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| {{Infobox Broadcast | | |||
| call_letters = WFLD-TV| | |||
| city = | | |||
| station_logo = ]| | |||
| station_slogan = ''Asking ''THE'' Questions''| | |||
| station_branding = Fox Chicago <small>(general)</small><br />Fox Chicago News <small>(newscasts)</small>| | |||
| digital = 31 (])| | |||
| picture format = 480p (SD) / 1080i (HD) | |||
| other_chs = | | |||
| affiliations = ] (1986-Present)| | |||
| network = | | |||
| founded = | | |||
| airdate = ]| | |||
| location = ]| | |||
| callsign_meaning = ]<br />(the station's founding owner)| | |||
| former_callsigns = | | |||
| owner = ]| | |||
| licensee = Fox Television Stations, Inc.| | |||
| sister_stations = ]| | |||
| former_channel_numbers = ''']:'''<br>32 (1966–2009)| | |||
| former_callsigns = ''']:'''<br>WFLD-TV (1966-1986)<br>''']:'''<br>WFLD-DT (2000-2009)| | |||
| former_affiliations = ] (1966-1986)| | |||
| effective_radiated_power = 1000 ]| | |||
| HAAT = 475 ]| | |||
| class = | | |||
| facility_id = 22211| | |||
| coordinates = {{coord|41|52|44|N|87|38|10|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}| | |||
| homepage = http://www.myfoxchicago.com|}} | |||
| '''WFLD-TV''' channel 32.1 (RF channel 31) is a television station owned-and-operated (O&O) by ]'s ], based in ]. WFLD is co-owned with ] (channel 50), Chicago's ] flagship station. WFLD's studios and offices are located in Chicago's ] neighborhood and its transmitter sits on top of ]. | |||
| WFLD-TV airs over 35 hours of news every week, along with airing syndicated first-run talk, court and reality shows, off-network sitcoms, Fox's primetime network programming and sports. | |||
| ==History== | |||
| The station signed on January 4, 1966 from its original studios within the ] complex on ]. Its founding owner was ], which also owned the '']'' and '']'' and was owned by heirs of the ] department store chain. The station was christened the "Station of Tomorrow" by the ''Sun-Times'' in an April 1966 article because of its innovative technical developments in broadcasting its signal. It also broadcast news from the ''Sun-Times/Daily News'' newsroom. | |||
| Field Enterprises sold controlling interest in WFLD to ] in 1972, and the two companies' new partnership resulted in WFLD joining Kaiser's stable of ] independent stations in ], ], ], ], ] and ]. In 1977, Kaiser ended the partnership by selling its share of the stations back to Field Enterprises. during the 1983-1984 TV season. From 1966 to 1986, WFLD carried a wide variety of off-network syndication shows primarily from the 1950s and 1960s, and first-run syndicated TV series such as '']'', 1975-1978, '']'', 1977-1978, and '']''/'']'', 1977-1978. '']'' an ] late night ] produced by ] that was carried by the station during the 1983-1984 TV season. | |||
| The station also aired movies, and local public affairs programming. To counter-program against its more established ] rivals, channel 32 offered documentaries, adult dramas, westerns, and live sports, though for much of the time it trailed ] (channel 9) in the ratings among Chicago's independent stations until the late 1970s. When it won bids to air shows in syndication such as '']'' (which it continues to air to this day,) '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'' and others, the station finally beat WGN-TV in the ratings, and the two stations continued to go head-to-head throughout the 1980s. | |||
| In 1968, WFLD acquired broadcast rights to the ] baseball team from WGN-TV, carrying them initially until 1972, and again from 1982 to 1989. During the 1980s WFLD also aired games of the ]'s ], until WGN-TV acquired broadcast rights to both teams in 1990 (Chicago-area attorney and real estate investor ] owns both franchises). WFLD was also noteworthy as the longtime home of the local ] program ''].'' There were two versions of this show; the original began in 1971 as ''Screaming Yellow Theatre'' with local ] ] doing scary voices and later wearing a long blond wig. Bishop became such a hit with viewers that the show was popularly called "Svengoolie" after his character (although the name didn't change), and this version lasted until 1973. The second version began in 1979 with ] as "Son of Svengoolie", and it ran until 1986. The show currently airs on ] (channel 26). | |||
