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{{Short description|Television station in Cincinnati}}
{{about|the television station in Cincinnati, Ohio|the AM radio station|WKRC (AM)|the fictional radio station|WKRP in Cincinnati}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign               = WKRC-TV
| city                   =
| logo                   = WKRC-TV logo.svg
| logo_size              = 220px
| image                  = WKRC-DT2 CW Cincinnati 2024.webp
| image_size             = 150px
| branding               = {{ubl|Local 12|The CW Cincinnati (12.2)}}
| digital                = 12 ([[VHF]])
| virtual                = 12
| subchannels            =
| translators            =
| affiliations           = {{ubl|'''12.1:''' [[CBS]]|'''12.2:''' [[The CW|CW]]|'''12.3:''' [[The Nest (TV network)|The Nest]]}}
| owner                  = [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]]
| licensee               = WKRC Licensee, [[LLC]]
| location               = [[Cincinnati]], Ohio
| country                = United States
| airdate                = {{start date and age|1949|4|4|p=y}}
| last_airdate           =
| callsign_meaning       = Kodel Radio Corporation (former owner of former sister AM radio station)
| sister_stations        = [[WSTR-TV]]
| former_callsigns       =
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 11 (VHF, 1949–1952), 12 (VHF, 1952–2009)|'''Digital:''' 31 ([[UHF]], 2001–2009)}}
| former_affiliations    = {{ubl|CBS (1949−1961)|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (1961–1996)|[[NTA Film Network|NTA]] (secondary, 1956–1961)}}
| erp                    = 15.55&nbsp;[[kW]]
| haat                   = {{convert|305|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id            = 11289
| coordinates            = {{coord|39|6|59|N|84|30|7|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority    = [[FCC]]
| website                = {{ubl|{{url|https://local12.com/}}|{{url|cwcincinnati.com}}}}
}}

'''WKRC-TV''' (channel 12) is a [[television station]] in [[Cincinnati]], Ohio, United States, affiliated with [[CBS]] and [[The CW]]. It is owned by [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]], which provides certain services to [[MyNetworkTV]] affiliate [[WSTR-TV]] (channel 64) under a [[local marketing agreement]] (LMA) with [[Deerfield Media]]. The two stations share studios on Highland Avenue in the [[Mount Auburn, Cincinnati|Mount Auburn]] section of Cincinnati, where WKRC-TV's transmitter is also located.

==History==
===Early history===
WKRC-TV first signed on the air on April 4, 1949, originally operating as a CBS affiliate on VHF channel 11; it is Cincinnati's second-oldest television station, but the first to receive an FCC license.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=WKRC | title=TV Query Results -- Video Division (FCC) USA }}</ref> The station was owned by the Ohio-based [[Taft family]], who were active in both politics and media. The Tafts published ''[[The Cincinnati Times-Star]]'', and also owned WKRC radio ([[WKRC (AM)|550 AM]] and 101.9 FM, now [[WKRQ]]) under their broadcasting subsidiary, Radio Cincinnati. In 1958, the Tafts sold the ''Times-Star'' to the locally based rival [[E. W. Scripps Company]], owner of ''[[The Cincinnati Post]]'' and [[WCPO-AM]]-[[WUBE-FM|FM]]-[[WCPO-TV|TV]]. The Tafts' broadcasting interests were then reorganized as [[Taft Broadcasting]], with WKRC-AM-FM-TV as the flagship stations. The WKRC stations' [[call letters]] were derived from the original owner of WKRC radio, Clarence Ogden of the Kodel Radio Company ("Ko" for Clarence O. and "del" for Della his wife).<ref name="Call sign">{{cite web|url=http://www.smecc.org/call_sign_letter__meaning.htm|title=Origins of many Call Signs|access-date=April 12, 2007|last=Nelson|first=Bob|date=April 17, 2004|publisher=Southwest Museum of Engineering, Communications and Computation}}</ref> Following the release of the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC)'s ''Sixth Report and Order'', WKRC-TV moved to channel 12 on October 12, 1952.

===Tri-State Network===
[[File:Wendy barrie 1953.png|thumb|265px|Advertisement for the premiere of ''The Wendy Barrie Show'' originating from [[WHIO-TV]] in [[Dayton]] and simulcast on WKRC-TV in [[Cincinnati]] and [[WSYX|WTVN]] (now WSYX) in [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]], all in [[Ohio]]]]
In 1953, three television stations owned by Taft Broadcasting Company and [[Cox Enterprises]] formed the short-lived "Tri-State Network" to compete with entertainment programming produced by [[Crosley Broadcasting Corporation]] on Crosley television stations in the Cincinnati, [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]] and [[Dayton]] broadcast markets. On January 11, 1954, ''[[The Wendy Barrie Show]]'' premiered from the studios of [[WHIO-TV]] in Dayton, simulcast on Taft Broadcasting's WKRC-TV in Cincinnati and [[WSYX|WTVN]] (now WSYX) in Columbus.<ref>{{cite news | author       =<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->
| title        = Form Regional Webs in 3 Wide TV Areas| url  = https://books.google.com/books?id=agoEAAAAMBAJ&q=wendy%20barrie%20wtvn&pg=PA8| newspaper    = Billboard|page= 6| date = December 12, 1953| access-date  = January 20, 2017}}</ref> Barrie's contract was terminated in October 1954, and she was replaced by her co-host of nine months, Don Williams.<ref>{{cite news| author       =<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->| title = Wendy Barrie Exits Tri-State| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=nSEEAAAAMBAJ&q=wendy%20barrie%20tri-state&pg=PA7 | newspaper    = Billboard| page= 5| date = October 30, 1954| access-date  = January 20, 2017}}</ref>

