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==History==
==History==
The station first signed on the air on [[March 13]], [[1953]] as WROM-TV, with its transmitting antenna on a tower on Horseleg Mountain. WROM-TV was affiliated with the [[CBS]], [[NBC]], and [[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]] television networks. In [[December]], [[1957]], the station left the air to avoid interference with its soon-to-be sister station WTVM-TV, which was about to switch to the same channel WROM-TV was on.
The station signed on the air on March 13, 1953 as WROM-TV, Rome, Georgia, transmitting from a tower on Horseleg Mountain west of Rome. Despite its proximity to the larger city of Atlanta and its network stations, WROM-TV was affiliated with the CBS, NBC, and DuMont
Television networks. On December 5th, 1957, the station left the air to move its transmitter north to Chattanooga, and avoid interference with its soon-to-be sister station WTVM-TV, Columbus, Georgia, which was about to switch from Channel 28 to Channel 9 in that city. Both stations were being purchased by Martin Theaters of Georgia. Oddly
enough at the time, the full power signal from WROM-TV reached both communities.


⚫
WROM-TV returned to the air as WTVC-TV, Chattanooga's full time ABC affiliate on [[February 11]] [[1958]]. The station developed a strong reputation for local programming in its early years. Among the early shows that WTVC-TV pioneered was the children's educational show ''Funtime'', ''Shock Theater'', ''Doctor Shock'', ''Dingbat'', and ''The Bob Brandy Show''.


⚫
WROM-TV returned to the air as WTVC-TV, Chattanooga's full time ABC affiliate on February 11, 1958. The station developed a strong reputation for local programming in its early years. Among the early shows that WTVC-TV pioneered was the children's educational show
⚫
For a long time throughout the [[1970s]] and [[1980s]], WTVC branded its newscasts ''Action News'', and was among the first stations in the country to adopt the ''NewsChannel'' designation.
Funtime, with Marcia Kling. Although Funtime ended many years ago, the woman who became known as "Miss Marcia" is still associated with the station after almost 50 years. Shock Theater which aired on Saturday nights, developed a cult following, with WTVC-TV
Programming Director Tommy Reynolds dressed up as Dracula with the moniker Doctor Shock, alongside his irreverant sidekick Dingbat. The Bob Brandy Show, which aired in the afternoons, featured cartoons and kids activities hosted by WTVC-TV advertising executive
Bob Brandy, his wife Ingrid, and their horse Rebel.


⚫
In [[2000]], WTVC-TV began broadcasting from a new building that is located between [[Northgate Mall (Hixson)|Northgate Mall]] and [[Hamilton Place Mall]]. The station currently airs ABC and [[Television syndication|Syndicated Programming]].


In 1969, station owner Martin Theaters of Georgia was sold to Augusta, Georgia businessman J.B. Fuqua. The purchase by Fuqua Indisutries joined WTVC-TV and WTVM-TV with Fuqua's other
⚫
In [[2004]], WTVC began producing a newscast called ''First News at 10pm'' for [[WDSI-TV]].
stations WJBF-TV, Augusta, WTVW-TV, Evansville, Indiana, andKTHI-TV, Fargo-Grand Forks, North Dakota. Over the next few years, one by one, each station was sold, with WTVC-TV purchased by Belo Broadcasting of Dallas, Texas. In 1983, WTVC-TV was the first television
station, along with KDFM-TV, Beaumont, Texas that were bought by Freedom Communications, a newspaper conglomerate based in Irvine, California. Those two stations formed the core of Freedom's entry into broadcast television in the early 80's.


⚫
Through the late 1960s and mid 1970s, WTVC-TV branded its newscasts Eyewitness News. In 1975, the branding switched to Action News. In the late 80s, WTVC-TV was among the first stations in the country to adopt the NewsChannel branding designation.


After years of broadcasting in cramped quarters behind a Zayre Department Store in the Golden Gateway Shopping Center in downtown Chattanooga (part of the shopping center was built in 1958 to house the TV station), WTVC-TV began broadcasting in 2000 from a new
⚫
digital building located between Northgate Mall and Hamilton Place Mall. The station currently airs ABC and Syndicated Programming.