| In 1983, Field sold WFLD to ] as part of a company-wide liquidation.<ref>This was not the first time for either company regarding WFLD. Field had attempted to sell the station to Metromedia as early as 1969, per: (], March 5, 1969).</ref> At that time programming changed slightly but graphics were abruptly changed to reflect the new ownership. Metromedia's television stations, including WFLD, were sold to the ] in 1986, and they formed the core of the new Fox Broadcasting Company. | |||
| Following the 1986 sale to the new Fox ownership, the station continued to compete aggressively in the market. Now known on-air as "Fox 32", the station expanded its news presence as well. Fox's news presence began in 1987 with the premiere of the half-hour ''Fox 32 News at 7'' (touted as "the news that doesn't get home before you do") along with a half-hour 11 p.m. newscast<ref>TV Guide Chicago Issue #1798</ref> which lasted until both newscasts were consolidated to compete with then-independent WGN's 9 p.m. newscast. The newscast was moved back to 7 p.m. by the fall of 1988,<ref>TV Guide Chicago Issue #1853</ref> and returned to 9 p.m. by the fall of 1989,<ref>TV Guide Chicago Issue #1902</ref> in anticipation of Fox's expanding prime time schedule. Sometime in 1991, the newscast rebranded its news operation from "Fox 32 News" to "Fox News Chicago" (though most verbal references are to simply "Fox News"). The station started airing a morning newscast first called ''Good Day Chicago'', which later became ''Fox Thing in the Morning'' in place of the morning cartoon block. | |||
| The afternoon cartoon block, which became '']'' by 1992, continued on the station, as well as the top-rated off-network sitcoms in the evening. It also added more first-run talk shows and court shows. When Fox ended the weekday kids block in January 2002, WFLD added more first-run reality and talk shows to the lineup. | |||
| In the mid-1990s, after several years of being known on the air as "Fox 32" (or even "Fox Thirty-Two"), the station rebranded itself as "Fox Chicago" due to the perceived embarrassment of being on a ] analog channel in the third-largest market in the US where ] (now ]) is on a ] analog channel, ] on channel 9. WFLD is currently the only Fox O&O that does not use the usual Fox branding of "Fox (Channel Number)", even though most Chicagoans still refer to WFLD as "Fox 32" or "channel 32." (Its ] did this same practice for some time when Fox bought it from Paramount in the mid-1990s.) | |||
| In 1995, WFLD became the unofficial "home" station of the ] when Fox acquired the television rights to the ] of the ], of which the Bears are a member. It is now the official station of the Bears, airing preseason telecasts in addition to most regular season tilts, as well as ''Bears Gameday Live'' and Gamenight Live, which follows ''The Final Word'' on Sunday evenings during the season. Fox purchased WPWR-TV in 2002, and WPWR's operations were integrated into WFLD's facilities in downtown Chicago. | |||
| In January 2003, WFLD dropped the Fox Saturday morning cartoon block, by then outsourced by Fox to producer ] and subsequently rebranded ], and the programs were moved to WPWR which aired them in the same four-hour time block until the block went off the air on December 27, 2008. WFLD was the first of the original six Fox-owned stations (owned prior to the New World stations purchase) to drop Fox's Saturday children's programming, and one of the few non-New World Fox O&Os (the other is ] in the ]) that currently does not run ''],'' which WPWR now airs. | |||
