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WEAU-TV uses the slogan "TV-13: Western Wisconsin's First Choice For News, Weather And Sports".
History
WEAU signed on the air on December 17th, 1953 as an NBC affiliate. The station initially broadcast from a tower immediately behind the TV station's building at 1907 South Hastings Way in Eau Claire. A new tower, approximately-1,000 ft. tall, was built in the same location in 1956 44°39′50″N90°57′41″W / 44.66389°N 90.96139°W / 44.66389; -90.96139, before an approximately-2,000 ft. tower was constructed near Fairchild, WI, in 1966. The 1,000 ft. tower in Eau Claire is now topped by the digital transmitter for WQOW.
One of the first well-known personalities on WEAU was "Sheriff Bob" Dawson, who hosted a kids show from the 1950s-1960s.
In the 1960s, WEAU-TV purchased a radio station from Chippewa Falls, WAXX-AM 1150, then started an FM station, WEAU-FM, initially at 100.7 on the FM dial, and later moved to 104.5. WAXX-AM switched to a country format in the mid-60s, and eventually, WEAU-FM simulcast WAXX-AM's signal. By the mid-70s, WEAU-FM's call letters were switched to WAXX-FM, and in 1978, the country format was moved exclusively to WAXX-FM. WAXX-AM's call letters were switched to WAYY-AM. The WEAU-TV news, weather & agriculture departments were used for reports on WAXX-FM & WAYY-AM. Meanwhile, WAXX-FM DJ Tim Wilson provided voiceovers on WEAU-TV's on-air legal ID.
WEAU constructed a weather radar in 1979, the first TV station in the La Crosse/Eau Claire market with their own radar. The radar received a graphics upgrade in 1998 and 2006. The station adopted their news ID "NewsCenter 13" around 1979/80. WEAU premiered their 5pm newscast on September 14, 1981, with Geoff Welch as anchor. The first telecast featured a report from then-WEAU reporter Scott Cohn, later a correspondent for CNBC. A truck to provide live remote broadcasts came into use in 1983.
WAXX-FM/WAYY-AM were sold to the new Central Communications in 1984, and in 1985, the two stations moved out of the WEAU building to a new facility behind the back parking lot of WEAU. Despite being under separate ownership, WEAU continued to provide weather services for WAXX & WAYY, as well as additional stations purchased by Central Communications (WIAL-FM, WECL-FM, WDRK-FM & WEAQ-AM), until December 31, 2001. WEAU resumed weather services to those same six stations, now under the ownership of Maverick Media, on September 11, 2006.
A new news set and music package debuted in August, 1984, and WEAU first used weeknight co-anchors (Jim Mertens & Michelle Magadance) in June, 1986. Another new news set & music package debuted in April, 1988. WEAU was met with tragedy in September, 1991, when primetime news anchor Cindy Schott died unexpectedly. The death was later the subject of a story by Dateline NBC. Five years later, in November, 1996, long-time morning meteorologist Jim Riggs died of cancer.
WEAU changed their news music in 1992, their logo in the summer of 1994, and later changed their set in March, 1997. WEAU had returned to a solo anchor for the 6pm & 10pm news (John Froyd) following the death of Cindy Schott, but returned to a co-anchor format for the 10pm news (Pat Kreitlow & Judy Clark) in August, 1998, upon Froyd's retirement. New news music was also debuted at that time. Another new logo, along with a slight change to the background of the news set, was unveiled in January, 2001.
Technology was the highlight of the following decade, as WEAU's digital channel, WEAU-DT 13.1, signed-on April 30, 2002, with the digital transmitter located at the top of the WEAU Tower, in Fairchild, WI. Meanwhile, SkyCam 13, located on a small mast atop WEAU's building, debuted in March, 2003. A second SkyCam, located atop the RCU corporate headquarters building in downtown Eau Claire, debuted in May, 2007. New music started in the summer of 2002, and in September, 2004, the station received a new news set, with background & graphics modification in August, 2006.
A WEAU-produced 9pm newscast for WLAX/WEUX premiered on August 28, 2006, known as "Fox News At 9," and using WEAU personnel for the anchor slots. The newscast is simulcast on WEAU-DT 13.2. The subchannel otherwise airs 24/7 Weather, a local weather channel featuring WEAU meteorologists which debuted on WEAU-DT 13.2 on October 2, 2006. Longtime News Director John Hoffland retired on February 2, 2007, having served in that position for 23 years; he was replaced by Glenn Mabie. A Sunday 10:30pm half-hour sports show, SportScene Sunday, premiered on April 1, 2007.
NewsCenter 13 News Team
News Anchors
Judy Clark: NewsCenter 13 Today at 10am & Weeknights at 5 & 6pm
Chris Earl: Weeknights at 6 & 10pm
Sarah Stokes: Weeknights at 10pm
Salina Heller: Weekday Mornings at 5am
Andrew Fefer: Weekday Mornings at 5am
Kathy Rinka: Weekdays at Noon
Meghan Kulig: Weekends
SkyWarn 13 Meteorologists
Nate Larscheid: (Chief Meteorologist) Weeknights
Mark Holley: Mornings & Noon
Ben Hampton: Fox News at 9
Kurt Kotenberg: Weekends
TV-13 Sports Team
Bob Gallaher: (Sports Director) -Weeknights
Gregg Kvatek: -Weekends
Former On-Air Personalities:
Notables
Scott Cohn: CNBC Senior Correspondent; WEAU Reporter: 1981-82
Craig Coshun: FSN North Broadcaster/Big Ten Play-By-Play Announcer; WEAU Reporter/Anchor: 1988-90
Bill Hudson: WCCO-TV Reporter/Morning Co-Anchor; WEAU Reporter: 1981-83
Rob Kreibich: Wisconsin Assemblyman, 93rd District (R-Eau Claire), 1993-2007; WEAU Reporter: late 1980s-1992
Pat Kreitlow: Wisconsin State Senator, 23rd District (D-Chippewa Falls), 2007-present; WEAU Anchor/Reporter: mid 1990s-2005
Anchors
Barry Robinson: 1950s-1970s
Lyle Johnson: 1970s (the first true anchor; before this, only one person at a time was at the desk)
Mike Rindo: 1978-86, 1989-91
Scott Cohn: (Weekend Anchor 1981, 5pm Anchor 1982)
Jim Mertens: early 1980s-1989 (Weeknight Co-Anchor 1986-89)
