WFTS-TV
WFTS-TV (channel 28), branded as ABC Action News, is a television station licensed to Tampa, Florida, United States, serving the Tampa Bay area as an affiliate of ABC. It is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company alongside Bradenton-licensed Ion Television station WXPX-TV (channel 66). WFTS-TV's studios are located on North Himes Avenue on Tampa's northwest side, and its transmitter is located in Riverview, Florida.
| |
|---|---|
| City | Tampa, Florida |
| Channels | |
| Branding | ABC Action News |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WXPX-TV | |
| History | |
First air date | December 14, 1981 |
Former channel number(s) |
|
| |
Call sign meaning | "Family Television Station"[2] |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 64588 |
| ERP | 1,000 kW |
| HAAT | 469 m (1,539 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 27°50′33″N 82°15′44″W / 27.84250°N 82.26222°W |
| Links | |
Public license information |
|
| Website | www |
Channel 28 was launched as the Tampa Bay area's second independent television station in late 1981. Purchased by Capital Cities Communications in 1984, it was sold to Scripps the following year after the former's purchase of ABC. It became an affiliate of Fox in 1988 and joined ABC in 1994 as part of a multi-market affiliation switch, launching local newscasts at the same time.
History
A channel 28 construction permit was first issued to Lucille Frostman, involved in the construction of WSMS-TV in Fort Lauderdale, in 1966,[3] for a station which would have been called WTSS-TV,[4] which was never built and deleted in 1971.[5]
Applications for a new channel 28 station in Tampa were received again in 1977, with the Christian Television Network the first to bid,[6] followed by a group proposing a Spanish-language station;[7] Family Television Corporation of Tampa, also of a Christian orientation;[8] and Suncoast Telechoice, associated with subscription television equipment manufacturer Blonder Tongue Labs.[9]
Christian Television dropped out, amended its application to specify channel 22 at Clearwater, and won a construction permit for WCLF in February 1979.[10] The other two parties dropped out in settlement agreements in early 1981,[11] and Family received a construction permit in March.[12] Family stockholders included T. Terrell Sessums, former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, and former state senate president Louis A. de la Parte Jr.[12]
As an independent station
WFTS first signed on the air on December 14, 1981,[13] operating as a family-oriented independent station with cartoons, off-network dramas, classic movies and religious programs.[14] Its call letters originally stood for "Family Television Station".[2]
In 1984, after having launched the station for just $6 million[15] and turning a profit in the first year,[16] Family sold the station to Capital Cities Communications for more than $30 million.[15] The deal gave Capital Cities its first station in Florida and its first (and only) independent, as well as bringing the group to its then-maximum of seven stations.[15] Under Capital Cities, the station added more off-network sitcoms and reduced the number of religious programs and drama series on its schedule, improving ratings against established Tampa Bay independent WTOG.[17]
In March 1985, Capital Cities stunned the broadcasting industry with its announced purchase of ABC—a network that was ten times bigger than Capital Cities was at the time. In addition to WFTS-TV, Capital Cities owned four ABC and two CBS affiliates (which would change to ABC after the merger).[18] The combination of Cap Cities and ABC exceeded the new ownership limit of 12 stations and the 25% national reach limit, so the companies opted to sell WFTS; WXYZ-TV, the ABC-owned station in Detroit; and Cap Cities-owned ABC affiliates WKBW-TV in Buffalo and WTNH in New Haven, Connecticut;[19] WFTS and WXYZ-TV were sold to Scripps.[17]
Scripps continued the general-entertainment format on WFTS, running cartoons, sitcoms, movies and drama series. WFTS became the Tampa Bay market's Fox affiliate on August 8, 1988, after the network was dropped by WTOG.[20]
As an ABC affiliate
