: The tower construction, the studio operations at the First Central Tower were temporary, as Summit Radio had acquired the former Copley Theatre as a permanent home for the WAKR stations; the building operated as a theater between March 1947 and October 1952. As part of the renovations of the theater, a second floor was added solely for office space, while one of the two TV studios featured a large steel turntable floor for set changing purposes; at
8961-399: The world. Television stations broadcasting over an analog system were typically limited to one television channel , but digital television enables broadcasting via subchannels as well. Television stations usually require a broadcast license from a government agency which sets the requirements and limitations on the station. In the United States, for example, a television license defines
9064-537: Was "the perfect illustration of why people in places like Akron loathe most of what resides inside the Beltway ," owing to his weekend commutes to a Washington, D.C., residence. Faced with operating a station that they could not use for their own programming, ValueVision announced the sale of WAKC on August 25, 1995, to West Palm Beach, Florida -based Paxson Communications, along with WHAI-TV in Bridgeport, Connecticut , for
9167-489: Was WAKR-TV—the television extension of WAKR —and positioned itself with a focus primarily on Akron even as it also covered the Greater Cleveland television market . From their 1953 establishment until 1996, the station was one of two primary ABC-TV affiliates within the Cleveland market, current primary affiliate WEWS-TV being the other. Denied what would have originally been a VHF license, WAKR-TV's competitiveness
9270-406: Was a company specializing in home shopping programming and infomercials , the sale immediately raised concerns in local media that WAKC would drop their ABC affiliation and potentially cancel its newscasts; prior to the sale, three newsroom staffers told the Beacon Journal "everyone in the newsroom has been making tapes" for other prospective employers. After the sale was announced, ValueVision made
9373-431: Was added to the schedule in 1975. By 1979, the station aired religious fare for 32 hours every week, Roger G. Berk having chalked it up to viewer demand. You have to marvel at Fred (Anthony), keeping spirits up down there in the newsroom, with them not being rated... it's an ego thing. He walks down the street, and people recognize him. 'Hey, Fred,' they say. Ever been out to lunch with him? That ego boost, that recognition,
9476-424: Was also appointed to head a new investigative reporting unit. Rebranded as "The NorthOhio NewsStation" despite retaining a focus on Akron and Canton, WAKC's 6 p.m. newscast was expanded to one hour on October 31, 1994. That change, however, took longer than expected to implement and came at the expense of their weekend 11 p.m. newscasts, which were canceled and never reinstated. Questions still persisted among
9579-421: Was cancelled because Mike Jones "did not want me on the air, period", and was reassigned to off-air duties that included public affairs. Likewise, Tim Daugherty left during the transition to return to WONE-FM and WAKR on a full-time basis. As part of the promised revamp of the news operations, veteran broadcaster Bob Tayek was hired as vice president of news, while existing news director/lead anchor Mark Williamson
9682-534: Was denied a raise by station management; this followed a potential hiring by KYW-TV as a replacement for Linn Sheldon falling through due to a subsequent court-ordered ownership change . Starting with the 1963–64 television season , WAKR-TV began carrying the entire ABC-TV lineup in pattern with occasional deviations for high school sports and Akron Zips sports coverage; this followed a change in FCC policy that also allowed affiliates to preempt or reschedule network shows at their discretion. Following this, much of
9785-428: Was introduced to the Akron market in 1974, WAKR-TV was placed at the channel 4 position by Warner Cable , a move later attributed for helping the station turn a profit in 1977. When a report came out in late 1977 that FCC chairman Charles D. Ferris was reconsidering cable television network nonduplication rules if a significantly viewed station were to seek an exemption from blackouts , Roger G. Berk responded with
9888-438: Was later attributed as a deal made at the height of the mid-late 1980s junk bond frenzy. WAKR-TV was retained by the Berk family and placed under the "Group One" subsidiary, while Roger G. Berk vowed to take Group One into the field of television production and consulting with their Creative Technologies, Inc. firm. Roger G. Berk would retire in 1988 and was succeeded by his son, Roger G. Berk, Jr. Summit Radio had previously filed
9991-438: Was later revealed that ABC automatically renewed the affiliation once ValueVision took over via a clause in the existing contract, leaving the new owners with little choice but to continue running the station as an ABC affiliate. The ownership change had one definitive casualty: 23 Nite Videos ended production in early June 1994 after ten years, and aired in reruns throughout the summer. Billy Soule later admitted that Nite Videos
10094-494: Was much more exciting back then—the urgency of it, not knowing what was going to happen... it was live. If you made mistakes, you made mistakes. "Professor Jack" Bennett A weekly local music and dance program titled The Hop aired on the station beginning in 1957 with a succession of WAKR air talent as host; this included Scott Muni, Jack Ryan and Rick (Hudak) Shaw. Originally a cross-promotional vehicle for WAKR's Top 40 format, The Hop became popular with teenage viewers as
10197-464: Was negatively impacted throughout this era by financial shortfalls and continuous ratings issues, even with a move from channel 49 to channel 23 in 1967, and eventual market-wide carriage on cable systems . Becoming WAKC-TV in 1986 after WAKR was sold, the station remained in the hands of the Berk family until 1994, when it was sold to home-shopping broadcast chain ValueVision , but retained
10300-577: Was not exactly new: in a 1961 request to the FCC that Akron should be at the "highest priority" for future potential VHF allocations, Summit Radio declared that channel 49 had "suffered very substantial operating losses" from the beginning. The change from channels 49 to 23 took place on December 1, 1967. Despite the move, WAKR-TV still lost significant amounts of money for the majority of its existence, relying on profits from WAKR to remain solvent. The former channel 49 allocation would be reassigned for educational use as PBS member station WEAO , using
10403-472: Was one of several employees that was offered a severance package described as "decent" but not extended to all the fired staffers. Then-Akron mayor Don Plusquellic , who subsequently hired Williamson as the communications director for the Akron Public Schools , compared the shuttering of WAKC's news operations to the closure of the O'Neil's department store seven years earlier, musing "people said it
10506-664: Was such a shame, and I asked, 'when was the last time you shopped there?'", alluding to the low ratings that had plagued the newscasts throughout. Akron's City Council, however, unanimously passed a resolution critical of the firings and the city's loss of local TV newscasts, with one councilman urging a boycott against channel 23. You never forget, it's like when JFK was shot ... Mark Williamson and I were out at The Church of (Jesus Christ of) Latter-Day Saints out in Cuyahoga Falls...we were getting ready to put this three-part series (on Mormonism) together. We literally walked back in
10609-446: Was supported by a study one month after the station launched, showing almost one-third of television sets in the city had been converted to receive UHF, figures much higher than expected for a market serviced by VHF channels. Despite this initial optimism, the station immediately ran into issues with poor reception, transmission issues relating to inclement weather conditions, and a lack of adequate UHF channel tuners. Even with passage of
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