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===Gray Television ownership===
===Gray Television ownership===
Waterman announced a deal to sell WVIR-TV to Gray Television on March 4, 2019. To acquire WVIR-TV, Gray concurrently announced it would sell WCAV and WVAW-LD, as well as WAHU-CD's programming, to [[Lockwood Broadcast Group]]. Gray, however, retained the WAHU-CD license.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gray Television to acquire NBC 29 from Waterman Broadcasting |url=https://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/gray-television-to-acquire-nbc-from-waterman-broadcasting/article_5fc213ce-3eaf-11e9-a82e-6b652190ae54.html |work=The Daily Progress |date=March 4, 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101801105&formid=314&fac_num=363|title=Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|date=March 4, 2019|access-date=March 6, 2019}}</ref> The sale was approved on April 15.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/Auth_Files/1800889.pdf|title=Notice of Consent to Assignment|website=Consolidated Database System|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|date= April 15, 2019|access-date=April 17, 2019}}</ref> The transaction was completed on October 1.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1811661&Service=DT&Form_id=905&Facility_id=70309|title=Consummation Notice|website=Consolidated Database System|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|date=October 2, 2019|access-date=October 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703072144/https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101811661&formid=905&fac_num=70309|archive-date=July 3, 2023}}</ref> On December 1, Gray split off the NBC and CW services for the Harrisonburg and Staunton area as a separate station run from WHSV-TV, [[WSVW-LD]] "NBC 3 in the Valley".<ref>{{Cite web|https://www.whsv.com/content/news/WHSV-announces-launch-of-NBC-and-CW-Plus-affiliations-NBC-3-in-the-Valley-561973051.html|title=WHSV announces launch of NBC and CW Plus affiliations 'NBC 3 in the Valley'|website=WHSV|date=October 2, 2019|access-date=July 3, 2023}}</ref>
Waterman announced a deal to sell WVIR-TV to Gray Television on March 4, 2019. To acquire WVIR-TV, Gray concurrently announced it would sell WCAV and WVAW-LD, as well as WAHU-CD's programming, to [[Lockwood Broadcast Group]]. Gray, however, retained the WAHU-CD license.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gray Television to acquire NBC 29 from Waterman Broadcasting |url=https://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/gray-television-to-acquire-nbc-from-waterman-broadcasting/article_5fc213ce-3eaf-11e9-a82e-6b652190ae54.html |work=The Daily Progress |date=March 4, 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101801105&formid=314&fac_num=363|title=Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|date=March 4, 2019|access-date=March 6, 2019}}</ref> The sale was approved on April 15.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/Auth_Files/1800889.pdf|title=Notice of Consent to Assignment|website=Consolidated Database System|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|date= April 15, 2019|access-date=April 17, 2019}}</ref> The transaction was completed on October 1.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1811661&Service=DT&Form_id=905&Facility_id=70309|title=Consummation Notice|website=Consolidated Database System|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|date=October 2, 2019|access-date=October 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703072144/https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101811661&formid=905&fac_num=70309|archive-date=July 3, 2023}}</ref> On December 1, Gray split off the NBC and CW services for the Harrisonburg and Staunton area as a separate station run from WHSV-TV, [[WSVW-LD]] "NBC 3 in the Valley".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whsv.com/content/news/WHSV-announces-launch-of-NBC-and-CW-Plus-affiliations-NBC-3-in-the-Valley-561973051.html|title=WHSV announces launch of NBC and CW Plus affiliations 'NBC 3 in the Valley'|website=WHSV|date=October 2, 2019|access-date=July 3, 2023}}</ref>


