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WFOR-TV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| WFOR-TV | |
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| Miami - Fort Lauderdale, Florida | |
| Branding | CBS 4 |
| Slogan | CBS 4 is Always On |
| Channels | Analog: 4 (VHF) Digital: 22 (UHF) |
| Translators | W38AA Marathon W39AC Key West |
| Affiliations | CBS (secondary 1987-88, sole affiliate since 1989) |
| Owner | CBS Corporation |
| Founded | September 20, 1967 |
| Call letters meaning | W FOuR |
| Sister station(s) | WBFS-TV |
| Former callsigns | WCIX (1967-1995) |
| Former channel number(s) | 6 (1967-1995) |
| Former affiliations | Independent (1967-1986) Fox (1986-1989) |
| Transmitter Power | 100 kW (analog) 1000 kW (digital) |
| Height | 304 m (analog) 298 m (digital) |
| Facility ID | 47902 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | |
| Website | www.cbs4.com |
WFOR-TV, channel 4, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, licensed to Miami, Florida, and serving the Miami-Fort Lauderdale television market. WFOR shares its studio facilities with sister station WBFS-TV (channel 33, Miami's MyNetworkTV affiliate) in Doral, Florida, and its transmitter is located in Miramar, Florida.
WFOR-TV also operates two translators in the Florida Keys: W38AA (channel 38) in Marathon and W39AC (channel 39) in Key West.
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The station signed on air on September 20, 1967 on channel 6 as WCIX, owned by Coral Television, a subsidiary of General Cinema Corporation. The callsign sounded like the word "six". Channel 6 was originally licensed to Islamorada in the Florida Keys, but the local owners successfully convinced the FCC to move the license to Miami on the mainland where it could serve more viewers. It built a transmission tower in Homestead, which was 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Miami, farther south than the other Miami television stations. This arrangement was necessary to protect WDBO-TV (now WKMG-TV) in Orlando. As a result, WCIX only provided a Grade B over-the-air signal to Fort Lauderdale, and was virtually unviewable in the northern portion of Broward County. WCIX made up for this shortfall in its coverage by opening a translator on channel 33 in Fort Lauderdale, which was turned off in 1984, allowing WBFS-TV to sign on. The translator was then moved to channel 27 where it operated until the mid-1990s.
WCIX was the first general-entertainment independent station in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale market, and the second in Florida, after WSUN-TV in Tampa (channel 38, now WTTA) converted to independent status in 1965. It ran the typical independent format of children's shows, sitcoms, movies, and other local and syndicated programs. WCIX was also one of very few stations not owned by Kaiser Broadcasting to carry The Lou Gordon Program from WKBD-TV in Detroit in the 1970s. It was also one of the first stations in the area to offer programming in both English and Spanish to serve South Florida's growing Latino population.
During the 1970s through the early-1980s, WCIX had widespread cable penetration throughout Florida and was seen on cable systems as far north as Tampa Bay and Orlando. Outside the Miami market, WCIX shared its cable space with another Miami station, WKID-TV (channel 51, now WSCV), which presented old movies and sitcoms after WCIX left the air.
A few years after its launch, the station started airing The 10 O'Clock News, the first primetime newscast in South Florida. The station was the only general-entertainment independent in the market until WHFT (channel 45) signed on in 1976 with a mix of entertainment and religious programming. It regained the title in 1980 after WHFT was sold to the Trinity Broadcasting Network and switched to religious programming full-time. However, it would receive competition once again in 1982 when WDZL (channel 39, now WSFL-TV) signed on.
General Cinema exchanged WCIX to the Taft Television and Radio Company in early 1983 for NBC affiliate WGR-TV (now WGRZ-TV) in Buffalo, New York. Under Taft, WCIX continued to be the leading independent station in South Florida, and moved from its original studios on Brickell Avenue in downtown Miami to its current facility in Doral (then unincorporated, now a separate city) in 1985. In 1986, WCIX became one of the charter affiliates of the newly-launched Fox Broadcasting Company, and was one of a handful of VHF stations to affiliate with Fox.
