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WBMA-LP is the ABC television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
 affiliate for Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in the United States state of Alabama and is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama. It also includes part of Shelby County, Alabama....
 and central Alabama
Central Alabama

Central Alabama is the region in the state of Alabama that stretches approximately 170 miles  from the western border with Mississippi to eastern border with Georgia and 136 miles  from the northern border of Cullman County, Alabama to the Ala...
. Its transmitter is located in Birmingham, while its studio is in Hoover
Hoover, Alabama

Hoover is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama and Shelby County, Alabama Counties in north central Alabama, in the United States. The largest suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, the population of the city was 62,742 as of the United States Census 2000 and was estimated to be 73,000 in 2008....
, a suburb of Birmingham.

The station's brand name, ABC 33/40, comes from its two full-power satellites: WCFT-TV, channel 33 in Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Tuscaloosa is a city in west central Alabama in the southern United States. Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama and the fifth-largest city in Alabama with a population of 83,052 ....
 and WJSU-TV, channel 40 in Anniston
Anniston, Alabama

Anniston is a city in Calhoun County, Alabama in the U.S. state of Alabama, United States. As of the United States Census 2000, the population of the city is 24,276....
. Although this makes it appear that WCFT is the main station, low-powered WBMA is officially Birmingham's ABC affiliate.






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WBMA-LP is the ABC television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
 affiliate for Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in the United States state of Alabama and is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama. It also includes part of Shelby County, Alabama....
 and central Alabama
Central Alabama

Central Alabama is the region in the state of Alabama that stretches approximately 170 miles  from the western border with Mississippi to eastern border with Georgia and 136 miles  from the northern border of Cullman County, Alabama to the Ala...
. Its transmitter is located in Birmingham, while its studio is in Hoover
Hoover, Alabama

Hoover is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama and Shelby County, Alabama Counties in north central Alabama, in the United States. The largest suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, the population of the city was 62,742 as of the United States Census 2000 and was estimated to be 73,000 in 2008....
, a suburb of Birmingham.

The station's brand name, ABC 33/40, comes from its two full-power satellites: WCFT-TV, channel 33 in Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Tuscaloosa is a city in west central Alabama in the southern United States. Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama and the fifth-largest city in Alabama with a population of 83,052 ....
 and WJSU-TV, channel 40 in Anniston
Anniston, Alabama

Anniston is a city in Calhoun County, Alabama in the U.S. state of Alabama, United States. As of the United States Census 2000, the population of the city is 24,276....
. Although this makes it appear that WCFT is the main station, low-powered WBMA is officially Birmingham's ABC affiliate. WBMA's signal does not extend outside of the immediate Birmingham area. Many Birmingham viewers and cable providers obtain the signal from the higher-power WCFT/WJSU stations. Their combined power carries the ABC 33/40 signal to all of central Alabama
Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the Southern United States of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west....
 from the Alabama-Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a U.S. state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against United Kingdom rule in the American Revolution....
 state line westward to Columbus, Mississippi
Columbus, Mississippi

Columbus is a city in Lowndes County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States on the Tombigbee River. It is approximately northeast of Jackson, MS, north of Meridian, MS, south of Tupelo, Mississippi, and west of Birmingham, AL ....
.

The station is owned by Allbritton Communications through its subsidiary, TV Alabama, Inc. WJSU was formerly owned by Flagship Broadcasting and operated by Allbritton under a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement

In United States and Canada broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one corporation agrees to operate a radio station or TV station owned by another licensee....
 until Allbritton bought it outright in 2008.

ABC 33/40 operates bureaus in Tuscaloosa and Anniston at the locations of the former independent stations.

History


WCFT-TV


WCFT started operating as western Alabama's first-ever television station in October 1965. The call letters stood for Chapman Family Television, the original licensee. The original owner was a consortium of eight Tuscaloosa businessmen who saw the benefits of a television station, in both business and community service. WCFT began as an independent station, but because it did not return a profit suitable to the original owners, they sold the station to Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Hattiesburg, known as "The Hub City", is a city in Forrest County, Mississippi and Lamar County, Mississippi Counties in the U.S. state of Mississippi....
-based Service Broadcasters in 1967. The new owners rejuvenated the station by pumping money into it, purchasing new equipment, and improving the station's image. Like WBMG-TV
WIAT

