WFMZ-TV,
virtual channelIn telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
69 (UHF digital channel 46), is a general interest independent television station in
Allentown, PennsylvaniaAllentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
, which is part of the
PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
DMAA media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
. Its studio and transmitter are located on
South MountainSouth Mountain is a colloquial name applied to features in the mountain range extending south and south west from the Lehigh Valley to the Lebanon Valley regions of Pennsylvania. At times, it also been known as Durham Hills, Reading Hills, and the Lehigh Mountains...
in
AllentownAllentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
.
Background
WFMZ went on the air on
ThanksgivingThanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
1976 with two daily newscasts and a mix of
religiousReligious broadcasting refers to broadcasting by religious organizations, usually with a religious message. Many religious organizations have long recorded content such as sermons and lectures, and have moved into distributing content on their Internet websites.While this article emphasises...
and general interest programming. (An earlier television station with the WFMZ calls, also based in Allentown, operated on channel 67 from December 1954 to April 1955.)
WFMZ mainly serves the
Lehigh ValleyThe Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
and
Berks County-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile...
areas with cable coverage in much of the Philadelphia DMA. There is over-the-air signal coverage in some northwest
New JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
counties that are part of the
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
DMA. WFMZ also serves as a local station in news and cable coverage to
Carbon CountyAs of the census of 2000, there were 58,802 people, 23,701 households, and 16,424 families residing in the county. The population density was 154 people per square mile . There were 30,492 housing units at an average density of 80 per square mile...
and
Monroe County-National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River -Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there are 176,567 people, 49,454 households, and 36,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 228 people per square mile...
within the Wilkes-Barre-Scranton DMA.
Programming
The schedule consists of first run syndicated programs like
Judge JudyJudge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
,
Judge Joe Brown,
Family FeudFamily Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
, and
Dr. Phil, off-network syndicated programs like
Cold Case FilesCold Case Files is documentary television series on the cable channel A&E Network hosted by Bill Kurtis that documents the investigation of various long-unsolved murders through the use of modern forensic science , and criminal psychology, in addition to recent breakthroughs in the...
,
Law & Order: Criminal IntentLaw & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
and
Cash CabCash Cab is an American game show that began airing on the Discovery Channel on December 5, 2005. The program is hosted by stand-up comedian Ben Bailey. While Bailey's show takes place in New York City, some episodes of Season 6 take place in Las Vegas...
and classic TV shows like
MatlockMatlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of attorney Ben Matlock. The show originally aired from September 23, 1986 to May 8, 1992 on NBC, where it replaced The A-Team, then from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC.The show's format was similar...
, along with news rebroadcasts and a simulcast of The 69News AccuWeather Channel during the overnight hours. The station also produces various local programs about
businessA business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, sports and
healthHealth is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
related issues.
Local programming
- The American Law Journal – The American Law Journal debuted in 1990 and is hosted by attorney Christopher Naughton, who is joined by various attorneys who answer questions about law related topics. Viewers can call in and receive free advice from any of the attorneys about the topic of the week. It airs live on Mondays at 7 p.m.
- Animal Doctor – Animal Doctor is hosted by Kathy Craine. Veterinarians from around the region join Kathy as they discuss various animal and pet related issues. It airs the first Monday of every month at 7:30 p.m.
- The Big Ticket – The Big Ticket is a high school football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
highlight show that airs every Friday at 11pm during the high school football season. Highlights from local games in The Lehigh ValleyThe Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
and Berks County air along with interviews from players & coaches. It debuted in 1995 and is currently hosted by Troy Hein & Jim Vaughn, with reports from Dave Lesko and Neille Giffune.
- Business Matters – Business Matters is a program hosted by Tony Iannelli, where a panel of experts gather to discuss various business issues. It airs Mondays at 8:00 p.m.
- The Freddy Awards
The Freddy Awards, also known as the Freddys, are an annual recognition of outstanding high school musical theatre in the Lehigh Valley area, including the Northampton County and Lehigh County in Pennsylvania, and Warren County in New Jersey...
– The Freddy Awards, which debuted in 2003, are fashioned after BroadwayBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
’s Tony Awards. A panel of evaluators view participating high schools' musical performances. The best are honored in a ceremony that is broadcast liveLive television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
in HD on WFMZ every year. Ed Hanna and Shelley Brown host the ceremony from The State Theater in EastonEaston is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,800 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....
.
- Lehigh Sports Magazine – Lehigh Sports Magazine is hosted by Jim Vaughn and features interviews with Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
coaches and players. It airs Mondays at 8:30 p.m. during Lehigh's fall sports season.
- Talk With Your Doctor – Talk With Your Doctor is hosted by Doug Eberhart, who is joined by various doctors from St. Luke's Hospital
St. Luke's Hospital may refer to:in Greece* St. Luke's Hospital in Ireland* St. Luke's General Hospital, Kilkenny* St. Luke's Hospital, Rathgar, Dublinin Japan* St. Luke's International Hospitalin Malta* St. Luke's Hospital, Malta...
, and offers viewers the chance to call in and receive free medical adviceMedical advice is the giving of a formal professional opinion regarding what a specific individual should or should not do to restore or preserve health. Typically, medical advice involves giving a diagnosis, prescribing a treatment for medical condition....
. It airs Mondays at 6:30 p.m.
