WVUA-CD

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WVUA-CA is a commercial television station owned by the Auxiliary Services Unit and Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama, affiliated with This TV. The station is licensed to Northport, Alabama; with studios on the University's campus in Tuscaloosa. It operates within the University's College of Communication and Information Sciences, drawing on the resources of its Department of Telecommunication and Film,[1],but WVUA is still classified as a commercial station because it relies mostly on advertising from outside sources. This makes WVUA one of only two commercial television stations in the US owned by a Public Institution, the other being KOMU, owned by the University of Missouri. WVUA has a full time, paid staff, including station and sales executives, anchors and a news director.

History

The station began in 1998 as WJRD on Channel 49, bringing local news coverage to west Alabama for the first time since WDBB (17) and WCFT (33) shifted focus to the Birmingham area.

A $1 million gift from the influential Bryant family allowed the University to acquire WJRD in 2001. After moving its operations onto the University campus, the station adopted the call sign WVUA in January 2002.

In addition to repeaters in Greensboro (WDVZ-CA Channel 3) and Demopolis (WJMY-CA Channel 25 and WJMY-LD Channel 22), WVUA's signal is carried by cable operators Comcast in Tuscaloosa and Charter Communications and Bright House Networks in Birmingham.

In November 2004, Channel 23 LLC filed an application with the FCC to donate its full-power station, WLDM, to the University. Today WUOA-DT broadcasts on digital channel 6 from atop Red Mountain and covers the whole Birmingahm DMA. WUOA is a repeater of WVUA and can be found on channel 23.

In 2006, WVUA was added to the Birmingham local stations lineup for both Dish Network and DirecTV, thus adding a substantial number of potential viewers.

In late 2008, WVUA/WUOA began a partial affiliation with This TV.

Digital television

Because it was granted an original construction permit after the FCC finalized the DTV allotment plan on April 21, 1997 [2], WUOA did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station. Instead, on June 12, 2009, the end of the digital TV conversion period for full-service stations, WUOA was required to turn off its analog signal and turn on its digital signal (called a "flash-cut"). The University was granted a construction permit for WUOA to move to channel 6. The new digital transmitter is located on Red Mountain and covers the entire Birmingham DMA effective June 12, 2009.

WVUA, as a low-power station, is exempt from a mandatory turn-off of its analog signal.

News/Station Presentation

Newscast Titles

News Channel 49 (1998-2000)
WJRD 7 News (2000-2002)
WVUA 7 News (2002-2004)
WVUA News (2004-Present)

Station Slogans

Your Home Team (2005-present)

External links