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WNEP-TV
Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Branding	WNEP TV 16
Slogan	The News Station
Channels	Analog: 16 (UHF) Digital: 49 (UHF)
Translators	7 WO7DC Allentown 14 W14CO Clarks Summit 26 W26CV Mansfield 61 W61AG Pottsville 40 W40BS Renovo 36 W36BE and 39 W39BE State College 66 W66AL Stroudsburg 10 W10CP and 69 W69CE Towanda 20 W20AD Willamsport
Affiliations	ABC
Owner	Local TV
Founded	September 16, 1953: WILK-TV Channel 34 January 2, 1954: WARM-TV Channel 16 merged as WNEP-TV on January 1, 1956
Call letters meaning	W North East Pennsylvania
Former callsigns	WILK-TV (1953-1956) and WARM-TV (1954-1956)
Former affiliations	DuMont (1953-1956) [1]
Website	www.wnep.com/

WNEP-TV is the ABC network affiliate of the Scranton / Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania television market. The station is licensed to Scranton, and it is currently owned by Local TV LLC. WNEP has its studios located outside the Scranton city limits in Moosic, Pennsylvania. WNEP broadcasts an analog signal on UHF channel 16 and a digital signal on UHF channel 49 from a transmitter located on Penobscot Knob in Mountaintop, Pennsylvania. The station is known on-air as "WNEP TV 16".

Contents 1 History 2 Analog Broadcast Tower Collapse 3 Translators 4 Local Programming 4.1 History 4.2 Current Locally-Produced Programs 4.3 Newscasts 5 News Team 6 Website 7 Controversies 8 References 9 External links

There were originally two ABC network affiliates in Northeastern Pennsylvania. WILK-TV channel 34 in Wilkes-Barre took to the air on September 16, 1953. It was followed by WARM-TV channel 16 in Scranton on January 2, 1954.

WILK wanted to get a head start on the other local stations when it signed on in 1953, going on the air at 2 p.m. rather than the 3 p.m. sign on that the other stations did. The engineers got the signal ready by Noon and decided to take a break. However, at lunch, they turned on the station to inspect their handiwork, only to find the signal was dead. They rushed back and were able to establish the link by 1:50 PM, 10 minutes before sign on.^{[citation needed]}

Getting a signal from ABC headquarters in New York City was a challenge in the early days with no access to satellites. As a result, WILK set up a microwave tower in Effort, about 45 miles east of Wilkes-Barre. From there, the network signal was bounced to the Penobscot Knob transmitter site. Often, station engineers had to adjust the Effort transmitter to accept a signal from WFIL-TV in Philadelphia (now WPVI-TV) if they were unable to receive the New York feed.

WILK and WARM-TV were both losing money, in large part because ABC was not on an equal footing with NBC and CBS (and would not be until the 1970s). However, they stayed on the air because they were owned by well-respected local radio stations. Finally, in 1955, WILK and WARM agreed to merge, this coming after it was made clear that Scranton and Wilkes-Barre would be considered one television market. The new station, WNEP-TV, went on the air on New Year's Day in 1956. It operated under WILK's license, using WARM's channel 16. Along with the merger came a new owner, Transcontinent Broadcasting of Buffalo, New York. WILK's old channel number was then re-assigned to WIVT, another ABC affiliate in Binghamton, New York. WNEP broadcasted out of WILK's studios in Downtown Wilkes-Barre, but was still licensed to Scranton. In 1962, it moved to a new studio near the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton International Airport.

WNEP initially struggled to survive, just like WILK and WARM-TV. However, the station took off in 1968 thanks in part to ABC's color programming and the station's new transmitter on Penobscot Knob. The new transmitter, which was the first million-watt signal in the market, increased WNEP's broadcast range to cover a large portion of Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania [2]. After bouncing back and forth in the ratings for most of the 1960s and 1970s, it surged to number one in 1978 and has held the lead ever since.

