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Channel: 13WHAM 50th Anniversary
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13WHAM-TV History

May 5, 2008, 8:27 am
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WHAM-TV/DT (formerly WOKR) commenced broadcasting on September 15, 1962, with interim ownership consisting of nine companies under the name of Channel 13 of Rochester, Inc. 

In March 1970, the station license was awarded to Flower City Television Corp.  Flower City in 1977 was sold to Post Corporation, a media conglomerate based in Wisconsin. George Gillette purchased the station from Post Corporation in August 1984 transferring it into Gillette Holdings, Inc. Hughes Broadcasting Partners (Paul Hughes and Veronis Suhler & Associates) purchased the station in June 1991. Guy Gannett Communications acquired WOKR in April of 1995. The Ackerley Group took control of the station in April of 1999, and Clear Channel Broadcasting Inc. acquired the station in June of 2002. The station changed its call letters from WOKR to WHAM on January 10, 2005. In 2008, WHAM-TV was sold to Newport Television LLC.

  • The first station in New York State and the fifth in the nation to close caption its local newscasts for the hearing impaired, an effort that provides a valuable community service and the opportunity to reach approximately 50,000+ hearing-impaired viewers.
  • The first station in Rochester to acquire locally-based weather radar.
  • Consistently over indexes ABC NTI performance.
  • WHAM has been a consistent overall #1 in the market (news) since fall 1987.
  • The first station in the market to introduce Early Morning Local News and the first to expand it to 90 minutes.
  • The first station in the market to produce a 5:00 p.m. newscast.
  • The first TV station in Rochester to launch a website.
  • Purchased the Rochester CW affiliate in November 2006 and operates it as CW-WHAM broadcast over-the-air on WHAM-DT, digital channel 13.2 (also 59.2), and on Time Warner Cable channels 16 (SD) and 1016 (HD).
WHAM is a business committed to being the premier broadcaster of local news, community affairs, and entertainment programming for our viewers and our customers in the greater Rochester area.  By successfully achieving this goal, we will assure our continuing viability as a business, thus assuring our continuing support for the community and providing jobs and satisfaction for the employees of WHAM.
  • WHAM-TV/DT produces and broadcasts more local news programs than any other television station in Rochester: 6-1/2 hours daily of news weekdays; one hour each weekend day.  The 13WHAM News staff continues to receive accolades for excellence in local journalism.  Most recently, 13WHAM News was awarded two regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for Best Sports and Best Investigative Reporting and two New York State Broadcasters Association awards for Best Sportscast and Best Hard News Story.
  • WHAM-TV has strategic partnerships with the Democrat and Chronicle newspaper, WXXI (Public Television), and WHAM-AM Radio and six other Clear Channel stations.  We supply weather forecasts exclusively for the newspaper and WHAM-AM.  We also do joint news and sports projects with those partners.  We have a “Voice of the Voter” elections related partnership with the newspaper and WXXI.
  • 13WHAM-TV’s multicultural public affairs program, “Many Voices, Many Visions”.  The show has won several national awards and state awards for best regularly scheduled public affairs programming.  The program provides a media forum for the Rochester community to share its diverse cultures, ethnicities, and religions as well as local concerns common to all area citizens, such as education, health and health care, aging, poverty, etc. 
  • WHAM talent is the most sought after in the market to emcee local events.
  • Buffalo Bills Training Camp – Held annually at St. John Fisher College, 13 WHAM is and has always been the Official Television Station of Training Camp.  This includes extensive coverage of the pre-season camp, the impact on our community, and live specials featuring players and fans.
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Channel 13: The Birth of a TV Station

February 9, 2012, 1:55 pm
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Rochester, N.Y.- This year, Channel 13 celebrates its 50th anniversary.

The station signed on the air September 15th, 1962, making it Rochester’s third television station.

It brought the ABC Network to Rochester along with a wide variety of local programs, especially for the kids like “Romper Room” every morning with Miss Rita and her friends. Dan Morgan brought children together for "Funny Company" and Jerry Carr hosted the “Mickey Mouse Club”.  Carr was also known for his Weather Outside segment and host of “Chiller Theater.”