⚫
In 2004, WTVC began producing First News at 10pm for Fox affiliate WDSI-TV.


==Doppler Radar Network==
==Doppler Radar Network==

Revision as of 23:31, 17 December 2006

{{Infobox broadcast}} may refer to:

{{Template disambiguation}} should never be transcluded in the main namespace.

WTVC channel 9 is the ABC affiliate in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and is owned by Freedom Communications. The station uses the branding NewsChannel 9 for its newscasts. Its transmitter is located in the community ofWalden, Tennessee on Signal Mountain.

History

The station signed on the air on March 13, 1953 as WROM-TV, Rome, Georgia, transmitting from a tower on Horseleg Mountain west of Rome. Despite its proximity to the larger city of Atlanta and its network stations, WROM-TV was affiliated with the CBS, NBC, and DuMont

Television networks. On December 5th, 1957, the station left the air to move its transmitter north to Chattanooga, and avoid interference with its soon-to-be sister station WTVM-TV, Columbus, Georgia, which was about to switch from Channel 28 to Channel 9 in that city. Both stations were being purchased by Martin Theaters of Georgia. Oddly enough at the time, the full power signal from WROM-TV reached both communities.


WROM-TV returned to the air as WTVC-TV, Chattanooga's full time ABC affiliate on February 11, 1958. The station developed a strong reputation for local programming in its early years. Among the early shows that WTVC-TV pioneered was the children's educational show Funtime, with Marcia Kling. Although Funtime ended many years ago, the woman who became known as "Miss Marcia" is still associated with the station after almost 50 years. Shock Theater which aired on Saturday nights, developed a cult following, with WTVC-TV Programming Director Tommy Reynolds dressed up as Dracula with the moniker Doctor Shock, alongside his irreverant sidekick Dingbat. The Bob Brandy Show, which aired in the afternoons, featured cartoons and kids activities hosted by WTVC-TV advertising executive Bob Brandy, his wife Ingrid, and their horse Rebel.


In 1969, station owner Martin Theaters of Georgia was sold to Augusta, Georgia businessman J.B. Fuqua. The purchase by Fuqua Indisutries joined WTVC-TV and WTVM-TV with Fuqua's other stations WJBF-TV, Augusta, WTVW-TV, Evansville, Indiana, andKTHI-TV, Fargo-Grand Forks, North Dakota. Over the next few years, one by one, each station was sold, with WTVC-TV purchased by Belo Broadcasting of Dallas, Texas. In 1983, WTVC-TV was the first television station, along with KDFM-TV, Beaumont, Texas that were bought by Freedom Communications, a newspaper conglomerate based in Irvine, California. Those two stations formed the core of Freedom's entry into broadcast television in the early 80's.


Through the late 1960s and mid 1970s, WTVC-TV branded its newscasts Eyewitness News. In 1975, the branding switched to Action News. In the late 80s, WTVC-TV was among the first stations in the country to adopt the NewsChannel branding designation.


After years of broadcasting in cramped quarters behind a Zayre Department Store in the Golden Gateway Shopping Center in downtown Chattanooga (part of the shopping center was built in 1958 to house the TV station), WTVC-TV began broadcasting in 2000 from a new digital building located between Northgate Mall and Hamilton Place Mall. The station currently airs ABC and Syndicated Programming.


In 2004, WTVC began producing First News at 10pm for Fox affiliate WDSI-TV.

Doppler Radar Network

WTVC-TV was the first station in Chattanooga and the first station in East Tennessee to have its own Doppler radar, to track severe storms in Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina. The radar tower itself is located at WTVC-TV's transmitter site in Walden, Tennessee. WTVC-TV is also in a Doppler Radar Network. The radar network consists of doppler radar beams from WTVC-TV, WAAY-TV, WSMV-TV, and WAPT-TV. WTVC-TV also operates the StormTrack 9 Neighborhood Network, which relies on sensitive instruments placed at 40 sites to relay weather conditions back to WTVC-TV.

