| WSAZ-TV | |
|---|---|
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| Huntington - Charleston, West Virginia | |
| Branding | WSAZ NewsChannel 3 MyZTV (on DT2) |
| Slogan | Comprehensive Coverage of Severe Weather and Breaking News |
| Channels | Digital: 23 (UHF) Virtual: 3 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | 3.1 NBC (Secondary through 1956) 3.2 MyNetworkTV/This TV |
| Translators | W16CE Charleston |
| Owner | Gray Television (Gray Television Licensee, Inc.) |
| First air date | October 24, 1949 |
| Call letters’ meaning | Worst Station A to Z (local legend) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 5 (1949-1952) 3 (1952-2009) |
| Former affiliations | All secondary: CBS (1949-1954) ABC (1949-1955) DuMont (1949-1956) |
| Transmitter Power | 724 kW |
| Height | 363.7 m |
| Facility ID | 36912 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | 38°30′36″N 82°13′10″W / 38.51°N 82.21944°W |
| Website | www.wsaz.com www.myztv.tv |
WSAZ-TV, channel 3, is a television station in Huntington, West Virginia. Owned by Gray Television, it is the NBC affiliate for the Huntington-Charleston market, the second-largest television market (in terms of geographical area) east of the Mississippi River. The station serves 61 counties that cover central West Virginia, far eastern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio. WSAZ operates studios in both Huntington and Charleston, and its transmitter is located in Ona, West Virginia.
WSAZ-TV's programming can also be seen in the Kanawha Valley on translator W16CE (channel 16) in Charleston. This station is carried on the Suddenlink Communications cable system in the eastern part of the market.
The station is best known for its unique "split" newscasts. The main WSAZ-TV signal provides a newscast featuring stories from all three states in the market, while the Charleston translator provides a newscast focused solely on West Virginia.[1]
Contents |
Digital programming
The station's digital channel is multiplexed.
| Channel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 3.1 | main WSAZ-TV/NBC programming |
| 3.2 | My Z TV/MyNetworkTV programming |
History
WSAZ-TV, the oldest television station in West Virginia, began broadcasting on channel 5 on October 24, 1949, owned by the Huntington Herald-Dispatch along with WSAZ radio (930 AM, now WRVC). It carried programming from all four networks at the time -- NBC, CBS, ABC, and DuMont. However, it was a primary NBC affiliate due to WSAZ radio's long relationship with NBC. When WCHS-TV (channel 8) signed on from Charleston in 1954, it took over the CBS affiliation, and the two stations shared ABC programming until WHTN-TV (channel 13, now WOWK-TV) signed on from Huntington a year later. Later in 1955, WSAZ-TV dropped DuMont. It is the only commercial station in the market that has never changed its primary affiliation.
One story of how WSAZ's call letters originated dates from WSAZ radio's origins in 1923. Radio engineer Glenn Chase applied to the Secretary of Commerce for a license to operate a small radio station in Pomeroy, Ohio (it moved across the Ohio River to Huntington in 1927). In the application he reportedly claimed that since he was building most of the station's equipment himself, "it would probably be the worst station from A to Z." He asked that appropriate call letters be assigned. His request was promptly granted and the call letters WSAZ were given to him meaning "Worst Station from A to Z." A more likely story was that the allocation of the call letters WSAZ were pure coincidence as they were assigned by the Department of Commerce in an alphabetical sequence just after WSAX in Chicago, and WSAY in Port Chester, New York. However, the myth persists that the calls stand for "Worst Station from A to Z" -- a myth WSAZ radio itself helped spread by using it as a slogan for many years.
In 1950, WSAZ-TV received Federal Communications Commission permission to build a private microwave link to Cincinnati, allowing viewers to get NBC programming live. The nation's first privately owned microwave system, it was a remarkable feat for one of the smallest cities in the country at the time to have a television station. The first live broadcast was scheduled for a Labor Day baseball game, but the system broke down for four hours and forced WSAZ to broadcast a fire at a nearby hotel. WSAZ ditched the Cincinnati link in favor of one from Columbus, Ohio in 1952.
