Channel 13 was inserted into Grand Rapids in 1961; station spacing rules of the time required that the transmitter be to the north of the city, closer to Muskegon. The station went on the air in November 1962 under interim operating authority; four companies jointly owned the station until West Michigan Telecasters was granted the permanent license in 1964 and bought out the others' interim holdings in 1965. Because of the transmitter site restriction, the station did not and does not provide adequate coverage of the southern portion of the market, namely Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the station sought translators to serve those cities, only to have the proposals turned down in order to protect a new station on channel 41 in Battle Creek, WUHQ-TV (now WOTV), which also broadcasts ABC but with separate non-network programming. An attempt to combine WZZM-TV and WUHQ-TV failed in 1991, and WOTV is today co-owned with WOOD-TV, the market's NBC affiliate. Satellite television providers Dish Network and DirecTV provide both stations across the entire market, and WZZM is also on cable in Battle Creek.
In local news, the station had a highly regarded news department from the 1960s through the 1980s; its original news director stayed on for the first 25 years of its history. While the station continues to be competitive, particularly in the Grand Rapids area northward, coverage shortfalls in the south and the aggregate nature of the television market have made WOOD-TV the overall market news leader since the 1990s. The station maintains a lit weather ball displayed near its Walker studios.
Assignment of channel 13 to Grand Rapids; construction[edit]
The Pantlind Hotel in downtown Grand Rapids was the first studio location for WZZM.
In 1959, the Atlas Broadcasting Company was organized to pursue the addition of a third very high frequency (VHF) station in West Michigan. It applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), proposing the addition of channel 13 to Grand Rapids. The station would transmit from an area near Muskegon, north of Grand Rapids, where it would be appropriately spaced to WSPD-TVinToledo, Ohio, and WREX-TVinRockford, Illinois; FCC regulations required the transmitter to be located at least 170 miles (274 km) from competing stations on that frequency. Atlas also proposed moving WWTVinCadillac to channel 9, where it would still be appropriately spaced to CKLW-TVinWindsor, Ontario.[2] The FCC approved this allocation change in 1961; it replaced channel 9 in Alpena with channel 6.[3] The placement of the channel at Grand Rapids attracted interest even before the insertion was final. By the end of 1960, three groups had incorporated with an eye toward filing for channel 13, including West Michigan Telecasters—consisting of 24 shareholders with Lewis V. Chamberlain, Jr. as president—whose final application was filed in October 1961.[4] One of the shareholders was L. William Seidman, then on the board of directors of Grand Valley State College and later chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.[5][6] Some of the stockholders were from Muskegon; the group promoted the northerly transmitter site as a bonus, noting that there were no local stations in Muskegon and that other communities such as Grand Haven and Holland were also underserved.[7] West Michigan was one of six applicants to file by the end of 1961, alongside Atlas (which also owned Grand Rapids-area radio station WMAX); Grand Broadcasting Company, which counted former WLAV and WLAV-TV owner Leonard Versluis among its stockholders as well as former FCC counsel Mary Jane Morris; Major Television Company; MKO Broadcasting Company; and Peninsular Broadcasting Company.[5]
In its order assigning channel 13 to Grand Rapids, the FCC indicated its willingness to accept proposals for interim operating authority to hasten the construction of the station. This meant that the comparative hearing process and construction would run in parallel. Days after filing its permanent bid, West Michigan Telecasters also proposed interim operating authority.[8] Major and Atlas both withdrew in August 1962; the four remaining contenders formed Channel 13, Grand Rapids, Inc., which received interim authority that same month.[9] The interim station originally chose the call letters WIIM-TV, but WJIM-TVinLansing objected, resulting in the choice of WZZM as the call sign.[10] Construction rapidly proceeded, and from studios in the Pantlind Hotel downtown, WZZM made its first broadcast on November 1, 1962, an ABC affiliate from the start.[11]
While WZZM was on the air, the applicants wrangled at the FCC over permanent authority to run it. In May 1963, an FCC hearing examiner gave Grand Broadcasting Company the nod in his initial decision, citing its superior integration of ownership and management, a comparative criterion analyzing the involvement of owners in station operations.[12] The FCC itself, however, instead selected West Michigan Telecasters in April 1964, citing its principals' involvement in civic affairs and research into local public service programming.[13] The company then settled with the other applicants, ultimately paying them between $360,000 and $390,000 apiece,[14] and on January 25, 1965, it became the sole owner of WZZM.[15] After the award, West Michigan Telecasters proceeded with its plans to build a studio in Muskegon.[16]
