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WEAU-TV
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Branding	TV-13 / NewsCenter 13
Slogan	Western Wisconsin's First Choice
Channels	Analog: 13 (VHF) Digital: 39 (UHF)
Affiliations	NBC
Owner	Gray Television
Founded	December 17, 1953
Call letters meaning	EAU Claire
Former affiliations	CBS, ABC, DuMont (1954-1956) [1]
Website	www.weau.com

WEAU-TV is an NBC television affiliate based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, which serves much of western Wisconsin. Its transmitter is located in Fairchild, Wisconsin.[2]

WEAU-TV uses the slogan "TV-13: Western Wisconsin's First Choice For News, Weather And Sports".

Contents 1 History 2 NewsCenter 13 News Team 2.1 News Anchors 2.2 SkyWarn 13 Meteorologists 2.3 TV-13 Sports Team 2.4 Former On-Air Personalities: 2.4.1 Notables 2.4.2 Anchors 2.4.3 Weather 2.4.4 Sports 3 External links

WEAU signed on the air on December 17th, 1953 as an NBC affiliate. The station initially broadcast from a tower immediately behind the TV station's building at 1907 South Hastings Way in Eau Claire. A new tower, approximately-1,000 ft. tall, was built in the same location in 1956 44°39′50″N, 90°57′41″W, before an approximately-2,000 ft. tower was constructed near Fairchild, WI, in 1966. The 1,000 ft. tower in Eau Claire is now topped by the digital transmitter for WQOW.

One of the first well-known personalities on WEAU was "Sheriff Bob" Dawson, who hosted a kids show from the 1950s-1960s.

In the 1960s, WEAU-TV purchased a radio station from Chippewa Falls, WAXX-AM 1150, then started an FM station, WEAU-FM, initially at 100.7 on the FM dial, and later moved to 104.5. WAXX-AM switched to a country format in the mid-60s, and eventually, WEAU-FM simulcast WAXX-AM's signal. By the mid-70s, WEAU-FM's call letters were switched to WAXX-FM, and in 1978, the country format was moved exclusively to WAXX-FM. WAXX-AM's call letters were switched to WAYY-AM. The WEAU-TV news, weather & agriculture departments were used for reports on WAXX-FM & WAYY-AM.

WEAU constructed a weather radar in 1979, the first TV station in the La Crosse/Eau Claire market with their own radar. The radar received a graphics upgrade in 1998 and 2006. The station adopted their news ID "NewsCenter 13" around 1979/80. WEAU premiered their 5pm newscast on September 14, 1981, with Geoff Welch as anchor. The first telecast featured a report from then-WEAU reporter Scott Cohn, later a correspondent for CNBC. A truck to provide live remote broadcasts came into use in 1983.

WAXX-FM/WAYY-AM were sold to the new Central Communications in 1984, and in 1985, the two stations moved out of the WEAU building to a new facility behind the back parking lot of WEAU. Despite being under separate ownership, WEAU continued to provide weather services for WAXX & WAYY, as well as additional stations purchased by Central Communications (WIAL-FM, WECL-FM, WDRK-FM & WEAQ-AM), until December 31, 2001. WEAU resumed weather services to those same six stations, now under the ownership of Maverick Media, on September 11, 2006.

A new news set and music package debuted in August, 1984, and WEAU first used weeknight co-anchors (Jim Mertens & Michelle Magadance) in June, 1986. Another new news set & music package debuted in April, 1988. WEAU was met with tragedy in September, 1991, when primetime news anchor Cindy Schott died unexpectedly. The death was later the subject of a story by Dateline NBC. Five years later, in November, 1996, long-time morning meteorologist Jim Riggs died of cancer.

