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WATE-TV
Knoxville, Tennessee
Branding	WATE 6
Slogan	The News Station
Channels	Analog: 6 (VHF) Digital: 26 (UHF)
Affiliations	ABC (secondary 1953-56, primary since 1979)
Owner	Young Broadcasting
Founded	October 1, 1953
Former callsigns	WROL-TV (1953-55)
Former affiliations	NBC (1953-79)
Website	www.wate.com

WATE-TV is the ABC affiliate in Knoxville, Tennessee. The station is owned and operated by Young Broadcasting. Its transmitter is located on Sharp's Ridge in Knoxville.

Contents 1 History 2 The News Station 3 News reporters and journalists 3.1 News anchors 3.2 Sports 3.3 News reporters 3.4 Weather 4 Past newscast titles 4.1 Past personalities 5 External links

History

WATE-TV is East Tennessee's First Television Station, signing on the air on October 1, 1953 as WROL-TV, owned by local businessman Paul Mountcastle and a small group of investors, along with WROL-AM 950. The race to be the first television station in East Tennessee was won by WROL-TV, when the tower owned by WJHL-TV in Johnson City collapsed a few months earlier. WJHL-TV would have been first, but WROL-TV claimed the title by only 25 days. Channel 6's first studios were underneath its 800-foot self-supporting tower on Sharp's Ridge, one of the tallest man-made structures in East Tennessee at that time. Later, as was broadcast tradition in the 1950s, sales offices moved to downtown Knoxville, and the studios were moved to a new building on North Broadway. Meanwhile, the self-supporting tower on Sharp's Ridge was dismantled in 1975, when the station built a 1,153 foot broadcasting tower alongside it.

WROL-TV went on the air as a primary NBC affiliate because of sister radio station WROL-AM's longtime affiliation with NBC radio, but it also shared ABC programming with CBS affiliate WSKT-TV, channel 26, which later changed its calls to WTVK (it is now WVLT-TV on Channel 8). Channel 26 had gone on the air a few hours later on October 1st. Although NBC held a firm grip on WROL-TV, the DuMont Television Network tried unsuccessfully several times to get a secondary affiliation with Knoxville's only VHF station when it wasn't airing NBC, but WROL-TV opted to fill its non-network schedule with local programming (an FCC mandate); hence DuMont was forced to join WTVK on a secondary basis. CBS also made many attempts to convince WROL-TV to switch to its network, but the owners of WROL-TV held firm, despite many financial incentives from the other networks. WROL-TV became WATE-TV in 1955, the new call letters not really standing for anything; the program director at the time saying, "those call letters were the next available at the FCC." A year later, the NBC primary affiliate dropped ABC when WBIR-TV signed on and took the CBS affiliation from WTVK. WTVK became the ABC primary affiliate at that time. Meanwhile, WROL-AM later changed its call letters to WATE-AM 950.

In 1965, Mountcastle and his group sold WATE-TV to Nationwide Communications of Columbus, Ohio. That same year, the station moved into and renovated the historic 19th century Greystone Mansion, now on the National Register of Historic Places. At the same time, WATE-AM, which had changed frequencies to 620 kilohertz was sold off, changing its call letters to WETE; it is now WRJZ AM620.

In September, 1979, WATE swapped its NBC affiliation with WTVK and became an ABC affiliate. ABC had become the highest-rated network in the country, and wanted a stronger station in Knoxville. At the time, WATE was the market leader with a strong VHF signal in East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Southeastern Kentucky; WTVK's UHF signal on Channel 26 was marginal at best in much of the Knoxville area, and many viewers in East Tennessee and Southeast Kentucky had never seen ABC before. Coincidentally, 17 years later, WATE-TV's digital signal would broadcast on digital Channel 26.

In 1993, Nationwide sold its three television stations--WATE, WBAY-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin and WRIC-TV in Richmond, Virginia to Young Broadcasting.

During its first 50 years, WATE-TV pioneered many locally-produced programs like The Homemaker Show, hosted by Mary Starr. Housewives were glued to their TV sets as Mary showed them the latest recipes and homemaking tips. Star Time, hosted by local businessman Jim Clayton, featured many local country music acts, and The Cas Walker Show, a local country music show hosted by former Knoxville Mayor Cas Walker, who also owned a chain of grocery stores in Eastern Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Eastern Kentucky. The show featured a young lady from Sevier County, Tennessee, whose talented voice eventually brought Dolly Parton much fame and fortune. In 1981, the station premiered PM Magazine, with MayCay Beeler and Calvin Sneed, the popular syndicated show which highlighted unusual people, places and things from the East Tennessee-Southeastern Kentucky area.

