WAND

WAND, virtual channel 17, is an NBC-affiliated television station serving theDecatur–Springfield–Champaign area. It is owned by Block Communications. It broadcasts on digital UHF channel 18 from a transmitter near Argenta, with a translator, W31BX-D, in Danville.

History
WAND began on June 17, 1953 as WTVP, owned by Prairie Broadcasting Company of Decatur and broadcasting from a tower in southwest Decatur. It is the oldest station in central Illinois, and the state's second-oldest station on the UHF band. Initial hopes of carrying programs from all four networks of the time were dashed, and WTVP had to settle for a primary affiliation with ABC and a secondary affiliations with DuMont. It was one of ABC's first fourteen primary affiliates, and one of the few early ABC affiliates on the UHF band that survived the 1950s.

Like many stations in medium-sized markets, WTVP initially wasn't able to get a direct network feed. The station had to rely on kinescopes of ABC and DuMont programming from New York City, and the programs often aired two weeks after the live broadcast. By October, however, WTVP was able to get ABC programming live from a microwave link in Danville. At this time, it also took on a secondaryCBS affiliation. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.[2] Even after WCIA signed on from Champaign in November, WTVP continued to air some CBS programs until 1959.

WTVP was sold to a Chicago-based group in 1958, only to be sold two years later to Metromedia. In 1961, the station activated a translator on channel 70 in Champaign. At the time, channel 17 provided only a grade B ("rimshot") signal to the Champaign-Urbana side of the market, and much of the area couldn't see it at all. It was sold to LIN Broadcasting at the end of 1965--the very first station in the LIN chain. On February 15, 1966, the call letters changed to the present WAND.

On October 8, 1966, WAND activated a new 1,100-foot (340 m) tower in Argenta. It was topped with an experimental RCA "Vee-Zee" antenna, and one of only two ever put into service. The second antenna was used by WJJY-TV in nearby Jacksonville. It was the first million-watt tower in the state, and added Champaign-Urbana to the station's city-grade coverage. As a result, WAND became the first station in the market to provide a city-grade signal to all four of the market's largest cities. At the same time, the channel 70 translator was moved to Danville, on channel 68 (with call sign W68AA).

On March 26, 1978, WAND's tower was brought down by a massive ice storm. All but 100 feet of the tower fell down under the weight of massive sheets of ice. The collapse exposed a serious design flaw in the tower. Due to WAND's location on the lower end of the UHF dial, the antenna had been one of the heaviest ever used for broadcasting. However, the tower had been designed with the specifications of a much lighter antenna, and was thus not properly engineered to handle so much weight. The same storm brought down WJJY's tower, which was of a similar design and had been assembled by the same company. The station was off the air for two weeks until it returned to the air from its original tower. The translator was moved back to Champaign, still on channel 68. This left Danville without over-the-air programming from ABC for several months.

In 1979, WAND activated its current 1,289-foot (393 m) tower, also in Argenta. It is the tallest broadcasting tower in Illinois, and with 5 million watts it was the most powerful analog signal in the state. The station also moved the translator back to Danville, this time on channel 31.

LIN wholly owned the station until March 2000, when it sold 67 percent of the station to Block Communications in exchange for 100 percent of WLFI-TV in Lafayette, Indiana. However, LIN continued to operate the station for several years as part of the deal. On September 5, 2005, WAND became an NBC affiliate as part of a larger nationwide deal.

LIN sold its 33 percent share of WAND to Block Communications on November 9, 2007.[3] As a result, LIN no longer operates the station; however, WAND's website remained in the old format of most of the other LIN-owned stations of the time until the WAND web site was redesigned in late 2009 or early 2010.

Digital television
WAND currently has a construction permit to operate its digital signal to the maximum 1 million watts--equivalent to 5 million watts for an analog transmitter.[4] At this time, no date has been announced on when the power increase will commence. On March 30, 2011, the FCC approved WAND's petition to move its digital broadcasts back to former analog channel 17.[5] [6] No announcement has been made on when the channel change will commence.

On February 17, 2009, the Danville repeater shut off its analog signal. Soon after, the repeater started broadcasting a digital signal on channels 31-1 and 31-2, but redirects TVs to channels 17-1 and 17-2.

