WDSU

WDSU is the NBC affiliate television station for the New Orleans, Louisiana television market. It is owned by Hearst Television, which in turn is wholly owned by the Hearst Corporation. It broadcasts on virtual channel 6. Its transmitter is located in Chalmette, Louisiana; while its studios are located in downtown New Orleans.

The station also serves as the default NBC affiliate for most of the Gulf Coast region of Mississippi (including Biloxi, Gulfport andPascagoula) since that area doesn't have an NBC affiliate of its own, and is carried on Cable One systems in southern Mississippi. The station's current tagline is "6 On Your Side."

History
WDSU-TV signed on the air on December 18, 1948 as the first television station in Louisiana. It was owned by New Orleans businessman Edgar B. Stern, Jr. along with WDSU radio (1280 AM, now WODT; and 93.3 FM, now WQUE-FM).

The station initially carried programming from NBC, CBS, ABC and DuMont. Even after WJMR-TV on channel 61 (now Fox affiliateWVUE on channel 8) signed on in 1953 as a primary CBS and secondary ABC affiliate, WDSU continued to "cherry-pick" a few of the higher-rated CBS and ABC programs until 1957, when WWL-TV signed on as a full-time CBS affiliate. At that time, WJMR took the ABC affiliation full-time, leaving WDSU as an exclusive NBC affiliate. It lost DuMont when that network ceased operations in 1956.

The radio station was originally located at the DeSoto Hotel (now Le Pavillon Hotel) on Baronne St. WDSU-TV began operations in the Hibernia Bank Building, at that time the tallest building in New Orleans. It moved into the historic Brulatour Mansion on Royal Street in the French Quarter in April 1950. At that point, Stern reorganized his broadcast holdings as the Royal Street Corporation. The transmitter site remained at the Hibernia Bank Building until 1955 when the new transmitter facilities were completed in Chalmette, LA, where the tower remains today.

In the 1950s WDSU-TV became the springboard for the career of Dick Van Dyke, first as a single comedian and later as emcee of a comedy program.[1]

WDSU was the ratings leader in New Orleans for over a quarter century, largely because of its strong commitment to local coverage. It originated the first live broadcasts of the Sugar Bowl and Mardi Gras, and was the first area station to have extensive local coverage of a hurricane.

Royal Street merged with Cosmos Broadcasting of Columbia, South Carolina in 1972. Cosmos had to sell off the radio stations because it was over the Federal Communications Commission's ownership limit of the time. Cosmos eliminated much of the local flavor that had been the station's hallmark, opting to concentrate on its already strong news operation (it had been saluted by Time as a news pioneer in 1966). By the early 1980s, rival WWL-TV had overtaken WDSU as the ratings leader. WDSU has been a solid runner-up to WWL for most of the last quarter-century, though in recent years it has had to fend off a strong challenge from a resurgent WVUE.

 WDSU became the first station in the market to provide color telecasts in 1955, and the first New Orleans station with its own doppler weather radar in the 1990s (Super Doppler 6000).Cosmos sold WDSU to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer,_Inc. Pulitzer] in 1989. Pulitzer sold its entire television division, including WDSU, to Hearst-Argyle Television (predecessor to the present-day Hearst Television) in 1999. The station moved into a new facility on Howard Avenue and Baronne Street in March 1996.

On November 11, 2006, after a remarkable 51 years in New Orleans broadcast television—nearly all of them with WDSU—anchor and former news director Alec Gifford officially announced his retirement. His retirement became effective in December 2006.[2]

WDSU looked back on six decades of broadcasting on December 18, 2008.[3]

The station contracts with Citadel Broadcasting's New Orleans FM cluster (KKND, KMEZ, WRKN & WMTI) to provide additional channels of audio simulcasting during hurricane coverage.

