WILX-TV

Last updated

WILX-TV
City Onondaga, Michigan
Channels
BrandingWILX 10; News 10
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
March 15, 1959
(65 years ago) (1959-03-15)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 10 (VHF, 1959–2009)
  • Digital: 57 (UHF, until 2009)
Call sign meaning
Derived from WILS radio; Ingham County, Lansing, X (Roman numeral for 10)
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 6863
ERP 30 kW
HAAT 298.5 m (979 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 42°26′33″N84°34′21″W / 42.44250°N 84.57250°W / 42.44250; -84.57250
Translator(s) WLNM-LD 29.1 Lansing
Links
Public license information
Website www.wilx.com

WILX-TV (channel 10) is a television station licensed to Onondaga, Michigan, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for the Lansing area. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios on American Road (near I-96) in Lansing, and its transmitter is located in Onondaga. It is also rebroadcast on WLNM-LD (channel 29) in the immediate Lansing area.

Contents

The second VHF frequency in south-central Michigan was assigned to Onondaga, almost halfway between Lansing and Jackson, in 1954. This triggered a battle among five groups from Lansing and Jackson which sought the channel. Two of them had operated unsuccessful UHF stations in the Lansing area: Lansing Broadcasting, owner of radio station WILS and former owner of WILS-TV (channel 54), and Michigan State University (MSU), owner of WKAR-TV (channel 60). The two groups jointly presented the Federal Communications Commission with a proposal, believed to be the first of its kind, to share time between a commercial station and an MSU-operated educational station. After several years of legal battles at the FCC and in Michigan court, channel 10 began broadcasting on this basis on March 15, 1959. The commercial station was WILX-TV, an NBC affiliate owned by the Television Corporation of Michigan, a group with close ties to WILS, with its main studio in Jackson. It leased the transmitter facility from MSU, which operated an educational station for 38 hours a week as WMSB. The arrangement lasted more than 13 years and was ended in 1972, when MSU built the present WKAR-TV on channel 23.

Television Corporation of Michigan sold WILX-TV to A-T-O Communications, later Figgie Communications, in 1978, in the first of five sales in 25 years. The station, long an also-ran in market news ratings, made its first credible showing by poaching sportscaster Tim Staudt from long-dominant WJIM-TV (channel 6, now WLNS-TV). WILX-TV pulled nearly even, though it continued to be hamstrung by the increasing split of station personnel and resources between Lansing and Jackson. After channel 6 poached two senior executives from channel 10 in 1986, the station's news ratings decreased during the ownership of Adams Communications and Brissette Broadcasting. Under those two companies, the station migrated all of its operations to Lansing in two phases between 1990 and 1993.

WILX overtook WLNS for the first time in the final months of Benedek Broadcasting ownership before Gray acquired the station in 2002. Its local newscasts have continued to be competitive in the market, regularly trading the ratings lead with WLNS.

Allocation and construction of channel 10

In 1953, two companies—Sparton Broadcasting and the Jackson Broadcasting and Telecasting Corporation—requested that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) assign channel 10 to Parma, Michigan, while a third—Triad Association—requested its assignment to the nearby community of Onondaga, [2] south of Lansing. [3] The commission made the assignment to Parma and Onondaga in January 1954, denying a competing bid to place channel 10 at Coldwater. [4] The site was necessary to maintain proper spacing to other channel 10 stations at Milwaukee; Columbus, Ohio; and London, Ontario. [5]

With the assignment in place, the FCC took applications for channel 10. Booth Radio and Television Stations (owner of Jackson radio station WIBM), Triad, [6] [7] and Jackson Broadcasting and Telecasting (owner of Jackson radio station WKHM) all applied. [8] The fourth bid came from the Television Corporation of Michigan (TCM), a firm with close ties to Lansing Broadcasting, owner of Lansing radio station WILS. At the time, WILS was operating WILS-TV (channel 54), an early ultra high frequency (UHF) station. [9] The fifth and final applicant for channel 10 was Michigan State College, which sought approval to build a commercial station. The college was already experienced in educational television. It owned the Lansing area's other UHF television station, WKAR-TV (channel 60). [10]

