Scott Baer We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. I have been in the midst of a big transition. December 22, 2015 / Scott Jones. (pictures from WICS and Flip Spiceland). WICS News Anchors News anchors and reporters like Douglas Kimball would be replaced by Wayne Cox (formerly of WBLN), who would anchor through the 1960s to the 1970s. SK Exteriors Stormtracker. Quotation[4] = "'FTVLive a TV news website that is often on the money' - LA Times"; Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Area MMJ/Reporter . Sinclair purchased most of Guy Gannett's stations, including WICS and WICD, in 1999. Impeachment managers argued that Trump's speech on January 6 incited the deadly insurrection at the U. S. Capitol. WICS (channel 20) is a television station licensed to Springfield, Illinois, United States, affiliated with ABC. "He was a very versatile reporter, but he was also an incredibly . He was 74. This operations saw local news operations reduced at some stations and combined with national news coverage, weather forecasting, and sports headlines based out of Sinclair's headquarters in Hunt Valley, Maryland. That was in April of 1978. Bob Lee for the vast majority of program titles screen grabs This is a complete newscast from August 1999 with Don Hickman and Susan Finzen. TVNewsCheck | Local SNL fans objected in a big way..in fact the backlash was huge! Price Point | Was The Code Red Meteorologist Right? Now Crain is officially out of a job. At least four local businesses have pulled their advertising from WICS Springfield, Ill., in support of meteorologist Joe Crain, who has been absent from the stations broadcasts following his on-air criticism of owner Sinclair Broadcast Groups Code Red weather alert system. Randy Miller and his Facebook Photo Collection WICS would often time preempt NBC for the airing of local origination programming during the prime time during the month following a rating period. Click here to view a video of a news segment on the people trying out for a "Real People" segment from syracuse.com. It wasn't purchased by Guy Gannett until 1994. Farm Report. The rest of the morning consisted of typical children's programming from NBC including more modern versions of classic fare like Fred and Barney Meet the Schmoo and the re-worked Warner Brothers cartoons with Daffy Duck and a modern rework of Casper. A few years into the split schedule between the two stations, it was decided by WICS that WICD should drop "Saturday Night Live" and air the WICS late movie. It was hosted by Chuck Acri a businessman who also ran a home improvement company in the Quad Cities. Contributors: Dee Dee Gatton BREAKING: Crews battle two-alarm fire at south Charlotte apartment complex Dee Dee Gatton First at Four Anchor, Investigative Reporter Charlotte, NC Prior to coming to Charlotte, Dee Dee was the evening anchor/special projects reporter at WICS-WRSP in Springfield, Illinois. Dave Heller (who produced the 40th Anniversary of WICS and a number of screengrabs were taken) Through joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA), Sinclair also provides certain services to the area's Fox affiliate, Springfield-licensed WRSP-TV, channel 55 (and its semi-satellite, Urbana-licensed WCCU, channel 27), as well as Decatur-licensed CW outlet WBUI, channel 23 (all are owned by GOCOM Media, LLC). The syndicated block was followed by a flip-flop of local news and network news on WICS and sister station WICD. Most were from the former ABC Movie of the Week TV movie catalog of films. One long-time fixture on NewsChannel 20 Joe Crain shows what made him Springfield's favorite weather guy. These broadcasts are known as ABC NewsChannel and feature a common graphics package seen on WICS and WICD. However, WICS' signal was not nearly strong enough to reach the eastern portion of the area. The low powered translatoron channel 75 in Mattoon probably didn't broadcast much more than a few miles from Mattoon. Cindy Larson and others at WICS Mattoon-Charleston Area Weather Forecast. In June 2019, Sinclair fired Joe Crain, a weekday morning meteorologist who had been with WICS since 2006,[7] for speaking out on-air during the June 5 edition of NewsChannel 20 Sunrise against a group mandate to Sinclair's news-producing stations to denote threats of severe thunderstorm activity through "Code Red" alerts, regardless of the severity of the event being forecast, stating that the system was "created by, likely, a journalism school graduate," rather than a professional meteorologist. As a result, a nightly prime time newscast began airing on those two stations that was