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{{Short description|CBS/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Providence, Rhode Island}}
{{Infobox_Broadcast |
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
call_letters = WPRI-TV|
{{more citations needed|date=April 2019}}
city = |
{{Infobox television station
station_logo = [[Image:WPRI 02.jpg]]|
| callsign = WPRI-TV
station_slogan = Coverage You<br>Can Count On|
| city = Providence, Rhode Island
station_branding = WPRI 12 <small>(general)</small><br>Eyewitness News <small>(newscasts)</small>|
| logo = WPRI-TV 12 logo.png
analog = 12 ([[very high frequency|VHF]])|
| logo_upright = .7
digital = 13 (VHF)|
| branding = WPRI 12; ''12 News Now''; MyRITV (DT2)
other_chs = |
| digital = 7 ([[VHF]])
affiliations = [[CBS]]|
| virtual = 12
network = |
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''12.1:''' [[CBS]]|'''12.2:''' [[MyNetworkTV]]|''for others, see {{Section link||Subchannels}}''}}
founded = |
| country = United States
airdate = [[March 27]], [[1955]]|
| airdate = {{start date and age|1955|3|27|p=y}}
location = [[Providence, Rhode Island]] /<br>[[New Bedford, Massachusetts]]|
| image = WNAC-DT2 MyRITV Logo (As Of 01-01-2014).png
callsign_meaning = '''P'''rovidence, '''R'''hode '''I'''sland|
| image_upright = .5
former_callsigns = WPRO-TV (1955-1967)|
| location = {{ubl|[[Providence, Rhode Island]]|[[New Bedford, Massachusetts]]}}
former_channel_numbers = |
| callsign_meaning = Providence, Rhode Island
owner = [[LIN TV]]|
| former_callsigns = WPRO-TV (1955–1967)
licensee = TVL Broadcasting of Rhode Island, LLC|
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 12 (VHF, 1955–2009)|'''Digital:''' 13 (VHF, 2003–2019)}}
sister_stations = [[WNAC-TV]]|
| owner = [[Nexstar Media Group]]
former_affiliations = '''Primary''':<br>[[CBS]] (1955-1977)<br>[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (1977-1995)<br>'''Secondary''':<br>[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (1955-1963)|
| licensee = Nexstar Media Inc.
effective_radiated_power = 316 [[kilowatt|kW]] (analog)<br>18 kW (digital)|
| sister_stations = [[WNAC-TV]]
HAAT = 305 m (both)|
| former_affiliations = {{ubl|CBS (1955–1977)|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (1977–1995; secondary 1955–1963)}}
class = |
| erp = 27 [[kW]]
facility_id = 47404|
| haat = {{Convert|310.6|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
coordinates = {{coord|41|52|36|N|71|16|54.9|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}|
| facility_id = 47404
homepage = [http://www.wpri.com/ wpri.com]|
| coordinates = {{coord|41|52|14|N|71|17|43|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
| website = {{ubl|{{url|https://www.wpri.com/|wpri.com}}|{{url|https://www.wpri.com/myritv|MyRITV.com}}}}
}}
}}


'''WPRI-TV''', channel 12, is the [[CBS]]-affiliated [[television station]] for the state of [[Rhode Island]] and [[Bristol County, Massachusetts]], licensed to [[Providence, Rhode Island]]. Its transmitter is located on Homestead Avenue in [[Rehoboth, Massachusetts]]. WPRI is the flagship of [[LIN TV]] and sister station to primary [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] and secondary [[MyNetworkTV]] affiliate [[WNAC-TV]]. The two stations share studios on Catamore Boulevard in [[East Providence, Rhode Island|East Providence]]. Even though WPRI is the flagship of LIN TV, its master control is located at a hub facility at [[NBC]] affiliate [[WWLP]] in [[Chicopee, Massachusetts]].
'''WPRI-TV''' (channel 12) is a [[television station]] in [[Providence, Rhode Island]], United States, affiliated with [[CBS]] and [[MyNetworkTV]]. It is owned by [[Nexstar Media Group]], which provides certain services to dual [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]/[[The CW|CW]] affiliate [[WNAC-TV]] (channel 64) under a [[local marketing agreement]] (LMA) with [[Mission Broadcasting]]. The two stations share studios on Catamore Boulevard in [[East Providence, Rhode Island]]; WPRI-TV's transmitter is located on Pine Street in [[Rehoboth, Massachusetts]].


==History==
==Digital television==
The station's digital channel is multiplexed:
{| class="wikitable"
'''Digital channels'''
|-
! Analog Channel
! Digital Channel
! Programming
|-
| 12 || 13 <br> Mapped 12.1 || main WPRI programming / CBS [[HDTV|HD]]
|}


===Analog-to-digital conversion===
===WPRO-TV (1955–1967)===
The station debuted on March 27, 1955, known as WPRO-TV (for Providence). It was Rhode Island's third television station and was owned and operated, along with WPRO radio ([[WPRO (AM)|630 AM]] and [[WPRO-FM|92.3 FM]]), by retailer Cherry & Webb. WPRO-TV was originally supposed to go on the air in 1953, but the station ran into several delays. It had originally planned to build a transmitter in Rehoboth, but legal disputes with town officials forced Cherry & Webb to find a site in [[Johnston, Rhode Island]].
After the [[DTV transition|analog television shutdown and digital conversion]], which is tentatively scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009 <ref name="Analog to Digital">http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf</ref>, WPRI-TV will remain on its current pre-transition channel number, 13. <ref name="FCCForm387">[http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101231118&formid=387&fac_num=25456 CDBS Print<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> However, through the use of [[Program and System Information Protocol|PSIP]], digital television receivers will display WPRI-TV's [[virtual channel]] as 12.


The station then planned to sign on in 1954, but [[Hurricane Carol]] destroyed the Johnston transmitter. The legal disputes in Rehoboth were finally settled in late 1954, and WPRO got the go-ahead to begin construction there. The channel was due to join CBS because of WPRO radio's long affiliation with [[CBS News Radio|CBS Radio]]. Even when it became apparent that WPRO-TV would miss its target air date, CBS opted to continue its secondary affiliation with [[NBC]] station [[WJAR-TV]] (channel 10) rather than move its programming to [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[WNET (Rhode Island)|WNET]] (channel 16, the predecessor of today's [[WNAC-TV]]).
==History==
WPRI debuted on [[March 27]], [[1955]] known as '''WPRO-TV''' (for '''PRO'''vidence). It was Rhode Island's third television station and was first owned and operated by retailer Cherry & Webb along with WPRO radio ([[WPRO (AM)|630 AM]] and [[WPRO-FM|92.3 FM]]). WPRO-TV was originally supposed to go on the air in 1954 but ran into several delays. It originally planned to build its transmitter in Rehoboth but legal disputes with town officials forced Cherry & Webb to find a site in [[Johnston, Rhode Island]]. However, [[Hurricane Carol]] destroyed the Johnston transmitter. The legal disputes in Rehoboth were finally settled in late-1954 and WPRO got the go-ahead to begin construction there.


When WPRO-TV finally came on the air, ABC gave it right of first refusal for its more popular shows. Within less than a year, WNET had gone dark. This station continued to share ABC with WJAR until WTEV (channel 6, now [[WLNE-TV]]) signed-on in 1963.
Originally, WPRO-TV's studios were on the top floor of 24 Mason Street in downtown Providence, but in the early-1970s, the station moved to its current home in East Providence. Although it was a CBS affiliate, it also carried several [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] shows as well. ABC had an affiliate in Rhode Island, WNET-TV (which had signed on two years before WPRO), but ABC allowed WPRO to air some of its higher-rated programs. Within a year, WNET went dark. Legendary Providence radio personality Salty Brine had a daily children's show on WPRO-TV. News personalities included Mort Blender and Walter Cryan while the beloved Hank Bouchard did a multitude of on-air duties. That included announcing, hosting programs, and giving the weather report.


Channel 12's studios were originally located on the top floor of 24 Mason Street in [[Downtown Providence]] with its sister radio stations. The three stations' news facilities were completely integrated. On-air personalities from radio and TV created newscasts together. In fact, some reporters recorded conservative-sounding FM news broadcasts prior to pulling a switch to deliver live, punchy on-air news for the AM station on the hour, with headlines on the half-hour. And some radio news reporters headed into the field with photographers to cover stories simultaneously for radio and TV.
Cherry & Webb sold WPRO-AM-FM-TV to [[Albany, New York]]-based '''Captial Cities Television Corporation''', predecessor of [[Capital Cities Communications]], in 1959. WPRO-TV was then sold to Poole Broadcasting (owners of [[WJRT-TV]] in [[Flint, Michigan]]) on [[June 16]], [[1967]]. This sale was necessary because CapCities had bought [[KTRK-TV]] in [[Houston, Texas]], which left it one VHF station over the FCC's ownership limit of the time. Poole Broadcasting then changed WPRO-TV's call letters to the present '''WPRI-TV'''. It wanted to trade on the well-known WPRO calls and also realized that "PRI" could stand for '''P'''rovidence, '''R'''hode '''I'''sland.


