WPXI
Encyclopedia
WPXI, channel 11, is the NBC
-affiliated television station
for Western Pennsylvania
that is licensed to Pittsburgh
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 48 from a transmitter located on the north side of Pittsburgh. Owned by Cox Enterprises
, the station has studios in the Summer Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Syndicated programming on the station includes The Ellen DeGeneres Show
, The Doctors
, Family Feud
, Judge Judy
, Jeopardy!
and Wheel of Fortune
.
and immediately took NBC programming from KDKA-TV
.
Bill Cardille
(now a former Channel 11 host and weather forecaster) signed the station on the air. It addition to Cardille, five other announcers that were with the station during sign-on in 1957 include Mal Alberts, Bob Cochran, Ed Conway, Len Johnson and Mark Schaefer. Some of the first original programming to air on WIIC included Studio Wrestling
and Chiller Theatre
, both hosted by Cardille.
In 1964, the station was sold to current owner Cox Enterprises (which Cox traded its share in the then new cable system in Toledo, Ohio
to the Post-Gazette's parent company, which is based in Toledo)
In 1970, WIIC made Pittsburgh broadcasting history as Eleanor Schano became the first woman to anchor a newscast alone. Schano also hosted a weekly 30-minute public affairs program called Face to Face.
During much of the 1970s, WIIC trailed in a distant third place in the ratings behind KDKA-TV and WTAE-TV
. This coincided with much of the period where NBC also struggled in the ratings. About 1975, Channel 11 branded itself as "e11even", then around 1977 used the "11 Alive" moniker.
On April 20, 1981, the call sign was changed to WPXI (Pittsburgh 11, with XI being the Roman numeral sign for 11). Although the station has officially never had the -TV suffix since adopting the WPXI call sign, the station has on occasion been marketed as WPXI-TV. The WIIC
calls lived on in Pittsburgh, on a low-powered independent station airing music video
s, until that station's license was deleted around 2010.
WPXI also has been airing the Jerry Lewis Telethon as the Pittsburgh affiliate of the annual event. The local portion of the telethon is still hosted by Bill Cardille.
In 2000, Cox Enterprises
purchased WTOV in Steubenville, Ohio
and WJAC-TV
in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
from Sunrise Television. These stations, also NBC affiliates often appear in channel lineups for the same viewers that watch WPXI, either by over-the-air signal or via cable provider, and due to the proximity of the three stations to each other (as well as the common affiliation with NBC), are occasionally marketed together as a result. Cox changed the stations' on-air appearances to match WPXI's look, despite WPXI changing its own look in 2004. WTOV still used WPXI's former look until October 2010, and WJAC-TV adopted WPXI's current design in October 2011.
Over the Labor Day weekend of 2007, WPXI introduced its new studio location in the city's Summer Hill neighborhood near the Parkway North
. The move ended a 50-year tradition at Television Hill in the city's Fineview neighborhood. The station's tower is to remain in place at the top of the station's current location. WPXI officially launched its 6 p.m. newscast from its new studio in Summer Hill on October 6. WPXI is the first station in Pittsburgh broadcasting news in high definition
. It has been criticized for technical glitches during the initial week of the new system run. With the switch to HD came a new set, created by FX Group & new HD graphics, created by Hothaus Creative.
As part of its 50th anniversary, WPXI announced it would air classic TV programs on a digital subchannel from the Retro Television Network
. The additional channel began on October 15, 2007.
In mid-October 2008, WPXI, in collaboration with Cox's longtime partner Internet Broadcasting
, launched a redesigned website. As of early November 2008, the websites of all of Cox's stations east of the Mississippi River
are using the new format pioneered by WPXI; the websites of the company's stations west of the Mississippi River followed suit a month later. As of January 7, 2010, The website's navigation bar and pages have been re-done.
WPXI currently uses the number 11 drawn into a circle, which debuted in 1987. The "11" symbol is colored gold, while the box around it is dark blue. WPXI previously used the NBC Peacock in its logo, which was copied by sister stations WTOV and WJAC-TV
and is still used by WTOV, but revamped its own look in October 2004. WPXI's current look uses the circle 11 logo with stylized "WPXI" below it.
radio & occasional Chiller Theater reunions have been held over the years.
The show was part of a trend during the 1960s and 1970s for TV stations to produce local programming. Local stations often created their own children's shows as well. Horror theater shows, such as Shock Theatre, hosted by Ghoulardi
& Big Chuck and Little John in Cleveland, as well as Chiller Theater, were not only easy to produce, but popular with the local audience.
