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'''WTTO''' is a television station serving the [[Birmingham]]/[[Anniston]]/[[Tuscaloosa]] market as a WB affiliate. It broadcasts its analog signal on UHF channel 21 and its digital signal on UHF channel 28. It is licensed in [[Homewood]].
[[Image:WTTO CW21 logo.png|200px|right]]
'''WTTO''' ('''W'''e're '''T'''urning '''T'''wenty-'''O'''ne) is a [[Birmingham]]-based television station affiliated with the CW Network. It is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group of Hunt Valley, Maryland, which also owns independent [[WABM]]. The station, which is licensed in [[Homewood]], broadcasts on UHF channel 21 (DTV on channel 28) from the [[WTTO Tower]] on [[Red Mountain]]. The station's headquarters are located at 651 [[Beacon Parkway West]].


'''WDBB''' is a satellite of WTTO, and is licensed to [[Bessemer]], but primarily serves the Tuscaloosa area. It broadcasts its analog signal on UHF channel 17 and its digital signal on UHF channel 18.
WTTO was founded as an independent station in [[1982]] by [[Chapman Broadcasting]]<!--with the call letters standing for "Television Twenty-One"-->. It was, after Mobile's WPMI, Alabama's second independent television station. The station prospered with popular syndicated programming such as movies and older sitcoms. In [[1991]] WTTO became Birmingham's Fox affiliate, with neighboring [[WDBB]] (Tuscaloosa) and [[WNAL]] (Gadsden) becoming satellites. In [[1996]] the stations owner moved the FOX affiliation to [[WBRC 6]], leaving WTTO as an independent again. A year later, WTTO and WDBB became sister affiliates of "The WB Network". On September 18, [[2006]] the WB was relaunched as "The CW Network" with programming merged from the former WB and UPN networks.


Both stations are owned by [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]], which also owns sister station [[WABM]], the local UPN affiliate.
==History==
[[Image:WTTO 21 logo.jpg|right|175px]]
Petitions to the Federal Communications Commission for a new UHF channel in Birmingham began in [[1963]], with the Chapman Radio and Television Company, owners of [[WCRT-AM]] and [[WCRT-FM]] arguing that a new station could better serve ethnic and economic minorities in the region. Channel 21 was approved in August [[1965]], but protests from other applicants caused the FCC to re-open hearings. The [[Alabama Television Corporation]], headed by [[John Jemison]] was awarded the broadcast rights in the Fall of [[1968]], prompting Chapman to file suit. Meanwhile the [[Birmingham Broadcasting Company]], affiliated with the owners of [[WLPH-AM]] made its own application and the [[Birmingham Television Corporation]], owners of [[WBMG-TV]], also entered the fray, hoping to score the lower-frequency channel for itself. As part of its efforts to resolve the standoff, the FCC surveyed residents about what they wanted in a new television station. The matter was not resolved until the early 1980s, when Chapman was again awarded its license.


==History==
WTTO began broadcasting on [[April 21]], [[1982]] with a young, relatively inexperienced staff. [[Penny Haft]] was general manager and [[Guy Chancey]], then 24, was the station's first promotion manager. The first program broadcast was a rerun of the late 1970s action show, ''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century''. It quickly built a reputation by airing cult movies and popular syndicated series such as "The Andy Griffith Show", which it promoted with memorable spoof campaigns produced by [[Karen Cole]]. [[Keri Lane-Hontzas]] pioneered the idea of bringing the station's movies to parks for public screenings.
WTTO began originally on April 21, [[1982]] as Alabama's second independent station, signing on a few months after WPMI-TV in Mobile. It was a typical UHF independent that aired numerous cartoons, movies, and sitcoms. The first program it broadcast was a rerun of the 1970s action show, ''Buck Rogers in the 21st Century''. The station was owned by [[Chapman Broadcasting]]. [[Arlington Broadcasting]] bought WTTO in [[1983]]. It was sold to [[HR Broadcasting]] in [[1987]].  It turned down the Fox affiliation when that network started up. The station did very well even without Fox, and in fact was one of the top independent stations in the countrry. HR Broadcasting sold WTTO to [[Abry]] in [[1989]].  


Meanwhile, WDBB had its start on October 1, [[1984]] as an independent station licensed to Tuscaloosa, also serving Birmingham. In [[1986]], the station began broadcasting from a tower near Bessemer in an attempt to become the Birmingham area's second independent station, simulcasting with co-owned [[WNAL]] (channel 44, now [[WPXH]]) in [[Gadsden]]. At the same time, WDBB/WNAL became a Fox affiliate. However, neither station covered Birmingham with a signal and couldn't get on all of the local cable systems.  In January of [[1991]], Fox moved its affiliation to WTTO after all efforts to get better cable coverage for WDBB/WNAL failed.  Soon after, WDBB and WNAL began simulcasting WTTO for all but two hours of the broadcast day. By 1993 WNAL and WDBB became full-time satellites of WTTO, which nonetheless only called itself'' "FOX21"''. Within a few years, WTTO was one of the strongest Fox affiliates in the country.
Arlington Broadcasting bought WTTO in [[1983]] and sold it to HR Broadcasting in [[1987]]. The station was successful as an independent and declined to host the debut of the Fox network when it first launched in [[1986]].
 