High-definition programming
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">WAND was the first station to bring high definition programming to central Illinois. Most syndicated programming seen on the station is broadcast in 4:3 standard definition. High definition programming seen on the station that is broadcast by NBC is broadcast in 16:9widescreen high definition.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">WAND-TV began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition on June 26, 2010, becoming the first commercial television station in the Champaign-Urbana market to produce their local newscasts in HD.

24-hour Doppler Radar channel
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">WAND also broadcasts a second digital subchannel with a live 24-hour Doppler Radar feed and the audio overlay of NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards station WXJ75, based in Springfield.

News operation
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">WAND broadcasts on-demand weather, as well as portions of its newscasts, on its website, making it the first in the area to do so.

Weather
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">The weather department of WAND-TV has come a long way since the station began operations. In late 1993, a live Doppler radar was installed atop of the station. Then in 2006, new technology was introduced called "Live Doppler 4X". "Live Doppler 4X" consists of four real-time radars that run from various locations from Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. The Stormcenter 17 meteorologists can pinpoint storms locations from Iowa and Missouri and track them through all of Central Illinois. WAND became one of the few stations to have 3D Live Doppler using its previous Live Doppler 4X technology. The four radars still sweep, and now the Stormcenter 17 meteorologists can give a storm rating and show three-dimensional storm views. WAND also has its own advanced weather vehicle to track severe weather occurring in Central Illinois, called "Stormrunner 17". The vehicle provides real-time Weatherbug observationst and streams live video back to the station.

Newscast titles

 * WTVP News (1953<span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:19.7119998931885px;white-space:pre-wrap;">– 1957)
 * The Central Illinois Report (1957<span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:19.7119998931885px;white-space:pre-wrap;">– 1960)
 * Channel 17 News (1960<span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:19.7119998931885px;white-space:pre-wrap;">– 1965)
 * The 6th Hour/The 10th Hour (1965<span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:19.7119998931885px;white-space:pre-wrap;">– 1968)
 * Eyewitness News (1968<span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:19.7119998931885px;white-space:pre-wrap;">– 1971)
 * Scene 17 News (1971<span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:19.7119998931885px;white-space:pre-wrap;">– 1977)
 * The News (1977<span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:19.7119998931885px;white-space:pre-wrap;">– 1980s)
 * News 17 (1980s<span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:19.7119998931885px;white-space:pre-wrap;">– 1988)
 * WAND News (1988<span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:19.7119998931885px;white-space:pre-wrap;">– 2005 & 2012–present)
 * NewsCenter 17 (2005<span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:19.7119998931885px;white-space:pre-wrap;">– 2009)
 * StormCenter 17 (2008<span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:19.7119998931885px;white-space:pre-wrap;">– 2012; also used as weather brandings since 2012)

Station slogans

 * Let Us Be The One on WAND-TV (1976-1977; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * We're Still the One, on WAND-TV (1977-1978 & 1979-1980; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * We're The One, on WAND-TV (1978-1979; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Get to Know Us/It's Where You Are! (late 1970s-early 1980s)
 * You and Me and WAND-TV (1980-1981; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Now is the Time, WAND-TV is the Place (1981-1982; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Come on Along With WAND-TV (1982-1983; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * That Special Feeling on WAND-TV (1983-1984; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * We're With You on WAND-TV (1984-1985; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * You'll Love It on WAND-TV (1985-1986; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * We're Looking Out for You! (1985-?)
 * Together on WAND-TV (1986-1987; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Something's Happening on WAND-TV
 * Central Illinois' is Watching WAND-TV
 * Central Illinois' News Station (1992–1998 and 2002–2007)
 * Nobody Does It Like WAND-TV (1996-1997; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * TV is Good, on WAND-TV (1997-1998; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * We Love TV, on WAND-TV (1998-1999; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Live. Local. Latebreaking. (1998–2002)
 * The Best News You'll Get Today (2007–2008)
 * Where Weather Comes First, StormCenter 17 (2008–2009)
 * The Only Source for Live, Local Radar, StormCenter 17 (2009-present)
 * Central Illinois' Best Source for News and Weather (2013–present)

