WCTI-TV

WCTI-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Inner Banks area of Eastern North Carolina that is licensed to New Bern. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter in Trenton along NC 58. Owned by the Bonten Media Group, the station operates Fox affiliates WFXI/WYDO (owned by Esteem Broadcasting of North Carolina, LLC) through a shared services agreement (SSA). The stations share studios in the Glenburnie Gardens section of New Bern. Syndicated programming on WCTI includes: Everybody Loves Raymond, Seinfeld, Inside Edition, and Oprah.

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Digital programming
On WCTI-DT3, Suddenlink digital channel 168, and Time Warner digital channel 901 is This TV. Overnight, it airs various syndicated programming.

History
Nathan Frank, a businessman from Henderson, had filed an application for channel 13 in New Bern in 1954. However, final approval was delayed for almost seven years due to numerous challenges. The Army, Navy and Air Force were concerned that the tower's height would interfere with the operations of the numerous military installations located in Eastern North Carolina. Several airlines and pilot associations also expressed concerns about the tower.

A new problem arose in 1958, when the Federal Communications Commission dropped in a channel 13 allocation in Hampton, Virginia to give the Hampton Roads area a third VHF station; WVEC-TV moved there from channel 15 shortly afterward. To alleviate concerns about short-spacing, the channel 13 allocation for New Bern was moved to channel 12. Almost immediately, WRVA-TV in Richmond, Virginia (now WWBT) raised concerns of its own about short-spacing. All objections were eventually overcome by 1961, and the station took to-the-air on September 7, 1963 as WNBE-TV. The calls became WCTI-TV in 1970. The station has been an ABC affiliate since its inception.

When it signed-on, the Greenville/Washington/New Bern market became one of the smallest DMAs in the country with three commercial network affiliates. In 1980, WCTI erected a 2,000-foot tower south of Trenton. The new tower expanded the station's secondary coverage as far east as the Outer Banks, as far south as Wilmington and as far west as the Triangle (including Rocky Mount and much of eastern Raleigh). The station's original 1,000-foot tower at its New Bern studios is still used as a backup. In 2007, Newport License Holdings (a part of Bluestone Television) was sold along with the latter to the Bonten Media Group.

On November 6 of that year, it was announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the sale of certain WFXI/WYDO assets by Piedmont Television to the Bonten Media Group. As part of the deal, WFXI moved from its longtime home on Arendell Street (U.S. 70) in Morehead City to WCTI's facilities in New Bern. In 2000, WCTI launched the first over-the-air digital station in the market on UHF channel 48. A high definition feed was launched on DirecTV on January 30 2009. It is also available on satellite through Dish Network. WCTI shut-off its analog signal on June 12, 2009 at 12:10 in the afternoon. On this date, the station returned its digital broadcasts to its former analog channel.

WCTI-DT3
Prior to September 18, 2006, WCTI-DT3 was a UPN affiliate known on-air as "UPN 48" after the digital channel number. This could also be seen on DirecTV channel 13, Dish Network channel 48, and Suddenlink analog cable. When UPN and The WB merged into The CW, CBS affiliate WNCT-TV chose to carry the network on a new second digital subchannel. After losing UPN, WCTI-DT3 became an Independent known as "ENC-TV". This aired syndicated programming such as: Trivial Pursuit: America Plays, Family Feud, Entertainment Studios, and Extra. Weeknights at 8, there was a prime time movie. At one point, "ENC-TV" maintained a website at "enc.tv" but this was abandoned. In late-Summer 2009, WCTI-DT3 began to add programming from This TV eventually becoming a full-time affiliate.

News operation
Its news open.Generally, ABC affiliate WCTI and NBC affiliate WITN-TV trade the ratings crown. As of July 2008, WNCT was the ratings leader in the market after taking first place weeknights at 6 and 11. But since then WNCT has fallen to 3rd place at 6 p.m. [1] The nightly 10 o'clock newscast on WFXI/WYDO, originally known as Fox News at 10, was produced by WNCT until December 2007. In January 2008 after Bonten started its management of the two stations, it was replaced with a rebroadcast of WCTI's nightly 6 o'clock show. It then relaunched a 10 p.m. broadcast produced by this station with a new news music graphics package on January 28.

On June 27, 2010, the station began airing local newscasts in high definition becoming the first in the area to do so. [2] The show on WFXI/WYDO was included in the upgrade. In addition to its main studios, WCTI operates bureaus in Jacksonville (on Johnson Boulevard), Winterville (on Old Tar Road covering Greenville), and Morehead City. During weather segments, the channel uses live NOAA National Weather Service radar data from the Local Forecast Office on Roberts Road in Newport. On-air, this is known as "StormTrack 12 Live Doppler HD".

Newscast titles

 * TV-12 Action News (1970s-1980s)
 * TV-12 News (1980s-2005)
 * NewsChannel 12 (2005-present)

Station slogans

 * Catch 12 
 * The News Leader (1980s-2005)
 * Coverage You Can Count On (1997-2008)
 * Accurate and Reliable (2008-)
 * Getting the Facts Right

News Team
Anchors StormTrack 12 HD Meteorologists Sports Reporters
 * Anna Bulszewicz - weekday mornings and noon
 * Jon Erickson- weekends at 6 and 11
 * Katie Jefferies- weekend mornings
 * Valentina Wilson - weeknights at 5, 6, and 11
 * Wes Goforth - weeknights at 5, 6 and 11
 * Skip Waters - Chief seen weeknights at 5, 6 & 11
 * Les Still- Meterologist; weekday mornings & noon
 * Dominic Brown- meterologist; weekends at 6 & 11
 * Tori Shaw- meterologist; weekend mornings
 * Brian North - Director seen weeknights & weekend mornings
 * Derek Bayne- weekends at 6 & 11
 * Mike Licquia - Craven, Jones, and Pamlico Counties
 * Carly Swain - Jacksonville Bureau Chief
 * Katie Jeffries - Greenville Bureau Chief
 * Adam Yosim
 * Alizé Proisy
 * Jon Erickson