Everything about Wand totally explained
WAND is an
NBC affiliate in
Decatur, Illinois; serving the Decatur–
Springfield–
Champaign area. It is owned by
Block Communications. It broadcasts on analog
UHF channel 17 and digital UHF channel 18 from a transmitter near
Argenta, with a translator,
W31BX, in
Danville.
History
WAND began on
June 17,
1953 as
WTVP, owned by Prairie Broadcasting Company of Decatur. It is the oldest station in central Illinois, and the state's second-oldest station on the UHF band. Initial hopes of carrying programs from all four networks of the time were dashed, and WTVP had to settle for a primary affiliation with
ABC and a secondary affiliations with
DuMont. It was one of ABC's first fourteen primary affiliates, and one of the few early ABC affiliates on the UHF band that survived the 1950s.
Like many stations in medium-sized markets, WTVP initially wasn't able to get a direct network feed. The station had to rely on
kinescopes of ABC and DuMont programming from
New York City, and the programs often aired two weeks after the live broadcast. By October, however, WTVP was able to get ABC programming live from a microwave link in Danville. At this time, it also took on a secondary
CBS affiliation. Even after
WCIA signed on from Champaign in November, WTVP continued to air some CBS programs until 1959.
WTVP was sold to a
Chicago-based group in 1958, only to be sold two years later to
Metromedia. In 1961, the station activated a translator on channel 70 in Champaign. At the time, channel 17 provided only a grade B ("rimshot") signal to the Champaign-Urbana side of the market, and much of the area couldn't see it at all. It was sold to LIN Broadcasting at the end of 1965--the very first station in the LIN TV chain. On
February 15,
1966, the call letters changed to the present WAND.
On
October 8,
1966, WAND activated a new tower in Argenta. It was an experimental
RCA "Vee-Zee" antenna, and one of only two ever put into service. (The second antenna was used by the
WJJY-TV.) It was the first million-watt tower in the state, and added Champaign-Urbana to the station's city-grade coverage. As a result, WAND became the first station in the market to provide a city-grade signal to all four of the market's largest cities. At the same time, the channel 70 translator was moved to Danville, on channel 68.
On
March 26,
1978, WAND's tower was brought down by a massive ice storm. The station was off the air for two weeks until it returned to the air from its original tower in southwest Decatur. The translator was moved back to Champaign, still on channel 68. This left Danville without over-the-air programming from ABC for several months.
In 1979, WAND activated its current tower, on the old site in Argenta. It is the tallest broadcasting tower in Illinois, and with 5 million watts it's also the most powerful. The station also moved the translator back to Danville, this time on channel 31.
LIN wholly owned the station until March 2000, when it sold 67 percent of the station to
Block Communications in exchange for 100 percent of
WLFI-TV in
Lafayette, Indiana. LIN, who remained the station's minority owner at that point, continued to operate WAND for several years as part of the deal.
On
September 5,
2005, WAND became an NBC affiliate as part of a larger nationwide deal.
LIN TV completed the sale of WAND to Block Communications on November 9, 2007.
(External Link
) From 2000 until 2007, LIN owned 33% of WAND. With the completion of this sale, LIN no longer operates the station; however, WAND's website remains in the format similar to those of most of the other LIN-owned stations for the time being.
Logos
Image:Wand.gif|WAND-TV Logo, circa 1970 to 2005
Image:Wandtv.jpg|WAND-TV Logo, 2005 to present
Firsts in Central Illinois
High-Definition Programming
WAND was the first to bring HDTV to Central
Illinois. Regular video can be seen at the regular 4:3 aspect radio. NBC HDTV is currently at 16:9 aspect.
24-Hour Doppler Radar Channel
WAND also broadcasts a second channel with live 24-hour Doppler Radar and the audio overlay of WX channel WXJ75 based in
Springfield.
Online Weather and Newscasts
WAND broadcasts on-demand weather and news of its newscasts on its website, making it the first in the area to do so.
Personalities
Current
Former
Abbie Alford
Rick Barrett
Joe Bauer
Bob Billman
Brandon Blocker
Gabrielle Biondo
Loren Boatman
Warren Brinegar
Mike Browning
[RossCavitt](External Link)
Bob Cashen
Ken Charles
Mike Cheever
Jim Clayton
Mike Cleff
Don Coleman
John Davey
Bob Dolan
Travell Eiland
Tom Green
Maria Gum
Christina Jue
Karen Konyar
Chris Madarasz
Mike Mazzocco
Dan Medina
Jill Monier
Julie Moore
George Moyer
Bob Murray
Grant Napear
Eun Hee Pai
Al Pigg
Ron Rector
Robert Reese
Leandra Reilly
Jeff Ruffner
Devin Scillian
Kim Sherwood
Gayle Simpson
Jerry Slabe
Cathy Styles
Lon Tay
Marcus Thorpe
Dawn Torchia
Mike Vaughan
Frank Vascellaro
Dana Wadell
Dick Westbrook
Kim Wilson
Bob Wright
Rick ZurakFurther Information
Get more info on 'Wand'.
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