Legendary Providence radio personality [[Salty Brine]] had a daily children's show on WPRO-TV. News personalities included Mort Blender and Walter Cryan while the beloved Hank Bouchard did a multitude of on-air duties. That included [[continuity announcer|announcing]], hosting programs, and giving the weather report. Cherry & Webb sold WPRO-AM-FM-TV to [[Albany, New York]]–based Capital Cities Television Corporation, the predecessor of [[Capital Cities Communications]], in 1959, earning a handsome return on its purchase of WPRO radio in 1931.
Poole retained ownership until 1977 when it sold its three television stations (WPRI, WJRT, and [[WTEN]] in [[Albany, New York]]) to [[Knight-Ridder]] Broadcasting. WPRI swapped affiliations with WTEV (channel 6, now [[WLNE-TV]]) and became an ABC affiliate after this sale as a result of a corporate affiliation deal between ABC and Knight-Ridder. In 1989, Knight-Ridder left the broadcasting business, selling WPRI and [[WTKR]] in [[Norfolk, Virginia]] to Narragansett Television LP, a locally based firm.


===WPRI (1967–present)===
Narragansett Television sold WPRI to CBS in 1995, making it a CBS [[owned and operated station]]. At midnight on [[September 10]], 1995, WPRI reversed the 1977 swap with WLNE and officially rejoined CBS. WPRI aired a vigorous promotion called "Survive the Switch" so television viewers in Providence would be prepared for this changeover.
WPRO-TV was then sold to Poole Broadcasting (owners of [[WJRT-TV]] in [[Flint, Michigan]]) on June 16, 1967; that sale was necessary because CapCities' purchase of [[KTRK-TV]] in [[Houston]] left it one VHF station over the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) ownership limit at the time. Since CapCities retained the WPRO radio stations, Poole Broadcasting, so as to comply with an FCC regulation in place then that required TV and radio stations in the same market, but with different owners to use differing call signs, changed channel 12's call letters to the present WPRI-TV. It wanted to trade on the well-known WPRO calls and also realized that "PRI" could stand for Providence, Rhode Island. CapCities retained ownership of the WPRO radio stations until 1993, with the last seven years of their ownership saw the stations being ABC-owned stations affiliated with the [[ABC Radio Network]]. However, the three stations continued to share the Mason Street studio until 1974, when they moved to separate facilities in East Providence. Poole retained ownership of channel 12 until 1977 when it sold its three television stations (WPRI, WJRT, and [[WTEN]] in Albany, New York) to [[Knight Ridder]] Broadcasting. WPRI swapped affiliations with WTEV and became an ABC affiliate on June 27, 1977, after this sale as a result of a corporate affiliation deal between ABC and Knight Ridder (WTEN, then a CBS station, would switch to ABC several months later in October; WPRI's former owners, Capital Cities Communications, would later buy ABC in 1985).


In 1989, Knight Ridder left the broadcasting business, selling WPRI and [[WTKR]] in [[Norfolk, Virginia]], to Narragansett Television [[Limited partnership|LP]], a locally based firm. Narragansett Television sold WPRI to CBS in early 1995, making it a network [[owned-and-operated station]] (and one of the last such acquisitions prior to the [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation]]'s purchase of the network). At midnight on September 10, 1995, WPRI reversed the 1977 swap with WLNE and officially rejoined CBS. It aired a vigorous promotion called "Survive the Switch" so television viewers in Providence would be prepared for this changeover.
In November 1995, [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation]] bought CBS for approximately [[USD|$]] 6 billion dollars. The merger was finalized in early 1996. Westinghouse already owned [[WBZ-TV]] in [[Boston]]. WPRI's city-grade signal, like most of the other major Rhode Island stations, decently covers most of the Boston area. Meanwhile, WBZ-TV's city-grade signal decently covers nearly all of Rhode Island. At the time, the FCC normally did not allow common ownership of stations with overlapping signals and would not even consider a waiver for stations with overlapping city-grade coverage. CBS opted to keep WBZ-TV and sell WPRI to [[Clear Channel Communications]] on [[July 1]], [[1996]] after less than 10 months of ownership.


In August 1995, Westinghouse bought CBS for approximately $6 billion. The merger was finalized on November 24. Westinghouse already owned [[WBZ-TV]] in [[Boston]]; that station provided city-grade coverage to Providence itself, as well as [[New Bedford]] and [[Fall River, Massachusetts]], and at least grade B coverage to the rest of Rhode Island, while WPRI's city-grade signal, like most of the other major Rhode Island stations, decently covers most of the Boston area. At the time, the FCC normally did not allow common ownership of multiple stations with overlapping coverage areas and would not even consider granting a waiver if the overlap was between city-grade signals. As a result, CBS opted to keep WBZ-TV and sell WPRI to Clear Channel Communications (now [[iHeartMedia]]) on July 1, 1996, after less than ten months of ownership. Just months after the sale was announced, the FCC eliminated the requirement of a waiver for common ownership of television stations in adjacent markets with substantial grade B signal overlap. It began to permit common ownership of stations whose city-grade signals overlap when duopolies began to be permitted in 2000.
In 2000, Clear Channel was forced to sell WPRI as a condition of being allowed to buy additional radio stations in the Providence market. Sunrise Television bought WPRI in early-2001 for $50 million. Sunrise merged with [[LIN TV]] in May 2002, and as a result, WPRI became the flagship station of LIN TV. In November 2006, WPRI renewed its broadcasting license with the FCC. On [[May 18]], [[2007]], LIN TV announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives that could result in the sale of the company.


===LMA with WNAC===
===LIN TV era (2000–2014)===
In 2000, Clear Channel was forced to sell WPRI as a condition of being allowed to buy additional radio stations in the Providence market. [[Smith Media|Sunrise Television]] acquired WPRI in early 2001 for $50 million. Sunrise merged with [[LIN TV]] in May 2002.
Shortly after Clear Channel took over the station, WPRI entered in a [[local marketing agreement]] (LMA) with [[FOX]] affiliate [[WNAC-TV]] (then owned by [[Hearst-Argyle Television|Argyle Television]]). WPRI took over the station's operations on [[September 28]], [[1997]] when WNAC moved its operations into WPRI's facilities. Ironically, channel 64 is the same station as WNET-TV, the station that went off the air in 1956 largely due to the presence of WPRI.


On May 18, 2007, LIN TV announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives that could have resulted in the sale of the company. In October 2008, WPRI and sister station [[WALA-TV]] in [[Mobile, Alabama]], relaunched websites through [[News Corporation]]'s Fox Interactive Media, since spun off as the independent company known as EndPlay. It, in turn, was acquired by the [[Nexstar Broadcasting Group]] in 2014 and merged with its two other CMS providers, Inergize Digital and Internet Broadcasting to form a new CMS unit, [[Lakana]], as a result of a new partnership between LIN TV and NewsCorp. The other LIN TV-owned stations (irrespective of network affiliations) followed suit within two months ending the company's long partnership with WorldNow. The new sites were in a format similar to those of the Fox O&O-style web addresses used by many Fox affiliates (and which the LIN TV-owned or controlled Fox affiliates such as WNAC-TV had used) except the flashy myFox look. The MyFox sites themselves were eventually redesigned to a look similar to those of the LIN TV sites. After Nexstar's acquisition of EndPlay was completed, the LIN station Web sites switched to the [[WordPress.com]] VIP CMS platform. Most of the Web sites of the television stations Media General acquired since the announced merger with [[Young Broadcasting]] have also adopted this platform.
In late-1997, Argyle merged with [[Hearst Corporation|Hearst Broadcasting]], owner of ABC affiliate [[WCVB-TV]] in Boston. Hearst was forced to trade WNAC together with [[WDTN]] in [[Dayton, Ohio]] to Sunrise Television in return for [[WPTZ]] in [[Plattsburgh, New York]], [[WNNE]] in [[Hartford, Vermont]] and [[KSBW]] in [[Salinas, California]] because of FCC rules forbidding common ownership of two stations with overlapping city-grade signals--the same rules that forced CBS to sell WPRI two years earlier. When Sunrise bought WPRI from Clear Channel in early-2001, WNAC was sold to LIN TV due to FCC regulations forbidding common ownership of two of the four highest-rated stations in the same market. In this case, WNAC cannot be co-owned directly with WPRI.