After losing a bid to purchase then-CBS affiliate WTVJ (then on channel 4) from then-owner Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., CBS made an offer to buy WCIX from Taft in January 1987. Taft declined, but a month later opted to sell all their independent stations and Fox affiliates, including WCIX, to the TVX Broadcast Group. However, TVX became mired in debt as a result of the purchase, and began to sell off many of its medium- and small-market stations. Although TVX originally planned to keep WCIX, the company eventually decided that the station would have to be divested. One of the primary factors in the decision to sell was that WCIX was TVX's only VHF station, whereas its sisters were all on UHF.
KKR sold WTVJ to NBC in September 1987. However, CBS' affiliation contract with WTVJ expired at the end of 1988, as did NBC's contract with WSVN (channel 7), its Miami affiliate since 1956. This situation did not sit well with either network, and WSVN's owner, Sunbeam Television, was not willing to end channel 7's affiliation with NBC a year early. With the defection of WTVJ looming, CBS made another offer to TVX for WCIX in the spring of 1988. In the interim, channel 6 agreed to air CBS programs pre-empted by WTVJ. Meanwhile, WSVN fought to retain its relationship with NBC, but later relented and approached CBS for an affiliation deal. CBS turned it down and went forward with its plans for WCIX despite its signal issues and an expensive, but necessary, upgrade of the station's programming and facilities.
The official affiliation changeover occurred on January 1, 1989: WCIX became a CBS affiliate, while NBC's full schedule of programming moved to WTVJ. Fox moved its programming over to WSVN, while most of WCIX's syndicated programs went to WDZL. WCIX also began a half-hour newscast at 6:00 p.m., moved their 10:00 newscast to 11:00, and continued to increase its local news output in the early 1990s. Channel 6 officially became a CBS-owned station on January 2, 1989. However, WCIX struggled as a CBS station due to its weak signal in Fort Lauderdale. Despite operating a translator in the area on channel 27, CBS persuaded WPEC (channel 12), the longtime ABC affiliate in West Palm Beach, to switch to CBS in order to give the network a stronger signal in northern Broward County.
WCIX's transmission tower was brought down by Hurricane Andrew on August 24, 1992, forcing the station off-air. Within hours, the station resumed transmission via its low power translator in Fort Lauderdale. WDZL began carrying WCIX's newscasts the next day, with the entire CBS schedule following a few days later. Within a week, WCIX was back on the air using an emergency transmitter on a borrowed tower. In the wake of the devastation, WCIX's staff helped create Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a grass roots charitable organization which aimed to help people rebuild. The organization lives on as Neighbors 4 Neighbors, which is still supported by the station.
In 1994, CBS and Westinghouse (Group W) Broadcasting signed a long-term affiliation deal, part of which resulted in three Westinghouse-owned stations becoming CBS affiliates. As a sidebar, a subsequent deal between NBC and a new Group W/CBS joint venture was made in 1995, with CBS selling the channel 6 facility to NBC as compensation for the loss of two Westinghouse-owned NBC affiliates, in Philadelphia and Boston. In return, Group W/CBS received the stronger channel 4 facility and cash as compensation for the loss of WCAU-TV in Philadelphia, which was being acquired by NBC. NBC also included stations in Denver and Salt Lake City in the tradeoff to Group W/CBS.
At 1:00 a.m. on September 10, 1995, WCIX and WTVJ swapped dial positions. The entire WCIX intellectual unit (including programming and staff) moved from channel 6 to channel 4, thus returning CBS programming to channel 4 after a six-year hiatus. WTVJ had been Miami's CBS affiliate from its sign-on in 1949 until the 1989 switch to NBC. Along with the change came new call letters, WFOR-TV. However, WFOR's studios remained the same as they were when the station was on channel 6. Even though the FCC regards channel 4 as changing its call letters from WTVJ to WFOR on September 10, the stations themselves did not change hands, only the transmitting facilities. ([1], [2]) As a result, WFOR operates with the original WTVJ license, while the present WTVJ operates using WCIX's license.
