When WICS moved from the former Leland Hotel studios, it moved into a large facility located at 2680 East Cook Street in Springfield. This full-powered, full-color facility would replace Channel 33, 24 and 75 in central Illinois and would bring rural viewers from Crawfordsville, Indiana to Decatur, Illinois NBC programming. When WICS moved from the former Leland Hotel studios, it moved into a large facility located at 2680 East Cook Street in Springfield. As mentioned above, WICS frequently pre-empted prime time programming to insert its own programming. Champaign's sister station was allowed to break from the WICS program schedule and it would air "Saturday Night Live" as broadcast on NBC. Broadcasting-Telecasting Magazine // Do not change anything below this line Also, you'll learn more about that full-powered east central Illinois station at the WICD page (which is coming soon). var whichQuotation=Math.round(Math.random()*(Q-1)); In 1983, as part of a publicity stunt, the cast toured the country via a train called the "Real People Express." It seems that Saturday Night Live replaced a time period in which local stations previously programmed it to air movies and other syndicated programming. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology from Iowa State, and in 2006, was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from Iowa State University. When the station was to go on the air in late January or early February of 1967, the area suffered a major ice storm. 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. Springfield, Illinois Area Sports Reporter/Anchor WYMT Jun 2016 - Jun 2018 2 years 1 month. It was owned by Plains Television Partners and was a low-powered full-time satellite of Springfield's WICS. Vice President at Frontline Public Strategies, Inc. Senior public affairs & media relations strategist, Founder of Frontline Public Strategies. WICS, WICD, WCIA, WRSP, WCCU, WAND, WBUI and WCIX are now broadcasting with ATSC 3.0 technology. Programming WICS from 1979 to 1986 This left WICS and WICD without a major network affiliation. A spokesman for the stations parent, Sinclair Broadcast Group, confirmed Wednesday night that Joe was let go., TVNewsCheck | Be sure to check other regions around Springfield, IL to locate the records of more people. WICS would preempt NBC programming to air syndicated programs during prime time, in which the station could charge prime rates to more advertisers as there was more commercial time available during those syndicated shows. 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. It was not until December 2012 that local newscasts seen on WICS were upgraded to HD. Us @2023 FTVLive LLC Bomke's broadcast career began in Central Illinois as a morning anchor and reporter for WICD-TV in Champaign and WICS-TV in her hometown of Springfield. 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. Groundbreaking sports broadcaster and Springfield native Fred Hickman, best known for anchoring CNN's "Sports Tonight," died Wednesday. Even as WCHU went on the air in 1960, plans were being made to bring a full-powered station to east central Illinois which would re-broadcast the signal of WICS and bring a city-grade signal to an even larger area than that of WCIA. Most commercials were either done live or live on tape from the studios of WICS. The switch was to take place on Labor Day of 2005. Local newscasts, produced by WICS, are simulcast on both stations. This is a 1996 report on a local Springfield pastry tradition, Mel-O-Cream Donuts. WICS continued to be owned by Plains Television Partners from its beginnings through 1986 and co-owned with sister station WICD in Champaign. On October 7, 2013, the weekday edition of NewsChannel at 9 was expanded to an hour. 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. And during Wednesday mornings broadcast, Crain had had enough. 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. YouTube videos are the property of the individual copyright holders and only posted for their historical significance. 1976 Fall TV montage of shows broadcast during the week. Frederick Hickman (October 17, 1956 - November 9, 2022) was an American sports broadcaster with CNN, TBS, YES Network, and ESPN.He was later an anchor and managing editor for the evening newscast of the African-American cable news channel Black News Channel.Hickman was an original co-host of the CNN show Sports Tonight in 1980. 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. On November 17, 2010, WICS became available to Dish Network customers in Terre Haute, Indiana as the ABC affiliate since the market lacked an affiliate of its own. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. 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. Quotation[7] = "'FTVLive Delivers some of the TV World's Biggest Scoops' - Tonawanda News "; The Final Years of Plains Television Partners and WICS. 1988 was the 50th anniversary of Springfield's Mel-O-Cream Donuts and Dave Heller did a report on the local company. On April 7, 2015 despite this significant reduction, WICD began airing a full sixty-minute Champaign-based prime time newscast (weeknights at 9) on WCCU entitled Fox Champaign News at Nine. 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. June 11, 2019 | 6:23 am EDT by John O'Connor, 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. In 1964, it moved to its current studios on East Cook Street in East Springfield. Contact [2] WCFN's prime time broadcast would be eventually canceled by WCIA on September 28, 2009. (YouTube). 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. Most of the time it was to air more big dollar commercials during syndicated programming. Others in the news staff included: Dale Coleman, Nick Alexander, Kyle Hill, Dave Lange, Alan Crane, and others. | KHQA-TV (Quincy, IL) It was an unprecedented moment in history as former President Donald Trump and his legal team navigated the historic second impeachment trial. . Effingham Area Weather Forecast. 