Gray implemented the station's repack. The station was to move its signal from channel 32 to channel 2 by January 17, 2020. Equipment shipping and construction delays forced WVIR-TV to use WCAV's channel 19 facility on a temporary basis before it completed the relocation to channel 2 on March 18.<ref>{{cite web |title=Request to Extend a DTV Engineering STA Application |url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/draftCopy.html?displayType=html&appKey=25076f916fa4bd9c016fafc1503767aa&id=25076f916fa4bd9c016fafc1503767aa |website=Licensing and Management System|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}}</ref> Despite the UHF relay, WVIR-TV received hundreds of reception complaints in the following month and applied to increase its [[effective radiated power]] on channel 2 from 10&nbsp;kW to 34&nbsp;kW.<ref name=sta34kw>{{cite web |title=DTV Engineering STA Application |url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/draftCopy.html?displayType=html&appKey=25076f91718a638f0171989803910946&id=25076f91718a638f0171989803910946&goBack=N |website=FCC LMS |date=May 1, 2020}}</ref> In addition to WVIR-CD, the former WAHU-CD which now broadcasts the same subchannels on the UHF band in the Charlottesville area, the station received a construction permit in 2022 to build a digital replacement translator at [[Madison, Virginia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/draftCopy.html?displayType=html&appKey=25076f917668d49c017672231c4a0b95&id=25076f917668d49c017672231c4a0b95&goBack=N|date=December 31, 2020|access-date=July 3, 2023|title=New Digital Replacement Translator Construction Permit Application|website=Licensing and Management System|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]}}</ref>
Gray implemented the station's repack. The station was to move its signal from channel 32 to channel 2 by January 17, 2020. Equipment shipping and construction delays forced WVIR-TV to use WCAV's channel 19 facility on a temporary basis before it completed the relocation to channel 2 on March 18.<ref>{{cite web |title=Request to Extend a DTV Engineering STA Application |url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/draftCopy.html?displayType=html&appKey=25076f916fa4bd9c016fafc1503767aa&id=25076f916fa4bd9c016fafc1503767aa |website=Licensing and Management System|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}}</ref> Despite the UHF relay, WVIR-TV received hundreds of reception complaints in the following month and applied to increase its [[effective radiated power]] on channel 2 from 10&nbsp;kW to 34&nbsp;kW.<ref name=sta34kw>{{cite web |title=DTV Engineering STA Application |url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/draftCopy.html?displayType=html&appKey=25076f91718a638f0171989803910946&id=25076f91718a638f0171989803910946&goBack=N |website=FCC LMS |date=May 1, 2020}}</ref> In addition to WVIR-CD, the former WAHU-CD which now broadcasts the same subchannels on the UHF band in the Charlottesville area, the station received a construction permit in 2022 to build a digital replacement translator at [[Madison, Virginia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/draftCopy.html?displayType=html&appKey=25076f917668d49c017672231c4a0b95&id=25076f917668d49c017672231c4a0b95&goBack=N|date=December 31, 2020|access-date=July 3, 2023|title=New Digital Replacement Translator Construction Permit Application|website=Licensing and Management System|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]}}</ref>

Revision as of 07:47, 3 July 2023

WVIR-TV

CityCharlottesville, Virginia
Channels
Branding
  • NBC 29
  • CW 29 (on DT3)
Programming
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
March 11, 1973 (51 years ago) (1973-03-11)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog:
  • 29 (UHF, 1973–2009)
  • Digital:
  • 32 (UHF, 2002–2019)
  • 19 (UHF, 2019–2020)
DT2:
NBC WX+ (2007–2008)
Call sign meaning
Virginia
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID70309
ERP10 kW (licensed)
34 kW (STA)[2]
HAAT367.9 m (1,207 ft)
Transmitter coordinates37°59′1″N 78°28′53″W / 37.98361°N 78.48139°W / 37.98361; -78.48139
Translator(s)WVIR-CD 35 (UHF) Charlottesville
Links
Public license information
Websitewww.nbc29.com

WVIR-TV (channel 29) is a television station in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. Owned by Gray Television, the station has studios on East Market Street (US 250 Business) in downtown Charlottesville, and its transmitter is located on Carters Mountain south of the city.

WVIR-TV began broadcasting as the first television station in Charlottesville on March 11, 1973. It took Charlottesville considerable time to develop a local TV station in part because half the city sits in the United States National Radio Quiet Zone, which constricted acceptable broadcast facilities in the region.

