WCPO-TV

WCPO-TV, channel 9, is the ABC-affiliated television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. WCPO's studio is located in the Mount Adams neighborhood of Cincinnati, just outside of Eden Park. Its transmitter is located along Symmes Street, just south of East McMillan Street in Cincinnati. The station is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, which had previously owned the now-defunct Cincinnati Post (which ceased publication at the end of 2007) and its Kentucky edition (which became an online-only publication simultaneously with the closure of the Cincinnati Post). It is the only major Cincinnati television station under the same ownership since its inception as well as the only major station in town to remain owned by a locally-based company.

History
The station first signed on the air on July 26, 1949 as Cincinnati's third television station. The call letters came from the Post, who also owned WCPO radio, Cincinnati's original Top 40/Rock station (AM 1230, now WDBZ and FM 105.1, now WUBE). Originally on channel 7, it moved to channel 9 in 1952.

The station was originally a primary ABC affiliate, and also carried a secondary affiliation with theDuMont Television Network. With DuMont's demise in 1956, WCPO was left with just ABC until it swapped affiliations with WKRC-TV (channel 12) in 1961, becoming a CBS affiliate. This deal came because WKRC-TV's owner, Taft Broadcasting, had very good relations with ABC.

For three decades, WCPO had been one of CBS' strongest affiliates. However, in 1994, Scripps and ABC announced a long-term affiliation deal, which called for four Scripps-owned stations switching to ABC.[1] WCPO was included in the deal, which ABC agreed to as a condition of keeping its affiliation on Scripps' two biggest stations, WXYZ-TV (channel 7) in Detroit and WEWS-TV (channel 5) in Cleveland. Both of those stations had been heavily wooed by CBS, which was about to lose its longtime Detroit and Cleveland affiliates to Fox. However, while three other Scripps-owned stations included in the same deal switched to ABC in December 1994 and January 1995, Scripps had to maintain CBS affiliation on WCPO for an additional one and a half years because WKRC's affiliation contract with ABC did not run out until June 6, 1996. On that day the two stations finally reversed the 1961 affiliation swap, with WCPO rejoining ABC and WKRC reuniting with CBS.

In December 2009, WCPO reached an agreement with local Fox affiliate WXIX-TV (channel 19) to pool videographers at press conferences.[2]

1980 Newsroom hostage crisis
On the early morning of October 15, 1980, WCPO and most of its news staff became part of a major news story when James Hoskins seized control of WCPO's newsroom.[3] Hoskins held reporter Elaine Green and her cameraman at gunpoint in the parking lot of WCPO's studios. He then forced his way into the newsroom and took seven more hostages.

A self-described terrorist, Hoskins stated in a videotaped interview with Green that he had, among other things, murdered his girlfriend before arriving at the studios. After voicing his displeasure with local government, Hoskins ended by saying that he would let his hostages go, but only after they helped him to barricade himself in their newsroom in anticipation of a shootout with police. Green and the others pleaded with Hoskins to get help, but to no avail. WCPO's news staff ran special newscasts from the parking lot throughout that morning.

Hoskins eventually let all the hostages go, and the standoff ended later that morning when Hoskins shot himself dead while on the phone with SWAT negotiators. Green was awarded a Peabody Award for her handling of the crisis. She later married anchor and then-news director Al Schottelkotte. The two remained married until his death in 1996.

Digital television
The station's digital signal, UHF 22 is multiplexed:

Digital channels Subchannel 9.2 carries the same 24-hour local weather programming as the Weather Tracker channel on many local cable systems.[4]

Post-analog shutdown
WCPO-TV ended programming on its analog signal, on VHF channel 9, on June 12, 2009, as part of the DTV transition in the United States,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Analog_to_Digital_4-0" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[5] and remained on its pre-transition digital channel 10.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FCCForm387_5-0" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[6] However, since many viewers had reception issues after the digital transition, even with an increase of power just weeks after the transition, the station has filed a Petition for Rulemaking to abandon VHF Channel 10 and move to UHF Channel 22.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[7] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[8] On October 7, 2009, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a "Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" for WCPO-TV, which gives the public 25 days to comment on the proposed channel change.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[9] On December 10, 2009, the FCC issued a Report & Order, approving WCPO's move from Channel 10 to 22.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[10] On January 19, 2010, WCPO filed a minor change application for a construction permit for their new allotment. The FCC granted the construction permit on July 9.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[11] At 2:05 a.m on December 8, 2010, WCPO performed a flash-cut, turning off channel 10 and started operations on channel 22. This flash-cut also included a power boost to 910 kW.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[12]

Programming
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">All Scripps-Howard owned ABC affiliates, including WCPO, preempted Saving Private Ryan in 2004. WCPO produced The Uncle Al Show, a children's show that ran from the early 1950s to the mid-1980s.

