ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- It's been 25 years since Bay News 9 hit local airwaves.

And in that quarter of a century, the once upstart fledging cable news channel has become a mainstay of Tampa Bay news and changed the way the medium is delivered and consumed in this region.

On this episode of To The Point Already, Bay News 9 anchors Rick Elmhorst and Roy De Jesus take a nostalgic look back at the start of the news channel and talk with staffers who were there.

Bay News 9's mantra "Your news all the time" was introduced to the region at 6:59 p.m. on September 24, 1997. The idea of a 24-hour news channel was foreign in the market at the time and prompted the competition to remark the area was already saturated and a round-the-clock news station wouldn't last in Tampa Bay.

"I thought it was exciting," said Kate Fox, a Senior Director of Digital Engagement with Spectrum Networks, who back then was an associate producer with the new station. "I thought it was really rare a company would invest in something like that."

Through a sometimes rough growing period, the station grew. From a smaller building in Pinellas Park to a state-of-the-art studio in the Carillon area of St. Pete, Bay News 9's profile grew.

And with breaking news, local coverage, elections and community news, so did its audience.

A weather report from Meteorologist Alan Winfield greeted viewers when Bay News 9 began telecasting at 6:59 p.m. on September 24, 1997. The news channel is celebrating 25 years in the Bay area this month. (Bay News 9 FILE image)

And then there's weather.

Bay News 9 started with weather coverage and it's always been about weather coverage. The signature "Weather On the Nines" became a Bay area staple and changed weather coverage locally.

"There were people around here that said this would never work," said Bay News 9's Chief Meteorologist Mike Clay, who has been at the station since it started. "A lot of people at the other stations said 'we'll give them six months.'

"It was a new concept but I had been at a cable news station in Seattle. I knew the concept was sound and I knew it was going to work here."

ABOUT THE SHOW

Spectrum Bay News 9 anchor Rick Elmhorst sits down with the people that represent you, the people fighting for change and the people with fascinating stories to ask the hard questions.

Catch up on our latest To The Point Already podcast episodes.