Jump to content

WOAY-TV: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
stub sorting
Changing short description from "ABC affiliate in Oak Hill, West Virginia" to "TV station in Oak Hill, West Virginia"
 
(374 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|TV station in Oak Hill, West Virginia}}
{{Expert|date=November 2008}}
{{distinguish|WOAI-TV}}
{{Infobox Broadcast |
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
call_letters = WOAY-TV|
{{Infobox television station
⚫
city = |
station_logo = [[Image:WOAY-TV NEW LOGO.PNG|100px]]|
| callsign = WOAY-TV
station_slogan = |
| city = Oak Hill, West Virginia
| logo = WOAY-TV logo (2020).png
station_branding = TV4 <small>(general)</small><br>NewsWatch 4 <small>(newscasts)</small>|
analog = 4 ([[very high frequency|VHF]])|
| logo_size = 220px
digital = 50 ([[ultra high frequency|UHF]])|
| branding = WOAY 4; ''NewsWatch 4''
subchannels = 4.1 [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]|
| analog =
other_chs = |
| digital = 31 ([[UHF]])
affiliations = [[American Broadcasting Company]]|
| virtual = 4
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''4.1:''' [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]|'''4.2:''' [[Dabl]]}}
⚫
network = |
| founded = June 2, 1954<ref>{{cite web|title=For the record: Actions of the FCC–New TV stations–Grants.|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/54-OCR/1954-06-07-BC-OCR-Page-0091.pdf|periodical=[[Broadcasting and Cable|Broadcasting – Telecasting]]|page=91|date=June 7, 1954}}</ref>
founded = |
airdate = [[December 14]], [[1954]]|
| airdate = {{start date and age|1954|12|14|p=y}}
location = [[Oak Hill, West Virginia|Oak Hill]]/[[Beckley, West Virginia|Beckley]]/[[Bluefield, West Virginia]]|
| location = {{ubl|[[Oak Hill, West Virginia|Oak Hill]]–[[Beckley, West Virginia|Beckley]]–|[[Bluefield, West Virginia]]}}
⚫
| country = United States
callsign_meaning = WOAK, standing for '''OAK''' Hill was intended, but handwritten application was misread by FCC|
| callsign_meaning = derived from former sister station [[WOAY (AM)|WOAY radio]]
former_callsigns = |
| former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers = |
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 4 ([[VHF]], 1954–2009)|'''Digital:''' 50 (UHF, until 2019)|'''Virtual:''' 50 (2009–2019)}}
owner = Thomas Broadcasting Company|
licensee = |
| owner = Thomas and DiBartolomeo families
sister_stations = |
| licensee = Thomas Broadcasting Company
former_affiliations = [[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]]<br>[[CBS]]<br>[[UPN]] (secondary)|
| former_affiliations = {{ubl|[[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]] (1954–1956)|[[CBS]] (primary 1959–1967, per program 1967–1975)|[[UPN]] (secondary)}}
⚫
| erp = 320 [[kW]]
effective_radiated_power = 100 [[kilowatt|kW]] (analog)<br>600 kW (digital)|
HAAT = 226 [[metre|m]] (analog)<br>200.1 m (digital)|
| haat = {{convert|210.1|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
class = |
| facility_id = 66804
⚫
| coordinates = {{coord|37|57|26|N|81|9|2|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
facility_id = 66804|
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
⚫
coordinates = {{coord|37|57|26.7|N|81|9|2|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}|
homepage = [http://www.woay.com/ www.woay.com]|
| website = {{URL|https://woay.com/}}
}}
}}

'''WOAY''' is a [[Broadcasting|broadcast]] [[television station]] in southern [[West Virginia]] and locally owned by Thomas Broadcasting. It is licensed to the town of [[Oak Hill, West Virginia|Oak Hill]] and It is affiliated with [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]].
'''WOAY-TV''' (channel 4) is a [[television station]] licensed to [[Oak Hill, West Virginia]], United States, serving the [[Bluefield, West Virginia|Bluefield]]–[[Beckley, West Virginia|Beckley]]–Oak Hill [[media market|market]] as an affiliate of [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. It has been locally owned by the Thomas family since its inception, and its studios and transmitter are co-located on Legends Highway in [[Scarbro]], just outside the Oak Hill city limits (though with an Oak Hill mailing address).


