The latest news on Orlando television from RogerSimmons.com | Orlando TV News & History
Thirty-five years ago this month, there was a big change in Orlando television. You can blame a greedy, lazy station owner as well as the FCC, a movie company and even a soft-drink maker. … MORE
Former Fox 35 morning meteorologist Jim Van Fleet has a new gig on the high seas. He’s the chief meteorologist for Royal Caribbean Cruises – the cruise industry’s first such position. … MORE
The Bithlo TV tower was called the tallest structure on the planet at one point. But as workers were preparing to install an an antenna for educational station WMFE-Channel 24 on June 8, 1973, the tower collapsed into a massive pile of steel and wires. A structural failure was cited as the cause. … MORE
It was at 11:16 p.m. on Friday, June 4, that Channel 6 turned on its transmitter for the first time and sent out its first broadcast, a test pattern. The signal came from an 80-foot antenna atop the station’s new 500-foot tower on Texas Avenue, just north of West Colonial Drive. … MORE
Adam West, the caped crusader “Batman” who helped change the ratings fortunes of ABC and WFTV-Channel 9 in the mid-1960s, died Friday night at age 88. West is best known as TV’s “Batman,” and the show’s three-season run made a huge impact across the nation and here in Central Florida on Channel 9 … MORE
When Channel 9 went on the air in February 1958 as WLOF-TV, it took about a year and half to launch a regular evening and late-night newscast. That finally happened on Monday, Sept. 7, 1959, when the station began an ambitious program called “Central Florida News.” … MORE
Another blast from the past. A full-length Channel 9 Eyewitness News from May 29, 1981 featuring Bob Jordan, Carole Nelson, weatherman Danny Treanor and sportscaster Mike Storms … MORE
More and more old Orlando TV tapes are showing up on YouTube, which is great for someone who loves history. This one arrived recently — it’s a clip from “Santa’s Toy Shop,” WFTV’s Christmas special … MORE
If you’re like me, and find yourself tuning into Severe Weather Center 9 on Channel 9.2 during thunderstorms or bad weather, you’re going to be disappointed in this news. WFTV is removing the 24-hour radar … MORE
Mobile-Pensacola Fox affiliate WALA-Channel 10 celebrated its 60th anniversary on Jan. 14. The station posted a lot of old photos on a Facebook account, and there was a familiar face in the gallery showing station … MORE
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