For its part, WPXI (known then as WIIC) produced Cartoon Colorama, which aired old-time cartoons produced in color format (hence the name), hosted by Willie the Duck, a hand-puppet with a Donald Duck
type of voice, speaking to off-camera announcer Don Riggs (who served as Willie's comedy foil) in between the cartoons. The show had been previously hosted by a character called "Captain Jim"," who'd hosted one WIIC's best-remembered children's program: "Cap'n Jim's Popeye Club," built around Popeye
cartoons. The Captain was briefly played at the beginning by the little-known Jim Saunders, and from 1959 on by Ted Eckman.
Digital channels>
Channel
Video
Aspect
Programming
11.1
1080i
16:9
main WPXI programming / NBC
11.2
480i
4:3
Me-TV
(replaced Retro Television Network
)
11.3
Currently dark, future unknown
WPXI Broadcasts its digital signals (HD if programming permits) over the airwaves & on cable. Standard channel 11 (e.g. NBC) programming is broadcast on 11.1
WPXI was the first channel in Pittsburgh to make use of additional programming on its digital
channels
. On June 21, 2007, WPXI's Weather Plus began on Channel 11.2 and was also available on digital cable. WPXI 11 Weather Plus
offered local and national weather information 24 hours a day. Locally, WPXI's Scott Harbaugh served as the main meteorologist on Channel 11 Weather Plus.
WPXI added an airwave digital channel on 11.3 in late October 2007 when it began an affiliation with Retro Television Network
, a channel that airs classic TV programming. Sister stations WJAC-TV
and WTOV-TV
also offer RTV programming on their subchannels.
Due to the shutdown of NBC Weather Plus
in December 2008, WPXI moved RTV to 11.2 and 11.3 will be blank for the time being.
In July 2009 the station applied with the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) to have three repeater signals: channel 21
in Derry Township
, channel 23 in Uniontown
, and channel 33 in New Castle
. The signal in Derry Township is expected to cover all of Westmoreland County
, while the Uniontown signal could penetrate into the Pittsburgh suburb of McKeesport
. The New Castle signal might go into Youngstown, Ohio
(which New Castle is much closer to despite being part of the Pittsburgh DMA) and serve as a secondary NBC affiliate for the Youngstown television market, which is primarily served by WFMJ-TV
, while giving the Youngstown market an outlet for RTV
. Through the use of PSIP, all three signals are keeping channel 11
as their virtual channel
number.
On March 31, 2011, WPXI announced that it would replace RTV in favor of Me-TV, which began airing on digital subchannel 11.2 on June 13, 2011.
. Previous branding for newscasts include Dateline, WIIC-TV 11 News, News/Watch, Instant News, Steel City News and Newscenter 11.
WPXI was the first station to offer a 5:30 p.m. newscast in Pittsburgh from 1981 to 1984 (titled 5:30 Live), then revived in 1987, in which the newscast was named Channel 11 News First Edition. They were also the first station to offer a 5 p.m. newscast in the early 1990s. The newscast was named Channel 11 News First at 5. WPXI dropped the NBC Saturday morning cartoons in September 1990 in favor of a newscast airing from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The success of the weekend morning news prompted NBC network officials to extend the Today show to weekends. WPXI, however, has since scaled back its weekend morning news. Pittsburgh native Jodi Applegate
co-anchored NBC's Weekend Today, but was never seen locally due to WPXI's weekend morning news.
As of January 12, 2006, Sinclair Broadcast Group
(owner of Fox
affiliate WPGH-TV
) and Cox entered into an agreement where WPXI began producing a newscast specifically for WPGH. This agreement, called a "news share", began January 30, 2006. All of WPGH's news staff, except for sportscaster Alby Oxenreiter, were laid off. The 10 p.m. newscast became Channel 11 News on FOX 53 at Ten. Oxenreiter's "Ox on Fox Sports Extra" fills the final 15 minutes of the newscast.
WPXI is known to commission its own theme music from companies, although it has previously used the famous "Move Closer to Your World
" theme. It has commissioned both "Total Coverage" (its previous package still used by WJAC until 2011) and after WPXI moved to its new Summer Hill Television Building, it started using the Tower V.2, ending the NBC collection all together.
on January 1, 1994, with the launch of PCNC - the Pittsburgh Cable News Channel. PCNC brought the first 10 p.m. newscast to Pittsburgh. The final installment of PCNC's 10 PM news aired on January 26, 2006 as WPXI took over WPGH-TV
's news operation. PCNC offers two newscasts: "Pittsburgh This Morning", a 7-8 a.m. weekday newscast and a 7 p.m. weeknight newscast.
in the market for daytime news, according to the Nielsen
May 2009 ratings period. Also during this period, WPXI had in increase during the morning hours and the WPXI-produced 10 p.m. news remained in first place. As of May 2010, WPXI has a strong lead with viewers in the 5-6 a.m. and 10 p.m. timeslots. However, WPXI is the lowest watched Pittsburgh news station at noon, 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. (with KDKA
being the highest watched during those timeslots).
