The First Coast News brand was first used by the stations on April 27, 2000, in the wake of Gannett's acquisition of WJXX the month before and consequent expansion of what had primarily been WTLV's news department. Immediately upon taking control, WTLV newscasts were simulcast on WJXX. Since the consolidation, First Coast News has generally remained in second place in the market behind WJXT (channel 4), the market news leader.
When WTLV started as WFGA-TV in 1957, the station's first news director was Harold Baker, who had served in the same position at WSM radio and television in Nashville, Tennessee. Baker would anchor the station's 6 p.m. news for 17 years and direct the nascent channel 12 newsroom for 19 years in total, winning the station major national journalism awards.[1] It settled in as a consistent second-place finisher to WJXT in local news—except for two brief periods in the early 1960s and 1975[2]—though it worked to close the gap, particularly after its acquisition by Gannett in 1988.[3] In the early 1990s, WTLV mounted a strong challenge to WJXT, particularly in late news, only to slip when that station expanded its newscasts and increased its community involvement.[4][5]
Meanwhile, in 1996, Allbritton Communications secured the ABC affiliation for the Jacksonville market from longtime third-rated station WJKS (channel 17). Originally planned to start in April, the outgoing ABC affiliate's preemptions of more than half of the network's prime time lineup caused Allbritton and the network to throw forward the launch of WJXX by two months to February 9, 1997.[6] For most of the rest of that year, technical and signal issues dogged the new ABC affiliate, weighing on its public perception. While the station had been airing a local newsmagazine program, it was not until WJXX opened complete studios in south Jacksonville that it began to produce a full local news service on December 15, 1997.[7] While ABC 25 News was hailed as a superior product compared to WJKS, which had aired just two 30-minute newscasts on weekdays,[3][8] Allbritton faced several overwhelming factors in establishing WJXX: in addition to the technical issues that alienated viewers, the market had historically been an underperformer for the ABC network, and WJXT and WTLV were entrenched in the market.[9][10] WJKS, which became The WB affiliate WJWB, surged past WJXX in the ratings.[9]
The WTLV–WJXX studios on Adams Street in Jacksonville
On November 15, 1999, the FCC legalized television station duopolies—the common ownership of two stations in one market. The next day, November 16, Gannett announced it would purchase WJXX from Allbritton. The deal was initiated after Allbritton approached Gannett about a possible sale and was legal because of WJXX's unusually low ratings for an ABC affiliate.[11] For the next four months, planning was initiated on the eventual consolidation of the WTLV and WJXX news operations, while WJXX continued to produce newscasts and faced a growing exodus of newsroom staffers.[8][9]
The Federal Communications Commission approved the sale on March 16, 2000. Gannett consummated the purchase the next day and immediately implemented a simulcast of WTLV's newscasts on WJXX, while construction began at the WTLV studios on Adams Street—which had been enlarged in 1997—to prepare for a new combined news service under the name First Coast News, which debuted on April 27.[12][13] Newscasts continued to be broadcast at the same time on each station, including the WJXX 7 p.m. newscast, which had no competition and was the station's lone successful news program.[14][15] In total, 36 WJXX employees, including 13 in news, joined the WTLV operation.[13]
A consistent second-place
News set used by First Coast News in the 2010s
After the merger, continuing a trend already set by WTLV, the gap in viewership between First Coast News and market leader WJXT slowly closed to create tough competition in the Jacksonville market.[16][17][18] The combination of WTLV and WJXX also surpassed WJXT in total revenue.[19]
In 2002, the news department of Fox affiliate WAWS (channel 30) expanded to accommodate the move of the CBS affiliation to WTEV-TV (channel 47). The two stations rebranded as WFOX-TV and WJAX-TV and their news as Action News in 2014 as part of a wholesale change which included the firing of the previous main anchors. The Action News revamp improved ratings at the traditional third-place news operation in Jacksonville just as First Coast News remained without a news director for a year, causing a decline in viewership, and several key news personalities defected to Action News.[20] Rob Mennie, who assumed the post of news director in 2014, noted of the newsroom as he encountered it, "This was a station ... I'll just use the word confused. They didn't know who they were. ... They were trying to figure out what makes us tick."[21] In 2023, Action News edged out First Coast News at 11 p.m. in total households but not in viewers 25–54, with both newscasts behind WJXT, which has remained Jacksonville's news leader as an independent station.[22]
^ abPatton, Charlie (July 11, 1996). "PLEASE STAY TUNED: For Jacksonville's three news stations, the battle to attract viewers never ends". The Florida Times-Union. p. D-1.
^Basch, Mark (December 24, 2003). "Verdict's still out on WJXT's move". The Florida Times-Union. Morris Communications. Archived from the original on March 1, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
^McManus, Sean (June 9, 2003). "TV news in transition". The Jacksonville Business Journal. Advance Publications. Archived from the original on May 26, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
^Guinta, Peter (July 14, 2002). "The big switch". The St. Augustine Record. In 2001, WJXT reported revenues of $29.75 million. Its nearest competitor, WTLV-12, reported $22 million and WJXX-25 $12.5 million.
^Dixon, Drew (March 29, 2015). "Team full of familiar faces lacked direction: GM's new news director tasked with changing tone of news reports". The Florida Times-Union. p. A-8.
^"Fates & Fortunes"(PDF). Broadcasting. March 18, 1985. p. 109. Archived(PDF) from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2022 – via World Radio History.
^Scanlan, Dan (June 27, 2012). "TV anchor Deegan to leave job in August: She will take on larger role in breast cancer research, wellness". The Florida Times-Union. p. A-1.
^Soergel, Matt (July 17, 2015). "Former mascot for Jaguars taking his act to television: Dvorak promises more antics with First Coast News, sans fur". The Florida Times-Union. p. B-1.
^Daraskevich, Joe (May 14, 2016). "Ogden leaving First Coast News: Weeknight anchor since 2006 to begin work at Denver station in June". The Florida Times-Union. p. B-4.
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