WDIO-TV
Encyclopedia
WDIO-DT and WIRT-DT (digital channel
13) are the ABC
and Me-TV-affiliated television stations for North Central and Northeastern Minnesota, and Northwestern Wisconsin. WDIO's transmitter is located in Duluth
.
WIRT in Hibbing
is a full time satellite station of WDIO, serving the Iron Range
including Grand Rapids
, Virginia
and Chisholm
.
Digital channels>
Channels
Picture
format
Aspect
ratio
Name
Programming
10.1 / 13.1
720p
16:9
WDIO/WIRT
Main WDIO/WIRT programming / ABC HD
10.2 / 13.2
480i
4:3
Me-TV
Classic television programming
WDIO/WIRT terminated analog broadcasts and relocated their digital signals to their pre-transition VHF analog channels on February 17, 2009, the date originally mandated by the Federal Communications Commission
for U.S. television stations to switch to digital.
in 1977, who would later sell the station to Hubbard Broadcasting. WDIO/WIRT have broadcast in color since they first went on the air - however, due to the unavailability of color studio cameras, they used B&W cameras for over nine months.
The red 10/13 disk logo is the oldest TV logo in Duluth, having been in use since the 1980s. The lettering used in the logo dates back to as late as the early 1970s. Since the 1980s, changes to the 10/13 logo has only been minor and cosmetic—the most recent change was in fall 2007, when to go with ABC's redesigning of its logo from one resembling a flat disc to one with a clear glass ball effect, the station also added the ball effect flair to the 10/13 disc.
On April 11, 2008, a blizzard swept through the Northland. This caused power outages in Duluth causing WDIO, KDLH
, and KBJR all to lose their signal at times.
On November 28, 2011, Me-TV, a classic television network, replaced RTV on 10.2 and 13.2.
, Entertainment Tonight
, The Insider
, Criminal Minds
, Discover Wisconsin and Numb3rs
.
Every New Year's Eve, WDIO often cuts in to Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
to broadcast the SMDC New Year's Eve Ball; which was a fundraiser for the hospital. In 2008, after 17 years of televising the event, WDIO announced that it would stop its annual broadcast. This decision, along with declining attendance, led to the decision to cancel the event. The Ball itself ran for 23 years and at its peak hosted 4,000 guests.
in the early 1990s. It shares this branding with sister station KSTP
in Minneapolis/St. Paul. However, the Eyewitness News branding is the station's only resemblance to KSTP. WDIO uses its own graphics and music packages; and as a result, WDIO usually does better than its sister station in the ratings.
WDIO and KSTP team up when breaking news happens (example: the I-35W Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis) when WDIO ties its feed into KSTP's or when a major election debate takes place, WDIO, KSTP and KAAL
all join together.
Longtime WDIO news anchor Dennis Anderson joined the station in 1969, initially as anchor of the nightly news' Action Line segment. He was promoted to chief anchor of the evening newscasts in 1970; he later was the first local TV anchor to announce the sinking of the ore freighter Edmund Fitzgerald
which sank in Lake Superior
on November 10, 1975. Anderson retired Wednesday, May 25, 2011, after 42 years with the station. Darren Danielson, previously of WDSE, replaced Anderson as anchor the following day, Thursday May 26.
In October 2009, 20-year veteran Deborah Anderson stepped down from being the lead anchor of the weekend newscasts. The station management filled the vacancy with reporters already employed with the station rather than searching for a replacement.
At some point in late 2010 or early 2011, WDIO became the third station in the Duluth area to broadcast its local newscasts in 16:9 enhanced-definition widescreen.
(2nd) and KBJR-TV
(3rd).
In the May 2007 ratings race, WDIO took first place in all timeslots except at 5 p.m., where they fell to NBC affiliate KBJR. In February 2008, WDIO won with number of viewers in the morning, and at 6 and 10 p.m. KBJR once again came out slightly ahead at 5 p.m. In July 2009, WDIO topped the ratings again. The 10 p.m. newscast had about 7,000 more viewers than second place KBJR. WDIO also won in the weekend ratings.http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/128669/
In November 2009, WDIO doubled the ratings of KBJR at the 10 p.m. newscast with a 12 share compared to KBJR's 6 rating and KDLH's 3. The station also swept the 5 and 6 p.m. time-slots and with a 14 and an 11 rating respectively. KBJR rated a 10 at the same timeslots according to the Duluth News Tribune. Take note that this ratings period marks one full year anniversary of WDIO's market dominance.
StormTeam
Sports team
Reporters
. Via PSIP virtual channel numbering, each translator station is displayed as channels 13.1 and 13.2 since each translator rebroadcasts WIRT.
Digital translators>
Call sign
Community
K64GY-D
Big Falls
K40MU-D
Birchdale
K49BU-D
International Falls
K32JZ-D
Kabetogama
K36KZ-D
Max
K16JD-D
Northome
Additionally, there are two northern Minnesota translators rebroadcasting WIRT via analog.
