Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

WLMO LP

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Affiliations
  
CBS (2002–present)

Branding
  
CBS Lima (general) Your News Now (newscasts)

Slogan
  
Your Hometown Lima Stations

Channels
  
Analog: 38 (UHF) Digital: WOHL-CD 35.2 (UHF)

Owner
  
Block Communications (West Central Ohio Broadcasting, Inc.)

Founded
  
September 22, 1998; 18 years ago (1998-09-22)

WLMO-LP is the CBS-affiliated television station for Northwestern Ohio that is licensed to Lima. It broadcasts a low-powered analog signal on UHF channel 38 from a transmitter on Rice Avenue in the city. The station can also be seen on Time Warner channel 11. Owned by Block Communications, the channel is sister to NBC affiliate WLIO and ABC affiliates WOHL-CD and WLQP-LP; the stations all share studios on Rice Avenue northwest of downtown. Syndicated programming on WLMO includes: Access Hollywood, Friends, George Lopez and The Dr. Oz Show. This station can also be seen on WOHL-CD's second digital subchannel on UHF channel 35 which transmits at the same location.

Contents

History

The station signed-on September 22, 1998 with the calls W65DP. It aired an analog signal on UHF channel 65 and was a full-time repeater of WOHL-LP (now WOHL-CD). The channel was spun off in 2002 and became a CBS affiliate with the calls WLMO-LP while moving to UHF channel 38. This aired from a transmitter west of Cridersville in Auglaize County. After picking up CBS, WLMO fought an uphill battle with Time Warner. The company initially refused to carry the station on its Lima system due to the presence of two other CBS affiliates, WHIO-TV from Dayton and WBNS-TV in Columbus. The latter replaced Toledo's WTOL-TV and WHIO was widely considered the de facto CBS affiliate for the Lima market.

With WLMO being a low-powered station with no support from any full-powered channels, Time Warner was not obligated to carry the station. Must-carry regulations do not apply to low-powered stations regardless of affiliation. However on March 29, 2006, Time Warner added the station to its systems in Lima, Cridersville, and Wapakoneta. At one point, this station carried America One on a secondary basis that was shared with WLQP-LP.

WLMO had applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to perform a "flash-cut" of its signal to digital in 2006. This application was dismissed as of July 1, 2009 because the station decided instead to apply for a low-power digital companion channel on UHF channel 47 with the calls WLMO-LD. On September 28, 2009, WLMO terminated its analog operations and programming was shifted to WOHL-CD's second digital subchannel.

On November 29, 2008, it was announced that Metro Video Productions would sell its stations (including WLMO) to West Central Ohio Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Block Communications (owner of WLIO). While Block assumed control of the station's operations after the sale's completion, it was initially stated that the company would not consolidate WLMO's facilities on South Central Avenue with WLIO. It has since been stated that some consolidation would take place with the station moving to WLIO's studios on Rice Avenue. On June 8, 2010, WLMO-LD was granted a construction permit. On June 10 to avoid automatic license termination, the FCC granted WLMO special temporary authority to restore analog service on channel 38. WLMO-LP's analog signal was restored on September 13.

Newscast

WLMO, along with WOHL, simulcasts WLIO's weeknight 6 and 11 o'clock newscasts.

Anchors

  • Amyre Makupson - weeknights
  • Jeff Fitzgerald - weeknights at 6 and reporter
  • Erik Tyger - weeknights at 11
  • Darren Maier (Certified Broadcast Meteorologist) - Chief Meteorologist seen weeknights
  • Joe Downs - Sports Director seen weeknights
  • Reporters

  • Tom Nartker - videographer
  • Phil Thomas - videographer
  • Joe Miles - videographer
  • Csaba Sukosd - sports
  • Mindy Pauris
  • Kyle Adams
  • Tricia Bell
  • Whitney Scott
  • WLMO features additional personnel from WLIO. See that article for a complete listing.

    Former staff

  • Joe Aulisio, sports anchor, now at WKBN/WYFX in Youngstown, Ohio
  • Nathan Baker, sports anchor, now at WKEF/WRGT in Dayton, Ohio
  • Craig Smylie, sports anchor, now at WJET-TV in Erie, Pennsylvania
  • Matt Queen, sports anchor, now at WEAU-TV in Eau Claire, Wisconsin
  • Mandy Hackman, reporter/anchor, now at WYTV-TV in Youngstown, Ohio
  • Dan Martin, reporter, now at WYTV-TV in Youngstown, Ohio
  • Stephanie Stilwell, anchor/reporter, now at News 14 Carolina in Greensboro, NC
  • Jason Meyers, meteorologist, Now at WPTA/WISE-TV in Fort Wayne, Indiana
  • Doug Lambert, photographer, Now at WHIO-TV in Dayton, Ohio
  • Jordan Burgess, reporter/anchor, now at WDTN-TV in Dayton, Ohio
  • Joscelyn Moes, reporter, now at WFMZ-TV in Allentown, Pennsylvania
  • Pete Cannella, meteorologist, Now at KESQ-TV in Palm Springs, California
  • Heather Miller, reporter, now at WUPW-TV in Toledo, Ohio
  • Marcus Bailey, meteorologist, Now at WMBD/WYZZ in Peoria, Illinois
  • Brad Underwood, reporter/anchor, now at WXIX in Cincinnati, Ohio
  • References

    WLMO-LP Wikipedia