===As an ABC affiliate===
In 1961, the station became an [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate, switching networks with WCPO-TV.<ref>''Broadcasting'', February 27, 1961, p. 36. [https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1961/1961-02-27-BC.pdf "Taft stations switch to ABC-TV."]</ref> This came after that network's founder [[Leonard Goldenson]] persuaded Taft president Hulbert Taft Jr., a longtime friend, to switch several of the company's stations to ABC. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the [[NTA Film Network]].<ref name="Boxoffice7">{{Cite journal| title = Require Prime Evening Time for NTA Films| journal = Boxoffice| pages = 13| date = November 10, 1956| url = http://issuu.com/boxoffice/docs/boxoffice_111056-1}}</ref> WKRC's nickname in the 1960s was "Tall 12", a reference to the station's transmitter tower which was the tallest in Cincinnati at the time. Like WCPO-TV, channel 12 used a distinctive jingle ID at the top of the hour in the 1960s. The upbeat, orchestrated "Channel 12" jingle was followed by children's show host Glenn Ryle announcing: "This is WKRC-TV Cincinnati". Also, during its tenure with ABC, WKRC (through ABC) aired a number of [[Traditional animation|animated]] shows produced by [[Hanna-Barbera]], which Taft purchased in 1967. In 1975, it began airing movies on late night Saturdays in a program called ''The Past Prime Playhouse''. Hosted live by local personality [[Bob Shreve]], the show would air until 1988.

On June 23, 1983, after a yearlong field trial, WKRC began broadcasting [[teletext]] magazines to Cincinnati-area owners of [[Electra (teletext)|Electra]] decoders,<ref name="Enquirer Brinkmoeller">{{cite news|title=Forget Soaps, Taft Out To Turn TV Set Into Newspaper|first=Tom|last=Brinkmoeller|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=July 28, 1983|at=p. D-13|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75641426/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> making Cincinnati the first market in the United States where teletext was commercially available.<ref name="Broadcasting Electra">{{cite magazine |date=June 27, 1983 |title=Taft-Zenith teletext premieres in Cincinnati |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Broadcasting-IDX/1983-Broadcasting/1983-06-27-Broadcasting-Page-0041.pdf |magazine=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |pages=41–42}} [https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Broadcasting-IDX/1983-Broadcasting/1983-06-27-Broadcasting-Page-0042.pdf]</ref> WKRC broadcast 100 screens of information and games, along with [[closed captioning]] of ABC programming, from 8&nbsp;a.m. to 11&nbsp;p.m. daily.<ref name="Enquirer Brinkmoeller" /><ref name="Broadcasting Electra" /> Electra's manufacturer, [[Zenith Electronics]], marketed the service with a mobile demonstration van at locations around the city to promote sales of its decoder.<ref name="Broadcasting Electra" /> David Klein, the media critic for ''The Cincinnati Post'', wrote a negative review of the service, noting slow loading time, unengaging content, and primitive graphics.<ref>{{cite book|title=Teletext: Its Promise and Demise|first=Leonard R.|last=Graziplene|publisher=Lehigh University Press|location=Bethlehem, Pennsylvania|date=2000|pages=65–67|isbn=978-0-934223-64-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fZW_VCjjn8EC&pg=PA65|via=Google Books}}</ref> WKRC's teletext magazine was later syndicated nationally by [[Satellite Syndicated Systems]].<ref>{{cite news|title=TV Market Softness Clouds Taft's Earnings Gain|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=January 23, 1985|at=p. C-1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75642761/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

In 1987, Taft was dissolved in a hostile takeover of its board and all of its stations (except WTVN-TV in Columbus and [[WGHP-TV]] in [[High Point, North Carolina]]) were absorbed into Great American Broadcasting. In 1993, Great American Broadcasting became Citicasters shortly before filing for bankruptcy. The Electra service shut down that year.