Analog translators>
Call sign
Community
Channel
Programming
K65BN
Red Lake
65
Main WDIO/WIRT programming / ABC
K69BT
Red Lake
69
Me-TV
ATSC
ATSC standards are a set of standards developed by the Advanced Television Systems Committee for digital television transmission over terrestrial, cable, and satellite networks....
13) are the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and Me-TV-affiliated television stations for North Central and Northeastern Minnesota, and Northwestern Wisconsin. WDIO's transmitter is located in Duluth
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
.
WIRT in Hibbing
Hibbing, Minnesota
Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,361 at the 2010 census. The city was built on the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range. At the edge of town is the largest open-pit iron mine in the world. U.S...
is a full time satellite station of WDIO, serving the Iron Range
Iron Range
The Iron Range is a region that makes up the northeastern section of Minnesota in the United States. "The Range", as it is known by locals, is a region with multiple distinct bands of iron ore...
including Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,764 people, 3,446 households, and 1,943 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,057.8 people per square mile . There were 3,621 housing units at an average density of 493.3 per square mile...
, Virginia
Virginia, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,157 people, 4,333 households, and 2,270 families residing in the city. The population density was 486.1 people per square mile . There were 4,692 housing units at an average density of 249.1 per square mile...
and Chisholm
Chisholm, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,960 people, 2,178 households, and 1,287 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,129 people per square mile . There were 2,375 housing units at an average density of 540/sq mi...
.
Digital programming
The digital signals of WDIO and WIRT are multiplexed:format
ratio
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,...
720p
720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan...
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
480i
480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC...
WDIO/WIRT terminated analog broadcasts and relocated their digital signals to their pre-transition VHF analog channels on February 17, 2009, the date originally mandated by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
for U.S. television stations to switch to digital.
History
WDIO-TV first went on the air on January 24, 1966. WDIO's original owner was Frank Befera, a trained engineer who owned a chain of radio stations across northeastern Minnesota. WIRT went on the air on August 31, 1967. He sold channels 10 and 13 to publishers Harcourt Brace JovanovichHarcourt Trade Publishers
Harcourt was a United States publishing firm with a long history of publishing fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. The company was based in San Diego, California, with an Editorial / Sales / Marketing / Rights offices in New York City and Orlando, Florida.In 2007, the U.S...
in 1977, who would later sell the station to Hubbard Broadcasting. WDIO/WIRT have broadcast in color since they first went on the air - however, due to the unavailability of color studio cameras, they used B&W cameras for over nine months.
The red 10/13 disk logo is the oldest TV logo in Duluth, having been in use since the 1980s. The lettering used in the logo dates back to as late as the early 1970s. Since the 1980s, changes to the 10/13 logo has only been minor and cosmetic—the most recent change was in fall 2007, when to go with ABC's redesigning of its logo from one resembling a flat disc to one with a clear glass ball effect, the station also added the ball effect flair to the 10/13 disc.
On April 11, 2008, a blizzard swept through the Northland. This caused power outages in Duluth causing WDIO, KDLH
KDLH
KDLH is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Iron Range area of Northeastern Minnesota that is licensed to Duluth. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 33 from a transmitter west of downtown in Hilltop Park. Owned by the Malara Broadcast Group, the station is...
, and KBJR all to lose their signal at times.
On November 28, 2011, Me-TV, a classic television network, replaced RTV on 10.2 and 13.2.
Programming
In addition to ABC network programming, syndicated programming featured on WDIO/WIRT includes: Live With Kelly, The Rachael Ray Show, The Ellen DeGeneres ShowThe Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
, The Insider
The Insider (TV series)
The Insider is an American tabloid television news program covering events and celebrities. It debuted on September 13, 2004 as a spinoff of Entertainment Tonight and started as a popular segment that took viewers "behind closed doors" and gave them "inside" information...
, Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds
Criminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...
, Discover Wisconsin and Numb3rs
NUMB3RS
Numb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes...
.
Every New Year's Eve, WDIO often cuts in to Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest is a television program that airs every New Year's Eve on ABC. It has been hosted by Dick Clark since its first airing on Sunday, December 31, 1972. Ryan Seacrest has been the program's co-host since the December 31, 2005 telecast...
to broadcast the SMDC New Year's Eve Ball; which was a fundraiser for the hospital. In 2008, after 17 years of televising the event, WDIO announced that it would stop its annual broadcast. This decision, along with declining attendance, led to the decision to cancel the event. The Ball itself ran for 23 years and at its peak hosted 4,000 guests.
Eyewitness News
WDIO/WIRT's newscasts were branded throughout the 1970s and 1980s as Action News. The station changed its branding to Eyewitness NewsEyewitness News
Eyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
in the early 1990s. It shares this branding with sister station KSTP
KSTP-TV
KSTP-TV, channel 5, is the ABC affiliate for the Twin Cities. Its transmitter is located at the Shoreview Telefarm. It is the flagship station of Hubbard Broadcasting, which also owns several other broadcasting properties across the United States....
in Minneapolis/St. Paul. However, the Eyewitness News branding is the station's only resemblance to KSTP. WDIO uses its own graphics and music packages; and as a result, WDIO usually does better than its sister station in the ratings.