Transcontinent merged with Taft Broadcasting in 1964. When Taft bought WIBF-TV in Philadelphia and changed the calls to WTAF-TV in 1969 (now WTXF-TV), it sought a waiver to keep both stations. WNEP's Grade B signal reaches the Lehigh Valley, which is part of the Philadelphia market. WNEP has also operated an outlying transmitter on channel 7 in Allentown for many years. The FCC normally did not allow one company to own two stations with overlapping coverage areas. While it initially granted the waiver, it reversed itself later in 1969 and forced Taft to sell WNEP. An employee group, NEP Communications, bought the station. In 1985, The New York Times Company bought the station and WNEP moved to its current studios in Moosic in 1989.

On January 4, 2007, the station, along with the eight other stations owned by The New York Times' broadcast media group, were sold to Oak Hill Capital Partners in a $575 million transaction. As of 12:01 a.m., May 7, 2007, the station is operated as part of Local TV LLC.^[1]

WNEP-TV's transmission tower broadcasting the analog signal on channel 16 collapsed on December 16, 2007 due to severe ice, winds, and snow at the transmitter location on Penobscot Knob^[2]. The tower collapse also destroyed the transmitter building. No one was injured during the incident^[2]. Transmission of the digital signal on channel 49 was restored after a brief interruption of power to the tower supporting the digital transmitter and antenna. WNEP's signal on local cable systems and satellite was restored before the end of the day. The collapse of WNEP-TV's analog tower also severed power to the transmitters for WYOU-TV and WBRE-TV putting those stations off the air for a time^[3]. The ice and winds on December 16, 2007 also damaged the neighboring tower broadcasting WVIA-TV (analog and digital) putting that station off the air until service was restored through a back-up tower on Penobscot Knob^[4]. WCLH's FM antenna and transmitter, which was co-located on WNEP's analog tower, was also destroyed during the incident ^[5].

WNEP serves one of the largest coverage areas east of the Mississippi River. This area is very mountainous, meaning that some areas cannot get a clear signal from channel 16. WNEP faces an additional problem because the Scranton / Wilkes-Barre television market is a "UHF island" due to the fact that it is too close to Philadelphia and New York for VHF analog service. As a result, it operates the one of the largest translator systems of any station in the Eastern Time Zone.

• Allentown: W07DC channel 7 (part of Philadelphia market)
• Clarks Summit: W14CO channel 14
• Mansfield: W26CV channel 26 (part of the Elmira / Corning market)
• Pottsville: W61AG channel 61
• Renovo: W40BS channel 40
• State College: W36BE channel 36 & W39BE channel 39 (part of Johnstown market)
• Stroudsburg: W66AL channel 66
• Towanda: W10CP channel 10 & W69CE channel 69
• Willamsport: W20AD channel 20

Many of the programs air on WNEP have been in-house productions rather than syndicated shows. The most popular of these was a children's program called The Land of Hatchy Milatchy. Another program, Uncle Ted's Ghoul School, once employed Bill O'Reilly as a writer. He was also a reporter at the station for a brief period during the mid-1970s. Also during the 1970s, WNEP produced two game shows, Bowling for Dollars and Dialing for Dollars. Unlike the station's newscasts, the game shows were absolute failures considering that they were pitted against other more successful national syndicated primetime games such as Family Feud and Match Game.

Today, WNEP produces two in-house programs: Pennsylvania Outdoor Life, a show about hunting and fishing in Pennsylvania, and Home & Backyard, a show about do-it-yourself home improvements, cooking and gardening. 'Pennsylvania Outdoor Life' airs Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on WNEP and 'Home & Backyard' airs Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. on WNEP. Both of these programs re-air on the "Newswatch 16 Anytime" channel.

The station also participates in several local charity events, including the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon and Scranton's annual Santa Parade.

The station is best known for its local newscasts, which are among the highest-rated in the United States. [3] The station runs its newscasts under the branding of "Newswatch 16". According to A.C. Nielsen data, WNEP reaches more viewers than the competition combined in almost all time periods. WNEP's on-air personalities are well-known in the area. Chief meteorologist Tom Clark is one of the region's popular broadcasters. Marisa Burke, a native of nearby Danville has been with the station since 1984 and now co-anchors the 6 p.m. newscast with Mike Lewis.

