Flip was WICS weathercaster for the six and ten-PM newscasts from 1973 to 1979. Joe Crain has been a meteorologist at WICS Springfield, Ill., for 15 years. On Monday, he might not have a job to return to. This left WICS and WICD without a major network affiliation. In the early days, the WICS studios would allow for cars to be driven into the studios as well as for the many children's shows which included a studio audience as well as a panel of local kids. We are pleased that as an [], February 27, 2017 | 6:55 am EST by TVNewsCheck. 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. (from Doug Quick Collection of TV Guide}. [15][8][10][12] On June 13, a spokesman for Sinclair stated that he had been, in fact, let go. Fred Hickman, an influential sports broadcaster who became one of the early stars of CNN as host of "CNN Sports Tonight," has died. (pictures from WICS and Flip Spiceland). Accordingly in 1959, Plains Television signed-on WCHU in Champaign as a low-powered satellite of WICS. Others in the news staff included: Dale Coleman, Nick Alexander, Kyle Hill, Dave Lange, Alan Crane, and others. "Real People" was a reality-based variety show which gave a number of "real" people/groups their 15-minutes of fame in front of a national audience. | (The initiative, which Sinclair began implementing in 2018 and is similar to systems devised by other groups such as Gray Television through the stations it inherited from the now-defunct Raycom Media, is known by different names depending on the station, such as "Weather Warn" or as a "(weather branding) Alert Day".) WICS News Anchors. The call letters of WNBC-TV were transferred soon after to NBC's network o-and-o in New York in 1960. The Illinois State Journal-Register Contact He was 74. WICD would follow with a play of its public affairs program Assignment 15.. Broadcast Journalism, News Writing, TV News Production, Media Relations, Video, Final Cut Pro, Director of Communication at Daughters of Wisdom, President at Savant Multimedia, LLC, Board Member Director of Communication at Daughters of Wisdom. This left WICS and WICD without a major network affiliation. Quotation[8] = "'CNBC wanted a reaction to a story someone had seen on FTVLive' - Vanity Fair "; Fitness, Media Relations, Public Speaking, Public Relations, Crisis Communications, Press Releases, Assistant Director of Public Relations at University of Illinois Springfield. However, the FCC did not allow Sunrise to buy WICS/WICD due to Sunrise's ownership structure. NBC filled the post late news time with sporting events, along with Saturday Night Live. WICS would follow SNL with a videotaped replay of its own 10 pm news. Hazard, Kentucky . She also co-anchored FOX40 Live Morning. window._taboola = window._taboola || []; 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. Meanwhile, WICD in Danville broadcast a signal of about 30 miles from Danville. HMTF was majority stockholder of the LIN TV Corporation, then-owner of WAND. Mr. McMullin is pictured at the left from an unknown live broadcast on Channel 3. By 1978, WHNB-TV was sold to Viacom, while the Balaban's retained their Plains Television Partners stations WICS and WICD. (picture courtesy of Teresa Wilson Ericson, daughter of Robert Wilson), You can see Robert Wilson in WICS's early history as a cast member of "Pegwill's Circus". Klein's imminent exit was first reported by FTVLive' - NY Times"; This was the 1965-66 Season Premiere Video produced for NBC Sales. Vice President at Frontline Public Strategies, Inc. Senior public affairs & media relations strategist, Founder of Frontline Public Strategies. Springfield Area Weather Forecast. By 1958, WICS was an exclusive NBC affiliate. 1988 was the 50th anniversary of Springfield's Mel-O-Cream Donuts and Dave Heller did a report on the local company. Former Channel 20 anchor Don Hickman dies JOHN REYNOLDS and MATTHEW DIETRICH 0:00 0:35 Don Hickman, whose nearly three decades as news anchor at WICS Channel 20 made him one of. A link to the page for WICS is here, just click on the button above. When "Star Trek" premiered, it was pre-empted by WICS for off-network reruns of "Laramie." The Trustoria Service Professional Directory provides you with all the information needed to find the most qualified Journalist for every need. WICS would add syndicated shows ranging from the videotaped talk shows mentioned above to "Superman," "The Lloyd Thaxton Show," "Bilko," "The Galloping Gourmet," "David Frost," "Hazel," "Dinah Shore," "Girl Talk" and movies on Saturday and Sunday nights and a rather unique Sunday morning movie series. Plains Television sold WICS to Guy Gannett Communications (no relation to the larger Gannett Company), in 1986 but held onto WICD until 1994. These paid commercial programs would pop up in March, June, August, and even December. The station's digital signal is multiplexed: WICS shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 20, on February 17, 2009, the original target date in which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The syndicated block was followed by a flip-flop of local news and network news on WICS and sister station WICD. After a brief stint as a "Today" anchor, she left NBC News in . // To add more quotations, continue with the Both WRSP/WCCU and WBUI were initially operated from separate facilities from WICS/WICD. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 42. That left a huge part of the rural areas including Charleston, Tuscola, and other east-centralcommunities without NBC network service from 1959 through 1967. 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. 45 in Champaign into WICD's studios. Price Point | Was The Code Red Meteorologist Right? I have been in the midst of a big transition. It states that WICD was also purchased by Guy Gannett Communications in 1986. Decatur Public Library Quotation [18] = " 'FTVLive is the Most Incrediable thing in our Business' - i24News" "[13] Despite complaints and comments from viewers on the station's social media platforms,[14] letters to the editor and local talk radio shows, Sinclair continued to mandate its meteorologists to use the terminology. The Resignation of President Nixon as covered by NBC, August 8, 1974. WICD and its Sinclair sister station in the market, WICS, will begin sharing weekend newscasts that day. 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. The Associated Press | Former Weather Channel Anchor Cheryl Lemke hasn't run into Homer Simpson yet, but she is enjoying life in Springfield, Illinois. - Greta Van Susteren" Here's a sample segment from "Real People" about an ugly dog contest. The effort on WRSP/WCCU was further expanded on January 20, 2014, when WICS began producing a two-hour weekday morning show for the Fox affiliates. Board of Directors at YMCA, Board of Directors at American Red Cross Illinois Capital Area Chapter, DM at Ace Hardware, District Manager at Ace Hardware Corporation - Oak Brook , IL, District Manager at Ace Hardware Corporation - Oak Brook , IL. In the case of WICS/WICD, it was a late movie. At one point in time, there had been a newscast weeknights at 5 that was simulcast on both outlets originating from Springfield.[4]. The Bloomington Pantagraph Neuhoff Broadcasting-Danville Joe Crain This is a recording of the "A" block of a newscast from WICS in early May of 1997. It's been an incredible ride over the past 2+ years here in Springfield, one that I won't soon forget. Dave Heller (who produced the 40th Anniversary of WICS and a number of screengrabs were taken) Us @2023 FTVLive LLC March 7, 2011 | 6:17 am EST by TVNewsCheck. Total Television by Alex McNeil. 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. It was hosted by Chuck Acri a businessman who also ran a home improvement company in the Quad Cities. Jordan Elder is switching Sinclair owned stations. Justin and Brittany are setting the record straight on why they will be away. [1] However, it was a primary NBC affiliate. During the 1979-1980 TV season, the WICS weekday schedule followed Today at 9am with the first run weekday syndicated Dating Game followed by the NBC daytime schedule which was solid through3pm. Lemke has gone from The Weather Channel to the Chief Met at WICS in Springfield. Syndicated Programming Until October 13, 2014, WICD's separate weekday newscasts at its Champaign headquarters were not included in the upgrade because that set lacked high definition cameras. WICD, Channel 15 was the result of a merger between two relatively lower powered sister stations of WICS. 1976 Fall TV montage of shows broadcast during the week. Pictured are WICS staff members Robert Wilson and John McKinney. In 1960, it bought WDAN-TV (another low-powered station in Danville) and changed the calls to WICD. NBC Daytime Love (1975) promo for daytime dramas seen on NBC and WICS, 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. June 13, 2019 | 6:58 am EDT by Brian Stelter, One week ago Joe Crain, the morning meteorologist at WICS Springfield, Ill., called out station management for mandating over-the-top Code Red weather alerts. It was also known that the show would probably rile some advertisers which would make it difficult to sell to local ad buyers. Quotation[9] = "'FTVLive.com Scooped Everyone With News' - About.com "; [21] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 20. The owners of Plains Television Partners were Harry and Elmer Balaban, the two younger brothers of Barney Balaban, who was the head of Paramount Pictures during the 1940s and '50s. June 13, 2019 | 5:43 am EDT by Hank Price, Hank Price: The commitment of local broadcasters and their owners to the communities they serve is legendary. James Isley Quotation [12] = "'has handed in his resignation, according to FTVLive.com' - TVNewser" He left his position at NewsChannel 20 at the end of May 2012 to become the full-time Artistic Director at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield, Illinois. WICD (channel 15) is a television station licensed to Champaign, Illinois, United States, affiliated with ABC.Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station has studios on South Country Fair Drive in downtown Champaign, and its transmitter is located northeast of Homer, along the Vermilion-Champaign county line.. "I really like our weather team in Springfield, because I've got Joe (Crain) in the morning and . They are subject to removal by the contributors and YouTube. SKILLS -Avid, Edius, and Premier Pro: Non-linear editing -Various web publishing programs Communications, Public Speaking, Public Relations, Writing, Marketing, Video Editing, Broadcasting, Broadcast, Broadcast Journalism, Non-linear Editing. It was simply more profitable, since airing the NBC show would limit the time available for local commercials. A link to the page for WICS is here, just click on the button above. YouTube videos are the property of the individual copyright holders and only posted for their historical significance. TV Spy | There was no Saturday, 6 pm newscast, scheduled instead of the syndicated first-run comedy/variety show Hee Haw which would air from 5 to 6 pm. 1976 Fall TV montage of shows broadcast during the week. On June 26, 2010, rival WAND became the first television station in East-Central Illinois to upgrade news production to high definition level. Although the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had collapsed most of East Central Illinois into one giant television market, WICS took on a secondary CBS affiliation because its primary affiliate, WCIA in Champaign, only provided a marginal signal to Springfield. This is a 2018 clip from Sunrise with Joe Crain and an explanation of the eventual controversial weather warning.. Network screen grabs were from the collection of Bob Lee, Jo Warfield for sharing her recollections. Although WICD maintains its own studios on South Country Fair Drive in downtown Champaign, master control and most internal operations are based at WICS' facilities. 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. It was owned by Plains Television Partners and was a low-powered full-time satellite of Springfield's WICS. (YouTube). --from Gus Gordon's Linkedin profile, September 5, 2005, first day at being an ABC affiliate, Gus Gordon (Doug Quick Collection), August 2010, Gus Gordon (Doug Quick Collection). 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. Crain criticized Sinclair Broadcast Groups initiative to implement mandatory code red days in their affiliates forecasts. It was decided WICD being in a more liberal university community would air the 1970's version of SNL. 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. This page is here to encourage an open dialogue with our viewers and provide an online community where people can express themselves and interact with See more 134,949 people like this 234,742 people follow this http://www.newschannel20.com/ The Decatur Herald-Review Newspaper All of these stars were there before 1982. 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. Please note that the schedule for WICD and WICS were virtually identical. March 3, 2015 | 10:02 am EST by TVNewsCheck, The State Journal-Register | Some of the religious shows included Jimmy Swaggart, Herald of Truth and Faith for Today. Sometime in the 1960s, WICS began a tradition of airing a movie at 9:30 am. November 21, 2011 | 8:25 am EST by TVNewsCheck, News-Gazette.com | This is a clip from August 17, 2010 and the 5pm show. Quotation [19] = " 'FTVLive.com, a prominent television industry website' - Lexington Herald Leader" I assume that because of the increased head-to-head competition with WCIA in Champaign, management at the time felt it beneficial to move the WICD local newscast to the 5:30 pm slot, while WICS would continue with the 6 pm slot, where it saw wide viewership. June 10, 2019 | 6:34 am EDT by Brenden Moore. WICS serves the western half of the Central Illinois market while WICD serves the eastern portion. In 1967, Plains Television merged WCHU and WICD into a new full-power station on UHF channel 15 under the WICD calls, but operating under the WCHU license. However, WICD airs separate commercial inserts and legal identifications. (see above) The movies included many of Hollywoods classic films from the Warner Brothers and MGM libraries. Most commercials were either done live or live on tape from the studios of WICS. One of the more "infamous" pre-emptions was that of "Star Trek" which was replaced by airing off-network reruns of "Laramie." Quotation[6] = "'The site that everyone that works in TV News turns to' - NPR "; Gus Gordon might be best known to residents of central Illinois as the Chief Meteorologist at ABC NewsChannel 20 for over 22 years (February of 1990-May of 2012). Gus Gordon(weather), Don Hickman, Susan Finzen(anchors), Paul Wappel(sports) (courtesy WICS), Rebroadcast of vintage video showing Don Hickman and staff (courtesy of WICS). This probably wasn't met favorably by NBC, but it seems that it didn't stop WICS from doing it. _taboola.push({flush: true}); 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 | The History of WICS, Channel 20, Springfield, IL. (YouTube). A website has all the details about the "Acri Creature Feature", On Sunday mornings when other TV stations were offering religious or public affairs programming, WICS and WICD were giving us the "Sunday Morning Movie." During the Summer of 2004, it was announced that WAND would become the market's NBC station. Quotation[7] = "'FTVLive Delivers some of the TV World's Biggest Scoops' - Tonawanda News "; The situation with WICS/WICD wasunique when it came to Saturday Night Live. Although identifying as a separate station in its own right, WICD is considered . As mentioned above, WICS frequently pre-empted prime time programming