WPRI-TV

History
WPRI debuted on March 27, 1955 known as WPRO-TV (for PROvidence). It was Rhode Island's third television station and was first owned and operated by retailer Cherry & Webb along with WPRO radio (630 AM and 92.3 FM). WPRO-TV was originally supposed to go on the air in 1953 but ran into several delays. It originally planned to build its transmitter in Rehoboth but legal disputes with town officials forced Cherry & Webb to find a site in Johnston, Rhode Island. The station then planned to sign on in 1954, but Hurricane Carol destroyed the Johnston transmitter. The legal disputes in Rehoboth were finally settled in late-1954 and WPRO got the go-ahead to begin construction there.

Channel 12 was due to join CBS because of WPRO radio's long affiliation with CBS radio. Even when it became apparent that WPRO-TV would miss its target air date, CBS opted to continue its secondary affiliation with WJAR-TV (channel 12) rather than move its programming to ABC affiliate WNET-TV (channel 16). When WPRO-TV finally got on the air, ABC gave it right of first refusal for its more popular shows. Within less than a year, WNET-TV had gone dark. Channel 12 continued to share ABC with WJAR until WTEV-TV (now WLNE-TV) signed on in 1963.

Originally, WPRO-TV's studios were on the top floor of 24 Mason Street in downtown Providence, but in the early-1970s, the station moved to its current home in East Providence at 25 Catamore Boulevard. Legendary Providence radio personality Salty Brine had a daily children's show on WPRO-TV. News personalities included Mort Blender and Walter Cryan while the beloved Hank Bouchard did a multitude of on-air duties. That included announcing, hosting programs, and giving the weather report.

Cherry & Webb sold WPRO-AM-FM-TV to Albany, New York-based Capital Cities Television Corporation, predecessor of Capital Cities Communications, in 1959. WPRO-TV was then sold to Poole Broadcasting (owners of WJRT-TV in Flint, Michigan) on June 16, 1967. This sale was necessary because CapCities had bought KTRK-TV in Houston, Texas, which left it one VHF station over the FCC's ownership limit of the time. Poole Broadcasting then changed WPRO-TV's call letters to the present WPRI-TV. It wanted to trade on the well-known WPRO calls and also realized that "PRI" could stand for Providence, Rhode Island. (Capital Cities retained ownership of the WPRO radio stations until 1993—the last seven of those as ABC-owned stations.)

Poole retained ownership until 1977 when it sold its three television stations (WPRI, WJRT, and WTEN in Albany, New York) to Knight-Ridder Broadcasting. WPRI swapped affiliations with WTEV and became an ABC affiliate after this sale as a result of a corporate affiliation deal between ABC and Knight-Ridder. In 1989, Knight-Ridder left the broadcasting business, selling WPRI and WTKR in Norfolk, Virginia to Narragansett Television LP, a locally based firm.

Narragansett Television sold WPRI to CBS in 1995, making it a CBS owned and operated station (and one of the last such acquisitions prior to the Westinghouse Electric Corporation's purchase of the network). At midnight on September 10, 1995, WPRI reversed the 1977 swap with WLNE and officially rejoined CBS. WPRI aired a vigorous promotion called "Survive the Switch" so television viewers in Providence would be prepared for this changeover.

In November 1995, Westinghouse bought CBS for approximately $6 billion. The merger was finalized in early 1996. Westinghouse already owned WBZ-TV in Boston. WPRI's city-grade signal, like most of the other major Rhode Island stations, decently covers most of the Boston area. Meanwhile, WBZ-TV's city-grade signal decently covers nearly all of Rhode Island. At the time, the FCC normally did not allow common ownership of multiple stations with overlapping coverage areas and would not even consider granting a waiver if the overlap was between city-grade signals. CBS opted to keep WBZ-TV and sell WPRI to Clear Channel Communications on July 1, 1996 after less than 10 months of ownership. The FCC eliminated the requirement of a waiver for common ownership of television stations in adjacent markets with grade B signal overlap just months after CBS announced the sale of WPRI to Clear Channel and began to permit common ownership of stations whose city-grade signals overlap when duopolies began to be permitted in 2000.