Under the terms of the deal, CBS sold controlling interest (55 percent) in WFOR-TV to Westinghouse, while retaining a minority interest (45 percent). WFOR became fully owned by CBS once again when the Westinghouse Electric Corporation purchased CBS at the end of 1995.
WFOR began its digital television service on May 1, 2001.
With the hiring of a new news director, Shannon High-Bassalik (now managing director of MSNBC), in 2000, major changes came to WFOR-TV's news department. New anchors, a younger and hipper look, and flashy news coverage were all similar to the style seen at WSVN, where she was assistant news director. She also changed the newscast's name from News 4 South Florida to CBS 4 News. A short time later, Viacom bought CBS, making WFOR a sister station to UPN affiliate WBFS-TV, who subsequently moved into WFOR's studios. The station also handled some support operations for WTVX in West Palm Beach until it was sold to Cerberus Capital Management in 2007. When Viacom spun off CBS Corporation in 2005, WFOR-TV and WBFS-TV became part of the new company.
Until June 2007, anchor Maggie Rodriguez and Elliot Rodriguez co-anchored the 5 and 11 PM newscasts. Maggie left the station to co-anchor the Saturday Early Show. Shannon Hori, formerly of sister station KTVT in Fort Worth, Texas, was named main anchor in June 2007. Also that month, News Director High-Bassalik was forced to resign. She was replaced by Adrienne Roark.
WFOR was heavily criticized after it broke into regular programming to announced that the son of Robert Parker, the director of the Miami-Dade Police Department had been arrested on armed robbery charges. The story and report turned out to be false. Later, WFOR retracted the story saying "It turns out that information is not correct." [3]
On February 14, 2007, WFOR investigative reporter Mike Kirsch was arrested after police say he threatened an officer during a traffic stop in Doral. Miami-Dade officer Patricia Perez charged him with assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting with violence, and disorderly conduct. [4] All but a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge were later dropped by prosecutors with the Miami-Dade State Attorney's office.
Anchors
- Jorge Estevez - weekday mornings and Noon
- Cynthia Demos - weekday mornings and Noon
- Eliott Rodriguez - weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6, and 11 PM
- host of 4 Sunday Morning
- Shannon Hori - weeknights at 5, 5:30, and 11 PM
- Erika Von Tiehl - weeknights at 6 and 10 PM (on WBFS)
- Jawan Strader - weeknights at 10 PM (on WBFS)
- weekend evenings at 6 (SAT), 6:30 (SUN), 10 (on WBFS), and 11 PM
- reporter
- Jade Alexander - weekend mornings
- entertainment / lifestyle reporter
- Ileana Varela - weekend evenings at 6 (SAT), 6:30 (SUN), and 11 PM
- reporter
- Marybel Rodriguez - weekends at 10 PM (on WBFS)
- reporter
CBS 4 Storm Specialists
- David Bernard (CBM certified) - Chief seen weeknights at 5, 6, and 11 PM
- Craig Setzer (AMS Seal of Approval and NWA member) - weeknights at 10 PM (on WBFS)
- weekday morning and weekend fill-in
- Lissette Gonzalez - weekday mornings and Noon
- Erin Coakley - weekend mornings
- Jeff Berardelli - weekend evenings
- Bryan Norcross - "Hurricane Specialist" seen during hurricane coverage
- Executive Producer for WFOR's hurricane specials
- CBS News Hurricane Consultant
Sports
- Jim Berry - Director seen weeknights at 6, 10 (on WBFS), and 11 PM
- host of Jim Berry's Sports Wrap and Crunch Time
- Prim Siripipat - weekend evenings
- Kim Bokamper - sports reporter Sunday through Thursday at 5, 6, and 11 PM
- host of Sports Talk on WQAM-AM 560
- former Miami Dolphin
Reporters
- Evan Bacon
- Carey Codd
- Yomary Cruz - website
- Liv Davalos
- Jim DeFede - evening news commentator
- host of The Jim DeFede Show on WIOD-AM 610
- Peter D'Oench
- Michele Gillen - Chief investigator
- Samantha Hayes - CNN Newsource national politics
- based in Washington D.C.