On May 23, 1994, New World Communications signed an affiliation agreement with Fox that resulted in twelve of New World's stations, including Tampa Bay's longtime CBS affiliate WTVT (channel 13), being tapped to switch to the network. Among the stations making the switch were longtime CBS affiliates WJBK-TV in Detroit and WJW-TV in Cleveland.[21] Not wanting to be relegated to the UHF band, CBS heavily wooed Detroit's longtime ABC affiliate, WXYZ, as well as Cleveland's longtime ABC affiliate, WEWS-TV. Both were owned by Scripps, who told ABC that it would switch WXYZ and WEWS to CBS unless ABC affiliated with three of its stations: WFTS, KNXV-TV in Phoenix (which was also slated to lose its Fox affiliation to New World-owned CBS affiliate KSAZ-TV), and WMAR-TV in Baltimore. Scripps insisted on including WFTS and KNXV in the deal, even though a news department was in construction at KNXV and no movement had yet occurred to build one in Tampa.[22]: 16
The ABC affiliation, confirmed on June 15,[23] set off a mad dash. WFTS had already been planning a new studio facility in the vicinity of Tampa Stadium, and with the ABC tie-up confirmed, management scrambled to hire a news director.[24] With the station's new facility not planned to be ready until late 1995, the news department initially operated from former facilities of the Home Shopping Network in Clearwater.[25]
Another consequence of WFTS replacing WTSP (channel 10) in ABC's affiliate lineup was that it had a more centrally located transmitting facility, which then-ABC president Bob Iger cited as a positive in the switch.[26] That meant that the network would no longer have had a coverage gap between Tampa and Fort Myers, which had been filled by WWSB (channel 40) in Sarasota since its 1971 sign-on. Coinciding with the Scripps-ABC pact, ABC notified WWSB that it would be terminating its affiliation;[24] though no reason was given by the network, WWSB cited conversations with ABC officials who described it as essential to the broader deal when the Sarasota station petitioned to deny channel 28's license renewal.[27] WWSB ended up winning its battle with ABC and signed a new affiliation contract in March 1995.[28]
On December 12, 1994, WFTS became the market's ABC affiliate, WTSP switched to CBS and WTVT joined Fox; that same day, WFTS launched local news and broke ground on the Tampa studio.[29] Most of WFTS' syndicated programs were then acquired by WTVT[30] and WTTA, which also aired Fox Kids in the market.[31]
WFTS was briefly the local over-the-air broadcast partner of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning, airing four Lightning games produced by the Sunshine Network during the 2002–03 season.[32] An East Coast traffic hub and the station group-wide graphics operation for Scripps were established at Tampa in 2009, as an open floor was available at the WFTS facility.[33]
On September 24, 2020, a consortium made up of Scripps and Berkshire Hathaway announced the purchase of Ion Media, including local Ion Television station WXPX-TV (channel 66) and the company's technical operations center in Clearwater.[34]
News operation
As an independent station, channel 28's local news staff consisted of just one staffer who produced and hosted news breaks.[35]
Unlike the two Fox stations owned by Scripps that also became Big Three affiliates—KSHB-TV in Kansas City, Missouri, and KNXV-TV—no movement had occurred prior to the affiliation switch on establishing a local news service at WFTS-TV, though the station was considering establishing one.[36] The primary reason was that the original channel 28 studios at I-4 and Columbus Drive were simply not large enough; the Himes Avenue facility project was only a plan when the switch was announced.[37] In order to start producing news, WFTS needed to lease facilities, opting to set up shop in Clearwater. Bob Jordan of KCBS-TV in Los Angeles was hired to be the founding news director for 28 Tampa Bay News, which began broadcasting on December 12, 1994.[29] Originally starting with 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts, a flurry of expansions took place during the first four months of 1995, including morning,[38] 5 p.m.,[39] and 5:30 p.m.[40]
The other stations have a 50-year head start and are doing great jobs. And then being on ABC hasn't helped when the network has a weak prime time. And there's an ABC station in Sarasota that takes viewers away from us.