===LMA with WNAC-TV (1997–present)===
However, LIN TV was forced to put WNAC back on the market almost as soon as it closed on the station's purchase due to the ownership structures of Sunrise and LIN TV. Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst (now [[HM Capital Partners]]), a private-equity firm co-founded by [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] and [[Dallas Stars]] owner [[Tom Hicks]], was (and still is) majority owner of LIN TV. At the same time, HMTF also controlled a large block of Sunrise stock. The FCC ruled that Hicks, Muse controlled enough Sunrise stock that Sunrise could not own any stations in markets where LIN TV owned a station as well.
Shortly after Clear Channel took over the station, WPRI entered in a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Fox affiliate WNAC (then owned by [[Argyle Television]]). WPRI took over the station's operations on September 28, 1997, when WNAC moved its operations into this station's facilities. WNAC operates under the license of the old WNET, which was forced off-the-air in 1955 largely due to the presence of WPRI. In late 1997, Argyle merged with [[Hearst Communications|Hearst Broadcasting]], owner of ABC affiliate [[WCVB-TV]] in Boston. Hearst was forced to trade WNAC together with [[WDTN]] in [[Dayton, Ohio]] (which had to be sold to alleviate an overlap conflict with [[WLWT]] in [[Cincinnati]]), to Sunrise Television in return for [[WPTZ]] in [[Plattsburgh, New York]], [[WNNE]] in [[Hartford, Vermont]], and [[KSBW]] in [[Salinas, California]]. This was due to the FCC rule forbidding common ownership of two stations with overlapping city-grade signals (the same rule that forced CBS to sell WPRI two years earlier).


When Sunrise bought WPRI from Clear Channel in early 2001, WNAC was sold to LIN TV due to FCC regulations forbidding common ownership of two of the four highest-rated stations in the same market. In this case, WNAC cannot be co-owned directly with WPRI. However, LIN TV was forced to put WNAC back on the market almost as soon as it closed on the station's purchase due to the ownership structures of Sunrise and LIN TV. Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst (forerunner to [[HM Capital Partners]]), a private-equity firm co-founded by [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]] and [[Dallas Stars]] then-owner [[Tom Hicks]], was the majority owner of LIN TV. At the same time, HMTF also controlled a large block of Sunrise stock. The FCC ruled that HMTF controlled enough Sunrise stock that the company could not own any stations in markets where LIN TV-owned a station as well.
Finally, in April 2002, LIN TV sold WNAC to Super Towers Inc. ([[doing business as|d/b/a]] WNAC, LLC), a company owned by Timothy Sheehan, brother-in-law of former LIN TV vice president Paul Karpowicz. This sale allowed the merger between Sunrise and LIN TV to be completed [[May|the following month]]. LIN TV continues to operate WNAC today under the same LMA that it inherited from Sunrise.


Finally, in April 2002, LIN TV sold WNAC to Super Towers, Inc. ([[d/b/a]] WNAC, [[LLC]]), a company owned by Timothy Sheehan, brother-in-law of former LIN TV Vice President Paul Karpowicz. This sale allowed the merger between Sunrise and LIN TV to be completed the following month. LIN TV continued to operate WNAC under the same LMA it inherited from Sunrise.
===Station Nightclub fire===
WPRI & WNAC were heavily involved in the coverage and aftermath of [[the Station nightclub fire|Station Nightclub fire]] in 2003. Station photographer Brian Butler was inside the nightclub taping a story when the pyrotechnics behind the band [[Great White]] lit soundproof foam, within the nightclub, on fire. The tape became crucial evidence in the case, and WPRI reporter Jeff Derderian, who owned the nightclub with his brother, became a defendant accused of manslaughter.


===Merger with Media General, then Nexstar (2014–present)===
In February 2008, WPRI agreed to pay of $30 million dollars to settle a lawsuit against against the station, parent company LIN TV and Butler. Several families and survivors of the nightclub fire claimed that Butler stood in a doorway and continued to record footage rather than help people escape. The lawsuit alleged that Butler's actions caused more people to die. WPRI was there filming a story on nightclub safety a week after the tragic events at the E-2 Nightclub in [[Chicago]].
On March 21, 2014, LIN Media entered into an agreement to merge with Media General in a $1.6 billion deal. Because Media General already owned NBC affiliate WJAR and the two stations ranked as the two highest-rated stations in the Providence market in total day viewership, the companies were required to sell either WJAR or WPRI-TV to another station owner to comply with FCC ownership rules as well as planned changes to those rules regarding same-market television stations which would prohibit [[local marketing agreement|sharing agreements]]; the LMA involving WNAC would be included in the sale.<ref>[https://variety.com/2014/tv/news/tv-station-mega-merger-media-general-lin-set-1-6-billion-deal-1201141567/ TV Station Mega Merger: Media General, LIN Set $1.6 Billion Deal] from ''Variety'' (March 21, 2014)</ref><ref>[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-lin-media-general-merge-20140321,0,5277028.story Media General acquiring LIN Media for $1.6 billion], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', March 21, 2014.</ref><ref>[http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/74959/media-genlin-to-sellswap-in-five-markets Media Gen/LIN To Sell/Swap In Five Markets], ''TVNewsCheck'', March 21, 2014.</ref> On August 20, 2014, Media General announced that it would keep WPRI and the LMA with WNAC and sell WJAR to [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]], even though WJAR had higher ratings.<ref name=tvnc-wjarsinclair>{{cite news|title=Media General, LIN Sell Stations In 5 Markets|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/78615/media-general-lin-sell-stations-in-5-markets|access-date=August 20, 2014|work=TVNewsCheck|date=August 20, 2014}}</ref><ref name=projo-wjarsinclair>{{cite news|last1=McKinney|first1=Mike|title=Media General to sell Channel 10 WJAR to Sinclair Broadcast Group|url=http://www.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/content/20140820-media-general-to-sell-channel-10-wjar-to-sinclair-broadcast-group.ece|access-date=August 20, 2014|work=[[The Providence Journal]]|date=August 20, 2014}}</ref> The merger was completed on December 19, 2014.<ref>[http://www.mediageneral.com/press/2014/dec19_14_merger.html Media General Completes Merger With LIN Media] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219194453/http://www.mediageneral.com/press/2014/dec19_14_merger.html |date=December 19, 2014 }}, Press Release, [[Media General]], Retrieved December 19, 2014</ref>

On January 27, 2016, Nexstar Broadcasting Group announced plans to merge with Media General. The merger was completed on January 17, 2017.

==WPRI-DT2==
WPRI-DT2, branded on-air as MyRITV, is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated second [[digital subchannel]] of WPRI-TV, broadcasting on channel 12.2. Ever since its inception, WPRI-DT2's over-the-air signal had broadcast in [[480i]] [[standard definition]]; however, in October 2017, it was upgraded to [[720p]] high definition.

On October 22, 2010, WPRI began carrying [[TheCoolTV]] music video programming on its 12.2 subchannel; it was replaced by [[Bounce TV]] in July 2013. On October 2, 2017, the Bounce TV subchannel was moved to channel 12.3, replacing [[GetTV]], which moved to a newly created 12.4 subchannel. This was to accommodate the move of MyRITV, the market's MyNetworkTV affiliate, from WNAC-DT2 to WPRI-DT2 as part of a broader shuffle where the programming and [[The CW|CW]] affiliation of [[WLWC]]'s main channel was purchased by Nexstar several months before after WLWC's owner, [[OTA Broadcasting]], sold their spectrum in the FCC's 2016 [[incentive auction]] and decided on a channel share with [[WPXQ-TV]]. That day, MyRITV was moved to WPRI-DT2 (so that WLWC's programming could, in turn, be moved to WNAC-DT2), to balance bandwidth among all four of Nexstar's major network affiliations in Providence. Thus WPRI has a [[1080i]] CBS channel and 720p MyNetworkTV subchannel, with WNAC having a 720p Fox channel and 720p CW subchannel.<ref name="wlwcwnacwpri-channelmoveannounce">{{cite web|title=WPRI 12/FOX Providence/myRITV to take ownership of The CW Providence|url=http://wpri.com/2017/09/25/wpri-12fox-providencemyritv-to-take-ownership-of-the-cw-providence/|website=WPRI 12 Eyewitness News|access-date=September 29, 2017|language=en|date=September 25, 2017|archive-date=September 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930031425/http://wpri.com/2017/09/25/wpri-12fox-providencemyritv-to-take-ownership-of-the-cw-providence/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="wlwc-channelshareannounce">{{cite web|last1=Crowe|first1=John|title=The CW Providence – Channel Move Information|url=http://www.thecwprov.com/story/36254346/the-cw-providence-channel-information|website=The CW Providence – WLWC|access-date=September 29, 2017|language=en|date=September 1, 2017}}</ref>

On October 1, 2009, WNAC-DT2 became the market's MyNetworkTV affiliate after the service was moved from the main WNAC feed.<ref>{{cite web|last=Malone |first=Michael |url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/356120-WNAC_Shifts_MyNet_to_Digital_Channel.php |title=WNAC Shifts MyNet to Digital Channel &#124; Broadcasting & Cable |publisher=Broadcastingcable.com |date=October 1, 2009 |access-date=June 26, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928182808/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/356120-WNAC_Shifts_MyNet_to_Digital_Channel.php |archive-date=September 28, 2013 }}</ref> Before this change, the main channel had aired the network in a secondary manner delaying weeknight prime time programming from 11:30 to 1:30 in the morning and Saturday prime time programming until early Sunday mornings from 12:30 to 2:30. In 2011, WNAC-DT2 televised local [[college basketball]] games on Wednesdays under the banner "Game Night".<ref>[http://www.wpri.com/generic/sports/college/game-night-brown-v-uri-basketball] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405134442/http://www.wpri.com/generic/sports/college/game-night-brown-v-uri-basketball|date=April 5, 2012}}</ref>


==News operation==
==News operation==
Traditionally, WPRI has been a solid, if usually distant, runner-up in the ratings to long-dominant WJAR. In the February and May 2010 [[Nielsen ratings]] period, WPRI was second in all timeslots, with its 6 p.m. newscast reaching nearly 20,000 fewer viewers than WJAR's newscast. Since then, however, WPRI has mounted a spirited challenge to WJAR's dominance.
[[Image:Wpri open 2008.png|thumb|left|WPRI's morning news open.]]


