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Wikipedia

WZZM

February 22, 2024

WZZM (channel 13) is a television station licensed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, serving West Michigan as an affiliate of ABC. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station has studios on 3 Mile Road NW in Walker (with a Grand Rapids mailing address), and its transmitter is located in Grant, Michigan.

WZZM
CityGrand Rapids, Michigan
Channels
Branding13 On Your Side
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
November 1, 1962
(61 years ago) (1962-11-01)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 13 (VHF, 1962–2009)
  • Digital: 39 (UHF, 2002–2009)
Call sign meaning
"WZZM" forms an ambigram
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID49713
ERP24.5 kW
HAAT324.3 m (1,064 ft)
Transmitter coordinates43°18′35″N 85°54′45″W / 43.30972°N 85.91250°W / 43.30972; -85.91250
Links
Public license information
  • Public file
  • LMS
Websitewww.wzzm13.com

Channel 13 was inserted into Grand Rapids in 1961; station spacing rules of the time required that the transmitter be to the north of the city, closer to Muskegon. The station went on the air in November 1962 under interim operating authority; four companies jointly owned the station until West Michigan Telecasters was granted the permanent license in 1964 and bought out the others' interim holdings in 1965. Because of the transmitter site restriction, the station did not and does not provide adequate coverage of the southern portion of the market, namely Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the station's efforts to build additional transmitters to serve those cities were ordered closed to protect a new station on channel 41 in Battle Creek, WUHQ-TV (now WOTV), which also broadcasts ABC but with separate non-network programming. An attempt to combine WZZM-TV and WUHQ-TV failed in 1991, and WOTV is today co-owned with WOOD-TV, the market's NBC affiliate. Satellite television providers Dish Network and DirecTV provide both stations across the entire market, and WZZM is also on cable in Battle Creek.

In local news, the station had a highly regarded news department from the 1960s through the 1980s; its original news director stayed on for the first 25 years of its history. While the station continues to be competitive particularly in the Grand Rapids area, coverage shortfalls in the south and the aggregate nature of the television market have given the overall edge to WOOD-TV since the 1990s. The station maintains a lit weather ball displayed near its Walker studios.

History edit

Assignment of channel 13 to Grand Rapids; construction edit

 
The Pantlind Hotel in downtown Grand Rapids was the first studio location for WZZM.

In 1959, the Atlas Broadcasting Company was organized to pursue the addition of a third very high frequency (VHF) station in West Michigan. It applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposing the addition of channel 13 to Grand Rapids. The station would transmit from an area near Muskegon, north of Grand Rapids, where it would be appropriately spaced to WSPD-TV in Toledo, Ohio, and WREX-TV in Rockford, Illinois. Atlas also proposed moving WWTV in Cadillac to channel 9, where it would still be appropriately spaced to CKLW-TV in Windsor, Ontario.[2] The FCC approved this allocation change in 1961; it replaced channel 9 in Alpena with channel 6.[3] The placement of the channel at Grand Rapids attracted interest even before the insertion was final. By the end of 1960, three groups had incorporated with an eye toward filing for channel 13, including West Michigan Telecasters, consisting of 24 shareholders and presided by Lewis V. Chamberlain, Jr., whose final application was filed in October 1961.[4] One of the shareholders was L. William Seidman, then on the board of directors of Grand Valley State College and later chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.[5][6] Some of the stockholders were from Muskegon; the group promoted the northerly transmitter site as a bonus, noting that there were no local stations in Muskegon and that other communities such as Grand Haven and Holland also were underserved.[7] West Michigan was one of six applicants to file by the end of 1961, alongside Atlas (which also owned Grand Rapids-area radio station WMAX); Grand Broadcasting Company, which counted former WLAV and WLAV-TV owner Leonard Versluis among its stockholders as well as former FCC counsel Mary Jane Morris; Major Television Company; MKO Broadcasting Company; and Peninsular Broadcasting Company.[5]

In its order assigning channel 13 to Grand Rapids, the FCC indicated its willingness to accept proposals for interim operating authority to hasten the construction of the station. This meant that the comparative hearing process would run in parallel with construction of the station. Days after filing its permanent bid, West Michigan Telecasters also proposed interim operating authority.[8] Major and Atlas both withdrew in August 1962; the four remaining contenders formed Channel 13, Grand Rapids, Inc., which received interim authority that same month.[9] The interim station originally chose the call letters WIIM-TV, but WJIM-TV in Lansing objected, resulting in the choice of WZZM as the call sign.[10] Construction rapidly proceeded, and from studios in the Pantlind Hotel downtown, WZZM made its first broadcast on November 1, 1962, an ABC affiliate from the start.[11]

