WTVT
Encyclopedia
WTVT, channel 13, is a television station in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....

. It is an owned and operated station of the Fox Broadcasting Company
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...

, a subsidiary of the News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...

. WTVT's studios are located in Tampa, and its transmitter is located in Riverview, Florida
Riverview, Hillsborough County, Florida
Riverview is an unincorporated census-designated place in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. It is located near Brandon. The population was 71,050 at the 2010 census....

.

As a CBS affiliate

The station first started broadcasting on April 1, 1955 as a CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 affiliate owned by Tampa Bay radio veteran Walter Tison and his Tampa Television Company. It was the third station in Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay."Tampa Bay" is not the name of any municipality...

, behind WSUN-TV
WSUN-TV
WSUN-TV was a television station in St. Petersburg, Florida from 1953 to 1970 and was the first TV station in the Tampa/St. Petersburg television market.-Early history:...

 (channel 38, frequency now occupied by WTTA
WTTA
WTTA is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for the Tampa Bay Area of Florida that is licensed to St. Petersburg. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter in Riverview. Owned by Bay Television, the station is operated by the Sinclair Broadcast...

) and WFLA-TV
WFLA-TV
WFLA-TV, virtual channel 8, is the NBC-affiliated television station in Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida. The station is the flagship station of its owner and operator, Media General. Its transmitter is located in Riverview, Hillsborough County, Florida. WFLA is the only station in the market to be...

 (channel 8). WTVT is also the second-oldest surviving station, behind WFLA. Although the call letters appear to stand for We're Television Tampa, they actually stand for the initials of Walter Tison and his wife Virginia. Like many other stations located on "unlucky" channel 13, WTVT used a black cat
Black cat
A black cat is a feline with black fur. It is not a particular breed of cat and may be mixed or of a specific breed. The Bombay, known for its sleek black fur, is an example of a black cat. The all-black pigmentation is equally prevalent in both male and female cats...

 as its mascot for several years.

Originally, 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...

 awarded the channel 13 license to the Tampa Times, a now-defunct newspaper which owned WDAE radio
WDAE (AM)
WDAE is a sports talk-formatted radio station in Tampa, Florida, United States. It broadcasts at a medium-wave frequency of 620 kHz. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications. It broadcasts from a transmitter of 11.2 kW days and 11.0 kW nights in St. Petersburg. This station...

 (then on 1250 AM). However, the FCC reversed itself and awarded the station to the Tison group, who intended to open a studio in nearby St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...

. The Times appealed the FCC's decision, but lost.

In 1956, the Tampa Television Company merged with the Oklahoma Publishing Company of Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...

. Oklahoma Publishing's broadcast subsidiary, the WKY Television
KFOR-TV
KFOR-TV, virtual channel 4 , is the NBC-affiliated television station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. KFOR-TV is owned by Local TV, a subsidiary of the private equity group Oak Hill Capital Partners, in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate KAUT-TV ; its studios are located at 444 East Britton Road in...

 System, would later be known as Gaylord Broadcasting
Gaylord Entertainment Company
The Gaylord Entertainment Company operates a number of hotel, resort, and media companies that were built by Edward Gaylord. It was previously a subsidiary of the Oklahoma City-based Oklahoma Publishing Company, which is owned by the Gaylord family and publishes the Daily Oklahoman newspaper...

, named for the family who owned the company. (Gaylord also owned what is now CBS-owned KTVT
KTVT
KTVT, virtual channel 11, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas, and serving the Dallas-Fort Worth designated market area. The station is co-owned with independent station KTXA , and the two stations share facilities in Dallas and Fort Worth...

 in Fort Worth, but the "TVT" base callsign was only a coincidence.)