In 2000, Clear Channel was forced to sell WPRI as a condition of being allowed to buy additional radio stations in the Providence market. Sunrise Television bought WPRI in early-2001 for $50 million. Sunrise merged with LIN TV Corporation in May 2002, and as a result, WPRI became the flagship station of LIN TV. In November 2006, WPRI renewed its broadcasting license with the FCC. On May 18, 2007, LIN TV announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives that could result in the sale of the company.

In October 2008, WPRI and sister station WALA-TV in Mobile, Alabama relaunched their Web sites through News Corporation's Fox Interactive Media as a result of a new partnership between LIN TV and NewsCorp. The other LIN TV-owned stations (irrespective of their network affiliation) followed suit within two months, ending the company's long partnership with WorldNow. The new sites are in a format which is similar to those of the myFox O&O-style Web sites used by many Fox affiliates (and which the LIN TV-owned or controlled Fox affiliates, such as WNAC-TV, had used), but without the flashy myFox look. The myFox sites themselves were eventually redesigned to a look similar to those of the LIN TV sites.

Although the analog television shutdown originally scheduled for February 17, 2009, was postponed to June 12, 2009, WPRI-TV has received Federal Communications Commission (FCC) consent to transition on February 17.[1] This allows WNAC-TV, which will also discontinue regular analog service on February 17, to begin operation of its new digital facility on channel 12. WPRI-TV has been operating at half power to allow half of its transmitter to be converted for WNAC-TV's digital operation.

On October 22, 2010, WPRI started carrying The COOLTV music video programming on it's 12.2 subchannel.

LMA with WNAC
Shortly after Clear Channel took over the station, WPRI entered in a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Fox affiliate WNAC-TV (then owned by Argyle Television). WPRI took over the station's operations on September 28, 1997 when WNAC moved its operations into WPRI's facilities. Ironically, channel 64 is the same station as WNET-TV, the station that went off the air in 1956 largely due to the presence of WPRI. In late-1997, Argyle merged with Hearst Broadcasting, owner of ABC affiliate WCVB-TV in Boston. Hearst was forced to trade WNAC together with WDTN in Dayton, Ohio to Sunrise Television in return for WPTZ in Plattsburgh, New York, WNNE in Hartford, Vermont and KSBW in Salinas, California because of FCC rules forbidding common ownership of two stations with overlapping city-grade signals—the same rules that forced CBS to sell WPRI two years earlier. When Sunrise bought WPRI from Clear Channel in early-2001, WNAC was sold to LIN TV due to FCC regulations forbidding common ownership of two of the four highest-rated stations in the same market. In this case, WNAC cannot be co-owned directly with WPRI.

However, LIN TV was forced to put WNAC back on the market almost as soon as it closed on the station's purchase due to the ownership structures of Sunrise and LIN TV. Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst (now HM Capital Partners), a private-equity firm co-founded by Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars owner Tom Hicks, was (and still is) majority owner of LIN TV. At the same time, HMTF also controlled a large block of Sunrise stock. The FCC ruled that Hicks, Muse controlled enough Sunrise stock that Sunrise could not own any stations in markets where LIN TV owned a station as well. Finally, in April 2002, LIN TV sold WNAC to Super Towers Inc. (d/b/a WNAC, LLC), a company owned by Timothy Sheehan, brother-in-law of former LIN TV vice president Paul Karpowicz. This sale allowed the merger between Sunrise and LIN TV to be completed the following month. LIN TV continues to operate WNAC today under the same LMA that it inherited from Sunrise.

Station Nightclub fire
WPRI and WNAC were heavily involved in the coverage and aftermath of The Station nightclub fire in 2003. Station photographer Brian Butler was inside the nightclub taping a story when the pyrotechnics behind the band Great White lit soundproof foam, within the nightclub, on fire. The tape became crucial evidence in the case, and WPRI reporter Jeff Derderian, who owned the nightclub with his brother, became a defendant accused of manslaughter. In February 2008, WPRI agreed to pay of $30 million to settle a lawsuit against the station, parent company LIN TV and Butler. Several families and survivors of the nightclub fire claimed that Butler stood in a doorway and continued to record footage rather than help people escape. The lawsuit alleged that Butler's actions caused more people to die. However videotape evidence shown at deposition proved those charges to be false. WPRI was there videotaping a story on nightclub safety a week after the E2 nightclub incident in Chicago.