Severe Weather Team 11
Sports team
Reporters
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
-affiliated television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for Western Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
that is licensed to Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. It broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on UHF channel 48 from a transmitter located on the north side of Pittsburgh. Owned by Cox Enterprises
Cox Enterprises
Cox Enterprises is the successor to the publishing company founded in Dayton, Ohio, United States, by James Middleton Cox, who began with the Dayton Daily News. He was the Democratic candidate for the President of the United States in the election of 1920...
, the station has studios in the Summer Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Syndicated programming on the station includes The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The 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...
, The Doctors
The Doctors (2008 TV series)
The Doctors is an American syndicated talk show airing daily in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Sweden and Finland. It debuted on September 8, 2008. The hour-long daytime program is produced by Phil McGraw and his son Jay McGraw and is distributed domestically and globally by CBS Television...
, Family Feud
Family Feud
Family 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...
, Judge Judy
Judge Judy
Judge Judy is an American court show featuring former family court judge Judith Sheindlin arbitrating over small claims cases in small claims court...
, Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
and Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
.
History
On September 1, 1957 Channel 11 signed on as WIIC-TV, the second commercial VHF station in Pittsburgh. It was owned by the Pittsburgh Post-GazettePittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
and immediately took NBC programming from KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV, channel 2, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. KDKA-TV broadcasts from a transmitter located in the Perry North neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and its studios are located in downtown Pittsburgh at Gateway Center....
.
Bill Cardille
Bill Cardille
William Robert "Bill" Cardille , is a broadcast personality from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Early career:...
(now a former Channel 11 host and weather forecaster) signed the station on the air. It addition to Cardille, five other announcers that were with the station during sign-on in 1957 include Mal Alberts, Bob Cochran, Ed Conway, Len Johnson and Mark Schaefer. Some of the first original programming to air on WIIC included Studio Wrestling
Studio Wrestling
Studio Wrestling was a live professional wrestling show broadcast from WIIC-TV Channel 11 in Pittsburgh every Saturday evening. In 1959, WIIC began broadcasting professional wrestling from their studio located in Fineview. The show was hosted by Bill Cardille through most of its run, although he...
and Chiller Theatre
Chiller Theatre
Chiller Theatre may refer to:*Chiller Theatre *Chiller Theatre *Chiller Theatre *The title, title track and inspiration for 2001 album of musician John Babcock....
, both hosted by Cardille.
In 1964, the station was sold to current owner Cox Enterprises (which Cox traded its share in the then new cable system in Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
to the Post-Gazette's parent company, which is based in Toledo)
In 1970, WIIC made Pittsburgh broadcasting history as Eleanor Schano became the first woman to anchor a newscast alone. Schano also hosted a weekly 30-minute public affairs program called Face to Face.
During much of the 1970s, WIIC trailed in a distant third place in the ratings behind KDKA-TV and WTAE-TV
WTAE-TV
WTAE-TV is the ABC affiliated television station for Western Pennsylvania that is licensed to Pittsburgh, broadcasting on UHF channel 51 and identifying via PSIP as channel 4 . It also serves as an ABC affiliate for the Wheeling/Steubenville and Clarksburg/Weston, West Virginia market areas...
. This coincided with much of the period where NBC also struggled in the ratings. About 1975, Channel 11 branded itself as "e11even", then around 1977 used the "11 Alive" moniker.
On April 20, 1981, the call sign was changed to WPXI (Pittsburgh 11, with XI being the Roman numeral sign for 11). Although the station has officially never had the -TV suffix since adopting the WPXI call sign, the station has on occasion been marketed as WPXI-TV. The WIIC
WIIC-LP
WIIC-LP is a low-power television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, broadcasting locally on channel 29 from facilities in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. WIIC-LP is a former affiliate of MTV2. Like most over-the-air MTV2 affiliates, it was an affiliate of The Box until that network's...
calls lived on in Pittsburgh, on a low-powered independent station airing music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s, until that station's license was deleted around 2010.
