Florida has 106 full-power television stations today, and many more channels when you consider their digital offerings. It’s a far cry from what the FCC envisioned for the Sunshine State in the early days of television.
Ex-WESH reporter Bob Kealing joining Seminole Sheriff’s Office, plus other news
What’s Bob Kealing’s new job? What’s Univision doing with another Orlando TV station? Will Channel 6 hire another sports anchor? All this, plus more.
Orlando’s Channel 6 started 63 years ago today as WDBO-TV
The first regular broadcast by WDBO-TV at 7:55 a.m. on that July 1, 1954, was the culmination of a more than three-year effort to bring local TV to Central Florida.
WKMG’s Jamie Seh joins elite group of TV women
In the process of elevating Jamie Seh from weekend sports anchor to sports director, Channel 6 is making a bit of history.
David Pingalore out as WKMG sports anchor after 10 years
WKMG Channel 6 is dropping longtime sports anchor David Pingalore, reports Hal Boedeker of the Orlando Sentinel.
Comedian Bill Dana passes, helped launch short-lived United Network on Channel 6
Comedian Bill Dana, whose death at age 92 was announced Monday, was best known for his “Jose Jimenez” character in the 1960s. But he also had a small role in Orlando TV history.
Greed, movies and soda: How Channel 6 became WCPX-TV in 1982
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.
Former Fox 35 meteorologist Jim Van Fleet forecasting weather for Royal Caribbean cruises
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.
Orlando’s massive TV tower came crashing down in 1973
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.
Orlando’s first TV signal broadcast 63 years ago
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.