WIAT may also refer to the Wechsler Individual Achievement TestWIAT is the CBS affiliate in the Birmingham, Alabama/Tuscaloosa, Alabama/Anniston, Alabama television market....
 in Birmingham, WCFT picked up in its first few years CBS and NBC programming not cleared by WAPI-TV (now WVTM-TV
WVTM-TV

WVTM-TV is the NBC affiliate television station in the Birmingham, Alabama-Anniston, Alabama-Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama television market. The station is owned by Media General....
). In 1970, WCFT became an official CBS affiliate, as did WBMG (and WHMA below, for eastern Alabama). WCFT had considerably better luck with news than WBMG -- by the early 1980s, WCFT had the leading local newscast in western Alabama (with newscasts called "Eyewitness News"). It not only trounced WBMG, but it beat out Birmingham stations WBRC
WBRC

WBRC, channel 6 is a television station in Birmingham, Alabama. WBRC is owned by Raycom Media, which in turn is owned by the Retirement Systems of Alabama, and is affiliated with the Fox Broadcasting Company....
 and WAPI/WVTM as well. In 1977, Arbitron made Tuscaloosa its own television market, ranking below number 170. Service Broadcasters sold WCFT to Allbritton in 1995. Its transmitter is located near Windham Springs, Alabama
Windham Springs, Alabama

Windham Springs is a small, unincorporated community in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. Near Windham Springs, there is the WTTO Tower, a guyed TV mast, which belongs to the tallest constructions on earth....
, in rural Tuscaloosa County
Tuscaloosa County, Alabama

Tuscaloosa County is a county of the United States U.S. state of Alabama.It is named in honor of the pre-Choctaw chief Chief Tuskaloosa. In 2007, the population was estimated at 171,159....
.

WJSU-TV


On October 26, 1969, the station now known as WJSU began broadcasting as WHMA-TV, on channel 40 as a primary CBS affiliate with a secondary NBC affiliation. The station was operated by the Anniston Broadcasting Company, which was owned by members of the family of Harry M. Ayers (the station's namesake). The Ayers family also owned the Anniston Star newspaper and WHMA radio (1390 AM and 100.5 FM, now WWWQ-FM in Atlanta). The station's inaugural general manager, Harry Mabry
Harry Mabry

Harry Mabry was a noted television news director and anchor in Birmingham, Alabama and Anniston, Alabama, Alabama.Born January 11, 1932 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, Mabry moved with his parents to Birmingham at an early age....
, came to Anniston from Birmingham, where he had been news director of WBRC
WBRC

WBRC, channel 6 is a television station in Birmingham, Alabama. WBRC is owned by Raycom Media, which in turn is owned by the Retirement Systems of Alabama, and is affiliated with the Fox Broadcasting Company....
 in Birmingham for several years. Mabry already was familiar with Anniston, though, having been an announcer on WHMA-AM over fifteen years earlier.

WHMA-TV ultimately served approximately 100,000 households in east central Alabama, and management fought almost constantly to maintain its own Arbitron
Arbitron

Arbitron is a radio audience research company in the United States which collects listener data on radio audiences similar to that collected by Nielsen Media Research on television audiences....
 market between Birmingham and Atlanta. This was a maneuver critical to the station's survival. Despite being the only station located within the Anniston/East Alabama market (other than Alabama Public Television
Alabama Public Television

Alabama Public Television is a TV network of Public Broadcasting Service member stations serving the US state of Alabama. The stations are licensed by the Alabama Educational Television Commission, which was created by the Alabama General Assembly in 1953....
 translator WCIQ), WHMA faced immense competition from the "spill-in" (grade B signal) coverage from larger stations in nearby larger markets. Its ratings victories garnered it access to numerous national advertisers, a rarity for small-market stations of that time. In 1970, WHMA, along with WBMG and WCFT (above), dropped NBC programming in favor of full-time CBS coverage after WAPI became the sole NBC affiliate for all of central Alabama
Central Alabama

Central Alabama is the region in the state of Alabama that stretches approximately 170 miles  from the western border with Mississippi to eastern border with Georgia and 136 miles  from the northern border of Cullman County, Alabama to the Ala...
 that year.

In 1984, the FCC forced the Ayers family to break up its media empire. Later, in a mid-1980s deal that concerned tax avoidance more than profit, ownership of the station was transferred to the trustees of Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville State University

Jacksonville State University is a state university university serving Northeast Alabama on a campus with 58 buildings in Jacksonville, Alabama, Alabama which is in the Appalachian foothills of northeast Alabama....
 and the call letters were changed to WJSU-TV. The station was ultimately sold in the 1990s to Flagship Broadcasting.