In September 1954, TCM and Michigan State College combined their bids after the former company made a proposal for a shared-time operation, [11] Under the new proposal, the college would build the facility and lease it to Television Corporation of Michigan. The two groups, each with separate licenses, would broadcast at different times each day; the Michigan State station would be on air 38 hours a week, only slightly less than WKAR-TV was operating. The proposal came at a time when both groups were disappointed by their UHF television stations in Lansing. WILS was selling channel 54, while Michigan State officials had discovered viewers were not buying the converters needed to view UHF stations at the rate they had hoped, crimping the effectiveness of channel 60. According to John Pomeroy, president of WILS and TCM, the Michigan State–TCM petition called for the station to broadcast with the maximum high-band VHF power of 316,000 watts from a 1,000-foot (305 m) tower. This would provide at least secondary coverage within 70 miles (113 km) of Parma–Onondaga, including Lansing proper. [5] In 1955, Armand L. Hunter, the director of educational television at Michigan State College, noted that the existing operation of channel 60 did not justify the $300,000 annual expense to operate it. [11] The college's entrance into the channel 10 proposal led to some concern by state legislators that Michigan State was entering into competition with private broadcasters; [12] college officials stated that the station would not be built with tax dollars and that the university would recoup its investment in the form of lease payments to Television Corporation of Michigan. [13]

FCC hearings in the long-running case concluded in October 1956. [14] Hearing examiner Annie Neal Huntting handed down her initial decision on March 7, 1957. It favored the joint bid of Michigan State (which had recently been elevated to university status [lower-alpha 1] ) and the Television Corporation of Michigan. [16] The losing applicants mounted nearly two years of appeals to the FCC and Michigan courts. The matter was heard by the commission in April 1958; [3] Booth, Triad, and Jackson Broadcasting and Telecasting argued the proposed station would feature a "mish-mash" of cultural and commercial programs, citing the scheduling of programming on world philosophy next to The Lone Ranger . [17]

In May 1958, the FCC denied the appeals and awarded a tentative construction permit to Michigan State University for the construction of the channel 10 facility. [18] With this tentative approval in hand, MSU shut down WKAR-TV on channel 60 the next month, with president John A. Hannah announcing the university would not return to the air until channel 10 was completed. [19] [20] MSU received formal FCC approval for channel 10 after a split commission decision on September 3. [21] The university signaled it would be able to provide educational television programs in a much wider area from channel 10 than it had from channel 60. [22] The companies initially planned to telecast under the call letters they had used on the UHF band—WILS-TV and WKAR-TV [23] —but the FCC assigned them the call signs WFTV and WMSB, respectively. [24] The WFTV designation was quickly changed to WILX-TV. [25]

The university swung into the process of taking bids for construction. [26] Its progress was soon halted by continued appeals from the losers, this time in Michigan courts. Acting on a petition from the Jackson Broadcasting and Telecasting Corporation, a circuit judge in Jackson enjoined MSU from awarding construction contracts in late October. [27] The Jackson firm's petition contended that the MSU plan to issue revenue bonds to finance construction and pay them back with the proceeds from the lease to Television Corporation of Michigan violated the Michigan state constitution and a condition on legislative appropriations to the university. [28] MSU emerged victorious when the circuit judge lifted his temporary restraining order, [29] and the FCC denied last appeals made by Jackson Broadcasting and Telecasting. [30] [31] During construction, on January 9, 1959, a 28-year-old tower worker from Decatur, Illinois, fell 450 feet (140 m) to his death when rigging gave way. [32]

The shared-time years

Channel 10 debuted on March 15, 1959. WMSB was the first station to greet viewers with a dedication program from its East Lansing studios, but high winds caused the microwave link to be unreliable and the picture to be described as "jumpy" by the Jackson Citizen Patriot . Later that afternoon, after a 90-minute outage when wind knocked down a power line, WILX-TV made its debut from its studio in Jackson, [33] [34] inside the former coffee shop of the Hotel Hayes. [35] [36] The station was an NBC affiliate, with a schedule incorporating 30 network programs not previously seen in the Lansing area. [37] It was reportedly the first shared-time operation between a commercial broadcaster and an educational broadcaster in the nation. [23] [34]

In June, WILX opened its second local studio, in Battle Creek's Wolverine Tower. [38] [39] The final appeal by Jackson Broadcasting and Telecasting against the channel 10 arrangement was dismissed by the Michigan Supreme Court in 1960. [40]

WILX received FCC approval to build a new radio station in Jackson, which began broadcasting as WJCO (1510 AM) on January 19, 1963. [41] The new radio station briefly shared channel 10's facility in the Hotel Hayes. That May, Television Corporation of Michigan broke ground on a studio complex on Springport Road in Blackman Township, to which WILX-TV moved that October. [42] [43] The original broadcasting schedule between the stations was modified in 1965 to permit WILX-TV to air The Huntley-Brinkley Report while granting WMSB additional time on Sundays and Mondays. [44]