| On September 11, 2006, WFLD, alongside with other Fox-owned stations, relaunched its website under the MyFox platform, now located at . | |||
| ===Callsign history=== | |||
| Channel 32 Chicago (] number 22211) began broadcasting as "WFLD" on January 4, 1966. The station's ] link was WDF-28 The callsign was changed to "WFLD-TV" on August 29, 1979, and changed back to "WFLD" on May 7, 1986.<ref>http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=22211&Callsign=WFLD</ref> Digital channel 31 used the "WFLD-DT" callsign from the inauguration of ] broadcasting until the shutoff of analog channel 32 on June 26, 2009, when the "WFLD" callsign was then transferred over to the digital signal on channel 31. | |||
| ==Digital television== | |||
| At 11:59 p.m. on June 12, 2009, WFLD discontinued regular programming on its analog signal. WFLD was the only station in Chicago which participated in the "]" program until its analog transmitter on top of the ] was turned off for good on June 26, 2009.<ref name="FCC Nightlight"></ref> | |||
| WFLD remains on its current digital channel 31, whose transmitter had been upgraded to operate at its full 1 ] legal maximum power in early 2009. Digital television receivers display WFLD's ] as 32 through the use of ]. | |||
| After the shutdown of the channel 32 analog transmitter upon the conclusion of the ] on June 26, 2009, the "WFLD" callsign was legally transferred from the now-defunct analog channel 32 to digital channel 31 and the "WFLD-DT" callsign was discontinued. | |||
| ==News operation== | |||
| WFLD broadcasts a total of 39.5 hours of local news a week (seven and 1/2 hours on weekdays and one hour each on Saturdays and Sundays), second to WGN-TV (8.5 hours on weekdays and one hour each on Saturdays and Sundays) in the Chicago market. WFLD is one of only two remaining Fox owned-and-operated stations without a weeknight early evening newscast, and is the second largest Fox-owned station (in terms of market size) without an early evening newscast (the largest being West Coast flagship ] in Los Angeles). | |||
| On May 7, 2006, WFLD adopted a new look for its newscasts, featuring a updated set, new music, and new graphics. Similar appearance packages are also being rolled out to other Fox-owned stations such as ]. When the new look debuted, the main station logo wasn't changed much (only the new color scheme was added). For some time, WFLD's newscasts have had less of a ] feel than those on its Fox sisters. However, they are somewhat flashier than the other newscasts in the Chicago market. | |||
| On April 9, 2007, WFLD launched a new 10 p.m. newscast called ''The TEN'', anchored by ] and former ] and ] anchor/reporter ] which, according to the '']''' ]'s April 18, 2007 column, beat CBS O&O ]'s 10 p.m. news on its second day on the air. In September 2007, WFLD's morning newscast ''Fox News in the Morning'' was re-named ''Good Day Chicago'' for a second time. | |||
| On January 12, 2009 WFLD and ] O&O ] (channel 5) began sharing a news helicopter and its news footage in Chicago, and the agreement paves the way for a larger pooling effort.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/162072-Fox_NBC_Share_Chicago_Chopper.php|title=Fox, NBC Share Chicago Chopper|accessdate=2009-01-12}}</ref> | |||
| Currently, WFLD and ] are the only two major news stations in the ] who are not broadcasting in a "street side studio." Before May 10, 2009, WFLD was the only major station in the market not airing its newscasts in ]. The news studio was upgraded for high definition newscasts by Blyth Design and the graphics are the new Fox O&O HD graphics. The station launched its first high definition news starting with the 9 p.m. news. | |||
