WKRN-TV

History
The station first signed on the air on Channel 8 on November 29, 1953 as WSIX-TV, the second television station in Nashville. It was owned by Louis and Jack Draughon along with WSIX-AM 980 (now WYFN-AM, a religious station). The calls came from the 638 Tire Company in nearby Springfield, where the Draughon brothers had started WSIX-AM in 1930; neither the radio nor the television stations have ever had the number six in their frequencies, which would explain it otherwise. Originally a CBS affiliate sharing ABC with WSM-TV (now WSMV), it became a full ABC affiliate after only one year when WLAC-TV (now WTVF) signed on and took the CBS affiliation due to WLAC's long history as a CBS radio affiliate. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.[1]

Its original studio was on Old Hickory Boulevard, just outside Nashville. In 1961, WSIX-AM-FM-TV moved to a new studio located at 441 Murfreesboro Road, where the TV station is located today. The current WKRN studios is where the Wilburn Brothers' television program, a Show Biz Inc., production, was produced during the 1960s and 1970s.

WSIX-TV, however, did not have much luck against WSM and WLAC. Part of the problem was a weak signal, as its transmitter was short-spaced to channel 8 in Atlanta--occupied first by WLWA-TV (now WXIA-TV) and currently occupied by WGTV. WSIX was also hampered by a weaker network affiliation (ABC was not truly competitive with CBS and NBC until well into the 1970s).

The Draughons sold WSIX-AM-FM-TV to General Electric in 1966. In 1972, GE cut a deal with Nashville's PBS station, WDCN-TV (now WNPT), then on channel 2, to swap dial positions. GE did this because the channel 2 signal travels farther than the channel 8 signal under most conditions. The swap occurred on December 11, 1973, in the middle of evening prime-time programming. At the same time, even though General Electric still owned WSIX-AM-FM, it changed WSIX-TV's callsign to WNGE-TV (for Nashville General Electric), leaving the radio stations' call letters intact. This was only the third facility swap in American television history.

Knight Ridder bought WNGE-TV in 1983 and changed the calls to the current WKRN-TV. Young Broadcasting bought the station in 1989. It is merely a coincidence that the call letters reflect Young Broadcasting's flagship outlet, KRON-TV in San Francisco. Like all other ABC affiliates owned by Young Broadcasting, WKRN preempted ABC's broadcast of the movie Saving Private Ryan in 2004.

In August 2009, Gray Television took over management of WKRN as a consequence of the bankruptcy of Young Broadcasting, who continues to hold the license and facilities of the station.

Digital television
The station's digital channel:

Digital channels In 2009, WKRN-TV remained on its current pre-transition channel number, 27.[2] [3] However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display WKRN-TV's virtual channel as 2.

Programming
The station has an agreement with the Tennessee Titans to air Bridgestone Titans on 2 with Jeff Fisher, the team's coach's show from 8pm-9pm Tuesday evenings, pre-empting ABC programming in that timeslot during the NFL season (which has featured low-rated and critically drubbed sitcoms for the majority of the 2000s).

The station received heavy criticism from viewers in November 2009 for not airing V at the network's original timeslot. V then aired early Wednesday mornings after Jimmy Kimmel Live! [4]. WKRN claimed the thirteen-year agreement to air the coach's show does not allow for the moving of that show to accommodate high-demand network programming without notice months in advance. However, in the past the program has moved at times to accommodate other high-demand programs such as Dancing with the Stars during the early portion of the season and network holiday programming. The station also reversed a plan to air V over NashvilleWX on digital channel 2.2 at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays the day before the premiere. WKRN's sister station in Green Bay, WBAY-TV (coincidentally, also broadcasting on virtual channel 2) also faced the same situation with a locally produced football program covering the Green Bay Packers NFL team, but after a week moved that program to air before primetime to accommodate V.

News operation
Although the station's news broadcasts remain in third place as they have throughout most of the station's history, the two main evening news anchors, Bob Mueller and Anne Holt, have been associated with WKRN since the early 1980s. WKRN is also the only traditional network affiliate in Nashville that does not run an hourlong newscast at 6 p.m., although its newscasts for the evening begin at 4 p.m., including ABC's World News with Diane Sawyer at 5:30 p.m.

WKRN is one of the two network-affiliated stations in this market that have not switched to high definition local newscasts as of yet.

[edit] Newscast titles

 * The Tennessee Report (1961-1965)
 * The Six O'Clock Report/The Eleven O'Clock Report (1965-1968)
 * Newsnight (1968-1969)
 * Eyewitness News (1969-1972)
 * The Big News (1972-1974)
 * Dateline: Today (1974-1975)
 * NewsCenter 2 (1975-1976)
 * NewsWatch 2 (1976-1983)
 * Channel 2 News (1983-1994)
 * News 2 (1994-present)

[edit] Station slogans
This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.===On-air staff===
 * The Powerhouse! (1973-1975)
 * 2 a New Beat (1979-1980)
 * The News Specialists (1981-1983)
 * Let's Get Involved (1983-1985)
 * The Winner's Circle! (1985-1986)
 * Something's Happening Here (1987-1990; local version of ABC ad campaign)
 * On Your Side (1990-1996)
 * Where Coverage Comes First! (1996-1998)
 * First. Fast. Accurate. (1998-present; news slogan)
 * Start Here (2007-present; local version of ABC ad campaign)

[edit] Current on-air staff
(as of August 2010) Current Anchors Weather team Sports team Reporters
 * John Dwyer - weekdays at 4 and 4:30, and weeknights at 10 p.m.
 * Anne Holt - weeknights at 5 and 6 p.m.
 * Julie Kroenig - weekday mornings "News 2 This Morning"
 * Christine Maddela - Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m.
 * Bob Mueller - weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.; also host of "This Week with Bob Mueller"
 * Neil Orne - weekday mornings "News 2 This Morning"
 * Lisa Patton - Chief Meteorologist; weekdays at 4 and 4:30, and weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Davis Nolan (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - Meteorologist
 * Jeff Ray (AMS Seal of Approval) - Meteorologist; weekday mornings "News 2 This Morning"
 * Justin Bruce - Meteorologist; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30, and weekends at 10 p.m.
 * Cory Curtis - Sports Director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
 * Joe Dubin - Sports Anchor; Saturdays at 6, Sundays at 5:30 and weekends at 10 p.m. (also sports reporter)
 * Dawn Davenport - sports reporter
 * Jerry Barlar - general assignment reporter
 * Chris Bundgaard - general assignment reporter
 * Andy Cordan - general assignment reporter
 * Todd Dunn - general assignment reporter
 * Erin Holt - general assignment reporter
 * Tiani Jones - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
 * Lori Mitchell - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
 * Amy Napier Viteri - general assignment reporter
 * Joseph Pleasant - general assignment reporter
 * Karen Higbee - general assignment reporter
 * Roxanna Haynes - general assignment reporter
 * Jamey Tucker - religion reporter
 * Teresa Weakley - morning reporter

Former on-air staff
This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.==References==
 * Scott Fralick - reporter (2004-2008)
 * Stephanie Langston - reporter (?-2009)
 * Erin Steinbruchel - reporter (?-2008)
 * 1) ^ "Require Prime Evening Time for NTA Films". Boxoffice: 13. November 10, 1956. http://issuu.com/boxoffice/docs/boxoffice_111056-1.
 * 2) ^ "hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf" (PDF). http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf.
 * 3) ^ "CDBS Print". http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101231033&formid=387&fac_num=73188.
 * 4) ^ http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?S=11400190