ABC 33/40


In 1995, Birmingham's longtime ABC affiliate, WBRC, was sold to Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox and stylized as FOX, is an United States television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation....
. However, WBRC's contract with ABC did not expire until September 1996, giving ABC a year to find a new affiliate in Birmingham. ABC reached a unique deal with Allbritton: Both WCFT and WJSU would become ABC affiliates; however there was a snag. Under Nielsen rules, neither station would likely appear in the Birmingham ratings books because they were both considered to be out of market stations (Anniston and Tuscaloosa were considered separate markets.) Allbritton's solution was to purchase W58CK, a low-powered station in Birmingham, and designate it as the primary station for Nielsen. While the WBMA purchase was not a condition of the deal between ABC and Allbritton, it did pave the way for the collapse of Anniston and Tuscaloosa into the Birmingham market. WJSU and WCFT would end separate operations and combine to act as full-powered satellites of W58CK. Both stations also ceded exclusive CBS rights in all of central Alabama to WBMG. Under this arrangement, Allbritton assumed control of WJSU's operations under a local marketing agreement. This lasted until Allbritton bought WJSU outright in 2008.

The new station debuted on September 1, 1996 from studios in the Riverchase office complex in Hoover. Its first slogan was "We're Building Our Station Around You," which was also used on WKYC-TV
WKYC-TV

WKYC-TV, channel 3, is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Cleveland, Ohio, owned by the Gannett Company. Its studio is located on the shores of Lake Erie, while its transmitter is located in Parma, Ohio....
 in Cleveland for some years. Unlike most advertising catchwords, the phrase was quite accurate because the programming consultants of ABC 33/40 surveyed numerous numbers of people across central Alabama about what they wanted in a station. They also literally built a new station in Birmingham from that information they gathered. The station achieved early success with their newscasts, due in part to hiring many well-known Birmingham television personalities, including news anchors Brenda Ladun and Linda Mays, sports anchor Mike Raita and meteorologists James Spann
James Spann

James Spann is a television meteorologist based in Birmingham, Alabama. He currently works for WBMA-LP, whose studios are located in Hoover, Alabama but which has transmitters in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Anniston, Alabama....
 and Mark Prater, all of whom had worked at rival WBRC
WBRC

WBRC, channel 6 is a television station in Birmingham, Alabama. WBRC is owned by Raycom Media, which in turn is owned by the Retirement Systems of Alabama, and is affiliated with the Fox Broadcasting Company....
. Later, Pam Huff, a former news anchor on WVTM-TV
WVTM-TV

WVTM-TV is the NBC affiliate television station in the Birmingham, Alabama-Anniston, Alabama-Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Alabama television market. The station is owned by Media General....
, was hired to anchor the station's early morning newscasts. Since then, 33/40 has changed its slogan from "Where News Comes First" back to the original slogan of "We're Building Our Station Around You"; it is now "Alabama's News Leader." ABC 33/40 has had a long-standing tradition in that when any county in its viewing area is under a tornado warning, the station preempts regular programming for live, non-stop coverage, something the competing stations may refuse to do at times.

W58CK officially changed its call letters to WBMA-LP on September 23 1997; it had been unofficially using the WBMA calls since it began operations.

For a time in the mid-1990s, WCFT served as the default ABC affiliate for the Columbus/Tupelo
Tupelo, Mississippi

Tupelo is the largest city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. It is the eighth largest city in the state of Mississippi, smaller than Meridian, Mississippi, and larger than Olive Branch, Mississippi....
 market.

Stations

Station City of license
City of license

A city of license or community of license, in United States and Canada broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
 Channels
Channel (broadcasting)

In broadcasting, a channel is a range of frequency assigned by a government for the operation of a particular television station or radio station....

(Analog
Analog television

Analog television encodes television picture and sound information and transmits it as an analog signal: one in which the message conveyed by the broadcast Signal is a function of deliberate variations in the amplitude and/or frequency of the signal....
/
Digital
Digital terrestrial television

Digital Terrestrial Television is an implementation of digital technology to provide a greater number of channels and/or better quality of picture and sound using aerial broadcasts to a conventional Antenna instead of a satellite dish or cable connection....
)		 First air date Call letters’
meaning
Call sign

In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In some countries they are used as names for broadcasting stations, but in many other countries they are not....
 ERP
Effective radiated power

In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of Radio frequency energy using the non-International System of Units unit Decibel, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains....