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. Gatton joined WICS in February 2017 and has been a news anchor and reporter since then. Multimedia journalists based at WICD's Champaign studios still provide coverage of the eastern areas of the market. 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. Here is a segment from a weekday feature on a local farmer's market with Thomas Patrick and an interview conducted by Joe Crain. "He was an instant star," recalled Vann, who retired in 2019 after 42 years on television and now lives in Asheville, North Carolina. Ann Marshall WICS/WICD, however, did air The Point (a one-minute conservative political commentary) that was also controversial and a requirement of all Sinclair-owned stations with newscasts until the series was discontinued in December 2006. That movie run would fill the 9:30 to 11 or 11:15 am time slot. 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. Investigative Reporting, Journalism, Editing, Broadcast Journalism, Writing, Video, Avid, Final Cut Public Information Officer at Illinois State Treasurer's Office. Randy Miller and his Facebook Photo Collection Pictured below are few snapshots from their visit in Springfield, IL supplied by WICS. Although identifying as a separate station in its own right, WICD is considered . On Monday, he might not have a job to return to. It was decided WICD being in a more liberal university community would air the 1970's version of SNL. WICS (channel 20) is a television station licensed to Springfield, Illinois, United States, affiliated with ABC. By 1958, WICS was an exclusive NBC affiliate. Kathryn Dinardo Meteorologists at local stations under Sinclairs auspices are encouraged or at times, forced into declaring code red days, the decision often made by management. The NBC lineup included Hollywood Squares, High Rollers, Wheel of Fortune, Mind Readers, Password Plus, Days of Our Lives, Doctors and Another World. By3pm, the lineup featured all syndicated off-network fare, including I Love Lucy, Gilligan's Island, Batman, The Brady Bunch and Happy Days, Again"(the syndicated title of Happy Days). During the Summer of 2004, it was announced that WAND would become the market's NBC station. WICS News Anchors. 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). December 6, 2022 | 1:16 pm EST by TVN Staff. 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. By Merrill Knox on Nov. 21, 2011 - 11:14 AM. It features Ric Kearbey, Liz Foster, Vince DeMentri, Shantel Middleton, Brett Baldeck, Garrett Brnger, and Donnie Tillman. Like the other stations in the market, WICS made the complete change over to color during the 1960s. On September 11, 2006, a news share agreement was established with WRSP/WCCU (then separately controlled). 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. As a result, a nightly prime time newscast began airing on those two stations that was jointly produced by WICS/WICD. One minute she's on the news, the next minute she's gone. 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. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 42. [3], On March 26, 2011, WICD ceased airing its own newscasts on weekends opting to simulcast those from WICS. Urbana Free Library, The CompleteDirectoryto Prime Time Network Shows Quotation[9] = "'FTVLive.com Scooped Everyone With News' - About.com "; Bob Lee for the vast majority of program titles screen grabs This is a WICS 10 pm weathercast from February 4, 2014. That is false. Copyright 2023 NewsCheckMedia LLC, 238 Crosshill Road, Wynnewood, PA 19096 | 610-649-7989, DMA 85 (CHAMPAIGN-SPRINGFIELD-DECATUR, IL), DMA 84 (CHAMPAIGN-SPRINGFIELD-DECATUR, ILL.), DMA 83 (CHAMPAIGN-SPRINGFIELD-DECATUR, IL), DMA 82 (CHAMPAIGN-SPRINGFIELD-DECATUR, IL). These paid commercial programs would pop up in March, June, August, and even December. 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. HMTF was majority stockholder of the LIN TV Corporation, then-owner of WAND. Included with the change was a new set at the Springfield studios and updated Sinclair corporate graphics. 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. They are subject to removal by the contributors and YouTube. Now he might be out of a job", "A weatherman slammed his station's constant 'Code Red' warnings. We are pleased that as an [], February 27, 2017 | 6:55 am EST by TVNewsCheck. That left a huge part of the rural areas including Charleston, Tuscola, and other east-centralcommunities without NBC network service from 1959 through 1967. Accordingly in 1959, Plains Television signed-on WCHU in Champaign as a low-powered satellite of WICS. His characters were Vincent Hedges(a vampire), Emmit(the hunchback), Beauregard(the caveman), and Bertie and Bernie(the skull). ".and so it goes.". Quotation [12] = "'has handed in his resignation, according to FTVLive.com' - TVNewser" 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 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. WICS-TV in Springfield and former station meteorologist Joe Crain say in the Monday joint statement that they've reached a "private agreement" and are "moving on from their dispute . The History of WICS, Channel 20, Springfield, IL. A short voice over promo for NBC Saturday Night at the Movies from 1975. Plains Television Partners held onto WICD making it the final property owned by the company before finally selling to Guy Gannett. 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. | They might have had a strange talent, demonstrated a stunt, had a peculiar occupation.I think you get the idea. --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). John Belushi who was with the show from 1975 to 1979, Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin were there from 1975-1980. Although the WRSP/WCCU newscast features market wide coverage, including contributions from WICD reporters based in Champaign, there is a separate weeknight weather segment for WRSP and WCCU that was seen. 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