It's been an incredible ride over the past 2+ years here in Springfield, one that I won't soon forget. This is a 10 pm newscast from February 24, 2016. Lemke has gone from The Weather Channel to the Chief Met at WICS in Springfield. Others who have spent time there included Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Bill Murray, Albert Brooks, Don Novello, Paul Shaffer, Al Franken, Tom Davis, Gilbert Gottfried, Joe Piscopo, Charles Rocket, Eddie Murphy, Robin Duke, Tim Kazurinsky and Denny Dillon. A website has all the details about the "Acri Creature Feature", On Sunday mornings when other TV stations were offering religious or public affairs programming, WICS and WICD were giving us the "Sunday Morning Movie." By Merrill Knox on Nov. 21, 2011 - 11:14 AM. The station is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, and maintains studios on East Cook Street in Springfield's Eastside; its transmitter is located west of Mechanicsburg, in unincorporated Sangamon County. It was also known that the show would probably rile some advertisers which would make it difficult to sell to local ad buyers. Don Hickman, who was an anchor at WICS in Springfield for 29 years, died of natural causes Saturday. Quotation [14] = " 'FTVLive's Scott Jones one of the Most Important Media Reporters in America'- Mediaite" Dee Dee Gatton BREAKING: Crews battle two-alarm fire at south Charlotte apartment complex Dee Dee Gatton First at Four Anchor, Investigative Reporter Charlotte, NC Prior to coming to Charlotte, Dee Dee was the evening anchor/special projects reporter at WICS-WRSP in Springfield, Illinois. (YouTube), Newsteam, Douglas Kimball, Dale Coleman and Nick Alexander, TV Guide, Nick Charles formerly of WICS at CNN, CNN Screen Shot. It was originally called "NBC's Saturday Night" and premiered on October 11, 1975. It may cost him his job", "Where is Joe Crain? Strategic Planning, E-learning, Higher Education Marketing, Educational Technology, Higher Technical Director at THINK TeleVisual LLC., Digital Media Mechandising Producer at Anderson Technical Director at THINK TeleVisual LLC. WICS is the ABC affiliate in Springfield, Illinois. WICS continued to be owned by Plains Television Partners from its beginnings through 1986 and co-owned with sister station WICD in Champaign. WICS/WICD was to have switched to ABC at the beginning of the 200405 television season, but it was required to remain with NBC for another year, as its affiliation contract with the station did not expire until September 4 of the following year. He researched, produced, and presented award-winning investigative . The change represented the second attempt at a joint market-wide product by WICS/WICD. The 1979 intro to "The Wonderful World of Disney" as broadcast on NBC and WICS. This probably wasn't met favorably by NBC, but it seems that it didn't stop WICS from doing it. June 8, 2019 | 8:03 am EDT by Matthew Cappucci. Eventually, WRSP and WBUI also moved from their offices on Old Rochester Road in Springfield and were consolidated into WICS' facility. This left WICS and WICD without a major network affiliation. March 7, 2011 | 6:17 am EST by TVNewsCheck. Social Media, Promotions, Multimedia, Non-linear Editing, Camera Operation, Voice Over, Creative Director at Illinois Department of Agriculture, Director at Staley Family Foundation, Talent at Television Commercials, Stay at Home Mom at My House. Bomke's broadcast career began in Central Illinois as a morning anchor and reporter for WICD-TV in Champaign and WICS-TV in her hometown of Springfield. These paid commercial programs would pop up in March, June, August, and even December. He was 74. Remember [3], On March 26, 2011, WICD ceased airing its own newscasts on weekends opting to simulcast those from WICS. NBC filled the post late news time with sporting events, along with Saturday Night Live. WICS would follow SNL with a videotaped replay of its own 10 pm news. The low powered translatoron channel 75 in Mattoon probably didn't broadcast much more than a few miles from Mattoon. I deeply regret that. (YouTube). Prior to joining WICS and WRSP, Lemke worked in Omaha at WOWT-TV. WICS News Anchors. During the Summer of 2004, it was announced that WAND would become the market's NBC station. Meanwhile, WICD in Danville broadcast a signal of about 30 miles from Danville. On December 31, 2012, the Sinclair Broadcast Group closed on the purchase of the non-license assets of GOCOM's three television stations, WRSP/WCCU and sister station WBUI for approximately $25.6 million. As such, it simulcasts all network and syndicated programming as provided through WICS, and the two stations share a website. At the same time, WCHU began breaking off from the WICS signal to air some local programming for the eastern side of the market, which was simulcast on WICD. Weekend newscasts on WICD Champaign, Ill., will originate from Springfield, beginning March 26. President and Former Vice President of Print WICS began operations on September 17, 1953 and was owned by Plains Television Partners of Springfield, which was a 50/50 joint venture of Transcontinental Properties and the H & E Balaban Corporation. During football season, NBC would air the AFC early football game and WICS/WICD would follow with a replay of Capitol Conference, than a local movie insertion.yet another TV movie, usually. However, the FCC did not allow Sunrise to buy WICS/WICD due to Sunrise's ownership structure. With the threat of having channel 2 in its backyard being over, Plains Television Partners made a major commitment to central Illinois viewers with the building of a huge TV studio/office complex on Springfield's east side. The History of WICS, Channel 20, Springfield, IL. Well Poteau has