While WZZM was on the air, the applicants wrangled at the FCC over permanent authority to run it. In May 1963, an FCC hearing examiner gave Grand Broadcasting Company the nod in his initial decision, citing its superior integration of ownership and management, a comparative criterion analyzing the involvement of owners in station operations.[12] The FCC itself, however, instead selected West Michigan Telecasters in April 1964, citing its principals' involvement in civic affairs and research into local public service programming.[13] The company then settled with the other applicants, ultimately paying them between $360,000 and $390,000 apiece,[14] and on January 25, 1965, it became the sole owner of WZZM.[15] After the award, West Michigan Telecasters proceeded with its plans to build a studio in Muskegon.[16]

After a plan to merge with Basic Communications Inc. and Eccentric magazine in Birmingham, Michigan, fell through,[17] West Michigan Telecasters merged with two publishing companies in 1969 to form Synercom Communications Corporation.[18] In 1971, WZZM-TV finally left the Pantlind and moved to purpose-built studios. The 38,500-square-foot (3,580 m2) facility also housed WZZM-FM, which West Michigan Telecasters had acquired in 1966,[19] and the station's production arm.[20] Synercom then spun West Michigan Telecasters and the WZZM stations out as its own company in 1973, including Elinor Bunin Productions, a New York City film production house.[18]

Wometco and Price ownership edit

West Michigan Telecasters entered into an agreement to sell WZZM-TV to Wometco Enterprises for $14 million in 1976, with WZZM-TV becoming Wometco's fourth television property.[21] The acquisition closed in January 1978;[22] WZZM-FM was split from the television station by West Michigan Telecasters and sold to separate interests.[23] Wometco was then taken private in a leveraged buyout by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) in 1984.[24]

KKR then sold the station to Price Communications, owned by Robert Price, in 1985; the deal was the largest acquisition for the company to date.[25] Price then sold its four stations to Northstar Television Group in 1989 for $70 million; Northstar was a joint venture of Osborn Television and Desai Capital, the largest stakeholder in Price.[26] Three of Northstar's four stations were acquired by Argyle Television Holdings II in 1994; the original Argyle Television had been sold earlier in the year.[27]

Gannett/Tegna ownership edit

In 1996, the Gannett Company acquired Multimedia, Inc.. This created conflicts for the company in Cincinnati and Oklahoma City, where Multimedia had a newspaper-TV station combination and a TV station-cable system combination that were not permissible under FCC rules of the time. As a result, Gannett agreed to a trade with Argyle. Gannett sent Argyle the Cincinnati and Oklahoma City stations (WLWT and KOCO-TV) in exchange for $20 million; WGRZ in Buffalo, New York; and WZZM-TV.[28] In 1999, after a 33-year run, the station ceased producing its local children's show, Bozo's Big Top.[29]

 
The WZZM 13 Weatherball

From 1967 to 1987, a weather ball sat atop the Michigan National Bank building in Grand Rapids, utilizing 288 colored neon lights to convey forecast precipitation or changes in temperature, until being removed because its weight had caused structural damage. The station located the stainless steel ball in a scrapyard in Kalamazoo in 1999 and applied to authorities in Walker to mount a 100-foot (30 m) pole to display it near its studios in 2002.[30][31] New neon tubes were fitted atop the restored weather ball, which returned to service in 2003.[32]

On June 29, 2015, the Gannett Company split in two, with one side specializing in print media and the other side specializing in broadcast and digital media. WZZM was retained by the latter company, named Tegna.[33]

The Battle Creek–Kalamazoo problem edit

 
WZZM's transmitter is further north than most stations in the market, and its signal (contour map pictured) does not cover Kalamazoo or Battle Creek.

The northerly location of the transmitter, which had been necessary to insert channel 13 in the area in the first place, also put it at a disadvantage in the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek areas. In 1964, WZZM was authorized to construct a translator on channel 12 in Kalamazoo,[34] and the next year, it applied to build one on channel 83 in Battle Creek. This was simultaneous with Mary Jane Morris, who had been involved with one of the losing bids for channel 13, filing with James Searer to build a full-service station there.[35] That translator went on the air on channel 74 in January 1968,[36] but the FCC then ordered it to cease broadcasting in early March in the context of a battle with the permittee for Battle Creek's channel 41, as the commission expressed concern that the continued rebroadcast of WZZM-TV could be detrimental to the establishment of the proposed full-service station.[37] This was particularly acute because the channel 41 permittee, BCU-TV, proposed to affiliate with ABC, while WZZM-TV contended it had the rights to ABC in the Battle Creek area.[38] West Michigan Telecasters reached a deal with BCU-TV to buy the channel 41 permit in October 1968.[39]

However, that same week, a second local group, Channel 41, Inc., filed a competing application to propose a local station, with Searer defecting from BCU-TV to become one of its leaders.[40] The FCC canceled BCU-TV's construction permit and West Michigan Telecasters's attempt to buy it on September 8, 1969. It then accepted the application of Channel 41, Inc., for filing;[41] ten days later, West Michigan Telecasters abandoned its attempt to pursue channel 41 in favor of seeking a relocation of its transmitter from Grant to Hudsonville, improving the signal in Kalamazoo and Battle Creek.[42] However, the spacing considerations that resulted in the northerly location of WZZM in the first place were an insurmountable obstacle; the FCC denied the proposal because it would have been too close to the channel 13 station in Toledo.[43]