(Analog/
Digital)		 HAAT
Height above average terrain

Height above average terrain is used extensively in Frequency Modulation radio and television, as it is actually much more important than effective radiated power in determining the range of broadcasts ....

(Analog/
Digital)		 Facility ID
Facility ID

The facility ID number or FIN is a unique positive integer assigned by the United States Federal Communications Commission to each domestic and international broadcasting broadcast station in its Common Database System ....
 Transmitter Coordinates
WBMA-LP1 Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in the United States state of Alabama and is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama. It also includes part of Shelby County, Alabama....
 58 (UHF
Ultra high frequency

Ultra high frequency designates a range of Electromagnetic radiation waves with frequency between 300 megahertz and 3 gigahertz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from ten to one decimetres....
)
11 (VHF
Very high frequency

VHF is the radio frequency range from 30 megahertz to 300 megahertz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency ....
)		 September 6, 1996 AlaBaMA 8.8 kW
0.3 kW		 255 m
255 m		 60214
WCFT-TV2 Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Tuscaloosa is a city in west central Alabama in the southern United States. Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama and the fifth-largest city in Alabama with a population of 83,052 ....
 33 (UHF
Ultra high frequency

Ultra high frequency designates a range of Electromagnetic radiation waves with frequency between 300 megahertz and 3 gigahertz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from ten to one decimetres....
)
5 (VHF
Very high frequency

VHF is the radio frequency range from 30 megahertz to 300 megahertz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency ....
)		 October 19653 Chapman
Family
Television		 4370 kW
9.5 kW		 662 m
625.4 m		 21258
WJSU-TV4 Anniston
Anniston, Alabama

Anniston is a city in Calhoun County, Alabama in the U.S. state of Alabama, United States. As of the United States Census 2000, the population of the city is 24,276....
 40 (UHF
Ultra high frequency

Ultra high frequency designates a range of Electromagnetic radiation waves with frequency between 300 megahertz and 3 gigahertz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from ten to one decimetres....
)
9 (VHF
Very high frequency

VHF is the radio frequency range from 30 megahertz to 300 megahertz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency ....
)		 October 26, 1969 Jacksonville
State
University		 5000 kW
15.6 kW		 396 m
359 m		 56642
Notes:
  • 1. WBMA-LP used the callsign W58CK until 1997.
  • 2. WCFT-TV was an independent station from 1965 to 1970, and a CBS
    CBS

    CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
     affiliate
    Affiliate

    An affiliate is a commerce entity with a relationship with a peer group or a larger entity....
     from 1970 to 1996.
  • 3. The Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook says WCFT-TV signed on October 27, while the Television and Cable Factbook says it signed on October 29.
  • 4. WJSU-TV used the callsign WHMA-TV from its 1969 inception until 1984. It was a CBS
    CBS

    CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
     affiliate from 1969 to 1996, with a secondary NBC affiliation from 1969 to 1970.


Digital TV

The digital signals of WCFT-TV and WJSU-TV are multiplexed
Multiplexing

In telecommunications and computer networks, multiplexing is a process where multiple analog message signals or digital data streams are combined into one signal over a shared medium....
:

Digital channel>
Virtual
Channel		 Physical
RF Channel		 Video Aspect
Aspect ratio

The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements, such as the length and diameter of a rod....
 Programming
33.1 5.1 720p
720p

720p is the shorthand name for a category of High-definition television video modes. The number 720 stands for the 720 horizontal scan lines of display resolution , while the letter p stands for progressive scan or non-interlaced....
 		 16:9 Main WCFT-TV / programming ABC HD
33.2 5.2 480i
480i

480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the United States NTSC television Television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics....
 		 4:3 Weather


Digital channels>
Virtual
Channel		 Physical
RF Channel		 Video Aspect
Aspect ratio

The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements, such as the length and diameter of a rod....
 Programming
40.1 9.1 720p
720p

720p is the shorthand name for a category of High-definition television video modes. The number 720 stands for the 720 horizontal scan lines of display resolution , while the letter p stands for progressive scan or non-interlaced....
 		 16:9 Main WJSU-TV / programming ABC HD
40.2 9.2 480i
480i

480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the United States NTSC television Television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics....
 		 4:3 Weather