The Gaylords beefed up channel 13's news operation. In 1958, WTVT became the second station in the country to introduce daily editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...

s, and was also the first station in the country http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIllp_MK-u4 to run an hour-long news block, consisting of 45 minutes of local news (under the title Pulse) combined with the then-15-minute network newscast. By 1962, WTVT had overtaken WFLA-TV as the number-one station in the Tampa Bay market, retaining that position for over 25 years. This was largely because of the longevity of many of the station's personalities. For instance, Roy Leep
Roy Leep
Roy Leep was a longtime meteorologist with television station WTVT in Tampa, Florida. He graduated with a degree in meteorology from Florida State University in the mid 1950s....

 was the station's weatherman from 1957 until 1997, and Hugh Smith was the station's main anchor from 1963 to 1991, spending most of that time doubling as news director. Channel 13 dropped the Pulse moniker from its newscasts in 1989, renaming the news branding Channel 13 Eyewitness News
Eyewitness 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...

(later becoming Fox 13 Eyewitness News" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH8EWJV7HUU in 1996 before the Eyewitness News brand was dropped altogether in 1997).

The station's remote broadcast facilities were chosen for network pool coverage of Alan Shepard
Alan Shepard
Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. was an American naval aviator, test pilot, flag officer, and NASA astronaut who in 1961 became the second person, and the first American, in space. This Mercury flight was designed to enter space, but not to achieve orbit...

's (1961) and John Glenn
John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...

's (1962) Mercury capsule splashdown
Splashdown (spacecraft landing)
Splashdown is the method of landing a spacecraft by parachute in a body of water. It was used by American manned spacecraft prior to the Space Shuttle program. It is also possible for the Russian Soyuz spacecraft and Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft to land in water, though this is only a contingency...

s. http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/scitech/space/012809_FOX13_Cape_Canaveral http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIllp_MK-u4 The mobile unit recorded the recoveries on videotapes that were flown to the mainland.

In 1987, WTVT was sold to Gillett Communications. In the early 1990s Gillett restructured, changing its name to GCI Broadcast Services, Inc. In 1993, GCI filed for bankruptcy, and its stations (including WTVT) were sold to New World Communications
New World Communications
New World Pictures was an independent motion picture and television production company, and later television station owner in the United States from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s...

. By that time, WTVT was pre-empting CBS This Morning for a locally-produced morning news show, as well as pre-empting all but one hour of Saturday cartoons.

As a Fox station

In late 1993, the Fox Broadcasting Company
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...

 won the rights to air the games of the National Football Conference
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...

 of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 from CBS, beginning in 1994. As a result, Fox began looking for more VHF affiliates, and signed a long term deal with New World, switching most of its stations
Fox affiliate switches of 1994
The United States television network affiliate switches of 1994 were a series of events resulting from a multi-million dollar deal between Fox Broadcasting Company, known commonly as Fox, and New World Communications, an owner of several VHF television stations affiliated with major networks,...

, including WTVT, to Fox. WTVT dropped its CBS affiliation in December 1994, becoming a Fox affiliate. The former Fox affiliate, WFTS (channel 28), affiliated with 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...

 as part of a deal between ABC and WFTS' owners, the E.W. Scripps Company. The longtime ABC affiliate, WTSP
WTSP
WTSP is a CBS-affiliated television station in St. Petersburg, Florida . It broadcasts its digital signal on VHF channel 10....

 (channel 10), then became a CBS affiliate.

The switch allowed WTVT to continue broadcasting the majority of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...

 games, as they were (and still are) part of the NFC. However, largely due to the team's poor play at the time, Buccaneers home games were rarely shown locally. Usually, the games failed to sell out in time to lift the local blackout; at most three home games were shown in a typical season. Once the Buccaneers began to build a winning team in the late 1990s, along with a new look and stadium, blackouts decreased and sellouts increased, thus increasing the number of games shown on WTVT (however, all home games in 2010 were blacked out, after a 3-13 season in 2009, and despite improving in 2010 to 10-6, just short of a playoff berth; the first home game of 2011 was also blacked out).

After changing networks, WTVT began to broadcast almost 50 hours of local news a week. At one point, WTVT aired more hours of local news than any other station in the country. It chose not to renew the more expensive syndicated programming it had run while a CBS affiliate, running cheaper first-run syndicated talk and reality shows instead.

