WTSP

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WTSP, "Tampa Bay's 10" is a CBS-affiliate television station on the west coast of Florida (Tampa–St. Petersburg DMA 13). It broadcasts its analog signal on VHF channel 10, and its digital signal on UHF channel 24. Its transmitter is located in Holiday, Florida. Studios are based in St. Petersburg; it is one of two full-powered stations with studios located here instead of Tampa alongside nearby WTOG. It is also one of three full-powered stations based in Pinellas County, counting WCLF.

Because its transmitter location is further north than the other major stations in the market (in order to protect Miami's WPLG), WTSP's signal cannot be seen well in Sarasota, Hardee and Highlands Counties, and viewers without cable must rely on WINK-TV in Fort Myers for CBS programming. In addition, unlike the other Tampa network affiliates, WTSP's signal reaches as far north as Levy County and Marion County.

History

The station began broadcasting on July 17, 1965, as WLCY-TV after a lengthy court battle that lasted nearly ten years between five prospective owners seeking the license. Rahall Communications, which also owned WLCY radio (AM 1380, now WWMI; and FM 94.9, now WWRM), was awarded the original license for Channel 10.

The station was granted affiliation with ABC, but the station spent the first month and a half as an independent station, as previous ABC affiliate WSUN-TV (channel 38, the frequency is now occupied by WTTA) went to court to keep the affiliation. WLCY ultimately won, and they formally switched to ABC in a special ceremony on September 1, 1965.

The station was originally housed in a building in downtown St. Petersburg and relocated to brand new broadcasting facilities on Gandy Boulevard in 1968 with WLCY Radio 138.

Early personalities included Dick Crippen, who originally presented weather and then sports; Marshall Cleaver, Al Stockmeyer, Art Johnson, and Karol Kelly, many of whom also hosted programs for WLCY radio. Marshall Cleaver was the original news anchor for much of the 1960s and early 1970s.

The station also aired such original children's programs as Submarine 10, Romper Room, 10 Ultimate and This Side Up, and original talk shows such as The John Eastman Show, The Liz Richards Show and the popular Murphy in the Morning.

The 1970s

In 1971, WXLT (now WWSB) signed on from Sarasota as WLCY's signal could not come in well in most of Sarasota County as WLCY's transmitter was (and still is) in Holiday.

In 1976, former WFLA-TV anchor Arch Deal became the news director and main anchor for Eyewitness News. WLCY also broadcast the first 5:30 newscast in the Bay Area during the late 1970s up until 1980 when the newscast was moved to 6pm. Ratings for the station during the early to mid 1970s were dismal, however, compared to longtime Bay Area stations WTVT and WFLA-TV and, as a result, the station nearly lost its ABC affiliation. Part of the problem was its transmitter location in Holiday, in the southwestern corner of Pasco County (all other stations broadcasted from Riverview, in Hillsborough County). It also operated at a lower power than the Tampa stations.

However, on September 12, 1978, WLCY-TV was purchased by Gulf Broadcasting. New owner Allen Henry (WINS New York fame) and General Manager Larry Clamadge immediately began to turn the station around, changing the call letters to WTSP-TV that year and hiring several new personalities that would change the entire face of the station. (WTSP, ironically, was originally the calls for AM 1380 when that station was owned by the St. Petersburg Times in the 1940s and 1950s.) This was similar to what Roone Arledge had done for ABC News that same year. Beginning in 1979, Don Harrison (previously from KMSP-TV in Minneapolis-St. Paul), Liz Ayers, Wally Kinnan and Dick Crippen were the new anchors of the Channel 10 evening newscasts. Ratings surged, making the Tampa Bay market more competitive. In 1979, Channel 10 acquired the original, and famous, sunset logo (which was later duplicated by its sister station KTSP in Phoenix, Arizona) along with the "Action News" format. In April of 1979, the station built a taller transmission tower, improving the station's broadcasting capabilities.

WTSP is also a station of firsts. In October of 1979, the station acquired "Sky 10," Tampa Bay's first television news helicopter. This stunned the local news community and showed that Channel 10 was serious about local news coverage. It was the only local news helicopter to broadcast the infamous Skyway Bridge disaster on live television in May 1980. Another technological advance was Tampa Bay's first satellite news truck called "Star 10" that beamed signals from far away locations to WTSP's Gandy Blvd. headquarters. WTSP also acquired Tampa Bay's first Doppler weather radar in the Southeastern United States in 1980 and was one of the first television stations in the country to use a computer in weather forecasting.