===Return to CBS===
[[File:WKRC.png|thumb|150px|"12 WKRC" logo, used from 1994 to 2004 with the slogan "A New Generation of News"]]
While Cincinnati was initially unaffected by the 1994–96 affiliation switches, as WCPO was in a middle of a long-term affiliation contract with CBS, such contract was abruptly stopped. WKRC returned to CBS in 1996, reversing the 1961 affiliation swap. WCPO had agreed to affiliate with ABC in September 1995,<ref name="b&c-wcpotoabc">{{cite news |last1=Jessell |first1=Harry A. |title=ABC, Fox change partners again |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1995/BC-1995-09-11.pdf |access-date=December 2, 2018 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]] |date=September 11, 1995 |page=16 }}</ref> but WKRC's contract with ABC was not set to expire for another year. In May 1996, WKRC began airing half-hour-long special programs detailing upcoming programming changes at the two stations.<ref>{{cite news|title=Switch countdown|first=John|last=Kiesewetter|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=May 28, 1996|page=B3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/102207323/|via=Newspapers.com|quote=With the big network switch six days away, Channel 12 premieres a half-hour special explaining to viewers which shows switch and what won't.}}</ref> On June 3, 1996, WKRC's contract ended, and WKRC rejoined CBS while WCPO rejoined ABC. The last ABC program to air on WKRC was the ''ABC Sunday Night Movie'' airing of the 1993 [[telefilm]] ''The Only Way Out'', and the first CBS program since it rejoined was ''[[CBS This Morning]]''.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

In September 1996, WKRC was acquired by [[Jacor]] after most of Citicasters' other television stations were sold to [[New World Pictures#New World Communications|New World Communications]], which had become involved in an [[1994–1996 United States broadcast television realignment|affiliation deal]] with [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] that was announced in May 1994. The Jacor deal reunited channel 12 with its AM sister, which had been bought by Jacor in 1993 during Great American Broadcasting's [[Bankruptcy in the United States|bankruptcy]] reorganization. Jacor merged with [[Clear Channel Communications]] in 1998.

Although owned by Clear Channel at the time, the station changed its branding to "Local 12" in 2003. This was inspired by the "Local Mandate", a station brand standardization adopted by [[Post-Newsweek Stations]] for its own television stations.

[[File:WKRCLocal12.png|210px|thumb|right|Original "Local 12" logo used from 2004 to September 2009]]
In 2006, Clear Channel ranked WKRC as the top CBS affiliate in the United States. On November 16 of that year, the company announced that it would sell its entire television division, including WKRC,<ref name="Enquirer Clear Channel">{{cite news|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CEQB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=1157DD8BC9678820&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420|title=Ch. 12 a prime draw in sale|date=November 17, 2006|work=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]|access-date=November 17, 2006|page=15A}}<!-- http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061116/BIZ01/311160018/-1/CINCI --></ref> after being bought by private equity firms in order to focus on its radio and event properties. On April 20, 2007, Clear Channel entered into an agreement to sell its stations to [[Providence Equity Partners]].<ref name="Providence">{{cite press release|title=Clear Channel Agrees to Sell Television Station Group to Providence Equity Partners|publisher=[[Clear Channel Communications]]|url=http://www.clearchannel.com/Corporate/PressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=1943|date=April 20, 2007|access-date=April 20, 2007}}</ref> Providence Equity teamed up with [[Sandy DiPasquale]] to form a new holding company, [[Newport Television]], for the station group. Concurrently, Clear Channel applied to place WKRC and several other stations to the [[Aloha Station Trust]] just in case Newport Television failed to close on the group. However, as a result of Newport Television closing on the purchase of WKRC and the other stations on March 14, 2008, Aloha Station Trust and the would-be new owners of Clear Channel opted not to consummate on the acquisition of the station. As a result, Newport Television became WKRC's fourth owner in just over 20 years. As a result of the sale, the Citicasters name disappeared from WKRC's license, dissolving channel 12's last link to Taft Broadcasting; the Citicasters name is still alive as a holding company within the corporate structure of Clear Channel's successor, iHeartMedia.

On June 18, 2008, Newport announced that it was eliminating 7.5% of the jobs at its 56 stations, attributing the layoffs to a weak economy. As a result, WKRC fired 18 staff members. On July 19, 2012, Newport Television reached deals to sell 22 of its 27 stations to three station groups – [[Nexstar Broadcasting Group]], [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]] and [[Cox Media Group]]. WKRC-TV was among the six sold to Sinclair.<ref>[http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/60876/newport-sells-22-stations-for-1-billion Newport Sells 22 Stations For $1 Billion], ''TVNewsCheck'', July 19, 2012.</ref> [[WSTR-TV]] (channel 64) was transferred to [[Deerfield Media]] (who also received [[San Antonio]]'s [[The CW|CW]] affiliate [[KMYS]] in the same deal) because the Cincinnati market, despite being the 35th-largest market, has only seven full-power commercial stations, which are not enough to legally permit a [[Duopoly (broadcasting)|duopoly]]. However, Sinclair retained control of WSTR through a [[local marketing agreement]]. The deal also reunited WKRC-TV with WSYX (the former WTVN-TV), another station formerly owned by Taft. The sale was completed on December 3.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sbgi.net/site_mgr/temp/Newport%20closing_qcm5mk7w.shtml|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121207055905/http://www.sbgi.net/site_mgr/temp/Newport%20closing_qcm5mk7w.shtml|title=SINCLAIR BROADCAST GROUP CLOSES TV STATION ACQUISITIONS|archivedate=December 7, 2012}}</ref>

==WKRC-DT2 (The CW Cincinnati)==
'''WKRC-DT2''', branded on-air as '''The CW Cincinnati''', is the CW-affiliated second [[digital subchannel]] of WKRC-TV, broadcasting in high definition on channel 12.2.