Fox bought most of the New World stations in 1997, making WTVT a Fox owned-and-operated station. Under Fox ownership the station added more high-budget syndicated shows and a few off-network sitcoms to its lineup, and changed its brand to Fox 13. WTVT is the third station in Tampa Bay to be affiliated with Fox, as WTOG
WTOG
WTOG, channel 44, is a television station in St. Petersburg, Florida. Owned by the CBS Corporation, WTOG serves as the Tampa Bay Area station for the co-owned The CW Television Network. Its transmitter is located in Riverview, Florida.-Early years:...

 had it first before reverting to independent status in 1988. However, the copyright still reads "New World Communications of Tampa Bay" at the end of WTVT's newscasts.

In June 2009, WTVT interviewed late television pitchman Billy Mays
Billy Mays
William Darrell "Billy" Mays, Jr. was an American television direct-response advertisement salesperson most notable for promoting OxiClean, Orange Glo, and other cleaning, home-based, and maintenance products on the Home Shopping Network, and through his company, Mays Promotions, Inc...

 shortly before his death. His interview, which was conducted at the Tampa International Airport
Tampa International Airport
Tampa International Airport is a major public airport located six nautical miles west of the central business district of Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. This airport is publicly owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority...

, is believed to have been his final appearance on live television.

Digital television

WTVT broadcasts on digital channel 12. Digital channels>
Channel Name Programming
13.1 WTVT Main WTVT programming / FOX

Analog-to-digital conversion

WTVT shut down its analog signal on June 12, 2009, as part of the DTV transition in the United States
DTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...

. The station remained on its pre-transition channel 12 using PSIP to display WTVT's 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....

 as 13.

News operation

WTVT broadcasts a total of 60 hours of local news a week (ten hours on weekdays and five hours each on Saturdays and Sundays), more than any other station in Florida, and the second most in the United States (behind San Francisco MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...

 affiliate KRON-TV
KRON-TV
KRON-TV, virtual channel 4 , is a television station in San Francisco, California, serving as the Bay Area affiliate of the MyNetworkTV programming service; the station is owned by Young Broadcasting...

 (channel 4), a former NBC
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...

 affiliate whose weekly local newscast output is only a half-hour more than WTVT's); in North America as a whole, only CHCH-TV
CHCH-TV
CHCH-DT, channel 11, is a television station originating in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with transmitters located throughout Ontario. CHCH currently operates as an independent station, having previously served as a CBC Television affiliate, and more recently as the flagship station of the...

 in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 has more newscasts, with 69 hours each week. However as is standard with Fox stations that carry early evening weekend newscasts, WTVT's Saturday and Sunday 5 p.m. newscasts are subject to preemption or delay due to sports coverage.

Until December 2009, WTVT was one of two stations in the market to have two women regularly anchoring a newscast; Denise White and Kathy Fountain anchored the 5 p.m. news until Kathy Fountain's retirement on December 30. Wendy Ryan and Linda Hurtado, anchors of the 5 p.m. news on WFTS, were the other all-female anchor team. The station's morning newscast is Good Day Tampa Bay, which airs weekdays from 4:30–10:00 a.m. and weekends from 6:00–9:00 a.m. The show started on September 12, 1994, three months before WTVT became a Fox affiliate.

WTVT began to adopt its current logo, which is similar to that of the Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox 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...

, on December 12, 2005 as part of NewsEdge at 11:00
NewsEdge at 11
NewsEdge at 11:00 is an 11:00–11:35 p.m. newscast on WTVT hosted by Mark Wilson...

, although it did not completely switch to it until February 2006. The station was the first Fox O&O to use this logo style, which was gradually pushed to its sister stations as well. However, the current logo retains the numeric "13" which has been part of the station's logos since 1989.

WTVT and WFLA-TV are chief competitors for the number one newscast in the Tampa Bay Area
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area
The Tampa Bay Area is the region of west central Florida adjacent to Tampa Bay. Definitions of the region vary. It is often considered equivalent to the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area defined by the United States Census Bureau. The Census Bureau currently...