The 1980s

In late 1982, news anchor Don Harrison left the WTSP to become an anchor at upstart cable channel CNN2, now CNN Headline News. John Wilson replaced Harrison as anchor. On January 9, 1983, Sheryl Browne, from WKYC-TV in Cleveland joined John Wilson at the anchor desk on "Action News," rounding out the station's main anchor team.

Longtime WTSP chief meteorologist Dick Fletcher joined the station in March 1980 and became famous for his forecasting during Hurricane Elena in 1985. Award-winning reporter Mike Deeson and legendary sports anchor Ken Broo also bolstered the station in the early 1980s.

WTSP was the second television station in the Bay Area to launch an hour long 6 PM newscast in 1986. Rival WTVT had been the first to do so many years earlier and WTSP attempted it in an effort to pass WTVT to the top of the local news ratings. The effort only lasted until 1987, however.

In 1988, Vincent Barresi joined WTSP as General Manager and Vice-President. Previously, he held the same position at Philadelphia's WKBS-TV, where he signed that station off for the last time in August 1983. [1]

Taft Broadcasting purchased the station along with 4 other Gulf properties in 1985. Then, in 1988, Taft sold its independent stations and Fox affiliates to TVX, and sold most of its network affiliates, including WTSP, to Great American Broadcasting (which became known as Citicasters by 1995).

In March of 1989, one of the first computer espionage scandals in the nation broke, when news director Terry Cole hired Michael Shapiro away from rival WTVT where he was a news manager and computer security officer. Shapiro repeatedly broke into the newsroom computer system of his former employer using a modem at his home - apparently with Cole's knowledge. Both were fired and were sentenced by Florida court to probation for the incident. In June of 1989, "Action 10 News" became "NewsCenter 10" and a 5 p.m. newscast was launched. Although in third place, ratings did recover to be competitive with WFLA.

The 1990s

General Manager Barresi left the station in 1991, replaced by Steve Mauldin. Mauldin led the station until 1998.

In December of 1991, news anchor Sheryl Browne left the station and was replaced by Sue Zelenko, who previously co-anchored the newscast for WJRT-TV in Flint, Michigan. John Wilson, who announced his departure on Thanksgiving of 1992, officially left WTSP in January of 1993. Weekend anchor and reporter Dave Wagner and 11 p.m. anchor Sue Zelenko became the new anchor team alongside Dick Fletcher and Al Keck on "10 News." Pat Minarcin, a veteran of the broadcast industry, then took over for Wagner in August of 1994.

New World Communications bought two of WTSP's sister stations, KTSP (now KSAZ) in Phoenix and WDAF-TV in Kansas City. However, it did not buy WTSP since it already owned WTVT. New World also arranged for its stations to affiliate with the Fox network, causing WTVT to drop its CBS affiliation.

At the same time, Scripps Howard also arranged for several of its stations (including WFTS, which was about to lose its Fox affiliation to WTVT) to affiliate with ABC. As a result, WTSP was to lose its ABC affiliation, and gain the CBS affiliation instead. CBS's programming moved to WTSP in December 1994, in a 3-way affiliation switch that caused much viewer confusion. The change to CBS occurred on December 12, 1994, and resulted in the station moving from third to second place in the local news ratings although a later resurgent WTVT and competition from newly started WFTS would make second place a toss up for the rest of the 1990s. WFLA would serve as the market leader.

Citicasters merged with Jacor in September 1996. Three months later, in December 1996, Gannett acquired WTSP in a swap deal, selling six of its radio stations — KIIS-AM (now KTLK) and KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, California, KSDO-AM and KSDO-FM (now KLQV) in San Diego, California and WDAE and WUSA-FM (now WMTX) in Tampa, Florida — to Jacor in return.

In January of 1998, Reginald Roundtree replaced Pat Minarcin as the lead male anchor of "10 News". Minarcin later sued the station for age discrimination. On October 14, 2002, the station launched a new news format and image. A new, state of the art digital newsroom was also constructed for WTSP's news staff.

