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WIVB-TV

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WIVB-TV is the CBS television affiliate in Buffalo, New York. It broadcasts its analog signal on VHF channel 4, and its digital signal on UHF channel 39. It is owned by LIN TV Corporation, and is sister station to WNLO 23, the area's CW network affiliate. The master control operations for both stations are located at the WISH-TV hub facility in Indianapolis, Indiana.

WIVB's transmitter is located at 8242 Center Street in Colden, New York. It is one of several local Buffalo TV stations seen in Southern Ontario, including Toronto, which happens to be the channel's biggest target audience.

History

An early WBEN-TV identification card.

The station went on the air in May 13, 1948 as WBEN-TV, almost three years after its owner, the Buffalo Evening News applied for a license. It is the oldest television station in the market and one of the oldest in the nation. The station operated out of studios on the eighteenth floor of Hotel Statler until 1960, when it moved to studios at 2077 Elmwood Avenue originally built for WBUF-TV (Channel 17), Buffalo's one time NBC affiliate. One early show, running from the late 1940s until 1970, was Meet the Millers featuring Bill and Mildred Miller and their cooking and household tips each weekday afternoon.

Another staple throughout the 1950s and early 60s was a short visit to the North Pole with Santa Claus and Forgetful the Elf. This was a daily show aired only during December and sponsored by Hengerer's Department Store.

The station's callsign changed to WIVB (We're 4 Buffalo) in 1977, after the newspaper (now owned by Berkshire Hathaway) sold the station to newspaper publisher Robert Howard of Oceanside, California for $25.5 million (the WBEN callsign remains on News Talk 930 AM radio, currently owned by Entercom Communications). WIVB was then sold to King World Productions (at that time a separate entity from both Viacom and CBS) in 1988. LIN acquired the station in 1995.

The station added a morning newscast in the mid-1990s, known as Wake Up!.

In 2000, WIVB's parent company LIN bought the station then known as WNEQ (channel 23), the region's secondary PBS affiliate. In January 23, 2001, WNEQ was relaunched as WNLO, an independent station, and soon WIVB began airing a 10 p.m. newscast on WNLO. WNLO began serving as the region's UPN affiliate in 2002. (The previous UPN station WNGS is now a Retro Television Network affiliate, owned by Equity Broadcasting but operated by WKBW's owner Granite Broadcasting under an LMA.) In September 2006 the station becomes the CW Television Network affiliate in Buffalo, NY.

On May 18, 2007, LIN TV announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives that could result in the sale of the company.

Accolades and honors

WIVB has been the #1 news channel in Western New York after rival WKBW's long winning streak ended in the early 2000s. The station regularly scored ratings wins for every newscast it aired, from morning to night. The station had become so dominant in the market that it at one time garnered the highest television ratings for a local newscast in the entire nation, according to advertisements run by the station.

As of late, rival WGRZ-TV, which has also had strong ratings in the market, has begun to challenge WIVB's dominance, specifically in the 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. newscasts Nielsen's May 2007 sweeps data. By July 2007, WGRZ's morning show was soundly beating WIVB's Wake Up! in the ratings, likely due to the fact that WGRZ picked up former WIVB reporter Kevin O'Neill, AKA "The Why Guy." WIVB has since reclaimed the top position in the November 2007 sweeps.

The station and its staff have won several Emmy awards including one in 1999.

WIVB chief meteorologist Don Paul has recently been voted Buffalo's favorite television personality, according to advertisements run on the station, and its safe to say he's WNY's favorite weather man.

WIVB is the only WNY news station to have 4 full time meteorologists, on duty 7 days a week--unique expertise in WNY television. "That's how you get the most accurate forecast on WNY Television--by staffing fully with PROFESSIONAL Meteorologists." -Don Paul

Personalities

News Anchors

  • Lisa Flynn - 5:30 on WIVB; 10 P.M. on CW-23
  • Mylous Hairston - 6 and 11 P.M. (weekends)
  • Victoria Hong - Wakeup! and Early Show News Updates
  • Michelle McClintick - Wakeup! (weekends)
  • Don Postles - 5, 6 and 11 P.M.
  • Lisa Scott - Wakeup! and Noon
  • Jacquie Walker - 5, 6 and 11 P.M.