Digital television
WFMZ-DT subchannels>
| Channel |
Name |
Video Format |
Programming |
| 69.1 |
WFMZ-HD |
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...
|
Main WFMZ-TV programming |
| 69.2 |
WFMZ-AW |
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...
|
The 69News AccuWeather Channel |
| 69.3 |
WFMZ-ME |
MeTVMe-TV is a television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that airs classic television sitcoms, dramas and classic commercials from the 1950s through the 1980s. The network is a sister network to This TV...
|
| 69.4 |
WFMZ RT |
RTVThe Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
|
The 69News AccuWeather Channel
WFMZ debuted The 69News AccuWeather Channel on February 4, 2001. It is broadcast on WFMZ DT2 and digital cable
24-hourThe 24-hour news cycle arrived with the advent of television channels dedicated to news, and brought about a much faster pace of news production with increased demand for stories that can be presented as news, as opposed to the day-by-day pace of the news cycle of printed daily newspapers...
a day, 7 days a week, and according to WFMZ, was the first 24-hour local
weatherWeather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
channel in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Local weather updates are given every 15 minutes from one of WFMZ's meteorologists, plus national updates provided by AccuWeather. A link on the station's website offers live streaming video of this channel. This channel is entirely locally produced, unlike
The Local AccuWeather ChannelThe Local AccuWeather Channel is a 24-hour, weather-oriented, commercially sponsored broadcast and cable television network in the United States owned and operated by AccuWeather, Inc., which is headquartered in State College, Pennsylvania....
associated with other AccuWeather-affiliated stations.
Weekdays
- Morning Outlook (5 a.m.-noon): Matt Broderick
- Afternoon Outlook (noon-5 p.m.): Matt Broderick
- Evening Outlook (5-11 p.m.): Ed Hanna (Mon-Tue) or Amanda Cox (Wed-Fri)
- Overnight Outlook (11 p.m.-5 a.m.): Ed Hanna (Mon-Tue) or Amanda Cox (Wed-Fri)
Weekends
- Morning Outlook (5 a.m.-noon): Mark Shanaberger
- Afternoon Outlook (noon-5 p.m.): Mark Shanaberger
- Evening Outlook (5-10:30 p.m.): Amanda Cox
- Overnight Outlook (10:30 p.m.-5 a.m.): Amanda Cox
News operation
WFMZ-TV originally had two daily newscasts called "Newspulse" that ran when the station launched in 1976. These would be renamed "Channel 69 News" until finally being shortened to "69 News". Those two newscasts have expanded to over fifty a week including a nightly local Spanish newscast (which launched in February 2003). In 2005, WFMZ formed a partnership with Philadelphia station
WPVIWPVI-TV, channel 6, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. WPVI has its studios located on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd, and its transmitter is located in the...
which allows the stations to cooperate in news gathering purposes. The current set for 69 News debuted in April 2006. High-definition news broadcasts began on May 1, 2008 making WFMZ the fourth station in the Philadelphia market to air HD news.
Newscast titles
- Newspulse (1976–1986)
- Channel 69 News (1986–1999)
- 69 News (1999–present)
Station slogans
- Your Local News Station (1990s-1999)
- Your Life, Your World, Your News (1999–present)
Current on-air staff
Anchors
- Perla López Baray - weeknights Edición en Español (11 p.m.)
- John Derr - Saturday evenings, also health beat reporter
- Jaciel Cordoba - weekday mornings Sunrise and noon
- Wendy Davis - weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6 and 10 p.m.
- Karin Mallett - Sunday evenings; also "One Tank Trip" feature reporter
- Eve Tannery - weekday mornings Sunrise
- Rob Vaughn - weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6 and 10 p.m.
- Nancy Werteen - Thursdays at noon
Weather team
- Matt Broderick - meteorologist; weekday mornings Sunrise and noon
- Amanda Cox (AMS member; NWA member) - meteorologist; weekend evenings
- Kathy Craine - weeknights at 6 p.m.
- Ed Hanna (AMS
The 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...
member; NWAThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
member) - chief meteorologist, weeknights at 5, 5:30, 10 & 10:30 p.m.
- Mark Shanaberger (AMS member) - meteorologist; fill-in meteorologist, also weekday photographer
- Zenddy Caicedo Tintle - weeknights Edición en Español (11 p.m.)
Sports team
- Troy Hein - sports director; weeknights at 5, 6, 10, 10:30 p.m.
- Neille Giffune - sports anchor; weeknights Berks Edition (5:30 p.m.)
- Jim Vaughn - sports anchor; weekend evenings, also sports reporter & photographer
- Roberto Vinces - sports anchor; weeknights Edición en Español (11 p.m.)
- Dave Lesko - sports reporter, also chief sports photographer
Reporters
- John Craven - Wednesday-Sunday reporter
- Pam Cunningham - Berks Edition reporter
- Kimberly Davidow - Berks Edition reporter
- Rick Edwards - weekday morning & evening traffic reporter
- Melanie Falcon- Sunrise reporter
- Jaccii Farris - senior reporter/docujournalist
- Bo Koltnow - weekday evening reporter
- Will Lewis - weekday evening reporter
- Dwayne Parker - Berks Edition and Edición en Español reporter
- Amy Unger - Producer/Reporter
Out of market cable, satellite and over the air coverage
In the western part of the New York DMA in New Jersey, it is carried in Phillipsburg and Milford on basic cable. In northwestern part of the state for Comcast Northwest - Port Murray subscribers, it is available on digital cable alongside with KYW, WTXF and WCAU. It is not carried on satellite in the NYC DMA side of the market. Over-the-air reception from its main transmitter begins to fade away past US Highway 206.
External links