Also in 1952, the FCC released its Sixth Report and Order, which included a realignment of VHF channel assignments. As a result, WSAZ-TV moved to channel 3, alleviating interference to WLWT, channel 5 in Cincinnati. The channel move also created an opening for a new channel 5 station in Weston; it signed on as WJPB-TV (now WDTV) in March 1954. As part of the frequency switch, the FCC granted WSAZ a boost in broadcast power, which at the time was the highest ever authorized for a television station. This allowed the station to penetrate more of its huge viewing area, most of which is a very rugged dissected plateau. However, as the regulation of domestic television stations were normalized, WSAZ's signal strength was reduced to the same levels as other stations in 1956. The station's transmission tower was the tallest in North America until WIS-TV in Columbia, South Carolina activated a taller tower in 1959.
The Herald-Dispatch sold WSAZ-AM-TV to Goodwill Stations, owner of WJR radio in Detroit and WJRT-TV in Flint, Michigan, in 1961. Goodwill was merged into Capital Cities Communications in 1964. Capital Cities sold the radio station in Stoner Broadcasting in 1970, but kept channel 3 until 1971, when it was sold to Lee Enterprises. Emmis Communications bought the station in 2000 after Lee decided to bow out of broadcasting. Emmis then sold WSAZ to Gray Television in 2005. The Gray Television purchase made WSAZ a sister station to fellow NBC affiliate WTAP-TV (channel 15) in Parkersburg.
Being based in Huntington, WSAZ is located 50 miles (80 km) away from West Virginia's state capital, Charleston. As such, the station opened a branch studio there in 1956. It also opened a low-power station on channel 23 in Charleston to serve the Kanawha Valley soon after its signal was cut to standardized levels. However, despite WSAZ's effective radiated power of 42,700-watts on channel 3, most of the Kanawha Valley still can't receive its signal due to the area's rugged terrain. However, Charleston and its close-in suburbs receive the main WSAZ signal very well. The Charleston translator was moved to channel 16 in 2003 after WSAZ began using channel 23 for its digital broadcasts.
Since 1956, WSAZ's newscasts have featured two anchors, one at the main studio in Huntington and the other in Charleston. NBC studied the format and used it as the basis for the Huntley-Brinkley Report, anchored by Chet Huntley in New York City and David Brinkley in Washington. All of the Big Three broadcast networks have used this approach at one time or another since then.
WSAZ uses its low-power translator in Charleston to provide viewers with a "split" newscast. At 6:00 and 11:00 p.m., the two anchors appear together on screen until a certain point (usually 10-15 minutes into the newscast) when the newscast will "split." Viewers in the 28 counties of the Kanawha Valley who watch channel 16 (and those on the Valley's main cable provider, Suddenlink Communications) will then see a newscast targeted specifically to them, while viewers in the other 33 counties will see a newscast featuring news from Kentucky and Ohio as well as West Virginia. WSAZ calls this concept "two-city news."
Largely because of its pioneering status in the state and its unique newscasts, WSAZ is one of the country's most dominant television stations. It has been the far-and-away market leader for as long as records have been kept. WCHS and WOWK have rarely come close, though for a brief period in the late 1990s WOWK overtook WSAZ for first place in the northern (Charleston) side of the market.
Since WSAZ-TV has traditionally been one of NBC's strongest affiliates, there has been speculation at times that NBC considered buying the station. Rumors also abounded soon after the Gray Television purchase that WTAP-TV would scrap its newscasts and simulcast WSAZ's newscasts instead. WSAZ has always covered Parkersburg events anyway, and has long been available on cable on the West Virginia side of that market. It should be noted that WTAP is the only commercial station in the Parkersburg market. While an NBC acquisition may at one time have been rumored, NBC Universal has been selling many of their local stations and have retained holdings only in large population centers. After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion on February 17, 2009 [2], WSAZ-TV remained on its current pre-transition channel number, 23. Digital receivers display the station's virtual channel as 3 through the use of PSIP.
