Bay News 9 and Weather on the 9s turn 25. Here’s how they started. (2024)

Published Sept. 1, 2022|Updated Sept. 2, 2022

TAMPA — New to the area but aware of the erratic rain, Elliott Wiser channel surfed one morning in April 1997 in search of a weather report that didn’t exist.

“I couldn’t find anyone covering the weather when I needed it,” said Wiser, the founding general manager of Bay News 9, the Tampa Bay area’s first 24-hour news channel. “I knew then this area was prime for regular weather reports. This was going to work.”

On the evening of Sept. 24, 1997, Bay News 9 launched on cable Channel 9 at 6:59.

Its first segment was Weather on the 9s, the network’s meteorology report updated every 10 minutes on the nines. As Bay News 9 celebrates its 25th anniversary this month, that segment remains a calling card.

“If you tested a brand in this area, Weather on the 9s is top three,” Wiser said, “It’s the Coke of Tampa Bay weather reporting.”

But Bay News 9′s origin story is not all sunshine. There were storms too.

Critics wondered if 24-hour local news was necessary or could be pulled off. Early missteps fueled those questions.

“We’re still here,” said Mike Gautreau, Bay News 9′s vice president of content and a 20-year veteran of the network. “Our business model is unique. Our parent company, now Charter, has always been committed to the news, which allows us to skip some commercials to stick with something like a fabulous rocket launch from Cape Canaveral.”

Today, 24-hour cable news is an everyday part of American life, said Wiser, now president of the Here’s an Idea media consulting company and adjunct professor at the University of South Florida.

“Nationally, there are options,” he said, and most major markets have a local network.

Bay News 9 and Weather on the 9s turn 25. Here’s how they started. (1)

Wiser was there almost from the beginning of 24-hour cable TV news.

“It all started with Chicken Noodle News,” Wiser laughed. “CNN.”

The world’s first 24-hour news network debuted in 1980. Wiser joined the cable channel as a producer in 1985.

He stayed there for a year and moved on to the Atlanta news market. Then, in 1995, he brought his CNN experience to Seattle as founding general manager of Northwest Cable News, a 24-hour news network covering the Pacific Northwest region. It was there that Wiser first considered weather updates every 10 minutes.

New York had NY1, a 24-hour news network with Weather on the 1s, which Wiser knew was popular. The Seattle network decided against it.

Time Warner approached Wiser in 1997. The cable company was starting 24-hour news channels in Tampa and Orlando an asked if he’d be interested in heading either.

Bay News 9 and Weather on the 9s turn 25. Here’s how they started. (2)

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At the time, there were around two dozen 24-hour local news channels around the country, including Sarasota News Now.

“I knew Tampa was the right market,” Wiser said.

Others were not so certain.

WFLA’s news director told the Tampa Tribune in February 1997 that “this market is about saturated with local news already on five stations” and the operations manager at WFTS said, “I imagine their news would be a lot of repetition.”

But repetition was initially a selling point of Bay News 9. Back then, the network operated on what it called a “wheel format” that played certain taped stories throughout the day, replacing some and updating others on the hour, cutting in with breaking news when needed.

“It will be a major convenience to customers who want to see local news but can’t tune in at 6 or 11 or noon or some other specific time during the day,” Bay News 9 executives told the Tampa Tribune in reaction to the naysayers.

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It was not perfect in the beginning, Wiser admitted.

Their first major news story on launch day was about a break-in at Tampa Mayor Dick Greco’s home.

“We had to repeat that same story over and over because the technology screwed up,” Wiser laughed. “It was an absolute nightmare, and it ran on a loop for an hour.”

Live weather updates were the only break viewers had from that story.

“It’s funny now,” Wiser said. “But it took 25 years to be funny.”

Two days later, a storm dumped more than 14 inches of rain on parts of the Tampa Bay area. Bay News 9′s location, then a 14,000-square-foot facility on 66th Street in Pinellas Park, was among the places hit hard.

“We covered it fine in the morning,” said Bay News 9 meteorologist Mike Clay, who has been with the network from the start. “But in the afternoon, it just got worse and worse and it kind of overwhelmed the news department.”