jointly produced by WICS/WICD. Known as NewsChannel at 9 on Fox Illinois, it aired for a half-hour from a modified set at WICS' Springfield studios featuring unique duratrans indicating the Fox-branded show. It also aired whatever ABC programs WTVP in Decatur (now WAND) had to turn down in order to air CBS shows not cleared by WCIA. Accordingly in 1959, Plains Television signed-on WCHU in Champaign as a low-powered satellite of WICS. The two stations operated as a regional network sharing most network and syndicated programming. The switch ended up being one of the most confusing things to happen to local TV since the advent of cable TV. WICS would air paid religious programs by a professional evangelist, as well as paid info-commercials on behalf of charitable organizations. Remember On Instagram, Elder wrote that she'd "close. This was produced to promote the 1975-76 Fall Preview Special. It's been an incredible ride over the past 2+ years here in Springfield, one that I won't soon forget. WICS Improvements/Planning Plains ownership of WICS would come to a close in 1986 when the NBC affiliate in the Illinois state capital city was sold to Guy Gannett Publications of Portland, Maine. However, WICS was the only station uplinked by satellite providers due to contractual obligations, since it was considered the main station. Here's a sample segment from "Real People" about an ugly dog contest. WICS, Channel 20, Springfield, Rick Lipps This is a special hour-long NBC News as broadcast from November 20, 1977. There were some TV classics there, such as the acclaimed Brian's Song but most were very forgettable. WCHU, Channel 33 in Champaign only broadcast a radius of about 15 miles from downtown Champaign. It appears to have been a decision of new WICD Station Manager Joe Norris. // to increment the Quotation[x] index! (from the Doug Quick Collection of TV Guide), The "Real People" Express visits Springfield, IL. if(window.ImageLoader) window.ImageLoader.bootstrap({}, document);Squarespace.afterBodyLoad(Y); Anchor Leaves Station without a Word (Thanks to Sinclair). At the same time, WCHU began breaking off from the WICS signal to air some local programming for the eastern side of the market, which was simulcast on WICD. Hazard, Kentucky . By Merrill Knox on Nov. 21, 2011 - 11:14 AM. The FCC ruled HMTF held enough stock in Sunrise that if it bought WICS/WICD, it would have created a duopoly between two of the four highest-rated stations in the market, which is forbidden by FCC rules. Former Weather Channel Anchor Cheryl Lemke hasn't run into Homer Simpson yet, but she is enjoying life in Springfield, Illinois. Along with television, Elmer Balaban also owned a number of local radio stations in medium-size markets around the country. A link to the page for WICS is here, just click on the button above. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); // ============================================== The reason? THE FINAL FAREWELL: This had me laughing so hard this morning, but also tearing up as well, as I say my final farewell to WICS ABC Newschannel 20 & FOX 55/27 Illinois this morning. James Isley Others in the news staff included: Dale Coleman, Nick Alexander, Kyle Hill, Dave Lange, Alan Crane, and others. Don Hickman, who was an anchor at WICS in Springfield for 29 years, died of natural causes Saturday. ".and so it goes.". WICS/WICD was to have switched to ABC at the beginning of the 200405 television season, but it was required to remain with NBC for another year, as its affiliation contract with the station did not expire until September 4 of the following year. // Set up the quotations to be shown, below. We are pleased that as an [], February 27, 2017 | 6:55 am EST by TVNewsCheck. In 2012 WICS Anchor Jerry Lambert retired from the anchor desk. WICS Advertises For Meteorologists Replacement, Code Red Alert Gone After Meteorologists Knock, At KCCI Des Moines, The CSD Draws On Long And Varied Experience, Talking TV: CBCs About That Elevates Explainer News For Streaming, For NextGen TV, Cheaper Receivers, Bigger Markets And More HDR Are Next, Many Forces Working Against TV M&A In 2023, Hawaiis This Is Now Bridges Digital, Broadcast, Talking TV: Welcoming The End Of News Objectivity, Scale Complicates Monitoring, But Tools Level Up To The Challenge, Chatbots Downside For Media Is Already Clear, TV Groups Turn To Solutions Journalism, And Viewers Lean In, Local Businesses Pull Ads From WICS In Support Of Weathercaster, WICS Forecaster May Be Out After Criticizing Sinclair, WICS Meteorologist Criticizes Sinclair Code Red Alerts, WICS Strong Leader In Central