WVIR-CD (channel 35) operates as a low-power, Class A translator of WVIR-TV.

Television in Charlottesville: A quiet zone

It took Charlottesville until 1973 to have a television station of its own in part because of the assignment of exclusively ultra high frequency (UHF) television channels and the location of part of Charlottesville and the surrounding area in the United States National Radio Quiet Zone. The Quiet Zone boundary runs through the grounds of the University of Virginia.[3]

In 1961, the Charlottesville Broadcasting Corporation, owner of radio station WINA, applied to have very high frequency (VHF) channel 11 assigned to the WaynesboroStaunton area.[4] However, even as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took applications for channel 11, the plan faced stiff opposition from the United States Navy, which planned to build a radio telescope at Sugar Grove, West Virginia.[5] In the meantime, Virginia Broadcasting Corporation, a company owned by stockbroker and bluegrass music artist William Marburg—better known as Bill Clifton—filed for Charlottesville's channel 64 allocation.[6] The channel 64 station received a construction permit in June 1964;[7] six months later, the WINA proposal for channel 11 was denied after the Navy insisted on continued protection for the Sugar Grove site.[8] The channel 64 permit was never built, though it was transferred to another group in 1966.[9]

Two parties then filed for new UHF stations, both originally specifying channel 25, in January 1965. Shenandoah Valley Broadcasting proposed a semi-satellite of WSVA-TV in Harrisonburg with local news and public affairs programming,[10] while WINA soon filed a competing proposal, believing Charlottesville needed a station of its own.[11] WINA won the construction permit, amended to specify channel 29, but failed to convince the national networks that they needed an affiliate in Charlottesville.[12] In 1969, WINA radio was sold, but neither the buyer nor the seller wanted to retain the channel 29 construction permit, which was returned to the FCC.[13]

History

Early years

Another company known as the Virginia Broadcasting Corporation, a consortium of more than 30 local stockholders, filed with the FCC on October 19, 1971, for permission to build channel 29.[14] The FCC granted the construction permit on March 1, 1972, and the company announced it would be operating within a year from a transmitter on Carters Mountain and studios on Main Street.[15] In June, the station secured affiliation with NBC and announced plans for daily 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts,[16] and WVIR-TV began broadcasting on March 11, 1973.[17] It took four years for channel 29 to turn a profit.[18]

WVIR-TV was the first television station in Charlottesville and the only full-service outlet for more than 30 years; WHSV-TV opened a translator in Charlottesville in 1980,[19] and Richmond public television station WCVE-TV built full-power repeater WHTJ in 1989.[20] It also expanded its coverage area to include Staunton and the Harrisonburg–Rockingham County areas by way of two translators of its own.[21]

The station originally operated from studios on Main Street and later added more offices on East Market Street. In 1983, it bought a building on Market Street which was being used as a parking garage to renovate for its studios and offices.[22]

Waterman ownership

In 1986, Waterman Broadcasting Corporation, led by Winchester native Bernie Waterman, presented an offer to the Virginia Broadcasting Corporation to buy WVIR-TV. The 41 stockholders unanimously agreed to sell the station for $8.694 million.[18][23] The station continued to dominate its local market with no competition. In one 1998 ad, the station touted its news programs as the highest-rated in Virginia; the 6 p.m. news attracted 71 percent of the audience at that hour.[24]

In 2003, WVIR was the object of a major libel case in Virginia stemming from a 2001 news report that incorrectly stated a man's property had been searched and cocaine had been seized. The station had refused to retract the incorrect report. Jurors returned a $10 million verdict against the station, but a judge reduced the amount, calling it "undue".[25][26][27]

Channel 29 gained its first full-power commercial competition when WCAV (channel 19) launched as a CBS affiliate on August 13, 2004. The station was built by Gray Television, owner of WHSV-TV, and was followed by the conversion of the former WHSV translator into WVAW-LP, a separately programmed ABC affiliate for the Charlottesville area, as well as the 2005 launch of WAHU-CA "Fox 27".[28][29][30]