==History==
==History==
[[Image:WOAY-TV NEW LOGO.PNG|thumb|left|100px|Logo used until 2009.]]
WOAY took to the airwaves on December 14, 1954. The station was originally affiliated with [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[CBS]], and [[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]]. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the [[NTA Film Network]].<ref name="Boxoffice7">{{Citation| last = | first = | title = Require Prime Evening Time for NTA Films| journal = Boxoffice| volume = | issue = | pages = 13| date = November 10, 1956| year = 1956| url = http://issuu.com/boxoffice/docs/boxoffice_111056-1| doi = | id = }}</ref>
The first television station in southern West Virginia, WOAY-TV, began operations on December 14, 1954, on channel 4.<ref>{{cite web|title=Two TVs commence, two others prepare.|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/54-OCR/1954-12-27-BC-OCR-Page-0071.pdf|periodical=Broadcasting – Telecasting|page=71|date=December 27, 1954}}</ref> The station was founded by local businessman Robert R. Thomas Jr., and operated as a [[sister station]] to WOAY radio ([[WOAY (AM)|860 AM]] and 94.1 FM, now [[WAXS]]). The station began as a primary ABC affiliate, but in its early years maintained a secondary relationship with the [[DuMont Television Network]], which it lost when DuMont shut down in 1956. In 1959, it switched its primary affiliation to [[CBS]], retaining a secondary affiliation with ABC.


Channel 4 became a full ABC affiliate on February 19, 1967, opting to affiliate with what then-station manager Robert Brown referred to as "the nation's fastest-growing network,"<ref>{{cite news |date=February 3, 1967 |title=WOAY-TV to switch to ABC on Feb. 19 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/47911993/ |work=The Raleigh Register |location=Beckley, West Virginia |access-date=October 28, 2019 }}</ref> and dropped most of its remaining CBS programs.<ref>{{cite web|title=WOAY-TV an ABC affiliate.|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/67-OCR/1967-02-20-BC-OCR-Page-0055.pdf|periodical=Broadcasting|page=55|date=February 20, 1967}}</ref><ref>WOAY-TV Joins ABC, Beckley Post-Herald, February 3, 1967, Page 1 and 10.</ref> WOAY-TV initially continued to air the ''[[CBS Evening News]]'' for some time afterward, mainly because the full CBS affiliate nearest to the area, [[WCHS-TV]] (channel 8) in [[Charleston, West Virginia|Charleston]], did not carry it (WOAY dropped it by 1968 when WCHS began clearing it). Another CBS series, ''[[Captain Kangaroo]]'', was also retained, presumably until ABC launched ''[[AM America]]'' (the predecessor of ''[[Good Morning America]]'') in 1975.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/ghs1922/5208681163/in/set-72 |title = 1967 Feb Raleigh Register {{!}} Jeff Miller {{!}} Flickr| date=November 26, 2010 }}</ref>
In previous decades, the station was known throughout the area for a very theatrical [[professional wrestling]] show that it produced itself with local "talent." However, this ended shortly after Thomas Broadcasting took over ownership in 1979, when the station's main studio, control room, office and transmitter building burned to the ground. The station's studio, control room and transmitter were relocated and rebuilt in the adjacent wrestling arena, where they remain today.


In previous decades, the station was known throughout the area for a very theatrical [[professional wrestling]] show that it produced with local talent in an arena adjacent to its studios. However, this ended on September 30, 1977, when WOAY's main studio, [[control room]], offices, and transmitter building were destroyed in a fire.<ref>{{cite news |author=Grubb, Barbara |date=September 30, 1977 |title=$3 million fire to idle TV station 2 to 4 weeks |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/49015588/ |work=The Raleigh Register |location=Beckley, West Virginia |access-date=October 28, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=In brief.|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/77-OCR/BC-1977-10-03-OCR-Page-0032.pdf|periodical=Broadcasting|page=32|date=October 3, 1977}}</ref> The stations' facilities were rebuilt in the former wrestling arena, where WOAY-TV remains today. Channel 4 returned to the air within two weeks after the fire, first with ABC programs, and local productions resumed soon thereafter.<ref>{{cite web| url-status = live| archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211206/gA7ciDZ7ayQ| archive-date = December 6, 2021| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA7ciDZ7ayQ| title = WOAY-TV 4 Returns to the air after a devastating fire in 1977. | website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
As for programming, WOAY clears the entire ABC schedule, with the exception of [[World News Now]], which is available on cable systems throughout the area when WOAY signs off; and [[World News]] Sunday, which WOAY has long since pre-empted.