WSAZ-DT 3.2/My Z TV
On September 5, 2006, WSAZ-TV launched My Z TV on its second digital subchannel (3.2). This subchannel carries programming from MyNetworkTV along with programs currently on WSAZ's main feed (like The Oprah Winfrey Show) at different times, syndicated shows exclusive to the subchannel (such as The Andy Griffith Show and Cheers) [1], local newscasts at 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., and other local programming. Although it is a digital subchannel, many local cable companies air My Z TV as a separate channel on their systems. On August 29, 2009, it dropped its previous overnight lineup of infomercials, and began a secondary affiliation with the This TV network, carrying This programming from 8 to 10 a.m. and from midnight to 6 a.m. [2]
Retransmission consent controversy
Under federal must-carry rules, broadcasters can either allow cable systems in their market to carry their signals for free or charge a fee under retransmission consent provisions. On December 3, 2008, it was announced that Inter Mountain Cable (IMC), a cable provider serving parts of eastern Kentucky, announced that it would drop WSAZ from their lineup unless an agreement was reached over retransmission consent.[3] According to The Mountain Eagle of Whitesburg, Kentucky, this dispute has caused concern among officials in the city of Fleming-Neon, where IMC holds the cable TV franchise there.[4] The city council in Fleming-Neon have stated that the removal of WSAZ will violate IMC's franchise agreement.[4]
News/Station Presentation
Newscast Titles
- NewsCenter 3 (mid 1980s-1993)
- WSAZ NewsChannel 3 (1993-present)
Station Slogans
- The News Leader (1989-1993)
- Where Your News Comes First (1993-2008)
- Comprehensive Coverage of Severe Weather and Breaking News (2008-present)
This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.Personalities
Current On-Air Talent
Current Anchors
- Amanda Barren - Saturdays at 6 and 11PM (also reporter)
- Carrie Cline - weeknights at 5PM
- Tim Irr - weeknights at 5:30, 6 and 11PM
- Rob Johnson - weekday mornings "WSAZ NewsChannel 3 Today" and noon
- Bill Murray - weeknights at 5PM
- Susan Nicholas - Saturday mornings, Sundays at 6 and 11PM (also reporter)
- Jessica Ralston - weeknights at 5:30, 6 and 11PM (also reporter, and 10PM anchor on MyZ)
- Melanie Shafer - weekday mornings "WSAZ NewsChannel 3 Today"
Reporters
- Dave Benton - general assignment reporter
- Kallie Cart - general assignment reporter
- Amanda Goodman - general assignment reporter (also web producer)
- Carrie Jones - general assignment reporter (also producer)
- John Marra - home and garden expert
- Brad Myers - general assignment reporter (also producer)
- Chris Olsen - morning reporter (also morning anchor on WSAZ-DT2)
- Randy Yohe - general assignment reporter
First Warning Weather Team
- Tony Cavalier - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 6 and 11PM
- Marina Jurica - Meteorologist; weekday mornings "WSAZ NewsChannel 3 Today" and noon
- Josh Fitzpatrick - Meteorologist; weekends at 6 and 11PM
- Chris Bailey (Member; NWA/Member; AMS) - Meteorologist; weekdays at 5 and 5:30 PM
Sports Team
- Keith Morehouse - Sports Director; weeknights at 5, 6 and 11PM
- John Mulvaney - Sports Anchor; weekends at 6 and 11PM (also sports reporter)
- Paul Gessler - sports and general assignment reporter
Former Staff
- Penny Moss Former NewsChannel 3 5:30 Edition & Six O'Clock Anchor
- Will Jones Former NewsChannel 3 Reporter
Notable alumni
- George Lewis, host of Steamboat Bill and original host of Mr. Cartoon
- Fred Briggs, originally "Fred Warlock" on WSAZ; went on to a 30-year career as a correspondent for NBC News
- Jule Huffman, former weatherman and host of Mr. Cartoon from 1969-1995
- Roger O'Neill, who later became a national correspondent for NBC News
- Joe Johns, now a reporter for CNN.
- Mike Tobin, who now serves as an international correspondent based in Tel Aviv for FOX News Channel.
References
- ^ "The Charleston Split". WSAZ-TV. http://www.wsaz.com/charleston/misc/18322959.html. Retrieved 2009-10-26.
- ^ Digital Television Information
- ^ "WSAZ-TV and WOWK-TV Possible Agreement Issue For 2009". Inter Mountain Cable. 2008-12-03. http://www.imctv.com/news_viewNews.php?news_id=40. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
- ^ a b Farley, William (2009-01-14). "Neon council upset by threat of TV changes". The Mountain Eagle. pp. 2. http://www.themountaineagle.com/news/2009/0114/news/004.html. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
External links
- WSAZ-TV Website
- MyZ Website
- MyZ Blog
- History of WSAZ-TV
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WSAZ
- Query the FCC's TV station database for W16CE
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WSAZ-TV
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