In 2000, Cox Enterprises
Cox Enterprises
Cox Enterprises is the successor to the publishing company founded in Dayton, Ohio, United States, by James Middleton Cox, who began with the Dayton Daily News. He was the Democratic candidate for the President of the United States in the election of 1920...
purchased WTOV in Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and WJAC-TV
WJAC-TV
WJAC-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Allegheny area of Pennsylvania that is licensed to Johnstown. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 34 from a transmitter northwest of the city in Laurel Ridge State Park along the Cambria and Westmoreland County line....
in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, west-southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania and east of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County...
from Sunrise Television. These stations, also NBC affiliates often appear in channel lineups for the same viewers that watch WPXI, either by over-the-air signal or via cable provider, and due to the proximity of the three stations to each other (as well as the common affiliation with NBC), are occasionally marketed together as a result. Cox changed the stations' on-air appearances to match WPXI's look, despite WPXI changing its own look in 2004. WTOV still used WPXI's former look until October 2010, and WJAC-TV adopted WPXI's current design in October 2011.
Over the Labor Day weekend of 2007, WPXI introduced its new studio location in the city's Summer Hill neighborhood near the Parkway North
Interstate 279
Interstate 279 is a north–south Interstate Highway spur that lies entirely within Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Its southern end is at Interstate 376 at the Fort Pitt Bridge in Pittsburgh, and the north end is in Franklin Park at Interstate 79...
. The move ended a 50-year tradition at Television Hill in the city's Fineview neighborhood. The station's tower is to remain in place at the top of the station's current location. WPXI officially launched its 6 p.m. newscast from its new studio in Summer Hill on October 6. WPXI is the first station in Pittsburgh broadcasting news in high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
. It has been criticized for technical glitches during the initial week of the new system run. With the switch to HD came a new set, created by FX Group & new HD graphics, created by Hothaus Creative.
As part of its 50th anniversary, WPXI announced it would air classic TV programs on a digital subchannel from the Retro Television Network
Retro Television Network
The Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
. The additional channel began on October 15, 2007.
In mid-October 2008, WPXI, in collaboration with Cox's longtime partner Internet Broadcasting
Internet Broadcasting
Internet Broadcasting , or IB, is a provider of Websites, content and advertising revenue solution to the largest and most successful media companies in the world. IB hosts over 70 local stations' sites, and co-produced NBCOlympics.com for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece and the 2006...
, launched a redesigned website. As of early November 2008, the websites of all of Cox's stations east of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
are using the new format pioneered by WPXI; the websites of the company's stations west of the Mississippi River followed suit a month later. As of January 7, 2010, The website's navigation bar and pages have been re-done.
WJAC-TV
WJAC-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Allegheny area of Pennsylvania that is licensed to Johnstown. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 34 from a transmitter northwest of the city in Laurel Ridge State Park along the Cambria and Westmoreland County line....
and is still used by WTOV, but revamped its own look in October 2004. WPXI's current look uses the circle 11 logo with stylized "WPXI" below it.
Local programming
Channel 11 has had only one major foray into producing local programming. From 1963 to 1984, the station produced and broadcast Chiller Theater, a late Saturday evening horror film show hosted by Bill Cardille, or as he was referred to, "Chilly Billy." Cardille and a cast of characters would introduce the film being shown, as well as perform skits during breaks in the film. Cardille became well known for hosting the show and the shows themselves became part of local yore. The final program aired on January 1, 1984. Cardille remained on-air at Channel 11 through the early-mid-1990s as the a.m. and noon weather forecaster. Cardille remains in Pittsburgh as midday personality on WJASWJAS
WJAS is an adult standards radio station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Renda Broadcasting, and broadcasts at 1320 kHz with a power level of 5,000 watts.- The History of 1320 WJAS-AM :...
radio & occasional Chiller Theater reunions have been held over the years.
The show was part of a trend during the 1960s and 1970s for TV stations to produce local programming. Local stations often created their own children's shows as well. Horror theater shows, such as Shock Theatre, hosted by Ghoulardi
Ghoulardi
Ghoulardi was a fictional character invented and portrayed by disc jockey, voice announcer, and actor Ernie Anderson as the horror host of late night Shock Theater at WJW-TV, Channel 8, in Cleveland, Ohio from January 13, 1963 through December 16, 1966....
& Big Chuck and Little John in Cleveland, as well as Chiller Theater, were not only easy to produce, but popular with the local audience.
For its part, WPXI (known then as WIIC) produced Cartoon Colorama, which aired old-time cartoons produced in color format (hence the name), hosted by Willie the Duck, a hand-puppet with a Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
type of voice, speaking to off-camera announcer Don Riggs (who served as Willie's comedy foil) in between the cartoons. The show had been previously hosted by a character called "Captain Jim"," who'd hosted one WIIC's best-remembered children's program: "Cap'n Jim's Popeye Club," built around Popeye
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
cartoons. The Captain was briefly played at the beginning by the little-known Jim Saunders, and from 1959 on by Ted Eckman.