WEAU changed their news music in 1992, their logo in the summer of 1994, and later changed their set in March, 1997. WEAU had returned to a solo anchor for the 6pm & 10pm news (John Froyd) following the death of Cindy Schott, but returned to a co-anchor format for the 10pm news (Pat Kreitlow & Judy Clark) in August, 1998, upon Froyd's retirement. New news music was also debuted at that time. Another new logo, along with a slight change to the background of the news set, was unveiled in January, 2001.

Technology was the highlight of the following decade, as WEAU's digital channel, WEAU-DT 13.1, signed-on April 30, 2002, with the digital transmitter located at the top of the WEAU Tower, in Fairchild, WI. Meanwhile, SkyCam 13, located on a small mast atop WEAU's building, debuted in March, 2003. A second SkyCam, located atop the RCU corporate headquarters building in downtown Eau Claire, debuted in May, 2007. New music started in the summer of 2002, and in September, 2004/ 2007, the station received a new news set, with background & graphics modification in August, 2006.

A WEAU-produced 9pm newscast for WLAX/WEUX premiered on August 28, 2006, known as "Fox News At 9," and using WEAU personnel for the anchor slots. The newscast is simulcast on WEAU-DT 13.2. The subchannel otherwise airs 24/7 Weather, a local weather channel featuring WEAU meteorologists which debuted on WEAU-DT 13.2 on October 2, 2006. Longtime News Director John Hoffland retired on February 2, 2007, having served in that position for 23 years; he was replaced by Glenn Mabie. A Sunday 10:30pm half-hour sports show, SportScene Sunday, premiered on April 1, 2007. A weekly Friday morning show based on consumer electronics called Technology Spot, premiered on September 7th, 2007 at 10:00am. New news music & open graphics debuted in early October, 2007.

• Judy Clark: NewsCenter 13 Today at 10am & Weeknights at 5 & 6pm
• Chris Earl: Weeknights at 6 & 10pm
• Sarah Stokes: Weeknights at 10pm
• Salina Heller: Weekday Mornings at 5am
• Andrew Fefer: Weekday Mornings at 5am
• Andrew Fefer: Weekdays at Noon
• Meghan Kulig: Weekends

• Nate Larscheid: (Chief Meteorologist) Weeknights
• Mark Holley: Mornings & Noon
• Ashley Baylor: Fox News at 9
• Kurt Kotenberg: Weekends

• Bob Gallaher: (Sports Director) Weeknights
• Gregg Kvatek: Fox News at 9 Sports Anchor Weeknights, WEAU Sports Anchor/Reporter
• Matt Queen: Weekends

• Scott Cohn: CNBC Senior Correspondent; WEAU Reporter: 1981-82
• Craig Coshun: FSN North Broadcaster/Big Ten Play-By-Play Announcer; WEAU Reporter/Anchor: 1988-90
• Bill Hudson: WCCO-TV Reporter/Morning Co-Anchor; WEAU Reporter: 1981-83
• Rob Kreibich: Wisconsin Assemblyman, 93rd District (R-Eau Claire), 1993-2007; WEAU Reporter: late 1980s-1992
• Pat Kreitlow: Wisconsin State Senator, 23rd District (D-Chippewa Falls), 2007-present; WEAU Anchor/Reporter: mid 1990s-2005

• Barry Robinson: 1950s-1970s
• Lyle Johnson: 1970s (the first true anchor; before this, only one person at a time was at the desk)
• Mike Rindo: 1978-86, 1989-91
• Scott Cohn: (Weekend Anchor 1981, 5pm Anchor 1982)
• Jim Mertens: early 1980s-1989 (Weeknight Co-Anchor 1986-89)
• Michelle Magadance: 1983-89 (Weeknight Co-Anchor 1986-89)
• Cindy Schott: 1985-1991 (Weeknight Co-Anchor 1989-91) (died September, 1991)
• John Froyd: 1991-98
• Matt Lechner: late 1990s-2004 (Weekend Anchor 1999-2004)
• Jennifer Rupnow: 2000-2004 (Sunrise and Noon Anchor)

