WYFF

WYFF, virtual channel 4 (UHF digital channel 36), is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. The station is owned by theHearst Television subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation. WYFF maintains studio facilities located on Rutherford Street (west of Route 276) in northwest Greenville, and its transmitter is located near Caesars Head State Park in northwestern Greenville County.

History
The station went on the air on December 26, 1953 [1] as WFBC-TV, South Carolina's fifth television station, broadcasting from a transmitter located on Paris Mountain. It was owned by the Peace family and their News-Piedmont Publishing Company along with The Greenville News,The Greenville Piedmont and WFBC radio (1330 AM, now WYRD, and 93.7 FM). For its first two years of operation, its studios were located on Paris Mountain before moving to its current location on Rutherford Street in 1955. Norvin Duncan was the station's first news anchor, moving from the radio side.

Monty's Rascals (started in 1960) was one of the station's popular children's shows, starring two channel 4 weathermen: Monty DuPuy (who left in 1978) and Stowe Hoyle as Mr. Doohickey (wearing a hat with an old Santa's beard). The show continued as The Rascal's Clubhouseafter DuPuy's departure in 1978 and continued until 1982. Two years later, Hoyle retired. An earlier version of the program, Kids Korral, was hosted by Johnny Wright.

Locally televised color programming also began in February 1967. In 1968, News-Piedmont merged with Southern Broadcasting to formMultimedia, Inc., with WFBC AM/-FM/-TV as the flagship stations. In the mid 1970s, the famous "Arrow 4" logo was introduced and was used in one form or another for many years.

In 1983, due to new rules restricting common ownership of newspapers and broadcasting outlets in the same market, Multimedia sold off its Upstate cluster. In an unusual trade of one group's flagship station for another, WFBC-TV was traded to Pulitzer Publishing Company in return for KSD-TV (now KSDK) in St. Louis. At that point, Channel 4 changed its call letters to WYFF-TV (We're Your Friend Four). Pulitzer also acquired WXII-TV in the Piedmont Triad as part of the same deal. Although Pulitzer closed on WXII later in 1983, the acquisition of WYFF would not be finalized until January 1985 because Pulitzer had to sell off WLNE-TV in Providence in order to comply with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ownership limits of the time; in the interim, Pulitzer took over the operations of WYFF through a time brokerage agreement with Multimedia.

Channel 4 was the first upstate television station to begin 24/7 broadcasting, and did so in the fall of 1988. It ran NBC News Overnight (later Nightside), Home Shopping Spree and CNN Headline News overnight. In 2005, it discontinued CNN Headline News (and previously the Home Shopping Spree) overnight and now runs NBC late night, drama reruns, home and garden shows, and paid programming overnight. In 1999 Hearst-Argyle bought Pulitzer's entire television division, including WYFF-TV.

Programming
Some NBC programs that were pre-empted by WFBC/WYFF over the years (most of which ended up on channel 40 WAXA, (now WMYA-TV) include:


 * Alvin and the Chipmunks, aired on WYFF-TV until 1986, it was seen instead on WAXA-TV now (WMYA-TV) before WYFF-TV picked it back up in the late 1980s.
 * Underdog
 * The Who, What, or Where Game, replaced by WFBC-TV's local talk show Today in The Piedmont
 * The Facts of Life, NBC daytime reruns during 1984-85, seen instead on WAXA-TV
 * Kidd Video, seen instead on WAXA-TV
 * Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, shown instead on WAXA-TV
 * Super Password, pre-empted by WYFF-TV during its entire run, and shown instead on WAXA-TV
 * Foofur, shown instead on WAXA-TV
 * Time Machine- Another WYFF-TV pre-empted NBC show that WAXA-TV aired in 1985.

WYFF is one of the few NBC affiliates that does not carry the fourth hour of Today. Syndicated programming on WYFF includes Live with Regis and Kelly in HD, The Rachael Ray Show,The Andy Griffith Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show in HD, The Oprah Winfrey Show in HD, Entertainment Tonight in HD, and Inside Edition.

