WJZ-TV

History
Baltimore's third television station started on November 2, 1948 as WAAM, owned by brothers Ben and Herman Cohen. Its first broadcast was the 1948 presidential election returns. Its studio was the first in Baltimore specifically designed for television.

Channel 13 was originally an ABC affiliate; it was the second primary affiliate of the fledgling network. Until 1956, it carried a secondary affiliation with the DuMont Television Network, and originated many Baltimore Colts games for DuMont.[1] [2]

The Westinghouse Electric Corporation purchased WAAM in 1957 and renamed it "WJZ-TV". The WJZ call letters had previously resided on ABC's flagship radio/television combination in New York City, which changed its calls to WABC-AM-FM-TV in 1953. However, Westinghouse's history with that set of call letters went back even further, as it was the original owner of WJZ radio, the flagship station of NBC's Blue Network, which would eventually become ABC.

All of Baltimore's TV stations had fairly short TV towers in the 1940s-50s with WJZ's at just over 700 feet tall. But in 1959, WJZ-TV built the world's first three-antenna candelabra tower and at roughly 1000 foot above average terrain, at the time, it was the tallest free standing TV antenna in the U.S., shared with WMAR-TV and WBAL-TV. The 997-foot (304 m) tower significantly improved the station's coverage in central Maryland, and also added new viewers in Pennsylvania and Delaware and of course Washington, D.C. It still operates from this 997-foot (304 m) tower today, which can be seen from Interstate 83 in Baltimore, not to mention from many parts of Baltimore County. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Antenna Structure Registration page gives the tower's height as 997 feet (304 meters).[3] ,[4] The WJZ-TV studio and office facility, on Television Hill in Baltimore.Over the years, WJZ-TV frequently pre-empted ABC programming in favor of local shows and syndicated content from Westinghouse's broadcasting division, Group W (notably the former ABC daytime soap opera Dark Shadows which WJZ-TV pre-empted during the mid-1960s). However, ABC was more than satisfied with channel 13, which was one of its strongest affiliates. Additionally, Baltimore viewers could watch ABC programs on Washington, D.C.'s WMAL-TV/WJLA-TV, whose signal decently covers most of the Baltimore area.

From 1957 to 1964, one of the station's highest-rated programs was The Buddy Deane Show, an in-studio teen dance show similar to ABC's American Bandstand, which WJZ-TV also pre-empted in favor of the Deane program. Deane's program was the inspiration for the John Waters 1988 motion picture Hairspray and its subsequent Broadway musical version, which in turn has been made into a film.

In 1976, Oprah Winfrey became an anchor for the station's 6:00 p.m. newscast. She also co-hosted channel 13's local talk show, People Are Talking with Richard Sher, which premiered on August 14, 1978, and ran until she left for Chicago in 1983. The segment continues to run on the morning newscasts.

In 1994, ABC agreed to an affiliation deal with the broadcasting division of the E.W. Scripps Company, which called for three of Scripps' television stations to become ABC affiliates. ABC agreed to the deal as a condition of keeping its affiliation on Scripps' two biggest stations, WXYZ-TV in Detroit and WEWS-TV in Cleveland. Both stations had been heavily wooed by CBS, which was about to lose its longtime Detroit and Cleveland affiliates to Fox. One of the stations due to switch was Baltimore's then-NBC affiliate, WMAR-TV. ABC was reluctant to include WMAR in the deal; it had been a ratings also-ran for over 30 years while WJZ-TV was one of the highest-rated ABC affiliates in the nation. However, not wanting to be relegated to UHF in two markets with few viable choices for a new affiliate, ABC opted to end its 47-year affiliation with channel 13 and move its affiliation to channel 2.

Group W felt betrayed by ABC after so many years of loyalty; at the time, channel 13 had been affiliated with ABC longer than any station not owned and operated by the network. As a safeguard, it began to shop for an affiliation deal of its own. Eventually, Westinghouse agreed to a longterm affiliation contract with CBS. As a result, WJZ-TV and sister stations KYW-TV in Philadelphia and WBZ-TV in Boston became CBS affiliates (Westinghouse's two other television stations, in KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh and KPIX-TV in San Francisco, were already CBS affiliates). CBS then agreed to move its affiliation to channel 13.

The affiliation switch, the second in Baltimore television history, occurred early on the morning of January 2, 1995. As a result, channel 13 became the third station in Baltimore to affiliate with CBS. The network had originally affiliated with WMAR-TV in 1948 before moving to WBAL-TV in 1981. Westinghouse then bought CBS in early 1996, making WJZ-TV a CBS owned-and-operated station. Of note, this resulted in CBS getting a wholly-owned station in the Baltimore/Washington area for the first time ever; the network had been a minority owner of what is now WUSA in Washington from 1949 to 1955.