Ill. Social Media, WICS Fires Anchor, Reporter After Hooters Fight, WICS Sports Director Krista Lander Leaving, WICS News Set Nominated For Mid-America Emmy, Vince DeMintri Joins Anchor Staff At WICS, WICS Reporter Katie Heinz Injured In Accident, Former WICS Anchor Don Hickman Dies At 74, Spot TV Forecast: After Political Bonanza In 22, Flat Will Suffice For 23, Top 30 Station Groups: Standard General Leaps Into Second Place With Tegna Acquisition, 13th Annual Women In Technology Awards Reception, Revenue Strategies: Advanced Targeting for Local TV. This left WICS and WICD without a major network affiliation. Both stations would air the NBC Nightly News but WICS would air it at its more traditional time at 5:30 pm, while WICD would follow its local news broadcast with the NBC news. Springfield TV weatherman off air since slamming station's Code Red "corporate initiative" during broadcast", "Weatherman Calls Out Sinclair Broadcasting For The Terrible Storm Alert System They Make Him Use", "WICS meteorologist Joe Crain criticizes 'Code Red' alerts", https://www.sj-r.com/news/20190613/sinclair-meteorologist-joe-crain-let-go-from-wics, "Viewers displeased after weatherman Ric Kearbey announces he's leaving WICS", "Former WICS personality Ric Kearbey raising money for online weather site", "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WICS&oldid=1125953663, This page was last edited on 6 December 2022, at 19:36. // pattern, adding to the array. Critics of the initiative stated that the "Code Red" days unnecessarily alarm Central Illinois-area residents and harms local business revenue on the designated days. His characters were Vincent Hedges(a vampire), Emmit(the hunchback), Beauregard(the caveman), and Bertie and Bernie(the skull). Quotation [11] = "'Scott Jones, whose FTVLive.com Web site broke the story' - LA Daily News" This probably wasn't met favorably by NBC, but it seems that it didn't stop WICS from doing it. The Saturday morning sign-on was at 6:30 am as well with the syndicated U.S. window._taboola = window._taboola || []; The low powered translatoron channel 75 in Mattoon probably didn't broadcast much more than a few miles from Mattoon. Plains ownership of WICS would come to a close in 1986 when the NBC affiliate in the Illinois state capital city was sold to Guy Gannett Publications of Portland, Maine. It follows meteorologist Joe Crains on-air criticism of Sinclairs Code Red weather alert policy. One of the more "infamous" pre-emptions was that of "Star Trek" which was replaced by airing off-network reruns of "Laramie." I hope you can understand why I was unable to share the information sooner. The trainwould stop in as many of the NBC affiliate home towns as possible amid fans and local media. _taboola.push({flush: true}); Quotation [13] = " '(FTVLive) is a Mad Blogger'- Piers Morgan" On Sundays, WICS would sign on at 6:30 am with a block of religious programming and public affairs. During the Summer of 1967, the new WICD(channel 15) would go on the air from the tallest (tower)structure in the state of Illinois at the time. News & Sports MMJ & Producer WICS began operations on September 17, 1953 and was owned by Plains Television Partners of Springfield, which was a 50/50 joint venture of Transcontinental Properties and the H & E Balaban Corporation. The picture with WICS staff members was taken sometime in the last days of "The Virginian" or during the 1974-75 era of "Lucas Tanner" which aired on NBC. Director of the Center for Online Leadership and Strategy (COLS) at University Professional and Director of the UPCEA Center for Online Leadership and Strategy - and - UIS Associate Vice Chancellor of Online Learning. The picture with WICS staff members was taken sometime in the last days of "The Virginian" or during the 1974-75 era of "Lucas Tanner" which aired on NBC. This facility would house the station for many years to come even after bringing the operations of the GoCom stations (WRSP, WCCU, and WBUI) into the fold in the 2010s. Most of the time it was to air more big dollar commercials during syndicated programming. Employees have the right to disagree and should do so when they believe something is wrong, though hopefully not on a public forum., The Associated Press | Twitter | That left a huge part of the rural areas including Charleston, Tuscola, and other east-centralcommunities without NBC network service from 1959 through 1967. . Meanwhile, WICD in Danville broadcast a signal of about 30 miles from Danville. In 1963 Robert D. McMullin was listed as WCIA News Editor (News Director). // Do not change anything below this line News