In 1968, Michigan State University and WMSB each experienced a change in leadership. Robert Page became the university station's new manager shortly before Clifton R. Wharton Jr. was named MSU's new president. By that time, circumstances in public broadcasting and UHF reception had changed. There was more programming available to public television stations in the wake of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, while the All-Channel Receiver Act meant that all new TV sets could receive UHF stations. WMSB, barred from most evening broadcasting in its shared-time arrangement, could not reach a family audience; its early evening window, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., attracted few viewers against newscasts on competing stations. Page began to lobby Wharton and the MSU administration for a full-time public television station. [45] The university filed for channel 23 in East Lansing in November 1970, [46] and the FCC approved in 1971 after the university received a federal grant. MSU agreed to sell the Onondaga transmitting facility to Television Corporation of Michigan for $1.7 million, funding the university would use for capital improvements to its television facilities. [47] On September 10, 1972, WMSB and the revived WKAR-TV broadcast 23 This Way, a special celebrating the opening of the new educational station. [48]

A-T-O and Adams ownership

Television Corporation of Michigan opted to sell its broadcast properties to separate buyers in 1978. WILX-TV was sold for $12 million to A-T-O Communications, a Los Angeles–based subsidiary of A-T-O Inc. in Willoughby, Ohio. [49] The subsidiary had been formed the year prior and given $30 million to buy broadcast stations. [50] A-T-O renamed itself Figgie International in 1981 because of confusion with French company ATO Chimie and the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, [51] and A-T-O Communications became Figgie Communications. [52]

Figgie never acquired any other broadcast stations, [52] and it sold the station in 1983 to Stephen Adams of Minneapolis. In approving the transaction, the FCC rejected petitions from the Jackson city council and new Lansing independent station WFSL. [53] The petitions concerned the relocation of the station's primary facilities from Jackson to Lansing. A clause in the sale agreement to Adams stipulated that the company build a new studio and office building in Lansing within two years. By that time, the station had long sought to move to Lansing and maintained most of its news staff there. [54] The studio project did not come to fruition at that time. [55]

Under A-T-O and Adams, WILX made its first move toward being competitive in the Mid-Michigan television market. With its news staff split between Lansing and Jackson and the company running three to four shuttles a day between the two cities, channel 10 had never been a serious local news competitor to WJIM-TV (channel 6) in the local ratings. Mike Hughes of the Lansing State Journal described it as "the second station in a one-station town". [56] In the late 1970s, channel 10 hired sportscaster Tim Staudt away from channel 6. Suddenly, WJIM-TV went from dominating WILX-TV three-to-one in the ratings to being nearly even. The station then hired a second WJIM-TV employee, newsman Howard Lancour, to serve as lead anchor and news director. [57] Lancour, considered too old, was dismissed in 1983; the ratings ran a narrow second to WJIM. [56] The station's competitive stretch waned after new owners of channel 6, renamed WLNS-TV, hired away general manager Ronald Kwasnick and general sales manager Thomas Hartman in 1986. [58] While WILX posted its best total-day ratings shortly after their departure, using the programming purchased by Kwasnick, WLNS rebounded in ratings and maintained a solid lead in sales. [59] Meanwhile, WILX fell off while WLNS entered into a "plush period" with high ratings for its newscasts. [60]

Brissette and Benedek ownership

Adams Communications purchased the television station holdings of Wesray Capital Group in 1988, [61] but the deal left Adams highly leveraged and ill-prepared to confront declines in the value of broadcast properties, prompting it to default on $283 million of debt in 1991. [62] Brissette Broadcasting was formed the next year when Paul Brissette, who had been the vice president of Adams Communications's television stations division, bought out the business for $257 million. [63]

The financial and ownership changes at Adams coincided with a key move for WILX-TV. In 1990, the station built a 5,000-square-foot (460 m2) studio and office on American Road in south Lansing, replacing an earlier office site on Pennsylvania Avenue. [64] [65] After an uncertain period in which Brissette put the station on the market and let key syndicated programs Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune go, [60] the station dropped its 5:30 p.m. newscast, and union troubles emerged, [66] WILX-TV was taken off the market in 1993, and Brissette instead invested in expanding the American Road facility to serve as the station's only studio and reunite the staff split between Lansing and Jackson. [55] The company hired away WLNS's general manager [60] and made sports anchor Staudt the news director in addition to his anchoring duties. [66] Brissette also hired anchors from larger markets to present the new, Lansing-based newscasts. Roger McCoy had been an anchor for WKBD-TV in Detroit, but the station was demoting him; Liz Talbot had been left without a job after WVTV in Milwaukee shut down its news department. [67] In 1995, the station reinstated its 5:30 p.m. news program and added a noon newscast. [68]