Martie Tucker, WFTS-TV anchor from 1994 to 2003, diagnosing the station's low ratings in her tenure there[41]
The task of building the first new full-scale news service in Tampa Bay against decades-long competitors meant low ratings. WFTS typically rated in third or fourth place in most time slots in its first five years of local news.[42] In 2001, Sam Stallworth and Bill Berra arrived from WSYX–WTTE in Columbus, Ohio, to serve as general manager and news director of WFTS-TV. The duo refocused the newsroom on hard news and investigative reporting,[43] a prelude to the station rebranding as ABC Action News in October 2002 after a brief time as "28 News".[44]
Ratings remained low, but the station made progress under general manager Richard Pegram, who arrived in 2009 and oversaw the launch of channel 28's first weekend morning newscast.[45] In November 2012, WFTS overtook all other local stations in all evening and late news ratings in the demographic of adults 25–54; this marked the first time ever WFTS won at 5:00, 5:30, 6:00 and 11:00 p.m. in the key demographic during one ratings period.[46] Pegram was dismissed in 2014, with one source noting he was a difficult boss and heavily involved in the news department.[47]
In 2019, WFTS launched "ABC Action News Streaming Now", a digital news product that included daytime rolling news coverage, simulcasts of channel 28's existing newscasts, and a new 3 p.m. newscast to air on TV and online.[48]
Notable former on-air staff
- Jay Crawford – sports director (1998–2003)[49]
- Scott Hanson – sports anchor (1994–2000; now at NFL Network)[50]
- Walt Maciborski – anchor/reporter (2005–2009; now main anchor at KEYE-TV in Austin)[45]
- Elaine Quijano – reporter (1998–2000; now with CBS News)[51]
- Sage Steele – reporter (1998–2001; now at ESPN)[52]
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WFTS-HD | Main WFTS-TV programming / ABC |
| 28.2 | 480i | BOUNCE | Bounce TV | |
| 28.3 | Grit | Grit | ||
| 28.4 | Mystery | Ion Mystery | ||
| 28.5 | HSN | HSN | ||
| 32.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WMOR-TV | WMOR-TV (Independent) |
WFTS is also available in ATSC 3.0 (Next Gen TV) on the signal of WMOR-TV (channel 32). In exchange, WFTS hosts WMOR's main subchannel in the ATSC 1.0 format.[1]
Analog-to-digital conversion
WFTS-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 28, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television.[53]
References
- ^ a b c "Digital TV Market Listing for WFTS". RabbitEars.Info. from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ a b Scott, Kelly (August 3, 1981). "New TV station to gear its programing to family viewing". St. Petersburg Times. p. 5D. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Bryan, Stewart (May 27, 1966). "New TV Station Planned For Tampa". Tampa Times. p. 6-B. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ "New TV Station Moving". The Tampa Times. June 9, 1967. p. 2-A. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 8, 1971. p. 56. (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Brown, Ben (July 16, 1977). "Local Experiment Produces Fast-Paced Children's Show". Tampa Tribune. p. 1. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ "Two groups seek TV license". Tampa Times. August 8, 1977. p. 5-C. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Hall, John. "Second Christian group seeks Channel 28". St. Petersburg Times. p. 9B. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Stafford, Charles (September 21, 1977). "UHF applicants propose wide range of TV programing". St. Petersburg Times. p. 8D. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Hemmingway, Susan (February 9, 1979). "Christian corporation receives approval for television station". Tampa Times. p. 1-E. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Dudley, Bruce (February 14, 1981). "Firm Drops Fight For TV Station". Tampa Tribune. p. 2-B. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ a b Hill, Steve; Dudley, Bruce (March 10, 1981). "New UHF Station To Offer Bay Area 'Wholesome' Shows". Tampa Tribune. pp. 1A, 4A. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Otto, Steve (December 14, 1981). "Channel 28 makes its debut today". Tampa Times. p. 4B. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Brooks, Wiley (October 11, 1981). "New Look On Tampa Screens". Tampa Tribune. pp. 1E, 9E. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ a b c Vick, Karl (April 16, 1984). "WFTS-Ch. 28 being sold today to conglomerate". St. Petersburg Times. pp. 1B, 9B. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Vick, Karl (March 28, 1984). "Speculation mounts over sale of WFTS". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2D. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ a b Vick, Karl (July 27, 1985). "Ch. 28 sells for $40-million". St. Petersburg Times. p. 5B. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Vick, Karl (March 22, 1985). "Sale of ABC complicates life for independent Channel 28". St. Petersburg Times. pp. 1D, 4D. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ "Ch. 28 among 4 TV stations for sale in ABC merger plan". St. Petersburg Times. New York Times. May 14, 1985. p. 16A. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ Froelich, Janis D. (July 19, 1986). "Fox switching stations". St. Petersburg Times. p. 7D. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Huntley, Helen; Stevenson, Jennifer L. (May 24, 1994). "WTVT-Ch. 13 is switching channels to Fox". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. p. 1A, 6A. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Miller, William (October 29, 1995). "Declaration of William Miller". Comments of Southern Broadcast Corporation of Sarasota. Federal Communications Commission. from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- ^ Stevenson, Jennifer L. (June 16, 1994). "ABC switching channels in bay area". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1A, 17A. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ a b Belcher, Walt (June 17, 1994). "TV stations focus on change". Tampa Tribune. pp. 1, 10. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ Belcher, Walt (December 13, 1994). "Big switch helps spark the big hype". Tampa Tribune. p. 5 BayLife. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ Stevenson, Jennifer L. (July 19, 1994). "ABC president happy with Ch. 28". St. Petersburg Times. p. 1D. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ Barry, Rick (July 27, 1994). "Scripps denies pact to strip WWSB of affiliation". Tampa Tribune. p. 6 Florida/Metro. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ Barry, Rick (March 9, 1995). "TV station wins fight to stay with ABC". Tampa Tribune. p. 2 Florida/Metro. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ a b Yant, Monica (December 9, 1994). "This just in: Ch. 28 will have news". St. Petersburg Times. pp. 1B, 11B. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ Harmon, Rick (December 12, 1994). "Syndicated shows shuffled in affiliate deal". Tampa Tribune. pp. BayLife 1, 5. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ Yant, Monica (November 22, 1994). "Channel 38 makes play with kids' programs". St. Petersburg Times. pp. 1B, 7B. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ Harmon, Rick (October 11, 2002). "Peckham, Taylor Already In Midseason Form". Tampa Tribune. p. Sports 2. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ Malone, Michael (July 13, 2009). "New Scripps Hubs Spell Downsizing". Broadcasting & Cable.
- ^ Cimilluca, Dana. "E.W. Scripps Agrees to Buy ION Media for $2.65 billion in Berkshire-Backed Deal". from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- ^ Vick, Karl (March 13, 1983). "Are you sure Cronkite started out this way?". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. p. E1, E4. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Miles, Laureen (April 4, 1994). "Fox hunts for local news". Mediaweek. Vol. 4, no. 14. Gale A15299284.
- ^ Bearden, Michelle (May 24, 1994). "WTVT picks Fox, to drop CBS". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. p. 1 Nation/World, 8. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Belcher, Walt (January 9, 1995). "WFTS anchors itself in morning newscast battle". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. p. BayLife 1, 5. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Belcher, Walt (February 20, 1995). "Fledgling WFTS news expands at 5". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. p. BayLife 4. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Belcher, Walt (April 24, 1995). "Channel 28 expands 5:30 news coverage". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. p. BayLife 4. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Belcher, Walt (February 10, 2003). "Martie Tucker Making More Time For Family With Return To Orlando". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. p. BayLife 4. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Deggans, Eric (May 14, 1999). "News director decides to leave WFTS newscast he helped start". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. p. 2B. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "New news director at Ch. 28". Tampa Bay Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. April 20, 2001. p. 42. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Hard news vs. happy talk". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. October 27, 2002. p. 10F, 5F. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Deggans, Eric (January 7, 2009). "It's about boosting ratings, WFTS chief says". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. p. 2B. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Deggans, Eric (November 28, 2012). "ABC Action News comes out on top in evening and late night November sweeps ratings". Tampa Bay Times. from the original on December 2, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
- ^ Snider, Eric (August 20, 2014). "Pegram out as GM at ABC Action News". Tampa Bay Business Journal. from the original on August 31, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ Miller, Mark (May 8, 2019). "WFTS Tampa Expands Local News". TVNewsCheck. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ Magenheimer, Lisa (March 13, 1998). "CBS' tournament selection show a dud". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. p. Sports 11. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Harmon, Rick (July 29, 2000). "Miller to put down the gavel". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. p. Sports 8. from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Elaine Quijano Bio". CBS News. February 2, 2012. from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ^ "Steele Sage bio". ESPN. from the original on March 3, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
- ^ "List of Digital Full-Power Stations" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on August 29, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
External links
- ABCActionNews.com – Official website
- "Behind the Scenes of 28 News", a 2002 documentary showing the WFTS-TV newsroom