to insert its own programming. These paid commercial programs would pop up in March, June, August, and even December. Read more about those struggles in "Pictures on the Prairie" available by clicking on the link above. He later would be at CNN for over 20 years and at WXIA in Atlanta before moving to a role in public relations and working for the United Way in Atlanta. List of news presenters by nationality American news anchors. He worked as the main anchor of the 5, 6, and 10 pm news. As mentioned above, WICS frequently pre-empted prime time programming to insert its own programming. However, WICS' signal was not nearly strong enough to reach the eastern portion of the area. With the eventual relaxation of ownership limits, Sinclair soon took the stations off the market and retained them. They might have had a strange talent, demonstrated a stunt, had a peculiar occupation.I think you get the idea. The weekend edition of the prime time news will continue to be a market-wide simulcast on WRSP and WCCU. WICS (channel 20) is a television station licensed to Springfield, Illinois, United States, affiliated with ABC. WICS would air paid religious programs by a professional evangelist, as well as paid info-commercials on behalf of charitable organizations. Here's a sample segment from "Real People" about an ugly dog contest. Although, that wasn't all. This along with the erection of a new taller tower in 1958 would be a part of an expansion effort that would bring virtually all of the central Illinois market NBC programming. Blocks NBC affil WAND came in second. Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst (HMTF), an investment firm controlled by then-Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars owner Tom Hicks, owned a large block of Sunrise stock. // ====================================== WCCU's advertising sales operation is also based out of WICD's studios. December 21, 2011 | 2:42 pm EST by TVNewsCheck, State Journal-Register | WICS would broadcast St. Louis Cardinal Baseball during the era as well. The two stations are counted as a single unit for ratings purposes. Anchor Leaves Station without a Word (Thanks to Sinclair) October 28, 2016 / Scott Jones. On September 5, 2005, the two stations swapped affiliations with WAND and became ABC affiliates as part of a larger national deal between LIN and NBC that also involved WDTN in Dayton, Ohio (who swapped affiliations with WICS/WICD's Dayton sister station WKEF the year before). The union had represented six employees until its contract expired onNov. 15. WICS also pre-empted "Saturday Night Live" for a long period of time replacing it with a local-originated movie which allowed for more local ad sales than what was available during "SNL." Brittany Hardaway joined 13 WREX as an anchor for the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts in July of 2021. The titles included City Life, Advance Notice and Saturday Report. All three of which were simulcast on sister station WICD in Champaign. Click on the button to see the program schedule from the dates indicated above. Springfield, Illinois Area Sports Reporter/Anchor WYMT Jun 2016 - Jun 2018 2 years 1 month. 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. I deeply regret that. // Free for all; but please leave in this header. Bob Lee for the vast majority of program titles screen grabs if(window.ImageLoader) window.ImageLoader.bootstrap({}, document);Squarespace.afterBodyLoad(Y); Anchor Leaves Station without a Word (Thanks to Sinclair). And during Wednesday mornings broadcast, Crain had had enough. "Real People" ran from 1979 to 1984 on NBC. The switch was to take place on Labor Day of 2005. 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. Viewers have been wondering what happened to WICS (Springfield) Anchor Maggie Poteau? This popular horror movie feature was produced at WQAD, Channel 8 in Moline, Illinois, and was syndicated to KCRG-TV(Cedar Rapids, Iowa), along with WEEK-TV(Peoria), and across central Illinois on WICS and WICD. It features Elizabeth Wooley, Jerry Lambert, and reporter Catie Sheehan. In 1964, it moved to its current studios on East Cook Street in East Springfield. Although, that wasn't all. June 7, 2019 | 6:43 am EDT by Bernard Schoenburg, Sinclair Broadcast Group said Thursday that International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union Number 51 is no longer representing Sinclair employees at its ABC affiliate WICS Springfield, Ill. (DMA 88). WICD's transmitter is near the border between Illinois and Indiana, and WICD was carried on most cable systems on the Illinois side of the Terre Haute market. Local SNL fans objected in a big way..in fact the backlash was huge! Joe Crain, a WICS Springfield, Ill., meterologist since 2004, disappeared from the weather report after ad-libbing June 5 about the "Code Red" moniker that station owner Sinclair Broadcast Group implemented as a severe-weather alert. function showQuotation(){document.write(Quotation[whichQuotation]);} In the case of WICS/WICD, it was a late movie. Groundbreaking sports broadcaster and Springfield native Fred Hickman, best known for anchoring CNN's "Sports Tonight," died Wednesday. 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former wics news anchors