First Coast News

First Coast News is the newsroom of television stations WTLV (channel 12) and WJXX (channel 25), the NBC and ABC affiliates in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is owned with the stations by Tegna Inc.

For the Jacksonville television stations, see WJXX and WTLV.

First Coast News
The home page of First Coast News from June 6, 2008
Type of site
News website
Available inEnglish
Spanish
OwnerTegna Inc.
Created byGannett Company
URLwww.firstcoastnews.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationNo

The First Coast News brand was first used by the stations on April 27, 2000, in the wake of Gannett's acquisition of WJXX the month before and consequent expansion of what had primarily been WTLV's news department. Immediately upon taking control, WTLV newscasts were simulcast on WJXX. Since the consolidation, First Coast News has generally remained in second place in the market behind WJXT (channel 4), the market news leader.

History

Pre-FCN
Main articles: WTLV § News operation, and WJXX § History

When WTLV started as WFGA-TV in 1957, the station's first news director was Harold Baker, who had served in the same position at WSM radio and television in Nashville, Tennessee. Baker would anchor the station's 6 p.m. news for 17 years and direct the nascent channel 12 newsroom for 19 years in total, winning the station major national journalism awards.[1] It settled in as a consistent second-place finisher to WJXT in local news, though it worked to close the gap, particularly after its acquisition by Gannett in 1988.[2]

Meanwhile, in 1996, Allbritton Communications secured the ABC affiliation for the Jacksonville market from longtime third-rated station WJKS (channel 17). Originally planned to start in April, the outgoing ABC affiliate's preemptions of more than half of the network's prime time lineup caused Allbritton and the network to throw forward the launch of WJXX by two months to February 9, 1997.[3] For most of the rest of that year, technical and signal issues dogged the new ABC affiliate, weighing on its public perception. While the station had been airing a local newsmagazine program, it was not until WJXX opened complete studios in south Jacksonville that it began to produce a full local news service on December 15, 1997.[4] While ABC 25 News was hailed as a superior product compared to WJKS, which had aired just two 30-minute newscasts on weekdays,[2][5] Allbritton faced several overwhelming factors in establishing WJXX: in addition to the technical issues that alienated viewers, the market had historically been an underperformer for the ABC network, and WJXT and WTLV were entrenched in the market.[6][7] WJKS, which became The WB affiliate WJWB, surged past WJXX in the ratings.[6]

Consolidation
Main article: WJXX § Duopoly with WTLV
A multi-story building in front of an artificial lake with satellite dishes and communications equipment visible outside. A sign contains the First Coast News logo and logos for WTLV and WJXX.
The WTLV–WJXX studios on Adams Street in Jacksonville

On November 15, 1999, the FCC legalized television station duopolies—the common ownership of two stations in one market. The next day, November 16, Gannett announced it would purchase WJXX from Allbritton. The deal was initiated after Allbritton approached Gannett about a possible sale and was legal because of WJXX's unusually low ratings for an ABC affiliate.[8] For the next four months, planning was initiated on the eventual consolidation of the WTLV and WJXX news operations, while WJXX continued to produce newscasts and faced a growing exodus of newsroom staffers.[5][6]

The Federal Communications Commission approved the sale on March 16, 2000. Gannett consummated the purchase the next day and immediately implemented a simulcast of WTLV's newscasts on WJXX, while construction began at the WTLV studios on Adams Street—which had been enlarged in 1997—to prepare for a new combined news service under the name First Coast News, which debuted on April 27.[9][10] Newscasts continued to be broadcast at the same time on each station, including the WJXX 7 p.m. newscast, which had no competition and was the station's lone successful news program.[11][12] In total, 36 WJXX employees, including 13 in news, joined the WTLV operation.[10]

A consistent second-place
Refer to caption
News set used by First Coast News in the 2010s

After the merger, continuing a trend already set by WTLV, the gap in viewership between First Coast News and market leader WJXT slowly closed to create tough competition in the Jacksonville market.[13][14][15] The combination of WTLV and WJXX also surpassed WJXT in total revenue.[16]

In 2002, the news department of Fox affiliate WAWS (channel 30) expanded to accommodate the move of the CBS affiliation to WTEV-TV (channel 47). The two stations rebranded as WFOX-TV and WJAX-TV in 2014 and their news as Action News as part of a wholesale change which included the firing of the previous main anchors. The Action News revamp improved ratings at the traditional third-place news operation in Jacksonville just as First Coast News remained without a news director for a year, causing a decline in viewership, and several key news personalities defected to Action News.[17] Rob Mennie, who assumed the post of news director in 2014, noted of the newsroom as he encountered it, "This was a station ... I'll just use the word confused. They didn't know who they were. ... They were trying to figure out what makes us tick."[18]

Logo for First Coast News from 2017 to 2021.

