The rumors have been flying for weeks. We all knew it was coming. And now it’s here: WEEK has taken over the operation of WHOI:
March 2, 2009 – Granite Broadcasting Corporation and Barrington Broadcasting Group, LLC announced that, effective March 2, 2009, WEEK-TV and WHOI-TV will be operated jointly from the WEEK-TV studios in East Peoria, Illinois. Granite will operate both stations under a shared services agreement (SSA) with Barrington, owner of WHOI-TV.
Under the terms of the agreement, Granite will continue to operate WEEK-TV and provide advertising, sales, promotion, administrative services and selected programming to WHOI-TV. This arrangement between Granite and Barrington will create a better and more efficient operation, which will enhance these outstanding local television stations. A similar arrangement provides that Barrington will provide advertising, sales, promotion, administrative services and selected programming to Granite’s Syracuse, New York station, WTVH-TV.
In making this announcement, Granite Broadcasting’s Chief Executive Officer Don Cornwell said, “This arrangement is an important step in the implementation of Granite’s strategic vision to capitalize on our core strength of operating leading local stations in the nation’s mid-size markets. It provides opportunities for substantial operating efficiencies by allowing us to use our existing infrastructure to expand the breadth of local news and services provided to the viewers of Central Illinois, while enhancing the revenue and profitability of both stations.”
Barrington Chief Executive Officer Jim Yager stated, “We are delighted to be working with a forward-thinking company like Granite. Together, our companies and stations will focus our combined resources on making these great stations more efficient, becoming even better community citizens and, at the same time, providing measurable benefits for our viewers.”
Under the terms of the SSA, Granite and Barrington expect to realize a number of expense efficiencies through the combining of resources and the reduction of some staff positions. Affected employees will receive a generous severance package and extensive job placement assistance will be offered at company expense.
One of the chief advantages of operating WEEK and WHOI under a shared services agreement will be the ability to offer local and national news, as well as programming of community interest in new and varied time periods, giving viewers greater opportunity to watch at their convenience. The Granite and Barrington plan will fully develop this opportunity, offering local newscasts expanded in both breadth and amount. Specifically, the stations will provide newscasts in time periods not currently programmed with local news and extend local news to other time periods, allowing viewers more access to Central Illinois reports and information. Another Granite objective is to improve the emergency weather forecasting and daily forecasting by bringing the latest and best technology to both stations. New programs focusing on all important medical issues and franchise segments highlighting critical issues of public service will also be added to the stations in the next few weeks.
In addition, community charitable organizations presently on either WEEK or WHOI will receive increased exposure using the power of the two stations working together. One example is WEEK’s highly successful Buddy Check and Prostate Awareness programs. Also, the St. Jude Telethon, now in its 35th year on WEEK, will air on both stations. Another is the 25 Women In Leadership program. WHOI’s One Class at a Time, Relay for Life and special programs for the Peoria Zoo, along with numerous other community programs will continue. The stations will now concentrate on these highly popular outreach campaigns to further drive the focus on those deserving of recognition within the community.
Other plans include production of town hall meetings and a variety of community forums on WEEK and WHOI stations at different times, so viewers have greater access to information of local relevance. Granite also will expand its policy of sponsoring political debates and offering free airtime to candidates in every national election on both of the stations.
So now, although we have five commercial station owners, we have only two commercial station operators. And so, practically speaking, we have only two local TV news organizations now. One is the WEEK/WHOI/WAOE organization and the other is the WMBD/WYZZ organization. I fail to see the benefit to the Peoria area of all this media consolidation.
UPDATE: Here’s some more information on personnel and schedules from WEEK’s site:
For you viewers, here are the changes, HOI-19’s early news moves to 5:30 p.m. Then ABC’s World News Tonight on WHOI moves to 6:00 p.m., providing nightly national news so those working later now have access to the national and international information in a new and more convenient time period.
News 25 at 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. stays the same as will the morning and 10 p.m. newscasts on both stations. Jen Christensen will continue to anchor HOI-19’s newscasts and HOI-19’s popular Sports Director Jim Mattson will join forces with News 25’s Lee Hall to make up the best and most aggressive sports team in Central Illinois. News 25’s popular Weather Man Lee Ranson will give the forecasts for both stations.
The two stations will produce newscasts with the combined staffs of both broadcast teams.
What a shame. WHOI has become a much more professional outfit over the past five years.
The morning team, Jen, Mattson, one camerman and one producer…..
I love the press release. This is better for the public. Funny, if it was better, they would have let the on-air staff go and kept the reporters. That way, more stuff gets covered. Instead, they want to maintain the illusion of two newscasts. That’s not for our benefit. It’s a shame. HOI has done some great work recently.
The Granite Syracuse station is WTVH which was the original call letters back in the 50’s for Channel 19 Peoria now WHOI. Coincidence?????
Thank Ronald Reagan’s deregulation for this. How soon before WMBD succumbs?
Lee Ransom and Lee Hall… if they ever appeared sober on their broadcasts they might be palatable. As it is, I can’t watch and listen to them.