Sports

  • Robin Adams sports reporter and fill-in anchor
  • Paul Peck - weekends at 6 and 11 on WIVB; 10 P.M. on CW-23 - sports reporter
  • Dennis Williams - sports director - 5:30, 6 and 11 P.M. on WIVB; 10 P.M. on CW-23

Weather

  • Mike Cejka - Wakeup! and Noon
  • Don Paul - chief meteorologist - 5, 5:30, 6, and 11 P.M. on WIVB; 10 P.M. on CW-23
  • Lindsay Schwarzwaelder - Wakeup! (weekends)
  • Mary Beth Wrobel - weekends 6 and 11 on WIVB; 10 P.M. on CW-23

Reporters

  • Jericka Duncan - Wakeup! and Noon
  • Melissa Holmes - Wakeup! and Noon
  • Jodi Hovenden - Noon, 5, and 5:30 p.m.
  • Rob Macko - 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m. on WVIB; 10 p.m. on CW-23
  • Ellen Maxwell - 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 on WIVB; 10 p.m. on CW-23
  • Luke Moretti - investivegative reporter - Noon, 5, 5:30, and 6
  • Rich Newberg - senior correspondent - Noon, 5, and 5:30 p.m.
  • Alysha Palumbo - 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 on WIVB; 10 P.M. on CW-23
  • George Richert - 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 on WIVB; 10 P.M. on CW-23
  • Lorey Schultz - Noon, 5, and 5:30
  • Al Vaughters - investivegative reporter - Noon, 5, and 5:30 p.m.

Notable former reporters

  • John Beard - evening anchor (early 1980s). Later worked at KNBC and KTTV in Los Angeles, California.
  • Brian Blessing, sports anchor in the early 1990s. Went on to co-host Hockey Hotline on Empire Sports Network. Now in Las Vegas, hosting Sportsbook Radio on KENO.
  • Erika Brason, anchor of Weekend Wakeup!. (1999 - 2005) (Now at WGRZ-TV in Buffalo)
  • Ray Collins , news anchor and the first anchor of Wake Up! alongside Sue Serio. (1994 - 1999) (Now at WTVT-TV in Tampa)
  • Chuck Gurney, meteorologist and (for a brief time) co-anchor of Weekend Wake Up!. (Now at WBNS-TV)
  • Chuck Healey, former boxer and sports announcer. He was WBEN's news anchor from 1965 until 1971 when he returned to the sports desk where he remained until his retirement in 1978.
  • Carol Crissey Nigrelli (AKA Carol Crissey and Carol Jasen), evening anchor. (1979-June 2002) Left the station to marry former WIVB reporter Craig Nigrelli and move to New Mexico.
  • Jodi Johnston, did hourly news updates (1994 - 1999) (Now at WGRZ-TV in Buffalo).
  • Bob Koop, variously anchored the 11 p.m. news and the 5:30 news amongst other from 1980 until his leukemia forced him to go on sick leave in 1994; he died the next year.
  • Van Miller was associated with WBEN/WIVB's from 1955 until his retirement from the station in 1998. For much of that time he was the station's sports director. He also hosted the station's high school quiz show It's Academic from the late 1960s until the 1990s. He also hosted the bowling show Beat the Champ from 1978 through the 1980s taking over from Healey.
  • Kevin O'Connell. Was an anchor at WIVB throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, with a break during his hosting the short-lived game show Go!. Now the head weather reporter at rival WGRZ-TV.
  • Kevin O'Neill a.k.a. "The Why Guy." (September 1994-November 2006) O'Neill resigned after 12 years as WIVB's feature reporter. ( Now at WGRZ Channel 2 )
  • Marie Rice, longtime WIVB reporter and morning update anchor since the 1970's, retired in 2006.
  • Sue Serio, joined WIVB as the first female co-anchor of Wake Up! in 1994. Serio married sports reporter Bill Vargas during her time at WIVB; by 1997, she was pregnant with his child. She went on maternity leave in 1997 but never returned to Buffalo; instead, both Serio and Vargas quietly went to WTXF-TV where she is today.

References


External links

Template:LIN TV

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