Now

In the February 2006 Nielsen Sweeps, Channel 10 was #1 at 5 p.m. (where it airs Dr. Phil) and #2 at 6 p.m., and recently won the ratings (Feb. 2006) at 11 p.m., beating WFLA. The ratings slipped in the July 2006 though, and WTVT was rated #1 at 5 p.m. Longtime news anchor Sue Zelenko anchored her last newscast on April 23, 2004. Heather Van Nest (who used to anchor news at WJXT in Jacksonville, and anchored the morning newscasts at WTSP) is now co-anchoring with Reginald Roundtree and a new morning news team is being featured.

Life Around the Bay

In 2002, in a strategic move to boost ratings, Dr. Phil which aired at 3 p.m. moved to 5 p.m. and Tampa Bay's 10 News at 5:00 moved to 4 p.m., and the station named the 4:00 newscast Life Around the Bay, which focuses more on offbeat feature stories and community stories than the past 5:00 news. The current anchors are former weekend sports anchor Dave Wirth and former noon news anchorwoman, Marty Matthews. Life Around the Bay also features weather updates, and the headlines of the day in the last 5 minutes of the newscast.

Life Around the Bay is the only 4 p.m. newscast in the Tampa Bay market.

WTSP originally launched the first 4pm newscast in the Bay Area called "First News at 4" in 1997. The newscast, anchored by Marty Matthews and Dave Wagner with Linda Gialanella on weather, was anchored from the station's main news set but featured lighter stories. The newscast, which was a half-hour long, ran until 1999. The 2002, the concept was relaunched as "Life Around the Bay" with Marty Matthews having anchored both formats.

However, on January 14, 2008, WTSP changed the newscast's name to Tampa Bay's 10 News at 4:00, coinciding with their HD relaunch.

Studio 10

On September 11, 2006, WTSP began broadcasting a program in the 10-11:00 a.m. timeslot entitled "Studio 10", replacing The Tony Danza Show. The program, hosted by Michelle Phillips and Tim Wilkins, is meant to compete with rival WFLA's "Daytime" program, which features products and services sponsored by commercial advertisers. The new program features an adjoining kitchen and living room set in a studio separate from WTSP newscasts.

High Definition

WTSP broadcast the first locally-produced true HD program in the Tampa Bay area on June 3, 2006 at 8 p.m., a hurricane special anchored by 28-year veteran meteorologist Dick Fletcher. A second HD program aired on October 22, 2006 called Enjoy it, We do, named for the station's slogan, and showcased a variety of local attractions. For many years, WTSP was rumored to be the first station in Tampa Bay to broadcast news in HD. On July 28, 2007, rival WFTS beat WTSP to be the first station in Tampa Bay to broadcast news in HD. On August 31, 2007, rival WFLA became the second station in Tampa Bay to broadcast news in HD.

WTSP started broadcasting in High-Definition Monday, January 14th during the 4:00PM newscast[2]. WTSP Is the third station in Tampa Bay to have local newscasts in HD behind WFTS and WFLA. Along with the new high definition newscasts, WTSP received a new HD set from Black Walnut and new graphics by Giant Octopus similar to those of sister stations KUSA-TV in Denver, KSDK-TV in St. Louis, WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C. and WXIA-TV in Atlanta.

Dick Fletcher

On February 26, 2008, chief meteorologist Dick Fletcher succumbed to a stroke that he suffered a week earlier on February 18. He had been with WTSP as a meteorologist since 1980. He was survived by his wife, Cindy, and three adult children.

Newscast Line-up

Weekdays

• Tampa Bay's 10 News This Morning - 5:00AM-7:00AM

Anchor: Ginger Gadsden
Weather: Anna Allen
Traffic: Meredyth Censullo

• Tampa Bay's 10 News at Noon - 12:00PM-12:30PM

Anchor: Ginger Gadsden
Weather: Anna Allen

• Tampa Bay's 10 News at 4:00 - 4:00PM-5:00PM

Anchors: Dave Wirth, Marty Matthews
Weather: Dick Fletcher¹

• Tampa Bay's 10 News at 6:00 - 6:00PM-6:30PM

Anchors: Reginald Roundtree, Heather Van Nest
Weather: Dick Fletcher¹
Sports: Justin Allen

• Tampa Bay's 10 News at 11:00 - 11:00PM-11:35PM

Anchors: Reginald Roundtree, Heather Van Nest
Weather: Dick Fletcher¹
Sports: Justin Allen

¹Currently recovering from a stroke, fill-ins have included Randy Rauch and Sherry Ray.