News operation
WPRI's morning news open.Since at least the 1980s, WPRI has used the Eyewitness News branding for its newscasts. For the most part, the station has been runner-up in the ratings to WJAR. More recently however, it has mounted a spirited challenge to their longtime dominance. For a period in late-2007 and again since early 2009, WPRI ranks higher in the weeknight 5 and 11 o'clock timeslots. The weeknight 11 o'clock news has been gaining popularity. When WNAC moved into WPRI's studios, it resulted in a 10 p.m. newscast on that station produced by WPRI. It was the market's second primetime news after the WJAR-produced WLWC effort that had started nearly a year prior.

At some point in time, an hour-long extension of WPRI's weekday morning news at 7 was added to WNAC. Although the morning news was eventually canceled, the 10 o'clock newscast remained. In 2004, WPRI launched weekend morning news. There is a 24-hour weather channel, known as the "Eyewitness News Pinpoint Weather Station", on Cox digital cable channel 125. When the weather channel was first established, it also aired on second digital subchannels of WPRI and WNAC. In 2007, new FCC regulations for educational programing forced the two stations to make the weather channel digital cable-only. Overnight on the weekends, when the main channels sign-off, they simulcast the 24-hour weather channel.

It shares resources with Boston's CBS affiliate, WBZ-TV, for news coverage of southeastern Massachusetts. WNAC's Eyewitness News This Morning (now airing for a second time), The Rhode Show, and WPRI's Eyewitness News at Noon are steamed live on their websites.

It operated a Bell 206L3 Long Ranger helicopter known as "News Chopper 12" until December 2008. It was shared with sister stations WTNH and WCTX in New Haven, Connecticut. The helicopter is currently being stored in Indianapolis as a backup helicopter for sister station WISH-TV.[citation needed]

Although not owned by the same company, WPRI had a news partnership with The Providence Journal (a Belo-owned newspaper), but this ended in 2009. Along with its own weather radar at its transmitter site in Rehoboth, the station also uses live NOAA National Weather Service radar data from the Local Forecast Office in Taunton. Together, this is known in weather segments as "Live Pinpoint Doppler 12". WPRI operates a weather vehicle that is known as the "Pinpoint Weather Mobile". The station introduced a new news set that included updated graphics on March 17, 2008.

They post a live online stream of their morning newscasts (both on WPRI and on WNAC) along with The Rhode Show and their noon newscast on their website daily.

[edit] Newscast titles

 * WPRO-TV News (1955–1967)
 * TV-12 News (1967–1973)
 * On the Scene News (1973–1977)
 * NewsCenter 12 (1977–1985)
 * Channel 12 News (1985–1989)
 * Channel 12 Eyewitness News (1989–1996)
 * 12 News (1996–2002)
 * Eyewitness News (2002–present)

[edit] Station slogans

 * Providence's Channel 12 (1973–1975)
 * Your Number 1 News (1975–1981)
 * Hello Rhode Island, Channel 12's with You (1980–1986; used during period station used Frank Gari's Hello News)
 * Now is the Time, Channel 12 is the Place (1981–1982; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * The Station For You (1981–1984)
 * Stay in Touch with Channel 12 (1984–1987)
 * We're With You, on Channel 12 (1984–1985; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * You'll Love It on Channel 12 (1985–1986; localized version of ABC ad campaign)
 * Making A Difference (1987–1989)
 * Putting You Through Our Community (1989–1996)
 * The News Is Here on CBS 12 (1996–2001)
 * Coverage You Can Count On (2001–present)

[edit] Anchors

 * Elizabeth Hopkins, weekday mornings and noon
 * The Rhode Show co-host (WNAC-TV)
 * Patrick Little, weekday mornings and noon
 * The Rhode Show co-host (WNAC-TV)
 * Mike Montecalvo, weeknights at 5, 5:30, 10 (WNAC-TV) and 11
 * Karen Adams, weeknights at 5, 6 and 11
 * Erin Kennedy, weeknights at 5:30 and 10 (WNAC-TV)
 * Danielle North, weekend mornings
 * Reporter, fill-in anchor
 * Nneka Nwosu, Saturday evenings
 * Kathryn Sotnik, Sunday evenings