Post-analog shutdown

After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on June 12, 2009 , WCFT-TV will move back to channel 33 , while WJSU will remain on its current pre-transition channel number, 9. However, through the use of PSIP
Program and System Information Protocol

The Program and System Information Protocol is the communications protocol used in the ATSC standards digital television system for carrying metadata about each channel in the Broadcasting transport stream of a TV station and for publishing information about television programs so that viewers can select what to watch by title and des...
, digital television receivers will display WJSU's virtual channel
Virtual channel

In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel in North America, is a channel designation which differs from the actual radio channel or frequency on which the Signalling travels....
 as 40. WBMA-LP is not obligated to shut off its analog signal, as the law currently exempts low-powered stations from the switchover.

Controversy over Ellen

In 1997, ABC 33/40 refused to air the famous "The Puppy Episode
The Puppy Episode

"The Puppy Episode" is a two-part episode of the situation comedy television series Ellen . The episode details lead character Ellen Morgan's realization that she is a lesbian and her coming out....
" of Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an eleven-time Emmy Award-winning United States Stand-up comedy, television hostess and actress. She hosts the award winning Television syndication talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show....
' sitcom
Situation comedy

A situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms....
, Ellen
Ellen (TV series)

Ellen is a United States television Situation comedy which ran on the American Broadcasting Company television network from March 29, 1994 to July 22, 1998, producing 109 episodes....
. The station cited a need to respect the family values of the largely conservative evangelical
Evangelicalism

Evangelicalism is a Protestantism Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s.Most adherents consider its key characteristics to be: a belief in the need for personal conversion ; some expression of the gospel in effort; a high regard for Biblical authority; and an emphasis on the death and resurrection of Jesus....
 community in the region as the basis of its decision. Some gay rights and civil libertarian activists decried the decision as a blatant example of censorship
Censorship

Censorship is the suppression of freedom of speech or deletion of communicative material which may be considered objectionable, harmful or sensitive, as determined by a censor....
; indeed, in response, ABC sent a special satellite feed of the show to a community center in Birmingham and about 1,000 people, mainly local gay
Gay

The term gay was originally used, until well into the mid-20th century, primarily to refer to feelings of being "carefree," "happy," or "bright and showy"; it had also come to acquire some connotations of "immorality" as early as 1637....
s, lesbian
Lesbian

File:Lesbian Couple from back holding hands.jpgLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females....
s, and their supporters, watched as DeGeneres came out of the closet.

When the same episode ran as a rerun on the network that same season, ABC 33/40 aired the program.

Current On-Air Staff

  • Nicole Allshouse, Talk of Alabama Co-Host
  • Dave Baird, 6pm/10pm Anchor
  • Ashley Brand, Weekend Meteorologist
  • Jeremy Campbell, Reporter
  • Katie Garrety, Reporter
  • Honora Gathings, Reporter
  • Ebony Hall, Reporter
  • Isaiah Harper, Reporter
  • Tracy Haynes, Morning Anchor/Talk of Alabama Co-Host
  • Roy Hobbs, Weekend Anchor
  • Pam Huff, Morning/5pm Anchor
  • Ana Jasen, Reporter
  • Jeremy King, Reporter
  • Brenda Ladun, 6pm/10pm Anchor
  • Linda Mays, Midday/5pm Anchor
  • Mike Raita, Sports Director
  • Melissa Riopka, Reporter
  • Jason Simpson, Morning/Midday Meteorologist
  • James Spann
    James Spann

    James Spann is a television meteorologist based in Birmingham, Alabama. He currently works for WBMA-LP, whose studios are located in Hoover, Alabama but which has transmitters in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Anniston, Alabama....
    , Chief Meteorologist
  • Jeff Speegle, Weekend Sports Anchor
  • Kevyn Stewart, Reporter
  • "Thomas the Tech Guy"
  • Yenu Wodajo, Reporter


Former On-Air Staff

  • Brian Armentrout, Reporter, Left for a career in medical public relations
  • Joy Benedict, Reporter, Now at WEWS-TV
    WEWS-TV

    WEWS-TV, channel 5, is a television station in Cleveland, Ohio. WEWS has been owned by the E. W. Scripps Company since its inception, and is an affiliate of the American Broadcasting Company television network....
     in Cleveland, OH
  • Anastasiya Bolton, Reporter, Now at KUSA-TV
    KUSA-TV