. WTVT currently has the number one spot for Good Day Tampa Bay between 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and has the number one newscast in the 5 to 6 p.m. timeslot. NewsEdge at 11:00 is statistically tied with WFTS for the lowest-rated newscast for that time period, although WTVT does have a 10:00 p.m. newscast with significantly higher ratings without any competition in the market. http://blogs.tampabay.com/media/2007/03/uncle_erics_gui.html

Until 2009, WTVT was also the only station in Tampa Bay to use two news helicopters. The first one, SkyFOX, is a Bell 206
Bell 206
The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- or twin-engine helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter program, the 206 failed to be selected...

 and is painted black. The second, SkyFOX 2, is a Robinson R44
Robinson R44
|-See also:-External links:* * * * * *...

 and is painted blue. This helicopter is used whenever SkyFOX is grounded for mechanical reasons. When warranted, both helicopters are used to cover significant news stories. However, this changed in late 2009 when Fox scraped SkyFOX in favor of a share-lease agreement with WFTS as part of the Scripps/FOX news service. This allows WTVT, WFTS, and WTSP to utilize only one helicopter (Action Air One) to cover news events. http://www.flnewscenter.com/.

Starting in March 2007, WTVT began upgrading its main studio. The new set debuted on April 23. Some aspects of the set include a 6' by 8' rear projection screen, a new anchor desk, a whole new weather center, and an area for the Lightning Round and a second anchor desk. There are also several plasma televisions behind the main news desk in the newsroom.

On March 20, 2009, the Florida News Center website received word from sources that Fox has chosen WTVT to produce graphics and media for Fox's owned-and-operated station
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...

s, beginning by summer 2009. While the position will create more jobs at WTVT, similar positions at Fox's other stations are likely to be eliminated.

In April 2009, Fox announced that its O&O stations in three markets (Tampa, Detroit, and Phoenix) will undergo a partnership agreement with E.W. Scripps Co.-owned TV stations. This venture will allow stations from both entities to combine news-gathering resources at general media events then distribute the video to participating stations within the market to use in their own reports. This means that some news-gathering resources of WTVT and WFTS will be combined. All other news operations at both stations will remain unchanged. http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2009/04/01/daily.11/. WTSP
WTSP
WTSP is a CBS-affiliated television station in St. Petersburg, Florida . It broadcasts its digital signal on VHF channel 10....

 joined in on the news service in June 2009 http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2009/06/02/daily.7/.

On June 30, 2009 starting with its 5 p.m. newscast, WTVT became the fourth broadcast television station in the Tampa DMA to broadcast its newscasts in high definition.

Weather coverage

WTVT's weather team is the most experienced weather team in the State of Florida, with over 115 years of combined experience, with most of that experience spent at Channel 13 forecasting tropical weather. WTVT was the first TV news station in Florida to use radar in its weather presentation, and has made many advancements with the technology. Its newest advancement is SkyTower OMNI, combining the already existing SkyTower radar system with OMNI and VIPIR
VIPIR
Volumetric Imaging and Processing of Integrated Radar, known by the acronym VIPIR, is a type of post-processing program applied to traditional radar systems and is distributed by Baron Weather Solutions...

 technology, which is also used by competitor WFLA-TV and the cable-only news channel Bay News 9
Bay News 9
Bay News 9 is a cable news television network located in St Petersburg, Florida. It currently serves the Tampa Bay Area including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Polk, Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus counties...

.

On May 25, 2006, the station's radar was made even more powerful and is now "SkyTower HD VIPIR." http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/Weather/Detail?p16Params=56420@@1@@EN-US@@TSTY@@30004@@/Weather/Detail@@/Weather/Index&pageId=9.1&p21Params=c@@4@@30004@@Top%20Weather%20News@@/Weather/Detail@@/Weather/Index WTVT was also one of the first to use computer graphics in weather forecasts in the late-1970s, originally called "Weathervision" (no relation to the weather reporting company of the same name
WeatherVision
WeatherVision is a TV syndication company based in Jackson, Mississippi, that produces and distributes customized weather forecast segments for local airing by over 200 commercial and public television stations and Networks nationwide...