That same live camera that allowed Channel 13 to have Rochester’s first weather outside also allowed live reaction the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Anchorman Dick Burt shared the reaction of people—from the corner of Main Street and Clinton Avenue.

The 1960s: when gas was $0.31 a gallon and a gallon of milk would cost you $0.49.

1962. The very beginnings of what is now 13WHAM News. Photographer Joe Pal, News Director Ray Laws,  a young reporter Don Alhart and the anchor with whom he would work for a quarter of a century, Dick Burt.

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Channel 13: A Look Back at the 1970s

February 16, 2012, 11:31 am
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Rochester, N.Y.- In honor of Channel 13’s 50th anniversary this year, we’re taking a look back at how it all started. One of the most innovative decades was the 1970s.

It was Newscope back then; the decade we reported about man walking on the moon, the Attica prison uprising of 1971 and the impact of Hurricane Agnes on the shoreline of Lake Ontario.

It was also a year of transition for the television station moving from Downtown Rochester to new studios in Henrietta. It was around that time Newscope became Eyewitness News.

The 1970s was a decade of innovative programming. The Louise Wilson Show became AM Rochester, Doc and Katy Abraham offered weekly gardening advice, and PM Magazine was a new show every weekday at seven.  And of course who could forget Bowling for Dollars with Ron Defrance.
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Channel 13: A Look Back at the 1980s

February 23, 2012, 10:57 am
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Rochester, N.Y.- Channel 13 is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and we’re taking a look back at the early years. For the television station, the 1980s was a decade of moments and memories.

It was the era of Eyewitness News, a moniker sweeping the nation at the time.

Lauren Dixon replaced Barbara Rogers as co-host of PM Magazine with Joel Loy.

In the 1980’s Morning Break hit its stride, live from Marketplace Mall with well-known guests like Jesse Jackson. There was even a wedding. Anita Askew and James Ball said their “I do’s” on live TV with mall merchants donating everything from rings to the honeymoon.

And who could forget when we piled 12-hundred people on buses to be extras in the filming of Robert Redford’s “The Natural” in Buffalo.

It was the decade when the core of 13WHAM News today would arrive with Doug Emblidge in 1983, Glenn Johnson in 1985, and Ginny Ryan and Mike Catalana in 1987.

It’s a team that has been together for a quarter of a century.
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Channel 13: A Look Back At The 1990s

May 3, 2012, 8:34 am
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Rochester, N.Y.- Channel 13 is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and we’re taking a look back at the past five decades. The 1990s was the era of Newssource 13.

One of the biggest stories in 1990 was serial killer Arthur Shawcross’s trial and conviction in Rochester.

1990 would bring another major story to the local community: an armored car heist. 11 million dollars was taken during an armored car heist in June 1990. Over a decade later, Albert Ranieri junior would admit to his role in that robbery. None of the money was ever recovered.

And it was Channel 13’s Jane Flasch who was the only local reporter in Germany the day Batavia’s Terry Anderson, an Associated Press Correspondent, was finally released after being held hostage in Lebanon for nearly seven years.

It was Anderson’s sister, Peggy Say who led the fight to keep his story alive.

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Channel 13: A Look Back At The 2000s

May 3, 2012, 8:52 am
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Rochester, N.Y.- Channel 13 is celebrating its golden anniversary this year. We signed “on the air” in September of 1962. Perhaps one of the biggest decades for the television station was as we entered a “new millennium.”

A new millennium with major events we will all remember for a lifetime.

It was on September 11, 2001 that four suicide attacks were committed on U.S. soil. Terrorists hijacked four airplanes that morning, crashing two into the Twin Towers in New York City and one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksvills, Pennsylvania after its passengers attempted to take control of the jet from the hijackers. 

Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks, including some from our area.

We would reflect on our togetherness during that challenging time, a spirit that brought our community together.

The 2000s also brought us “The Spirit of Ontario.”

Rochester’s fast ferry was built in Perth, Australia and we were the only local media to travel there to see it under construction.