After a plan to merge with Basic Communications Inc. and Eccentric magazine in Birmingham, Michigan, fell through,[17] West Michigan Telecasters merged with two publishing companies in 1969 to form Synercom Communications Corporation.[18] In 1971, WZZM-TV finally left the Pantlind and moved to purpose-built studios. The 38,500-square-foot (3,580 m2) facility also housed WZZM-FM, which West Michigan Telecasters had acquired in 1966,[19] and the station's production arm.[20] Synercom then spun West Michigan Telecasters and the WZZM stations out as its own company in 1973, including Elinor Bunin Productions, a New York City film production house.[18]
West Michigan Telecasters entered into an agreement to sell WZZM-TV to Wometco Enterprises for $14 million in 1976, with WZZM-TV becoming Wometco's fourth television property.[21] The acquisition closed in January 1978;[22] WZZM-FM was split from the television station by West Michigan Telecasters and sold to separate interests.[23] Wometco was then taken private in a leveraged buyoutbyKohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) in 1984.[24]
KKR then sold the station to Price Communications, owned by Robert Price, in 1985; the deal was the largest acquisition for the company to date.[25] Price then sold its four stations to Northstar Television Group in 1989 for $70 million; Northstar was a joint venture of Osborn Television and Desai Capital, the largest stakeholder in Price.[26] Three of Northstar's four stations were acquired by Argyle Television Holdings II in 1994; the original Argyle Television had been sold earlier in the year.[27]
In 1996, the Gannett Company acquired Multimedia, Inc.. This created conflicts for the company in Cincinnati and Oklahoma City, where Multimedia had a newspaper-TV station combination and a TV station-cable system combination that were not permissible under FCC rules of the time. As a result, Gannett agreed to a trade with Argyle. Gannett sent Argyle the Cincinnati and Oklahoma City stations (WLWT and KOCO-TV) in exchange for $20 million; WGRZinBuffalo, New York; and WZZM-TV.[28] In 1999, after a 33-year run, the station ceased producing its local children's show, Bozo's Big Top.[29][30]
The WZZM 13 Weatherball
From 1967 to 1987, a weather ball sat atop the Michigan National Bank building in Grand Rapids, utilizing 288 colored neon lights to convey forecast precipitation or changes in temperature, until it was removed because its weight had caused structural damage. The station located the stainless steel ball in a scrapyard in Kalamazoo in 1999 and applied to authorities in Walker to mount a 100-foot (30 m) pole to display it near its studios in 2002.[31][32] New neon tubes were fitted atop the restored weather ball, which returned to service in 2003.[33]
On June 29, 2015, the Gannett Company split in two, with one side specializing in print media and the other side specializing in broadcast and digital media. WZZM was retained by the latter company, named Tegna.[34]
WZZM's transmitter is further north than most stations in the market, and its signal (contour map pictured) does not cover Battle Creek or Kalamazoo.
On paper, the sign-on of WZZM gave West Michigan full service from all three networks. However, while the FCC reckoned channel 13 as a Grand Rapids–Kalamazoo station,[3] the northerly location of the transmitter, which had been necessary to insert channel 13 in the area in the first place, left much of the market's southern portion without even a fringe signal from the station. Bill Tompkins of The Battle Creek Enquirer and News wrote that local viewers found WZZM "about as elusive as a flying saucer". While WZZM officials insisted that Battle Creek was firmly within its service area, only a "small and lucky" few viewers received a watchable signal from channel 13, and Kalamazoo viewers reported getting only marginal coverage at best from WZZM. Since WOOD-TV and WKZO-TV removed ABC programs from their schedules when WZZM came into service, viewers in this area had to depend on the part-time carriage of ABC programs by the stations in the Lansing–Jackson market.[35] In 1964, WZZM was authorized to construct a translator on channel 12 in Kalamazoo,[36] and the next year, it applied to build one on channel 83 in Battle Creek. This was simultaneous with Mary Jane Morris, who had been involved with one of the losing bids for channel 13, filing with James Searer to build a full-service station in Battle Creek on channel 65.[37] That translator went on the air on channel 74 in January 1968,[38] but the FCC then ordered it to cease broadcasting in early March in the context of a battle with the permittee for a full-power station on Battle Creek's channel 41. The commission expressed concern that the WZZM translator could be detrimental to the establishment of the proposed full-service station.[39] This was particularly acute because the channel 41 permittee, BCU-TV, proposed to affiliate with ABC, while WZZM-TV contended it had the rights to ABC in the Battle Creek area.[40] West Michigan Telecasters reached a deal with BCU-TV to buy the channel 41 permit in October 1968.[41]
However, that same week, a second local group, Channel 41, Inc., filed a competing application to propose a local station, with Searer defecting from BCU-TV to become one of its leaders.[42] The FCC canceled BCU-TV's construction permit and West Michigan Telecasters's attempt to buy it on September 8, 1969. It then accepted the application of Channel 41, Inc., for filing;[43] ten days later, West Michigan Telecasters abandoned its attempt to pursue channel 41 in favor of seeking a relocation of its transmitter from GranttoHudsonville, improving the signal in Kalamazoo and Battle Creek.[44] However, the spacing considerations that resulted in the northerly location of WZZM in the first place were an insurmountable obstacle; the FCC denied the proposal because it would have been too close to the channel 13 station in Toledo.[45]