| Effective September 21, 2009, WFLD cancelled its 10 p.m. newscast and replaced it with reruns of '']''.<ref>, ''Chicago Tribune'', July 10, 2009</ref> The move was made because that newscast, despite its early success against WBBM-TV, was never much of a factor in the ratings. Towards the end of its run, it fell to a distant fifth behind the newscasts on WBBM-TV, WLS-TV and WMAQ-TV and "Family Guy" reruns on WGN-TV. In a statement on the cancellation of the newscast, former station Vice President and general manager Pat Mullen, said that "We’re always going to look for expansion opportunities with our local news". | |||
| The station has been one of Fox's weakest O&O stations for a number of years.{{cn|October 2010}} In recent ] sweeps periods, WFLD-TV has been mired in last place among the five major stations' late-night (9 or 10 p.m.) newscasts.{{cn|October 2010}} As such, Chicago is one of the few markets in the country whose Fox station actually trails the same market's ]-affiliated station (WGN-TV) in the local viewership ratings, from sign-on to sign-off.{{cn|October 2010}} This is primarily due to WGN-TV's relatively strong news department, local sports programming and higher-rated syndicated programming.{{cn|October 2010}} | |||
| ===News/station presentation=== | |||
| ====Newscast umbrella titles==== | |||
| *''News Scope'' (1966-1970) | |||
| *''Channel 32 News Capsule'' (1970-1979) | |||
| *''NewsTalk''/''Newscene'' (1979-1983) | |||
| *''WFLD Evening News'' (1979-1983) | |||
| *''The Nine O'Clock News'' (1983-1986) | |||
| *''Fox 32 News'' (1986–1991) | |||
| *''Fox News Chicago'' (general title; 1991–2008) | |||
| *''Fox Thing in the Morning'' (morning newscast; 1994–2001) | |||
| *''Fox News in the Morning'' (morning newscast; 2001–2007) | |||
| *''Fox Chicago News'' (2008–present) | |||
| :*''Good Day Chicago'' (weekday mornings from 4:30-10 a.m.; 1991-1994 and 2007-present) | |||
| :*''The TEN'' (10 p.m. newscast; 2007-2009) | |||
| ====Newscast titles==== | |||
| *''Fox Chicago News'' - weekdays 12 p.m. and nightly at 9 p.m. | |||
| *''Good Day Chicago'' - weekday mornings 4:30a-10 a.m. | |||
| *''Fox Chicago Sunday'' - Sundays 8:30 a.m. (political affairs-centered program) | |||
| ====Station slogans==== | |||
| {{col-begin}} | |||
| {{col-2}} | |||
| *''In Chicago, The Choice Is Yours, on Channel 32'' (1978–1983; local version of Field Communications ad campaign) | |||
| *''Channel 32, 30 Years/Fox Chicago, 30 Years/Fox 32, 30 Years'' (1996–1997) | |||
| *''Fox Chicago NOW'' (2002–2006) | |||
| *''Local Coverage. First.'' (2005–2006) | |||
| *''The Most Powerful Name in Local News'' (2006–2008) | |||
| {{col-2}} | |||
| *''Fox Chicago: Asking THE Questions'' (2008–present) | |||
| *''So Fox Chicago'' (2009–present; local version of Fox ad campaign) | |||
| {{col-end}} | |||
| ====News music packages==== | |||
| *''FOX O&O News'' (1987–1991) | |||
| *''Fox News Chicago'' (1991–1992) | |||
| *''FOX News Chicago News Package'' (1992–1994) | |||
| *''WFLD News'' (1992–1994) | |||
| *''WFLD 1994 News'' (1994–1995) | |||
| *''FOX '95'' (1995-1995) | |||
| *''First on FOX'' (1995–1997) | |||
| *''WSVN News'' (1997–1999) | |||
| *''WFLD 1999 News'' (1999–2001) | |||
| *''Streaming News'' (2001–present) | |||
| *''The Viper'' (2004–2006) | |||
| *''FOX Affiliate News Theme'' (2006–present) | |||
| {{inc-video}} | |||
| ===On-air staff=== | |||
| ====Current on-air staff==== | |||
| '''Anchors''' | |||
| *Kori Chambers - weekday mornings "Good Day Chicago" (4:30-7 a.m.); also 7-10 a.m. newsreader and noon reporter | |||
| *Anna Davlantes - weekday mornings "Good Day Chicago" (7-10 a.m.) | |||
| *Patrick Elwood - weekdays at noon; also morning reporter | |||
| *Dawn Hasbrouck - weekday mornings "Good Day Chicago" (4:30-7 a.m.) | |||
| *] - weekdays at noon | |||
| *] - weekday mornings "Good Day Chicago" (7-10 a.m.) | |||
| *] - weeknights at 9 p.m. | |||
| *] - weeknights at 9 p.m.; also "Friday Night Roundtable" | |||
| *Larry Yellen - weekends at 9 p.m.; also legal analyst | |||