In addition to being the first television station in East Tennessee, WATE-TV also pioneered several other firsts in Knoxville. It premiered the first noon newscast in town, and later, also premiered the first Saturday newscast in Knoxville, then a year later, the first Sunday newscast in the area. WATE-TV was the first station in East Tennessee to utilize a helicopter for news gathering (Chopper 6), it was the first Knoxville TV station to broadcast a live sporting event (a 1957 Knoxville Smokies baseball game), first in Knoxville to broadast in stereo, first to use computers for local election coverage, and first in Knoxville to broadcast a digital signal.

In the late 1960s, WATE assembled the news team of anchor Pete Gardener, weathercaster Margie Ison and sports anchor Mike Thurman. In the early 70's, Sam Brown joined the team as news anchor, and together, the team of "Sam, Mike and Margie" became the most well-known newscasters in the market, with both the Number One Neilsen and Arbitron 6:00 and 11:00 Neilsen and Arbitron-measured newscasts in the Knoxville area for several years.

The News Station

WATE's current slogan reflects its preference for hard news, an alternative to the somewhat softer-edged nature of rival WBIR's newscasts. In general, WATE ranks second, behind WBIR and ahead of WVLT, in the Knoxville Neilsen ratings, although the station routinely enjoys a Number One rating for its 5 PM newscast, because of the high viewership of its powerhouse lead-in "Oprah." (Source: November 2007, Neilsen Media Research, DMA: Knoxville, Tennessee)

News reporters and journalists

News anchors

• Lori Tucker
• Gene Patterson
• Kristin Farley
• John Haney
• Bo Williams
• Tearsa Smith

Sports

• Jim Wogan
• Mark Nagi

News reporters

• Don Dare
• Melissa DiPane
• Erica Estep
• Hana Kim

Weather

• Matt Hinkin
• Bob Becker
• Ken Weathers

Past newscast titles

• "Dateline News" (1960-1969)
• "Eyewitness News" (1969-1980)
• "TV-6 Eyewitness News" (1980-1984)
• "TeamSix Eyewitness News" (1984-1985)
• "TV-6 Live Eyewitness News" (1985-1991)
• "6 Eyewitness News" (1991-2001)