Three months prior to the fire, in July 1977, station owner and founder Robert R. Thomas Jr. died, and ownership of the WOAY stations was passed onto his wife Helen and their five children.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=July 15, 1977 |title=WOAY owner, manager dies |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/49004476/ |work=The Raleigh Register |location=Beckley, West Virginia |access-date=October 28, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url-status = live| archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211206/3SdT03jqwMk| archive-date = December 6, 2021| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SdT03jqwMk| title = WOAY-TV reports on the death of its founder (sound only) | website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Robert R. (Robbie) Thomas III succeeded his father as president of the stations, and oversaw WOAY-TV until his death in November 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=WOAY president passes away.|url=http://www.woay.tv/woay-owner-and-president-passes-away/|periodical=Woay-Tv|date=November 28, 2016}}</ref> The Thomas family attempted to exit broadcasting in 1990, successfully selling the radio stations<ref>{{cite web|title=Changing hands. (sale of radio stations)|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/90-OCR/BC-1990-04-23-OCR-Page-0064.pdf|periodical=Broadcasting|page=62|date=April 23, 1990}}</ref> but ultimately chose to retain WOAY-TV after a failed sale to [[Withers Broadcasting Companies]], owner of CBS affiliate [[WDTV]] in [[Bridgeport, West Virginia|Bridgeport]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Changing hands. (proposed sale of WOAY-TV to Withers Broadcasting)|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/90-OCR/BC-1990-03-12-OCR-Page-0056.pdf|periodical=Broadcasting|page=56|date=March 12, 1990}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=For the record: Ownership changes. (dismissal of Withers Broadcasting's application to acquire WOAY-TV)|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/90-OCR/BC-1990-08-13-OCR-Page-0075.pdf|periodical=Broadcasting|page=75|date=August 13, 1990}}</ref> Ownership of the station is now jointly held by Robbie Thomas's sister, Sarah Ann Thomas, and daughter Robin Thomas DiBartolomeo, who also replaced her father as general manager.<ref>{{cite web |title=Attachment |url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS_Attachment/getattachment.jsp?appn=101776216&qnum=5060&copynum=1&exhcnum=1}}{{Dead link|date=August 2022}}</ref>
WOAY still signs off every night, resuming at 6:00 a.m., making it a few in the country to still sign off every night.


WOAY-TV turned off its [[analog television|analog]] signal at 11:35{{nbsp}}p.m. on [[digital television transition in the United States|June 12, 2009]] and remained on digital channel 50. On that date, WOAY dropped its longtime on-air moniker of "TV 4", and began identifying simply as "WOAY Television". Unlike most U.S. TV stations after the digital transition, it did not use [[virtual channel]] technology to remap its signal to its former analog channel 4. That changed in October 19, 2019, when the station returned to its original virtual allocation as part of its physical move from channel 50 to 31, as part of the [[FCC]]-mandated [[Spectrum reallocation#Repacking|frequency repack]]. It also moved to channel 4 and returned its longtime on-air moniker of "TV 4".
==Newscast Titles==
*''News Picture'' (1954-1958)
*''News Final'' (1958-1963)
*''The Johnson/Grayson Report'' (1963-1970)
*''Channel 4 News Report'' (1970-1974)
*''WOAY-TV Newservice'' (1974-1979)
*''NewsWatch 4'' (1979-present)


In 2009, WOAY-TV revamped its technical infrastructure to become the first [[high-definition television|high-definition]] station in West Virginia. The station clears the majority of the ABC network schedule.
==Current Personalities==
===Anchors===
*'''Bob Brunner:''' News Director/Reporter
*'''Shelley Orman:''' Noon Anchor/Reporter
*'''Alycia Pence:''' Morning Anchor/Morning Weather
*'''Mike Pickett:''' Weekend Anchor/Reporter
*'''Keke Vencill:''' 6 pm and 11 pm Anchor