Channel 41, Inc., received its construction permit in July 1970[46] and went on the air as WUHQ-TV on July 24, 1971. The Battle Creek cable system removed WZZM-TV from its lineup to accommodate the new ABC affiliate; in spite of the competition, WUHQ-TV depended on WZZM to receive ABC network programming.[47] The FCC then ordered WZZM-TV to cease using its Kalamazoo translator on February 7, 1972.[48] WZZM-TV was restored to Battle Creek cable in 1975 over objections from WUHQ-TV,[49] then discontinued in 1986 along with two out-of-market network affiliates.[50]
In 1990, WZZM owner Northstar Television announced it had entered into a merger agreement with Channel 41, Inc., the owner of WUHQ-TV, which would have seen WUHQ-TV and WZZM share almost all programming with the exception of split local news programming. John Lawrence, president of WUHQ, said at the time, "It is now appropriate that ABC service in this market be combined."[51] The FCC approved of the merger in June 1991, with Northstar announcing a plan to continue airing separate news coverage,[52] but a planned August closing was delayed[53] and never took place. WUHQ-TV's owners then signed an agreement for WOTV (channel 8) to provide news coverage for channel 41,[54] part of an 11-year time brokerage agreement in which WOTV assumed many of the station's operating functions but not ownership.[55] WUHQ-TV then changed its call sign to WOTV in June 1992 when WOTV became WOOD-TV.[56]
Dish Network began offering local channel service in the market in 2002 and offers WZZM and WOTV in all areas.[57] WZZM was readded to several Comcast systems in southwest Michigan, including Battle Creek, in 2009.[58]
WZZM currently produces 32 hours of local news each week (with five hours each weekday, three hours on Saturdays and four hours on Sundays).[59]
On the set of WZZM's newscasts in 2008
WZZM's original news director, Jack Hogan—who was the first voice heard on the station when it started—held the post for more than 25 years until Price Communications owner Robert Price fired him in February 1988. During Hogan's tenure, the station was a stop on the careers of journalists including sportscaster John Keating (known as Steve Knight in Grand Rapids), future Detroit Free Press executive editor Kurt Luedtke, and reporters Jay Schadler and Martha Teichner. In spite of its coverage shortfalls, WZZM was West Michigan's revenue leader for most of its history through the 1980s.[60] In the late 1970s, it surpassed WOTV (channel 8) in local news viewership for the first time,[61] becoming the regular number-one by the early 1980s.[62] It was nationally respected: the Associated Press said in 1980 that "WZZM has a quality news operation that should be the envy of many stations in larger markets", while it won six straight "News Station of the Year" honors within Michigan from United Press International.[63] After the Price purchase, the station experienced several high-profile defections to other stations.[60] Hogan's firing came less than two weeks after the 1988 Michigan Republican presidential caucus. Price, a Republican, demanded information on delegate counts; from New York City, he ordered Hogan out of bed and to station offices to keep him informed until 3 a.m., accused the station's staff of poor reporting despite not having seen its coverage, and threatened to fire the entire news department.[63]
The 1990s brought changes to the newsroom. The station debuted an hour-long morning news program in 1992[64] and a 5:30 p.m. newscast in February 1993.[65] However, WOOD-TV became the news leader in the highly fragmented market: though WZZM-TV was stronger within the immediate Grand Rapids area, WOOD's availability in the Kalamazoo–Battle Creek area more than offset the Muskegon and northern area coverage unique to channel 13. WOOD-TV's sales manager likened the advertising sales power of his competitor to "a vehicle with two wheels" because of its inability to cover the full market.[66][67] Another obstacle, particularly with older viewers, was that WOOD-TV predated WZZM in Grand Rapids by more than a decade.[68] In 2016, WZZM added eight and a half hours a week of new newscasts, including morning and noon news extensions and a 5 p.m. newscast.[69]
In 2004, the station debuted a 5 p.m. talk show, Take Five Grand Rapids.[70] The program was originally produced outside the news department, mixing features and sponsored segments.[71] The show was moved to 4:30 p.m., retitled Take Five & Company, and then moved to an hour at 9 a.m. in 2008.[72][73] It was replaced with a new hour-long program known as My West Michigan in 2015.[74] The program was put on a continuing hiatus in July 2020 because of COVID-19-related restrictions that made the show's format unworkable.[75]
^ ab"Grand Rapids TV Station Sold". The Ludington Daily News. March 10, 1973. p. 2. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Tucker, Florida (January 25, 1978). "Florida notes". The Miami News. p. 10A. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Black, Norman (April 13, 1984). "N.Y. Investment Firm Acquires Wometco". The State. Associated Press. p. 10-D. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^"In Brief"(PDF). Broadcasting. July 3, 1989. p. 72. ProQuest1016936862. Archived(PDF) from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
^DeBoer, Terri (December 16, 2000). "Local children's host Maranda will be switching channels: WOOD-TV's parent company hires her but has not fully defined her role". The Grand Rapids Press. p. A1.