Past personalities

• Clay Thomas, anchor and reporter
• Mary Starr, hostess "The Homemaker Show," deceased
• Jim Clayton, host, "Star Time"
• Cas Walker, former Knoxville mayor and host "The Cas Walker Show," deceased
• Margie Ison, weather anchor, retired
• Bob Richards, weather anchor, deceased
• Sam Brown, anchor and reporter
• Mike Thurman, sports director, deceased
• Calvin Sneed, anchor and reporter, co-host/producer "PM Magazine", now news anchor at WTVC-TV, Chattanooga
• MayCay Beeler, co-host/producer "PM Magazine"
• Lisa McNeal, reporter
• Russ Nunley, anchor and reporter, now with Regal Cinemas
• Bob Gray, anchor and reporter, retired
• Kim Simmons Thomas, weather, noon anchor and reporter
• Ben Garrett, reporter
• Diane May, anchor and reporter
• Leslie Stewart, reporter
• Tracie Finley (Potts), anchor
• Scott Finley, sports anchor/reporter (1986-2000), now at Ethicon, Inc. in Knoxville
• Rick Benjamin, anchor and reporter, now with the Speed Channel, and WBT-AM, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Yvette Martinez, anchor and reporter, now with WBIR-TV, Knoxville
• Scott Blalock, weather, now with WVLT-TV, Knoxville
• Bruce Whiteaker, anchor and reporter
• Heather Donald, anchor, now at KRON-TV, San Francisco
• Greg Peterson, sports director 1983-1989, now lead news anchor at WPMI-TV, Mobile, Alabama
• Denae D'Arcy, anchor
• Brennan Robison, anchor and reporter (1998-2003)
• Mark Mancuso, weather anchor, now at The Weather Channel, Atlanta
• Mike Cihla, anchor, now morning news anchor, WTOC-TV, Savannah, Georgia
• Lance Sandstead, anchor
• Denny (Lloyd) Immel, anchor
• Marie Michellini, weekend weather
• Steve Oglesby, reporter, anchor, assignment editor, newscast producer, news director, marketing and promotion manager
• Jan Petri, reporter
• Tom Buckley, reporter
• Pauletta Jackson, reporter and weekend weather
• Lelan Statom, weather, now noon co-host at WTVF-TV, Nashville
• Paula Tutman, reporter, now at WDIV-TV, Detroit
• Suzanne Stevens, anchor and reporter
• Will McDonald, weekend sports
• Ann Rollins, anchor
• Ann Taylor, anchor, now newscaster at National Public Radio, Washington, D.C.
• Anne Holt, reporter, now main news anchor at WKRN-TV, Nashville
• Kent Blackwelder, anchor and reporter (He would go on to be a contestant on Big Brother)
• Pete Gardner, anchor, deceased
• Denise Dillon, anchor, later with CNN Headline News, and now with WAGA-TV, Atlanta
• Michael Pomeranz, anchor
• Debbie Kirby, anchor and reporter
• Jon Vanderford, anchor, now at KOLN-TV, Lincoln, Nebraska
• Tanya O'Rourke, reporter, now noon news anchor, WCPO-TV, Cincinnati
• Gary Weiss, reporter
• Janet Sims, reporter
• Cynthia Varner, reporter
• Lori Golden-Stryer, reporter and anchor
• Russ Hollingsworth, sports
• Karla Winfrey (cousin of Oprah Winfrey), reporter
• Diane Kacmarik, weather, now with Bay News 9, Tampa, Florida
• Jennifer Darwin, reporter
• Rob Wilds, reporter, now producer at WNPT-TV, Nashville
• Sherry Reed, weather
• Steve Jarriel, reporter, son of former ABC News correspondent Tom Jarriel
• Rita Stone, reporter
• Hal Wanzer, anchor, deceased
• Catharyn Campbell, reporter, now with WSMV-TV Nashville, TN
• Amelia Daniels, now with Ackerman PR, Knoxville, TN
• Jeff Lennox, reporter, now with WESH-TV, Orlando, FL
• Adam Longo, reporter, now with WKMG-TV, Orlando, FL

External links

• WATE-TV
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WATE

v • d • e Young Broadcasting
ABC Affiliates: WATE · WBAY¹ · WKRN · WRIC · WTEN¹ / WCDC CBS Affiliates: KELO / KCLO / KDLO / KPLO · KLFY · WLNS MyNetworkTV Affiliate: KRON¹ NBC Affiliate: KWQC Local Weather Channels: WBAY Stormcenter 2 24/7  · KWQC 24-7 Weather Channel ¹ - Broadcasts Retro Television Network on a digital subchannel Key People: Adam Young and Vincent Young Website: www.youngbroadcasting.com

v • d • e Broadcast television in the Knoxville market  (Nielsen DMA #58)
WETP 2/WKOP 15 (PBS) - WKXE-LP 4 (IND) - WATE 6 (ABC) - WVLT 8 (CBS, My Network TV on DT2) - WBIR 10 (NBC, WX Plus on DT2) - WFEM 12 (FamilyNet/A1) - W14CX 14 (IND) - WBXX 20 (The CW) - WJZC-LP 22/WEZK-LP 28 (IND) - WEEE-CA 32 (FamilyNet) - WDTT-LP 38 (A1) - WTNZ 43 (FOX) - W46DC 46 (TBN) - WVLR 48 (CTN) - W50CG 50 (3ABN) - WPXK 54 (ION, qubo on DT2, ION Life on DT3, Worship on DT4) Local digital television channels WMAK 7 (IND) Significantly Viewed Out-of-Market Broadcast Stations Reception may vary by geographical location WLOS 13 (ABC, Asheville) - WYMT 57 (CBS, Hazard, KY)
See also Broadcast Television in the Nashville, Chattanooga, Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville, Tri-Cities, TN/VA and Lexington markets

v • d • e ABC Network Affiliates in the state of Tennessee
WKRN 2 (Nashville) - WATE 6 (Knoxville) - WBBJ 7 (Jackson) - WTVC 9 (Chattanooga) - WKPT 19 (Kingsport) - WPTY 24 (Memphis)
See also: CBS, CW, Fox, ION, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS and Other stations in Tennessee