Brissette's group of stations was acquired by Benedek Broadcasting in 1996. [68] Under Benedek, the station's newscasts continued to rate in second place behind WLNS-TV. In 1998, citing an uncertain economy, general manager David Cornelius scrapped the noon newscast and converted several full-time staffers to part-time in an effort to cut costs; one official with the United Auto Workers local that represented employees believed the cuts amounted to a union-busting effort. [69]

Gray ownership

In the early 2000s, financial problems developed at Benedek. The early 2000s recession reduced ad sales and caused the company to be unable to pay interest on a set of bonds issued in 1996, prompting a filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. [70] Most of Benedek's stations, including WILX, were sold to Gray Communications Systems—today's Gray Television—of Albany, Georgia. [71]

Just before Benedek's bankruptcy, WILX surpassed WLNS for first in local news in the February 2002 Nielsen ratings, which were affected by NBC's coverage of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Three months later, the station followed that up with a solid performance even without the Olympics: the station won in the morning newscast as well as at 6 and 11 p.m. [72] After Gray, the news department expanded by taking over news production duties for Fox affiliate WSYM-TV, which disbanded its own independent newsroom in 2004. [73] The relationship with WSYM-TV lasted more than 16 years until new owner The E. W. Scripps Company opted to reestablish its own news operation for the station in 2021. [74]

Under Gray ownership, WILX has added several newscasts and other local programs. A midday lifestyle show, Studio 10, debuted in 2020; it went on hiatus in 2022 before returning the next year. [75] A 4 p.m. news hour also returned in 2023. [76]

In 2020, Gray acquired WLNM-LD (channel 27), a low-power TV station in Lansing, from Tri-State Christian Television for $175,000; the deal included a five-year free lease for the Christian broadcaster to continue programming one of its subchannels. [77] The low-power station serves mainly to improve WILX's reception in the few areas of the market without cable or satellite that lost access to the main WILX signal after the digital transition. In June 2024, WLNM moved to a new tower facility to improve reception. [78]

Notable former on-air staff

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WILX-TV [85]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
10.1 1080i 16:9 WILX-DT NBC
10.2 480i MeTV MeTV
10.3CIRCLE Outlaw
10.4ION Ion Television
10.5ATV The365
10.6CRIME True Crime Network
10.7H & I Heroes & Icons

Analog-to-digital conversion

WILX-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 10, on February 17, 2009, the original target date on which full-power television stations in the United States were to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). [86] [87] The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 57, which was among the high-band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition, to its analog-era VHF channel 10. [88]

Notes

  1. ↑ Michigan State College was renamed Michigan State University (MSU) by a bill signed into law on April 21, 1955, and effective that July 1. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lansing, Michigan</span> Capital city of Michigan, United States

Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan and the most populous city in Ingham County. It is mostly in the county, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making it the sixth most populous city in Michigan. The population of its metropolitan statistical area (MSA) was 541,297 at the 2020 census, the third largest in the state after metropolitan Detroit and Grand Rapids. It was named the new state capital of Michigan in 1847, ten years after Michigan became a state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overmyer Network</span> American television network (May 1967)

The United Network, known prior to launch as the Overmyer Network, was a short lived attempt at a fourth television network in the United States that operated through the month of May 1967. Founded by Daniel H. Overmyer, a Toledo, Ohio, warehouse chain operator and television station owner, majority control of the network was sold by Overmyer to a 14-person syndicate weeks before it launched, resulting in the name change to the United Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WZZM</span> ABC affiliate in Grand Rapids, Michigan

WZZM is a television station licensed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, serving West Michigan as an affiliate of ABC. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station has studios on 3 Mile Road NW in Walker, and its transmitter is located in Grant, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLMT</span> TV station in Memphis, Tennessee

WLMT is a television station in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with The CW and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside ABC affiliate WATN-TV. The two stations share studios at the Shelby Oaks Corporate Park on Shelby Oaks Drive in northeast Memphis; WLMT's transmitter is located in the Brunswick section of unincorporated northeast Shelby County.

