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News: Eyewitness News
Previous
News: Newsline 9, Mid Florida News
Etc:
Became the
dominant TV news operation in Central Florida
after knocking off Channels 2 and 6, claiming the
top-rated newscast in 1978. ... Has had the No. 1
early evening newscast ever since -- an
impressive streak of nearly 30 years. ... Ratings
for its early-evening news are often higher than
those of its competitors combined. ... First
local color TV newscast ... Years later, in early
1980s, started the second 5:30 news in the
market. ... Also started the first 5 p.m. news in
market, "Live at 5." ... Added the
second station-owned Doppler radar in market,
originaly called the "Live, Early Warning
Doppler 9000 Radar Network'' (say that three
times fast). ... Airs 3-1/2 hours of local news
on Saturday mornings and 2-1/2 hours on Sunday
mornings. ... Former anchors/reporters include
Natalie Allen (CNN), Deborah Roberts (wife of
Today weatherman Al Roker and formerly of 20/20),
Wyatt Andrews (CBS), John Tesh (Entertainment
Tonight). . Produces 10 p.m. newscast, Action
News at 10, for sister station WRDQ-Channel 27.
Station
History: Went on the air in June 1958 as WLOF
-- the third station in Central Florida behind
WDBO-Channel 6 and WESH-Channel 2 ... Call
letters WLOF (We Love Orlando Florida) were
shared with a popular radio station in town. Call
letter were changed in 1963 to WFTV (Wonderful
Florida Television.)' ... Long an also-ran among
the Central Florida TV stations, the station's
fortunes turned in the late 1970s thanks in part
to ABC's strong ratings as well as an new
tranmission tower that boosted the station's
signal ... Bob Jordan, who came to WFTV as news
director/anchor in the late 1970s, led Eyewitness
News' march to No. 1. Among his innovations was
hiring the first female anchor in the market,
Carole Nelson, to anchor the noon and co-anchor 6
p.m. news. Also oversaw the move to electronic
news gathering equipment from film. ... Jordan
would leave WFTV, return again as anchor and news
director in the 1980s, leave again and then
return in the late 1990s to boost the station's
sagging news ratings back to their high levels.
... Formed Orlando's second duopoly when Cox
acquired WRDQ-Channel 27. ... On June 29, 2006,
became the first station in the station and 10th
in the nation to start broadcasting its local
news in high definition.
Digital
subchannel programming: WFTV airs its Early
Warning Doppler 9 HD weather radar on digital
channel 9.2. It previously aired ABC News Now,
when it was available during its test phase in
2004-05.
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