History of WMRI-FTV in Fort
Wayne, IN 1954: M-January 04 | WFAZ-TV Channel
36 is offially signed on the air by the Federal Communications Commission.
WFAZ is affilated with ABC, Studios were located in a new facility at 3800
South Western Avenue (the current location of an open field).
1955: M-September 26 | WFAZ airs
ABC programming full-time.
1961: S-April 29 | WFAZ-TV's first
original progam debuts with "Franky and Clarissa Explains It All." The
show still stands today.
1968: M-June 10 | WFAZ-TV begins
a nwes operation. Original newscast known as "NewsCenter 36" with "Cool
Hand Luke: The Tar Sequence" by Lalo Schriffin. The theme would be Channel
36's longest running news theme until 1984.
1970: Fall | "Monday Night Football"
premieres on Channel 36.
1974: M-August 5 | "NewsCenter
36 at Noon" premieres. WFAZ-TV ended the News at noon in 2000.
1974: M-October 7 | WFAZ-TV is
sold to FAZLimited .
1977: M-March 21 | "Blackjack"
and "Hoosier Hangman" premieres as Channel 36's first original game shows.
The late Marshall Davidson hosted both shows.
1978: Winter | WFAZ-TV covers
the Blizzard of '78.
1981: M-July 6 | NorthCentral
Indiana's first radar debuts with Doppler 36.
1984: M-July 2 | WFAZ-TV ends
its 30-year affiliation with ABC. Channel 36 and Channel 17 swapped network
affilations. WFAZ-TV joined NBC while the ABC affiliation moved to WPMA-TV.
1984: M-July 2 | WFAZ-TV unveils
new logo with Frank Gari's "On Your Side" as its news theme.
1985: M-June 17 | NorthCentral
Indiana's first news helicopter debuts with Chopper 36. There has been
just one incarnations since.
1986: M-October 20 | "Trivia Trap"
debuts on Channel 36. The show will end on January 2, 2004.
1986: M-December 29 | Another
WFAZ-TV logo debuts with NewsCenter 36's news theme Great News by Frank
Gari.
1987: M-March 23 | WFAZ-TV covers
the nastiest Suicide Watch in Marion history.
1987: F-April 10 | Holly Everman,
7 (now co-host of Midwest Wheel of Fortune) becomes the youngest newsanchorwoman
in NewsCenter 36 history.
1988: Fall | WFAZ-TV produced
its own broadcasts of Taylor and Indiana Wesleyan Universities basketball
games.
1990: S-April 7 | Frank Zinn,
7 (now host of Midwest Wheel of Fortune) becomes the youngest newsanchorman
in NewsCenter 36 history.
1990: M-September 24 | New logo
and theme with Shelly Palmer's "Palmer News Package" and "NBC: The Place
To Be" are mixed in the news theme. The successful "NorthCentral Indiana's
NewsCenter" campaign starts.
1990: M-December 10 | "Midwest
Wheel of Fortune" premieres on WFAZ-TV with Frank Zinn and Holly Everman.
1992: M-May 11 | WFAZ moved to
their new studios and offices at the northwest corner of Grant County Roads
350 East and 200 South.
1992: M-September 14 | WFAZ-TV
drops "NBC: The Place To Be" and replaces Jerome Gilbert's "Image IV" mixed
in the news theme.
1993: Fall | The station received
a national Emmy award for Frank Zinn's investigation on the Tricia Reitler
case and has won numerous other national media awards over the years.
1995: Fall | WFAZ-TV reincarnates
its news helicopter from Chopper 36 to NewsChopper 36.
1997: M-September 14 | WFAZ-TV
drops "Image IV" and replaces Frank Gari's "NBC-News Now" mixed in the
news theme.
1998: Winter | An upgraded radar
debuts with Live Doppler 36.
1999: M-November 1 | WFAZ-TV's
non-news branded name is changed to NBC36.
2000: June | WFAZ covers the Pacers
run to the NBA Finals.
2001: W-May 23 | NBC36's first
original movie premieres with "Senior Memory" airing at 7:00 PM that night.
2001: NewsCenter 36 covers the
September 11 attacks in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania.
2001: NewsCenter 36 covers the
September 27 tragedy at Indiana Wesleyan University.
2002: F-January 4 | WFAZ-TV drops
Indiana Wesleyan University TV ads from its commercials following the 9/27
tragedy.
2002: F-May 10 | WFAZ-TV founder
Margaret Zinn dies at age 59.
2002: June 18: NBC36 Newsanchor
Marshall Davidson dies at age 57.
2003: M-January 6 | NewsCenter36
branding ends after 35 years, becoming NBC36 News with The Tower by 615
Music as an added news theme with Palmer News Package.
2003: M-October 6 | WFAZ-TV changes
its channel dial from Channel 36 to Channel 10 and moves to Fort Wayne.
WFAZ-TV now operates a sattelite station in Marion on Channel 36 with the
call letters WMRN-TV.
2003: M-October 6 | WFAZ-TV's
News Title changes from "NBC36 News" to "NBC10 Eyewitness News"
2003: December | WFAZ's call letters
were changed to WMRI and uses "The Tower" by 615 Music
2004: WMRI-FTV NBC10 celebrates
50 years of Fantasy Television.