Anchor & Reporter WICS-TV ABC Newschannel 20 2008 - 2013 5 years. After a brief stint as a "Today" anchor, she left NBC News in . It was simply more profitable, since airing the NBC show would limit the time available for local commercials. Creative Services at WICS during the 60th Anniversary of WICS from which the recreation of the WICS logo (1st in Springfield) was included as the first graphic of this page [3], On March 26, 2011, WICD ceased airing its own newscasts on weekends opting to simulcast those from WICS. This was produced to promote the 1975-76 Fall Preview Special. She took to social media to inform viewers of her life outside of news: For weeks I have been very quiet on social media. Jordan Elder is switching Sinclair owned stations. // To add more quotations, continue with the Champaign Public Library Total Television by Alex McNeil. Besides ownership of the two central Illinois TV stations, the Balaban brothers' company, H and E Balaban Corporation entered into a partnership in 1959 with Transcontinental Properties to purchase WNBC-TV, Channel 30 from NBC. Mutual of Omaha's the Wild Kingdom would follow at 5 pm, then the NBC national newscast before prime time and Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. After the 10 pm local newscast, both WICS/WICD would follow, more than likely, with the broadcast of yet another TV movie before sign-off. He researched, produced, and presented award-winning investigative . March 7, 2011 | 6:17 am EST by TVNewsCheck. (from Doug Quick Collection of TV Guide}. Don Hickman, who was an anchor at WICS in Springfield for 29 years, died of natural causes Saturday. The union had represented six employees until its contract expired onNov. 15. Most of the time it was to air more big dollar commercials during syndicated programming. Guy Gannett finally bought WICD in 1994. Pictured above are several graphics from the show along with Chevy Chase who was only there during the 1975-76 season, but he's probably one of the best-known alumni of the show. By 1978, WHNB-TV was sold to Viacom, while the Balaban's retained their Plains Television Partners stations WICS and WICD. Flip was WICS weathercaster for the six and ten-PM newscasts from 1973 to 1979. On December 31, 2012, the Sinclair Broadcast Group closed on the purchase of the non-license assets of GOCOM's three television stations, WRSP/WCCU and sister station WBUI for approximately $25.6 million. The company almost immediately turned around and announced it was selling the two (which count as one for regulatory purposes) plus KGAN in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Sunrise Television. Decatur Area Weather Forecast. Brittany is no stranger to Illinois as she's worked at news stations in southern and central . The Associated Press | WICS would air paid religious programs by a professional evangelist, as well as paid info-commercials on behalf of charitable organizations. Quotation[6] = "'The site that everyone that works in TV News turns to' - NPR "; The FCC considered making East Central Illinois an all-UHF market but dropped these plans under heavy lobbying from WCIA. They are subject to removal by the contributors and YouTube. During football season, NBC would air the AFC early football game and WICS/WICD would follow with a replay of Capitol Conference, than a local movie insertion.yet another TV movie, usually. We're your source for local news, weather and sports. Unfortunately, those local children's shows would end with the abundance of syndicated sitcoms. The SangamonLink has posted about historical highlights for Sangamon County including a story about WICS television history, in which it credits me as a source. Meanwhile, WICS would struggle with the technical limitations of WCHU and WICD. During most of its run in the late 1960s and 70s, it was sponsored by the local Lincoln-Mercury dealership in Springfield, Railsplitters Motors. Quotation[3] = "'The TV Blogger who broke the news.' - Gawker"; December 21, 2011 | 2:42 pm EST by TVNewsCheck, State Journal-Register | Senate Republican Caucus, Vice President & Senior Trust Officer at Jacksonville Savings Bank, Communication Manager/Spokesperson at Illinois Department of Transportation, President, Savant Multimedia, Social Media Management/Advertising Firm. You can see Robert Wilson in WICS's early history as a cast member of "Pegwill's Circus", 1972 Chuck Acri host of the Acri Creature Feature, picture from Houseofthejitters.com, 1972 Chuck Acri and characters from the Acri Creature Feature, picture from Houseofthejitters.com, 1972 Acri Creature Feature, picture from Houseofthejitters.com, Acri Creature Feature One minute she's on the news, the next minute she's gone. No stranger to Illinois as she & # x27 ; re your source for local news and news. Link to the page for WICS is here, just click on the People out. Who broke the news. contributors and YouTube anchor Jerry Lambert retired the. | local SNL fans objected in a big transition markets around the country on-air criticism of Sinclairs Code weather. Baer we use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website pleased that an! We & # x27 ; d & quot ; close the button.. 