WVIR-TV started a subchannel to air The CW when the network began in September 2006. This included a 10 p.m. local newscast.[31] The station began producing high-definition newscasts in April 2008, making Charlottesville the second-smallest market at the time with HD local news.[32]

WVIR-TV ceased regular programming on its analog signal at 12:30 p.m. on February 17, 2009, the original date for the digital television transition under federal mandate (which was later pushed back to June 12, 2009). The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 32, using virtual channel 29; the decision to continue the February switchover saved the station $40,000.[33][34][35] As part of the analog nightlight service, the station was required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to leave its analog signal on-air for two months after the end of digital transition at an estimated cost to the station of $20,000 to broadcast an endless loop of instructional video on digital converter box installation. This was interrupted daily to carry local newscasts.[36]

The station entered the 2016–17 spectrum reallocation auction, electing to take $46,399,285 for its channel 32 allocation and move to the low-VHF band (channels 2 through 6).[37] Chief engineer Bob Jenkins noted that the station was not particularly happy with moving to channel 2 but chose it over entering a channel-sharing agreement with another station.[38]

Gray Television ownership

Waterman announced a deal to sell WVIR-TV to Gray Television on March 4, 2019. To acquire WVIR-TV, Gray concurrently announced it would sell WCAV and WVAW-LD, as well as WAHU-CD's programming, to Lockwood Broadcast Group. Gray, however, retained the WAHU-CD license.[39][40] The sale was approved on April 15.[41] The transaction was completed on October 1.[42] On December 1, Gray split off the NBC and CW services for the Harrisonburg and Staunton area as a separate station run from WHSV-TV, WSVW-LD "NBC 3 in the Valley".[43]

Gray implemented the station's repack. The station was to move its signal from channel 32 to channel 2 by January 17, 2020. Equipment shipping and construction delays forced WVIR-TV to use WCAV's channel 19 facility on a temporary basis before it completed the relocation to channel 2 on March 18.[44] Despite the UHF relay, WVIR-TV received hundreds of reception complaints in the following month and applied to increase its effective radiated power on channel 2 from 10 kW to 34 kW.[2] In addition to WVIR-CD, the former WAHU-CD which now broadcasts the same subchannels on the UHF band in the Charlottesville area, the station received a construction permit in 2022 to build a digital replacement translator at Madison, Virginia.[45]

Notable alumni

Technical information

Subchannels

The station's signal is multiplexed:

Subchannels of WVIR-TV[47]
Channel Res. Aspect Short name Programming
29.1 1080i 16:9 NBC Main WVIR-TV programming / NBC
29.2 480i WNat WeatherNation TV
29.3 720p CW The CW Plus
29.4 480i Crime True Crime Network
29.5 Grit Grit
29.6 Circle Circle

