WEWS-TV

WEWS-TV is a television station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, and serving the wider Cleveland–Akron–Canton market. It is affiliated with the ABC television network and operates under the local consumer-facing brand News 5 Cleveland. The station is owned by The E. W. Scripps Company, whose founder Edward Willis Scripps is represented in the station's call letters. WEWS is one of the relatively small number of American television stations established and continuously retained by Scripps, and it has remained on channel 5, under the same call sign and ownership, since its launch. The station began broadcasting on December 17, 1947, becoming Ohio's first television station and one of the earliest television outlets in the United States. Its inaugural presentation was a Christmas pageant from Cleveland Public Hall, hosted by actor Jimmy Stewart. Before the television station began, Scripps used an associated FM outlet to give prospective television personalities broadcasting experience. In its early years, WEWS carried CBS programming as its primary affiliation, while also carrying ABC and DuMont programming on a secondary basis. The station became a primary ABC affiliate in 1955 after CBS moved its Cleveland affiliation to WJW-TV. DuMont programming ended when that network ceased operations in 1956. WEWS developed a strong local-programming identity during the first decades of television. Its schedule included news and analysis led by Dorothy Fuldheim, children's programs, cooking and exercise shows, talent and variety programs, and music series. The Gene Carroll Show presented Cleveland-area performers for many years. The station's locally produced music program began as The Big 5 Show and later became Upbeat, a nationally syndicated rock-and-roll program that featured performers including Aretha Franklin, the Beatles, the Supremes, Simon & Garfunkel, Otis Redding, and Stevie Wonder. Polka Varieties, another locally originated program, was distributed to markets beyond Cleveland and reflected the region's strong polka-music culture. WEWS also produced Black on Black, a public-affairs program addressing issues affecting African American communities. The station has been involved in several notable broadcasting and legal episodes. In 1969, WEWS stopped airing the controversial ABC comedy Turn-On after the first portion of its broadcast, replacing the remainder of the scheduled time with an emergency filler presentation. In the 1970s, the station became the defendant in a major United States Supreme Court case after recording and broadcasting a complete human-cannonball performance by performer Hugo Zacchini without permission or payment. The Court held in Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co. that the First Amendment did not prevent liability for appropriating the economic value of the performance. WEWS has also been a prominent local outlet for nationally syndicated entertainment and information programming. For decades it carried programs such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, and Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, later known as Live with Kelly and Mark. In the early 2010s, Scripps shifted several stations away from expensive syndicated game shows toward internally produced programming, leading WEWS to replace Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! with The List and Let's Ask America in 2012. The station later carried Access Hollywood and other syndicated programs, while its schedule increasingly emphasized local newscasts. WEWS broadcasts from studios on Euclid Avenue near Interstate 90 in downtown Cleveland. Its transmitter is in Parma, a suburb southwest of Cleveland. In addition to ABC network programming, its activities include local news, weather, sports, investigative reporting, public affairs, community features, digital video, and web publishing. Its News 5 branding positions it as a regional news and information service rather than merely a network relay. The station remains active and is part of Scripps' broader portfolio of local television and digital media properties.

WEWS-TV was created by The E. W. Scripps Company as Cleveland's channel 5 television station. It signed on December 17, 1947, becoming Ohio's first television station and one of the earliest stations in the country. The launch broadcast originated at Cleveland Public Hall and featured a Christmas pageant hosted by actor Jimmy Stewart. The station's call letters were derived from the initials of Scripps founder Edward Willis Scripps. Scripps had also operated an associated FM station before the television launch, using it to help train personalities who would later work in television. WEWS initially carried CBS as its principal network affiliation, with ABC and DuMont available secondarily. In 1955, CBS moved to WJW-TV, and WEWS made ABC its primary affiliation. DuMont programming disappeared after the network closed in 1956. The station also carried selected programs from the short-lived Paramount Television Network and, at various times, programs from NBC that were not shown by the network's local affiliate. Its continuing ABC relationship became a defining element of the station's identity. Local production was central to WEWS's early success. Dorothy Fuldheim presented news analysis and hosted variety programming, while the station developed children's, cooking, exercise, talent, and music programs. The Gene Carroll Show, which began in 1948, showcased regional performers and remained on the air for decades. The station's afternoon variety program The One O'Clock Club helped inspire a competing program at another Cleveland station, later associated with The Mike Douglas Show. Other notable local productions included the children's characters Uncle Jake and Captain Penny, the local edition of Romper Room, and the music program The Big 5 Show. The Big 5 Show was renamed Upbeat when it entered national syndication. Running from 1964 to 1971, Upbeat presented popular music acts before a live audience and was carried in more than 100 markets at its height. Its performers included major soul, pop, and rock artists. The station also produced Polka Varieties, a long-running program rooted in Cleveland's immigrant and ethnic musical traditions. It later reached roughly 30 markets through syndication. Black on Black provided public-affairs coverage focused on subjects important to African American communities and was also distributed outside Cleveland. WEWS attracted national attention in 1969 when it curtailed ABC's Turn-On, a short-lived comedy program that station management considered inappropriate. The incident illustrated the editorial discretion local affiliates exercised over network schedules. The station was later involved in a significant media-law dispute after filming and broadcasting the complete human-cannonball act of Hugo Zacchini at the Geauga County Fair without compensation. In Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co., decided by the Supreme Court in 1977, the Court rejected the argument that the First Amendment automatically protected the broadcast and recognized the performer's protectable economic interest in the act. From the 1980s through the early 2010s, WEWS maintained a stable daytime and syndicated schedule. It carried The Oprah Winfrey Show, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, and Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, later Live with Kelly and Mark. The 1994 affiliation realignment created a major threat to the station's ABC status when WJW-TV planned to leave CBS for Fox after Fox acquired National Football Conference rights. CBS sought WEWS as a replacement affiliate, but Scripps negotiated a long-term agreement that retained ABC on channel 5 and also aligned several other Scripps stations with ABC. After Oprah ended its run in 2011, WEWS used The Dr. Oz Show and other syndicated programs to reshape its afternoon schedule. In September 2012, the station dropped Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! after nearly three decades and replaced them with Scripps-produced shows. The change reflected Scripps' effort to use programming it could produce or control, lowering licensing costs and increasing control over advertising inventory. The replacement strategy was later revised, including the addition of Access Hollywood and other syndicated offerings. WEWS has continued to expand its local-news and digital role. Its downtown Cleveland facilities support television production, while its Parma transmitter serves the market. The station now operates under the News 5 Cleveland identity and combines ABC programming with local newscasts, weather, investigative journalism, consumer reporting, sports, community features, web publishing, and digital video. It remains one of Scripps' longest-held television properties and an enduring local media institution in Northeast Ohio.