WKAR-TV is a PBS member television station licensed to East Lansing, Michigan, United States, serving central southern Michigan. The station is owned by Michigan State University (MSU) and operated as part of WKAR Public Media, along with NPR members WKAR and WKAR-FM (90.5). The three stations share studios in the Communication Arts and Sciences Building, at the southeast corner of Wilson and Red Cedar Roads on the MSU campus in East Lansing; WKAR-TV's transmitter is located off Dobie Road near Kinawa Drive in Meridian Charter Township between East Lansing and Williamston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rock (Michigan State University)</span> Feature of the Michigan State University campus

The Rock is a large pudding stone on the campus of Michigan State University, which has been painted with messages by campus groups since the 1960s. Unearthed in 1873, and installed on the campus by the class of 1873, the Rock became known as a site for engaged and married couples in the 1910s. Nicknamed the "Engagement Rock" in the 20th century, its purpose shifted in the 1960s and 1970s when graffiti began to appear on it for protest and promotional purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDBM</span> Student radio station at Michigan State University

WDBM, East Lansing, Michigan, United States, branded Impact 89FM, is a 2,000 watt, Class A, student-run college radio station at Michigan State University that broadcasts to listeners in the Lansing metropolitan area. The signal can be heard as far south as Jackson, Michigan, southeast almost to Brighton, and north to Alma, far beyond its 60 dBu service contour which represents its clearest signal. The station is the successor to the Michigan State Network, which in the 1970s was the nation's largest college carrier current radio network, and had studios in several MSU dormitories. The network was eventually consolidated to one carrier current station, WLFT, which broadcast from the former WKAR studios on the third floor of the MSU Auditorium Building. This was also the first home of WDBM-FM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLNS-TV</span> CBS affiliate in Lansing, Michigan

WLNS-TV is a television station in Lansing, Michigan, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which provides certain services to dual ABC/CW+ affiliate WLAJ under a shared services agreement (SSA) with Mission Broadcasting. WLNS-TV and WLAJ share studios on East Saginaw Street in Lansing's Eastside section; through a channel sharing agreement, the stations transmit using WLAJ's spectrum from a tower on Van Atta Road in Okemos, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLAJ</span> TV station in Lansing, Michigan

WLAJ is a television station in Lansing, Michigan, United States, affiliated with ABC and The CW Plus. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Nexstar Media Group, owner of CBS affiliate WLNS-TV, for the provision of certain services. WLAJ and WLNS-TV share studios on East Saginaw Street on Lansing's Eastside; the stations transmit using WLAJ's spectrum from a tower on Van Atta Road in Okemos, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSYM-TV</span> TV station in Lansing, Michigan

WSYM-TV is a television station in Lansing, Michigan, United States, affiliated with Fox and MyNetworkTV. Owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, the station has studios on West Saint Joseph Street in downtown Lansing, and its transmitter is located in Hamlin Township along M-50/M-99/South Clinton Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Estell</span> American broadcaster

Dick Estell was an American radio personality. He was the host and producer of The Radio Reader, a serial public radio program in which the host reads aloud from contemporary novels. The program was carried on public broadcasting stations in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tri-State Christian Television</span> American religious broadcast network

Tri-State Christian Television, Inc., doing business as TCT Network and TCT Ministries, is a religious television network in the United States. The network was founded in May 1977 by spouses Garth and Tina Coonce.

WAQP is a religious television station licensed to Saginaw, Michigan, United States, serving northeastern Michigan as an owned-and-operated station of Tri-State Christian Television (TCT). The station's transmitter is located near Chesaning, Michigan.

WKAR is a non-commercial public AM radio station, licensed to the trustees of Michigan State University (MSU) at East Lansing, Michigan. It is part of MSU's Broadcasting Services Division, along with WKAR-FM and WKAR-TV. The station's studios and offices are in the Communication Arts and Sciences Building, at the southeast corner of Wilson and Red Cedar Roads on the MSU campus.