===History===
On January 24, 2006, the [[Warner Bros.]] unit of [[WarnerMedia|Time Warner]] and [[CBS Corporation]] announced that the two companies would shut down [[The WB]] and [[UPN]] and combine the networks' respective programming to create a new "fifth" network called The CW.<ref>[https://money.cnn.com/2006/01/24/news/companies/cbs_warner/ 'Gilmore Girls' meet 'Smackdown'; CW Network to combine WB, UPN in CBS-Warner venture beginning in September], [[CNNMoney.com]], January 24, 2006.</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/24/business/media/24cnd-network.html?bl UPN and WB to Combine, Forming New TV Network], ''[[The New York Times]]'', January 24, 2006.</ref> WKRC signed a deal to affiliate with the new network on a new second digital subchannel resulting in UPN affiliate [[WBQC-CA]] (channel 25) becoming an [[independent station]]. Meanwhile, WB affiliate WSTR-TV joined another new network, [[News Corporation]]-owned [[MyNetworkTV]] (now owned by [[Fox Corporation]]) which launched on September 5. With the affiliation, WKRC-DT2 became the largest subchannel-only CW affiliate by market size, and was one of the few such stations located in the top 100 markets (most CW-affiliated stations that carry the network via a subchannel are located in the 110 smallest U.S. television markets and carry [[The CW Plus]], an automated feed featuring a pre-packaged schedule of syndicated programs outside CW programming hours; the few that are located among the top 100—such as [[WTVG-DT2]] in [[Toledo, Ohio|Toledo]]—maintain an independently programmed schedule as their primary channel counterparts do). This distinction ended on May 31, 2017, when [[San Diego]]'s CBS affiliate, [[KFMB-TV]], affiliated its DT2 subchannel with The CW (which had previously been carried on the primary feed of [[Tijuana]], [[Mexico]]-based [[XETV]]).<ref name="tvnc-kfmbcw">{{cite news|title=KFMB San Diego Adding CW Affiliation|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/100817/kfmb-san-diego-adding-cw-affiliation|access-date=January 18, 2017|work=TVNewsCheck|date=January 18, 2017|language=en}}</ref>

Cincinnati cable viewers were concerned that WKRC-DT2 would face the same problems as WBQC. For years, [[Time Warner Cable]] had refused to carry that station full-time, and eventually the station brokered an agreement to air WB prime time on a [[leased access]] channel which was barely promoted. However, Time Warner Cable was a division of Time Warner at the time (who would be half-owner of The CW), so it was in the company's best interest to air WKRC-DT2 over its systems. By late in the day on September 17, Time Warner Cable agreed to carry the new station only hours before the network's launch on September 18. WKRC-DT2 launched on Time Warner channel 2 in prime time only to start out with and 24 hours a day on [[digital cable]] channel 913, before earning a full-time broadcast basic placement on channel 20 as of October 18,<ref name="Enquirer Kiesewetter digital">{{cite news|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CEQB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=114D8CCE3498EF70&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=0D0CB579A3BDA420|first=John|last=Kiesewetter|title=Digital channel debuts|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|page=1D|date=September 18, 2006|access-date=October 12, 2007}}<!-- http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060918/ENT/309180031/1025 --></ref> displacing WBQC and a commercial access channel. The station also debuted on [[Insight Communications]] and [[DirecTV]] under WBQC's former channel slots. As a result, the channel can be viewed by 66% of the local population.<ref name="Enquirer Kiesewetter deal">{{cite web|url=http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/tv/2006/09/time-warner-cw-deal.asp|title=A Time Warner-CW Deal!|access-date=April 12, 2007|last=Kiesewetter|first=John|date=September 17, 2006|work=Cincinnati.Com Blogs|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070307111034/http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/tv/2006/09/time-warner-cw-deal.asp|archive-date=March 7, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

While now branded as simply "The CW Cincinnati", the subchannel originally branded as "The CinCW", a [[portmanteau]] with "[[wikt:Cincy|Cincy]]", a common nickname for the city. It currently airs the entire CW schedule in-pattern with films and syndicated programming (and sometimes second runs of WKRC's programming) airing outside network hours along with occasional coverage of high school sports and/or telecasts from [[FC Cincinnati]] on weekends. In the event of breaking news (either from WKRC or [[CBS News]]) or sports coverage, WKRC-DT2 airs CBS programming when needed. Repeats of some shows formerly aired by WKRC, along with the second half of CBS' ''[[Face the Nation]]'', can also be seen. Through The CW, it also carried the daily [[The Bill Cunningham Show|self-titled talk show]] of local [[WLW]] radio personality [[Bill Cunningham (talk show host)|Bill Cunningham]] until that show ended in 2016.