). The station also has the most meteorologists on a news team (in the market), with five meteorologists, and the only station (in the nation) with all of them American Meteorological Society
American Meteorological Society
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...

 certified. In addition, Andy Johnson has served since 1998 as the President of the West Central Florida Chapter of the American Meteorological Society.

Monsanto controversy

In 1997, Steve Wilson
Steve Wilson (reporter)
Steve Wilson is an American news reporter. Currently running his own nonprofit investigative reporting group, he is best known for his whistleblower lawsuit with then-wife Jane Akre against WTVT in 1997 and his work as WXYZ-TV's Chief Investigative Reporter in Detroit, Michigan in the late...

 and Jane Akre
Jane Akre
Jane Akre is a former Florida journalist and current editor-in-chief of InjuryBoard.com. She is best known for the whistleblower lawsuit by herself and her husband, Steve Wilson, against Fox Broadcasting Company station WTVT in Tampa, Florida...

 began work on a story regarding the agricultural biotechnology company Monsanto
Monsanto
The Monsanto Company is a US-based multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It is the world's leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate, marketed in the "Roundup" brand of herbicides, and in other brands...

 and recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), a milk additive that had been approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...

 but also blamed for a number of health issues. Wilson and Akre planned a four part investigative report on Monsanto's use of rBGH, which prompted Monsanto to write to Roger Ailes
Roger Ailes
Roger Eugene Ailes is president of Fox News Channel, chairman of the Fox Television Stations Group. Ailes was a media consultant for Republican presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W...

, president of Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox 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...

 in an attempt to have the report reviewed for bias and because of the "enormous damage that can be done" as a result of the report.

WTVT did not run the report, and later argued in court that the report was not "breakthrough journalism." Wilson and Akre then claimed that Monsanto's actions constituted the news broadcast telling lies, while WTVT countered looking only for fairness. According to Wilson and Akre, they rewrote the report over 80 times over the course of 1997, and WTVT decided to exercise "its option to terminate their employment contracts without cause," and did not renew their contracts in 1998. WTVT later ran a report about Monsanto and rBGH in 1998, and the report included defenses from Monsanto.

After Wilson and Akre's contracts were not renewed, they filed a lawsuit concerning WTVT's "news distortion" under Florida's whistleblower laws, claiming their termination was retaliation for "resisting WTVT's attempts to distort or suppress the BGH story." In a joint statement, Wilson claimed that he and Akre "were repeatedly ordered to go forward and broadcast demonstrably inaccurate and dishonest versions of the story," and "were given those instructions after some very high-level corporate lobbying by Monsanto (the powerful drug company that makes the hormone) and also ... by members of Florida’s dairy and grocery industries." The trial commenced in summer 2000 with a jury dismissing all of the claims brought to trial by Wilson, but siding with one aspect of Akre's complaint, awarding Akre $425000 and agreeing that Akre was a whistleblower because she believed there were violations of the 1934 Federal Communications Act and because she planned on reporting WTVT to 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...

. Reason magazine
Reason (magazine)
Reason is a libertarian monthly magazine published by the Reason Foundation. The magazine has a circulation of around 60,000 and was named one of the 50 best magazines in 2003 and 2004 by the Chicago Tribune.- History :...

, referring to the case, noted that Akre's argument in the trial was that Akre and Wilson believed news distortion occurred, but that they did not have to prove this was the case.

An appeal was filed, and a ruling in February 2003 came down in favor of WTVT, who successfully argued that the FCC policy against falsification was not a "law, rule, or regulation", and so the whistle-blower law did not qualify as the required "law, rule, or regulation" under section 448.102.... Because the FCC's news distortion policy is not a "law, rule, or regulation" under section 448.102, Akre has failed to state a claim under the whistle-blower's statute." The appeal did not address any falsification claims, noting that "as a threshold matter... Akre failed to state a claim under the whistle-blower's statute," but noted that the lower court ruled against all of Wilson's charges and all of Akre's claims with the exception of the whistleblower claim that was overturned.