WJZ-TV has used its current "Stylized 13" logo, using a font face exclusive to Group W, since 1967. The only real change came in May 1997, when it added the CBS Eye to its logo. WJZ currently does not brand under the CBS Mandate, preferring to use its call letters.

WJZ-TV is the Baltimore-area affiliate of the It's Academic high school quiz competition. Channel 13 has also served two stints as the television home of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team, and has been the over-the-air home of the Orioles since 1994. It is one of the few "Big Three" stations that airs baseball on a regular basis.

Digital television
WJZ-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 13, on June 12, 2009, as part of the DTV transition in the United States. The station had been broadcasting its pre-transition digital signal over UHF channel 38, but returned to channel 13 for its post-transition operations.[5] [6] Rival WMAR-TV took channel 38 as WMAR-DT moved from channel 52 at the time as a result of the phaseout of channels 52-69.

The switch caused problems for some viewers, but WJZ-TV has been granted a power increase that helps some people.[7]

Out of market coverage
In Delaware, it is carried on Comcast in Sussex County. There is no coverage in most of Kent County except in the area of Chesapeake City for Atlantic Broadband cable subscribers. There is no coverage in all of New Castle County. New Castle and Kent counties are part of the Philadelphia market, which also carries KYW, the market's CBS affiliate. Only Sussex County is part of the Salisbury, Maryland market which carries its CBS affiliate, WBOC.

In Maryland, the eastern shore communities of Cambridge, Pocomoke City, Ocean City, Salisbury and Snow Hill carry WJZ. These areas are in the Salisbury market which WBOC is carried. From Hagerstown and west towards Cumberland, WJZ is carried there as well in the far northwestern part of the Washington, DC market. Between Hagerstown and Cumberland, the towns of Hancock and Oldtown do not carry WJZ.

In Pennsylvania, it is carried in Waynesboro which is part of the Harrisburg-Lancaster-York market. Two other CBS affiliates are carried on cable which are WUSA in Washington, DC and WHP in Harrisburg.

In Virginia well west of Washington, DC in the far western end of their market, WJZ is carried on cable alongside with WUSA, the CBS affiliate for Washington, DC. It is carried on cable in the Shenandoah Valley in Elkton, Front Royal, Luray and Winchester.

In West Virginia, it is carried in the Martinsburg area. It is part of the Washington, DC market, which carries WUSA as well. In Keyser, Mineral County, WJZ is carried on cable.

WJZ's former analog signal could be picked up via antenna as far west as Warrenton and Culpepper, Virginia and as far east as Salem County, New Jersey. There is no satellite coverage outside of the Baltimore market for WJZ.

News operation
Soon after Westinghouse bought WJZ-TV, it significantly beefed up the station's news department. Within a few years, it passed WMAR-TV for second place. Like the other Group W stations, WJZ-TV adopted the Eyewitness News format pioneered at sister station KYW-TV in Philadelphia. By the early 1970s, WJZ-TV had passed WBAL-TV for first place—a lead it held for over 30 years. In recent years, however, WBAL-TV has taken over the top spot at 5, 6 and 11 p.m., though WJZ-TV is still a strong second. However, in the official November 2009 Nielsen ratings sweeps period, the first since the debut of The Jay Leno Show (which airs on WBAL-TV), WJZ-TV has returned to a dominant position at 11 p.m. for the first time since the early 2000s.

WJZ-TV was the first station in Baltimore to hire a full-time consumer reporter, as well as the first station to organize an investigative reporting team. In 1965, shortly after it adopted the Eyewitness News format, Wiley Daniels became the first African-American anchor in Baltimore. He worked alongside Jerry Turner, one of the most popular anchormen in Baltimore television history. Between 1977 and 1987, Jerry Turner and Al Sanders were the top news team until Turner's death. Denise Koch succeeded Turner upon his death in 1987; she remains at the anchor desk alongside Vic Carter, who succeeded Sanders following the latter's death in 1995. Like other CBS-owned stations, channel 13 offers a web only newscast, "WJZ At Your Desk", shown weekdays.

Since 1987, WJZ-TV's news theme has been "Chroma Cues" by Music Oasis, which was specifically written for the station.

On October 25, 2009, WJZ-TV became the third Baltimore station to begin airing newscasts in high definition.