Channel 41, Inc., received its construction permit in July 1970[44] and went on the air as WUHQ-TV on July 24, 1971. The Battle Creek cable system removed WZZM-TV from its lineup to accommodate the new ABC affiliate; in spite of the competition, WUHQ-TV depended on WZZM to receive ABC network programming.[45] The FCC then ordered WZZM-TV to cease using its Kalamazoo translator on February 7, 1972.[46] WZZM-TV was restored to Battle Creek cable in 1975 over objections from WUHQ-TV,[47] then discontinued in 1986 along with two out-of-market network affiliates.[48]

In 1990, WZZM owner Northstar Television announced it had entered into a merger agreement with Channel 41, Inc., the owner of WUHQ-TV, which would have seen WUHQ-TV and WZZM share almost all programming with the exception of split local news programming. John Lawrence, president of WUHQ, said at the time, "It is now appropriate that ABC service in this market be combined."[49] The FCC approved of the merger in June 1991, with Northstar announcing a plan to continue airing separate news coverage,[50] but a planned August closing was delayed[51] and never took place. WUHQ-TV's owners then signed an agreement for WOTV (channel 8) to provide news coverage for channel 41,[52] part of an 11-year time brokerage agreement by which WOTV assumed many of the station's operating functions but not ownership.[53] WUHQ-TV then changed its call sign to WOTV in June 1992 when WOTV became WOOD-TV.[54]

Dish Network began offering local channel service in the market in 2002 and offers WZZM and WOTV in all areas.[55] WZZM was readded to several Comcast systems in southwest Michigan, including Battle Creek, in 2009.[56]

News operation edit

 
On the set of WZZM's newscasts in 2008

WZZM currently produces 32 hours of local news each week (with five hours each weekday, three hours on Saturdays and four hours on Sundays).[57]

The station's original news director, Jack Hogan—who was the first voice heard on the station when it started—held the post for more than 25 years until Price Communications owner Robert Price fired him in February 1988. During Hogan's tenure, the station was a stop on the careers of journalists including sportscaster John Keating (known as Steve Knight in Grand Rapids), future Detroit Free Press executive editor Kurt Luedtke, and reporters Jay Schadler and Martha Teichner. In spite of its coverage shortfalls, WZZM was West Michigan's news and revenue leader for most its history through the 1980s. It was also nationally respected: the Associated Press said in 1980 that "WZZM has a quality news operation that should be the envy of many stations in larger markets", while it won six straight "News Station of the Year" honors within Michigan from United Press International.[58] However, after the Price purchase, the station experienced several high-profile defections to other stations.[59] Hogan's firing came less than two weeks after the 1988 Michigan Republican presidential caucus. Price, a Republican, demanded information on delegate counts; from New York City, he ordered Hogan out of bed and to station offices to keep him informed until 3 a.m., accused the station's staff of poor reporting despite not having seen its coverage, and threatened to fire the entire news department.[58]

The 1990s brought changes in the newsroom. The station debuted an hour-long morning news program in 1992 and a 5:30 p.m. newscast in February 1993. However, WOOD-TV became the news leader in the highly fragmented market: though WZZM-TV was stronger within the immediate Grand Rapids area, WOOD's availability in the Kalamazoo–Battle Creek area more than offset the Muskegon and northern area coverage unique to channel 13. WOOD-TV's sales manager likened the advertising sales power of his competitor to "a vehicle with two wheels" because of its inability to cover the full market.[60][61] Another obstacle, particularly with older viewers, was that WOOD-TV predated WZZM in Grand Rapids by more than a decade.[62] In 2016, WZZM added eight and a half hours a week of new newscasts, including morning and noon news extensions and a 5 p.m. newscast.[63]

In 2004, the station debuted a 5 p.m. talk show, Take Five Grand Rapids.[64] The program was originally produced outside the news department, mixing features and sponsored segments.[65] The show was moved to 4:30 p.m., retitled Take Five & Company, and then moved to an hour at 9 a.m. in 2008.[66][67] It was replaced with a new hour-long program known as My West Michigan in 2015.[68] The program was put on a continuing hiatus in July 2020 because of COVID-19-related restrictions that made the show's format unworkable.[69]

Technical information edit

Subchannels edit

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WZZM[70]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
13.1 720p 16:9 WZZM 13 ABC
13.2 480i WX 13 On Your Side Weather Network
13.3 Crime True Crime Network
13.4 Quest Quest
13.5 Crime True Crime Network
13.6 ThisTV This TV
13.7 QVC QVC
13.8 ShopLC Shop LC
13.9 StartTV Start TV