^Heibel, Lawrence R. (March 28, 2002). "Weather ball may sit on pole by station: WZZM TV-13 is seeking a zoning variance to build the new home for the stainless steel sphere". The Grand Rapids Press. p. A25.
^Heibel, Lawrence R. (June 28, 2002). "Weather Ball gets green light for move". The Grand Rapids Press. p. D3.
^Snapper, Joe (April 10, 2003). "Weather ball resurrected, ready to flash forecasts: The icon returns to the area skyline 16 years after it was removed from the top of a downtown bank building". The Grand Rapids Press. p. A21.
^"Channel 65 TV Sought For City". Battle Creek Enquirer and News. November 6, 1965. p. 3. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Channel 74 Off Air". Battle Creek Enquirer and News. March 7, 1968. p. 1, 2. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Suit Snags UHF Development Here". Battle Creek Enquirer and News. January 23, 1968. p. 3. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Chances for New TV Here Brighten". Battle Creek Enquirer and News. October 22, 1968. p. 1. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^"2 Stations Seek Use of Channel 41". Battle Creek Enquirer. October 25, 1968. p. 1, 2. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Moskal, Jerry (September 8, 1969). "Permit for UHF station canceled". Battle Creek Enquirer and News. p. A-12. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Another bidder for Channel 41 gives up". Battle Creek Enquirer and News. September 18, 1969. p. A-9. Archived from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Channel 41 upheld in FCC plea". Battle Creek Enquirer. December 5, 1970. p. B-6. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^"WZZM-TV loses appeal on UHF". Battle Creek Enquirer. January 30, 1972. p. B-9. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^"WZZM joins cable TV lineup". Battle Creek Enquirer and News. January 22, 1975. p. B-1. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Kulhanek, Elaine (January 11, 1986). "Wolverine to drop 3 network affiliates". Battle Creek Enquirer. p. 1A, 2A. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Carlton, David (August 7, 1990). "Two ABC affiliates agree to merge". Battle Creek Enquirer. p. 3A. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Stations to expand coverage". Battle Creek Enquirer. June 28, 1991. p. 4A. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Kowalski, Will (October 3, 1991). "Mark and Bill back on the air". Battle Creek Enquirer. p. 1B. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^DeBoer, Terri (March 7, 2004). "New show aims to get people talking". The Grand Rapids Press. p. E3.
^Benson, Jim; Romano, Allison; Higgins, John M. (January 20, 2006). "The New Rules Of Syndication". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
^Pierson, Colleen (September 9, 2007). "Ratings 101: Making sense of 'the book'". The Grand Rapids Press. p. E2.
^Gonzalez, John (August 25, 2008). "TV changes in Grand Rapids: Ellen DeGeneres, Dr. Phil, Regis & Kelly and Take 5". The Grand Rapids Press.
^Chance, Todd (August 18, 2015). "WZZM-13 to launch 'My West Michigan' on weekday mornings to replace 'Take Five'". The Grand Rapids Press.
(*) – indicates station is in one of Michigan's primary TV markets (**) – indicates station is in an out-of-state TV market, but reaches a small portion of Michigan
1WGTU's signal is rebroadcast on WGTQ; WPBN's signal is rebroadcast on WTOM; both WPBN and WTOM carry WGTU's programming on a digital subchannel.