WNEP runs Newswatch 16 Anytime, a 24-hour news and weather channel that features simulcasts and rebroadcasts of newscasts. It is available on WNEP's DT2 digital subchannel, area cable systems, and via live streaming video on the station's website. [4] Since 1991, WNEP has been producing a daily half-hour 10 p.m. newscast for the area's FOX affiliate WOLF-TV. WNEP's weathercasts are branded "Storm Tracker 16" and the station operates its own weather radar known by that name. In 2003, WNEP installed a new set for its newscasts. The main news studio includes a main anchor desk and a secondary set (for use on WOLF-TV). The station uses three robotic cameras during its newscasts.

WNEP is the only media outlet in the Scranton / Wilkes-Barre television market to utilize a helicopter for news gathering purposes. Known as "Skycam 16", it is live-broadcast capable. WNEP is also the only television station in the area to broadcast local news weeknights at 7 PM.

Anchors

• Tom Williams - weekday mornings and Noon (also producer at Noon)
• Mindi Ramsey - weekday mornings and Noon
• Scott Schaffer - weeknights at 5, 5:30, and 7 p.m.
• Paola Giangiacomo - weeknights at 5, 5:30, and 11 p.m. (also at 10 p.m. on WOLF-TV)
• Marisa Burke - Producer seen weeknights at 6 p.m.
• Mike Lewis - weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.
• Julie Sidoni - weeknights at 7 p.m. (also Scranton / Lackawanna County reporter)
• Andy Palumbo - weekend mornings
• Jon Meyer - weekend evenings (also Wilkes-Barre reporter)

Storm Tracker 16 Meteorologists

• Tom Clark (AMS certified) - Chief seen weeknights (also featured on "Home & Backyard")
• Joe Snedeker - weekday mornings and Noon
• Noreen Clark - weekend mornings (also "In Your Neighborhood" segment producer)
• Kurt Aaron - weekend evenings
• Mark Sowers (AMS and NWA certified) - fill in (also webmaster)

Sports

• Jim Coles - weeknights at 6, 7, and 11 p.m. (also at 10 p.m. on WOLF-TV)
• Paul Grippi - weekends
• Steve Lloyd - sports reporter and photographer (also fill in)

Reporters

• Randy Freeman - "Skycam 16" pilot
• Jill Garrett - "Healthwatch" segment producer and reporter
• Jim Hamill - also producer
• Nolan Johannes - weekly news recap on Saturday mornings and "This Date in History" segment
• Norm Jones - based at the "Central Pennsylvania Bureau"
• Ryan Leckey - weekday mornings and Noon as well as weekends reporter
• Bob Reynolds - "Skycam 16" reporter
• Sarah Buynovsky
• Sherman Burdette
• Josh Brogadir
• Bianca Barr

The Pennsylvania Outdoor Life Team

• Don Jacobs - host (also "Home & Backyard" writer)
• Ken Hunter - host

Field Reporters

• Dave Aucker
• Dale Butler
• Susan Gallagher
• Bob Hawkins
• Rick Koval
• Mike Stevens
• Jackie Vass

Meteorologist Mark Sowers launched WNEP's website in 1995, making it the first commercial television station with a website in the state of Pennsylvania. In 2002, Sowers became the station's full-time webmaster and oversaw the relaunch of the website, powered by television station website producer World Now.

In the Fall of 2005, on Newswatch 16 This Morning, during a jovial conversation about taking sick or personal days off, meteorologist Joe Snedeker jokingly suggested to morning anchor Kim Supon, who was pregnant at the time, that if he were her boss he would make her choose between her career and motherhood. Supon was visibly upset by the comment, having just taken a day to care for her children, and walked off the set during the commercial break. When the newscast returned, recently hired reporter Ryan Leckey was in the anchor chair. The incident received national attention, including airing as a segment on MSNBC. In response to public outcry, Snedeker apologized on air during the next broadcast. [5] Coincidentally, on November 17, 2006, Kim Supon left WNEP's morning broadcast to spend more time with her children.