Due to a conflict on [[Bally Sports Ohio]], WKRC-DT2 aired a Blue Jackets game on April 4, 2023.<ref>{{cite web|title=Channel Information for Tuesday’s Reds, Blue Jackets, & Cavs Coverage|url=https://www.ballysports.com/ohio-greatlakes/news/channel-information-for-tuesday-s-reds-blue-jackets-cavs-coverage|website=Bally Sports|date=April 3, 2023|access-date=April 20, 2023}}</ref>

==Programming==
During its first few years as a CBS affiliate, WKRC-TV ran the entire schedule except for several hours of the CBS Saturday morning cartoon lineup which would soon be reduced to only a few hours. Once that reduction was made, WKRC-TV began running the entire CBS schedule with occasional exceptions.

===Sports programming===
In [[1998 Cincinnati Bengals season|1998]], the station became the primary home market outlet for most [[Cincinnati Bengals]] games when [[NFL on CBS|CBS]] acquired the [[American Football Conference|AFC]] broadcast rights. Previously, most Bengals games aired on WLWT as NBC carried the AFC. Until [[2023 Cincinnati Reds season|2023]], WKRC also annually simulcast coverage of the [[Cincinnati Reds]] [[opening day]] game from what is now [[FanDuel Sports Network Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Local 12 is your home for Reds Opening Day including parade, game|url=https://local12.com/sports/reds/watch-cincinnati-reds-opening-day-findlay-market-parade-game-pirates-baseball|website=local12.com|date=March 22, 2023|access-date=April 20, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wlwt.com/article/cincinnati-reds-2024-opening-day-how-to-watch-tv-time/60293776|title=2024 Reds Opening Day vs. Nationals: How to watch|first=Fletcher|last=Keel|website=WLWT.com|date=March 25, 2024|accessdate=March 29, 2024}}</ref>

===Past program preemptions and deferrals===
{{More citations needed section|date=February 2022}}
Over the years, as an ABC affiliate, WKRC-TV preempted moderate amounts of weekday programming and the Sunday morning [[animated cartoon|cartoon]] reruns from ABC; when an ABC game show hosted by WKRC-TV personality [[Nick Clooney]], ''[[The Money Maze]]'', aired from December 1974 to June 1975, WKRC opted to [[broadcast delay|delay]] that program from the national scheduled time of 4 p.m. to 10:30&nbsp;a.m. the following day, so it would be presented in tandem with their local [[talk show|talk program]], ''The Nick Clooney Show'', at 11&nbsp;a.m. Other shows delayed by WKRC included Friday night sitcoms ''[[Here Come the Brides]]'' (delayed to nine days after their original ABC airing) and ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'' (delayed to the following afternoon). It also briefly ran [[instrumental music]] over the closing credits of prime time network shows in lieu of program promos during the [[1973-74 United States network television schedule|1973-74 season]]. At one point during the [[1987-88 United States network television schedule|1987-88 season]], WKRC briefly preempted the 8:30&nbsp;p.m. ABC prime time slot (occupied by such shows as ''[[I Married Dora]]'', ''[[Mr. Belvedere]]'' and part of the first season of ''[[Full House]]'') in favor of the syndicated sitcom ''[[Small Wonder (TV series)|Small Wonder]]''.

When ABC offered late night programming from 11:30&nbsp;p.m. to about 2&nbsp;a.m., WKRC, as with several other ABC affiliates, chose not to air it. However, it aired ''[[Nightline]]'' once that show began in 1979 as a program on the [[Iran hostage crisis]]. Occasionally, WKRC preempted a lower-rated prime time program or [[feature film|movie]] from ABC to air either a stronger movie or a locally based special. Most of the programs not shown on WKRC were widely preempted by many affiliates. Also, most every program not shown on WKRC-TV was aired on the ABC station in nearby Dayton, [[WKEF]] until 1980 and [[WDTN]] after 1980. WKEF provided [[broadcast range|grade B]] coverage to most of the market, while WDTN provided city-grade coverage to nearly the entire market. Locally, WKRC aired news, talk shows, movies, and a few off-network sitcoms at some points. Beginning in 1992, WKRC-TV began preempting portions of ABC's [[Saturday morning cartoon]]s in favor of a local Saturday morning newscast. For a while, WKRC-TV was also one of the very few ABC affiliates that did not clear ''[[This Week with David Brinkley]]'', choosing to air religious programs instead.

Regardless of its network, at least one program airing on both, ''[[The Edge of Night]]'', always had shabby treatment in Cincinnati, which was ironic because the series' producer [[Procter & Gamble]] was headquartered there, and ''Edge''{{'}}s fictional locale of Monticello was loosely based on the city. WKRC did not clear that program as late as 1958, but by 1960–1961 (its last initial season as a CBS affiliate) it telecast the program at 10&nbsp;a.m. When ABC picked the program up in 1975, it originally carried the ABC run at 11&nbsp;a.m. By fall 1976 the show was airing on WKRC at 10:30&nbsp;a.m., and by May 1981 it was on at 9&nbsp;a.m. WKRC had an unusual broadcast of the 90-minute ABC premiere. It aired the first hour from 3 to 4 p.m. on December 1. The final 30 minutes was telecast December 2 at 11&nbsp;a.m., where all subsequent episodes aired on a one-day delay.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://edgehomepage.com/station-clearances.html|title=Station Clearances|website=The Edge of Night Homepage}}</ref>