In [[1994]] Abry began a local marketing agreement with WABM, which joined UPN in 1995, a few months after Abry merged with Sinclair.  Meanwhile, that same year, New World bought [[WBRC]] from Citicasters. At the same time, it bought [[WVTM-TV]] from Argyle. This posed a serious problem for New World. It not only owned two stations in the same market, but now owned more stations than the [[FCC]] allowed. A few months later, however, New World and Fox reached a deal in which New World would switch all its stations to Fox affiliates.  This gave New World a chance to solve its Birmingham ownership problem by selling WBRC directly to Fox.


ABC wanted to affiliate with WTTO, but at the time Sinclair did not budget for local newscasts on its stations. Also, Sinclair was only interested in ABC's prime time shows, sports, and ABC News, not a full affiliation. ABC found this offer unattractive, and WTTO and WDBB continued as Fox stations until WBRC's affiliation deal with ABC ran out in September [[1996]]. The two stations then became independents, though WTTO held onto Fox Kids after WBRC didn't pick it up. In the meantime, WNAL was sold to Fant Broadcasting and became the CBS affiliate for Gadsden and northeast Alabama.
==FOX==
Fox's efforts to find a Birmingham-area outlet enjoyed only marginal success with their combination of Tuscaloosa's WDBB, which relocated its tower closer to Birmingham & Gadsden's WNAL. WTTO, which was sold to Boston-based ABRY Broadcasting Partners in [[1989]], joined with FOX in [[1991]] and the other two stations became satellites of the combined station, known as '''FOX 21''', one of the country's strongest Fox affiliates.


In February [[1997]], WTTO and WDBB affiliated with the WB network.
In [[1994]] ABRY began a local marketing agreement with [[WABM]], which joined UPN in [[1995]]. The following year brought the [[Big Switch]] in Birmingham's television line-up, which left WTTO as an independent as [[WBRC]] came under the ownership of the Fox Broadcasting Corporation.


In the late 1990's WTTO evolved gradually away from movies, classic sitcoms, and cartoons to more talk/reality shows, court shows, as well as recent sitcoms (which they ran all along). WTTO dropped Fox Kids programming in the Fall of [[2000]] and WBRC did not pick it up, as Fox had stopped requiring its stations to carry it. The main reason for this change was because the stations were having a tougher time making a profit running such programming. This was due to new FCC regulations in terms of the amount of ads allowed during children's programming as well as the content of such advertising. This made advertisers for children rely more on cable and caused syndicators to move their programming to cable.
ABC had tried to affiliate with WTTO, but Sinclair was only interested in the prime-time line-up and sports franchise, and did not plan to launch a local newscast on its stations.


Still WTTO continued cartoons in the afternoons as they ran Kids WB programming until that ended nationwide in January of [[2006]]. Kids WB still runs on Saturday Mornings. In September [[2003]], WTTO finally began to produce its own local newscast, titled ''"WB21 News at 9:00"''.  However, in October [[2005]], the market's [[CBS]]-affiliate, [[WIAT]], began producing the newscasts for WTTO.
==WB & CW==
[[Image:WB21.png|right|175px]]
In February [[1997]], WTTO and WDBB affiliated with the WB network, becoming known as '''WB21''', while WNAL became Gadsden's CBS affiliate. The station evolved from mostly old movies, sitcoms and cartoons to a talk-show/reality format supplemented by the WB's afternoon and prime-time shows.


The WB will shut down in September 2006, along with UPN, to form "The CW", a network featuring programming from both networks. Sinclair announced on May 2, [[2006]] that WTTO would become the CW affiliate. As a CW affiliate, the station will be branded as "CW21".
In September [[2003]], WTTO finally began to produce its own local newscast, titled ''"WB21 News at 9:00"''.  However, in October [[2005]], CBS-affiliate [[WIAT]], began producing the newscasts for WTTO. The WB merged with UPN in September 2006 to form "The CW", a network featuring programming from both networks. WTTO is now Birmingham's CW affiliate, known as '''CW 21'''.