• WNEP-TV Website
• WNEP Wireless
• WNEP Tribute
• Photos of WNEP's studios
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WNEP-TV
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W07DC
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W14CO
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W26CV
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W61AG
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W40BS
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W36BE
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W39BE
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W66AL
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W10CP
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W69CE
• Query the FCC's TV station database for W20AD

v • d • e Broadcast television in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre market (Nielsen DMA #54)
W07BV 7 / W19CI 19 (EWTN) - WNEP 16 (ABC) - WYOU 22 (CBS) - WBRE 28 (NBC) - WYLN 35 (A1) - WSWB 38 (The CW) - WVIA 44 (PBS) - WQMY 53 (MNTV) - WOLF 56 (FOX, The CW via WSWB on DT2, MNTV via WQMY on DT3) - WQPX 64 (ION)
See also Broadcast television in the Binghamton, Susquehanna Valley, New York City and Philadelphia markets

v • d • e Broadcast television in the Johnstown / Altoona / State College market (Nielsen DMA #99)
Local television stations WPSU 3 (PBS) - WJAC 6 (NBC) - WWCP 8 (FOX) - WTAJ 10 (CBS) - W13BY 13 (Ind) - WPCW 19 (The CW)1 - WATM 23 (ABC) - WHVL 29 (MNTV) - W36BE 36 / W39BE 39 (ABC) - WKBS 47 (CSTV) - WLLS 49 (A1) 1 Technically a Pittsburgh market station. See article. Local cable television channels WIUP 20 (Ind) Significantly Viewed Out-of-Market Broadcast Stations Reception may vary by geographical location Pittsburgh: KDKA 2 (CBS) - WTAE 4 (ABC, The AccuWeather Channel on DT2) - WPXI 11 (NBC) - WPMY 22 (MNTV) - WPGH 53 (FOX) Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: WNEP 16 (ABC) - WSWB 38 (The CW) Harrisburg: WLYH 15 (The CW) New York City: WPIX 11 (The CW)
See also Broadcast television in the Susquehanna Valley and Pittsburgh markets

v • d • e Broadcast television in the Elmira / Corning market  (Nielsen DMA #173)

WETM 18 (NBC) - W26CV 26 (ABC) - WENY 36 (ABC) (The CW on DT2) - WJKP-LP 39 (MNTV) - WYDC 48 (FOX) - WNYI 52 (UNI) - W54AE 54 (CBS)  - W59DG 59 (TBN) Local digital television channels WSKA 30 (PBS) Significantly Viewed Out-of-Market Broadcast Stations Reception may vary by geographical location Binghamton: WBNG 12 (CBS) - WSKG 46 (PBS) Rochester: WROC 8 (CBS) - WHEC 10 (NBC) - WXXI 21 (PBS) Buffalo: WIVB 4 (CBS) - WKBW 7 (ABC) Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: WNEP 16 (ABC) - WYOU 22 (CBS) - WVIA 44 (PBS) Local cable television channels Twin Tiers' CW (The CW) - News 10 Now Defunct television stations WTVE 24 (DuMont) - WTTX-LP 30 (UPN) - PEISH TV (UPN/A1)

v • d • e ABC Network Affiliates in the state of Pennsylvania
WTAE 4 (Pittsburgh) - WPVI 6 (Philadelphia) - WNEP 16 (Scranton) - WATM 23 (Altoona) - WJET 24 (Erie) - WHTM 27 (Harrisburg)
See also: CBS, CW, Fox, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS, and Other stations in Pennsylvania

v • d • e Local TV LLC
Corporate officers: Randy Michaels (Chairman and CEO) · Robert Lawrence ABC: WNEP • WQAD | CBS: KFSM • WHNT • WREG • WTKR | NBC: KFOR • WHO | MyNetworkTV: KAUT | Local Weather Channel: WQAD WX Channel
Annual Revenue: Unknown at this time · Employees: Unknown at this time · Stock Symbol: None, privately held · Website: www.localtvllc.com