Present
- Our Region's Business
- Talkin' Pittsburgh
- Impact
- Celebrate the Season ParadeCelebrate the Season ParadeMy Macy's Holiday Parade, formerly the Celebrate the Season Parade, is one of the traditional parades held each year in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Sponsored by Macy's, it is held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving Day; that is, the last Saturday in November...
- Carol Sing
- MDA Labor Day Telethon
- A Star Spangled SaluteA Star Spangled SaluteA Star Spangled Salute is live coverage of the EQT Flashes of Freedom Fireworks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This special is shown on WPXI, an NBC affiliate...
- The Jerome Bettis Show
Past
- Chiller Theater (1963–1983)
- H.S. Sports Saturday with Mark Malone
- Studio WrestlingStudio WrestlingStudio Wrestling was a live professional wrestling show broadcast from WIIC-TV Channel 11 in Pittsburgh every Saturday evening. In 1959, WIIC began broadcasting professional wrestling from their studio located in Fineview. The show was hosted by Bill Cardille through most of its run, although he...
(1959–1972) - Catercousins (1974-1980)
- Cartoon Colorama with Captain Jim
- Luncheon at the Ones
- Jackpot Bingo
- Hotline
- Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
baseball (1995–1996)
Digital programming
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,...
1080i
1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
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...
(replaced Retro Television Network
Retro Television Network
The Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
)
WPXI Broadcasts its digital signals (HD if programming permits) over the airwaves & on cable. Standard channel 11 (e.g. NBC) programming is broadcast on 11.1
WPXI was the first channel in Pittsburgh to make use of additional programming on its digital
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
channels
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
. On June 21, 2007, WPXI's Weather Plus began on Channel 11.2 and was also available on digital cable. WPXI 11 Weather Plus
NBC Weather Plus
NBC Weather Plus was a 24-hour, commercially sponsored, weather-oriented broadcast/cable television network jointly owned by NBC Universal and the local affiliates of the NBC network. It debuted on November 15, 2004 and shut down on December 31, 2008...
offered local and national weather information 24 hours a day. Locally, WPXI's Scott Harbaugh served as the main meteorologist on Channel 11 Weather Plus.
WPXI added an airwave digital channel on 11.3 in late October 2007 when it began an affiliation with Retro Television Network
Retro Television Network
The Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
, a channel that airs classic TV programming. Sister stations WJAC-TV
WJAC-TV
WJAC-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Allegheny area of Pennsylvania that is licensed to Johnstown. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 34 from a transmitter northwest of the city in Laurel Ridge State Park along the Cambria and Westmoreland County line....
and WTOV-TV
WTOV-TV
WTOV-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Ohio Valley that is licensed to Steubenville & Wheeling. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter in Mingo Junction, Ohio. Owned by Cox Enterprises, the station has studios in Steubenville. Syndicated...
also offer RTV programming on their subchannels.
Due to the shutdown of NBC Weather Plus
NBC Weather Plus
NBC Weather Plus was a 24-hour, commercially sponsored, weather-oriented broadcast/cable television network jointly owned by NBC Universal and the local affiliates of the NBC network. It debuted on November 15, 2004 and shut down on December 31, 2008...
in December 2008, WPXI moved RTV to 11.2 and 11.3 will be blank for the time being.
In July 2009 the station applied with 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...
(FCC) to have three repeater signals: channel 21
Channel 21
Channel 21 could refer to:* Channel 21 , a German television channel formerly known as "RTL Shop"TV21 could refer to:* TV Century 21Channel 21 refers to several television stations:...
in Derry Township
Derry Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Derry Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It surrounds the Borough of Derry, which is a separate municipality...
, channel 23 in Uniontown
Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Uniontown is a city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. Population in 1900, 7,344; in 1910, 13,344; in 1920, 15,692; and in 1940, 21,819. The population was 10,372 at the 2010 census...
, and channel 33 in New Castle
New Castle, Pennsylvania
New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Pittsburgh and near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border just east of Youngstown, Ohio; in 1910, the total population was 36,280; in 1920, 44,938; and in 1940, 47,638. The population has fallen to 26,309 according to the...
. The signal in Derry Township is expected to cover all of Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...
, while the Uniontown signal could penetrate into the Pittsburgh suburb of McKeesport
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the United States; it is located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 19,731 at the 2010 census...
. The New Castle signal might go into Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
(which New Castle is much closer to despite being part of the Pittsburgh DMA) and serve as a secondary NBC affiliate for the Youngstown television market, which is primarily served by WFMJ-TV
WFMJ-TV
WFMJ-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Youngstown, Ohio. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 20 from a transmitter on Mabel Street in Youngstown. Owned by the Maag family, the station has studios on West Boardman Street in downtown Youngstown. WFMJ-TV is...