Weekends

• Tampa Bay's 10 News This Morning Saturday - 6:00AM-8:00AM (Saturday only)

Anchor: Angela Atalla
Weather: Sherry Ray

• Tampa Bay's 10 News at 6:00 - 6:00PM-6:30PM

Anchor: Jennifer Howe
Weather: Randy Rauch
Sports: Angela Jacobs

• Tampa Bay's 10 News at 11:00 - 11:00PM-11:35PM

Anchor: Jennifer Howe
Weather: Randy Rauch
Sports: Angela Jacobs

Current Personalities

Anchors

• Reginald Roundtree, Weekday 6PM and 11PM anchor
• Heather Van Nest, Weekday 6PM and 11PM anchor
• Dave Wirth, Weekday 4PM anchor
• Marty Matthews, Weekday 4PM anchor
• Ginger Gadsden, Weekday morning and noon anchor
• Jennifer Howe, Weekend 6PM and 11PM anchor/reporter
• Angela Atalla, Saturday morning anchor/reporter

Meteorologists

• Dick Fletcher, (AMS Certified) Weekday evening meteorologist (chief)
• Anna Allen, (AMS Seal of Approval) Morning and noon neteorologist
• Randy Rauch, (AMS Seal of Approval) Weekend meteorologist/reporter
• Sherry Ray, (AMS Seal of Approval) Saturday morning meteorologist/4PM reporter

Sports

• Justin Allen, Sports anchor
• Angela Jacobs, Sports anchor/reporter
• Chris Tilley, Sports director
• Travis Bell, Sports reporter

Reporters

• Dave Balut, Investigative reporter
• Valerie Boey, General assignment reporter
• Dave Bohman, General assignment reporter
• Kathryn Bursch, General assignment reporter
• Meredyth Censullo, Traffic reporter
• Mike Deeson, General assignment reporter
• Sara Dorsey, General assignment reporter
• Tammie Fields, General assignment reporter (also fills in for anchors)
• Alexandra Hackett, General assignment reporter
• Isabel Mascareñas, Education reporter
• Preston Rudie, General assignment reporter
• Beau Zimmer, General assignment reporter
• Mario Diaz, 11PM reporter
• Janie Porter, General assignment reporter
• David Leonard, General assignment reporter
• Brittany Benner, General assignment reporter