Digital programming
WYFF's signal is multiplexed. WYFF 4 WeatherPlus was offered on WYFF's digital feed as digital subchannel 4.2. Despite the discontinuation of the national NBC Weather Plus network on December 1, 2008, WYFF 4 continued offering local weather conditions using the WeatherPlus brand. WeatherPlus was dropped from WYFF on January 1, 2011 and replaced with This TV.[2]

WYFF temporarily broadcast digitally on channel 59, which is in the range of channels that is to become vacant after the digital television conversion is complete. When analog broadcasts ended, WYFF moved to channel 36 (formerly occupied by the analog signals of co-channel WCNC-TV in Charlotte and WATL in Atlanta).[3] WYFF's digital signal will continue to display as 4.1, its existing virtual channel number, but all ATSC tuners must be re-scanned to find it on 36 instead of 59. WYFF began broadcasting in digital only effective June 12, 2009.[4]

News operation
During the 1960s, personalities from channel 4 included Dave Partridge and Jim Phillips (Phillips died in 2003), better known to listeners of Clemson Tiger football radio broadcasts as "the voice of the Clemson Tigers". Partridge succeeded Duncan as anchor of the 6 and 11 o'clock news. In 1976 Kenn Sparks joined, and the 6 o'clock news went to a full hour calledThe Scene at Six. Later, in 1979, the long-running 'Your Friend Four' slogan was introduced and seen in a 1980 edition of TV Guide.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">The 1980s brought new personalities to channel 4, like James Baker, sportscasters J.D. Hayworth, (later Congressman from Arizona), Roger Berry, Mark Marino and weatherman Charlie Gertz (who died in 2003 from a stroke). Action News 4 became NewsCenter 4 in the early 1980s.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Following the Pulitzer purchase, new personalities that arrived at WYFF included Carl Clark, Kim Brattain, and Carol Anderson (later Carol Goldsmith) who co-anchors the 5, 6, and 11 p.m. newscasts. In the late 1980s, Carol Anderson was replaced by Annette Estes who was removed from its rival station WSPA-TV due to an on-air curse word. Stan Olenik also came from WSPA. Goldsmith later took her spot back when Estes left the station in 1992. NewsCenter 4 became simply known as News 4 in the 1990s. Charlie Gertz retired, and the "arrow 4" logo was dropped by 1991.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Since January 26, 2010, WYFF's cameras have shot in high definition, although the station currently broadcasts local news in downconverted 16:9 standard definition with an updated graphics package. As of October 9, 2010, it is currently unknown when WYFF will eventually broadcast in HD.

<p style="margin-top: 0.4em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; ">Sports director Geoff Hart and chief meteorologist John Cessarich temporarily switched positions during the stations 11 p.m. newscast on November 18, 2010, with Hart doing the weather and Cessarich doing sports.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" style="line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; ">[5]

Newscast titles

 * The Night Report (1953–1967)
 * 24 Hours (1967–1973)
 * The NewsScene (1973–1976)
 * Action News 4 (1975-1981)
 * The Scene at Six/The Scene at Eleven (1976–1980)
 * NewsCenter 4 (1980–1989)
 * News 4 (1989–2000)
 * WYFF News 4 (2000–present)

Station slogans

 * Carolina's All Color Television Station (1960s)
 * Carolina's Number One News Team (1970s-early 1980s)
 * We're Your Friend Four (1979–1991)
 * Where The News Comes First (early 1980s)
 * Clearly, We're Here For You (mid 1980s-1989)
 * News for the Nineties, News 4 Right Now! (1990–1991)
 * Carolina's NewsChannel (1993–2000)
 * Live. Local. Breaking News. (2000–present)

On air-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


 * Beth Brotherton - weekday mornings on WYFF News 4 Today (4:30-7:00 a.m.)
 * Geoff Hart - weekday mornings on WYFF News 4 Today (4:30-7:00 a.m.) and weekdays at noon
 * Michael Cogdill - weeknights at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
 * Carol Goldsmith - weeknights at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
 * Gabrielle Komorowski - weeknights at 5:00 p.m.
 * Nigel Robertson - weeknights at 5:00 p.m.
 * Angela Rodriguez - weekends at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
 * Myra Ruiz - weekend mornings on WYFF News 4 Today (5:00-8:00 a.m.)
 * Gertrude Peggy Sjameson - weekdays

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


 * John Cessarich (AMS Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
 * Dale Gilbert - meteorologist; weekday mornings on WYFF News 4 Today (4:30-7:00 a.m.) and weekdays at noon; also PA announcer at Clemson University
 * Pamela Wright - weekend mornings on WYFF News 4 Today (5:00-8:00 a.m.)
 * Chris Justus (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekends at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.