Specifically, its broadcast weeknights at 11&nbsp;p.m. has gained enormous popularity. As of the November 2010 sweeps period, this newscast on WPRI is the most watched in Rhode Island while WJAR continues its dominance in all other time periods.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pbn.com/WPRI-beats-WJAR-for-11-pm-newscast-in-tight-race-Lanni-claims-statistical-tie,54086 |title=WJAR newcasts strong; WPRI gains slight edge in 11 p.m. slot - PBN.com - Providence Business News |website=www.pbn.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206033702/http://www.pbn.com/WPRI-beats-WJAR-for-11-pm-newscast-in-tight-race-Lanni-claims-statistical-tie,54086 |archive-date=December 6, 2010}}</ref>
Since at least the [[1980s]], WPRI has used the ''[[Eyewitness News]]'' branding for its newscasts. For the most part, the station has been runner-up in the ratings to WJAR. More recently however, the station has mounted a spirited challenge to WJAR's longtime dominance. For a period in late-2007, WPRI ranked higher in the weeknight 5 and 11 o'clock timeslots. Currently, the weeknight 11 o'clock news is gaining popularity. When WNAC moved into WPRI's studios, it resulted in a WPRI-produced 10 P.M. newscast on that station. It was the market's second 10 o'clock news after the WJAR-produced [[WLWC]] effort which had started nearly a year prior. At some point in time, an hour-long extension of WPRI's weekday morning news at 7 was added to WNAC.


In September 1993, the station created a 30-minute 5&nbsp;p.m. newscast, the first in the market. It was expanded to one hour in mid-1995.
Although the morning news was eventually canceled, the 10 o'clock newscast remains to this day. In [[2004]], WPRI launched weekend morning news. There is a 24-hour weather channel, called ''Eyewitness News Pinpoint Weather Station'', on WNAC's second digital subchannel and [[Cox Communications|Cox]] digital cable channel 125. When the weather channel was first established, it also aired on WPRI's second digital subchannel. In 2007, new FCC regulations for educational programing forced the two stations to make the weather channel digital cable-only. It was eventually brought back to WNAC-DT2. Overnight on the weekends, when the main channels of WPRI and WNAC sign off, they simulcast the 24-hour weather channel.


In 1996, WPRI began producing the market's first nightly prime time newscast at 10&nbsp;p.m. on WNAC, then titled ''Eyewitness News at 10 on Fox Providence''. This was joined in April 1997 by a WJAR-produced show seen weeknights on WLWC entitled ''TV 28 News at 10''. However, that was dropped in September when the WJAR LMA with WLWC ended. In 2004, an hour-long extension of WPRI's weekday morning show was added to WNAC at 7&nbsp;a.m. branded as ''Eyewitness News This Morning on Fox Providence''. It was eventually canceled, but was brought back early in 2009 as a lead-in to ''The Rhode Show''.
The station shares its resources with [[Boston]]'s CBS affiliate, [[WBZ-TV]], for news coverage of southeastern [[Massachusetts]]. The weekday Noon news can be viewed live on WPRI's website. The station operates a Bell 206L3 Long Ranger helicopter known as "News Chopper 12". It is shared with sister stations [[WTNH]] and [[WCTX]] in [[New Haven, Connecticut]]. Although not owned by the same company, WPRI has a news partnership with ''[[The Providence Journal]]'' (a [[Belo]]-owned newspaper). WPRI operates its own [[weather radar]], known as "Live Pinpoint Doppler 12", in [[Rehoboth, Massachusetts]]. The station also uses live, [[NOAA]] [[National Weather Service]] radar data from several regional sites. WPRI operates a weather vehicle that is known as the "Pinpoint Weather Mobile". The station introduced a new news set that included updated graphics on [[March 17]], [[2008]].


WPRI and WNAC received an on-air overhaul introducing a new news set and updated graphics on March 17, 2008. LIN operated a shared [[Bell 206|Bell 206L3 Long Ranger]] helicopter with the registration N812TV branded as "News Chopper 12" until December 2008, which was shared with Connecticut sister station [[WTNH]] and had that station's imaging on the right, with WPRI's imaging on its left side.
==News team==
[[Image:Wpri ri anchors.png|thumb|right|The station's weeknight 5 and 11 o'clock anchors.]]
[[Image:Wpri weather anchor.png|thumb|right|WPRI's Chief Meteorologist.]]


On February 18, 2009, WNAC launched an hour-long lifestyle and entertainment magazine-type program called ''The Rhode Show'' that aired weekday mornings at 8&nbsp;a.m. A new secondary set for the show was built with a fully functional kitchen. The show was previously hosted by the weekday morning news anchor teams— [[Vince DeMentri]] and Elizabeth Hopkins from February 2009 to March 2010, Patrick Little and Hopkins from March 2010 to November 2010, and Little and Danielle North from November 2010 to December 2011. A third alternating host for a period of one year was found annually through an open audition in a contest titled ''The Rhode Show Search for a Star''. In 2008, Boston-area radio deejay Shawn Tempesta won the contest out of over 140 people. In 2009, [[Cranston, Rhode Island|Cranston]] comedian Ben Hague beat out over 100 other hopefuls. [[Bridgewater State University]] graduate Michaela Johnson of [[East Providence, Rhode Island|East Providence]] won the honor in 2010. During the week, ''The Rhode Show'' was streamed live on WNAC's website. The main channel re-aired the show weekday afternoons at 1&nbsp;p.m. with WNAC-DT2 (MyRITV, now WPRI-DT2) doing the same at 4&nbsp;p.m.
'''Anchors'''
*Mark Zinni - weekday mornings
**reporter
*Elizabeth Hopkins - weekday mornings and Noon
**reporter
*Mike Montecalvo - weeknights at 5, 5:30, 10, and 11
**reporter
*Karen Adams - weeknights at 5, 6, and 11
*Erin Kennedy - weeknights at 5:30 and 10
*Danielle North - weekend mornings
**reporter
*Pamela Watts - weekend evenings
**reporter


In December 2011, it was announced that on January 9, 2012, ''The Rhode Show'' would move to WPRI and would begin at 9&nbsp;a.m. Michaela Johnson and former WPRO-FM personality Will Gilbert became permanent hosts of the show. Mary Larsen was selected as the third host in the 2011 ''Search for a Star'' contest. MyRITV continued to re-air the show at 2&nbsp;p.m. on weekdays until 2013. In addition, ''Eyewitness News This Morning on Fox Providence'' was extended to fill the hour previously occupied by ''The Rhode Show''. This newscast now airs between 7&nbsp;a.m. and 9&nbsp;a.m.<ref name=wnac-rhodeshowmove>{{cite web|title=2012 to bring new Rhode Show co-hosts |url=http://www.foxprovidence.com/dpp/rhode_show/rhode_show/rhode-show-welcomes-new-co-hosts-in-2012 |work=FOXProvidence.com |access-date=January 4, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114223726/http://www.foxprovidence.com/dpp/rhode_show/rhode_show/rhode-show-welcomes-new-co-hosts-in-2012 |archive-date=November 14, 2012 }}</ref>
'''''Eyewitness News Pinpoint Weather Team'''''
*Tony Petrarca ([[American Meteorological Society|AMS]] Seal of Approval) - Chief seen on weeknights
*[[Michelle Muscatello]] (AMS and [[National Weather Association|NWA]] Seal of Approvals) - weekday mornings and Noon
*Pete Mangione (AMS Seal of Approval) - weekend mornings
*T.J. Del Santo - weekend evenings
**science and feature reporter


WPRI operated a 24-hour local weather channel under the branding "Eyewitness News Pinpoint Weather Station", on Cox digital channel 125. It also aired on the second digital subchannels of WPRI and WNAC until 2007, but went cable-only due to children's programming restrictions (also known as E/I programming). It was then simulcast on weekends when the main channels of WPRI and WNAC signed off overnight. The weather channel was eliminated in 2010. Now during sign off hours on weekend overnights, a loop of the stations' Doppler radar is shown.
'''Sports'''
*Patrick Little - Sports Director seen on weeknights at 6, 10:45, and 11
**host of ''Eyewitness News Sports Wrap''
*Robb Garofalo - weekend evenings
**sports reporter
*J.P. Smollins - sports reporter and photographer
*Liz Frisoli - sports reporter and photographer