Analog-to-digital conversion edit

WZZM shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 13, on June 12, 2009, as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 39 to channel 13.[71]

References edit

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External links edit

  • Official website

February 22, 2024
wzzm, channel, television, station, licensed, grand, rapids, michigan, united, states, serving, west, michigan, affiliate, owned, tegna, station, studios, mile, road, walker, with, grand, rapids, mailing, address, transmitter, located, grant, michigan, grand, . WZZM channel 13 is a television station licensed to Grand Rapids Michigan United States serving West Michigan as an affiliate of ABC Owned by Tegna Inc the station has studios on 3 Mile Road NW in Walker with a Grand Rapids mailing address and its transmitter is located in Grant Michigan WZZMGrand Rapids Muskegon MichiganUnited StatesCityGrand Rapids MichiganChannelsDigital 13 VHF Virtual 13Branding13 On Your SideProgrammingAffiliations13 1 ABCfor others see SubchannelsOwnershipOwnerTegna Inc Combined Communications of Oklahoma LLC HistoryFirst air dateNovember 1 1962 61 years ago 1962 11 01 Former channel number s Analog 13 VHF 1962 2009 Digital 39 UHF 2002 2009 Call sign meaning WZZM forms an ambigramTechnical information 1 Licensing authorityFCCFacility ID49713ERP24 5 kWHAAT324 3 m 1 064 ft Transmitter coordinates43 18 35 N 85 54 45 W 43 30972 N 85 91250 W 43 30972 85 91250LinksPublic license informationPublic fileLMSWebsitewww wbr wzzm13 wbr comChannel 13 was inserted into Grand Rapids in 1961 station spacing rules of the time required that the transmitter be to the north of the city closer to Muskegon The station went on the air in November 1962 under interim operating authority four companies jointly owned the station until West Michigan Telecasters was granted the permanent license in 1964 and bought out the others interim holdings in 1965 Because of the transmitter site restriction the station did not and does not provide adequate coverage of the southern portion of the market namely Kalamazoo and Battle Creek In the late 1960s and early 1970s the station s efforts to build additional transmitters to serve those cities were ordered closed to protect a new station on channel 41 in Battle Creek WUHQ TV now WOTV which also broadcasts ABC but with separate non network programming An attempt to combine WZZM TV and WUHQ TV failed in 1991 and WOTV is today co owned with WOOD TV the market s NBC affiliate Satellite television providers Dish Network and DirecTV provide both stations across the entire market and WZZM is also on cable in Battle Creek In local news the station had a highly regarded news department from the 1960s through the 1980s its original news director stayed on for the first 25 years of its history While the station continues to be competitive particularly in the Grand Rapids area coverage shortfalls in the south and the aggregate nature of the television market have given the overall edge to WOOD TV since the 1990s The station maintains a lit weather ball displayed near its Walker studios Contents 1 History 1 1 Assignment of channel 13 to Grand Rapids construction 1 2 Wometco and Price ownership 1 3 Gannett Tegna ownership 2 The Battle Creek Kalamazoo problem 3 News operation 4 Technical information 4 1 Subchannels 4 2 Analog to digital conversion 5 References 6 External linksHistory editAssignment of channel 13 to Grand Rapids construction edit nbsp The Pantlind Hotel in downtown Grand Rapids was the first studio location for WZZM In 1959 the Atlas Broadcasting Company was organized to pursue the addition of a third very high frequency VHF station in West Michigan It applied to the Federal Communications Commission FCC proposing the addition of channel 13 to Grand Rapids The station would transmit from an area near Muskegon north of Grand Rapids where it would be appropriately spaced to WSPD TV in Toledo Ohio and WREX TV in Rockford Illinois Atlas also proposed moving WWTV in Cadillac to channel 9 where it would still be appropriately spaced to CKLW TV in Windsor Ontario 2 The FCC approved this allocation change in 1961 it replaced channel 9 in Alpena with channel 6 3 The placement of the channel at Grand Rapids attracted interest even before the insertion was final By the end of 1960 three groups had incorporated with an eye toward filing for channel 13 including West Michigan Telecasters consisting of 24 shareholders and presided by Lewis V Chamberlain Jr whose final application was filed in October 1961 4 One of the shareholders was L William Seidman then on the board of directors of Grand Valley State College and later chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 5 6 Some of the stockholders were from Muskegon the group promoted the northerly transmitter site as a bonus noting that there were no local stations in Muskegon and that other communities such as Grand Haven and Holland also were underserved 7 West Michigan was one of six applicants to file by the end of 1961 alongside Atlas which also owned Grand Rapids area radio station WMAX Grand Broadcasting Company which counted former WLAV and WLAV TV owner Leonard Versluis among its stockholders as well as former FCC counsel Mary Jane Morris Major Television Company MKO Broadcasting Company and Peninsular Broadcasting Company 5 In its order assigning channel 13 to Grand Rapids the FCC indicated its willingness to accept proposals for interim operating authority to hasten the construction