Network # station ID

[abc7 Man 51]

Does anyone know which station (or group of stations) was the first to start using a network # ID (eg. ABC7, CBS4, FOX11, etc.)? I know many started to in the 90s but just curious where this trend started.

[appleachian 134]

Some of the early non-O&O Fox affiliates (the ones that otherwise had no reason to keep the doors open) were doing this out of the gate I believe.

[TexasTVNews 1378]

IIRC, In early 1978, KMSP/Minneapolis re-branded itself "ABC9" (approximately 20 years before the use of a network's name in a station's on-air branding became commonplace among U.S. affiliates), and retooled its newscast. KMSP lost the ABC network to KSTP a year later.

[TriangleTriadMediaNews 267]

Some of the early non-O&O Fox affiliates (the ones that otherwise had no reason to keep the doors open) were doing this out of the gate I believe.

 

I believe WLFL in Raleigh was branded as FOX 22 from the get go until they swapped affiliations with WRAZ and became WB 22, now CW 22.

[Jess 1116]

If we're talking widespread usage, then it's the Fox O&Os from virtually day one. (WNYW was branding as "Fox Television, Channel 5" from the day of the acquisition.) It was the first group to encourage that type of branding - in fact it was called "Foxification".

[TriangleTriadMediaNews 267]

Before the days of FNC, WTTG newscasts were branded as "FOX Morning News" and "FOX News at Ten", reporters tagged out with "Fox News" as well. I think WCCB did as well until they became a CW affiliate?

[Ntropolis 598]

I think WCCB did as well until they became a CW affiliate?

 

I’m certain Bahakel sister WFXB is still “Fox News @ Ten”

 

I’m sure it’s a matter of time before it becomes “News 13 at Ten on FXB FOX TV”

[WestleyWolf 122]

i'm pretty sure at one point some hearst and tribune stations did it as well right?

[TheRolyPoly 2559]

I’m certain Bahakel sister WFXB is still “Fox News @ Ten”

 

I’m sure it’s a matter of time before it becomes “News 13 at Ten on FXB FOX TV”

 

WFXB does "FOX Morning News," "FOX Midday News" and "FOX News at Ten."

 

I see that happening too unless Bahakel doesn't want to.

[NEOMatrix 1305]

I'll put it this way, most Fox affiliates (with the obvious exception of a certain "7" in Miami) will brand as "Fox #" or "Fox (City)". It's literally in the affiliation contracts to brand as such unless the station can really prove that it's better not to use Fox in branding.

 

That said, other than WJW, who uses "Fox 8", only WOIO has used "CBS 19" during two separate periods (1996-1999 and again from 2002-2015 outside of Action News).

 

As far as when it started, it likely became more commonplace after the affiliation switches in the mid 90s and in some markets like Denver, there was still confusion.

[Rusty Muck 4390]

IIRC, In early 1978, KMSP/Minneapolis re-branded itself "ABC9" (approximately 20 years before the use of a network's name in a station's on-air branding became commonplace among U.S. affiliates), and retooled its newscast. KMSP lost the ABC network to KSTP a year later.

KMSP would have been the first for a Big-Three network affiliate. Now, most network affiliates would use those networks' respective logos within their logos to some degree or another prior to the 1990s, NBC affiliates did so the most.

 

Fox took a cue from the station group that made up their nuclei - MetroMedia Television - and simply replaced "MetroMedia" with Fox within their station branding upon FBC's foundation. For example, "MetroMedia Channel 5, WNEW-TV" morphed to "Fox Television Channel 5, WNYW," and then to "Fox 5." (The one outlier from MM's general branding scheme IIRC was WCVB.)

[Samantha 2898]

I'll put it this way, most Fox affiliates (with the obvious exception of a certain "7" in Miami) will brand as "Fox #" or "Fox (City)". It's literally in the affiliation contracts to brand as such unless the station can really prove that it's better not to use Fox in branding.

 

That said, other than WJW, who uses "Fox 8", only WOIO has used "CBS 19" during two separate periods (1996-1999 and again from 2002-2015 outside of Action News).

 

As far as when it started, it likely became more commonplace after the affiliation switches in the mid 90s and in some markets like Denver, there was still confusion.

 

In the wake of the switches, NBC began really emphasizing this and wanting its stations to assert that they were "NBC Stations". Now of course, cobranding is also written into ABC's affiliation contracts with rules about the size of the ABC logo.

[ToriElectra 292]

Before the days of FNC, WTTG newscasts were branded as "FOX Morning News" and "FOX News at Ten", reporters tagged out with "Fox News" as well. I think WCCB did as well until they became a CW affiliate?

WTXF did that during their "Fox Philadelphia" phase, too.

[Rusty Muck 4390]

Before the days of FNC, WTTG newscasts were branded as "FOX Morning News" and "FOX News at Ten", reporters tagged out with "Fox News" as well. I think WCCB did as well until they became a CW affiliate?

WFLD eschewed the "32" from station branding for years and years, branding as "Fox News Chicago" before and well after FNC's launch.

[Georgie56 3318]

WFLD eschewed the "32" from station branding for years and years, branding as "Fox News Chicago" before and well after FNC's launch.

 

WFXT used to call themselves “Fox News Boston”.