Along with its own [[weather radar]] at its transmitter site in Rehoboth, the station also features live [[NOAA]] [[National Weather Service]] radar data from the Local Forecast Office on [[Myles Standish]] Boulevard in [[Taunton, Massachusetts|Taunton]]. Together, this is known in weather segments as "Live Pinpoint Doppler 12". It shares resources with WBZ-TV for coverage of Southeastern Massachusetts. In return, WPRI does the same for its coverage of the same area. All of WPRI and WNAC's weekday newscasts are streamed live on WPRI's website and mobile app. They also replay their most recent newscast on a continuous loop until the next live newscast and stream breaking news events.
'''Reporters'''
*Courtney Caligiuri - internet
**webcast anchor
*Dennis Protsko - helicopter
**also with [[WTNH]] and [[WCTX]]
*Tim White - investigative
*Susan Hogan - consumer
*Walt Buteau
*Sean Daly
*Jarrod Holbrook
*Joan Moran
*Kathryn Sotnik
*Alex DiPrato


''Eyewitness News'' has won the Massachusetts/Rhode Island [[Associated Press]] News Station of the Year award nine years in a row since 2004, its most recent coming in May 2012.<ref>{{cite news|title=WPRI named News Station of the Year |url=http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/providence/wpri-named-news-station-of-the-year |access-date=May 23, 2012 |newspaper=wpri.com |date=May 19, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120521092517/http://www.wpri.com/dpp/news/local_news/providence/wpri-named-news-station-of-the-year |archive-date=May 21, 2012 }}</ref>
==Past staff==

* Bob Althage- Reporter/ Anchor (1970's) Worked at WUSA-TV
WPRI and WNAC were the last stations in the market to upgrade their newscasts to [[high-definition television|high definition]], though they were first to experiment with the format through promotional materials and debates during the election season in 2010. Set reconfiguration began on July 22, 2011. Newscasts in the interim aired from ''The Rhode Show'' studio. WJAR was the first in Rhode Island to have made the upgrade, on May 16, 2011, followed by WLNE on September 13, 2011. They debuted the new set and modified graphics on September 20, 2011, during their 5&nbsp;p.m. newscast. On January 13, 2014, WPRI announced that it would be expanding its early evening news by launching a 6:30&nbsp;p.m. newscast on WNAC on January 27.<ref name=wpri-wnac6:30news>{{cite news|last=McGowan|first=Dan|title=Eyewitness News launching 6:30 p.m. news|url=http://wpri.com/2014/01/13/eyewitness-news-launching-630-p-m-news/|access-date=January 27, 2014|newspaper=WPRI.com|date=January 13, 2014}}</ref>
* Joe Amorosino- Sports (1996-1998) Now at WHDH-TV

* Ernie Anastos- Anchor (1976-1978) Now at WNYW-TV
On August 31, 2020, WPRI dropped the ''Eyewitness News'' branding after 18 years; WPRI's newscasts are now branded as ''12 News'', while WNAC's newscasts are now branded as ''12 News Now on Fox Providence''.
* Terry Anzur- Reporter (1980s)

* [[Jess Atkinson]]- Sports Director (1996-2000)
WPRI's long-running weekend public affairs show, ''Newsmakers'', debuted on September 17, 1978, and is still on the air. Its current hosts are Tim White and Ted Nesi.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1306612558615412737|user=TedNesi|title=Big day for @TimWhiteRI and me: today is the 42nd anniversary of Newsmakers' premiere!The first episode ever aire…<!-- full text of tweet that Twitter returned to the bot (excluding links) added by TweetCiteBot. This may be better truncated or may need expanding (TW limits responses to 140 characters) or case changes. --> |date=September 17, 2020}}</ref>
* Steve Aveson- Anchor (2002-2008)

* Bob Blanchard- Trouble shooter (1978-1984)
===Notable former on-air staff===
* Mort Blender- Anchor (1955-1971) (d)
* [[Karen Adams]] – 5, 6 and 11&nbsp;p.m. news anchor (1989–2010; now retired)
* Hank Bouchard- Weather (1955?-1990) (d)
* [[Ernie Anastos]] – (news anchor, 1976–1978, later with various stations in [[New York City]], was at [[WNYW]])
* John Buccigross- Sports (1990s) (ESPN)
* [[Jess Atkinson]] – (sports director, 1996–2000; former [[NFL]] [[placekicker]], now back at his ''alma mater'', the [[University of Maryland]])
* Jack Burns- Reporter (1960s-1996)(d)
* [[Salty Brine]] – (concurrent with [[WPRO (AM)|WPRO]]/630, deceased)
* Bob Cain- News Anchor (1970s) Former CNN Anchor
* [[Steve Cascione]] - Weather (2002-2007) Now at WLNE-TV
* [[Steve Cascione]] (meteorologist, 2002–2007, also formerly with [[WLNE-TV]], now with the [[Rhode Island Department of Transportation]])
* [[Walter Cryan]] – 6 and 11&nbsp;p.m. news anchor, previously with WTEV-TV as "Wally" Cryan, (1965–2000; now retired)
* Tom Chisholm- Chief Meteorologist (1977-1981) Now at WMTW-Portland, ME
* [[John Daly (American media personality)|John Daly]] (later with [[New England Cable News]])
* Judy Chong- Reporter 1995-1997
* [[Vince DeMentri]] (news anchor, 1990–1992, 2009–2010 previously in New York City, last with [[WICS]] [[Springfield, Illinois]])
* Chris Clark- Sports (1960's) Sports (d)
* [[Mike Gorman]] (sports director, 1978–1985, now with [[NBC Sports Boston]])
* Charles Claverie ''(AKA Charles Rocket SNL)-'' Anchor 1974-1976 (d)
* [[Mark Haines]] (1976–1979; later with [[CNBC]]; now deceased)
* Don Colson- News Anchor (1970's) Worked at WABI TV Bangor
* [[Kristine Johnson]] (news anchor/reporter, 1997–2006; now at [[WCBS-TV]] New York)
* Ann Conway- Anchor (1991-2001) Executive coach and senior communications consultant for Bates Communications
* [[Camille Kostek]] – Guest anchor for ''The Rhode Show'' in 2015
* Jim Corbin- Weather (1997-2003) Now at WLNE-TV
* [[Harvey Leonard]] (chief meteorologist, 1974–1977 later with WHDH [[Boston]], now with [[WCVB]] Boston)
* Don Coyne- Sports (1986-1992) Now at WLNE-TV
* [[Michelle Muscatello]] – meteorologist
* Logan Crawford- Reporter (1990s)
* [[Deb Placey]] (sports anchor/reporter, now with [[MSG Network]])
* Walter Cryan- Anchor (1965-2000)
* [[Charles Rocket]] – (news anchor; later a cast member of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', deceased)
* John Daly- Reporter (1983-1987) "Real TV" Host
* [[Bob Ryan (meteorologist)|Bob Ryan]] (1971–1972; later at various stations in [[Washington, D.C.]]; now retired)
* Gay Dawson- Weather (1987-1989) Formerly at Weather Channel
* [[Jack White (reporter)|Jack White]] (previously with the ''[[Cape Cod Times]]'', deceased, father of current reporter Tim White)
* Jeff Derderian- Reporter (2003)

* Amy DeLuca- Anchor (2005-2006)
==Technical information==
* Jennifer DeMarais- Anchor (2005)
===Subchannels===
* Vince DeMentri- Anchor/reporter (1990-1993) Recently fired from WCAU-TV
The station's signal is [[multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
* Barry Diamond- Sports Director (1991-1992) Now at FoxSports LA
{| class="wikitable"
* He n r y E a ton- Reporter (1982-1987)
|+Subchannels of WPRI-TV<ref name="rei">{{cite web|title=Digital TV Market Listing for WPRI|url=https://rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WPRI|website=rabbitears.info|access-date=February 2, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
* Mark Economou- Reporter/Anchor (1996-2001) Now at WPRO-AM Radio
! [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
* Murray Feldman- News Anchor/Reporter (1972-1976) Now at WWJ Radio-Detroit
! [[Display resolution|Res.]]
* Debbie Ferarro- Reporter/anchor (1988-1990)
! [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
* John Flanders- Chief Meteorologist (1981-1997)
! Short name
* Jeff Gilbert- Weather (1990-1991) worked at WJLA
! Programming
* Janice Glynn- Anchor (1984-1989)
|-
* Mike Gorman- Sports Director (1978-1986) later Boston Celtics play-by-play announcer
! scope = "row" | 12.1
* Michael Gwynn - Sports Anchor/reporter (1988-1991)
| [[1080i]] || rowspan=4| [[16:9]] || WPRI-HD || [[CBS]]
* Mark Haines- Anchor (1980s) Now on CNBC
|-
* Bob Halloran- Sports (1991-1997) Now at WCVB-TV
! scope = "row" | 12.2
* Barbara Hamilton- Anchor/reporter (1978-1989)
| [[720p]] || MYRI || [[MyNetworkTV]]
* Peter Henderson- Reporter (1980's) Worked at WHDH
|-
* Sean Hennessey- Reporter (1990s) Now at WCBS-TV
! scope = "row" | 12.3
* Mike Holfeld- Anchor (1980's) now at WKMG- Orlando
| rowspan=2| [[480i]] || TruCrim || [[True Crime Network]]
* Deborah Horne- Reporter (1980-1991) Now at KIRO-TV
|-
* Don Horner- Photographer (1995-2007) (deceased)
! scope = "row" | 12.4
* Kristine Johnson- Anchor (1994-2004) Now at WCBS-TV
| Dabl || [[Dabl]]
* Debbie Kauffman- Sports (1991-1992) Now at WNBC-TV
|}
* Ann Kellan- News Anchor/Medical reporter (1981-1985) Worked at CNN

