At the time, UHF signals were not strong enough to cover large amounts of territory. It was also known that the show would probably rile some advertisers which would make it difficult to sell to local ad buyers. However, WICS was the only station uplinked by satellite providers due to contractual obligations, since it was considered the main station. Gordon was named the Executive Director of the Hoogland Center for the Arts on February 1, 2013. Lincoln Library-Springfield That of Channel 20(WICS) in Springfield, Channel 33(WCHU) in Champaign, Channel 24,(WICD) in Danville and Channel 75(W-75-AD) in Mattoon, Illinois. This arrangement nearly brought down WICD, and for a time, it appeared the station would revert to a full-time satellite of WICS. Others who have spent time there included Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Bill Murray, Albert Brooks, Don Novello, Paul Shaffer, Al Franken, Tom Davis, Gilbert Gottfried, Joe Piscopo, Charles Rocket, Eddie Murphy, Robin Duke, Tim Kazurinsky and Denny Dillon. Pictured are WICS staff members Robert Wilson and John McKinney. He was 66. The cars would be driven into the new WICS studio where up to four vehicles could be featured at one time! WICS would air paid religious programs by a professional evangelist, as well as paid info-commercials on behalf of charitable organizations. In 1960, it bought WDAN-TV (another low-powered station in Danville) and changed the calls to WICD. Ann Marshall Frederick Hickman (October 17, 1956 - November 9, 2022) was an American sports broadcaster with CNN, TBS, YES Network, and ESPN.He was later an anchor and managing editor for the evening newscast of the African-American cable news channel Black News Channel.Hickman was an original co-host of the CNN show Sports Tonight in 1980. This page is here to encourage an open dialogue with our viewers and provide an online community where people can express themselves and interact with See more 134,949 people like this 234,742 people follow this http://www.newschannel20.com/ Scott Baer Now he might be out of a job", "A weatherman slammed his station's constant 'Code Red' warnings. I am overjoyed at my new career and lifestyle change that promotes work life balance. | [16] This is not the first time the station has taken issue with talent popular with their viewers; in 2015, chief meteorologist Ric Kearbey was unable to reach a deal with WICS on a new contract, while anchor Liz Foster resigned to take a new position in Charlotte, North Carolina.[17][18][19]. Flooring America Eyenet Camera Network. That was in April of 1978. Dee Dee Gatton BREAKING: Crews battle two-alarm fire at south Charlotte apartment complex Dee Dee Gatton First at Four Anchor, Investigative Reporter Charlotte, NC Prior to coming to Charlotte, Dee Dee was the evening anchor/special projects reporter at WICS-WRSP in Springfield, Illinois. Justin and Brittany are setting the record straight on why they will be away. _taboola.push({flush: true}); A spokesman for the stations parent, Sinclair Broadcast Group, confirmed Wednesday night that Joe was let go., TVNewsCheck | 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. One minute she's on the news, the next minute she's gone. She also was the Interim Chief Meteorologist at WSBT-TV in South Bend, Indiana. In addition to sporting director, Hickman was also a news reporter and sometimes news anchor, former WICS news director Les Vann recalled. WICS News Anchors. WICD, Channel 15 was the result of a merger between two relatively lower powered sister stations of WICS. Randy Miller and his Facebook Photo Collection Remember On Monday, he might not have a job to return to. Although the WRSP/WCCU newscast features market wide coverage, including contributions from WICD reporters based in Champaign, there is a separate weeknight weather segment for WRSP and WCCU that was seen. 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. 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. The existing hour-long WICS-produced newscast on WRSP, which had been simulcast on WCCU, was refocused to Springfield and became known as Fox News at Nine. The Urbana Courier Newspaper 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. The Decatur Herald-Review Newspaper Former Weather Channel Anchor Cheryl Lemke hasn't run into Homer Simpson yet, but she is enjoying life in Springfield, Illinois. In the case of WICS/WICD, it was a late movie. Quotation [11] = "'Scott Jones, whose FTVLive.com Web site broke the story' - LA Daily News" Quotation[8] = "'CNBC wanted a reaction to a story someone had seen on FTVLive' - Vanity Fair "; This is a WICS 10 pm weathercast from February 4, 2014. This left WICS and WICD without a major network affiliation. 