WKAR-FM is a non-commercial public radio station in East Lansing, Michigan. It is owned by Michigan State University, along with sister stations WKAR and WKAR-TV. They are owned by Michigan State University, with studios are in the Communication Arts and Sciences Building, at Wilson and Red Cedar Roads on the MSU campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Brandstatter</span> American sports announcer

Jim Brandstatter is an American former sportscaster. He served as a radio announcer for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1979 to 2021, and for the Detroit Lions from 1987 to 2017. Brandstatter is also a sports television show host and former radio show host; both TV and radio shows about Michigan football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLNM-LD</span> WILX-TV translator in Lansing, Michigan

WLNM-LD is a low-power television station in Lansing, Michigan, United States. It is a translator of Onondaga-licensed NBC affiliate WILX-TV which is owned by Gray Television. WLNM-LD's transmitter is located on River Street along the Red Cedar River southeast of Lansing; its parent station maintains studios on American Road in the city.

John P. McGoff was an American conservative newspaper publisher. He was the founder of the Panax Corporation and Global Communications, and the owner of "over seventy newspapers across the United States." His ties to the apartheid-era South African government drew attention from the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Michigan State University community, but his 1986 charges were dropped due to a five-year statute of limitation. He filed for bankruptcy upon his retirement.

WTOM-TV, known as WILS-TV from 1953 to 1954, was a television station broadcasting on channel 54 at Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was the first UHF station to broadcast in Lansing. Originally owned and operated by radio station WILS, it was leased to other interests in 1954 and changed its call letters to WTOM-TV. Financial difficulties prompted the station to close in October 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eva Lois Evans</span> American educator (1935–2020)