[edit] Eyewitness News Pinpoint Weather Team

 * Tony Petrarca (AMS Seal of Approval), Chief Meteorologist/weeknights
 * Michelle Muscatello (AMS and NWA Member), weekday mornings and noon
 * Pete Mangione (Certified Broadcast Meteorologist), weekend mornings
 * T.J. Del Santo, weekend evenings

[edit] Sports

 * Eric Murphy, Sports Director/Weeknights
 * Sunday Sports Wrap host
 * Sara Hogan, Weekends and Reporter
 * J.P. Smollins, Reporter and Fill-in Anchor

[edit] Reporters

 * Tim White, Investigative Reporter
 * Susan Hogan, Consumer Reporter
 * Walt Buteau
 * Sean Daly, Investigative Reporter and General Assignment Reporter
 * Kathryn Sotnik
 * Alex DiPrato
 * Nneka Nwosu
 * Stephen Schuler
 * Ted Nesi, WPRI.com Reporter
 * Courtney Caligiuri, WPRI.com Reporter
 * Contributor to The Rhode Show (WNAC-TV)
 * Marilyn Schairer, weekends

Past staff

 * Bob Althage- reporter/anchor (1970s) Worked at WUSA-TV
 * Joe Amorosino- sports (1996–1998) Now at WHDH-TV
 * Ernie Anastos- anchor (1976–1978) Now at WNYW-TV
 * Terry Anzur- reporter (1980s)
 * Jess Atkinson- Sports Director (1996–2000)
 * Steve Aveson- anchor (2002–2008)
 * Bob Blanchard- trouble shooter (1978–1984)
 * Mort Blender- anchor (1955–1971) (d)
 * Hank Bouchard- weather (1955?-1990) (d)
 * John Buccigross- sports (1990s) (ESPN)
 * Jack Burns- reporter (1960s-1996)(d)
 * Bob Cain- news anchor (1970s) former CNN anchor
 * Steve Cascione - weather (2002–2007) now at WLNE-TV
 * Tom Chisholm- Chief Meteorologist (1977–1981) now at WMTW-Portland, ME
 * Judy Chong- reporter 1995-1997
 * Chris Clark- sports (1960s) Sports (d)
 * Charles Claverie (a.k.a. Charles Rocket SNL)- anchor 1974-1976 (d)
 * Don Colson- News Anchor (1970s) Worked at WABI TV Bangor
 * Ann Conway- Anchor (1991–2001) Executive coach and senior communications consultant for Bates Communications
 * Jim Corbin- Weather (1997–2003) Now at WLNE-TV
 * Don Coyne- Sports (1986–1992) Now at WLNE-TV
 * Logan Crawford- Reporter (1990s)
 * Walter Cryan- Anchor (1965–2000)
 * John Daly- Reporter (1983–1987) "Real TV" Host
 * Gay Dawson- Weather (1987–1989) Formerly at Weather Channel
 * Vince DeMentri- Anchor (2009–2010) Now at WPIX
 * Jeff Derderian- Reporter (2003)
 * Amy DeLuca- Anchor (2005–2006)
 * Jennifer DeMarais- Anchor (2005)
 * Barry Diamond- Sports Director (1991–1992) Now at FoxSports LA
 * Henry Eaton- Reporter (1982–1987)
 * Mark Economou- Reporter/Anchor (1995–2001)Now PR Director City of Boca Raton
 * Murray Feldman- News Anchor/Reporter (1972–1976) Now at Fox 2 News and WWJ Radio in Detroit
 * Debbie Ferarro- Reporter/anchor (1988–1990)
 * John Flanders- Chief Meteorologist (1981–1997)
 * Robb Garofalo- Sports Anchor/Reporter (2002–2008)
 * Jeff Gilbert- Weather (1990–1991) worked at WJLA
 * Janice Glynn- Anchor (1984–1989)
 * Delia Goncalves- Reporter (2002–2005) Now at WMAR