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


 * Brad Fralick - sports director; weeknights at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
 * Mark Dopher - sports anchor; weekends at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
 * Ricardo LeCompte - sports reporter and fill-in sports anchor

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


 * Mandy Gaither - general assignment reporter
 * Parul Joshi - general assignment reporter
 * Liz Lohuis - general assignment reporter
 * Mike McCormick - general assignment reporter
 * Sean Muserallo - general assignment reporter
 * Allyson Powell - general assignment reporter
 * Jane Robelot - contributing/special assignment reporter
 * Stephanie Trotter - general assignment reporter
 * Tim Waller - general assignment reporter ("Looking Out 4 You")

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


 * Hallie Jackson - weekday morning national correspondent
 * Nikole Killion - national correspondent
 * Sally Kidd - national correspondent

Notable former on-air staff

 * Jeff Abell, reporter (now at WBFF-TV Baltimore, Maryland)
 * Mark Allen, weekend news anchor/reporter
 * James Baker, news anchor
 * Chuck Bell, meteorologist (now at WRC-TV Washington, D.C.)
 * Sterlin Benson, news anchor (now Sterlin Benson Webber)
 * Judy Booker, meteorologist (now at rival WSPA-TV)
 * Kim Brittan, news anchor
 * Carl Clark, news anchor (later went to rival WSPA-TV)
 * Kevin Coakley, news anchor
 * Marc Cox, news anchor (now at KMOV-TV, St. Louis, Missouri)
 * Norvin Duncan, news anchor (D)
 * Monty DuPuy, meteorologist
 * Annette Estes, news anchor (came from rival WSPA-TV)
 * Edward Faircloth, anchor/bureau chief (now 1st Infantry Division PAO Ft Riley)
 * Stephany Fisher, news reporter (now at WGCL-TV Atlanta, Georgia)
 * Terrie Foster, reporter (now at WLOS-TV)
 * Charlie Gertz, meteorologist (D)
 * Todd Gladfelter, meteorologist
 * Erin Hartness, reporter (now at WRAL-TV)
 * J.D. Hayworth, sports anchor (later a former Arizona congressman)
 * Sto Hoyle, meteorologist
 * Liza Hughes, reporter
 * Elise Hu, reporter (now at The Texas Tribune)
 * Paul Johnson, sports reporter
 * Sharon Johnson, news anchor/reporter
 * Kimberly Lohman, reporter
 * Bob Mihalic, weekend sports anchor
 * Stan Olenik, sports reporter (came from rival WSPA-TV)
 * Dave Patridge, news anchor
 * Jim Phillips, sports director (D)
 * Patrick Rockey, news reporter, meteorologist
 * Stacy Sager, reporter/anchor/dancer
 * Mike Seidel, meteorologist (now at The Weather Channel)
 * Jonathan Serrie, news reporter (now in Atlanta for Fox News)
 * Marty Snider, sports reporter (now at NBC Sports and TNT Sports)
 * Marv Starks, education reporter (D)
 * Fred Steppe, sports reporter (now at WLTZ-TV)
 * Barbara Sloan, news anchor
 * Kenn Sparks, news anchor (now at BMW)
 * Steven Stock, news reporter (now in Florida)
 * Bob Townsend, news reporter and anchor (now retired in Charleston, SC)
 * Stephanie Trotter, news reporter and anchor (still fills in at WYFF and writes for Talk Greenville)
 * Tyler Suiters, sports, weekend sports anchor (now at KOCO-TV)
 * Jennifer Valdez, meteorologist (now at WGCL-TV, Atlanta, Georgia)
 * Valerie Voss, meteorologist
 * Jillene Wahl, meteorologist
 * Lizz Walker, weekend anchor (later went to rival WHNS and now at Charter Communications)
 * Brad Willis, news reporter [1]
 * Jim Wogan, sports reporter, now at WATE-TV, Knoxville
 * Kelly Coakley, weekend anchor/reporter/producer
 * Kim McCrea, anchor/reporter

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