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WVIR-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ a b "DTV Engineering STA Application". FCC LMS. May 1, 2020.
  3. ^ "Boundary Is Outlined For Television Towers". The Daily Progress. June 10, 1965. p. 21. Retrieved July 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. and the clarification published June 11, 1965, p. 13
  4. ^ "TV Tower Is Planned In Augusta". The Daily Progress. June 10, 1961. p. 9. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Action May Take Two Years: FCC Will Rule on TV Channel for This Area". The Daily Progress. July 27, 1963. p. 11. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "TV Station On UHF Band Planned Here". The Daily Progress. February 4, 1963. p. 13. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "FCC Grants Permit for TV Station". The Daily Progress. June 20, 1964. p. 9. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "FCC Denies TV Channel In This Area". The Daily Progress. December 24, 1964. p. 21. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Construction Permit Issued for Channel 64". The Daily Progress. November 5, 1966. p. 9. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "New Request For TV Outlet In City Made". The Daily Progress. January 19, 1965. p. 11. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "WINA Also Seeks Channel 25". The Daily Progress. February 8, 1965. p. 17. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Station to Boost Its Power Output". The Daily Progress. June 22, 1966. p. 20. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Sale of WINA stations is approved by the FCC". Broadcasting. December 15, 1969. p. 50. ProQuest 1014526209.
  14. ^ "FCC History Cards for WVIR-TV". Federal Communications Commission.
  15. ^ "Timetable Set for Television". The Daily Progress. March 3, 1972. p. B1. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "NBC Okays Agreement To Serve Channel 29". The Daily Progress. June 12, 1972. p. 1. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "WVIR-TV Channel 29, NBC In Charlottesville, Va., Will Sign On The Air Sunday March 11 2:45 p.m." The Daily Progress. March 11, 1973. p. A7. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b Riley Powell, Lee (September 20, 1986). "Channel 29 To Be Sold For $10 Million". The Daily Progress. pp. C1, C2. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Harrisonburg TV Station Improves Local Signal". The Daily Progress. November 8, 1980. p. Piedmont 8. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "New Station To Sign On". The Daily Progress. May 17, 1989. p. B1. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Area Served By Active Print And Broadcast Media". The Daily Progress. August 24, 1984. p. Welcome to Charlottesville 8, 9. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "WVIR-TV will buy building Downtown". The Observer. May 5, 1983. p. 6. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Changing Hands". Broadcasting. September 29, 1986. pp. 78–79. ProQuest 1016907629.
  24. ^ "Dateline 29 News: All Day, Every Day The Most Popular Newscasts in Virginia (advertisement)". The Daily News Leader. May 5, 1998. p. A7. Retrieved July 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Gramaldi, James V. (June 16, 2003). "Blair Analogy Reaches Courtroom Far From N.Y." The Washington Post. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  26. ^ Mooney, Jake (September–October 2003). "From simple story to major mess". Columbia Journalism Review. pp. 46–49. ProQuest 230369591.
  27. ^ "Judge says $10 million jury award is excessive". The Roanoke Times. Associated Press. November 12, 2003. p. 4. Retrieved June 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Nelson, Elizabeth (August 6, 2004). "TV stations on schedule: ABC, CBS affiliates nearly ready". The Daily Progress. pp. A1, A8. Retrieved July 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Jones, Jonathan D. (August 13, 2004). "New CBS station hits airwaves today". The Daily News Leader. pp. A1, A10. Retrieved July 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Charlottesville gets another TV station". Richmond Times-Dispatch. July 4, 2005. p. B2. Retrieved July 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ Royer, David (April 13, 2006). "Bye-bye WB and UPN; hello CW". The News Leader. p. A2. Retrieved June 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Local Adoption Surges". Television Broadcast. May 2008. pp. 22–23. ProQuest 203708156.
  33. ^ Mora, Christina. "Still Switching to Digital in Central Virginia". WVIR. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
  34. ^ "List of TV stations ending analog broadcasts". NBC News. Associated Press. February 17, 2009. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  35. ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. May 23, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  36. ^ McNeill, Brian (February 14, 2009). "Area stations to switch to digital on Tuesday". The Daily Progress.
  37. ^ "FCC Broadcast Television Spectrum Incentive Auction 1001 Winning Bids" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. April 4, 2017.
  38. ^ O'Neal, James (June 23, 2017). "Broadcasters Face Complex Repack". TVTechnology.
  39. ^ "Gray Television to acquire NBC 29 from Waterman Broadcasting". The Daily Progress. March 4, 2019.
  40. ^ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. March 4, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  41. ^ "Notice of Consent to Assignment" (PDF). Consolidated Database System. Federal Communications Commission. April 15, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  42. ^ "Consummation Notice". Consolidated Database System. Federal Communications Commission. October 2, 2019. Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  43. ^ "WHSV announces launch of NBC and CW Plus affiliations 'NBC 3 in the Valley'". WHSV. October 2, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  44. ^ "Request to Extend a DTV Engineering STA Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  45. ^ "New Digital Replacement Translator Construction Permit Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. December 31, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  46. ^ Thompson, Matthew (August 9, 2006). "WOWK news anchor leaving station". Charleston Daily Mail. p. 2A.
  47. ^ "TV Query for WVIR". RabbitEars.