And when the much talked about vessel finally arrived in Rochester’s port, we took viewers on the premier passage to Toronto on its maiden voyage.

A few short years later, faced with financial challenges, we all watched it sail away.

The decade wouldn’t be complete without a mention of J-MAC. Jason Mcelwain, a high school student challenged by autism would show us all what he could do on a basketball court.

It was in February of 2006, McElwain, a student at Greece Athena, was put into the last four minutes of a basketball game against Spencerport High School. McElwain made six three-point-shots and one two-pointer. After the final buzzer rang, the crowd dashed onto the court to celebrate.

Perhaps the biggest transition for Channel 13 came on January 10, 2005 when we signed off the air as WORK-TV and signed back on as WHAM-TV. The letters changed but the number did not.

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Channel 13: A Look At 50 Years Of Strong Storms

May 3, 2012, 8:00 pm
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Rochester, N.Y. - In our 50 years on the air at Channel 13, the power of mother nature left its mark on the Rochester area multiple times.

We're looking back at the biggest storms that hit our area since then-WOKR signed on the air in 1962.

The Blizzard Of '66

When the Blizzard Of '66 hit the Rochester area, 20 inches of snow were already on the ground. By the time the storm was over, there were four feet of snow on the ground, in just nine days. Snow drifts from the storm, reached six feet and higher in some parts of our area.


Hurricane Agnes

In June 1972, Rochester felt the impact of Hurricane Agnes.

"Waves are 10-12 feet high on Lake Ontario," longtime Channel 13 anchor Dick Burt reported from along the shoreline, as he fought to hold his ground in high winds.

Sandbagging operations kept the rising waters of the Genesee River under control.

The Southern Tier was hit especially hard by Agnes. The Genesee River came within just five feet of the top of the Mount Morris Dam.

Thousands were forced to evacuate from their homes due to flooding and concerns about river levels.


The Blizzard Of '77

"Once again, the New York State Thruway was closed," Channel 13's Allan Harris reported, while standing in the middle of the highway during the Blizzard Of '77.

Wind was the main issue for people outside, rather than the snow. Gusts as high as 75 miles an hour led to wind chill factors of -60 degrees, and snow drifts that were impossible to control.


The Ice Storm Of '91

After a 14 year break from a major storm, the one storm many Rochesterians will never forget is the Ice Storm Of '91.

"I can tell you right now some people aren't going to have electricity for two weeks," one out-of-town utility repairman warned. It turned out, he was right.

The inch of freezing rain that fell in the early morning hours in March 1991 knocked out power to 300,000 people for several days.


The Labor Day Storm Of '98

Rochester saw some of its strongest winds in its history on Labor Day in 1998.

Wind gusts of 89 miles an hour snapped trees and power lines.

A microburst was to blame for damage that stretched from Rochester to Syracuse.


The Blizzard Of '99

It was non-stop shoveling for people in the Rochester area in March of 1999.

When the Blizzard Of '99 was over, 40 inches of snow were on the ground in just three days. The accumulation over that short of a period, set another record in Rochester.


The Ice Storm Of '03

In April 2003, another ice storm hit the Rochester area, leaving snapped trees and power lines. At its peak, 75,000 people lost power.

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50th Anniversary of Sports on Channel 13

May 11, 2012, 6:18 am
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Sports Director Mike Catalana looks back at some of the biggest moments, biggest games and biggest personalities in the last 50 years of sports coverage on Channel 13
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J-Mac: “13 Stories In 50 Years”

September 19, 2012, 12:40 pm
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Greece, N.Y. --- On Thursday at 9 p.m. 13WHAM News presents an hour-long look at “13 Stories In 50 Years” of broadcasting.

The list was compiled with collaboration from the some of the most veteran reports and journalists in Rochester, all working at 13WHAM.

On Monday Sports Director Mike Catalana shared a sneak peak at one of the stories he covered that made our top list.

The story focuses on Jason McElwain better known to the world as “J-Mac.” In 2006 as the manager for the Greece Athena High School Basketball team “J-Mac” was given about four minutes of playing time at the end of one game.

