WJAC-TV

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WJAC-TV is the NBC network affiliated television station serving the entire Johnstown-Altoona-State College, Pennsylvania metropolitan area and is owned and operated by Cox Enterprises, which also owns fellow NBC affiliate WPXI in nearby Pittsburgh.

Technical Information

This station is licensed to Johnstown and broadcasts on VHF channel 6 at 70.8 kilowatts and in high definition on UHF channel 34 at 1,000 kilowatts, as authorized by the Federal Communications Commission. Its transmitter is located in the Morrellville neighborhood of Johnstown. However, the nearby mountain ridges prevent most of Altoona and all of State College from receiving channel 6's signal.

Because the audio portion of VHF channel 6 is broadcast at 87.7 MHz, it is possible to "listen to the TV" on most standard FM car radios (or any standard FM radio, for that matter) -- a feature frequently employed by area residents.

History

WJAC-TV first began its broadcasting operations on September 15, 1949 -- originally owned by Johnstown Automotive Company. At the time, not only was it the oldest television station in the market, but it was also the third smallest television station in the country marketwise to be granted a commercial license on or before December 31, 1949 -- only behind CBS affiliate WBNG-TV Binghamton, New York and fellow NBC affiliate WICU-TV in Erie. When it first began its operation, it was broadcasting on channel 13 before moving to channel 6 years later. It kept the NBC affiliation since its inception and was acquired by Cox in the 2000, which also acquired Wheeling/Steubenville NBC affiliate WTOV in the same deal. The two stations and WPXI are occasionally marketed together as a result.

Today, WJAC 6 News continues carrying out its commitment to serve its community.

In the 50's and 60's, its slogan was "serving millions from atop the Alleghenies". This old slogan has been used recently in various ways in the broadcast, including as a 5 second ad before a newscast. It also has been used as the newscast's "Covering The Alleghenies" segment, where minor stories from around the area are told in brief.

WJAC also gained a reputation for its locally-produced programs at the station through the years. "Scholastic Quiz", a game show featuring local high school students, and "Seniors Today", a public affairs program targeted to those 65 and older, would become mainstays of WJAC's programming and make host Ron Lorence (who would later build WRSC-AM and then buy WYSN-FM south of Johnstown in Somerset) a local household name.

Anchors

Sunrise: Bill Brown and Katie Sabatino (Anchors) Jim Burton (Weather)

Noon: Bill Brown (Anchor) Jim Burton (Weather)

5:00-6:00 PM: Jennifer Johnson (Anchor) Tony Martin (Weather)

6:00-6:30 PM: Marty Radovanic and Jennifer Johnson (Anchors) Tony Martin (Weather) Tim Rigby (Sports)

11:00 PM: Marty Radovanic (Anchor) Tony Martin (Weather) Tim Rigby (Sports)

Saturday Sunrise: TBD (Anchor) Tim Tender (Weather)

Weekend Nights: Rich Klindworth (Anchor) Tim Tender (Weather) and Matt Maisel (Sports)

Former Anchors

Jared Latch left WJAC on June 11th to join the sports department at WSOC-TV in Charlotte.

Katie Collett left WJAC on August 1 to join WAVY-TV in Portsmouth, VA.

Dave Roush left WJAC on July 10th to join News 12 The Bronx in New York City.

Former weekend news anchor Jon Meyer left in 2002 to join WNEP-TV in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Former news anchor and reporter MaryEllen Locher left WJAC in 1983, to move off to Stubenville, Ohio and Chattanooga, Tennessee. MaryEllen lost her battle to cancer on June 9, 2005.

External links

• WJACTV.com - WJAC Channel 6 News Website
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