- Tiffani Helberg
- Dr. Sean Kenniff - health specialist
- syndicated radio columnist
- Joan Murray - "Broward County Bureau"
- Gary Nelson
- Lisa Petrillo - entertainment
- Extra Miami correspondent
- Ted Scouten
- Laurie Stein - investigative
- fill-in anchor
- Stephen Stock - investigative
- Shomari Stone
- Al Sunshine - investigative / consumer
- "Shame On You" segment producer
- Miami Herald columnist
- Dave Sutta
- Natalia Zea
- Michael Evans - reporter (1976-1978)
- Beatriz Canals
- John Roberts (FKA J.D. Roberts)
- Mike Kirsch
- Dave Malkoff - Now at KCBS-TV
- Jason Wheeler - Now at KEYE-TV
- Nefertiti Jáquez - Now at WTXF-TV
- Jill Martin - now with Yankees Television Network in New York
- Leif Pedersen-Diaz
- James Hill - "National Enquirer TV" Now lead anchor at WOLO-TV in Columbia, SC
- Aleen Sirgany - Now at CBS NewsPath
- Phil Lipof - reporter (2002-2004; Now at WABC-TV in New York City)
- Susan Barnett - Now at KYW-TV
- Alita Guillen
- Robb Hanrahan - weekdays at 6 and 10 PM (on WBFS) - left Oct.4
- Khambrel Marshall - now producer at KPRC-TV in Houston)
- Diana Morgan - Former anchor now movie/TV actress
- Jeff Pegues - reporter/anchor (2002-2005;now at WABC-TV in New York City)
- Dr. Deanna Lites - Now at WHDH-TV
- Ken Rosato - anchor (2000-2002; Now at WABC-TV)
- Angela Rae
- Jennifer Santiago - weeknights at 10 PM with beatriz Canals, left Sept.28,2007
- Joy Purdy - Now at WTLV/WJXX
- Maggie Rodriguez - former 5, 6, and 11 PM co-anchor. Now co-anchor The Saturday Early Show. (Soon Will Be Co-Anchor Of The Weekday Early Show
- Steve Wolford
- Pamela Wright
- Bryan Norcross, CBS News
- Giselle Fernández
- Gayle Anderson, Now at KTLA
- MaryKay Kleist
- Jeff Taylor - Now at WBBM-TV
- Rob Jones (freelancer, weekday morning weather)
- Barbara Sloan
- Jim Dyer
- Kathleen Corso, Reporter/morning anchor 1989-1995, now Special Projects Producer at WPLG-TV, Miami
- Rachel Aram
- Brian Andrews
- WFOR-TV Website
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WFOR
- Query the FCC's TV station database for W38AA
- Query the FCC's TV station database for W39AC
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Miami-Dade / Fort Lauderdale, Florida stations Local television stations In Key West Local digital television channels |
| See also: Broadcast television stations in West Palm Beach and Bahamas |
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WFOR 4 (Miami) - WCTV 6 (Tallahassee) - WKMG 6 (Orlando) - WTSP 10 (St. Petersburg) - WINK 11 (Fort Myers) - WPEC 12 (West Palm Beach) - WTEV 47 (Jacksonville) - WGFL 53 (High Springs / Gainesville) |
| See also: ABC, CW, Fox, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS, Religious, Spanish and Other stations in the state of Florida |