Past Personalities

• John Wilson, 6 and 11pm anchor (1981–1993) (at WTVT)
• Sheryl Browne, 6 and 11pm anchor (1983–1992)
• Don Harrison, 6 and 11pm anchor (1979-1982)
• Liz Ayers, 6 and 11pm anchor (1979-1983)
• Arch Deal, evening anchor/news director (1976–1978)
• R.A. Campbell, anchor (1976)
• Marshall Cleaver, anchor (1965-1977)
• Bob Bates, anchor (1978–1980)
• Gary Rebstock, anchor (1978–1979)
• John Favole, reporter "(1979–1982)" (now at WPTV)
• Francie Murphy, anchor (1978–1979)
• Dennis Roper, anchor (1979–1984)
• Mark Feldstein, I-Team (1980–1985)
• Kevin Kalwary, I-Team investigative reporter (1980s-early 1990s) (now Investigator/Media Liaison for Tampa law firm Cohen, Jayson, & Foster)
• Sue Zelenko, 6/11pm anchor (1991–2004)
• Pat Minarcin, 6 and 11pm anchor (1994–1998)
• Al Ruechel, morning/noon anchor (1986–1996) (at Bay News 9, Tampa, FL as of June 2006)
• Marlene Schneider, anchor (1985–1992)
• Jane Akre, anchor (1991–1995)
• Dave Wagner, anchor (1987–1999) (at WLWT Ch. 5, Cincinnati, OH as of June 2006)
• Miles O'Brien, reporter (1984–1986) (at CNN)
• Rod Challenger, news director/anchor (1978–1979) (at WFLA-TV)
• Jule McGee, reporter (1965–1967)
• Stan Grams, first WLCY-TV weatherman (1965-1969)
• Sonny Daye, weather personality (1969-1976)
• Wally "The Weatherman" Kinnan (1978–1980)
• Dennis Feltgen, meteorologist (1989–1999) (now at NOAA)
• Jim Wegner, meteorologist (1980s)
• Jim Brihan, meteorologist (1980s)
• Mike Ferell, meteorologist (1987–1993)
• Dick Crippen, sports director (1965–1981) (at Catch 47)
• Ken Broo, sports director (1981–1987) (at WLWT Ch. 5, Cincinnati, OH as of June 2006)
• Steve Talbot, sports director (1987–1988)
• Al Keck, sports director (1988–2001) (at WFTS Ch. 28, Tampa, FL as of June 2006)
• John Nugent, sports director (2001–2006) (now at WCIV in Charleston, SC)
• Bill Campbell,"Campbell's Corner"/reporter (1975–1993)
• Bill Murphy, "Murphy in the Morning" (1985–1991) (later went to WTVT, now retired)
• Myrtle Smith-Carroll, reporter, host "Youth & You"(1978–1983)
• Julie Brannon, "PM Magazine" (1986–1989)
• Andrea McDaniel, reporter (1982–1985)
• Madeleine Holland, morning anchor (1991–1995)
• John O'Connor, "PM Magazine"/anchor (1986–1989) (now primary anchor at WTEV in Jacksonville, FL)
• Laura York, weather (1996-2001)
• Mary Beth Byrd, morning anchor (1996-2001)
• David Klugh, morning/noon anchor (1991-1999)
• Paul Morill, freelance weather (2004-2005)
• Gemma Gaudette, morning anchor (2004-2006)
• Jeff Berardelli, meteorologist (1999-2003) (at WFOR)
• Darryl David, 5pm anchor (1989-1991)
• Jineane Ford, 5pm anchor (1989-1991) (at KPNX Ch. 12, Phoenix, AZ as of June 2006)
• Lisa Foronda, weekend anchor (1992-1997)
• Lynna Lai, morning reporter/anchor (mid 1990s) (currently at WOIO in Cleveland, OH and married to noted attorney Phillip C. Kosla, Esq.)
• John Harding, morning anchor (2000-2004)
• Jeff Hullinger, weekend sports anchor/reporter (2004-2006)
• Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, reporter (1994-1998) (at CNBC)
• Debra Becker, reporter (1990s)
• David Snepp, reporter (1980s)
• Mark Douglas, reporter (1980s-90s) (at WFLA-TV)
• Brian Goff, reporter (1980s-90s)
• Jerry Johnson, sports anchor/reporter (1982-2001)
• Bill McGinty, reporter/anchor (1994-2007)
• Vince Meloy, sports anchor (1960s)
• Herb Hunt, Tampa reporter (1960s)
• Phil Hunter, reporter (1960s)
• DeAnna Sheffield, reporter (2002-2007)
• Cliff Michaelsen, meteorologist (2003-2005)
• Linda Gialanella, meteorologist (1992-2001) (at WFTS)
• Craig Sager, sportscaster, (1970's) (Now at TBS)

Slogans

• "WLCY-TV: Where The Action Is!" (1965)
• "Take A Look (at Channel 10)" (1979-1981)
• "Count On the Action News Team!" (1980s)
• "Stay In Touch With 10" (mid-1980s)
• "NewsCenter 10: In the Center of it All" (1989–1992)
• "10 News: News You Can Use" (1992–1994)
• "Where News Comes First" (1994–1995)
• "The Next Generation of News" (1994–1996)
• "Keep Your Eye on Tampa Bay's 10" (1994–1996; used to promote CBS's move to WTSP)
• "We've Got You Covered" (1996–1998)
• "People You Can Count On" (1998–2001)
• "Covering Tampa Bay" (2001–2002)
• "Enjoy It. We Do." (2002—present)
• "You'll Be Seeing Red" promo for the revamped Channel 10 (2002)

Trivia

• The station debuted "A Pup Named Scooby Doo" in 1986 at 5 p.m. before it was canceled in 1987 by the station, when it was a ABC affiliate at that time.

• P&P Cable Holdings, an owner of low-powered television stations in Michigan, used WTSP's current logo as the basis of the logos for WUHQ-LP in Grand Rapids and WLLZ-LP in Traverse City.

External links

• WTSP Homepage
• Template:TVQ
• mcsittel.com: 1990s DX screengrabs from Tallahassee -- includes a 1992 WTSP ABC schedule screengrab
• WTSP images/video @ Florida News Center Contains an image and video archive of the intros, teasers, and other on-air segments that WTSP uses; both past and present.