Hurricane Katrina
WDSU's New Orleans studios ceased operations around 9:30pm Sunday, August 28, 2005, allowing staff at the station to take shelter. At that point, WDSU broadcasts began originating from sister Hearst-Argyle station WAPT-TV, the ABC affiliate in Jackson, Mississippi, to which some WDSU on-air staff had already evacuated. Sister station WESH, the NBC affiliate inOrlando, Florida, also originated some on-air weather content. In the immediate weeks following the hurricane, WDSU's news content originated from WAPT with a hybrid team of WAPT and WDSU meteorologists and anchors, with programs simulcast in Jackson and New Orleans.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">WDSU's analog and digital transmitters were both destroyed in the hurricane.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[4] WDSU arranged to transmit via Ion Television affiliate WPXL channel 49 through the end of December 2005; reduced-power service was restored on channel 6 in October 2005.[2] WDSU replaced its transmitter building with an elevated and rugged hurricane resistant building to house its analog and digital transmitters. Construction of this building was completed in early February 2008.[3][4] On August 1, 2007 WDSU's digital signal was restored, temporarily sharing a frequency with WHNO's digital channel 21. In late February 2008 its analog signal was restored to full power and their digital signal on channel 6.1 was restored on March 6, 2008.

Hurricane Gustav
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">In 2008, WDSU broadcast nonstop coverage of the approach, landfall and aftermath of Hurricane Gustav for five consecutive days. The storm prompted a massive evacuation of much of the station's viewing area. On September 1, 2008 WDSU's coverage of Hurricane Gustav aired nationally on DirecTV channel 361. Coverage was also available on the station's website, and its audio was carried by the Citadel group of radio stations in New Orleans. C-SPAN 2, and ABC affiliate WBRZ (channel 2) in Baton Rouge made portions of live coverage available as well.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">WDSU tapped the resources of its parent company, Hearst-Argyle Television, and brought in personnel from across the country to assist in various capacities. Some WDSU news team members were relocated to support studios in Baton Rouge and Orlando and provided reports via satellite. All three locations stayed operational throughout the storm. One of WDSU's sister stations, ABC affiliate KOCO-TV (channel 5) in Oklahoma City, also provided coverage of Hurricane Gustav via its second digital subchannel for evacuees who came to Oklahoma City.

WDSU-DT
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">The station's digital channel on UHF 43, is multiplexed:

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Digital channels <p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display WDSU's virtual channel as "6".

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">WDSU broadcasts "6 WDSU eXact Weather: News & Traffic" on channel 6.2, with weather shots provided by AccuWeather.com's national feed. Channel 6.2 can bee seen on digital cable channel 108 for Cox Communications customers in the New Orleans viewing area, on channel 115 for Charter Communications customers on the Northshore, and on channel 136 for Charter Communications customers on the Southshore.

Digital retransmission disputes
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">In October 2006, a dispute between WDSU's owner, Hearst-Argyle, and Cox Communications caused WDSU's HDTV signal to be pulled from New Orleans area cable TV systems.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[5] As a result, no high-definition television content was available from WDSU via any medium (over the air, cable, or satellite), forcing New Orleans viewers looking for high-definition NBC programming to attempt to pull in a signal from Baton Rouge affiliate WVLA. In April 2007, WDSU-DT was added to DirecTV's lineup, after which local cable carriers one-by-one began to add it also.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">On September 27, 2007, Cox Communications and Hearst-Argyle announced an agreement to restore WDSU-DT to Cox's New Orleans area cable systems [5]; WDSU-DT and WDSU's WeatherPlus channel were added to Cox's channel lineup the next day.[6]

News operation
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Currently, WDSU broadcasts a total of 31 hours of local newscasts each week (with five hours on weekdays, and three hours on weekends). On December 14, 2008, the Sun Herald, a local newspaper on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, partnered with WDSU-TV to give more news and weather coverage for South Mississippi.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">On September 14, 2009, WDSU dropped its noon newscast in favor of a new hour-long 4 p.m. newscast, making it the only TV station in the New Orleans market to offer a newscast at that timeslot.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[6]