    KUSA-TV, Channel 9, is an NBC - affiliated television station in Denver, Colorado. KUSA-TV is owned by the Gannett Company, and is a sister station to KTVD , Denver's MyNetworkTV affiliate....
     in Denver, CO
  • Valorie Carter (Lawson), Reporter/Anchor, Now at WSFA-TV in Montgomery, AL
  • Kyle Craig, Sports Reporter/Producer
  • Tiffany Craig, Reporter, Now at WKRG-TV
    WKRG-TV

    WKRG-TV has been the CBS television station in Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida, Florida, since its inception in 1955. The station was founded by architect and movie theater owner Kenneth R....
     in Mobile, AL
  • Shelia Downey, Anchor
  • Rebecca Fox, Reporter
  • Jason Gaston, Reporter, Now a spokesman for Hoover City Schools in Hoover, AL
  • Dixon Hayes, Reporter, Now a photographer at WBRC-TV in Birmingham, AL
  • Dwann Holmes (Olsen), Reporter, Now at the University of Nebraska, Kearney
  • Laura Howe, Reporter, Now at American Red Cross in Washington, D.C.
  • Kelly Hunter, Sports Reporter
  • Casey Jones, Reporter/Anchor, Now at WJCL-TV in Savannah, GA
  • Melissa Lee, Sports Reporter
  • Mike Maher, Reporter
  • Jon Mangum, Reporter, Deceased
  • Brett Oates, Reporter, Now local sports talk radio co-host WATV-AM
  • Chris Osborne, Reporter, Now at American Red Cross in Birmingham, AL
  • John Oldshue
    John Oldshue

    John Oldshue was the weekend meteorologist and storm chaser for ABC 33/40 in Birmingham, Alabama, Alabama from 1997 to 2007 when he retired to run a small business....
    , Meteorologist, Left to operate a small business
  • Kimberly Osias, Reporter, Later at CNN
    CNN

    Cable News Network, almost always referred to by its initialism CNN, is a major US Cable News Network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first station to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television network in the United States....
     and WPEC
    WPEC

    WPEC, channel 12, is the CBS-affiliated television station for West Palm Beach, Florida. Its transmitter is located southeast of Wellington, Florida....
  • Dyan Patterson (Zedeker), Reporter/Anchor, Now in media relations at Cape Coral Police Department in Florida
  • Brian Peters, Fill-In Meteorologist
  • Ike Pigott, Reporter, Now at Alabama Power
  • Maggie Poteau, Anchor
  • Mark Prater, Meteorologist, Now Chief Meteorologist at WIAT
    WIAT

    WIAT may also refer to the Wechsler Individual Achievement TestWIAT is the CBS affiliate in the Birmingham, Alabama/Tuscaloosa, Alabama/Anniston, Alabama television market....
  • Rachel Rose, Reporter
  • Krista Saari, Sports Reporter
  • Mike Schoor, Sports Reporter, Left for a career in financial planning
  • Keisa Sharpe, Anchor, Now at Alabama Power
  • Christopher Sign, Reporter, Now at KNXV-TV
    KNXV-TV

    KNXV-TV, channel 15, is the American Broadcasting Company television affiliate in Phoenix, Arizona. Its transmitter is located on South Mountains in Phoenix....
     in Phoenix, AZ
  • Bob Symon, Meteorologist, Now at WLKY-TV
    WLKY-TV

    WLKY-TV is a television station located in Louisville, Kentucky, USA which is an affiliate of the CBS television network and serves the Louisville area and southeastern Indiana....
     in Louisville, KY
  • Chris Tatum, Reporter, Later at WSMV-TV
    WSMV-TV

    WSMV-TV Channel 4 is the NBC television affiliate serving the Nashville, Tennessee area. It broadcasts its analog signal on VHF channel 4 and its digital signal on VHF channel 10....
     in Nashville, TN
  • Tiffani Taylor (Lupenski), Reporter, Now at KUSA-TV
    KUSA-TV

    KUSA-TV, Channel 9, is an NBC - affiliated television station in Denver, Colorado. KUSA-TV is owned by the Gannett Company, and is a sister station to KTVD , Denver's MyNetworkTV affiliate....
     in Denver, CO, as a writer/producer
  • Josh Thomas, Anchor, Now at WFLA-TV
    WFLA-TV