1979, Newspaper ad from the Randy Miller Collection, TV Guide Ads for WICS Gus Gordon(weather), Don Hickman, Susan Finzen(anchors), Paul Wappel(sports) (courtesy WICS), Rebroadcast of vintage video showing Don Hickman and staff (courtesy of WICS). Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Area MMJ/Reporter . The SangamonLink has posted about historical highlights for Sangamon County including a story about WICS television history, in which it credits me as a source. "Real People" was a reality-based variety show which gave a number of "real" people/groups their 15-minutes of fame in front of a national audience. Bomke's broadcast career began in Central Illinois as a morning anchor and reporter for WICD-TV in Champaign and WICS-TV in her hometown of Springfield. The Bloomington Pantagraph Total Television by Alex McNeil. Hickman was an anchor at the ABC-affiliate from 1972 until his retirement in 2001. Quotation [17] = " 'An insider newsy website' - Hoda Kotb" This is a 10 pm newscast from February 24, 2016. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. 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. John Belushi who was with the show from 1975 to 1979, Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin were there from 1975-1980. WCHU, Channel 33 in Champaign only broadcast a radius of about 15 miles from downtown Champaign. April 22, 2015, the NewsChannel 20 6pm newscast. The FCC ruled HMTF held enough stock in Sunrise that if it bought WICS/WICD, it would have created a duopoly between two of the four highest-rated stations in the market, which is forbidden by FCC rules. Along with television, Elmer Balaban also owned a number of local radio stations in medium-size markets around the country. Quotation[6] = "'The site that everyone that works in TV News turns to' - NPR "; WICS would broadcast St. Louis Cardinal Baseball during the era as well. Mutual of Omaha's the Wild Kingdom would follow at 5 pm, then the NBC national newscast before prime time and Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. After the 10 pm local newscast, both WICS/WICD would follow, more than likely, with the broadcast of yet another TV movie before sign-off. One of the more "infamous" pre-emptions was that of "Star Trek" which was replaced by airing off-network reruns of "Laramie." James Isley 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"). Many might remember the "Acri Creature Feature" which ran late Saturday nights. Before the high-def conversion, here is the 6 pm Newscast from WICS, Channel 20 from July 7, 2011. The dog was Fang, the Wonderdog. Justin Carter and Brittany Hardaway (WICS) SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) Many people are wondering where Newschannel 20 and FOX Illinois morning anchors Justin Carter and Brittany Hardaway have been. Employees have the right to disagree and should do so when they believe something is wrong, though hopefully not on a public forum., The Associated Press | (YouTube). WICS would often time preempt NBC for the airing of local origination programming during the prime time during the month following a rating period. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 42. Hickman died of liver cancer in Kissimmee,. It was simply more profitable, since airing the NBC show would limit the time available for local commercials. The company almost immediately turned around and announced it was selling the two (which count as one for regulatory purposes) plus KGAN in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Sunrise Television. It was felt by the management of the time that WICS would be better served by keeping the late movie and airing the local commercials. Guy Gannett finally bought WICD in 1994. Teresa Wilson Ericson She also co-anchored FOX40 Live Morning. function showQuotation(){document.write(Quotation[whichQuotation]);} By 1958, WICS was an exclusive NBC affiliate. (You Tube), Linda Ellerby doing an NBC News Update from 1977. One long-time fixture on NewsChannel 20 Joe Crain shows what made him Springfield's favorite weather guy. This is from 2013. window._taboola = window._taboola || []; He later would be at CNN for over 20 years and at WXIA in Atlanta before moving to a role in public relations and working for the United Way in Atlanta. if(window.ImageLoader) window.ImageLoader.bootstrap({}, document);Squarespace.afterBodyLoad(Y); Anchor Leaves Station without a Word (Thanks to Sinclair). Brittany is no stranger to Illinois as she's worked at news stations in southern and central . Just drop me a note at the, Randy Miller for his picture contributions. He would remain as WCIA's News Director until 1967. Although, that wasn't all. Meanwhile, WICS would struggle with the technical limitations of WCHU and WICD. Help me identify people in these pictures, some I know, but others I do not. 2 min read. In 1963 Robert D. McMullin was listed as WCIA News Editor (News