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">On July 10, 2010, WDSU started broadcasting local news in 16:9 widescreen standard definition along with updated graphics. On August 16, 2010, WDSU expanded its weekday morning newscast to 2½ hours, by adding a 4:30 a.m. newscast entitled "WDSU News First Edition".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[7]

Station slogans

 * Comin' on TV-6 (1980–1987)
 * You're What Makes New Orleans Great! (1985–1987; used during period station used Frank Gari's "Turn to News")
 * Come Home to Channel 6 (1986-1987; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * Come on Home to Channel 6 (1987-1988; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * Come Home To The Best, Only On Channel 6
 * Your 24-Hour News Source (1990–1994)
 * We're Building WDSU Around You (1994–2004)
 * Local. Live. Latebreaking. (2004–2006)
 * On Your Side (2006–present; reporters also often use "We're on Your Side" as tags at the end of reports just before identifying the newscast title)

This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.===News staff===

Current on-air staff
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Anchors


 * Melanie Hebert – weekday mornings "WDSU News This Morning" (5-7 a.m.); also consumer reporter
 * LaTonya Norton – weekend mornings "WDSU News This Morning"; also weekday reporter
 * Norman Robinson – weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Randi Rousseau – weekday mornings "WDSU News This Morning" (5-7 a.m.); also reporter
 * Scott Walker – weekdays at 4, 5, and 10 p.m.; also reporter
 * Camille Whitworth – weeknights at 4, 5, and 6 p.m.; also reporter
 * Rachel Wulff – Weekends at 5 and 10 pm ; also weekday reporter

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


 * Margaret Orr (NWA member; AMS member) – chief meteorologist; weekdays at 4, weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Damon Singleton – meteorologist; weekend mornings "WDSU News This Morning"
 * Patrick Crawford (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) – meteorologist; weekends at 5 and 10 p.m.
 * Jay Galle (American Meteorological Society Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings "WDSU News This Morning" (5-7 a.m.)

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


 * Fletcher Mackel – sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.

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


 * Heath Allen – Northshore Bureau Chief/general assignment reporter (married to former WWL-TV/WVUE-TV reporter Janet Gross)
 * Tiffaney Bradley - general assignment reporter
 * Rosa Flores - general assignment reporter
 * Dr. Corey Hebert – medical editor ("On Call")
 * Lisamarie Luminais - traffic reporter
 * Travers Mackel – investigative reporter; twin brother of Fletcher Mackel
 * Howard Robertson – crime and safety specialist
 * Gina Swanson – general assignment reporter

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


 * Sally Kidd – Washington bureau reporter
 * Nikole Killion – Washington bureau reporter
 * Laurie Kinney – Washington bureau reporter