News music packages

 * Production Music:Space Wars by Network Music (19??-19??)
 * KSD 1981 News Theme (19??-1992)
 * Production Music: Dateline the World by Killer Tracks (1992-19??)
 * Production Music: America's Station by FirstCom (19??-19??)
 * Stravinsky by Stephen Arnold Music (1998-2005)
 * Metropolis by Stephen Arnold Music (2005-2007)
 * The Rock by Stephen Arnold Music (2007-2012)
 * Arial by Stephen Arnold Music (2012-present)

On-air staff
 Current on-air staff  

 Anchors 
 * Brigette Burnett - Saturdays at 6:00, Sundays at 5:00, and weekends at 10:00 p.m.
 * Eric Steltzer - weekday mornings on "WAND News Today" (5:00-7:00 a.m.)
 * Elise Menaker - weekday mornings on "WAND News Today" (5:00-7:00 a.m.)
 * Stacey Skrysak - weekdays at noon and 4:00
 * Dawn Sterling - weekdays at noon, 4:00, and weeknights at 5:00 and 6:00 p.m.
 * Sean Streaty - weeknights at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 p.m.
 * Marianne Manko - weeknights at 6:00 and 10:00 p.m.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">StormCenter 17 Weather Team


 * J.C. Fultz (NWA Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekdays at 4:00 and weeknights at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 p.m.
 * Kevin Chierek - meteorologist; weekday mornings on "WAND News Today" (5:00-7:00 a.m.)
 * Adam Del Rosso (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal) - meteorologist; Saturdays at 6:00, Sundays at 5:00, and weekends at 10:00 p.m

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">Sports team


 * Matt Loveless - sports director; weeknights at 6:00 and 10:00 p.m.
 * Noah Newman - sports anchor; Saturdays at 6:00, Sundays at 5:00 and weekends at 10:00 p.m., also weeknight sports reporter

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">Reporters


 * Michael Burton - Decatur reporter
 * Ed Cross - Springfield bureau chief
 * Doug Wolfe - Investigative reporter/Decatur & Springfield reporter
 * Paula Thornton - Investigative reporter/Decatur reporter
 * Amanda Bossard - Champaign bureau chief

Former on-air staff

 * Abbie Alford
 * Rick Barrett
 * Joe Bauer
 * Lisa Benson
 * Bob Billman
 * Brandon Blocker
 * Gabrielle Biondo
 * Laine Sylvester
 * Loren Boatman
 * Warren Brinegar
 * Mike Browning
 * Marcus Canada
 * Ross Cavitt<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[8]
 * Bob Cashen
 * Ken Charles
 * Mike Cheever
 * 'Jim Clayton
 * Mike Cleff
 * Don Coleman
 * John Davey
 * Bob Dolan
 * Travell Eiland
 * Anne Ferry
 * Peter Gray
 * Tom Green
 * Maria Gum
 * Cindy Gutteridge
 * Glen Horn
 * Mikaela Hunt (now morning anchor/reporter for WCMH-TV in Columbus, Ohio)
 * Brian Jodice
 * Christina Jue
 * Patricia Kakridas
 * Lisa Kiava
 * Karen Konyar
 * Mark Kulda
 * Scott Lin
 * Chris Madarasz
 * Terry Martin
 * Mike Mazzocco
 * Dan Medina
 * Jill Monier
 * Julie Moore
 * George Moyer
 * Bob Murray
 * Grant Napear
 * Reed O'Brien
 * Eun Hee Pai
 * Al Pigg
 * Ron Rector
 * Robert Reese
 * Leandra Reilly
 * Jeff Ruffner
 * Devin Scillian (now main news anchor with WDIV-TV in Detroit)
 * Kim Sherwood
 * Gayle Simpson
 * Jerry Slabe
 * Fred Straub
 * Cathy Styles
 * Lon Tay
 * Marcus Thorpe (now reporter/fill-in anchor with WCMH-TV in Columbus)
 * Dawn Torchia
 * Mindy Mintz
 * Mike Vaughan
 * Frank Vascellaro (now anchor with WCCO-TV in Minneapolis/St. Paul)
 * Dana Wadell
 * Dick Westbrook
 * George Wilson
 * Kim Wilson
 * John Wingate, former KSTP-TV (Mpls) consumer/investigative reporter, current communications consultant
 * David Winter
 * Bob Wright
 * Rick Zurak
 * Steve Butera