===Reporters===
==Subchannels==
The station's signal is [[multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
*'''Leslie Draffin:''' Assignment Editor/Reporter
{| class="wikitable"
*'''Matt Earle:''' Reporter
|+Subchannels of WOAY-TV<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WOAY|title=RabbitEars TV Query for WOAY|website=[[RabbitEars.info]]}}</ref>
! [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! Short name
! Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 4.1
| [[720p]] || [[16:9]] || WOAY-HD || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 4.2
| [[480i]] || [[4:3]] || DABL-TV || [[Dabl]]
|}


===Weather===
==See also==
*[[Channel 31 digital TV stations in the United States]]
*'''Bryan Shaw:''' Chief Meteorologist
*[[Channel 4 virtual TV stations in the United States]]
*'''Shane Smith:''' Weekend Meteorologist/Reporter

===Sports===
*'''Marty Longhi:''' Sports Anchor
*'''Dan Toth:''' Sports Director

==Former Personalities==
*'''[[Craig Minervini]]''': Former sports director in the 1980s, now works for [[Fox Sports Florida]]
*'''Shirley Love''': Former news anchor, now a [[senator]] in the West Virginia State Senate

==Digital television==
WOAY-TV shut down analog channel 4 at 11:35 PM June 12, 2009 and will remain on digital channel 50.


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.woay.com/ WOAY Online]
*[https://www.woay.com/ Official website]
*[http://jeff560.tripod.com/woay.html History of WOAY Radio and Television]
* {{TVQ|WOAY}}
* {{BIA|WOAY|TV|TV}}


{{Bluefield TV}}
{{Bluefield TV}}
{{ABC West Virginia}}
{{ABC West Virginia}}
{{ABC Virginia}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Woay-Tv}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woay-Tv}}
[[Category:ABC network affiliates]]
[[Category:1954 establishments in West Virginia]]
[[Category:Television stations in West Virginia]]
[[Category:American Broadcasting Company affiliates]]
[[Category:Channel 4 TV stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Dabl affiliates]]
[[Category:Oak Hill, West Virginia]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1954]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1954]]
[[Category:Television stations in West Virginia|OAY-TV]]


{{WestVirginia-tv-station-stub}}

Latest revision as of 06:39, 30 November 2024

Not to be confused with WOAI-TV.

WOAY-TV
CityOak Hill, West Virginia
Channels
BrandingWOAY 4; NewsWatch 4
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
  • Thomas and DiBartolomeo families
  • (Thomas Broadcasting Company)
History
FoundedJune 2, 1954[1]
First air date
December 14, 1954 (69 years ago) (1954-12-14)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 4 (VHF, 1954–2009)
  • Digital: 50 (UHF, until 2019)
  • Virtual: 50 (2009–2019)
  • DuMont (1954–1956)
  • CBS (primary 1959–1967, per program 1967–1975)
  • UPN (secondary)
Call sign meaning
derived from former sister station WOAY radio
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID66804
ERP320 kW
HAAT210.1 m (689 ft)
Transmitter coordinates37°57′26″N 81°9′2″W / 37.95722°N 81.15056°W / 37.95722; -81.15056
Links
Public license information
Websitewoay.com

WOAY-TV (channel 4) is a television station licensed to Oak Hill, West Virginia, United States, serving the Bluefield–Beckley–Oak Hill market as an affiliate of ABC. It has been locally owned by the Thomas family since its inception, and its studios and transmitter are co-located on Legends Highway in Scarbro, just outside the Oak Hill city limits (though with an Oak Hill mailing address).

History

[edit]
Logo used until 2009.

The first television station in southern West Virginia, WOAY-TV, began operations on December 14, 1954, on channel 4.[3] The station was founded by local businessman Robert R. Thomas Jr., and operated as a sister station to WOAY radio (860 AM and 94.1 FM, now WAXS). The station began as a primary ABC affiliate, but in its early years maintained a secondary relationship with the DuMont Television Network, which it lost when DuMont shut down in 1956. In 1959, it switched its primary affiliation to CBS, retaining a secondary affiliation with ABC.