They abandoned live coverage, Clay said, because flooding threatened the building — and because they weren’t yet prepared for continuous coverage for a story.

“People in the industry roundly criticized the 24-hour news channel’s coverage, which remained stuck in the channel’s cycle of regular weather and traffic updates,” the Tampa Tribune reported. “It was a performance that seemed to belie the news channel’s biggest selling point: the ability to respond quickly and completely to any local news event for as long as necessary.”

A month later, the weather tested them again when a series of tornadoes struck Pinellas County.

“I already had a live truck on the road and was heading for the beach” when the tornadoes hit, Clay said. “So, I was able to get on it quickly.”

Anchor Al Ruechel rushed to a Clearwater church that had lost its roof. Moments earlier, he was driving his kid to school barefoot and did not return home for shoes.

“He did it all barefoot,” laughed Clay.

That same day, the stock market plunged and three died when a small plane crashed at Tampa International Airport.

“We kicked butt,” Wiser said. “That got everybody’s attention. The market had never seen anything like that. They then saw that we could do this.”

Newspapers agreed.

“The station shone,” the St. Petersburg Times wrote, especially heaping praise on the tornado coverage that included “calls from viewers and live reports.”

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Clay said the weather remained severe throughout the winter. “It was a super El Niño. We had the wettest December on record. We had massive flooding. We had tornado outbreaks. We were prepared for it. We were in the right place at the right time and everyone took notice.”

Said Wiser, “We never looked back.”

A lot has changed for Bay News 9 since then. The parent company switched to Bright House and then to Charter Communications.

They are now located in a large facility in St. Petersburg’s Carillon area.

They added and then continued to upgrade a radar system, most recently Klystron 9 in 2009 that Bay News 9′s website hails as “the most powerful TV radar ever used.”

They no longer work on a wheel format. Bay News 9 and the Tampa Bay Times enjoy a coverage partnership.

“Our news model includes a mix of live and refreshed local community news, general interest stories, in-depth coverage of local politics, public affairs, Florida’s congressional delegation and sports, as well as real time area-specific weather and traffic reports throughout the day so viewers can tune-in at any time for valuable news essential to their daily lives,” said Gautreau, the vice president of content.

And they’ve continued to thrive, Gautreau said, despite the internet providing 24-hour local news competition. “We’ve been up the challenge. It made us stronger.”

The key, he said, is that Bay News 9 has remained focused on round-the-clock breaking news. “We have great competitors in this market, but they have five newscasts a day where they have opportunities to reach viewers. We have access to viewers 24/7 and they have access to us. What an amazing advantage.”

Bay News 9 and Weather on the 9s turn 25. Here’s how they started. (2024)

FAQs

Bay News 9 and Weather on the 9s turn 25. Here’s how they started.? ›

On the evening of Sept. 24, 1997, Bay News 9 launched on cable Channel 9 at 6:59. Its first segment was Weather on the 9s, the network's meteorology report updated every 10 minutes on the nines. As Bay News 9 celebrates its 25th anniversary this month, that segment remains a calling card.

When did Bay News 9 start? ›

History. The station began operating on September 24, 1997, and gives weather updates every 10 minutes "on the nines" and more frequently during serious weather conditions.

Is Bay News 9 a local channel? ›

You'll see Bay News 9 reporters in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Lakeland, Bradenton and all across the Bay area. Bay News 9 is the number one choice for news across the I-4 corridor alongside our partner News 13. www.baynews9.com is your home for local news, Klystron 9 and the Bay News 9 Weather Experts.

How do I contact Bay News 9? ›

  1. BREAKING NEWS TIPS: Call our newsdesk (727) 329-2400 or (888) 437-1239.
  2. COMMUNITY CALENDAR: Do you have an upcoming event? Add it to Bay News 9's Community Calendar.
  3. ADDRESS: Susan D'Astoli - Senior Director of News. Spectrum Bay News 9. 700 Carillon Parkway, Suite 9. St. Petersburg, FL 33716.