* Heidi Kemp- Anchor/reporter (2002-2005)
===Analog-to-digital conversion===
* Jim King- Anchor (1999-2001)
WPRI-TV received Federal Communications Commission (FCC) consent to discontinue regular programming on its analog signal, over [[VHF]] channel 12, on February 17, 2009,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-09-245A1.pdf | title = FCC Releases Lists of TV Stations' Responses to Requirements for Analog Termination on February 17, 2009 | author = Federal Communications Commission | author-link = Federal Communications Commission | id = DA 09-245 | date = February 13, 2009 | access-date = February 13, 2009}}</ref> the original date when full-power television stations in the United States were to [[digital television transition in the United States|transition from analog to digital broadcasts]] under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 13,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds |access-date=March 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 }}</ref> using [[virtual channel]] 12. WNAC-TV also discontinued regular analog service on February 17, 2009, and began operation of its new digital facility on channel 12. WPRI is also one of the only remaining TV stations in America to sign-off and sign-on once a week to this day.
* John King- Reporter (1982-1985) Now CNN political director
* Greta Kreuz- Reporter/Anchor (1984-1987) Now at WJLA
* Barry Kriger- Anchor (1995-1996) Now at WWLP-TV
* Glenn Laxton- Reporter (1968-1989, 1997-2006)
* Harvey Leonard- Chief Meteorologist (1974-1977) Now at WCVB-TV
* Tom Lewis- Weather (1991-1995) Now at WVIT
* Brent Martineau- Sports (?-2002) Now at WTEV-TV/WAWS-TV
* Pat Mastors- Anchor (1989-2004)
* Bob "Red" McCreary- Sports Director (1974-1977)
* Ken Mease- Sports (1973-1978) worked at WUSA-TV
* John Mone--Reporter (2005-2007) Now at AP Television
* Rick O'Brien- Sports Anchor (1982-1988)
* Tony Potts- Sports Director (1993-1996) Now at Access Hollywood
* [[Jim Roberts]]- News Anchor (1978-1984)
* John Rooke- Sports Director (1988-1991)
* Brian Rooney- Reporter (1983-1985) ABC News
* Jim Rose- Sports Anchor (1975-1977) Now at WLS-TV Chicago
* Bob Ryan- Meteorologist (1970's) Now at WRC-TV
* Ron St. Pierre- Sports (1980s) Now morning show host on WPRO-AM
* Karen Southern- Reporter (1991-2001) now public information officer for Providence Mayor David Cicilline
* Dean Tendrich- Weather (1995-1997)
* Greg Wayland- Anchor (1984-1989) Now at NECN
* Ted Wayman- Reporter (1985-1990)
* Doug White- Anchor (1972-1978) (d)
* Jack White- Investigative reporter (1985-2005) (d)
* Mark Wile- News Anchor/reporter (1981-1985)
* Phil Wilson- Weekend Anchor/Investigative reporter(1970s-1993) (d)
* Steve Wiczek- Anchor/reporter (1998-2001)
* Thom McGair-Anchor/reporter(1990-1994)


==Logos==
==See also==
*[[Channel 7 digital TV stations in the United States]]
<gallery>
*[[Channel 12 virtual TV stations in the United States]]
Image:Wpro1050s.png|WPRO logo used in promotional materials in the 1950s.
Image:Wpri-1970s.png|WPRI-TV logo used from the 1970s to the mid-1980s.
Image:Wpri1998.png|WPRI logo used from the 1990s to 2000. The CBS eye was added in 1995. The "WPRI TV" lettering was similar to then-sister station WTKR's logo in the early 90s.
Image:WPRI_00.jpg|WPRI logo used from 2000 to 2002.
Image:WPRI_02.jpg|Current WPRI logo used since 2002.
Image:Pinpoint_weather_channel.jpg|Logo for the ''Pinpoint Weather Channel''.
</gallery>


==References==
==News/Station Presentation==
{{Reflist}}
===Newscast Titles===
*''WPRO-TV News'' (1955-1967)
*''TV-12 News'' (1967-1973)
*''On the Scene News'' (1973-1977)
*''NewsCenter 12'' (1977-1985)
*''Channel 12 News'' (1985-1989)
*''Channel 12 Eyewitness News'' (1989-1996)
*''12 News'' (1996-2002)
*''Eyewitness News'' (2002-Present)


==External links==
== External links ==
*[http://www.wpri.com/ WPRI-TV/DT]
* {{official website|https://www.wpri.com/|WPRI 12}} (DT1)
* {{official website|https://www.wpri.com/myritv|MyRITV}} (DT2)
*[http://www.myfoxprovidence.com/ WNAC-TV/DT "Fox Providence"]
*[http://www.wpri.com/mobile WPRI wireless]
*{{TVQ|WPRI}}
*{{BIA|WPRI|TV|TV}}


{{Providence TV}}
{{Providence TV}}
{{LIN TV}}
{{CBS New England}}
{{MNTV New England}}
{{NXST TV}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Wpri-Tv}}
[[Category:CBS network affiliates]]
[[Category:Providence, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:1955 establishments in Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Channel 12 TV stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Bounce TV affiliates]]
[[Category:CBS affiliates]]
[[Category:Get (TV network) affiliates]]
[[Category:Mass media in Providence, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:MyNetworkTV affiliates]]
[[Category:Nexstar Media Group]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1955]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1955]]
[[Category:Television stations in Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Television stations in Massachusetts|PRI-TV]]
[[Category:Television stations in Rhode Island|PRI-TV]]

Latest revision as of 14:26, 20 February 2024

WPRI-TV
CityProvidence, Rhode Island
Channels
BrandingWPRI 12; 12 News Now; MyRITV (DT2)
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WNAC-TV
History
First air date
March 27, 1955 (69 years ago) (1955-03-27)
Former call signs
WPRO-TV (1955–1967)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 12 (VHF, 1955–2009)
  • Digital: 13 (VHF, 2003–2019)
  • CBS (1955–1977)
  • ABC (1977–1995; secondary 1955–1963)
Call sign meaning
Providence, Rhode Island
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID47404
ERP27 kW
HAAT310.6 m (1,019 ft)
Transmitter coordinates41°52′14″N 71°17′43″W / 41.87056°N 71.29528°W / 41.87056; -71.29528
Links
Public license information
Website

WPRI-TV (channel 12) is a television station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which provides certain services to dual Fox/CW affiliate WNAC-TV (channel 64) under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Mission Broadcasting. The two stations share studios on Catamore Boulevard in East Providence, Rhode Island; WPRI-TV's transmitter is located on Pine Street in Rehoboth, Massachusetts.

History[edit]

WPRO-TV (1955–1967)[edit]

The station debuted on March 27, 1955, known as WPRO-TV (for Providence). It was Rhode Island's third television station and was owned and operated, along with WPRO radio (630 AM and 92.3 FM), by retailer Cherry & Webb. WPRO-TV was originally supposed to go on the air in 1953, but the station ran into several delays. It had originally planned to build a transmitter in Rehoboth, but legal disputes with town officials forced Cherry & Webb to find a site in Johnston, Rhode Island.

The station then planned to sign on in 1954, but Hurricane Carol destroyed the Johnston transmitter. The legal disputes in Rehoboth were finally settled in late 1954, and WPRO got the go-ahead to begin construction there. The channel was due to join CBS because of WPRO radio's long affiliation with CBS Radio. Even when it became apparent that WPRO-TV would miss its target air date, CBS opted to continue its secondary affiliation with NBC station WJAR-TV (channel 10) rather than move its programming to ABC affiliate WNET (channel 16, the predecessor of today's WNAC-TV).

When WPRO-TV finally came on the air, ABC gave it right of first refusal for its more popular shows. Within less than a year, WNET had gone dark. This station continued to share ABC with WJAR until WTEV (channel 6, now WLNE-TV) signed-on in 1963.