===News operation===
[[File:Chicquita Center weather beacon.JPG|225px|thumb|right|The Weather Beacon atop the Chiquita Center indicating "no change in sight"]]
WKRC currently broadcasts {{frac|41|1|2}} hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with seven hours each weekday, four hours on Saturdays and {{frac|2|1|2}} hours on Sundays); it also produces an additional {{frac|13|1|2}} hours of newscasts weekly (with {{frac|2|1|2}} hours each weekday and a half-hour each on Saturdays and Sundays) for WSTR. WKRC's newscasts and reports were formerly seen on the [[Ohio News Network]] until the regional cable news channel shut down on August 31, 2012. During weather segments, it uses regional [[weather radar]] data in a system called "Precision Doppler 12 Network".

For most of its history, WKRC has been a solid runner-up to WCPO in the local newscast ratings. However, in the past decade or so, WKRC and WCPO have taken turns in first and second place. WKRC usually wins on weekday mornings and at 11&nbsp;p.m., while WCPO leads in the 5 to 7 p.m. block. However, since the May 2010 Nielsen ratings period, WKRC has dominated its competition in all newscast timeslots, with WCPO slipping to second. This dominance in the Cincinnati local news race continued as of the May 2012 sweeps period. At one point, all three of Cincinnati's "Big Three" network affiliates were locally owned. WLWT began falling behind in the ratings after becoming the first of the three to be sold to outside interests. WCPO is now the only one of the three to remain under locally based ownership.

From 1977 to 1992,<ref name="Ekimmell">{{cite web|url=http://ekimmell2.tripod.com/old.html|title=Old TV Newscast Titles|date=April 10, 2007|access-date=April 28, 2007}}</ref> its news division was branded ''[[Eyewitness News|Eyewitness 12 News]]''. (The ''Eyewitness News'' moniker would be reused by [[WLWT]] in 1998.) Afterward, the station was usually announced as ''12 News''. With the arrival of chief meteorologist Tim Hedrick in 1988,<ref name="Hedrick">{{cite web|title=Tim Hedrick|publisher=WKRC-TV|date=March 1, 2010|access-date=September 2, 2010|url=http://www.local12.com/content/bios/story/Tim-Hedrick/0HRZyiuFYEKtU6ADl2J_Pg.cspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226014956/http://www.local12.com/content/bios/story/Tim-Hedrick/0HRZyiuFYEKtU6ADl2J_Pg.cspx|archive-date=December 26, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> WKRC began using the top of the [[Chiquita]] Center as its [[Weather beacon]].<ref name="WKRC ad">{{cite video|people=Lisa Miller (producer)|date=1988|title=WKRC-TV Gets Weather Beacon|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=344vwknMlFA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/344vwknMlFA |archive-date=December 13, 2021 |url-status=live|medium=Television advertisement|publisher=WKRC-TV|quote=♪ If you wanna know / what the weather will be / just look up to the top / of the Chiquita Building. ... If the beacon's ''white'' then / there's no change in sight. ♪}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 1994, WKRC refreshed its newscasts with the slogan "A New Generation of News", which referred to anchors Kit Andrews and Rob Braun,<ref name="Post Bird slogan">{{cite news|title=Channel 12: 'News Where You Live'|first=Rick|last=Bird|work=[[The Cincinnati Post]]|date=February 3, 2004|page=B6|access-date=March 4, 2013|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CNPB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=100846452E25814B&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0E5923C6017F8180|quote=Gone is the station's "new generation of news" slogan, which it has used since 1994 to promote the then relatively newer and younger anchor team of Kit Andrews and Rob Braun.}}</ref> along with new graphics, a [[green screen]] set,<ref>{{YouTube|id=VpNNqahEV-o|title=WKRC 12News Noon Open 1994}}</ref> and music originally composed by Rick Krizman for [[KRON-TV]] in San Francisco.<ref>{{cite web|title=24 Hour News|work=SouthernMedia's News Music Search Archive|access-date=March 4, 2013|url=http://southernmedia-nmsa.com/#3,1,354}}</ref> WKRC made extensive use of "Texta", a graphics package that included a persistent [[digital on-screen graphic|on-screen banner]] with the current story's headline.<ref name="Post Paeth">{{cite news|title=Channel 12 unveils high-tech news|first=Greg|last=Paeth|work=The Cincinnati Post|date=October 14, 1994|page=B7|access-date=March 4, 2013|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CNPB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB031974021576E&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0E5923C6017F8180|quote=Using a combination of what the station is calling 'indexes' and 'headlines,' stories will be presented with an on-screen text that will allow viewers to know immediately what story is being reported. ... Minium said that, although a few other stations are using the 'Texta' graphics, Channel 12 will employ the system more extensively than any in the country, promoting its newscasts as 'A New Generation of News.'}}</ref> Seasonal [[school closing]] information and eventually a [[news ticker]] appeared below the Texta headline. That October, WKRC debuted 11 minutes of "Non-Stop News" on its 11&nbsp;p.m. newscast,<ref name="Enquirer Kiesewetter sweeps">{{cite news|title=Channel 12 sweeps late news ratings|first=John|last=Kiesewetter|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=March 3, 1995|page=D5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/102155049/|via=Newspapers.com|quote=Steve Minium, Channel 12 news director, credits the ratings rise to the "TEXTA" graphics labeling each story and the "11 minutes of nonstop news" format started in October.}}</ref> reviving a feature the station attempted in 1989.<ref name="Enquirer Kiesewetter watching">{{cite news|title=Kiese Watching|first=John|last=Kiesewetter|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=October 19, 1994|page=E7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/102155049/|via=Newspapers.com|quote=On the other hand, WKRC-TV's 11-minute "non-stop news" format, opening newscasts with a commercial-free overview of the day's news, isn't a new concept. The station did the same thing five years ago, called "12 on 12." General Manager Terry Connelly also expanded the 11 p.m. news to 35 minutes with the "12 on 12" experiment on May 1, 1989.}}</ref> In 1996, the station debuted a half-hour 4 p.m. newscast on weekday afternoons that remains the Cincinnati area's earliest afternoon newscast.