of the station This meant that the comparative hearing process would run in parallel with construction of the station Days after filing its permanent bid West Michigan Telecasters also proposed interim operating authority 8 Major and Atlas both withdrew in August 1962 the four remaining contenders formed Channel 13 Grand Rapids Inc which received interim authority that same month 9 The interim station originally chose the call letters WIIM TV but WJIM TV in Lansing objected resulting in the choice of WZZM as the call sign 10 Construction rapidly proceeded and from studios in the Pantlind Hotel downtown WZZM made its first broadcast on November 1 1962 an ABC affiliate from the start 11 While WZZM was on the air the applicants wrangled at the FCC over permanent authority to run it In May 1963 an FCC hearing examiner gave Grand Broadcasting Company the nod in his initial decision citing its superior integration of ownership and management a comparative criterion analyzing the involvement of owners in station operations 12 The FCC itself however instead selected West Michigan Telecasters in April 1964 citing its principals involvement in civic affairs and research into local public service programming 13 The company then settled with the other applicants ultimately paying them between 360 000 and 390 000 apiece 14 and on January 25 1965 it became the sole owner of WZZM 15 After the award West Michigan Telecasters proceeded with its plans to build a studio in Muskegon 16 After a plan to merge with Basic Communications Inc and Eccentric magazine in Birmingham Michigan fell through 17 West Michigan Telecasters merged with two publishing companies in 1969 to form Synercom Communications Corporation 18 In 1971 WZZM TV finally left the Pantlind and moved to purpose built studios The 38 500 square foot 3 580 m2 facility also housed WZZM FM which West Michigan Telecasters had acquired in 1966 19 and the station s production arm 20 Synercom then spun West Michigan Telecasters and the WZZM stations out as its own company in 1973 including Elinor Bunin Productions a New York City film production house 18 Wometco and Price ownership edit West Michigan Telecasters entered into an agreement to sell WZZM TV to Wometco Enterprises for 14 million in 1976 with WZZM TV becoming Wometco s fourth television property 21 The acquisition closed in January 1978 22 WZZM FM was split from the television station by West Michigan Telecasters and sold to separate interests 23 Wometco was then taken private in a leveraged buyout by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts KKR in 1984 24 KKR then sold the station to Price Communications owned by Robert Price in 1985 the deal was the largest acquisition for the company to date 25 Price then sold its four stations to Northstar Television Group in 1989 for 70 million Northstar was a joint venture of Osborn Television and Desai Capital the largest stakeholder in Price 26 Three of Northstar s four stations were acquired by Argyle Television Holdings II in 1994 the original Argyle Television had been sold earlier in the year 27 Gannett Tegna ownership edit In 1996 the Gannett Company acquired Multimedia Inc This created conflicts for the company in Cincinnati and Oklahoma City where Multimedia had a newspaper TV station combination and a TV station cable system combination that were not permissible under FCC rules of the time As a result Gannett agreed to a trade with Argyle Gannett sent Argyle the Cincinnati and Oklahoma City stations WLWT and KOCO TV in exchange for 20 million WGRZ in Buffalo New York and WZZM TV 28 In 1999 after a 33 year run the station ceased producing its local children s show Bozo s Big Top 29 nbsp The WZZM 13 WeatherballFrom 1967 to 1987 a weather ball sat atop the Michigan National Bank building in Grand Rapids utilizing 288 colored neon lights to convey forecast precipitation or changes in temperature until being removed because its weight had caused structural damage The station located the stainless steel ball in a scrapyard in Kalamazoo in 1999 and applied to authorities in Walker to mount a 100 foot 30 m pole to display it near its studios in 2002 30 31 New neon tubes were fitted atop the restored weather ball which returned to service in 2003 32 On June 29 2015 the Gannett Company split in two with one side specializing in print media and the other side specializing in broadcast and digital media WZZM was retained by the latter company named Tegna 33 The Battle Creek Kalamazoo problem edit nbsp WZZM s transmitter is further north than most stations in the market and its signal contour map pictured does not cover Kalamazoo or Battle Creek The northerly location of the transmitter which had been necessary to insert channel 13 in the area in the first place also put it at a disadvantage in the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek areas In 1964 WZZM was authorized to construct a translator on channel 12 in Kalamazoo 34 and the next year it applied to build one on channel 83 in Battle Creek This was simultaneous with Mary Jane Morris who had been involved with one of the losing bids for channel 13 filing with James Searer to build a full service station there 35 That translator went on the air on channel 74 in January 1968 36 but the FCC then ordered it to cease broadcasting in early March in the context of a battle with the permittee for Battle Creek s channel 41 as the commission expressed concern that the continued rebroadcast of WZZM TV could be detrimental to the establishment