Notable former on-air staff

 * Taslin Alfonzo - weekend morning anchor/general assignment reporter (2006-2010; now at West Jefferson Medical Center)
 * Richard Anderson - weekend anchor (later at WVUE; now heads own communications company)
 * Charlie Adams - sports director
 * Cammie Aldridge - reporter
 * Richard Angelico - senior investigative reporter (1983-2009; semiretired)
 * Elizebeth Curren
 * Lisa Bacques (now traffic reporter for Clear Channel Radio in New Orleans)
 * Steve Bellas (now communications faculty member at Southeastern Louisiana University)
 * Stephanie Boswell (1997-2005)
 * Ro Brown - now at Cox Sports TV
 * Len Cannon - anchor (later at WWL-TV; now at KHOU-TV in Houston)
 * Leslie Carde - Anchor/Health & Science Editor (1982-1989; later at CNBC, WWL Radio, WGNO, CNN and E!; now Executive Producer/Host of California Kickin)
 * Bob and Jan Carr - "Midday" and "Second Cup" hosts
 * John Corporon - news director (later manager at Washington Post TV stations)
 * Reid Corcoran, Jr. - reporter (1979-1981)
 * Ed Daniels - sports (now sports director at WGNO)
 * Trevous Dickerson - Reporter
 * Bernard "Buddy" Diliberto - sportscaster (1980-1990; later worked for WWL Radio; deceased)
 * Byron Dowty - sports
 * Clancy DuBos (now publisher of the New Orleans Gambit Weekly newspaper)
 * Kriss Fairbairn - 6 and 10 p.m. anchor/reporter (1990-2010; semiretired)
 * Devin Fehley - reporter (now at WAGA in Atlanta)
 * Terry Flettrich - "Midday" host (1950-1975) and "Mrs. Muffin"
 * Lynn Gansar (Zatarain) - reporter and news anchor (1983-1992)
 * Richard Gauthereau - announcer
 * Clem Gendron - weatherman
 * Joe Giardina - reporter (now regional general manager for Lindmark Outdoor Advertising)
 * Alec Gifford - longest serving reporter at WDSU (1955-1966 and 1980-2006; also took on a correspondent job with NBC News for a year)
 * Joe Glover - anchor
 * Mason Granger - general manager
 * Andria Hall
 * Michael Herrera - later at WVUE and WWL-TV
 * Leslie Hill - reporter (early 1990s)
 * Nancy Holland - anchor/reporter (1970s-1985; later NASA reporter at KHOU-TV; retired)
 * Ken Jones - anchor/reporter (November 1996 – May 2010; now Director of Communications of the New Orleans Recovery School District)
 * Marcia Kavanaugh - anchor/reporter (1970s-1980s); now Director of Local Initiatives at WYES-TV
 * Jim Kemp - reporter (later at WVUE-TV and CNN; retired)
 * Peggy Scott Laborde (now at WYES-TV)
 * Mel Leavitt
 * Rich Lenz - weekend news anchor/reporter, sports anchor and sports director (1994-2007; now at KOTV in Tulsa)
 * Joan Malter - anchor/reporter (1970s-1980s)
 * Vince Marinello - sportscaster; later with WWL Radio (convicted December 13, 2008 of second-degree murder of his wife, Liz Marinello; now serving mandatory life sentence without parole)
 * Michael Marsh - now at WBRZ-TV
 * Gary Mattingly -Faculty University of South Carolina Upstate
 * Juli Miller - morning news anchor with Steve Bellas & reporter (late 1990's)
 * Bill Monroe - original news reporter (left for NBC in Washington and eventually became the host of NBC's Meet the Press)
 * Helena Moreno - weekday mornings and consumer reporter (2000-2008; defeated in Democratic primary race for Congress, but later won state representative of District 93)
 * Ann Mulligan
 * Edward Planer - news director (became news executive with NBC)
 * Roop Raj - weekday mornings and noon anchor (2002-2009; now at WJBK-TV in Detroit [his hometown], replacing Charles Pugh)
 * Ed Reams reporter / fill-in anchor (January 1999–August 2006, now News Director at WHSV in Harrisonburg, Virginia)
 * Arthur C. "Ep" Roberts - meteorologist (brother of Nash Roberts; died July 12, 2009 at age 84)
 * Nash Roberts - meteorologist (1948-1973; later at WVUE and WWL-TV; retired)
 * Susan E. Roberts (now at CBS News)
 * Susan Roesgen (did a stint at WGNO; now at CNN)
 * Melanie Sanders - anchor (?-2003; now at WNCN-TV in Raleigh, NC)
 * Rose Stabler (Wife of Ken Stabler) - weekend weather anchor
 * Mike Sanders (now with St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office)
 * Al Shea - entertainment critic (now at WYES)
 * Scott Simmons (now at WAPT in Jackson, Mississippi)
 * William "Bill" Stanley - host of WDSU's Breakfast Edition (1957-1987; died March 7, 2001)
 * Jimmy Steele - weekend sports anchor (late 1970s)
 * Dan Thomas - meteorologist (now at WSMV in Nashville, Tennessee)
 * Dick Van Dyke (had his own variety show before Hollywood came calling)
 * Stan Verrett - sports (now at ESPN)
 * Terry Wood
 * Charles Zewe (previously with WWL-TV; formerly at CNN; now Vice President of Communications for the Louisiana State University System)