• Howard Trickey: 1950s-1960s (Sketched while he reported the weather)
• John Digmann: ?-1973
• Tim Cannon: 1973-?
• Debi France: late 1970s
• Joe Dandrea: 1980-82 (Chief Meteorologist 1980-82)
• Tom Magnuson: 1980-84 (Chief Meteorologist 1982-84)
• John Wendel: 1982-88 (Chief Meteorologist 1984-88)
• Jim Riggs: 1982-96 (died November, 1996)
• Bruce King: 1987-2001
• Don Moldenhauer: 1988-93 (Chief Meteorologist 1988-93)
• Scott Shaw: 1993-98 (Chief Meteorologist 1993-98)
• John Jedda: 1998-2006 (Chief Meteorologist 1998-2006)

• Jim Crandell: late 1960s-1985 (Sports Director 1970s-1985)
• Dave Carlson: early 1980s-2000 ("TV-13 Outdoors" host 1982-2000)
• Rick Foy: early 1980s-1988 (Sports Director 1985-88)
• Bob Brainerd: 1984-92 (Sports Director 1988-92)
• Rod Ketter: 1990-97 (Sports Director 1992-97)
• Jack Eich: 1977-81 (Sports Reporter/Anchor 1977-81)

• WEAU-TV website
• WEAU Television Tower in the Structurae database
• Listing 1033664 in the FCC Antenna Structure Registration database
• http://www.fybush.com/sites/2006/site-060310.html

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

v • d • e Gray Television, Inc.
ABC Network Affiliate: KAKE · KOLO · WBKO · WHSV · WTOK · WVAW · TV3 Winchester (WHSV-DT3) (cable only) CBS Network Affiliates: KBTX · KKTV · KOLN/KGIN · KWTX · KXII · WCAV · WCTV · WIBW · WIFR · WKYT · WRDW · WSAW · WSWG · WTVY · WVLT · WYMT The CW Network Affiliates1: KBTX · KKCO · KWTX · WBKO · WJHG · WKYT · WTOK · WYMT Fox Network Affiliates: KXII1 · WAHU · WBKO1 · WHSV1 · WSYM2 · WTOK1 · WTAP1 Independent Television Station1: WOWT MyNetworkTV Affiliates1: KKTV (KKTV-DT2) · KOLN/KGIN · KXII · WAHU · WCTV · WHSV · WIBW · WJHG · WRDW · WSAW · WSAZ · WSWG · WTOK · WTVY · WTAP · WVLT NBC Network Affiliates: KKCO · WEAU · WILX · WITN · WJHG · WMTV · WNDU · WOWT · WSAZ · WTAP 1These stations broadcast these networks on their digital subchannels. 2Gray and Journal Broadcast Group entered into a "news share" agreement.
Annual Revenue: $332.1 USD (2006) · Employees: N/A · Stock Symbol: NYSE: GTN · Website: www.graycommunications.com

v • d • e Broadcast television in the Eau Claire / La Crosse market  (Nielsen DMA #127)
WKBT 8 (CBS) (MNTV on DT2) - WEAU 13 (NBC) (Weather on DT2) - WQOW 18 / WXOW 19 (ABC) (The CW on DT2) - KQEG-CA 23 (Ind/FN)  - WLAX 25 / WEUX 48 (Fox) - WHWC 28* / WHLA 31 (PBS/WPT) - W44BF 44 (TBN) - K62EV 62 / W67CH 67 (NBC) - W63AR 63 (ABC) *Licensed to Menomonie in Minneapolis/St. Paul market

v • d • e NBC Network Affiliates in the state of Wisconsin
WTMJ 4 (Milwaukee) - KBJR 6 (Superior/Duluth) - WJFW 12 (Rhinelander/Wausau) - WEAU 13 (Eau Claire) - WMTV 15 (Madison) - WGBA 26 (Green Bay)
See also: ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, MNTV, PBS and Other stations in Wisconsin