of the proposed full service station 37 This was particularly acute because the channel 41 permittee BCU TV proposed to affiliate with ABC while WZZM TV contended it had the rights to ABC in the Battle Creek area 38 West Michigan Telecasters reached a deal with BCU TV to buy the channel 41 permit in October 1968 39 However that same week a second local group Channel 41 Inc filed a competing application to propose a local station with Searer defecting from BCU TV to become one of its leaders 40 The FCC canceled BCU TV s construction permit and West Michigan Telecasters s attempt to buy it on September 8 1969 It then accepted the application of Channel 41 Inc for filing 41 ten days later West Michigan Telecasters abandoned its attempt to pursue channel 41 in favor of seeking a relocation of its transmitter from Grant to Hudsonville improving the signal in Kalamazoo and Battle Creek 42 However the spacing considerations that resulted in the northerly location of WZZM in the first place were an insurmountable obstacle the FCC denied the proposal because it would have been too close to the channel 13 station in Toledo 43 Channel 41 Inc received its construction permit in July 1970 44 and went on the air as WUHQ TV on July 24 1971 The Battle Creek cable system removed WZZM TV from its lineup to accommodate the new ABC affiliate in spite of the competition WUHQ TV depended on WZZM to receive ABC network programming 45 The FCC then ordered WZZM TV to cease using its Kalamazoo translator on February 7 1972 46 WZZM TV was restored to Battle Creek cable in 1975 over objections from WUHQ TV 47 then discontinued in 1986 along with two out of market network affiliates 48 In 1990 WZZM owner Northstar Television announced it had entered into a merger agreement with Channel 41 Inc the owner of WUHQ TV which would have seen WUHQ TV and WZZM share almost all programming with the exception of split local news programming John Lawrence president of WUHQ said at the time It is now appropriate that ABC service in this market be combined 49 The FCC approved of the merger in June 1991 with Northstar announcing a plan to continue airing separate news coverage 50 but a planned August closing was delayed 51 and never took place WUHQ TV s owners then signed an agreement for WOTV channel 8 to provide news coverage for channel 41 52 part of an 11 year time brokerage agreement by which WOTV assumed many of the station s operating functions but not ownership 53 WUHQ TV then changed its call sign to WOTV in June 1992 when WOTV became WOOD TV 54 Dish Network began offering local channel service in the market in 2002 and offers WZZM and WOTV in all areas 55 WZZM was readded to several Comcast systems in southwest Michigan including Battle Creek in 2009 56 News operation edit nbsp On the set of WZZM s newscasts in 2008WZZM currently produces 32 hours of local news each week with five hours each weekday three hours on Saturdays and four hours on Sundays 57 The station s original news director Jack Hogan who was the first voice heard on the station when it started held the post for more than 25 years until Price Communications owner Robert Price fired him in February 1988 During Hogan s tenure the station was a stop on the careers of journalists including sportscaster John Keating known as Steve Knight in Grand Rapids future Detroit Free Press executive editor Kurt Luedtke and reporters Jay Schadler and Martha Teichner In spite of its coverage shortfalls WZZM was West Michigan s news and revenue leader for most its history through the 1980s It was also nationally respected the Associated Press said in 1980 that WZZM has a quality news operation that should be the envy of many stations in larger markets while it won six straight News Station of the Year honors within Michigan from United Press International 58 However after the Price purchase the station experienced several high profile defections to other stations 59 Hogan s firing came less than two weeks after the 1988 Michigan Republican presidential caucus Price a Republican demanded information on delegate counts from New York City he ordered Hogan out of bed and to station offices to keep him informed until 3 a m accused the station s staff of poor reporting despite not having seen its coverage and threatened to fire the entire news department 58 The 1990s brought changes in the newsroom The station debuted an hour long morning news program in 1992 and a 5 30 p m newscast in February 1993 However WOOD TV became the news leader in the highly fragmented market though WZZM TV was stronger within the immediate Grand Rapids area WOOD s availability in the Kalamazoo Battle Creek area more than offset the Muskegon and northern area coverage unique to channel 13 WOOD TV s sales manager likened the advertising sales power of his competitor to a vehicle with two wheels because of its inability to cover the full market 60 61 Another obstacle particularly with older viewers was that WOOD TV predated WZZM in Grand Rapids by more than a decade 62 In 2016 WZZM added eight and a half hours a week of new newscasts including morning and noon news extensions and a 5 p m newscast 63 In 2004 the station debuted a 5 p m talk show Take Five Grand Rapids 64 The program was originally produced outside the news department mixing features and sponsored segments 65 The show was moved to 4 30 p m retitled Take Five amp Company and then moved to an hour at 9 a m in 2008 66 67 It was replaced with a new hour long program known as My West Michigan in 2015 