[edit] Newscast titles

 * Your Esso Reporter (1950s-1960s)
 * Channel 13 News (1960s-1972)
 * (WJZ) Eyewitness News (1972–present)

Station slogans
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 * That's What Friends Are For (1981-1983)
 * Channel 13's The One (1977-1978 and 1979-1980; localized for ABC slogan)
 * You And Me And Channel 13 (1980-1981; localized for ABC slogan)
 * Now Is The Time, Channel 13 Is The Place (1981-1982; localized for ABC slogan)
 * Come On Along With Channel 13 (1982-1983; localized for ABC slogan)
 * That Special Feeling On Channel 13 (1983-1984; localized for ABC slogan)
 * We're With You On Channel 13 (1984-1985; localized for ABC slogan)
 * You'll Love It On Channel 13 (1985-1986; localized for ABC slogan)
 * It's a Good Feeling to Know (1985-1987)
 * Together On Channel 13 (1986-1987; localized for ABC slogan)
 * Something's Happening On Channel 13 (1987-1990; localized for ABC slogan)
 * We'll See you Through (1988-1993?)
 * There's Only One 'JZ (mid 1990s)
 * Baltimore's Most Watched Newscast (1992–2002)
 * The Address Is WJZ, Welcome Home (1997-1999; localized for CBS slogan)
 * The Address Is WJZ (1999-2000; localized for CBS slogan)
 * Baltimore's News Station (2002–2008; primary slogan)
 * Complete Coverage (2002–present; secondary slogan)
 * Maryland's News Station (2008–present; primary slogan)

[edit] Anchors

 * Gigi Barnett - weekend mornings "Eyewitness News Morning Edition"; also weekday reporter
 * Mary Bubala - weekdays at 4, and weeknights at 5 p.m.; also reporter
 * Vic Carter - weekdays at 4:30, weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.
 * Kai Jackson - weekdays at 4, and weeknights at 5 p.m.
 * Jessica Kartalija - weekdays at noon; also reporter
 * Denise Koch - weekdays at 4:30, weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.
 * Adam May - weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.; also weekday reporter and weekday fill-in anchor
 * Don Scott - weekday mornings "Eyewitness News Morning Edition" and noon

[edit] Weather Team

 * Bob Turk - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 4, 4:30, 5, 6 and 11 p.m.
 * Marty Bass - Meteorologist; weekday mornings "Eyewitness News Morning Edition" and noon
 * Tim Williams (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - Meteorologist; weekend mornings
 * Bernadette Woods (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - Meteorologist; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.

[edit] Sports Team

 * Mark Viviano - Sports Director; weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.
 * Stan Saunders - Sports Anchor; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m., also sports reporter

[edit] Traffic

 * Sharon Gibala - weekday mornings "Eyewitness News Morning Edition", and weekdays at 4 and 5 p.m., also Sunday morning reporter
 * Kristy Breslin - fill-in traffic anchor

[edit] Reporters

 * Suzanne Collins - investigative reporter
 * Alex DeMetrick - environmental and investigative reporter
 * Andrea Fujii - general assignment reporter
 * Mike Hellgren - general assignment reporter
 * Weijia Jiang - general assignment reporter
 * Ron Matz - general assignment reporter, also guest personality on the "Eyewitness News Morning Edition"
 * Kelly McPherson - general assignment reporter
 * Captain Mike Perry - "SkyEye Chopper 13" pilot/reporter
 * Mike Schuh - general assignment reporter
 * Derek Valcourt - general assignment reporter
 * Pat Warren - general assignment reporter

Notable former staff

 * George Bauman - one of Maryland's first television reporters
 * Randy Blair - weekend sports anchor (deceased)
 * Rick Brinkley
 * John Buren
 * Nick Charles (now with Fox Sports)
 * Chris Ely
 * Boomer Esiason (interned at WJZ-TV as a student at the University of Maryland) ([1]) (now at CBS Sports and WFAN-AM NY)
 * Dick Gelfman - legal reporter
 * John Kennelly
 * Andrea Koppel - daughter of Ted Koppel (now at CNN)
 * Katie Leahan
 * Frank Luber (now radio talk show host at WCBM)
 * Kellye Lynn
 * Bob McAllister
 * Keith McBee – news anchor in the 1950s, later ABC network weekend anchor in New York[8]
 * Ralphe Neill
 * Don O'Brien
 * Michael Olesker (Baltimore Examiner columnist)
 * Royal Parker
 * Sandra Pinckney
 * Al Sanders - news anchor (deceased)
 * Deborah Stone
 * Greg Starddard
 * Joe Templeton - news anchor
 * Lou Tilley
 * Brooks Tomlin
 * Jerry Turner - news anchor (deceased)
 * Gerry Wheeler (Lorenzo the Tramp)
 * Oprah Winfrey (now a Daytime Talk Show Host)
 * Klaus Wagner
 * Richard Sher - News Anchor/Reporter/Talk Show Host
 * Sally Thorner (now a contributor to The Huffington Post)