left the station and TV news altogether. The low powered translatoron channel 75 in Mattoon probably didn't broadcast much more than a few miles from Mattoon. "Real People" was a reality-based variety show which gave a number of "real" people/groups their 15-minutes of fame in front of a national audience. It also competes with another two-hour local newscast seen at same time on MyNetworkTV affiliate WCIX (produced by WCIA). It as done with a panel which included John Barbour, Sarah Percell, Byron Allen, Skip Stephenson, Bill Rafferty, Mark Russell, Fred Willard and even Peter Billingsley(of "Christmas Story"). // To add more quotations, continue with the Pictured below are few snapshots from their visit in Springfield, IL supplied by WICS. Known as Good Day Illinois, the program can be seen from 7 until 9 and offers a local alternative to the national morning programs seen on the big three networks. Joe Crain has been a meteorologist at WICS Springfield, Ill., for 15 years. I have been in the midst of a big transition. Weekday programming in 1979 on WICS included the typical NBC daytime schedule of game and daytime dramas and locally originated off-network television series from the '60s and '70s. | KHQA-TV (Quincy, IL) It was an unprecedented moment in history as former President Donald Trump and his legal team navigated the historic second impeachment trial. Read more about those struggles in "Pictures on the Prairie" available by clicking on the link above. This change took effect after the final WICD-produced newscast aired on April 3. Randy Miller for his picture contributions Later in the year, Sinclair signed the stations with ABC. It was felt by the management of the time that WICS would be better served by keeping the late movie and airing the local commercials. June 13, 2019 | 5:43 am EDT by Hank Price, Hank Price: The commitment of local broadcasters and their owners to the communities they serve is legendary. Please note that the schedule for WICD and WICS were virtually identical. 2016, WICS News Anchor Team, Stacey Skrysak, John Reger, (YouTube). (You Tube), Linda Ellerby doing an NBC News Update from 1977. We're your source for local news, weather and sports. In 1964, it moved to its current studios on East Cook Street in East Springfield. Gordon was named the Executive Director of the Hoogland Center for the Arts on February 1, 2013. Now he might be out of a job", "A weatherman slammed his station's constant 'Code Red' warnings. // Free for all; but please leave in this header. HMTF was majority stockholder of the LIN TV Corporation, then-owner of WAND. The trainwould stop in as many of the NBC affiliate home towns as possible amid fans and local media. The call letters of WNBC-TV were transferred soon after to NBC's network o-and-o in New York in 1960. Joe Crain, a WICS Springfield, Ill., meterologist since 2004, disappeared from the weather report after ad-libbing June 5 about the "Code Red" moniker that station owner Sinclair Broadcast Group implemented as a severe-weather alert. The NBC lineup included Hollywood Squares, High Rollers, Wheel of Fortune, Mind Readers, Password Plus, Days of Our Lives, Doctors and Another World. By3pm, the lineup featured all syndicated off-network fare, including I Love Lucy, Gilligan's Island, Batman, The Brady Bunch and Happy Days, Again"(the syndicated title of Happy Days). It wasn't purchased by Guy Gannett until 1994. In 2012 WICS Anchor Jerry Lambert retired from the anchor desk. December 22, 2015 / Scott Jones. On March 13, 2015, Sinclair announced that WICD would stop offering separate newscasts on weekdays that focus on the eastern areas of the market (Champaign/Urbana/Danville). Some of the religious shows included Jimmy Swaggart, Herald of Truth and Faith for Today. Sometime in the 1960s, WICS began a tradition of airing a movie at 9:30 am. Others in the news staff included: Dale Coleman, Nick Alexander, Kyle Hill, Dave Lange, Alan Crane, and others. Senate Republican Caucus, Vice President & Senior Trust Officer at Jacksonville Savings Bank, Communication Manager/Spokesperson at Illinois Department of Transportation, President, Savant Multimedia, Social Media Management/Advertising Firm. The Bloomington Pantagraph Director of the Center for Online Leadership and Strategy (COLS) at University Professional and Director of the UPCEA Center for Online Leadership and Strategy - and - UIS Associate Vice Chancellor of Online Learning. WICD (channel 15) is a television station licensed to Champaign, Illinois, United States, affiliated with ABC.Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station has studios on South Country Fair Drive in downtown Champaign, and its transmitter is located northeast of Homer, along the Vermilion-Champaign county line.. That resulted in many complaints by viewers and the eventual reversal of the pre-emption as well as WICS being one of the first stations to add "Star Trek" by off-network syndication. --from Gus Gordon's Linkedin profile, September 5, 2005, first day at being an ABC affiliate, Gus Gordon (Doug Quick Collection), August 2010, Gus Gordon (Doug Quick Collection). It follows meteorologist Joe Crains on-air criticism of Sinclairs Code Red weather alert policy. WICS owner Sinclair did not give her the chance to tell viewers goodbye. It also aired whatever ABC programs WTVP in Decatur (now WAND) had to turn down in order to air CBS shows not cleared by WCIA. The time slots would also be occupied by adult fare as well as syndicated shows like, "The Mike Douglas Show," "The John Gary Show" and "The Merv Griffin Show." During the Summer of 2004, it was announced that WAND would become the market's NBC station. 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