Channel 12's studios were originally located on the top floor of 24 Mason Street in Downtown Providence with its sister radio stations. The three stations' news facilities were completely integrated. On-air personalities from radio and TV created newscasts together. In fact, some reporters recorded conservative-sounding FM news broadcasts prior to pulling a switch to deliver live, punchy on-air news for the AM station on the hour, with headlines on the half-hour. And some radio news reporters headed into the field with photographers to cover stories simultaneously for radio and TV.

Legendary Providence radio personality Salty Brine had a daily children's show on WPRO-TV. News personalities included Mort Blender and Walter Cryan while the beloved Hank Bouchard did a multitude of on-air duties. That included announcing, hosting programs, and giving the weather report. Cherry & Webb sold WPRO-AM-FM-TV to Albany, New York–based Capital Cities Television Corporation, the predecessor of Capital Cities Communications, in 1959, earning a handsome return on its purchase of WPRO radio in 1931.

WPRI (1967–present)[edit]

WPRO-TV was then sold to Poole Broadcasting (owners of WJRT-TV in Flint, Michigan) on June 16, 1967; that sale was necessary because CapCities' purchase of KTRK-TV in Houston left it one VHF station over the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ownership limit at the time. Since CapCities retained the WPRO radio stations, Poole Broadcasting, so as to comply with an FCC regulation in place then that required TV and radio stations in the same market, but with different owners to use differing call signs, changed channel 12's call letters to the present WPRI-TV. It wanted to trade on the well-known WPRO calls and also realized that "PRI" could stand for Providence, Rhode Island. CapCities retained ownership of the WPRO radio stations until 1993, with the last seven years of their ownership saw the stations being ABC-owned stations affiliated with the ABC Radio Network. However, the three stations continued to share the Mason Street studio until 1974, when they moved to separate facilities in East Providence. Poole retained ownership of channel 12 until 1977 when it sold its three television stations (WPRI, WJRT, and WTEN in Albany, New York) to Knight Ridder Broadcasting. WPRI swapped affiliations with WTEV and became an ABC affiliate on June 27, 1977, after this sale as a result of a corporate affiliation deal between ABC and Knight Ridder (WTEN, then a CBS station, would switch to ABC several months later in October; WPRI's former owners, Capital Cities Communications, would later buy ABC in 1985).

In 1989, Knight Ridder left the broadcasting business, selling WPRI and WTKR in Norfolk, Virginia, to Narragansett Television LP, a locally based firm. Narragansett Television sold WPRI to CBS in early 1995, making it a network owned-and-operated station (and one of the last such acquisitions prior to the Westinghouse Electric Corporation's purchase of the network). At midnight on September 10, 1995, WPRI reversed the 1977 swap with WLNE and officially rejoined CBS. It aired a vigorous promotion called "Survive the Switch" so television viewers in Providence would be prepared for this changeover.

In August 1995, Westinghouse bought CBS for approximately $6 billion. The merger was finalized on November 24. Westinghouse already owned WBZ-TV in Boston; that station provided city-grade coverage to Providence itself, as well as New Bedford and Fall River, Massachusetts, and at least grade B coverage to the rest of Rhode Island, while WPRI's city-grade signal, like most of the other major Rhode Island stations, decently covers most of the Boston area. At the time, the FCC normally did not allow common ownership of multiple stations with overlapping coverage areas and would not even consider granting a waiver if the overlap was between city-grade signals. As a result, CBS opted to keep WBZ-TV and sell WPRI to Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) on July 1, 1996, after less than ten months of ownership. Just months after the sale was announced, the FCC eliminated the requirement of a waiver for common ownership of television stations in adjacent markets with substantial grade B signal overlap. It began to permit common ownership of stations whose city-grade signals overlap when duopolies began to be permitted in 2000.

LIN TV era (2000–2014)[edit]

In 2000, Clear Channel was forced to sell WPRI as a condition of being allowed to buy additional radio stations in the Providence market. Sunrise Television acquired WPRI in early 2001 for $50 million. Sunrise merged with LIN TV in May 2002.

On May 18, 2007, LIN TV announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives that could have resulted in the sale of the company. In October 2008, WPRI and sister station WALA-TV in Mobile, Alabama, relaunched websites through News Corporation's Fox Interactive Media, since spun off as the independent company known as EndPlay. It, in turn, was acquired by the Nexstar Broadcasting Group in 2014 and merged with its two other CMS providers, Inergize Digital and Internet Broadcasting to form a new CMS unit, Lakana, as a result of a new partnership between LIN TV and NewsCorp. The other LIN TV-owned stations (irrespective of network affiliations) followed suit within two months ending the company's long partnership with WorldNow. The new sites were in a format similar to those of the Fox O&O-style web addresses used by many Fox affiliates (and which the LIN TV-owned or controlled Fox affiliates such as WNAC-TV had used) except the flashy myFox look. The MyFox sites themselves were eventually redesigned to a look similar to those of the LIN TV sites. After Nexstar's acquisition of EndPlay was completed, the LIN station Web sites switched to the WordPress.com VIP CMS platform. Most of the Web sites of the television stations Media General acquired since the announced merger with Young Broadcasting have also adopted this platform.

LMA with WNAC-TV (1997–present)[edit]

Shortly after Clear Channel took over the station, WPRI entered in a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Fox affiliate WNAC (then owned by Argyle Television). WPRI took over the station's operations on September 28, 1997, when WNAC moved its operations into this station's facilities. WNAC operates under the license of the old WNET, which was forced off-the-air in 1955 largely due to the presence of WPRI. In late 1997, Argyle merged with Hearst Broadcasting, owner of ABC affiliate WCVB-TV in Boston. Hearst was forced to trade WNAC together with WDTN in Dayton, Ohio (which had to be sold to alleviate an overlap conflict with WLWT in Cincinnati), to Sunrise Television in return for WPTZ in Plattsburgh, New York, WNNE in Hartford, Vermont, and KSBW in Salinas, California. This was due to the FCC rule forbidding common ownership of two stations with overlapping city-grade signals (the same rule that forced CBS to sell WPRI two years earlier).

When Sunrise bought WPRI from Clear Channel in early 2001, WNAC was sold to LIN TV due to FCC regulations forbidding common ownership of two of the four highest-rated stations in the same market. In this case, WNAC cannot be co-owned directly with WPRI. However, LIN TV was forced to put WNAC back on the market almost as soon as it closed on the station's purchase due to the ownership structures of Sunrise and LIN TV. Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst (forerunner to HM Capital Partners), a private-equity firm co-founded by Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars then-owner Tom Hicks, was the majority owner of LIN TV. At the same time, HMTF also controlled a large block of Sunrise stock. The FCC ruled that HMTF controlled enough Sunrise stock that the company could not own any stations in markets where LIN TV-owned a station as well.

Finally, in April 2002, LIN TV sold WNAC to Super Towers, Inc. (d/b/a WNAC, LLC), a company owned by Timothy Sheehan, brother-in-law of former LIN TV Vice President Paul Karpowicz. This sale allowed the merger between Sunrise and LIN TV to be completed the following month. LIN TV continued to operate WNAC under the same LMA it inherited from Sunrise.

Merger with Media General, then Nexstar (2014–present)[edit]

On March 21, 2014, LIN Media entered into an agreement to merge with Media General in a $1.6 billion deal. Because Media General already owned NBC affiliate WJAR and the two stations ranked as the two highest-rated stations in the Providence market in total day viewership, the companies were required to sell either WJAR or WPRI-TV to another station owner to comply with FCC ownership rules as well as planned changes to those rules regarding same-market television stations which would prohibit sharing agreements; the LMA involving WNAC would be included in the sale.[2][3][4] On August 20, 2014, Media General announced that it would keep WPRI and the LMA with WNAC and sell WJAR to Sinclair Broadcast Group, even though WJAR had higher ratings.[5][6] The merger was completed on December 19, 2014.[7]

On January 27, 2016, Nexstar Broadcasting Group announced plans to merge with Media General. The merger was completed on January 17, 2017.

WPRI-DT2[edit]

WPRI-DT2, branded on-air as MyRITV, is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated second digital subchannel of WPRI-TV, broadcasting on channel 12.2. Ever since its inception, WPRI-DT2's over-the-air signal had broadcast in 480i standard definition; however, in October 2017, it was upgraded to 720p high definition.