From August 22, 2001, to January 2005, WKRC aired its weekday ''Good Morning Cincinnati'' broadcast live from a $500,000 remote studio at the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau on the ground floor of [[Fifth Third Bank]]'s downtown headquarters, with the [[Tyler Davidson Fountain]] as the backdrop.<ref name="Enquirer Kiesewetter Fountain Square">{{cite news|title=Channel 12's new look lacks only news|first=John|last=Kiesewetter|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=August 23, 2001|access-date=March 4, 2013|url=http://enquirer.com/editions/2001/08/23/tem_channel_12s_new_look.html}}</ref><ref name="Post Bird Fountain Square">{{cite news|title=Scene Changes at Channel 12|first=Rick|last=Bird|work=The Cincinnati Post|date=January 19, 2005|page=B7|access-date=March 4, 2013|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CNPB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=107BF6ADD68C0629&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0E5923C6017F8180|quote=After debuting a Fountain Square-based morning newscast with much fanfare in August 2001, the station's "Good Morning Cincinnati" has quietly retreated to its Mount Auburn studio in the past week.}}</ref> Despite WKRC's initial hopes for a ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]''-like atmosphere,<ref name="Enquirer Kiesewetter Fountain Square plans">{{cite news|title=Channel 12 to produce show at Fountain Square|first=John|last=Kiesewetter|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|date=July 31, 2001|access-date=March 4, 2013|url=http://enquirer.com/editions/2001/07/31/tem_channel_12_to.html}}</ref> the show failed to attract a regular crowd on [[Fountain Square, Cincinnati|Fountain Square]].<ref name="Post Bird Fountain Square" /> From March 2004 to 2008, WKRC aired ''Nuestro Rincón'' ("Our Corner"), a twice-weekly [[Spanish language in the United States|Spanish-language]] news program hosted by [[Sasha Rionda]].<ref name="Business Courier Bells">{{cite news|title=Habla español?|first=Karen|last=Bells|work=Cincinnati Business Courier|date=August 13, 2004|access-date=August 28, 2011|url=http://www.laverdadmarketing.com/Hispanic%20Marketing%20cincinnati%20business%20courier%208%2013%202004.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331091154/http://www.laverdadmarketing.com/Hispanic%20Marketing%20cincinnati%20business%20courier%208%2013%202004.pdf|archive-date=March 31, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was the only television program in the market airing in a language other than English.<!-- Not the only foreign language program ever, because WKOI-TV airs Enlace TV on a subchannel. -->

On April 26, 2006, WKRC entered into a news share agreement with WSTR to produce a nightly prime time newscast at 10&nbsp;p.m., which began airing on August 21.<ref name="WSTR">{{cite press release|publisher=[[Sinclair Broadcast Group]]|date=April 24, 2006|url=http://sbgi.net/press/release_2006424_158.shtml|title=WSTR & WKRC Enter into 10&nbsp;pm News Share in Cincinnati|access-date=May 20, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923101003/http://www.sbgi.net/press/release_2006424_158.shtml|archive-date=September 23, 2006}}</ref> On January 7, 2008, WKRC began simulcasting ''Good Morning Cincinnati'' on WKRC-DT2; it had been aired on the main channel from 5 to 8&nbsp;am, but the third hour was dropped when CBS reclaimed the 7 a.m. hour for ''[[The Early Show]]'', after the network required all of its affiliates to air the show (which was replaced by ''CBS This Morning'' in 2012) in its entirety after receiving a makeover hoping to better compete against its rivals, [[NBC]]'s ''Today'' and ABC's ''[[Good Morning America]]''. The 7–8 a.m. hour of ''Good Morning Cincinnati'' is now only seen on WKRC-DT2. WKRC announced its intent to move the prime time newscast on WSTR to WKRC-DT2 in August 2008; on August 4, 2008, it began a brief simulcast of the program on WKRC-DT2, with it eventually being dropped from WSTR on August 22. The program then became known as ''CW News at 10''.