Newscast titles

  • Newsroom (1955–1958)
  • Pulse (1958–1980)
  • Pulse 13 Newshour (1980–1989)
  • Channel 13 Eyewitness News (1989–1996)
  • Fox 13 Eyewitness News (1996–1997)
  • Fox 13 News (1997–present)
  • NewsEdge at 11 (11 p.m. newscast; 2005–present)

Station slogans

  • The Heartbeat of a Changing World (ca. 1958)
  • It's a Tradition (ca. 1979)
  • Big 13: Where News Comes First! (1983–1985)
  • News Comes First. (1985–1989; news slogan)
  • Life Comes Home to Big 13 (1985; non-news promos)
  • People Make the Difference. (1985–1989; non-news slogan)
  • Your 24-Hour News Source (1989–1994; news slogan)
  • Coverage You Can Count On (1989–1997; primary news slogan)
  • Florida's News Leader (1989–1997; secondary news slogan)
  • 13 Fox (briefly used in 1996-97 on newscast intros)
  • We've Got You Covered (2004–present)
  • The Most Powerful Name in Local News (2005–present)

Weekdays

  • Good Day Tampa Bay - 4:30-10 a.m.
  • Fox 13 News at Noon - 12:00-12:45 p.m.
  • Your Turn (local debate/discussion show) - 12:45-1:00 p.m.
  • Fox 13 5:00 News - 5:00-6:00 p.m.
  • Fox 13 6:00 News - 6:00-7:00 p.m.
  • Fox 13 10:00 News - 10:00-11:00 p.m.
  • NewsEdge at 11:00
    NewsEdge at 11
    NewsEdge at 11:00 is an 11:00–11:35 p.m. newscast on WTVT hosted by Mark Wilson...

    - 11:00-11:35 p.m.

Weekends

  • Good Day Tampa Bay Weekend - 6:00-9:00 a.m.
  • Fox ThirTEEN Magazine (teen produced newscast) - 10:30-11:00 a.m. (Saturdays)
  • Fox 13 6:00 News - 6:00-7:00 p.m.
  • Fox 13 10:00 News -10:00-11:00 p.m.

On-air staff as of November 19, 2010)

Anchors
  • Deborah Bowden - weekends at 6 and 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter (1998–present)
  • Tom Curran - weekday mornings "Good Day Tampa Bay" (4:30-7 a.m.) (1994–present)
  • Anne Dwyer - weekday mornings "Good Day Tampa Bay" (7-9 a.m.) (1986–present)
  • Laura Moody - weekday mornings "Good Day Tampa Bay" (4:30-7 a.m.) (2006–present)
  • Kristin Wright - weekend mornings "Good Day Tampa Bay"; also reporter (2008–present)
  • Russell Rhodes - weekday mornings "Good Day Tampa Bay" (7-9 a.m.); also Your Turn host (1994–present)
  • Kelly Ring - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m. (1985–present)
  • Cynthia Smoot - weeknights at 11 p.m. (1997–present)
  • Lloyd Sowers - weekends at 6 and 10 p.m.; also weeknight reporter (1987–present)
  • Denise White - weekdays at noon and 5 p.m. (1990–present)
  • John Wilson - weeknights at 6 and 10 p.m. (1993–present; sons are 11 p.m. anchor Mark Wilson and actor Patrick Wilson
    Patrick Wilson (actor)
    Patrick Joseph Wilson is an American actor and singer. Wilson has spent years singing lead roles in major Broadway musicals, beginning in 1996. In 2003, he appeared in the HBO mini-series Angels in America...

    )
  • Mark Wilson - weeknights 5 at 11 p.m. (1997–present)


FOX13 Weather Team
  • Paul Dellegatto (AMS
    American Meteorological Society
    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...

