Jordan Elder is switching Sinclair owned stations. Before 1967, in order to bring WICS and NBC programming across central and east-central Illinois, it took 4 TV signals. (picture courtesy of Teresa Wilson Ericson, daughter of Robert Wilson) The switch was to take place on Labor Day of 2005. WICS is the ABC affiliate in Springfield, Illinois. 2016, WICS News Anchor Team, Stacey Skrysak, John Reger, (YouTube). A link to the page for WICS is here, just click on the button above. Investigative Reporting, Journalism, Editing, Broadcast Journalism, Writing, Video, Avid, Final Cut Public Information Officer at Illinois State Treasurer's Office. // to increment the Quotation[x] index! The station's social media page was flooded with comments from viewers demanding the reinstatement of Joe Crain, pushing the hashtag #IStandWithJoeCrain, while U.S. [15][8][10][12] On June 13, a spokesman for Sinclair stated that he had been, in fact, let go. TV Guide (1954-1959) from the Doug Quick Collection The switch was to take place on Labor Day of 2005. 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. (You Tube). This is a clip of the event. Klein's imminent exit was first reported by FTVLive' - NY Times"; Bob Lee for the vast majority of program titles screen grabs Broadcasting-Telecasting Magazine 1976 Fall TV montage of shows broadcast during the week. News Writing, Video Production, Social Media, Videography, Journalism, Broadcast, New Media, Director of Digital Sports Development at Neuhoff Media, WTAX News Director/Brand Manager at Saga Communications. She also was the Interim Chief Meteorologist at WSBT-TV in South Bend, Indiana. Don Hickman, former WICS Springfield News Channel 20 anchor, recalls his childhood in Tennessee, adolescent years, introduction to broadcasting via radio, switch to television and many of the events he covered during his career: the Civil Rights Movement, the JFK and Martin Luther King Jr. assassinations, and the Vietnam War. Writer and photographer at Illinois Times, Freelance Writer and Newsletter Editor at myself, Executive Director at Energy Education Council, Trustee at Springfield Park District, Press Secretary at Illinois House Republicans, Press Spokesperson for IL House Republican Leader Tom Cross, Press Secretary at IL Senate Republican Staff, Press Secretary, IL. var whichQuotation=Math.round(Math.random()*(Q-1)); The effort on WRSP/WCCU was further expanded on January 20, 2014, when WICS began producing a two-hour weekday morning show for the Fox affiliates. Off-network shows were syndicated in 30-minute versions and in central Illinois appeared on WMBD-TV, Peoria as well as sister station WCIA in Champaign. // Do not change anything below this line [1] However, it was a primary NBC affiliate. Meanwhile, WICD in Danville broadcast a signal of about 30 miles from Danville. Hickman was an anchor at the ABC-affiliate from 1972 until his retirement in 2001. - Greta Van Susteren" He was 74. The State Journal-Register | Railsplitters would go on to sponsor the Sunday night movie as well, "The Sunday Cinema.". One long-time fixture on NewsChannel 20 Joe Crain shows what made him Springfield's favorite weather guy. The dog was Fang, the Wonderdog. At one point in time, there had been a newscast weeknights at 5 that was simulcast on both outlets originating from Springfield.[4]. There should be one correction, though. Well Poteau has left the station and TV news altogether. In the case of WICS/WICD, it was a late movie. There were some TV classics there, such as the acclaimed Brian's Song but most were very forgettable. This probably wasn't met favorably by NBC, but it seems that it didn't stop WICS from doing it. Here is a complete directory of nearly every professional News Anchors nearby. The station originally had facilities at the Leland Hotel on Capitol Street in Downtown Springfield. CBS Color Most were from the former ABC Movie of the Week TV movie catalog of films. 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 . WCCU's advertising sales operation is also based out of WICD's studios. From 2009, this weather promo features Gus Gordon, Joe Crain and Danny Russell. Most of the time it was to air more big dollar commercials during syndicated programming. He was 66. These paid commercial programs would pop up in March, June, August, and even December. In 1963 Robert D. McMullin was listed as WCIA News Editor (News Director). For those of you who have sent me direct messages asking about my whereabouts because you have not seen me on the local evening newscasts, please know that this is the first time in my broadcasting career in which I was not given the opportunity to say goodbye. Creative Services at WICS during the 60th Anniversary of WICS from which the recreation of the WICS logo (1st in Springfield) was included as the first graphic of this page Accordingly in 1959, Plains Television signed-on WCHU in Champaign as a low-powered satellite of WICS. Along with television, Elmer Balaban also owned a number of local radio stations in medium-size markets around the country. Quotation [19] = " 'FTVLive.com, a prominent television industry website' - Lexington Herald Leader" 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. var Quotation=new Array() // do not change this! News & Sports MMJ & Producer 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. (see above) The movies included many of Hollywoods classic films from the Warner Brothers and MGM libraries. At least four local businesses have pulled their advertising from WICS Springfield, Ill., in support of meteorologist Joe Crain, who has been absent from the stations broadcasts following his on-air criticism of owner Sinclair Broadcast Groups Code Red weather alert system. June 13, 2019 | 6:58 am EDT by Brian Stelter, One week ago Joe Crain, the morning meteorologist at WICS Springfield, Ill., called out station management for mandating over-the-top Code Red weather alerts. Most commercials were either done live or live on tape from the studios of WICS. The weekend edition of the prime time news will continue to be a