Eva Lois Allmon Evans was an American educator based in Lansing, Michigan, and the 24th international president of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2005.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WILX-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "Onondaga Asks For TV License". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. United Press. August 1, 1953. p. 3. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 "MSU, WILS Face Battle: Losers Protest Award of Split Channel 10 At Onondaga". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. April 20, 1958. pp. 1, 2. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Parma-Onondaga Given TV Channel: Lansing, Jackson Capital Backs Applicant". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. January 22, 1954. p. 3. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 "Join in Bid For Outlet". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. September 4, 1954. pp. 1, 2. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "File Applications". The Enquirer and News. Battle Creek, Michigan. February 25, 1954. p. 7. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Parma-Onondaga TV Permit Is Sought". The Enquirer and News. Battle Creek, Michigan. Associated Press. May 16, 1954. p. 3:1. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Educ. Uhf WKAR-TV Seeks Non-Commercial Vhf Channel". Broadcasting. July 5, 1954. p. 52. ProQuest   1285705122.
  9. ↑ "TV Permit Is Sought: Newly Formed Corporation Applies for Station in Central Michigan". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. June 1, 1954. p. 25. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "MSC Seeks Channel 10: Applies for Commercial Station at Parma-Onondaga". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. Associated Press. July 14, 1954. p. 12. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  11. 1 2 Burke, Bill (May 22, 1955). "VHF Channel Called Vital To Educational Television". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. pp. 1, 2. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Probe of College TV Aims Slated". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. March 18, 1955. p. 3. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "College TV Plans Told: M. S. C. to Use Borrowed Funds, Agriculture Board Reports". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. March 19, 1955. p. 9. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Complete Hearings On New TV Station For Lansing-Jackson Area". The Herald-Press. Saint Joseph, Michigan. Associated Press. October 24, 1956. p. 9. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "MSU Bill Given Final OK; Change Effective July 1: Hart Signs, Adds Words Of Pleasure". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. April 21, 1955. p. 1. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Burke, Bill (March 8, 1957). "MSU, Partner Get VHF Spot In FCC Ruling: Educational-Commercial Operation Of Channel 10 Approved; Others Have 30 Days To Appeal". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. pp. 17, 34. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ Branson, Robert N. (April 21, 1958). "Channel 10 Bid Fought: Competing Rivals Claim MSU-Shared TV Time Would Not Work". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. pp. 1, 2. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Burke, Bill (May 23, 1958). "M.S.U. Hopes to Be 'On the Air' in January: Channel 10 Plans Set Tentatively". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. pp. 15, 35. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Channel 60 To Vanish". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. June 15, 1958. p. 26. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "WKAR-TV to Suspend Operation on June 28". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. June 22, 1958. p. 24. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "MSU Wins Four-Year TV Battle: FCC Decision Favors University Plea to Share VHF Channel". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. September 4, 1958. pp. 1, 2. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ Young, William H. (September 7, 1958). "Educators Hail New Channel 10: MSU Educational TV Seen 'Tremendous Tool' in Area". The Enquirer and News. Battle Creek, Michigan. pp. 1, 2. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  23. 1 2 "New Dual TV Station To Beam on Area". The Enquirer and News. Battle Creek, Michigan. September 5, 1958. pp. 1, 3. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "TV Permit Received". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. October 16, 1958. p. 47. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ "History Cards for WILX-TV". Federal Communications Commission.
  26. ↑ "Bids Received For MSU TV". The Enquirer and News. Battle Creek, Michigan. September 23, 1958. p. 8. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  27. ↑ "MSU TV Project Enjoined". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. October 29, 1958. p. 3. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  28. ↑ Burke, Bill (November 4, 1958). "Jackson TV Ruling Delayed: Circuit Court Injunction Still Bars Way for M.S.U. Station". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. pp. 1, 2. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  29. ↑ "Work Set On Station". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. November 13, 1958. p. 15. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  30. ↑ "MSU Wins Again in TV Hassle". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. November 20, 1958. p. 2. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  31. ↑ "TV Delay Plea Lost". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. Associated Press. December 18, 1958. p. 1. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  32. ↑ Burke, Bill (January 9, 1959). "450-Foot Fall Kills Worker: Television Structure Is Damaged". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. p. 1. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  33. ↑ "75-Mile Winds Lash Jackson; State, Midwest Damage High". Jackson Citizen Patriot. March 16, 1959. pp. 1, 2. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  34. 1 2 "Channel 10 Dedicated: University-Commercial Station Is the First Of Type in Nation". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. March 16, 1959. p. 12. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  35. ↑ "TV Station Rents Space In Hayes". Jackson Citizen Patriot. November 4, 1958. p. 5. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  36. ↑ "Channel 10 Telecasting Scheduled for March 15". Battle Creek Enquirer and News. Battle Creek, Michigan. March 5, 1959. p. 11. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  37. ↑ "WILX-TV to Offer 30 NBC Shows". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. March 14, 1959. p. TV 10. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  38. ↑ "Shared-Time TV an Experiment". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. March 14, 1959. p. TV 2. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  39. ↑ "TV Channel 10 Studio Here Opens Tonight". Battle Creek Enquirer and News. Battle Creek, Michigan. June 15, 1959. p. 5. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  40. ↑ "M.S.U.-WILX: Joint TV Use Upheld". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. July 12, 1960. p. 21. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  41. ↑ "WJCO Airs AM Radio Programs". Jackson Citizen Patriot. January 19, 1963. p. 5. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  42. ↑ "TV, Radio Project Launched". Jackson Citizen Patriot. May 8, 1963. p. 36. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  43. ↑ "TV Station Moving Soon To New Broadcast Center". Jackson Citizen Patriot. September 30, 1963. p. 5. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  44. ↑ "Channel 10 Announces... New Programming Hours". Battle Creek Enquirer and News. Battle Creek, Michigan. January 8, 1965. p. 15. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  45. ↑ "WKAR-TV marking 25th anniversary: Station got start on shared time". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. September 22, 1979. pp. WKAR 1, 2. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  46. ↑ "TV Channel 23 Sought By MSU". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. November 5, 1970. p. F-8. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  47. ↑ Rice, Rita (November 20, 1971). "Mid-Michigan to Get Educational TV Station". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. p. B-6. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  48. ↑ "Delay Hopefully Over: MSU TV Station Opening". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. September 10, 1972. p. B-3. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  49. ↑ "WILX-TV being sold". Jackson Citizen Patriot. May 31, 1978. p. A-1. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  50. ↑ "A-T-O makes its move with Michigan buy". Broadcasting. June 5, 1978. p. 42. ProQuest   1016898939.
