WEEK-TV

WEEK-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for West Central Illinois that is licensed toPeoria. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 25 from a transmitter at its studios on Springfield Road in East Peoria. Owned by the Granite Broadcasting Corporation, the station operates ABC affiliate WHOI and a CW subchannel (owned by Barrington Broadcasting) through joint sales and shared services agreements. It also operates MyNetworkTV affiliate WAOE (owned by Four Seasons Broadcasting) through a joint sales agreement. Both stations are based at WEEK-TV's studios along with the master control and some internal operations of Quad Cities' low-powered MyNetworkTV affiliate WBQD-LP (owned by Four Seasons Broadcasting as well). Syndicated programming on this station includes: Seinfeld, Oprah, Dr. Phil, and Rachael Ray.

Digital programming
On WEEK-DT2, Mediacom digital channel 190, and Comcast digital channel 431 is The Local AccuWeather Channel. This can also be seen via live streaming video on its website.

History
WEEK-TV became Peoria's first television station on February 1, 1953. It was owned-and-operated by Oklahoma City-based West Central Broadcasting Company along with WEEK-AM 1350 (now WOAM). West Central was the broadcasting arm of the Oklahoma Publishing Company. Edward K. Gaylord was president, and the chairman of the board was United StatesSenator Robert S. Kerr, the former governor of Oklahoma, and the "Kerr" in Kerr-McGee. The original Chief Engineer of WEEK-TV and WEEK-AM was Wayne Lovely who supervised the construction of the stations' technical facilities and equipment installation in 1953. He was employed by WEEK-TV until 1974.

WEEK-TV station signed-on a satellite, WEEQ-TV, in La Salle on November 7, 1957 to rebroadcast its signal. [1] [2] The UHF channel 35 allocation was most recently used for TBN affiliate WWTO-TV which now broadcasts on digital channel 10 but retains the number 35 as itsvirtual channel. WEEK-TV moved its analog signal from UHF channel 43 to UHF channel 25 around 1964. [2] The channel 43 allocation was later moved from Peoria to Bloomington and used by the second WBLN (now Fox affiliate WYZZ-TV) beginning in 1982.

In 1966, West Central sold WEEK-TV and WEEQ-TV to Kansas City Southern Industries who also acquired KRCG in Jefferson City, Missouri around the same time. The new owner eventually shut down WEEQ sometime in the early-1970s. In 1985, Kansas City Southern Industries sold both of its stations to Price Communications. On October 31, 1988, WEEK-TV and fellow NBC affiliate KBJR-TV in Superior, Wisconsin became the two founding stations of current owner Granite Broadcasting. In 1997, WEEK-TV bought the station license for 98.5 inEureka, gave it the call sign WEEK-FM, and nickname "Oldies 98.5". Granite Broadcasting divested itself of the radio station, which is nowWPIA, in 1999.

WEEK-TV has been digital-only since February 17, 2009. [3] On that date, it remained on channel 25 when the analog to digital conversion was completed. The "WEEK-TV" calls were transferred from the now-defunct analog channel 25 to the new digital channel 25 and the "WEEK-DT" call sign from the pre-transition digital channel 57 was permanently discontinued.

It was announced on March 2 that the station would take over the operations of WHOI and its CW subchannel through joint sales and shared services agreements. This resulted in that station closing its studios on North Stewart Street in Creve Coeur and moving into WEEK-TV's facilities. [4] This means all five of Peoria's full-power commercially-licensed television stations are now operated by two entities. A possible reason for this move was WHOI's long-time third-place showing in local viewership ratings (behind WEEK-TV and CBS affiliate WMBD-TV). Granite-owned CBS affiliate WTVH in Syracuse, New York also saw its operations merged with Barrington-owned NBC affiliate WSTM-TVand low-powered CW affiliate WSTQ-LP on the very same day. In this case, however, WSTM is the senior partner.[5]

News operation
On June 5, 2006, WEEK-TV started producing a weeknight 9 o'clock newscast on WAOE entitled News 25 at 9 on My 59. This is the area's second prime time broadcast competing against WYZZ's Fox 43 News at 9 which is produced by WMBD. On weekday mornings from 5 to 7, WAOE airs a simulcast of WEEK-TV's newscast that is known on the latter as News 25 Express on My 59.