• 2012

  Scripps-produced programs replace syndicated game shows

  [1]WEWS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WEWS replaces Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! with The List and Let's Ask America.

• 1994

  Scripps renews ABC affiliation

  [1]WEWS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  A long-term Scripps–ABC agreement keeps WEWS aligned with ABC during the major 1994 network affiliation changes.

• 1977

  Zacchini broadcasting case reaches the Supreme Court

  [2]Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co.en.wikipedia.org

  The Supreme Court rules that broadcasting a performer's entire act may create liability despite First Amendment arguments.

• 1964

  Upbeat enters national syndication

  [1]WEWS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  The station's locally produced music program The Big 5 Show is renamed Upbeat and distributed nationally.

• 1955

  ABC becomes the primary affiliation

  [1]WEWS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WEWS shifts from primary CBS affiliation to primary ABC affiliation after CBS moves to WJW-TV.

• 1947

  WEWS-TV begins broadcasting

  [1]WEWS-TVen.wikipedia.org

  WEWS signs on December 17 as Ohio's first television station, broadcasting a Christmas pageant from Cleveland Public Hall.

A long-established Cleveland television station combining ABC network affiliation with locally focused news, weather, investigative reporting, community coverage, and digital publishing.

• Local television news

  News 5 Cleveland

  The station's principal local-news brand, covering Cleveland and Northeast Ohio through scheduled newscasts, breaking-news reports, investigative journalism, consumer stories, sports, weather, and community reporting. The brand extends across broadcast and digital channels.

• Music television program · 1964

  Upbeat

  A locally produced rock-and-roll and popular-music program that began as The Big 5 Show. It used a live audience, dancers, and performances by leading artists, and later achieved national syndication.

• Music television program · 1956

  Polka Varieties

  A Cleveland-produced program devoted to Slovenian, Polish, Italian, Bohemian, and other polka traditions. It ran locally for decades and was syndicated to television markets outside Ohio.

• Public-affairs television program

  Black on Black

  A public-affairs program examining issues affecting African American communities. The program was also distributed to other television markets.

• 2012

  Replace Wheel of Fortune and Jeopard!Strategy

  Background

  Scripps sought to reduce the cost of acquiring established syndicated programs and increase control over advertising inventory.

  Action taken

  WEWS removed the two long-running game shows and substituted Scripps-produced programs The List and Let's Ask America.

  Aftermath

  The replacement programs did not become permanent fixtures; Let's Ask America was later canceled and the station subsequently used other syndicated programming.

  Source

• 1994

  Retain ABC during the affiliation realignmentStrategy

  Background

  WJW-TV's planned move from CBS to Fox prompted CBS to approach WEWS for the Cleveland affiliation.

  Action taken

  Scripps signed a long-term affiliation agreement with ABC covering WEWS and several other Scripps stations.

  Aftermath

  WEWS remained an ABC affiliate while WJW-TV moved to Fox and WOIO became Cleveland's CBS affiliate.

  Source

• 1955

  Make ABC the primary network affiliationStrategy

  Background

  CBS moved its Cleveland affiliation to WJW-TV, leaving WEWS to choose between its remaining network relationships.

  Action taken

  WEWS adopted ABC as its primary affiliation while ending its primary relationship with CBS.

  Aftermath

  ABC became a durable part of WEWS's identity and remains the station's network affiliation.

  Source

1. 1WEWS-TVen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Zacchini v. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Co.en.wikipedia.org
3. 3The E. W. Scripps Companyen.wikipedia.org