Notable staff

* Victor Blackwell – anchor, later of CNN[19]

References
  1. Kerr, Jessie Lynne (June 19, 2009). "Harold Baker 1916-2009: TV newsman led Jacksonville broadcasting". The Florida Times-Union. p. B-1.
  2. Patton, Charlie (July 11, 1996). "PLEASE STAY TUNED: For Jacksonville's three news stations, the battle to attract viewers never ends". The Florida Times-Union. p. D-1.
  3. Patton, Charlie (February 9, 1997). "ABC programs to air on new station tonight". The Florida Times-Union. p. A-1.
  4. Patton, Charlie (December 15, 1997). "News team launching shows today". The Florida Times-Union. p. A-1.
  5. Patton, Charlie (November 17, 1999). "Affiliates' news staffs likely to merge". The Florida Times-Union. p. A-1.
  6. Patton, Charlie (December 13, 1999). "Changing the channel: Recent sale another chapter in ABC's tumultuous tenure in Jacksonville". The Florida Times-Union. Morris Communications. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
  7. Patton, Charlie (January 22, 2003). "Reality beating up on respected". The Florida Times-Union. p. B-1.
  8. Basch, Mark (November 17, 1999). "Gannett buying second Jacksonville station: New rules allow to purchase [sic]". The Florida Times-Union. p. A-1.
  9. Ostrow, Nicole (March 17, 2000). "Media merger: TV-12 owner may take over TV-25 operations as soon as today". The Florida Times-Union. p. D-1.
  10. Davis Hudson, Eileen (May 15, 2000). "Jacksonville". Mediaweek. pp. 26–36. ProQuest 213613921 – via ProQuest.
  11. Larson, Megan (May 24, 1999). "Counterprogrammed news equals ratings". Mediaweek. p. 20. ProQuest 213626304 – via ProQuest.
  12. Larson, Megan (December 13, 1999). "WTLV shares news". Mediaweek. p. 24. ProQuest 213644529.
  13. "Nielsen ratings show WTLV gain". The Jacksonville Business Journal. Advance Publications. June 19, 1998. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
  14. Mark Basch (December 24, 2003). "Verdict's still out on WJXT's move". The Florida Times-Union. Morris Communications. Archived from the original on March 1, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
  15. Sean McManus (June 9, 2003). "TV news in transition". The Jacksonville Business Journal. Advance Publications. Archived from the original on May 26, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
  16. Guinta, Peter (July 14, 2002). "The big switch". The St. Augustine Record. In 2001, WJXT reported revenues of $29.75 million. Its nearest competitor, WTLV-12, reported $22 million and WJXX-25 $12.5 million.
  17. Dixon, Drew (March 28, 2015). "Major shakeups in Jacksonville TV news redefining financial landscape of broadcasters". The Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  18. Dixon, Drew (March 29, 2015). "Team full of familiar faces lacked direction: GM's new news director tasked with changing tone of news reports". The Florida Times-Union. p. A-8.
  19. "Meet CNN's New Black Anchor". The Root. July 26, 2012. Archived from the original on January 18, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  20. "Fates & Fortunes" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 18, 1985. p. 109. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  21. Scanlan, Dan (June 27, 2012). "TV anchor Deegan to leave job in August: She will take on larger role in breast cancer research, wellness". The Florida Times-Union. p. A-1.
  22. Soergel, Matt (July 17, 2015). "Former mascot for Jaguars taking his act to television: Dvorak promises more antics with First Coast News, sans fur". The Florida Times-Union. p. B-1.
  23. Sharkey, Mike. "Gionet heading back to Denver". Jacksonville Daily Record. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
  24. Elliott, Jeff (May 30, 2013). "Longtime anchor Hicken to join TV-47". The Florida Times-Union. p. C-1.
  25. Bull, Roger (April 18, 2006). "New anchor debuts on First Coast News". The Florida Times-Union. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
  26. Daraskevich, Joe (May 14, 2016). "Ogden leaving First Coast News: Weeknight anchor since 2006 to begin work at Denver station in June". The Florida Times-Union. p. B-4.
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