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CBS 10 WILM Turns Ten!
WILM Station Manager Connie Knox General Manager Remembers a Decade at WILM
*Knox wrote this blog entry on the big day of the 10th anniversary – March 23rd*
WILM General Manager Connie Knox |
Well I have to say it has been a fabulous first decade. Today CBS 10 WILM turns ten years old. It was March 23rd 2000 when we flipped the switch from being a UPN affiliate, formerly known as WSSN, to being a CBS and UPN dual affiliate changing the brand and call letters to WILM. We had moved the UPN primetime to the 6 PM hour and called it Primetime at Dinnertime.
I remember our first day perfectly. We were still building the station when we went on the air. Most of us were still working on folding tables as our furniture had not yet arrived in our new facility.
On that day was the first time I met Ricky Meeks, who has become an icon in the Wilmington area. I was working in my office when I heard a knocking on the window inside our lobby. When I walked out to the lobby I saw a towering man with a sheet of paper held up to the glass facing master control and he was knocking on the glass with the other hand trying to get the attention of our engineers inside. Little did he know that the noise of our air conditioning system in master control would not allow the staff to hear him knocking. When I approached Ricky I asked him if I could help him and he turned around with that paper in hand that read “Welcome WILM”. I thought it was a really nice gesture that he would come to welcome us to the neighborhood.
 Years ago we dropped the UPN affiliation and programmed regular syndicated shows and news from our sister station WRAL. Programs like LIVE Regis & Kelly have been on our air since the beginning. Other programs have come and gone but the one thing that remains the same is the super powerhouse programming that CBS brings. Because of the strength of CBS, WILM is now #1 at 10 PM and #2 in Primetime Monday – Friday and we remain a very strong #2 in sports against all broadcast and cable*. We have certainly made a mark with Wilmington viewers and plan to continue to grow the station.
Also during this time we have witnessed multiple hurricanes, the tragic events of 9/11 and tremendous growth of this market. Let’s not forget the historic event as Wilmington became the first in the country to make the digital transition and most recently the toughest economic challenge of this decade. I’m happy to say we’ve survived it all and we’re stronger than ever. WILM has grown from a small over-the-air footprint to covering the entire market with our over-the-air broadcast, cable and satellite coverage.
Now as we look forward, the industry is moving into a new era of multi-platform viewing the ever growing expansion of new technologies. Our parent company, Capitol Broadcasting, has a long history of being industry leaders with historic “firsts” in broadcasting. As we move forward I’m sure that you can expect to see more innovations from Capitol Broadcasting in the next decade and beyond.
Through this last ten years, I’ve had the good fortune to outlast all of the other GM’s at our competing stations and am proud to stay here and continue to grow this station for another decade. I’m very proud of the team we have here and the station we have grown to love as CBS 10 WILM.
Cheers! Here’s to the next decade!
*(November 2009 ratings period – source Nielsen Media Research)
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