, while giving the Youngstown market an outlet for RTV
Retro Television Network
The Retro Television Network is a system of television stations that airs classic television shows as well as more recently produced programs...
. Through the use of PSIP, all three signals are keeping channel 11
Channel 11
Channel 11 or TV11 may refer to several TV channels or stations:* Canal Once, now Telefe, Argentina* Eleven , Australia* Teleonce, now Chilevisión, Chile* TVU , Concepción, Chile...
as their virtual channel
Virtual channel
In 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....
number.
On March 31, 2011, WPXI announced that it would replace RTV in favor of Me-TV, which began airing on digital subchannel 11.2 on June 13, 2011.
Newscasts
WPXI occasionally pre-empts programming to report breaking news. Typically, WPXI offers 4½ hours of live newscasts on Channel 11. It offers an 1½ hours on PCNC and 1 hour on WPGH-TVWPGH-TV
WPGH-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 43 from a transmitter at its studios on Ivory Avenue in the city's Summer Hill section. The station can also be seen on Verizon FiOS and Comcast channel 7...
. Previous branding for newscasts include Dateline, WIIC-TV 11 News, News/Watch, Instant News, Steel City News and Newscenter 11.
WPXI was the first station to offer a 5:30 p.m. newscast in Pittsburgh from 1981 to 1984 (titled 5:30 Live), then revived in 1987, in which the newscast was named Channel 11 News First Edition. They were also the first station to offer a 5 p.m. newscast in the early 1990s. The newscast was named Channel 11 News First at 5. WPXI dropped the NBC Saturday morning cartoons in September 1990 in favor of a newscast airing from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The success of the weekend morning news prompted NBC network officials to extend the Today show to weekends. WPXI, however, has since scaled back its weekend morning news. Pittsburgh native Jodi Applegate
Jodi Applegate
Jodi Applegate is an American news anchor for WPIX New York. She formerly anchored WNYW-TV's Good Day New York and News 12 Long Island.-Life and career:...
co-anchored NBC's Weekend Today, but was never seen locally due to WPXI's weekend morning news.
As of January 12, 2006, Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
(owner of Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate WPGH-TV
WPGH-TV
WPGH-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 43 from a transmitter at its studios on Ivory Avenue in the city's Summer Hill section. The station can also be seen on Verizon FiOS and Comcast channel 7...
) and Cox entered into an agreement where WPXI began producing a newscast specifically for WPGH. This agreement, called a "news share", began January 30, 2006. All of WPGH's news staff, except for sportscaster Alby Oxenreiter, were laid off. The 10 p.m. newscast became Channel 11 News on FOX 53 at Ten. Oxenreiter's "Ox on Fox Sports Extra" fills the final 15 minutes of the newscast.
WPXI is known to commission its own theme music from companies, although it has previously used the famous "Move Closer to Your World
Move Closer to Your World
Move Closer to Your World is a television news music package composed by jingle writer Al Ham under his Mayoham Music label. In the 1970s it was considered an anthem for local television news, and is considered the anthem of WPVI-TV in Philadelphia for its Action News programs to the current day...
" theme. It has commissioned both "Total Coverage" (its previous package still used by WJAC until 2011) and after WPXI moved to its new Summer Hill Television Building, it started using the Tower V.2, ending the NBC collection all together.
Pittsburgh Cable News Channel
The station went into cable televisionCable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
on January 1, 1994, with the launch of PCNC - the Pittsburgh Cable News Channel. PCNC brought the first 10 p.m. newscast to Pittsburgh. The final installment of PCNC's 10 PM news aired on January 26, 2006 as WPXI took over WPGH-TV
WPGH-TV
WPGH-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 43 from a transmitter at its studios on Ivory Avenue in the city's Summer Hill section. The station can also be seen on Verizon FiOS and Comcast channel 7...
's news operation. PCNC offers two newscasts: "Pittsburgh This Morning", a 7-8 a.m. weekday newscast and a 7 p.m. weeknight newscast.
Ratings
Over the past decade, Pittsburgh has been a perennially competitive market for local news, with news ratings usually differing by less than a full ratings point. More recently, however, WPXI has had a increase in most dayparts and although it continues maintain a tie with KDKAKDKA-TV
KDKA-TV, channel 2, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. KDKA-TV broadcasts from a transmitter located in the Perry North neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and its studios are located in downtown Pittsburgh at Gateway Center....
in the market for daytime news, according to the Nielsen
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
May 2009 ratings period. Also during this period, WPXI had in increase during the morning hours and the WPXI-produced 10 p.m. news remained in first place. As of May 2010, WPXI has a strong lead with viewers in the 5-6 a.m. and 10 p.m. timeslots. However, WPXI is the lowest watched Pittsburgh news station at noon, 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. (with KDKA
KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV, channel 2, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. KDKA-TV broadcasts from a transmitter located in the Perry North neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and its studios are located in downtown Pittsburgh at Gateway Center....
being the highest watched during those timeslots).