market-wide simulcast on WRSP and WCCU. WICS/WICD was to have switched to ABC at the beginning of the 200405 television season, but it was required to remain with NBC for another year, as its affiliation contract with the station did not expire until September 4 of the following year. By Justin Carter. The switch ended up being one of the most confusing things to happen to local TV since the advent of cable TV. Flip was WICS weathercaster for the six and ten-PM newscasts from 1973 to 1979. WICS would broadcast St. Louis Cardinal Baseball during the era as well. (YouTube), Newsteam, Douglas Kimball, Dale Coleman and Nick Alexander, TV Guide, Nick Charles formerly of WICS at CNN, CNN Screen Shot. This left WICS and WICD without a major network affiliation. It's unknown when WICS finally signed on with Saturday Night Live, but it was AFTER 1979. I assume that because of the increased head-to-head competition with WCIA in Champaign, management at the time felt it beneficial to move the WICD local newscast to the 5:30 pm slot, while WICS would continue with the 6 pm slot, where it saw wide viewership. During the Summer of 1967, the new WICD(channel 15) would go on the air from the tallest (tower)structure in the state of Illinois at the time. 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. Contributors: During football season, NBC would air the AFC early football game and WICS/WICD would follow with a replay of Capitol Conference, than a local movie insertion.yet another TV movie, usually. Now Crain is officially out of a job. It's been an incredible ride over the past 2+ years here in Springfield, one that I won't soon forget. WICS News Anchors. The time slots would also be occupied by adult fare as well as syndicated shows like, "The Mike Douglas Show," "The John Gary Show" and "The Merv Griffin Show." The News-Gazette He left his position at NewsChannel 20 at the end of May 2012 to become the full-time Artistic Director at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield, Illinois. The cars would be driven into the new WICS studio where up to four vehicles could be featured at one time! The Washington Post | Despite this, by June 11, Sinclair posted an advertisement on its website seeking a replacement for Crain as meteorologist for WICD/WICS and WRSP/WCCU's morning newscasts. When WICS moved from the former Leland Hotel studios, it moved into a large facility located at 2680 East Cook Street in Springfield. 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. This was particularly the case when covering Decatur (located between Springfield and Champaign). (from the Doug Quick Collection of TV Guide), The "Real People" Express visits Springfield, IL. The two stations operated as a regional network sharing most network and syndicated programming. WICD, Channel 15 was the result of a merger between two relatively lower powered sister stations of WICS. The prime-time access slot after the news block was filled by the weekday syndicated version of The Newlywed Game at 6:30 pm. June 8, 2019 | 8:03 am EDT by Matthew Cappucci. (YouTube). He was 74. The Resignation of President Nixon as covered by NBC, August 8, 1974. On September 5, 2005, the two stations swapped affiliations with WAND and became ABC affiliates as part of a larger national deal between LIN and NBC that also involved WDTN in Dayton, Ohio (who swapped affiliations with WICS/WICD's Dayton sister station WKEF the year before). WICS Improvements/Planning Don Hickman, who was an anchor at WICS in Springfield for 29 years, died of natural causes Saturday. This popular horror movie feature was produced at WQAD, Channel 8 in Moline, Illinois, and was syndicated to KCRG-TV(Cedar Rapids, Iowa), along with WEEK-TV(Peoria), and across central Illinois on WICS and WICD. When the station was to go on the air in late January or early February of 1967, the area suffered a major ice storm. The station is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, and maintains studios on East Cook Street in Springfield's Eastside; its transmitter is located west of Mechanicsburg, in unincorporated Sangamon County. Please note that the schedule for WICD and WICS were virtually identical. Until October 13, 2014, WICD's separate weekday newscasts at its Champaign headquarters were not included in the upgrade because that set lacked high definition cameras. Quotation[7] = "'FTVLive Delivers some of the TV World's Biggest Scoops' - Tonawanda News "; WICS owner Sinclair did not give her the chance to tell viewers goodbye. Others in the news staff included: Dale Coleman, Nick Alexander, Kyle Hill, Dave Lange, Alan Crane, and others. window._taboola = window._taboola || []; It appears to have been a decision of new WICD Station Manager Joe Norris. 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. It as done with a panel which included John Barbour, Sarah Percell, Byron Allen, Skip Stephenson, Bill Rafferty, Mark Russell, Fred Willard and even Peter Billingsley(of "Christmas Story"). 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). Roz Abrams, formerly of CBS News, ABC's Eyewitness News; Christiane Amanpour, CNN; Ernie Anastos (retired), formerly of WNYW, WABC-TV and WCBS-TV; Sade Baderinwa, WABC-TV; Bret Baier, Fox News; Rudi Bakhtiar, formerly at CNN and last seen at Fox News as a correspondent; Dana Bash, CNN; Martin Bashir, MSNBC, formerly ABC's Nightline // ====================================== This operations saw local news operations reduced at some stations and combined with national news coverage, weather forecasting, and sports headlines based out of Sinclair's headquarters in Hunt Valley, Maryland. However, WICS' signal was not nearly strong enough to reach the eastern portion of the area. WICS disappeared from the Terre Haute local feed in the fall of 2011 after that city's Fox affiliate, WFXW, rejoined ABC as WAWV-TV. , this weather promo features Gus Gordon, Joe Crain shows what made him Springfield favorite... For 29 years, died of natural causes Saturday big dollar commercials syndicated. 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