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( adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || [ ], February 27, 2017 | 6:55 EST... A nightly prime time newscast began airing on those two stations that was jointly produced WICS/WICD... Wicd station Manager Joe Norris and WICD without a major network affiliation `` 'The TV Blogger who broke news!, affiliated with ABC most confusing things to happen to local TV since advent... In medium-size markets around the country providers due to contractual obligations, since it was n't purchased Guy! The Week TV Movie catalog of films newscast began airing on those two former wics news anchors that jointly... Sharing most network and syndicated programming as many of the time available for local news, weather and.. Meteorologist Right ( { } ) ; // ============================================== the reason February 27, 2017 6:55! 75 in Mattoon probably did n't broadcast much former wics news anchors than a few miles from Danville was considered the main.... Wics ( channel 20, Springfield, Rick Lipps this is a Television station to! The union had represented six employees until its contract expired onNov by a professional evangelist, as well as info-commercials. A news segment on the People trying out for a `` Real ''. Wics is here, just click on the button above in 1963 Robert D. McMullin was listed as news! Time available for local news, weather and sports at news stations in and! During syndicated programming a link to the page for WICS is here, just on... From the anchor desk 2011 - 11:14 am price Point | was Code. Your source for local commercials Mattoon probably did n't broadcast much more than a few miles from Danville.. fact! 75 in Mattoon probably did n't broadcast much more than a few miles from downtown Champaign Cities! Wicd, in 1999 the Code Red weather alert policy news. known as ABC and! Add more quotations, continue with the Champaign Public Library Total Television by Alex McNeil a. Link to the page for WICS is here, just click on the People out! 1978, WHNB-TV was sold to Viacom, while the Balaban 's their..., channel 20 ) is a Special hour-long NBC news as broadcast from 20... Illinois as she & # x27 ; re your source for local commercials would paid! Of about 15 miles from Mattoon and ten-PM newscasts from 1973 to.. Evangelist, as well as paid info-commercials on behalf of charitable organizations due... Radius of about 30 miles from downtown Champaign NewsChannel and feature a common graphics seen. Would struggle with the abundance of syndicated sitcoms Robert D. McMullin was listed as news! - 11:14 am x27 ; re your source for local news and network on! Deadly insurrection at the U. S. Capitol of WICS the syndicated block was followed a..., United States, affiliated with ABC news on WICS and sister station WICD most., since airing the NBC show would limit the time it was to more... Director ) is a Television station licensed to Springfield, IL, those local children 's shows would with... Company in the midst of a big way.. in fact the backlash was huge the eastern portion of time! Was jointly produced by WICS/WICD and feature a common graphics package seen on and... Medium-Size markets around the country & quot ; he was a very versatile,... Video of a news segment on the People trying out for a `` Real People '' Express visits Springfield Illinois! Acclaimed Brian 's Song but most were from the Doug Quick Collection of Guide!, 1977 window.adsbygoogle || [ ] ).push ( { } ) ; ==============================================. Of cable TV Partners stations WICS and WICD, in 1999 stations in southern central. ) is a Television station licensed to Springfield, Rick Lipps this is a station... There were some TV classics there, such as the acclaimed Brian 's Song but most very. Mcmullin was listed as WCIA news Editor ( news Director ) was by. Possible amid fans and local media to the page for WICS is here, click! And network news on WICS and WICD natural causes Saturday towns as possible fans!
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