News operation
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">Beginning in the early 1960s, WCPO was the undisputed leader in local newscasts, led by anchor and news director Al Schottelkotte, and remained Cincinnati's news leader for over 20 years.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">In recent years, WCPO and WKRC have been battling each other for first place in the local television viewership ratings, while NBC affiliateWLWT has been lagging behind in third or fourth place. Typically, WCPO leads the evening news race while WKRC-TV leads in mornings and late nights. Even after the affiliation switch in 1996 involving two of the strongest affiliates of their respective networks at the time, both stations have remained among the strongest affiliates of their current respective networks. Consumer reporter John Matarese's reports have been syndicated to nine other stations, five of which are Scripps-owned, since 2003. However, as of October 12, 2010, Matarese's consumer reports have been aired on 11 other stations, the majority of which are Scripps owned.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[13]

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">WCPO began broadcasting its local newscasts in high-definition on August 19, 2007, beginning with the 6 p.m. newscast. Improvements around the station include upgraded weather graphics that match WHIO-TV's upgrade (see above), new panel displays on set (to replace rear-projection CRT monitors on set and old plasma displays with obvious burn-in) and Scripps purchasing JVC HDPro equipment for WCPO.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-JVC_HD_13-0" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[14] In the summer of 2009, WCPO upgraded its field cameras to capture high definition pictures. WCPO broadcasts local news in 720p HDTV, which is the same HD format as ABC programming.

2007 controversy
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">On March 7, 2007 at 5:45 am, morning anchor David Rose was pulled off the air for slurring his words. He was let go three weeks later.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[15]

Weather coverage
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">WCPO's forecasters are chief meteorologist, Steve Raleigh and meteorologists Larry Handley, Steve Norris and Cyndee O'Quinn. Cincinnati has always been a battleground for weather coverage, especially since the Montgomery/Blue Ash tornado of 1999. WCPO bills their radar as Ultimate Doppler 9, VIPIR 9, and TrueView. Their main radar in Batavia is one of the fastest radars in the nation, with an update usually every ten seconds.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">On July 1, 2003, WCPO began to operate a second Doppler weather radar out of the Clermont County Airport in Batavia. In combination with the radar located at WCPO's transmission tower site, both radars were named Ultimate Doppler Radar. The new radar operates at a height of 100 ft. with its base 834 ft. above sea level. Currently, only the Batavia radar is used, even when attenuation at the site leaves a radius around the radar blank. The old radar at the transmission site is no longer used.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">In July 2007, WCPO showed its new capability of placing actual satellite images (such as those from Google Earth) on the ground rather than just the green topo map. This helps the meteorologists at the station by showing them exactly where it's raining in relation to streets, buildings, ballfields, etc.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">The TrueView system allows for local and nationwide radar sweeps. During local sweeps, National Weather Service NEXRAD radars inWilmington, Ohio, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky are used. The VIPIR 9 technology also utilizes the NEXRAD radars and Ultimate Doppler 9 to create its 3D images.

Newscast titles

 * 265px-TV_Guide_9_News_Ad_from_1975.jpg Al Schottelkotte News (1959–1986?)
 * Channel 9 News (1960s-1982 and 1986–1995)
 * 9 Newswatch (1982–1986)
 * 9 News (1995–2013)
 * 9 On Your Side (2013-present)

