WOI-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WOI-TV
station_
station_slogan = Clear. Concise. Complete.
station_branding = ABC 5
analog = 5 (VHF)
digital_temporary = 59 (UHF)
digital = 5 (VHF)
subchannels = 5.1 ABC
other_chs =
affiliations = ABC
network =
founded =
airdate = February 21, 1950
location = Ames-Des Moines, Iowa
callsign_meaning = reverse spelling of "IOWa"
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers = 4 (1950-1952)
owner = Citadel Communications Company, Ltd.
licensee = Capital Communications Company, Inc.
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = Primary:
CBS (1950-1955)
Secondary:
NBC (1950-1954)
DuMont (1950-1955)
ABC (1950-1955)
NET (1952-1959)
effective_radiated_power = 100 kW (analog)
1000 kW (digital)
8200 watts (after 2009)
HAAT = 564 m (analog)
613 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 8661
coordinates = coord|41|48|32.6|N|93|36|53.7|W|type:landmark_scale:2000 (analog)
coord|41|49|48.5|N|93|36|54.6|W|type:landmark_scale:2000 (digital)
homepage = [http://www.woi-tv.com/ www.woi-tv.com]

WOI-TV is the ABC affiliate licensed to Ames in the Des Moines, Iowa market. Its studios are in West Des Moines. Its transmission tower is located near Alleman.

History

WOI-TV signed on the air on February 21, 1950. It was Iowa's second television station, following WOC-TV (now KWQC-TV) in Davenport. WOI-TV was on channel 4 before moving to channel 5 in 1952. Programming came from ABC, CBS, NBC, and the DuMont network during the station's early years, but it was a primary CBS affiliate. NBC disappeared from the schedule when WHO-TV signed on in 1954, and CBS disappeared when KRNT-TV (now KCCI) signed on in 1955, leaving channel 5 as the ABC affiliate.

WOI-TV was originally owned by Iowa State University in Ames along with its noncommercial WOI radio stations (AM 640 and FM 90.1), making it the first commercial television station in the United States to be owned by a major college. As such, it carried some educational programming from sign-on until the Des Moines Public Schools signed on KDPS-TV (channel 11, now KDIN-TV) in 1959.

On March 1, 1994, the Iowa Board of Regents sold WOI-TV to Citadel Communications (unrelated to radio station owner Citadel Broadcasting) while keeping the WOI radio stations, and Capital moved WOI-TV's studios to a temporary location in Des Moines later that year. In 1998 WOI-TV moved to its current studios on Westown Parkway in West Des Moines.

WOI-TV was home to America's longest running local children's program, "The Magic Window". The show ran continuously from 1951 through 1994, and was hosted by Betty Lou Varnum for all but three of those years.

WOI has long been in third place in the Des Moines market, in large part because ABC was not on par with CBS and NBC until the 1970s.

On September 11, 2006, WOI dropped the "Eyewitness News" brand (which the station only used for five years) and rebranded themselves as "ABC5", using a rendition of the circle logo.

Personalities and programming

Current personalities on WOI-TV's "ABC5 News" broadcasts (as of July 2008) include:

Anchors
* Chris Flanagan- 5, 6 & Ten at 10 M-F
* Rachel Pierce - 5, 6 & Ten at 10 M-F
* Stephanie Angleson- Mornings & Midday M-F
* Amanda Krenz- Weekend Anchor & Weekday ReporterESP:Live Weather
* Brad Edwards- Chief Meteorologist
* Sara Kelley- Morning & Midday Meteorologist
* Chris Maiers- Weekend MeteorologistSports
* John Walters- Sports Director, M-F 6 & Ten at 10
* Eric Murphy- Weekend Sports Anchor
* Dave Zawilinski- Sports ReporterReporters
* Bobbi Bergman
* Sarah Danik
* Whitney Givens
* Hillary Mintz
* Christina Palladino
* James A. Swierzbin
* Jay Villwock

Former Personalities & Employees
* Ashton Altieri- Morning Meteorologist (now with KUSA-TV in Denver, CO)
* Brian Armentrout- News Reporter (now with WCFT in Birmingham, AL)
* Ed Beebout- News Anchor/Reporter (now with KFTY in Santa Rosa, CA)
* Joy Benedict- News Anchor/Reporter (now with WEWS in Cleveland, OH)
* Lynsay Clutter- News Reporter (now with WTHR in Indianapolis, IN)
* Kristen Cullen- News Reporter (now with WCSH in Portland, ME)
* Katie Janssen- News Reporter (now a morning anchor/reporter with KELO-TV in Sioux Falls, SD)
* Sonya Heitshusen - News Anchor/Reporter (now with WHO-TV in Des Moines)
* Josh Howe - Sports Anchor/Reporter (now with KRDO in Colorado Springs)
* Sunny Layne- Reporter (now a morning anchor with KWWL-TV in Waterloo)
* Erin Little- Morning Meteorologist (now with KMBC in Kansas City, MO)
* Zubin Mehenti- Weekend Sports Anchor (now with KWGN in Denver, CO)
* Chris Mycoskie- News Reporter (now a sports anchor with WGMB and WVLA in Baton Rouge, LA)
* Carrie Netherton- News Reporter (now with KOKI in Tulsa, OK)
* Tina Potthoff- Morning Anchor (now a public relations spokesperson for the Iowa Lottery)
* Metinka Slater- Morning Meteorologist (now Weekend Morning Meteorologist with KCCI in Des Moines)

In addition to ABC programming, WOI-TV airs syndicated programs such as "Entertainment Tonight", "The Insider", "Martha", "Judge Judy", and reruns of "ER" and "24". The station also airs Iowa State University football and basketball games. WOI-TV does not carry ABC World News Now, instead the station signs off each night; one of the few remaining stations in the country to do so.

Transmission aerials

(90.1). The structure is one of the very few masts to have elevators.

The WOI-Tower was completed in 1972 and is property of Local TV, the owner of WHO-TV.

References

* Stein, Jeff, "Making Waves: The People and Places of Iowa Broadcasting" (ISBN 0-9718323-1-5). Cedar Rapids, Iowa: WDG Communications, 2004.

External links

* [http://www.myabc5.com/ WOI-TV's website]
* [http://www.desmoinesbroadcasting.com/woi-tv/woi-tv-main.html WOI-TV historical artifacts] from DesMoinesBroadcasting.com
*Structurae|id=s0013986|title=WOI Television Tower
*ASR|key=606732|number=1043707
*http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b7116
*TVQ|WOI-TV
*BIA|WOI|TV|TV