Newscast titles
- Dateline (1963–1965)
- WIIC-TV 11 News (1965–1970)
- NewsWatch (1970–1975)
- Instant News (1975–1979)
- Steel City News (1979–1981)
- NewsCenter 11 (1981–1984)
- Channel 11 News (1984–present)
Station slogans
- Channel 11, Proud as a Peacock! (1979–1981; local version of NBC ad campaign)
- Channel 11, Our Pride is Showing (1981–1982; local version of NBC ad campaign)
- We're Channel 11, Just Watch Us Now! (1982–1983; local version of NBC ad campaign)
- Channel 11, Be There (1983–1984; local version of NBC ad campaign)
- Channel 11, Let's All Be There (1984–1986; local version of NBC ad campaign)
- Come Home to 11 (1986–1987; local version of NBC ad campaign)
- Come on Home to 11 (1987–1988; local version of NBC ad campaign)
- Come Home To The Best, Only on 11 (1988–1990; local version of NBC ad campaign)
- WPXI-TV, The Place To Be! (1990–1991; local version of NBC ad campaign)
- Your 24-Hour News Source24 Hour News SourceThe 24 Hour News Source brand was a common name used by American television stations starting in the early 1990s for brief hourly news updates, usually running 30 seconds to a minute in length. At its peak, dozens of stations across the U.S. were producing these brief news updates...
(1990–1996) - More News, More Often (1990–1996)
- It's A Whole New WPXI-TV (1992–1993; local version of NBC ad campaign)
- The Stars Are Back on Channel 11 (1993–1994; local version of NBC ad campaign)
- Live, Local, Latebreaking News (1996–1998)
- Coverage You Can Count On (1998–present; primary slogan)
- Live. Local. Latebreaking. (2007–2008)
- Live. Local. Latebreaking. Now Broadcasting in High Definition. (2008–present; secondary)
Current on-air staff
Anchors- Jennifer Abney - weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.) (2008–)
- Kevin Benson - weekend mornings; also weeknight reporter (1987–)
- Todd McDermottTodd McDermottTodd McDermott is a television journalist.McDermott is a Buffalo, New York native, and he has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Canisius College in Buffalo....
- weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.) and noon (2010–) - Darieth Chisolm - weeknights at 10 p.m. (on WPGH) and 11 p.m. (1993–2000; 2004–)
- Peggy Finnegan - weekdays at noon, and weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6 and 6:30 p.m. (1990–)
- David Johnson - weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6 and 6:30, 7 (on PCNC), 10 p.m. (on FOX 53) and 11 p.m. (1985–)
- Gordon Loesch - weekends at 6, 10 (on WPGH) and 11 p.m.; also weeknight reporter (2004–)
- Brittny McGraw - weekend mornings; also weeknight reporter (2011–)
Severe Weather Team 11
- Stephen Cropper (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, 5:30, 6, 10 (on WPGH) and 11 p.m. (former WTAEWTAE-TVWTAE-TV is the ABC affiliated television station for Western Pennsylvania that is licensed to Pittsburgh, broadcasting on UHF channel 51 and identifying via PSIP as channel 4 . It also serves as an ABC affiliate for the Wheeling/Steubenville and Clarksburg/Weston, West Virginia market areas...
meteorologist) - Kevin Benson (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekend mornings, and weekends at 6, 10 (on WPGH) and 11 p.m. (1987–)
- Scott Harbaugh (NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weeknights at 7 p.m. (on PCNC), also fill-in (2005–) - Mike LaPoint (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.) and noon (2007–)
Sports team
- Alby Oxenreiter - sports director; weeknights at 6, 10 (on WPGH) and 11 p.m. (2006–)
- Bill Phillips - sports anchor; weekends at 6, 10 (on WPGH) and 11 p.m. (2001–)
- Rich Walsh - sports reporter and fill-in anchor (2005–)
Reporters
- Timyka Artist - general assignment reporter (2006–)
- Dave BondyDave BondyDave Bondy is a reporter for WPXI in Pittsburgh, PA.Bondy previously reported for FOX station WBRC-TV in Birmingham, Alabama; WNEM-TV Saginaw/Flint, MI; WUPW FOX TOLEDO, OH; WECT-TV NBC Wilmington, NC; WEVV-TV Evansville, Indiana....