On October 22, 2010, WPRI began carrying TheCoolTV music video programming on its 12.2 subchannel; it was replaced by Bounce TV in July 2013. On October 2, 2017, the Bounce TV subchannel was moved to channel 12.3, replacing GetTV, which moved to a newly created 12.4 subchannel. This was to accommodate the move of MyRITV, the market's MyNetworkTV affiliate, from WNAC-DT2 to WPRI-DT2 as part of a broader shuffle where the programming and CW affiliation of WLWC's main channel was purchased by Nexstar several months before after WLWC's owner, OTA Broadcasting, sold their spectrum in the FCC's 2016 incentive auction and decided on a channel share with WPXQ-TV. That day, MyRITV was moved to WPRI-DT2 (so that WLWC's programming could, in turn, be moved to WNAC-DT2), to balance bandwidth among all four of Nexstar's major network affiliations in Providence. Thus WPRI has a 1080i CBS channel and 720p MyNetworkTV subchannel, with WNAC having a 720p Fox channel and 720p CW subchannel.[8][9]

On October 1, 2009, WNAC-DT2 became the market's MyNetworkTV affiliate after the service was moved from the main WNAC feed.[10] Before this change, the main channel had aired the network in a secondary manner delaying weeknight prime time programming from 11:30 to 1:30 in the morning and Saturday prime time programming until early Sunday mornings from 12:30 to 2:30. In 2011, WNAC-DT2 televised local college basketball games on Wednesdays under the banner "Game Night".[11]

News operation[edit]

Traditionally, WPRI has been a solid, if usually distant, runner-up in the ratings to long-dominant WJAR. In the February and May 2010 Nielsen ratings period, WPRI was second in all timeslots, with its 6 p.m. newscast reaching nearly 20,000 fewer viewers than WJAR's newscast. Since then, however, WPRI has mounted a spirited challenge to WJAR's dominance.

Specifically, its broadcast weeknights at 11 p.m. has gained enormous popularity. As of the November 2010 sweeps period, this newscast on WPRI is the most watched in Rhode Island while WJAR continues its dominance in all other time periods.[12]

In September 1993, the station created a 30-minute 5 p.m. newscast, the first in the market. It was expanded to one hour in mid-1995.

In 1996, WPRI began producing the market's first nightly prime time newscast at 10 p.m. on WNAC, then titled Eyewitness News at 10 on Fox Providence. This was joined in April 1997 by a WJAR-produced show seen weeknights on WLWC entitled TV 28 News at 10. However, that was dropped in September when the WJAR LMA with WLWC ended. In 2004, an hour-long extension of WPRI's weekday morning show was added to WNAC at 7 a.m. branded as Eyewitness News This Morning on Fox Providence. It was eventually canceled, but was brought back early in 2009 as a lead-in to The Rhode Show.

WPRI and WNAC received an on-air overhaul introducing a new news set and updated graphics on March 17, 2008. LIN operated a shared Bell 206L3 Long Ranger helicopter with the registration N812TV branded as "News Chopper 12" until December 2008, which was shared with Connecticut sister station WTNH and had that station's imaging on the right, with WPRI's imaging on its left side.

On February 18, 2009, WNAC launched an hour-long lifestyle and entertainment magazine-type program called The Rhode Show that aired weekday mornings at 8 a.m. A new secondary set for the show was built with a fully functional kitchen. The show was previously hosted by the weekday morning news anchor teams— Vince DeMentri and Elizabeth Hopkins from February 2009 to March 2010, Patrick Little and Hopkins from March 2010 to November 2010, and Little and Danielle North from November 2010 to December 2011. A third alternating host for a period of one year was found annually through an open audition in a contest titled The Rhode Show Search for a Star. In 2008, Boston-area radio deejay Shawn Tempesta won the contest out of over 140 people. In 2009, Cranston comedian Ben Hague beat out over 100 other hopefuls. Bridgewater State University graduate Michaela Johnson of East Providence won the honor in 2010. During the week, The Rhode Show was streamed live on WNAC's website. The main channel re-aired the show weekday afternoons at 1 p.m. with WNAC-DT2 (MyRITV, now WPRI-DT2) doing the same at 4 p.m.

In December 2011, it was announced that on January 9, 2012, The Rhode Show would move to WPRI and would begin at 9 a.m. Michaela Johnson and former WPRO-FM personality Will Gilbert became permanent hosts of the show. Mary Larsen was selected as the third host in the 2011 Search for a Star contest. MyRITV continued to re-air the show at 2 p.m. on weekdays until 2013. In addition, Eyewitness News This Morning on Fox Providence was extended to fill the hour previously occupied by The Rhode Show. This newscast now airs between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.[13]

WPRI operated a 24-hour local weather channel under the branding "Eyewitness News Pinpoint Weather Station", on Cox digital channel 125. It also aired on the second digital subchannels of WPRI and WNAC until 2007, but went cable-only due to children's programming restrictions (also known as E/I programming). It was then simulcast on weekends when the main channels of WPRI and WNAC signed off overnight. The weather channel was eliminated in 2010. Now during sign off hours on weekend overnights, a loop of the stations' Doppler radar is shown.

Along with its own weather radar at its transmitter site in Rehoboth, the station also features live NOAA National Weather Service radar data from the Local Forecast Office on Myles Standish Boulevard in Taunton. Together, this is known in weather segments as "Live Pinpoint Doppler 12". It shares resources with WBZ-TV for coverage of Southeastern Massachusetts. In return, WPRI does the same for its coverage of the same area. All of WPRI and WNAC's weekday newscasts are streamed live on WPRI's website and mobile app. They also replay their most recent newscast on a continuous loop until the next live newscast and stream breaking news events.

Eyewitness News has won the Massachusetts/Rhode Island Associated Press News Station of the Year award nine years in a row since 2004, its most recent coming in May 2012.[14]

WPRI and WNAC were the last stations in the market to upgrade their newscasts to high definition, though they were first to experiment with the format through promotional materials and debates during the election season in 2010. Set reconfiguration began on July 22, 2011. Newscasts in the interim aired from The Rhode Show studio. WJAR was the first in Rhode Island to have made the upgrade, on May 16, 2011, followed by WLNE on September 13, 2011. They debuted the new set and modified graphics on September 20, 2011, during their 5 p.m. newscast. On January 13, 2014, WPRI announced that it would be expanding its early evening news by launching a 6:30 p.m. newscast on WNAC on January 27.[15]

On August 31, 2020, WPRI dropped the Eyewitness News branding after 18 years; WPRI's newscasts are now branded as 12 News, while WNAC's newscasts are now branded as 12 News Now on Fox Providence.

WPRI's long-running weekend public affairs show, Newsmakers, debuted on September 17, 1978, and is still on the air. Its current hosts are Tim White and Ted Nesi.[16]

Notable former on-air staff[edit]

Technical information[edit]

Subchannels[edit]

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WPRI-TV[17]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
12.1 1080i 16:9 WPRI-HD CBS
12.2 720p MYRI MyNetworkTV
12.3 480i TruCrim True Crime Network
12.4 Dabl Dabl

Analog-to-digital conversion[edit]

WPRI-TV received Federal Communications Commission (FCC) consent to discontinue regular programming on its analog signal, over VHF channel 12, on February 17, 2009,[18] the original date when full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition VHF channel 13,[19] using virtual channel 12. WNAC-TV also discontinued regular analog service on February 17, 2009, and began operation of its new digital facility on channel 12. WPRI is also one of the only remaining TV stations in America to sign-off and sign-on once a week to this day.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WPRI-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ TV Station Mega Merger: Media General, LIN Set $1.6 Billion Deal from Variety (March 21, 2014)
  3. ^ Media General acquiring LIN Media for $1.6 billion, Los Angeles Times, March 21, 2014.
  4. ^ Media Gen/LIN To Sell/Swap In Five Markets, TVNewsCheck, March 21, 2014.
  5. ^ "Media General, LIN Sell Stations In 5 Markets". TVNewsCheck. August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  6. ^ McKinney, Mike (August 20, 2014). "Media General to sell Channel 10 WJAR to Sinclair Broadcast Group". The Providence Journal. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  7. ^ Media General Completes Merger With LIN Media Archived December 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Press Release, Media General, Retrieved December 19, 2014
  8. ^ "WPRI 12/FOX Providence/myRITV to take ownership of The CW Providence". WPRI 12 Eyewitness News. September 25, 2017. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  9. ^ Crowe, John (September 1, 2017). "The CW Providence – Channel Move Information". The CW Providence – WLWC. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  10. ^ Malone, Michael (October 1, 2009). "WNAC Shifts MyNet to Digital Channel | Broadcasting & Cable". Broadcastingcable.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  11. ^ [1] Archived April 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ "WJAR newcasts strong; WPRI gains slight edge in 11 p.m. slot - PBN.com - Providence Business News". www.pbn.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2010.
  13. ^ "2012 to bring new Rhode Show co-hosts". FOXProvidence.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  14. ^ "WPRI named News Station of the Year". wpri.com. May 19, 2012. Archived from the original on May 21, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  15. ^ McGowan, Dan (January 13, 2014). "Eyewitness News launching 6:30 p.m. news". WPRI.com. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  16. ^ @TedNesi (September 17, 2020). "Big day for @TimWhiteRI and me: today is the 42nd anniversary of Newsmakers' premiere!The first episode ever aire…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ "Digital TV Market Listing for WPRI". rabbitears.info. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  18. ^ Federal Communications Commission (February 13, 2009). "FCC Releases Lists of TV Stations' Responses to Requirements for Analog Termination on February 17, 2009" (PDF). DA 09-245. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
  19. ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.

External links[edit]

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