J-Mac, a beloved member of that team, is also diagnosed as a highly functional form of autism.

In those few minutes of playing time J-Mac scored 20 points including a team record six 3-pointers.

13WHAM’s Mike Catalana was the first to tell his story before it received international acclaim.

CLICK ON OUR VIDEO BOX TO VIEW A “SNEAK PEAK” OF J-MAC’s STORY.


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Kali Poulton: “13 Stories In 50 Years”

September 19, 2012, 12:47 pm
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East Rochester, N.Y. --- On Thursday at 9 p.m. 13WHAM News presents an hour-long look at “13 Stories In 50 Years” of broadcasting.

The list was compiled with collaboration from the some of the most veteran reports and journalists in Rochester, all working at 13WHAM.

One of the stories that made that list is the tragic disappearance of four year-old Kali Poulton of East Rochester in 1994.

13WHAM News Reporter Patrice Walsh was among the first journalists on the scene and covered the more than year-long search for Poulton. Walsh was also among the first journalists on the scene in Rochester in the fall of 1995 when investigators finally discovered Poulton’s body and later announced the arrest of Mark Christie.

Walsh at the time was also the mother of a daughter who was the same age as Poulton.

13WHAM News Anchor Ginny Ryan was also a young mother at the time and she formed a unique bond with Kali’s mother Judy Gifford while this story unfolded over many years.

CLICK ON OUR VIDEO BOX TO VIEW A “SNEAK PEAK” OF KALI POULTON’S STORY.

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KODAK: “13 Stories In 50 Years”

September 20, 2012, 10:12 am
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Rochester, N.Y. --- On Thursday at 9 p.m. 13WHAM News presents an hour-long look at “13 Stories In 50 Years” of broadcasting.

The list was compiled with collaboration from the some of the most veteran reports and journalists in Rochester, all working at 13WHAM.

It should come as no surprise to Rochesterians that one of the stories that made the list is Kodak.  For 50 years the Channel 13 News team has covered every rise and fall of this iconic company.

In many cases our 13WHAM team had family members, neighbors, or friends working at Kodak through good times and through difficult times when layoffs and downsizing began in the mid-80’s.

CLICK ON OUR VIDEO BOX TO VIEW A “SNEAK PEAK” OF THE KODAK STORY.

 

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A 13WHAM Special: "13 Stories In 50 Years"

September 20, 2012, 8:13 pm
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Rochester, N.Y. -  The 13WHAM News Team looked at some of the biggest stories that touched us over the past 50 years in a special broadcast Thursday night.

"13 Stories In 50 Years" included business, crime, weather and sports stories that 13WHAM has covered since the station signed on the air in 1962.

You can watch all eight parts of the special by clicking the video tab to the left of this story.

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Encore Presentation Tonight: 13 Stories In 50 Years

November 22, 2012, 8:24 am
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Henrietta, N.Y. --- Here’s something to be thankful for on Thanksgiving night; another chance to watch 13WHAM’s 50th Anniversary Special:“13 Stories In 50 Years.”

Over our 50 years of broadcasting in Rochester we’ve covered all the biggest stories that define the community we all call home.  On Thursday night from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on 13WHAM-TV (ABC) you’ll get a chance to see the 13 stories our news team will never forget.

This special was co-produced by Don Alhart and Sean Carroll with the help of Brian Swereda who served as photographer, editor, and assistant producer.  It’s first broadcast was on September 20, 2012 just days after 13WHAM-TV marked its 50th year on the air.

13 Stories In 50 Years

1. KODAK 1962 - PRESENT
2. RACE RIOTS 1964
3. ARTHUR SHAWCROSS 1990
4. THURSTON RD. SHOOTOUT 1981
5. ATTICA PRISON RIOT 1971
6. ICE STORM 1991
7. TERRY ANDERSON 1985
8. FAST FERRY 2004
9. DOUBLE INITIAL MURDERS 1973
10. MOB STORIES 1970’s
11. KALI POULTON 1994
12. J-MAC 2006
13. THE BRIGHTEST SPOT 2012

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