  51. ↑ "A-T-O Plans Name Change To Figgie International". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia. Associated Press. March 19, 1981. p. E-3. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  52. 1 2 "Cellular applicants pour into FCC". Broadcasting. November 22, 1982. p. 57. ProQuest   1014701633.
  53. ↑ "FCC rejects protests, OKs sale of WILX". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. April 25, 1983. p. 2B. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  54. ↑ Hughes, Mike (February 6, 1983). "WFSL protesting sale of WILX". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. p. 3B. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  55. 1 2 Hughes, Mike (April 10, 1993). "Channel 10 moves to Lansing". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. p. 4B. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  56. 1 2 Hughes, Mike (November 5, 1983). "WILX finds change, controversy". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. pp. 3S, 10S, 11S. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  57. ↑ Hughes, Mike (September 26, 1980). "Lancour latest WILX-TV coup". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. p. B-2. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  58. ↑ Hughes, Mike (July 3, 1986). "Additions at Channel 6 heat up Lansing's television war". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. p. 1B. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  59. ↑ Hughes, Mike (April 25, 1987). "Cassidy departure deepens area TV drama". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. p. 4B. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  60. 1 2 3 Hughes, Mike (June 8, 1993). "Channel 6 chief skips over to 10". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. p. 1E. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  61. ↑ Storch, Charles (October 16, 1987). "Adams agrees to buy 5 Wesray TV stations". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 3:4. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  62. ↑ Riddle, Jennifer (June 12, 1991). "Ch. 15 owner defaults on $283 million". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. p. 6B. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  63. ↑ "Brissette forms BBC; acquires eight TV's" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 2, 1992. p. 41. ProQuest   1014738693. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  64. ↑ "In the works: WILX Channel 10 studio". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. April 14, 1990. p. 7B. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  65. ↑ Hughes, Mike (August 1, 1990). "Tune in to Lansing's changing TV world". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. p. 4D. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  66. 1 2 Hughes, Mike (April 30, 1993). "Sports anchor Staudt leads changing WILX news department". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. p. 4D. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  67. ↑ Hughes, Mike (October 25, 1993). "Station Breaks: New anchor faces, money prepare WILX for battle". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. p. 1C. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  68. 1 2 Morgan, Heather (February 25, 1996). "WILX-TV to get new owner: Benedek Broadcasting plans more local news, no personnel changes". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. p. 1G. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  69. ↑ MacDonald, Christine (November 14, 1998). "Lansing TV station cuts staff: Reorganization plan to trim costs shocks WILX employees". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. p. 1B. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  70. ↑ McClellan, Steve; Trigoboff, Dan (April 1, 2002). "Benedek couldn't hang on". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  71. ↑ Hughes, Mike (April 4, 2002). "Atlanta group to acquire WILX". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. p. 1D. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  72. ↑ Hughes, Mike (June 13, 2002). "WLAJ anchor headed to N.Y.: At same time, WILX grabs top local newscast". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. pp. 1D, 3D. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  73. ↑ Swartz, Robin (July 13, 2004). "WILX to produce news for Fox rival: Channel 10 to gather stories for WSYM-TV". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. pp. 1B, 2B. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  74. ↑ Wethington, Kari (October 8, 2020). "Scripps station expands news operations" (Press release). The E. W. Scripps Company. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  75. ↑ Miller, Mark (January 10, 2023). "'Studio 10' Returning To Afternoons On WILX Lansing". TVNewsCheck. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  76. ↑ Miller, Mark (May 5, 2023). "WILX Lansing Expands News At 4 P.M." TVNewsCheck. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  77. ↑ "Application for Transfer of Control of a Corporate Licensee or Permittee, or for Assignment of License or Permit of TV or FM Translator Station or Low-Power Television Station". Consolidated Database System. Federal Communications Commission. February 14, 2020. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  78. ↑ "WLNM tower move to improve signal reception for Mid-Michigan viewers". WILX-TV. June 13, 2024.
  79. ↑ Jackson Levin, Marj (May 14, 1981). "Robbie Timmons of WJBK-TV, Jim Brandstatter of WDIV". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. p. 1B. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  80. ↑ Zuidema, Michael (June 10, 2011). "Sparta grad Ahmed Fareed having an 'awesome' time as on-air host for MLB Network". Grand Rapids Press. Archived from the original on November 11, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  81. ↑ Hughes, Mike (August 16, 2015). "Hansen is back: MSU grad, former local reporter who gained fame on 'To Catch a Predator' returns". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. pp. 1D, 4D. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  82. ↑ Hughes, Mike (September 26, 1990). "WILX hires a backup sportscaster". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. p. 1D. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  83. ↑ "Hess jumps to Channel 10". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. February 1, 1994. p. 1D. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  84. ↑ Feder, Robert (March 30, 2006). "Channel 7's new hire: Next generation Ponce". Chicago Sun-Times . p. 55.
  85. ↑ "RabbitEars TV Query for WILX". RabbitEars . Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  86. ↑ Loew, Ryan (February 6, 2009). "WILX-TV to go digital—despite added time: Stations have option to stick with original Feb. 17". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. pp. 1A, 2A. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
  87. ↑ Roberts, Keith (February 24, 2009). "Some TV viewers in Jackson area wrestle with WILX changeover to digital TV". Jackson Citizen Patriot. MLive Media Group. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  88. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. May 23, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.