WNEM-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WNEM-TV
city = Bay City
station_
station_slogan = Coverage You
Can Count On
station_branding = TV 5
My 5 (on DT2)
analog = 5 (VHF)
digital = 22 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = CBS
MyNetworkTV (on WNEM-DT2)
The Detroit Lions Television Network
network =
founded =
airdate = February 16, 1954
location = Bay City / Saginaw /
Midland / Flint, Michigan
callsign_meaning = North Eastern Michigan Corporation
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Meredith Corporation
licensee =
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = ABC (1954-1958)
DuMont (1954-1956)
NBC (primary, 1954-1995)
effective_radiated_power = 100 kW (analog)
1,000 kW (digital)
HAAT = 305 m (analog)
275.3 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 41221
coordinates = coord|43|28|14.6|N|83|50|35.6|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.wnem.com/ wnem.com]

WNEM-TV, channel 5, is the CBS-affiliated television station for Mid-Michigan that is licensed to Bay City. Its transmitter is located on Becker Road in Indiantown. Owned by the Meredith Corporation, the station has studios on North Franklin Street in downtown Saginaw. Syndicated programming on the station includes: "Jeopardy!", "Wheel of Fortune", "Oprah", and "Tyra". Meredith Corporation also operates "My 5", the MyNetworkTV affiliate for the same market, on WNEM-TV's second digital subchannel.

History

WNEM was founded by its namesake (the Northeastern Michigan Corporation) on February 16, 1954 as a NBC affiliate. Originally, its main studios were located at Bishop International Airport in Flint with auxiliary studios in its city of license, Bay City. In the 1960s, it moved its main studios to the transmitter site in Indiantown, an unincorporated community just east of Saginaw. During its first four years, WNEM had a secondary affiliation with ABC, sharing programming from that network with WKNX-TV channel 57 (now WEYI-TV, channel 25) until 1958 when WJRT-TV signed on and took the affiliation. WNEM also aired programming from DuMont until that network dissolved. Gerity bought WNEM in the late-1950s and sold it to the Meredith Corporation in 1969. In the mid-1980s, the station moved its primary studios to their current location in downtown Saginaw. Today, the Becker Road complex is home to Delta College's Buena Vista Campus in addition to WNEM's transmitter. By the late-1980s, mirroring a trend in many other television markets, WNEM was the dominant station in Mid-Michigan. On January 16, 1995, WNEM and WEYI traded networks and WNEM became a CBS affiliate.

This switch occurred just after Detroit's WJBK announced its move from CBS to Fox. This move enabled CBS to have a signal for the northern part of the Metro Detroit area, after CBS was unable to get WXYZ-TV or WDIV to switch. WNEM has a city-grade signal to Lapeer County, Michigan, and grade B signals in northern Oakland, extreme northern Macomb, and Saint Clair counties Michigan, and in Sarnia, Ontario. WTOL, in Toledo and WLNS in Lansing-Jackson, both long-time CBS affiliates--along with WNEM, would have served as CBS affiliates for Detroit in case CBS could not get a full-power (or any) affiliate in Detroit. WWJ-TV, which CBS acquired, did not become a full city-grade CBS affiliate for Detroit until a signal upgrade in 1999. Also on January 16, 1995, WNEM gained secondary affiliation with both UPN & The WB and aired programming from the two networks late at night. The station relinquished the secondary WB affiliation in the early-2000s to WBSF. WNEM dropped CBS's daytime soap opera "Guiding Light" in 1996 due to low ratings making it one of two CBS stations in the nation that do not carry the program (the other is KOVR in Sacramento, California). WNEM has also televised three home games of the local OHL hockey team, the Saginaw Spirit.

Detroit Lions coverage

WNEM-TV is an affiliate of The Detroit Lions Television Network, which airs pre-season games as well as the weekly syndicated show "The Ford Lions Report" during the regular season.

Digital television

* In mid-March of every year, a third digital subchannel is activated that carries extra early round games of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, and WNEM Radio audio when there is no coverage over a standby title card. The subchannel is deactivated after the tournament.

Analog-to-digital conversion

After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009 [http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf] , WNEM will remain on its current pre-transition channel number, 22. However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers will display WNEM's virtual channel as 5.

News operation

According to Nielsen ratings, WNEM still has the highest-rated news operation in Mid-Michigan. Since April 24, 2006, the station has been producing a nightly 10 o'clock newscast on Fox affiliate WSMH. This practice is possible because of a news share agreement between the two stations. On Monday nights during the 10 o'clock broadcast, the "Fugitive Files" segment airs. In addition, WNEM produces news segments for sister radio station WNEM-AM 1250. The station operates a Genesee County Bureau at Gateway Centre in Flint suburb Mundy Township. In December of 2008, this bureau will move to a new location in the first floor of the Wade Trim Building on Saginaw Street in downtown Flint. WNEM broadcasts "Better Mid-Michigan" on weekday mornings at 9. It is repeated on "My 5" at 6 P.M. On weekday mornings, WNEM-DT2 airs the nationally syndicated morning show, "The Daily Buzz", from 6 to 9. During the week, that station broadcasts a newscast at 4 P.M. This production is known as "My 5 News at 4" and can be viewed live on WNEM's website. "My 5" also rebroadcasts WNEM's weeknight 6 o'clock newscast at 7. The station operates their own weather radar. Known as "First Warn 5 Doppler", it can be seen via live streaming video on WNEM's website.

News team

Anchors
*Jocelyn Connell - weekday mornings and Noon
**"Better Mid-Michigan" co-host
*Bill Walsh - weeknights at 4 and 10
**reporter
*Erica Donerson - weeknights at 4, 5:30, and 10
*Sam Merrill - weeknights at 5, 6, and 11
*Katie O'Mara - weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6, and 11
**"Buckle Your Baby" spokesperson
*Craig McMorris - weekday mornings
**reporter
*Adrienne Broaddus - weekend mornings
**reporter
*Amy Andrews - weekends evenings
**reporter

"First Warn 5 Meteorologists"
*Darrin Bradley - Chief seen on weeknights
*Chris Gloninger (Certified Broadcast Meteorologist) - weeknights at 4
*Mike Cameron (Certified Broadcast Meteorologist) - weekday mornings and Noon
**"Better Mid-Michigan" co-host
*Cindy Althoff - weekends
*Eric Jylha - fill-in
**reporter

Sports
*Scot Johnson - Director seen on weeknights at 6, 10, and 11
**host of "Sports Extra"
*Jason Fielder - weekend evenings
**sports reporter
*Darryl Sellers - sports reporter
**fill-in sports anchor

Reporters
*Kim Russell - Genesee County Bureau
*Bill Walsh
*Brian Wood
*Jay Brandow
*Julie Banovic
*Adrienne Broaddus
*Randy Wimbley

Logos

External links

*TVQ|WNEM-TV