68 The program was put on a continuing hiatus in July 2020 because of COVID 19 related restrictions that made the show s format unworkable 69 Technical information editSubchannels edit The station s signal is multiplexed Subchannels of WZZM 70 Channel Res Aspect Short name Programming13 1 720p 16 9 WZZM 13 ABC13 2 480i WX 13 On Your Side Weather Network13 3 Crime True Crime Network13 4 Quest Quest13 5 Crime True Crime Network13 6 ThisTV This TV13 7 QVC QVC13 8 ShopLC Shop LC13 9 StartTV Start TVAnalog to digital conversion edit WZZM shut down its analog signal over VHF channel 13 on June 12 2009 as part of the federally mandated transition from analog to digital television The station s digital signal relocated from its pre transition UHF channel 39 to channel 13 71 References edit Facility Technical Data for WZZM Licensing and Management System Federal Communications Commission Would Move Cadillac TV Channel Here The Grand Rapids Press November 6 1959 p 13 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 Channel 13 at Grand Rapids New TV Station Will Serve Area The Muskegon Chronicle July 29 1961 p 13 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 New Group Seeks TV Bids for Allocation Of Channel by FCC The Grand Rapids Press December 15 1960 p 26 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 a b Luedtke Kurt December 27 1961 Who s Going to Win Down to the Wire Contest for New TV Station Here The Grand Rapids Press p 10 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 Bill Seidman Ex FDIC Chairman Dead Huffington Post Associated Press May 13 2009 Archived from the original on November 6 2012 Third Group Seeks Local TV Channel The Muskegon Chronicle October 27 1961 p 15 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 Seek OK On Interim TV Station The Muskegon Chronicle October 31 1961 p 14 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 Quits Local TV Race Major Television Out as Applicant The Grand Rapids Press August 2 1962 p 16 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 To lessen confusion it s WZZM TV PDF Broadcasting October 8 1962 p 82 ProQuest 1014457501 Archived PDF from the original on January 31 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 Channel 13 Goes on Air Festivities Mark Broadcasts Tonight The Grand Rapids Press November 1 1962 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 Backs Firm For Channel FCC Aide Urge Grand Co Award The Grand Rapids Press May 21 1963 p 13 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 West Michigan Telecasters Gets U S Nod for Channel 13 The Grand Rapids Press April 25 1964 p 13 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 Losing Bidders For Channel 13 Get 360 000 The Muskegon Chronicle May 19 1965 p 37 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 Sign Pact To Operate Channel 13 The Muskegon Chronicle January 25 1965 p 13 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 WZZM Studio Shaping for May 1 Opening The Muskegon Chronicle March 11 1965 p 28 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 Basic a Merger Dropout And Then There Were Two Variety March 19 1969 p 51 ProQuest 1505789183 a b Grand Rapids TV Station Sold The Ludington Daily News March 10 1973 p 2 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com Company Buys Radio Station in Grand Rapids The Holland Evening Sentinel UPI November 28 1966 p 22 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com WZZM To Open New Broadcast Center Aug 9 Back Stage July 30 1971 p 3 ProQuest 963140743 Wometco to buy Grand Rapids station The Miami News September 2 1976 p 3P Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com Tucker Florida January 25 1978 Florida notes The Miami News p 10A Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com Changing Hands PDF Broadcasting December 19 1977 pp 32 33 ProQuest 1016895120 Archived PDF from the original on January 31 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 Black Norman April 13 1984 N Y Investment Firm Acquires Wometco The State Associated Press p 10 D Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com Wometco Will Sell TV Station to Price Communications The Wall Street Journal May 1 1985 ProQuest 397917107 In Brief PDF Broadcasting July 3 1989 p 72 ProQuest 1016936862 Archived PDF from the original on January 31 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 Jessell Harry A September 12 1994 Argyle buys three North Star stations PDF Broadcasting amp Cable p 42 ProQuest 225329323 Archived PDF from the original on January 31 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 Anderson Dale November 21 1996 Gannett to sell Gazette in deal to acquire Ch 2 The Buffalo News p A1 A10 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com DeBoer Terri December 16 2000 Local children s host Maranda will be switching channels WOOD TV s parent company hires her but has not fully defined her role The Grand Rapids Press p A1 Heibel Lawrence R March 28 2002 Weather ball may sit on pole by station WZZM TV 13 is seeking a zoning variance to build the new home for the stainless steel sphere The Grand Rapids Press p A25 Heibel Lawrence R June 28 2002 Weather Ball gets green light for move The Grand Rapids Press p D3 Snapper Joe April 10 2003 Weather ball resurrected ready to flash forecasts The icon returns to the area skyline 16 years after it was removed from the top of a downtown bank building The Grand Rapids Press p A21 Separation of Gannett into two public companies completed Tegna