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Dubba Dubba Twins]]
* [[Dubba Dubba Twins]]
* [[WTTO Tower]]
* [[WTTO Tower]]
==References==
* "[http://www.birminghamrewound.com/features/TempleTheater(9-70).jpg Ch. 21 in your future]." (September 1970) ''Birmingham News'' - via [[Birmingham Rewound]]
* Geiss, Chuck (May 17, 2012) "Naked Birmingham". ''Black & White''


== External links ==
== External links ==
*[http://www.wtto21.com/ WTTO website]
* [http://www.wtto21.com/ WTTO] website
* [http://www.birminghamrewound.com/radio-tv.htm Radio & TV] at [[Birmingham Rewound]]
* [http://members.aol.com/zachr330/almediapage/profiles/wtto.html WTTO technical profile]


[[Category:Television stations]]
[[Category:TV stations]]
[[Category:1982 establishments]]
[[Category:Beacon Parkway West]]

Latest revision as of 22:23, 21 May 2012

WTTO CW21 logo.png

WTTO (We're Turning Twenty-One) is a Birmingham-based television station affiliated with the CW Network. It is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group of Hunt Valley, Maryland, which also owns independent WABM. The station, which is licensed in Homewood, broadcasts on UHF channel 21 (DTV on channel 28) from the WTTO Tower on Red Mountain. The station's headquarters are located at 651 Beacon Parkway West.

WTTO was founded as an independent station in 1982 by Chapman Broadcasting. It was, after Mobile's WPMI, Alabama's second independent television station. The station prospered with popular syndicated programming such as movies and older sitcoms. In 1991 WTTO became Birmingham's Fox affiliate, with neighboring WDBB (Tuscaloosa) and WNAL (Gadsden) becoming satellites. In 1996 the stations owner moved the FOX affiliation to WBRC 6, leaving WTTO as an independent again. A year later, WTTO and WDBB became sister affiliates of "The WB Network". On September 18, 2006 the WB was relaunched as "The CW Network" with programming merged from the former WB and UPN networks.

History

WTTO 21 logo.jpg

Petitions to the Federal Communications Commission for a new UHF channel in Birmingham began in 1963, with the Chapman Radio and Television Company, owners of WCRT-AM and WCRT-FM arguing that a new station could better serve ethnic and economic minorities in the region. Channel 21 was approved in August 1965, but protests from other applicants caused the FCC to re-open hearings. The Alabama Television Corporation, headed by John Jemison was awarded the broadcast rights in the Fall of 1968, prompting Chapman to file suit. Meanwhile the Birmingham Broadcasting Company, affiliated with the owners of WLPH-AM made its own application and the Birmingham Television Corporation, owners of WBMG-TV, also entered the fray, hoping to score the lower-frequency channel for itself. As part of its efforts to resolve the standoff, the FCC surveyed residents about what they wanted in a new television station. The matter was not resolved until the early 1980s, when Chapman was again awarded its license.

WTTO began broadcasting on April 21, 1982 with a young, relatively inexperienced staff. Penny Haft was general manager and Guy Chancey, then 24, was the station's first promotion manager. The first program broadcast was a rerun of the late 1970s action show, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. It quickly built a reputation by airing cult movies and popular syndicated series such as "The Andy Griffith Show", which it promoted with memorable spoof campaigns produced by Karen Cole. Keri Lane-Hontzas pioneered the idea of bringing the station's movies to parks for public screenings.

Arlington Broadcasting bought WTTO in 1983 and sold it to HR Broadcasting in 1987. The station was successful as an independent and declined to host the debut of the Fox network when it first launched in 1986.

FOX

Fox's efforts to find a Birmingham-area outlet enjoyed only marginal success with their combination of Tuscaloosa's WDBB, which relocated its tower closer to Birmingham & Gadsden's WNAL. WTTO, which was sold to Boston-based ABRY Broadcasting Partners in 1989, joined with FOX in 1991 and the other two stations became satellites of the combined station, known as FOX 21, one of the country's strongest Fox affiliates.

In 1994 ABRY began a local marketing agreement with WABM, which joined UPN in 1995. The following year brought the Big Switch in Birmingham's television line-up, which left WTTO as an independent as WBRC came under the ownership of the Fox Broadcasting Corporation.

ABC had tried to affiliate with WTTO, but Sinclair was only interested in the prime-time line-up and sports franchise, and did not plan to launch a local newscast on its stations.

WB & CW

WB21.png

In February 1997, WTTO and WDBB affiliated with the WB network, becoming known as WB21, while WNAL became Gadsden's CBS affiliate. The station evolved from mostly old movies, sitcoms and cartoons to a talk-show/reality format supplemented by the WB's afternoon and prime-time shows.

In September 2003, WTTO finally began to produce its own local newscast, titled "WB21 News at 9:00". However, in October 2005, CBS-affiliate WIAT, began producing the newscasts for WTTO. The WB merged with UPN in September 2006 to form "The CW", a network featuring programming from both networks. WTTO is now Birmingham's CW affiliate, known as CW 21.

See also

References

External links

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