     Certified Broadcast Meteorologist
    Certified Broadcast Meteorologist
    Certified 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 and 11 p.m. (1990–present; chief since 1997)
  • Andy Johnson (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval and Certified Consulting Meteorologist
    Certified Consulting Meteorologist
    Certified Consulting Meteorologist is the title of a person designated by the American Meteorological Society and to possess the attributes of Knowledge, Experience, and Character as they pertain to the field of meteorology...

    ) - Meteorologist; weekends at 6 and 10 p.m. (1979–present)
  • Dave Osterberg (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - Meteorologist; weekday mornings "Good Day Tampa Bay" (2003–present)
  • Jim Weber (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist Seal of Approval) - Meteorologist; weekdays at noon (1995–present)


Sports team
  • Chip Carter - Sports Director; Monday-Thursdays at 5, 5:30 and 11, and Sunday-Thursdays at 6 and 10 p.m. (1988–present) (also fill-in news anchor)
  • Chris Field - Sports anchor; Fridays at 5, 5:30 and 11, and Friday-Saturdays at 6 and 10 p.m. (1998–present)
  • Kevin O'Donnell - sports reporter and fill-in sports anchor (1988–present)


Traffic
  • Jennifer Epstein - weekday morning traffic analyst (2006–present)


Reporters
  • Tanya Arja - general assignment reporter (2001–present)
  • Charley Belcher - "Charley's World" feature reporter and entertainment reporter (1998–present)
  • Jeremy Campbell - general assignment reporter (2010–present)
  • Chris Chmura - general assignment reporter (2007–present)
  • Warren Elly - general assignment reporter (1982–present)
  • Dr. Joette Giovinco ("Dr. Jo") - medical reporter (2005–present)
  • Gloria Gomez - 11 p.m. reporter (2005–present)
  • Liane Jackson - morning reporter (2006–present)
  • April Kellogg - general assignment reporter (2006–present)
  • Peter Linton-Smith - Pasco County reporter (2007–present)
  • Doug Luzader - Fox News Washington D.C. correspondent (2002–present)
  • Anthony Miller - general assignment reporter (2010–present)
  • Steve Nichols - Pinellas County reporter (1990–present)
  • Craig Patrick - general assignment reporter (2005–present)
  • Alcides Segui - general assignment reporter (2008–present)
  • Eric Seidel - consumer lawyer (1992–2011)
  • Geoff Simon - financial advisor (1994–present)
  • Doug Smith - investigative reporter (also fill-in anchor)
  • Ken Suarez - Polk County reporter (1998–present)
  • Alan "Captain Al" Taylor - helicopter pilot/reporter (2009–present, also with WFTS)

Notable former on-air staff

  • Bob Breck
    WVUE
    WVUE-DT, broadcasting on virtual channel 8, is a TV station in New Orleans, Louisiana, affiliated with the Fox Broadcasting Company. WVUE is owned by Louisiana Media Company, with studios in the Gert Town section of New Orleans and transmitter in Chalmette, Louisiana.- Digital television :WVUE-DT...

    (1970s) meteorologist
  • Joe Collum
    Nightly Business Report
    Nightly Business Report is a Business news television magazine broadcast live Monday to Friday evenings on most public television stations in the United States. Every weeknight, Nightly Business Report distills the essence of what matters in the business world, and provides analysis and reflection...

    (1982–1984) reporter
  • Bill Keneely
    The Weather Channel
    The Weather Channel is a US cable and satellite television network since May 2, 1982, that broadcasts weather forecasts and weather-related news, along with entertainment programming related to weather 24 hours a day...

    (1980–1982) meteorologist
  • Rod Challenger
    WFLA-TV
    WFLA-TV, virtual channel 8, is the NBC-affiliated television station in Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida. The station is the flagship station of its owner and operator, Media General. Its transmitter is located in Riverview, Hillsborough County, Florida. WFLA is the only station in the market to be...