| '''Fox Chicago Weather Watch Team''' | |||
| *] (] ]/] Seals of Approval) - Chief Meteorologist - weeknights at 9 p.m. and Sundays at 9 p.m. | |||
| *Chris Sowers (AMS Seal of Approval) - Meteorologist - Saturdays at 9 p.m. and Wednesday-Friday at noon | |||
| *Mark Strehl (AMS Seal of Approval) - Meteorologist - weekday mornings "Good Day Chicago" and Monday-Tuesdays at noon | |||
| '''Sports team''' | |||
| *Lou Canellis - Sports Director/reporter; Sundays-Thursdays at 9 p.m., & host of "The Final Word", "Bears GameDay Live” and “Bears GameNight Live" | |||
| *] - sports anchor; Fridays & Saturdays at 9 p.m. (per diem) | |||
| *Kerry Sayers - sports anchor/reporter (per diem) | |||
| *] - co-host of "Fox Kickoff Sunday" & "The Final Word", fill-in sports anchor | |||
| '''Traffic''' | |||
| *Sondra Solarte - weekday mornings "Good Day Chicago" | |||
| '''Reporters''' | |||
| *Steve Chamraz - general assignment reporter (per diem) | |||
| *Mike Flannery - political editor; co-host of "Fox Chicago Sunday" | |||
| *Darlene Hill - general assignment reporter; also noon fill-in anchor & weekend fill-in anchor | |||
| *Joanie Lum - general assignment reporter | |||
| *Anita Padilla - morning reporter; also weekday fill-in anchor | |||
| *Dane Placko - investigative reporter; co-host of "Fox Chicago Sunday" & weekend fill-in anchor | |||
| *Mark Saxenmeyer - special assignment reporter | |||
| *Sondra Solarte - noon reporter; also weekday fill-in anchor | |||
| *Craig Wall - general assignment reporter; also "Chicago's Most Wanted" | |||
| *Tera Williams - general assignment reporter | |||
| *Bill Zwecker - entertainment reporter | |||
| '''Contributors''' | |||
| *Roe Conn - Thursdays at 9 p.m. | |||
| *Karen Conti - legal expert | |||
| *Mona Khanna - medical contributor | |||
| *Thom Serafin - political analyst | |||
| *Marc Silverman - "The Final Word" | |||
| *] - "The Final Word" | |||
| ====Notable former on-air staff==== | |||
| *] - morning news anchor (2007–2009; now at ] and ] in Jacksonville) | |||
| *] - fill-in sports anchor/reporter (per diem) (2004–2007; now at ]) | |||
| *] - reporter/medical reporter (2000–2004); anchor/reporter (2007–2010; now at ] in Philadelphia) | |||
| *] - political editor/"Fox Chicago Sunday" co-host (1987–2009) | |||
| *] - anchor/reporter (1994–1997; now at ] in New York) | |||
| *] - morning anchor (1995–1998; later at ]; now President of Aviana Productions) | |||
| *] - reporter/substitute anchor (2005–2008; later at ]) | |||
| *] - morning anchor/reporter (1997–2007; now at ]) | |||
| *] - morning financial analyst (2000–2002; now at ] and ]) | |||
| *] - anchor/reporter/"Perspectives" host (1993–2006; now at ]) | |||
| *] - fill-in anchor/reporter (now at ]) | |||
| *] - afternoon anchor/reporter (2001–2010; now at ]) | |||
| *] - meteorologist (1989–1991; now at ]) | |||
| *] - sports anchor/commentator (1994–1998) | |||
| *] - morning anchor (2000–2010) | |||
| *] - anchor/reporter (1997–2000; now at ] in Minneapolis) | |||
| *] - lifestyle commentator and movie critic (1994–2001) | |||
| *] - morning anchor (1993–1995; now at ] in Seattle) | |||
| *] - afternoon/evening anchor (2003–2008; now at ]) | |||
| *] - morning/afternoon meteorologist (2006–2008; now Chief Meteorologist at ] in Tampa) | |||
| *] - weekend meteorologist (1996–2004) | |||
| *] - morning sports anchor (1987–2006; now at ]) | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| * . | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * {{official|http://www.myfoxchicago.com}} | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * {{TVQ|WFLD}} | |||
| * {{BIA|WFLD|TV|TV}} | |||
| {{Chicago TV}} | |||
| {{Fox Illinois}} | |||
| {{News Corporation}} | |||
| {{Major U.S. TV O-O Stations}} | |||
| {{Chicago Bears}} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Wfld}} | |||
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