Can you stream Bay News 9? ›

The latest news from your community right now plus weather every ten minutes. Streaming on Roku.

Is Brian McClure still with Bay News 9? ›

You can watch Brian's forecasts weekday nights on Bay News 9. Tampa Bay viewers have become familiar with Brian's calm approach to Florida's active weather. He prides himself on not hyping weather, but rather preparing residents by explaining the weather patterns and how they occur.

Is there a Bay News 9 app? ›

For interactive radar on your smartphone, get the new, free Spectrum Bay News 9 app for Apple iOS and Android.

Is Channel 9 and 9 now the same? ›

9Now is a live stream, video on demand, and catch-up TV service run by the Nine Network in Australia. The service launched on 27 January 2016, replacing Nine's previous service 9Jumpin. 9Now offers online live streaming of Channel 9, 9Gem, 9Go!, 9Life and 9Rush, as well as live news via nine.com.au.

Is Channel Nine free to air? ›

About Freeview

Freeview delivers you the best TV from all of Australia's free-to-air TV channels ABC, SBS, 7, 9 & 10 directly to your TV when connected to an aerial & the internet.

Is Bay News 9 on Roku? ›

Log In | Spectrum Bay News 9. Spectrum customers can watch by logging in to your provider below, or through our Spectrum News app (available to Android, iPhone, Roku, Apple TV, and Xumo Stream Box users). Click on your provider below to log in with your provider credentials.

Who is the traffic guy on Bay News 9? ›

Bay News 9's Real Time Traffic Expert, Tim Wronka, helps you get around accidents and congestion across Central Florida. Every Monday morning, Tim answers a viewer question on Bay News 9's Traffic Inbox.

How do I get in contact with the news? ›

To find contact information for a newspaper or TV station, search the name of the media outlet online. Find the organization's website and search for an “About Us” or “Contact” tab. Most news organizations publish an email or phone number for tips on stories.

Who is the health reporter for Bay News 9? ›

Erin Billups — National Health Reporter

Our veteran health reporter breaks down difficult health questions and what we can do to solve them.

How can I watch Channel 9 News on my phone? ›

Our streaming content is also available on the web by visiting https://www.9news.com/watch or on KUSA's mobile app. Download the app from the Apple or Android store and click on the “Watch” tab at the bottom of the screen. The app is FREE and does not require any credit card to watch.

How do I stream Channel 9 to my TV? ›

Using a computer: Go to 9Now homepage, and click on 'Connect Your TV' from the top right corner. Using the 9Now mobile app: Tap on the menu button (the person icon) and select 'Connect Your TV'.

Does Channel 9 have live streaming? ›

With 9Now, you can: Stream your favourite Channel 9 shows and 9Now Exclusives from your iPhone, iPad or on the big screen with Apple TV and Chromecast. Live stream TV shows, sports and news programs from Channel 9, 9Go!, 9Gem, 9Life and 9Rush on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Chromecast.

How can I watch Bay Area local channels? ›

BayAreaBTV is antenna TV for the digital age. With BayAreaBTV, you can watch local San Francisco Bay Area broadcast TV stations on your phone, tablet, computer, or connected TV. Simply launch and you're live! BayAreaBTV has many local and national channels with programming in English, Spanish and other languages.

Is NBC Sports Bay Area a local channel? ›

NBC Sports Bay Area (sometimes abbreviated as NBCS Bay Area) is an American regional sports network owned as a joint venture between NBCUniversal and the San Francisco Giants, and operates as an affiliate of NBC Sports Regional Networks.

Is BTN a local channel? ›

Dedicated to covering the Big Ten Conference with hundreds of live sporting events each year, the BTN is available nationwide. Enter your zip code and select your provider below to find us on your TV system. Don't Have A TV Service Provider?

What is Channel 9 in Minneapolis? ›

KMSP-TV
Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota United States
Affiliations9.9: Fox 9.10: MyNetworkTV for others, see § KMSP-TV/WFTC subchannels
Ownership
OwnerFox Television Stations, LLC
Sister stationsWFTC, KFTC
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