WDIO and KSTP team up when breaking news happens (example: the I-35W Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis) when WDIO ties its feed into KSTP's or when a major election debate takes place, WDIO, KSTP and KAAL
KAAL
KAAL is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Driftless Area of Southeastern Minnesota and North-Central Iowa. Licensed to Austin, Minnesota, the station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 33 from a transmitter southeast of Grand Meadow, Minnesota in Eastern Mower...
all join together.
Longtime WDIO news anchor Dennis Anderson joined the station in 1969, initially as anchor of the nightly news' Action Line segment. He was promoted to chief anchor of the evening newscasts in 1970; he later was the first local TV anchor to announce the sinking of the ore freighter Edmund Fitzgerald
Edmund Fitzgerald
Edmund Fitzgerald may refer to:*SS Edmund Fitzgerald, a freighter that sank on Lake Superior in 1975 with all hands aboard**"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", a song about the shipwreck by Gordon Lightfoot...
which sank in Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
on November 10, 1975. Anderson retired Wednesday, May 25, 2011, after 42 years with the station. Darren Danielson, previously of WDSE, replaced Anderson as anchor the following day, Thursday May 26.
In October 2009, 20-year veteran Deborah Anderson stepped down from being the lead anchor of the weekend newscasts. The station management filled the vacancy with reporters already employed with the station rather than searching for a replacement.
At some point in late 2010 or early 2011, WDIO became the third station in the Duluth area to broadcast its local newscasts in 16:9 enhanced-definition widescreen.
Ratings
Soon after sign-on, WDIO shot to the top of the local news ratings and has remained there more or less ever since. During the 1970s and 1980s, WDIO dominated competitors KDLHKDLH
KDLH is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Iron Range area of Northeastern Minnesota that is licensed to Duluth. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 33 from a transmitter west of downtown in Hilltop Park. Owned by the Malara Broadcast Group, the station is...
(2nd) and KBJR-TV
KBJR-TV
KBJR-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin that is licensed to Superior, Wisconsin. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter west of Downtown Duluth in Hilltop Park...
(3rd).
In the May 2007 ratings race, WDIO took first place in all timeslots except at 5 p.m., where they fell to NBC affiliate KBJR. In February 2008, WDIO won with number of viewers in the morning, and at 6 and 10 p.m. KBJR once again came out slightly ahead at 5 p.m. In July 2009, WDIO topped the ratings again. The 10 p.m. newscast had about 7,000 more viewers than second place KBJR. WDIO also won in the weekend ratings.http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/128669/
In November 2009, WDIO doubled the ratings of KBJR at the 10 p.m. newscast with a 12 share compared to KBJR's 6 rating and KDLH's 3. The station also swept the 5 and 6 p.m. time-slots and with a 14 and an 11 rating respectively. KBJR rated a 10 at the same timeslots according to the Duluth News Tribune. Take note that this ratings period marks one full year anniversary of WDIO's market dominance.
Newscast titles
- WDIO News (1966–1971)
- News 10 (1971–1977)
- Action NewsAction NewsAction News is a local television newscast format in the United States. It was conceived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at WFIL-TV by then-news director Mel Kampmann in 1970 as a response to the "Eyewitness News" format used on rival station KYW-TV...
(1977–1988) - Eyewitness NewsEyewitness NewsEyewitness News is a style of news broadcasting used by local television stations in different markets across the United States. It refers to a particular style of television newscast with an emphasis on visual elements and action video...
(1988–present)
News team
Current anchors- Darren Danielson - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Samantha Mehrotra - weekday mornings Good Morning Northland
- Renee Passal - weeknights at 5 p.m.; also 6 and 10 p.m. reporter and host of This Week in Mining
- Katey Rusch - weekends at 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter
StormTeam
- Justin Liles (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
Certified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast Meteorologist is a rating for meteorologists given by the American Meteorological Society.The Certified Broadcast Meteorologist program was established to raise the professional standard in broadcast meteorology and encourage a broader range of scientific understanding,...
Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. - Ben Dary - meteorologist; weekday mornings Good Morning Northland
- Phil Johnson (member; AMS) - meteorologist; weekends at 10 p.m.
Sports team
- Josh Zenner - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m.
- Laura Kennedy - sports anchor; weekends at 10 p.m., also sports reporter
Reporters
- Paige Calhoun - newsroom reporter
- Alan Hoglund - newsroom/field reporter
Outlying translators
Besides WIRT, WDIO is seen on several outlying digital translator stations in northeastern and north central MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. Via PSIP virtual channel numbering, each translator station is displayed as channels 13.1 and 13.2 since each translator rebroadcasts WIRT.
Additionally, there are two northern Minnesota translators rebroadcasting WIRT via analog.