Station slogans

 * The Best is Right Here on Channel 9 / Channel 9 is Easy on the Eyes (1973–1974; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * See the Best...Channel 9 (1974–1975; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Where News is First (c. 1975)
 * Catch the Brightest Stars on Channel 9 (1975–1976; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Channel 9, We're the Hot Ones (1976–1977; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * There's Something in the Air, on Channel 9 (1977–1978; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Channel 9, Turn Us On, We'll Turn You On (1978–1979; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * We're Looking Good on Channel 9 (1979–1980; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Looking Good Together, Channel 9 (1980–1981; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Reach for the Stars on Channel 9 (1981–1982; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Great Moments on Channel 9 (1982–1983; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * We've Got the Touch, You and Channel 9 (1983–1984; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * You and Channel 9, We've Got the Touch (1984–1985; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * We've Got the Touch on Channel 9 (1985–1986; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Share the Spirit on Channel 9 (1986–1987; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Channel 9 Spirit, Oh Yeah! (1987–1988; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * You Can Feel It on Channel 9 (1988–1989; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Cincinnati, Get Ready for Channel 9 (1989–1990; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Get Ready for Channel 9 (1990–1991; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * The Look of Cincinnati is Channel 9 (1991–1992; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * This is CBS, on Channel 9 (1992–1993; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * Channel 9, It's All Right Here (1993-1994; localized version of CBS ad campaign)
 * 9 Stands for News (1994–1998)
 * You're On Channel 9 (1995-1996; last localized version of CBS ad campaign before switching to ABC)
 * Nobody Does It Like Channel 9 (1996-1997; first localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * TV is Good, on Channel 9 (1997-1998; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * We Love TV, on Channel 9 (1998-1999; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Your Hometown Station (1998–2001)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Post_Bird_15-0" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[16]
 * 9 On Your Side (2001–present)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Post_Bird_15-1" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[16]
 * Always On (2004–2013; general slogan)
 * Channel 9, Start Here (2007-2013; localized version of current ABC ad campaign)
 * Always On and Always on your side. (2009–2013; general slogan)

Weekdays

 * Good Morning Tri-State - 4:30-7 a.m.
 * 9 On Your Side @ Noon - 12-1 p.m.
 * 9 On Your Side @ 5 - 5–5:30 p.m.
 * 9 On Your Side @ 5:30 - 5:30–6 p.m.
 * 9 On Your Side @ 6 - 6–6:30 p.m.
 * 9 On Your Side @ 11 - 11–11:35 p.m.

Weekends

 * Good Morning Tri-State" 5-7 8-9 a.m.
 * 9 On Your Side @ 6 - 6–6:30 p.m.
 * 9 On Your Side @ 11 - 11–11:35 p.m.
 * Sports of All Sorts - 11:35 p.m.–12:30 a.m.

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

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">Weather Forecasters
 * Lance Barry - breaking news anchor
 * Clyde Gray - weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.
 * Brendan Keefe - weeknights at 5:30 p.m.
 * Kathrine Nero - weekday mornings "Good Morning Tri-State"
 * Julie O'Neill - weekend evenings; also weekday reporter
 * Tanya O'Rourke - weekdays at noon and weeknights at 5:30 p.m.
 * Jenell Walton - weekend mornings; also weekday reporter
 * Carol Williams - weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">Sports team
 * Steve Raleigh (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m.
 * Larry Handley (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings "Good Morning Tri-State"
 * Steve Norris (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.
 * Cyndee O'Quinn (NWA Seal of Approval; AMS member) - meteorologist; weekend mornings
 * Rachel Aiseen - fill-in meteorologist

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em;">Reporters
 * John Popovich - sports director; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.; also host and producer of Sports of All Sorts
 * Dennis Jansen - sports anchor; weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m.
 * Scott Kyser - fill-in sports anchor
 * Mike Mattingly - sports reporter


 * Denise Johnson - traffic reporter
 * Shannon Kettler - general assignment reporter
 * Hagit Limor - "I-Team" investigative reporter
 * Adam Marshall - general assignment reporter, co-anchor good morning tristate weekend edition.
 * John Matarese - consumer reporter (also reports for eleven other stations throughout the U.S.; including a handful of Scripps stations)
 * Tom McKee - general assignment reporter
 * Anthony Mirones - "I-Team" investigative reporter
 * Jennifer Moore - "News Forecast" reporter, seen weekday mornings
 * Bill Price - morning reporter
 * Deb Silverman - Butler and Warren County reporter
 * Jay Warren - general assignment reporter
 * Scott Wegener - general assignment reporter