Two channels reporting exactly the same news. How unexciting.
Actually it is three channels – don’t forget “My 59”.
kcdad wrote: Thank Ronald Reagan’s deregulation for this. How soon before WMBD succumbs?
No, thank the internet, kcdad. And you have your history wrong – the Telecommunications Act of 1996 deregulated television broadcasting. It was signed into law by Bill Clinton. Ronald Reagan left office in 1989.
I guess soon it will be about 3 companies controlling all broadcast……kind of like the direction radio’s heading.
Reagan started the whole deregulation process, starting with the FAA. (And since all Republican policy has been perpetrated in Reagan’s name since 1989, your point is moot.)
Who wrote that bill you referred to?
“Instead, it continued the historic industry consolidation begun by Reagan, whose actions reduced the number of major media companies from around 50 in 1983 to 10 in 1996 and 6 in 2005.
Consumer activist Ralph Nader argued the act was an example of corporate welfare spawned by political corruption, because it granted broadcasters valuable licenses for broadcasting digital signals on the public airwaves at relatively little cost.
An FCC study found that the Act had led to a drastic decline in the number of radio station owners, even as the actual number of commercial stations in the United States had increased.
Bagdikian, B. “Media Monopoly.”
Cutting Corporate Welfare by Ralph Nader
Look who voted against it… anyone not listed voted for it.
Voting Against Passage
* US Senate – 5 Russell Feingold (D, WI)
* Patrick Leahy (D, VT)
* Paul Wellstone (D, MN)
* Paul Simon (D, IL)
* John McCain (R, AZ)
* US House of Representatives – 16 Neil Abercrombie (D, HI)
* Fortney Pete Stark (D, CA)
* Earl Hilliard (D, AL)
* Peter DeFazio (D, OR)
* Tim Johnson (D, SD)
* Pat Williams (D, MT)
* Patricia Schroder (D, CO)
* Harold Volkmer (D, MO)
* John Conyers, Jr. (D, MI)
* Barney Frank (D, MA)
* Maurice Hinchey (D, NY)
* Jerrold Nader (D, NY)
* Collin Peterson (D, MN)
* Sidney Yates (D, IL)
* Lane Evans (D, IL)
* Bernard Sanders (I,VT)
I see one “renegade” Republican in the list.
Mazr: 5 companies do control the vast majority of it already.
GE, Viacom, CBS, Disney and Time Warner… which ones are you predicting are going under?
KC Dad–
Think about which one will go under–
If ‘HOI’s news is taped at 9, how are they gonna put breaking stories or sports scores on?
The ‘EEK people now have to do 7 newscasts per weekend, with no resources.
How are they going to be an “agressive sports team” if they have to tape the newscast before most games are even over?
This is the way it’s going all over the country–the outsourcing, mergers, etc. This is not new material here. Granite is doing it to other stations it owns as well. Lesson learned: don’t major in broadcasting.
kcdad said, “Reagan started the whole deregulation process, starting with the FAA.”
Proposals for deregulation were initiated by the Nixon administration. Without going into detail, suffice it to say that major deregulation of transportation industries (air, rail and trucking) occurred during the Ford and Carter administrations. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deregulation
Did you even read the article and attached references?
“- freeing up the trucking market to permit much more flexible pricing and service arrangements, disciplined by competition — allowed manufacturers to reduce inventories, move their products more quickly, and be more responsive to customers.”
That was removing restrictive regulation, not what Reagan did. He removed nearly ALL governmental regulation of corporations. Businesses granted the privilege of INCORPORATION were now no longer obligated to contribute anything to society… except taxes it couldn’t avoid and jobs. Jobs; that became the purpose of corporations. So what did those at the top do… take as much as they could out of their corporations because its only purpose was to provide an income.
Incorporation is a privilege granted by the government… not a right. It was created for those business so essential to society that they needed to be protected.
Lois: they will become the USA of local broadcast TV. They will give old news colored up real pretty with splashy headlines and teasers.
kcdad,
Communists/hard-leftists like yourself are typically bitter about things you falsely perceive as bad that happened many years ago. Get off the Ronald Reagan-is-evil mantra. You can’t change history, except in your textbooks 🙂
As usual, you have not a clue what you’re talking about. Have you ever heard of OSHA? The EPA? Sarbanes-Oxley? If you seriously believe corporations are no longer regulated, I have some ocean front property in Manitoba to sell to you!
David,
Careful here………………………………
I can’t think of one nation/state that hasn’t ‘doctored’ its history textbooks.
Its a revisionists world.
David; I appreciate you calling me names. I am flattered. Unfortunately OSHA and EPA are jokes. SOX was passed in 2002, right? When did Halliburton leave the country? How many other companies have abandoned their patriotic responsibilities (corporations) to go to distant shores?
Tell me about how the banks, stock investment firms and other corporations are so well regulated…
New Voice: Our history is TRUE history. The other guys are revisionists.
KC Dad: They’re already doing that. Wait a week–you’re not gonna believe it!
KCdad…that was off the top of my head. I wasn’t sure of the actual count of corporate owners.