News Department

Newscasts

Monday-Friday

  • Good Morning Chattanooga (5:00-7:00AM)
  • NewsChannel 9 Midday (12Noon-12:30PM)
  • This-N-That (12:30PM-1:00PM)
  • NewsChannel 9 at 5 (5:00-5:30PM)
  • NewsChannel 9 at 5:30 (5:30-6:00PM)
  • NewsChannel 9 at 6 (6:00-6:30PM)
  • First News at 10 (10:00PM-10:35PM, on WDSI-TV)
  • NewsChannel 9 at 11 (11:00-11:35PM)

Saturday-Sunday

  • NewsChannel 9 Weekend at 6 (6:00-6:30PM)
  • First News Weekend at 10 (10:00PM-10:30PM, on WDSI-TV)
  • NewsChannel 9 Weekend at 11 (11:00-11:35PM)

Past newscasts

  • Good Morning Sunday
  • NewsChannel 9 for Women (1999-2005)

Notable Personalities

Current Personalities

  • Kay Blevins, WDSI FOX 61 First at Ten Weekend Anchor/Reporter/Producer
  • Kim Chapman, 5:00, 6:00, and 11:00 Anchor
  • Chip Chapman, Weather (WTVC & WDSI)
  • Kim Fields, 5:30 Anchor/Reporter
  • David Glenn, Chief Meteorologist starts December 18
  • Scottie Goodman, WDSI FOX 61 First at Ten Weeknight Anchor/Reporter/Producer
  • Sarah Jennings, Good Morning Chattanooga Anchor/Reporter
  • Bob Johnson, Noon, 5:00, and 6:00 Anchor
  • Marcia (Miss Marcia) Kling, "This-N-That" Health Reporter
  • John Madewell, General Assignment Reporter (WTVC & WDSI)
  • Tanya Mendis, General Assignment Reporter (WTVC & WDSI)
  • Jessica Morris, Weekend Anchor/Reporter
  • Darrell Patterson, Sports Director
  • John Pless, General Assignment Reporter (WTVC & WDSI)
  • Bill Race, Senior Meteorologist
  • Erin Sebree, Weekend Meteorologist
  • Seth Seymour, General Assignment Reporter
  • Calvin Sneed, 5:30 and 11:00 Anchor, Investigative Reporter
  • Dave Staley, Weekend Anchor/Sports Reporter (WTVC & WDSI)
  • Anne Thompson, Good Morning Chattanooga Anchor
  • Don Welch, "This-N-That" Host

Past Personalities

  • Sean Ash, Weekend Meteorologist, now at WISH, Indianapolis
  • Jason Boyer, Morning and Noon Meteorologist (2003-2005, now at KWGN, Denver
  • Bob Brandy, host of children's show, deceased
  • Melydia Clewell, Good Morning Chattanooga, NewsChannel 9 for Women and Midday Anchor
  • Mike Dello Stritto, General Assignment Reporter, now at KOVR-TV, Stockton-Sacramento
  • Mike Dunne, Weekend Anchor/Reporter (1987-2005)
  • Melissa Greene, Anchor for Good Morning Chattanooga & NewsChannel 9 for Women & Reporter
  • Melissa Greer, Weekend Meteorologist, 2003-2004, now at WBTV, Charlotte
  • Janice Huff, Weekend Meteorologist, 1982-1983, now at WNBC-TV, New York City
  • Amy Katcher, Weekend Meteorologist, now at WSAZ-TV, Huntington, West Virginia
  • Mary Ellen "Mel" Locher, 5:00, 6:00, and 11:00 Anchor/Health reporter, deceased)
  • Julie Martin, Weekend Meteorologist
  • Katrina Owens, 5:30 Anchor/Reporter
  • Neal Pascal, Chief Meteorologist
  • Gene Randall, Anchor/Reporter, spent many years with CNN later
  • Tommy Reynolds aka "Dr. Shock", host of the late 60's and early 70's "Shock Theatre," retired
  • Rex Thompson, Weekend Meteorologist
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