    WFLA-TV is the NBC Affiliate on the west coast of the United States state of Florida, serving the Tampa, Florida-St. Petersburg, Florida market....
     in Tampa, FL
  • Deborah Vance, Reporter. Now Chief of Staff for Birmingham, AL mayor Larry Langford
    Larry Langford

    Larry Paul Langford is the United States Democratic Party mayor of the city of Birmingham, Alabama, Alabama. He previously served on the Jefferson County, Alabama Commission, including a stint as commission president....
  • Glenda Webb, Anchor/Reporter
  • Jennifer Webster, Reporter


News/Station Presentation


Newscast Titles

  • Eyewitness News (1970s-1980s; by WCFT)
  • ABC 33/40 News (2001-present)


Station Slogans

  • We're Building Our Station Around You (1996-1998 and 2001-2005)
  • Where News Comes First (1998-2001)
  • Alabama's News Leader (2005-present)


Trivia

  • ABC 33/40 operates a number of Sky Cams throughout the state which send a live shot and weather information from that site. ABC 33/40 is assisted in this venture by regional banking giant Compass Bank
    Compass Bank

    Compass Bank is a name of a bank. It may refer to:#Compass Bank of New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA, acquired by Sovereign Bank in 2004#Compass Bancshares headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, USA...
    . There are skycams in Downtown Birmingham, Inverness
    Hoover, Alabama

    Hoover is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama and Shelby County, Alabama Counties in north central Alabama, in the United States. The largest suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, the population of the city was 62,742 as of the United States Census 2000 and was estimated to be 73,000 in 2008....
    , Gadsden
    Gadsden, Alabama

    Gadsden is a city in and the county seat of Etowah County, Alabama, northeastern Alabama, United States, approximately 60 miles northeast of Birmingham, Alabama....
    , Demopolis
    Demopolis, Alabama

    Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 7,540....
    , Hamilton
    Hamilton, Alabama

    Hamilton is a city in Marion County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 6,786. The city is the county seat of Marion County, Alabama....
    , Jasper
    Jasper, Alabama

    Jasper is a city in Walker County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 14,659. As of July 1, 2006 the population had increased to 15,117....
    , Mount Cheaha, Tuscaloosa
    Tuscaloosa, Alabama

    Tuscaloosa is a city in west central Alabama in the southern United States. Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama and the fifth-largest city in Alabama with a population of 83,052 ....
    , Cullman
    Cullman, Alabama

    Cullman is a city in Cullman County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. It is located along Interstate 65, north of Birmingham, Alabama and south of Huntsville, Alabama....
    , Clanton
    Clanton, Alabama

    Clanton is a city in Chilton County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 7,800. The city is the county seat of Chilton County, Alabama....
     and Gulf Shores
    Gulf Shores, Alabama

    Gulf Shores is a coastal city in Baldwin County, Alabama, Alabama, United States. As of the United States Census, 2000, the population was 5,044....
    . The Tuscaloosa TowerLink camera, located on the old Channel 33 broadcast tower, caught footage of an F4 tornado that hit Tuscaloosa in December 2000 . TowerLink is also at WBMA-LP's tower in Birmingham and WJSU's tower in Anniston.
  • In September 2006, ABC 33/40 moved the popular soap opera All My Children
    All My Children

    All My Children, sometimes abbreviated by fans and the press as AMC, is an United States soap opera and drama television series that has been broadcast Monday through Friday on the American Broadcasting Company television network since January 5, 1970, and the daily episode also airs weeknights on SOAPnet....
     from 10 a.m., where it had aired for many years on tape-delay since WBRC was an ABC affiliate, to 12 Noon. This is the first time since the ABC daytime drama began in 1970 that it has aired at the time of the daily network feed in the Birmingham market.
  • Former anchor Josh Thomas was seen in the 2004 film The Punisher as a news anchor for WFLA-TV
    WFLA-TV

    WFLA-TV is the NBC Affiliate on the west coast of the United States state of Florida, serving the Tampa, Florida-St. Petersburg, Florida market....
     in Tampa.
  • ABC 33/40 offers Spanish-language webcasts online. The brief news updates are anchored on a rotating basis by Vivian Mora and Hernan Prado, two Hispanic business owners in the Birmingham community.


Related items

  • TV Alabama Tower
    TV Alabama Tower

    TV Alabama Tower is a 2000 foot tall guyed radio mast located near Windham Springs, Alabama, in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Alabama, USA. TV Alabama Tower was built in 1996 and is the property of "TV Alabama, Inc."...


External links

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