Director). He was 66. Flip was WICS weathercaster for the six and ten-PM newscasts from 1973 to 1979. President and Former Vice President of Print Joe Crain has been a meteorologist at WICS Springfield, Ill., for 15 years. The owners of Plains Television Partners were Harry and Elmer Balaban, the two younger brothers of Barney Balaban, who was the head of Paramount Pictures during the 1940s and '50s. Jordan Elder is switching Sinclair owned stations. Dave Heller (who produced the 40th Anniversary of WICS and a number of screengrabs were taken) This was the 1965-66 Season Premiere Video produced for NBC Sales. Plains Television sold WICS to Guy Gannett Communications (no relation to the larger Gannett Company), in 1986 but held onto WICD until 1994. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. From August 12, 2016, the 10pm newscast from WICS, Channel 20. YouTube videos are the property of the individual copyright holders and only posted for their historical significance. These paid commercial programs would pop up in March, June, August, and even December. WICD would follow with a play of its public affairs program Assignment 15.. 1976 Fall TV montage of shows broadcast during the week. Although, that wasn't all. - Greta Van Susteren" Brittany Hardaway joined 13 WREX as an anchor for the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts in July of 2021. No corporation is perfect, nor is every policy. Although identifying as a separate station in its own right, WICD is considered . The journalist is popular for anchoring "Dateline" for NBC, and from 1997 to 2011, she was news anchor on the network's "Today" show. During the Summer of 2004, it was announced that WAND would become the market's NBC station. 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). J.R. Evans They might have had a strange talent, demonstrated a stunt, had a peculiar occupation.I think you get the idea. She's leaving WICS in Springfield, Ill. to join San Antonio NBC and Fox affiliates WOAI and KABB. On April 7, 2015 despite this significant reduction, WICD began airing a full sixty-minute Champaign-based prime time newscast (weeknights at 9) on WCCU entitled Fox Champaign News at Nine. Sinclair is providing sales and other non-programming services to the stations pursuant to shared services and joint sales agreements. This is a 2018 clip from Sunrise with Joe Crain and an explanation of the eventual controversial weather warning.. Network screen grabs were from the collection of Bob Lee, Jo Warfield for sharing her recollections. Former Channel 20 anchor Don Hickman dies JOHN REYNOLDS and MATTHEW DIETRICH 0:00 0:35 Don Hickman, whose nearly three decades as news anchor at WICS Channel 20 made him one of. On Sundays, WICS would sign on at 6:30 am with a block of religious programming and public affairs. | KHQA-TV (Quincy, IL) It was an unprecedented moment in history as former President Donald Trump and his legal team navigated the historic second impeachment trial. WICS Improvements/Planning WICS continued to be owned by Plains Television Partners from its beginnings through 1986 and co-owned with sister station WICD in Champaign. WICS Advertises For Meteorologists Replacement, Code Red Alert Gone After Meteorologists Knock, At KCCI Des Moines, The CSD Draws On Long And Varied Experience, Talking TV: CBCs About That Elevates Explainer News For Streaming, For NextGen TV, Cheaper Receivers, Bigger Markets And More HDR Are Next, Many Forces Working Against TV M&A In 2023, Hawaiis This Is Now Bridges Digital, Broadcast, Talking TV: Welcoming The End Of News Objectivity, Scale Complicates Monitoring, But Tools Level Up To The Challenge, Chatbots Downside For Media Is Already Clear, TV Groups Turn To Solutions Journalism, And Viewers Lean In, Local Businesses Pull Ads From WICS In Support Of Weathercaster, WICS Forecaster May Be Out After Criticizing Sinclair, WICS Meteorologist Criticizes Sinclair Code Red Alerts, WICS Strong Leader In Central Ill. Social Media, WICS Fires Anchor, Reporter After Hooters Fight, WICS Sports Director Krista Lander Leaving, WICS News Set Nominated For Mid-America Emmy, Vince DeMintri Joins Anchor Staff At WICS, WICS Reporter Katie Heinz Injured In Accident, Former WICS Anchor Don Hickman Dies At 74, Spot TV Forecast: After Political Bonanza In 22, Flat Will Suffice For 23, Top 30 Station Groups: Standard General Leaps Into Second Place With Tegna Acquisition, 13th Annual Women In Technology Awards Reception, Revenue Strategies: Advanced Targeting for Local TV. Radio stations in southern and central the next minute she 's on the news the! At 6:30 am with a play of its public affairs program Assignment 15.. 1976 Fall montage! On NewsChannel 20 Joe Crain shows what made him Springfield 's favorite guy... 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