WPVI-TV

WPVI-TV Channel 6 is the ABC affiliate in Philadelphia, PA, owned by Disney, ABC's parent company, with transmitter in Roxborough. The station signed on the air in 1947 under the call letters WFIL, co-owned with the radio stations of the same calls, by The Philadelphia Inquirer. The hit TV show American Bandstand got its start on WFIL in the 1950s, before the show went national over the entire ABC network. The station had its call letters changed to WPVI in 1971 after it was sold to CapCities. In 1986, ABC and CapCities merged, making Channel 6 an ABC O&O station. WFIL/WPVI has a rich history of local children's shows.

In the years before Channel 6 became an ABC O&O, the station preempted ABC programs in favor of local programs. Independent stations WTAF/WTXF and WKBS usually aired the preempted ABC shows that 6 did not air.

The station is famous for starting the "ACTION NEWS" format. When it premiered on April 6th, 1970 the format allowed for the news program to have more stories, more often. They've used the same theme song since 1972, known as "Move Closer to Your World" by Al Ham. The composition is well-known throughout the Delaware Valley and has helped WPVI stay number one in its market for the better part of thirty years. The station is known for keeping things old-fashioned, with an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. However in recent years, attempts have been made to modernize the newscasts, as the magnetboard used for weathercasts gave way to a video screen in 1998.

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