Before being consolidated with WEEK-TV, WHOI produced local newscasts weeknights at 5, 6, and 10. The weekday morning show, HOI 19 News Daybreak, continues to air from 5 to 7 after America This Morning and before Good Morning America. That station's weekend newscasts were Saturday nights at 6 and 10 as well as Sunday nights at 5:30 and 10. After the merger, most WHOI personnel were let go. However, five personalities were merged with WEEK-TV's news department and continue to be seen on-air. Otherwise, that station uses other personalities from this station for all other content.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">WHOI's weeknight 5 and 6 o'clock broadcasts were replaced with one at 5:30. World News with Charles Gibson was then moved to 6. That channel still airs a separate broadcast weeknights at 10. On weekends, the station simulcasts WEEK-TV although this may be pre-empted by ABC programming. The weekday local broadcasts on WHOI air from a new secondary set at WEEK-TV's studios. On September 13, 2010, WHOI began airing a talk and lifestyle magazine show called Good Company. It airs weeknights at 5 from another secondary set. WEEK-TV does not air early evening news at 6 on Sundays but WHOI does. Both stations currently offer the area's only local newscasts in16:9 widescreen enhanced definition. Although not truly high definition, the broadcasts match the ratio of HD television screens.

Newscast titles

 * Your Esso Reporter (1953-1957)
 * WEEK-TV News (1957-1969)
 * Eyewitness News (1969-1977)
 * News 25 (1977-present)

Station slogans

 * "The News People" (late 1970s)
 * "Now More Than Ever" (early 1980s-1983)
 * "Say Hello" (1983-1990, used during period station used Frank Gari's "Hello News")
 * "Come Home To 25" (1986-87; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * "Come On Home To 25" (1987-88; localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * "Come Home To The Best, Only On 25"
 * "Illinois' #1 News Channel" (1990-1994)
 * "It's A Whole New 25!" (1992-93, localized version of NBC ad campaign)
 * "Central Illinois' NewsChannel" (1994-1996)
 * "Your Home Team" (1996-present)

News team
<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">'''+ denotes personnel not seen on WHOI Anchors'''


 * + Sandy Gallant - weekday mornings and 11:30 a.m.
 * weekday mornings, 11:30 a.m., and noon weather
 * seen on "WEEK Weather First"
 * + Garry Moore - weekday mornings, 11:30 a.m., and noon
 * weekday 11:30 a.m. and noon producer
 * Eric Shangraw - weekdays at noon and producer
 * reporter and "You Gotta Eat" segment producer
 * + Mike Dimmick - Assistant News Director seen weeknights at 5, 9, 10
 * + Gina Morss - weeknights at 5 and 6
 * + Tom McIntyre - weeknights at 6 and 10
 * Denise Jackson - weekends and reporter

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


 * Chuck Collins (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - Chief seen weeknights at 10
 * Lee Ranson - weeknights at 5, 6, and 9
 * Ashley McNamee - weekends and news reporter
 * fill-in news anchor

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


 * Lee Hall - Director seen weeknights at 6, 9, and 10
 * Pep Rally and Sports Final host
 * Marc Strauss - weekends and news reporter
 * Josh Simon - sports reporter
 * Jim Mattson - Pep Rally and Sports Final host

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


 * Joy Miller - "Ask Dr. Joy" segment producer
 * Art Ginsburg - "Mr. Food" segment producer
 * Leigh Ann - "Fresh Ideas" segment producer
 * Gina Ford
 * Maggie Vespa