Notable former employees

 * Bob Alan - meteorologist
 * Wirt Cain – announcer for The Nick Clooney Show and host of "The Early 9 Movie" & game show "What Would You Say?"
 * Andrea Canning – reporter (now a correspondent/anchor for ABC News)
 * Gretchen Carlson – reporter (now anchor of Fox News Channel's Fox and Friends)
 * Stacy Case – weeknight anchor/reporter (now at WZTV in Nashville)
 * Nick Clooney – host of "The Nick Clooney Show"
 * Pete Delkus – chief meteorologist (1996–2005; now chief meteorologist at WFAA-TV in Dallas)
 * Denise Dory
 * John Esther - anchor (1980s)
 * Paula Faris
 * Robert D. (Bob) Gordon – vice president and general manager
 * Michael Flannery – reporter for "9 On Your Kids Side" segment
 * Deb Haas (married to WEBN/WLW radio's Eddie Fingers)
 * Brett Haber – weekend sports anchor (now sports director at WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C.; formerly anchor of "SportsCenter" on ESPN)
 * Bill Hemmer – now an anchor at Fox News
 * Bob Holtzman - sports anchor (now correspondent for ESPN)
 * Todd Hunter – staff announcer ("Eeee-leven O'Clock, Al Schottelkotte News Time...") & Weatherman for 33 years
 * Bruce Johnson – reporter (now weekend anchor and reporter for WUSA (TV) 9News in Washington DC
 * Sid Keitz – retired newscast director for The Al Schottelkotte News ("Directed by Sid Keitz. You've watched it on Channel 9, the station where news is first")
 * Al "Uncle Al" Lewis - first art director for WCPO, and host of The Uncle Al Show for 35 years (died in 2009)
 * Shawn Ley (went to WKRC-TV until July 2010, then to WDIV-TV in Detroit)
 * Randy Little – on air for 20 years until WCPO dropped his contract<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Enquirer_Kiesewetter_14-0" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[15]
 * Walt Maher – news anchor/sportscaster
 * Len Mink – singer/host "The Len Mink Show" (now an evangelist/worship leader for meetings held by televangelist Kenneth Copeland)
 * Jack Moran – sports director and former Cincinnati Reds announcer (deceased)
 * Hasker Nelson – public service director and creator/host of "Black Memo"
 * Brian Patrick – weatherman/anchor
 * Chris Riva
 * Betsy Ross
 * Al Schottelkotte – anchor and news director (deceased)
 * Larry Shields - general assignment reporter
 * Jay Warren - general assignment reporter
 * Scott Wegener - general assignment reporter
 * Keith Mitchell - general assignment reporter
 * Laura Powell - general assignment reporter
 * Angie Irick - general assignment reporter
 * Tori Turner - general assignment reporter
 * Dwaine Luna - general assignment reporter
 * Quincy Watkins - general assignment reporter
 * Bridget England - general assignment reporter
 * Scott Hurst - general assignment reporter
 * Sean McCormick - general assignment reporter
 * Faith Daniels - general assignment reporter
 * J.D. Hughes - general assignment reporter
 * Steve Mann - general assignment reporter
 * Yolanda Hill - general assignment reporter
 * Niecy Brown - general assignment reporter
 * Danni Mack - general assignment reporter
 * Kathy Smith
 * Janette Smith - noon and 5 pm anchor (1995–1998; went to anchor mornings at WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas; now seen hosting a home improvement show on the DIY Network and on specials for HGTV about Habitat for Humanity)
 * John Wade – singer/host "The John Wade Show" and "A John Wade Christmas Special" (now lives in Sedona, Arizona)
 * Al White - reporter

News personnel

 * Bill Fee - president/general manager
 * Bob Morford - news director
 * Jana Soete - managing editor
 * Robyn Tyndall - executive producer
 * Carole Rawlins - executive producer
 * Kevin Delaney - news producer
 * Stephanie Edmunds - news producer
 * Jeannine Gallenstein - news producer
 * Sheri Hammel - news producer
 * Doug Lillibridge - news producer
 * Suzanne Murray - news producer
 * Tasha Thomas - news producer
 * Mary Tignor - news producer
 * Kelli Fulk - editor
 * Tom Jordan - editor
 * Lechelle Burke - assignment editor
 * Samantha Toebbe - assignment editor
 * Mona Morrow - public affairs director
 * Brooke Anderson - executive producer of New Media
 * William Bullock - director of New Media
 * Anthony Yarro - New Media sales coordinator
 * Sean Dunster - executive producer of special projects
 * Mike Mattingly - special projects producer
 * Annette Peagler - broadcast television apprentice
 * Ian Preuth - WCPO Web Team
 * Kerry Duke - KYpost Web Team
 * Jessica Noll - KYpost Web Team
 * Terry Helmer - chief photographer
 * Michael Benedic - news photographer
 * Eric Clajus - news photographer
 * Phil Drechsler - news photographer
 * Ron Fischer - news photographer
 * Jason Garrison - news photographer
 * Jeremy Glover - news photographer
 * Phillip Lee - news photographer
 * Dave Marlo - news photographer
 * Greg Singleton - special projects photographer
 * Mark Slaughter - news photographer
 * Dwayne Slavey - news photographer
 * Tyson Thorp - news photographer