WDIV in Detroit, KPRC in Houston, and WPLG in Miami began broadcasting an HDTV signal in 1999. WKMG in Orlando expects to begin an HDTV broadcast in the fall of 2000. KSAT in San Antonio and WJXT in Jacksonville do not have to be on the air with an HDTV signal until 2002.

An agreement was reached with Internet Broadcasting Systems (IBS) whereby each Post-Newsweek station will partner with IBS to expand its news distribution on the Internet. The IBS partnership enhances the stations' continuing commitment to local news and to the communities they serve.

WDIV-Detroit remained the top NBC station in the top ten U.S. markets in 1999. The station also continued its dominance as Detroit's leading station for local news. WDIV won four out of the five key news time periods in the November sweeps and was named Best Newscast by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.

A year-long campaign invited viewers to vote for their "Choice of the Century" among favorite Michigan leaders. Thousands of viewers voted by mail, phone, and over the Internet. Detroit's own Rosa Parks, the mother of the civil rights movement, was voted Person of the Century in Michigan.

wdiv.com was one of the market's most popular websites and a clear first among Detroit TV station sites. The site features everything from an employment service - Job Connection - to live webcasts of the station's big events.

WDIV launched Weather Warn 4 in 1999, which proved to be a lifesaver. This exclusive service e-mails and pages registered viewers with advance warning of severe weather. It provided crucial minutes for viewers to seek cover when deadly storms swept through the area during the summer.

KPRC-Houston led the market in advertising revenue and launched a number of initiatives to help improve the station's audience ranking. Among the most important was its PEOPLE 2 PEOPLE service. Created by KPRC's consumer unit, PEOPLE 2 PEOPLE matches people with specific needs with those who have services they want to donate. For example, a dentist capped an indigent child's tooth without charge; a van was donated to a handicapped police officer shot in the line of duty.

Akin's Army, led by consumer reporter Emily Akin, is KPRC's team of volunteers who staff phone lines from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each weekday, helping people solve their consumer problems. The most interesting stories are featured on KPRC newscasts during Emily's Report. Akin's Army received about 12,000 calls in 1999.

Kim Perrot, a popular Houston Comets basketball player, captured the hearts of Houstonians when she announced she had cancer. Before she died, she set up a project to fund a place where critically ill children can spend recreation time with their families while receiving treatment. KPRC, in partnership with the Houston Comets and the Houston Rockets, launched a one-day on-air fund drive featuring popular stars from both teams that raised over $400,000.

WPLG-Miami-Fort Lauderdale continued to deliver the largest daily viewing share among the eight English-language stations in this increasingly competitive market. WPLG maintained its winning edge in daytime programming, prime access, and the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. ABC network primetime programs also showed a strong resurgence among the key adult 18-to-49 and 25-to-54 viewers.

The station unveiled a new state-of-the-art news set mid-year. The increased flexibility designed into the set has allowed Eyewitness News to showcase anchors, reporters, and guests with much more creativity and audience appeal.

The station's long-standing commitment to investigative reporting paid great dividends in 1999. WPLG's highly respected investigative teams filed exclusive stories each month, including pieces about the questionable practices of Miami-Dade County's highest public school officials in securing advanced degrees from "diploma mills" and rampant election fraud and scandal in the City of Miami.

Channel 10 maintained its involvement in community affairs through the production of live, primetime Town Hall Meetings dealing with controversial and timely issues affecting the community. The station used its remote production facilities to take these programs into the community with live audience participation.

WKMG-Orlando grew news ratings in spite of significant declines in local news viewership in Central Florida over the past two years. For the second year in a row, WKMG was the only station to show audience growth, not only in news, but also in the key 4 p.m.-to-11:30 p.m. time period.

Local programming efforts in 1999 included a Health Special on strokes, WKMG's 45th anniversary, and special programming around numerous local sports events. Spot news specials included extensive coverage of Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, Harvey, and Irene and a special program after the death of golfer and Central Florida resident Payne Stewart.

WKMG's weather equipment upgrade, begun in 1998 and including coast-to-coast Doppler radar, new weather computers, and the installation of new weather cameras, was completed in early 1999. The weather equipment investment paid off during hurricane season when three hurricanes threatened Central Florida and Hurricane Irene hit along the coastal counties.

KSAT-San Antonio saw significant increases in its dominance of the market in news and local programming. Already-impressive household numbers grew even stronger in the key younger demographics and once again made KSAT-12 News number one at noon, 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m.

KSAT launched a Heat Relief effort during the summer months, collecting and delivering thousands of electric fans to residents who needed relief from the sweltering temperatures. When Hurricane Brett devastated South Texas, KSAT developed a strategy to provide complete, ongoing coverage and was on the air for hours, tracking the storm and leading residents to safe shelters.

One of the worst police fatalities in the state occurred when three South Texas police officers were shot by a gunman who lured the officers to his house and opened fire. KSAT sent news anchor Steve Spriester to the scene, where he reported for three days, providing the most complete and thorough live coverage in the market.

South Texans got a chance to speak out and be seen when KSAT launched KSAT CHAT, an interactive video booth that allows residents to voice their concerns and have them aired on television. KSAT CHAT is part of the station's continuing efforts to strengthen its relationship with the San Antonio community.

WJXT-Jacksonville celebrated 50 years on the air, continuing its history of market dominance in all dayparts, especially local newscasts.

Weather played havoc with WJXT's 50th-anniversary celebration, which had to be postponed as Jacksonville battened down to ready for Hurricane Floyd. For 40 hours Eyewitness News stayed on the air as Jacksonville's beaches and riverside neighborhoods were evacuated. The crisis worsened as evacuees found themselves trapped in gridlock on the Florida and Georgia interstates. Those WJXT employees not working in the field manned phone banks at the station, answering calls from frightened viewers desperate for information.

Market tumult continued in '99 as Gannett (owner of WLTV) and Clear Channel (owner of WAWS) took advantage of the relaxed duopoly rules to acquire new properties in Jacksonville. WJXT's long history of stable ownership and quality programming again set the station apart from the herd.