 * Mike Gorman- Sports Director (1978–1986) later Boston Celtics play-by-play announcer
 * Michael Gwynn - Sports Anchor/reporter (1988–1991)
 * Mark Haines- Anchor (1980s) Now on CNBC
 * Bob Halloran- Sports (1991–1997) Now at WCVB-TV
 * Barbara Hamilton- Anchor/reporter (1978–1989)
 * Peter Henderson- Reporter (1980s) Worked at WHDH
 * Sean Hennessey- Reporter (1990s) Now at WCBS-TV
 * Jarrod Holbrook- Reporter (2003–2008) Now at WCVB-TV
 * Mike Holfeld- Anchor (1980s) now at WKMG- Orlando
 * Deborah Horne- Reporter (1980–1991) Now at KIRO-TV
 * Don Horner- Photographer (1995–2007) (d)
 * Kristine Johnson- Anchor (1994–2004) Now at WCBS-TV
 * Debbie Kauffman- Sports (1991–1992) Now at WNBC-TV
 * Ann Kellan- News Anchor/Medical reporter (1981–1985) Worked at CNN
 * Heidi Kemp- Anchor/reporter (2002–2005)
 * Jim King- Anchor (1999–2001)
 * John King- Reporter (1982–1985) Now with CNN
 * Michael Kolowich - News Producer (1975–76) Now executive producer at DigiNovations
 * Greta Kreuz- Reporter/Anchor (1984–1987) Now at WJLA
 * Barry Kriger- Anchor (1995–1996) Now at WWLP-TV
 * Glenn Laxton- Reporter (1968–1989, 1997–2006)
 * Harvey Leonard- Chief Meteorologist (1974–1977) Now at WCVB-TV
 * Tom Lewis- Weather (1991–1995) Now at WTIC-TV Hartford
 * Brent Martineau- Sports (?-2002) Now at WTEV-TV/WAWS-TV
 * Pat Mastors- Anchor (1989–2004)
 * Bob "Red" McCreary- Sports Director (1974–1977)
 * Thom McGair-Anchor/reporter(1990–1994)
 * Ken Mease- Sports (1973–1978) worked at WUSA-TV
 * John Mone—Reporter (2005–2007) Now at AP Television
 * Joan Moran—Reporter (2001–2008)
 * Al Nall—Reporter (2006–2008) Now with the Air National Guard
 * Rick O'Brien- Sports Anchor (1982–1988)
 * Tony Potts- Sports Director (1993–1996) Now at Access Hollywood
 * Jim Roberts- News Anchor (1978–1984)
 * John Rooke- Sports Director (1988–1991)
 * Brian Rooney- Reporter (1983–1985) ABC News
 * Jim Rose- Sports Anchor (1975–1977) Now at WLS-TV Chicago
 * Bob Ryan- Meteorologist (1970s) Now at WRC-TV
 * Ron St. Pierre- Sports (1980s) Now Host on WPRO-AM
 * Karen Southern- Reporter (1991–2001) now public information officer for Providence Mayor David Cicilline
 * Shawn Tempesta- Co-Host, "The Rhode Show" (2009)- now co-host of "The Morning Blend" on KTNV, Las Vegas, NV and Afternoons on KMXB-FM in Las Vegas, NV
 * Dean Tendrich- Weather (1995–1997)
 * Pamela Watts- Anchor (2002–2008)
 * Greg Wayland- Anchor (1984–1989) Now at NECN
 * Ted Wayman- Reporter (1985–1990)
 * Doug White- Anchor (1972–1978) (d) spent the rest of his career (1978–2005) at rival WJAR
 * Jack White- Investigative reporter (1985–2005) (d)
 * Mark Wile- News Anchor/reporter (1981–1985)
 * Phil Wilson- Weekend Anchor/Investigative reporter(1970s-1993) (d)
 * Steve Wiczek- Anchor/reporter (1998–2001)
 * Mark Zinni- Anchor/Reporter (2003–2009) Now at WJW in Cleveland
 * Harvey Leonard- Chief Meteorologist (1974–1977) Now Chief Meteorologist at WCVB-TV/DT