- general assignment reporter (2010–) - Courtney Brennan - Westmoreland County bureau chief (2010–)
- Jodine CostanzoJodine CostanzoJodine M. Costanzo is an American television news reporter in Pittsburgh and a former television news anchor in Cleveland, Chicago and Pittsburgh.-Early life and education:...
- general assignment reporter (1998–) - Rick Earle - "Target 11" investigative reporter (1994–)
- Julie Fine - general assignment reporter (2010–)
- Lori Houy - general assignment reporter (1998–)
- Brandon Hudson - general assignment reporter (2011–)
- Alan Jennings - general assignment reporter (1998–)
- Renee Kaminski - general assignment reporter (1995–)
- Amy Marcinkiewicz - general assignment reporter (1995–)
- Trisha Pittman - weekday morning traffic reporter (2002–)
- Cara Sapida - general assignment reporter (2009-)
- Vince Sims - general assignment reporter (2003–)
- Robin Taylor - "Target 11" consumer reporter (2010–)
Notable former on-air staff
- Asa AaronsAsa AaronsAsa Aarons , co-creator of "Just Ask Asa!", is an Emmy award-winning consumer reporter and photojournalist.His reports focus on the problems, concerns and realities of everyday life, ranging from false advertising claims to credit card rip-offs and business swindles...
- consumer reporter (1984–1990; now a consumer reporter for WNBCWNBCWNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...
in New York City) - Rocky Bleier - sports anchor (1981–1985; former Pittsburgh SteelerPittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
) - Julie BolognaJulie BolognaJulie Bologna is an American television meteorologist who was the chief meteorologist at WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania until 2011.-Early life:Bologna was born in Center Township, Pennsylvania...
- chief meteorologist (1999–2004; 2008–2011) - Bill CardilleBill CardilleWilliam Robert "Bill" Cardille , is a broadcast personality from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Early career:...
- on-air announcer (1957–2000; was the first personality on air at WIIC, now a radio DJ at WJASWJASWJAS is an adult standards radio station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Renda Broadcasting, and broadcasts at 1320 kHz with a power level of 5,000 watts.- The History of 1320 WJAS-AM :...
) - Beano CookBeano CookCarroll Hoff "Beano" Cook is an American television personality who works for ESPN. He is a college football historian and commentator. He received his B.A...
- commentator (late 1980s) - Red Donley - sports anchor (1961–1970; previously worked at WTOV-TVWTOV-TVWTOV-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for the Ohio Valley that is licensed to Steubenville & Wheeling. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter in Mingo Junction, Ohio. Owned by Cox Enterprises, the station has studios in Steubenville. Syndicated...
in Steubenville, OhioSteubenville, OhioSteubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...
/Wheeling, West VirginiaWheeling, West VirginiaWheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, died in 1998) - Pat FinnPat FinnPatrick Joseph "Pat" Finn is the former host of several game shows. He is the owner of the production company Rubicon Entertainment.Finn first hosted the 1990 remake of the classic Jack Barry show The Joker's Wild...
- weather forecaster/reporter (1979–1983; later a host of various game shows including Shop 'Til You DropShop 'Til You DropShop 'til You Drop is an American game show that aired on various broadcast television networks from 1991–2006. The series was hosted by Pat Finn from 1991–2002, followed by JD Roberto from 2003–2005. Co-hosts/announcers included Mark L...
) - John FedkoJohn FedkoJohn Fedko is an American sportscaster. He is a sports director and anchor for Channel 11 Pittsburgh . Fedko reports for Channel 11 News at 6 and 11 PM, and hosts The Fedko Fone Zone, a local sports call-in show on Pittsburgh Cable News Channel .Fedko was voted "Pittsburgh's favorite sportscaster"...
- sports director (1987–2010) - Mark MaloneMark MaloneMark M. Malone is a former American football quarterback in the NFL.-Playing career:Malone was the nation's most recruited quarterback in 1975 out of El Cajon Valley High School near San Diego, California...
- sports anchor (1990–1993) - Sam NoverSam NoverSam Nover is a retired American sportscaster. He worked at WIIC-TV / WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh from 1970 until his retirement in 2001 as the Sports Director and principal Sports Anchor. Nover also did National Football League play-by-play for NBC Sports from the late 1970s until the late 1980s. His...
- sports anchor (1970–2001; retired) - Edye Tarbox - anchor (1987–1989; worked with Fox News ChannelFox News ChannelFox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
)
External links
- WPXI website
- WPXI on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...