[[File:WKRC Truck.jpg|thumb|A WKRC news vehicle]]
Newport Television released a statement in October 2008 stating that WKRC would eventually begin broadcasting its newscasts in [[1080i]] [[high-definition television|high definition]]. The company used channel 12 as a pilot station before investing in HD equipment for its other television stations. On October 30, it debuted a new set on its ''First at 4'' broadcast in preparation for the HD debut. After nearly a year of delay, the station launched its high definition newscasts along with a revised logo and new graphics on September 27, 2009, during its 11 p.m. newscast; WKRC became the third station in the Cincinnati market (after WCPO and [[WXIX-TV]], channel 19) and the second in the Newport group (after [[WOAI-TV]]) to make the upgrade. WKRC currently use JVC [[ProHD]] 250 Series cameras in its studios.<ref>[http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6604460.html Newport Sails Into HD News With JVC], ''[[Broadcasting & Cable]]'', October 12, 2008.</ref> The newscasts on The CW Cincinnati were not initially included in the upgrade, until it upgraded to HD at some point in 2013. On July 7, 2013, WKRC launched Sunday morning newscasts, airing in two blocks: one hour at 8&nbsp;a.m. and an additional half-hour at 11:30&nbsp;a.m.<ref>[http://cincinnati.com/blogs/tv/2013/06/13/ch-12-adds-sunday-morning-newscasts/ Channel 12 adds Sunday morning newscasts] ''Cincinnati.com'', June 13, 2013</ref> On January 6, 2014, the 10 p.m. newscast was moved back to WSTR, where it is called the ''Local 12 News at 10 on STAR 64''.<ref>[http://cincinnati.com/blogs/tv/2014/01/06/why-10-p-m-news-moves-to-ch-64-today/ Why 10 p.m. news moves to Ch 64 today] ''Cincinnati.com'', January 6, 2014</ref> On February 3, 2014, the 7 a.m. newscasts would follow suit to WSTR.

====Notable alumni====
* [[George Ciccarone]] – features reporter
* [[Nick Clooney]] – hosted his own talk show on WKRC in the early to mid-1970s, news anchor from 1975 to 1984 (father of [[George Clooney]])
* [[Ira Joe Fisher]] – weather anchor (1980–1983, then 1985–1989, known for writing backwards on plexiglass)
* [[Brad Johansen]] – news and sports anchor (1992–2018, later at [[WRAL-TV]] in [[Raleigh]], and [[WCMH-TV]] in [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]])
* [[Sasha Rionda]] – reporter/host of ''Nuestro Rincón''
* [[Glenn Ryle]] – [[continuity announcer|staff announcer]] (1954–late 1980s, was also a children's show host, taking the on-air name "Skipper Ryle" until 1973; his program was second only to [[WCPO-TV]]'s ''Uncle Al'' show in popularity)
* [[Rod Serling]] – worked for WKRC-TV between 1948 and 1953, writing a regular weekly series of live dramas for the anthology show ''The Storm''.
* [[Bob Shreve]] – host of Saturday late night film showcase ''The Past Prime Playhouse'' (1975–1985)
* [[Linda Vester]] – station intern

==Technical information==
===Subchannels===
The station's signal is [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of WKRC-TV<ref name=rei>{{cite web|title=Digital TV Market Listing for WKRC|url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WKRC#station|website=[[RabbitEars.info]]|access-date=September 29, 2014}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 12.1
| [[1080i]] || rowspan=3| [[16:9]] || CBS || [[CBS]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 12.2
| [[720p]] || CW || [[The CW]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 12.3
| [[480i]] || TheNest || [[The Nest (TV network)|The Nest]]
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6; border-top: 2px solid #003399;"
! scope = "row" | [[WSTR-TV|64.2]]
| rowspan=2|480i || [[4:3]] || Antenna || [[Antenna TV]] ([[WSTR-TV|WSTR-DT2]])
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6;"
! scope = "row" | [[WSTR-TV|64.3]]
| 16:9 || Comet || [[Comet (TV network)|Comet]] ([[WSTR-TV|WSTR-DT3]])
|}
{{legend|#DFEBF6|Broadcast on behalf of another station}}

===Analog-to-digital transition===
WKRC-TV discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over [[VHF]] channel 12, on June 12, 2009, as part of the [[Digital television transition in the United States|federally mandated transition from analog to digital television]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/Local-12-Agrees-To-Delay-DTV-Switch/lZJy0yk5DE-9F-gsWArNqA.cspx |title=Local 12 Agrees to Delay DTV Switch |access-date=February 8, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210112232/http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/Local-12-Agrees-To-Delay-DTV-Switch/lZJy0yk5DE-9F-gsWArNqA.cspx |archive-date=February 10, 2009 |url-status=dead  }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=List of Digital Full-Power Stations |access-date=September 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition [[UHF]] channel 31 to VHF channel 12.<ref name="FCCForm387">{{Cite web|url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101233413&formid=387&fac_num=11289|title=CDBS Print|website=licensing.fcc.gov}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://local12.com/}}
* [http://cwcincinnati.com/ WKRC-DT2 "The CW Cincinnati"]

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