    (1975–1978) 11pm news anchor
  • Colin Cowherd
    Colin Cowherd
    Colin Murray Cowherd is an American sports radio personality. He is currently the host of The Herd with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio and ESPNews. He is also the co-host of the television show SportsNation on ESPN2.-Career:...

    - sports anchor (1994–1996; now at ESPN Radio
    ESPN Radio
    ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...

    )
  • Tom Dunn
    Tom Dunn
    Tom Dunn was an anchor and reporter at several New York and Florida television stations.Dunn was born in Warwick, New York, and was a child actor at radio station WAAT in Newark, New Jersey. He started in television at WCTV in Tallahassee, Florida in 1959 after leaving the army. He served as...

    - anchor/reporter (1962–1964; deceased)
  • Roy Leep
    Roy Leep
    Roy Leep was a longtime meteorologist with television station WTVT in Tampa, Florida. He graduated with a degree in meteorology from Florida State University in the mid 1950s....

    - chief meteorologist (1957–1997; retired)
  • Tom Martino
    Tom Martino
    Tom Martino is a consumer advocate and American talk radio host. His nationally syndicated show "The Troubleshooter Show" airs from KHOW, based in Denver, Colorado. His show format focuses on callers who give him specific complaints about businesses, however he also provides business advice to...

    - reporter (1980s; now at KDVR in Denver)
  • John Nicholson
    Syracuse University
    Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...

    (1978–1982) 11pm news anchor
  • Hugh Smith
    Hugh Smith (news anchor)
    Hugh Smith was a reporter, news anchor, and news director at WTVT in Tampa, Florida, from 1963 until his retirement in 1991...

    - anchor (1963–1991; deceased)
  • Steve Wilson
    Steve Wilson (reporter)
    Steve Wilson is an American news reporter. Currently running his own nonprofit investigative reporting group, he is best known for his whistleblower lawsuit with then-wife Jane Akre against WTVT in 1997 and his work as WXYZ-TV's Chief Investigative Reporter in Detroit, Michigan in the late...

    - investigative reporter (later at WXYZ
    WXYZ-TV
    WXYZ-TV, channel 7, is an ABC-affiliated television station in Detroit, Michigan, USA. WXYZ-TV is owned by the E.W. Scripps Company, and is the media company's largest-market TV station property...

     in Detroit, now runs an investigative reporting service)
  • Tony Zappone
    Tony Zappone
    Tony Zappone , became at age 16 the youngest credentialed journalist to lend press coverage to a major national political convention. He was also the youngest contributor of evidence during the Warren Commission hearings into the slaying of President John F. Kennedy...

    - news correspondent (1965 and 1976–1982)
  • Don Harris - reporter (1964–1968)
  • Frank Robertson - anchor (1988–2009)
  • Kerry Sanders
    NBC News
    NBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...

    - reporter (1986–1991) now at NBC News
  • Sharyl Attkisson
    Sharyl Attkisson
    Sharyl Attkisson is an investigative correspondent in the Washington bureau for CBS News. She has also substituted as anchor for the CBS Evening News.-Career:From 1990 to 1993, Attkisson was an anchor for CNN...

    - reporter (1988–1992) now at CBS News
  • Jessica Yellin
    Jessica Yellin
    Jessica Yellin is an American television journalist, currently serving as the Chief White House Correspondent for CNN in Washington, D.C. Previously, she served as a Capitol Hill and National Political Correspondent for CNN, and she frequently shares air time with Dana Bash and John King.-Early...

    - reporter (1999–2001) now at CNN

External links

  • WTVT Fox 13
  • Historical archives Old promos, show opens, and more from the WTVT archives
  • MyFoxHurricane.com (Hurricane Season
    Atlantic hurricane season
    The Atlantic hurricane season is the period in a year when hurricanes usually form in the Atlantic Ocean. Tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic are called hurricanes, tropical storms, or tropical depressions. In addition, there have been several storms over the years that have not been fully...

     website)
  • Local News Stations Wiki: WTVT
  • WTVT Historical Site A historical site dedicated to WTVT's former CBS affiliation.
  • Website about Monsanto controversy
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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