June 29 2015 Archived from the original on July 2 2015 Retrieved June 29 2015 For the Record PDF Broadcasting August 17 1964 p 98 ProQuest 1014485997 Archived PDF from the original on January 31 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 Channel 65 TV Sought For City Battle Creek Enquirer and News November 6 1965 p 3 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com Channel 74 Plans To Begin Full Operations Friday Battle Creek Enquirer and News January 24 1968 p 5 Retrieved February 15 2023 via Newspapers com Channel 74 Off Air Battle Creek Enquirer and News March 7 1968 p 1 2 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com Suit Snags UHF Development Here Battle Creek Enquirer and News January 23 1968 p 3 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com Chances for New TV Here Brighten Battle Creek Enquirer and News October 22 1968 p 1 Retrieved February 15 2023 via Newspapers com 2 Stations Seek Use of Channel 41 Battle Creek Enquirer October 25 1968 p 1 2 Retrieved February 15 2023 via Newspapers com Moskal Jerry September 8 1969 Permit for UHF station canceled Battle Creek Enquirer and News p A 12 Retrieved February 15 2023 via Newspapers com Another bidder for Channel 41 gives up Battle Creek Enquirer and News September 18 1969 p A 9 Retrieved February 15 2023 via Newspapers com Channel 41 upheld in FCC plea Battle Creek Enquirer December 5 1970 p B 6 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com Channel 41 gets building permit Station here still negotiating with ABC for program rights Battle Creek Enquirer and News July 31 1970 p A 1 Retrieved February 15 2023 via Newspapers com Berger Jay July 21 1971 Here s how to pick it up Channel 41 goes on air at 3 30 p m Saturday Battle Creek Enquirer and News p A 1 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com WZZM TV loses appeal on UHF Battle Creek Enquirer January 30 1972 p B 9 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com WZZM joins cable TV lineup Battle Creek Enquirer and News January 22 1975 p B 1 Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com Kulhanek Elaine January 11 1986 Wolverine to drop 3 network affiliates Battle Creek Enquirer p 1A 2A Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com Carlton David August 7 1990 Two ABC affiliates agree to merge Battle Creek Enquirer p 3A Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com Stations to expand coverage Battle Creek Enquirer June 28 1991 p 4A Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com Kowalski Will October 3 1991 Mark and Bill back on the air Battle Creek Enquirer p 1B Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com McCallum Matt October 31 1991 TV news for B C Channel 8 to provide local news for 41 Battle Creek Enquirer p 1A Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com Flint Joe November 4 1991 11 year time brokerage deal for Michigan TV s PDF Broadcasting p 32 ProQuest 1014758658 Archived PDF from the original on January 31 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 WUHQ TV changing call letters June 1 Battle Creek Enquirer May 27 1992 p 3A Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 via Newspapers com DeBoer Terri May 26 2002 Long sought local channels added to dish services Echostar DirecTV The Grand Rapids Press p B5 WZZM Expands Cable Coverage in SW Michigan TVNewsCheck April 14 2009 Archived from the original on September 23 2013 Retrieved September 21 2013 TV Listings 13 On Your Side ABC 13 On Target Weather True Crime Quest WZZM13 com a b Lagerkvist Mark May 23 1988 WZZM What Price News Grand Rapids Business Journal p 1 ProQuest 216739809 Lagerkvist Mark June 6 1988 WZZM Price Empire Financed by Junk Bonds Grand Rapids Business Journal p 1 ProQuest 216744389 Calabrese Dan April 12 1993 TV News ratings spur battle for ad support Grand Rapids Business Journal p 2 ProQuest 216722019 Davis Hudson Eileen July 30 2001 Grand Rapids Mich Mediaweek pp 16 21 ProQuest 213624287 Calabrese Dan February 1 1993 Area TV news battle lines drawn Grand Rapids Business Journal p 14 ProQuest 216721191 Kuperberg Jonathan March 7 2016 Problem Solving in Western Michigan Broadcasting amp Cable Archived from the original on October 7 2022 Retrieved February 13 2023 DeBoer Terri March 7 2004 New show aims to get people talking The Grand Rapids Press p E3 Benson Jim Romano Allison Higgins John M January 20 2006 The New Rules Of Syndication Broadcasting amp Cable Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved February 13 2023 Pierson Colleen September 9 2007 Ratings 101 Making sense of the book The Grand Rapids Press p E2 Gonzalez John August 25 2008 TV changes in Grand Rapids Ellen DeGeneres Dr Phil Regis amp Kelly and Take 5 The Grand Rapids Press Chance Todd August 18 2015 WZZM 13 to launch My West Michigan on weekday mornings to replace Take Five The Grand Rapids Press Pritchard Denise July 24 2020 My West Michigan team says goodbye for now WZZM Archived from the original on February 13 2023 Retrieved October 20 2020 RabbitEars TV Query for WZZM RabbitEars Archived from the original on March 15 2016 Retrieved February 13 2023 DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds PDF Federal Communications Commission May 23 2006 Archived from the original PDF on August 29 2013 Retrieved August 29 2021 External links editOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title WZZM amp oldid 1209228431, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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