Channel 4 became a full ABC affiliate on February 19, 1967, opting to affiliate with what then-station manager Robert Brown referred to as "the nation's fastest-growing network,"[4] and dropped most of its remaining CBS programs.[5][6] WOAY-TV initially continued to air the CBS Evening News for some time afterward, mainly because the full CBS affiliate nearest to the area, WCHS-TV (channel 8) in Charleston, did not carry it (WOAY dropped it by 1968 when WCHS began clearing it). Another CBS series, Captain Kangaroo, was also retained, presumably until ABC launched AM America (the predecessor of Good Morning America) in 1975.[7]

In previous decades, the station was known throughout the area for a very theatrical professional wrestling show that it produced with local talent in an arena adjacent to its studios. However, this ended on September 30, 1977, when WOAY's main studio, control room, offices, and transmitter building were destroyed in a fire.[8][9] The stations' facilities were rebuilt in the former wrestling arena, where WOAY-TV remains today. Channel 4 returned to the air within two weeks after the fire, first with ABC programs, and local productions resumed soon thereafter.[10]

Three months prior to the fire, in July 1977, station owner and founder Robert R. Thomas Jr. died, and ownership of the WOAY stations was passed onto his wife Helen and their five children.[11][12] Robert R. (Robbie) Thomas III succeeded his father as president of the stations, and oversaw WOAY-TV until his death in November 2016.[13] The Thomas family attempted to exit broadcasting in 1990, successfully selling the radio stations[14] but ultimately chose to retain WOAY-TV after a failed sale to Withers Broadcasting Companies, owner of CBS affiliate WDTV in Bridgeport.[15][16] Ownership of the station is now jointly held by Robbie Thomas's sister, Sarah Ann Thomas, and daughter Robin Thomas DiBartolomeo, who also replaced her father as general manager.[17]

WOAY-TV turned off its analog signal at 11:35 p.m. on June 12, 2009 and remained on digital channel 50. On that date, WOAY dropped its longtime on-air moniker of "TV 4", and began identifying simply as "WOAY Television". Unlike most U.S. TV stations after the digital transition, it did not use virtual channel technology to remap its signal to its former analog channel 4. That changed in October 19, 2019, when the station returned to its original virtual allocation as part of its physical move from channel 50 to 31, as part of the FCC-mandated frequency repack. It also moved to channel 4 and returned its longtime on-air moniker of "TV 4".

In 2009, WOAY-TV revamped its technical infrastructure to become the first high-definition station in West Virginia. The station clears the majority of the ABC network schedule.

Subchannels

[edit]

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WOAY-TV[18]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
4.1 720p 16:9 WOAY-HD ABC
4.2 480i 4:3 DABL-TV Dabl

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "For the record: Actions of the FCC–New TV stations–Grants" (PDF). Broadcasting – Telecasting. June 7, 1954. p. 91.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WOAY-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "Two TVs commence, two others prepare" (PDF). Broadcasting – Telecasting. December 27, 1954. p. 71.
  4. ^ "WOAY-TV to switch to ABC on Feb. 19". The Raleigh Register. Beckley, West Virginia. February 3, 1967. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  5. ^ "WOAY-TV an ABC affiliate" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 20, 1967. p. 55.
  6. ^ WOAY-TV Joins ABC, Beckley Post-Herald, February 3, 1967, Page 1 and 10.
  7. ^ "1967 Feb Raleigh Register | Jeff Miller | Flickr". November 26, 2010.
  8. ^ Grubb, Barbara (September 30, 1977). "$3 million fire to idle TV station 2 to 4 weeks". The Raleigh Register. Beckley, West Virginia. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  9. ^ "In brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 3, 1977. p. 32.
  10. ^ "WOAY-TV 4 Returns to the air after a devastating fire in 1977". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021.
  11. ^ "WOAY owner, manager dies". The Raleigh Register. Beckley, West Virginia. July 15, 1977. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  12. ^ "WOAY-TV reports on the death of its founder (sound only)". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021.
  13. ^ "WOAY president passes away". Woay-Tv. November 28, 2016.
  14. ^ "Changing hands. (sale of radio stations)" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 23, 1990. p. 62.
  15. ^ "Changing hands. (proposed sale of WOAY-TV to Withers Broadcasting)" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 12, 1990. p. 56.
  16. ^ "For the record: Ownership changes. (dismissal of Withers Broadcasting's application to acquire WOAY-TV)" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 13, 1990. p. 75.
  17. ^ "Attachment".[dead link‍]
  18. ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for WOAY". RabbitEars.info.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=WOAY-TV&oldid=1260345104"