WCAV

WCAV
Charlottesville, Virginia United States
Branding	CBS19 (general) CBS19 News (newscasts) CBS19 Weather Authority (weather)
Slogan	Charlottesville News First
Channels	Digital: 19 (UHF) Virtual: 19 (PSIP)
Subchannels	19.1 CBS 19.2 19 Weather Now 19.3 Fox
Affiliations	CBS
Owner	Gray Television (Gray Television Licensee, LLC)
First air date	August 15, 2004 (2004-08-15)
Call letters' meaning	Cavalier (UVA mascot)
Sister station(s)	WVAW, WAHU-CD, WHSV-TV, WSVF-CD
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 19 (UHF, 2004–2009)
Transmitter power	155 kW
Height	325.6 m
Facility ID	363
Transmitter coordinates	37°59′3″N 78°28′52″W / 37.98417°N 78.48111°W / 37.98417; -78.48111
Licensing authority	FCC
Public license information:	Profile CDBS
Website	newsplex.com

WCAV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Charlottesville, Virginia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter on Carters Mountain. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 6 and in high definition on digital channel 806. Owned by Gray Television, WCAV is sister to low-powered ABC affiliate WVAW-LD and low-powered Fox affiliate WAHU-CD. All three share studios, known as the "Charlottesville Newsplex", on 2nd Street Southeast in Downtown Charlottesville.

In addition, some behind-the-scenes duties are run alongside that of sister station WHSV-TV in Harrisonburg (which the "Newsplex" has a resource sharing alliance with).

History

WCAV began broadcasting on August 15, 2004 becoming the market's first CBS affiliate and first station to mount a challenge against established NBC affiliate WVIR-TV. Previously, the analog UHF channel 19 allocation was considered to bring Richmond a primary WB station. That area had lacked such an affiliation since the switch of WUPV to UPN in 1997. Charlottesville had previously received CBS programming on cable from Richmond's WTVR-TV and Washington D.C.'s WUSA. When it launched, WCAV immediately replaced WUSA on local cable systems.

During 2007, the station first swapped analog cable channel allocations with WTVR. After that, the Richmond station moved to the digital tier. Shortly after WCAV's sign-on, owner Gray Television signed on ABC affiliate WVAW-LP on UHF channel 16. That station was formerly a low-powered repeater (on UHF channel 64) of Harrisonburg's WHSV and it replaced that station on Charlottesville-area cable systems. In early-2005, the two stations were joined by new Class A Fox affiliate WAHU-CA on UHF channel 27.

Since 2006, the three have been the official flagships of University of Virginia sports. The station is not related to the former WCAV-FM (now WKAF-FM) in Brockton, Massachusetts.

On June 17, 2013, the WAHU Fox 27 simulcast on WCAV 19.3 was changed to high definition.

Digital television

Digital channel

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel	Video	Aspect	PSIP Short Name	Programming^[1]
19.1	1080i	16:9	CBS19	Main WCAV programming / CBS
19.2	480i	4:3	NEWSPLEX NOW	Weather and Newscast Rebroadcasts
19.3	720p	16:9	FOX27	Simulcast of WAHU-CD

Analog-to-digital conversion

WCAV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 19, on February 16, 2009, the day to the prior to the original date in which full-power television stations in the United States were set to transition from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate (which was later rescheduled for June 12, 2009). The station "flash-cut" its digital signal into operation on UHF channel 19.^[2] Of all of the Richmond and Washington, D.C. stations replaced on the main tier for the new Charlottesville ABC, CBS, and Fox affiliates, only WTTG survived. On Comcast digital cable, Richmond channels include WRIC-TV, WTVR and WWBT. Other Comcast providers north and west of Charlottesville do pick up Washington and Richmond locals either on the main tier or digital lineup.

Programming

Syndicated programming on the station includes: Entertainment Tonight, Judge Judy, Family Feud, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

News operation

WCAV and its sister stations employ the largest television news team dedicated exclusively to the Charlottesville market. While WVIR dedicates some staff to adjacent areas, WCAV focuses its coverage solely on the counties that comprise the Charlottesville viewing area. In June 2006, WCAV received the runner-up award for "Outstanding News Operation" by the Virginia Association of Broadcasters. WWBT in Richmond was the winner in that category. In 2007, the station received the "Outstanding Sports Coverage" award for a commercial television station from the Virginia Association of Broadcasters.

That same year, its website was the runner up to WVEC in Norfolk for an outstanding website award. Beth Duffy, formerly of WVIR, returned to the airwaves on WCAV on April 16, 2007. She left the station on November 25, 2009. On September 21, 2007 WCAV launched The Local AccuWeather Channel on a new second digital subchannel and live streaming video on its website and mobile phone app. Known on-air as "CBS19 Weather Now", it was added to Comcast digital channel 209 in December. In the fall of 2015, the channel was given a new look and the "CBS19 Weather Now" branding was changed to "NEWSPLEX NOW." The updated channel featured a daily simulcast of all Newsplex newscasts, previously recorded broadcasts and weather information provided by AccuWeather.

As the primary station in the "Charlottesville Newsplex" operation, WCAV airs the most newscasts. WVAW simulcasts the second hour of Good Morning Charlottesville on weekday mornings (6:00-7:00 a.m.), CBS19 News weeknights at 5:00, 5:30 and 6:00 and 19News Nightcast weeknights at 11:00 p.m. WAHU airs an hour-long extension of Good Morning Charlottesville weekday mornings at 7:00 a.m. and nightly prime time newscasts at 10:00 p.m. that competes with CW affiliate WVIR-DT3. All shows, except the extension of Good Morning Charlottesville on WAHU, are streamed live on the "Charlottesville Newsplex" website and in the Newsplex app.

References

↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WCAV
↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-24.

External links

Broadcast television in the Charlottesville area

Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable with cable television

Local stations	WVAW-LD (16.1 ABC) WCAV (19.1 CBS, 19.2 AccuWX, 19.3 Fox) WAHU-CD (27.1 Fox, 27.2 MNTV/MeTV) WVIR-TV (29.1 NBC, 29.2 Weather Nation TV, 29.3 The CW) WHTJ (41.1 PBS, 41.2 Create, 41.3 MHZWV) WVPT (51.1 PBS, 51.2 Create, 51.3 V-me)

Virginia broadcast television areas by city Bristol Bluefield Charlottesville Harrisonburg Norfolk Richmond Roanoke Washington, DC

CBS Network Affiliates in the Commonwealth of Virginia

WTKR 3 (Norfolk) WTVR 6 (Richmond) WDBJ 7 (Roanoke) WCAV 19 (Charlottesville) WSVF-LD 43.2 (Harrisonburg)

See also ABC CBS CW Fox Ion MyNetworkTV NBC PBS Other stations in Virginia

Fox Network Affiliates in the Commonwealth of Virginia

WAHU-CD 27 (Charlottesville) WFXR 27/WWCW 21.2 (Roanoke / Lynchburg) WRLH 35 (Richmond) WSVF-CD 43 (Harrisonburg) WVBT 43 (Virginia Beach)

See also ABC CBS CW Fox Ion MyNetworkTV NBC PBS Other stations in Virginia

Gray Television

ABC network affiliates	KCRG KGNS ¹ KJCT KNOE ¹ KOLO KOTA / KHSD KSFY / KABY / KPRY KSPR ² WBKO WHSV WJRT WTOK WTVG WVAW

CBS network affiliates	KALB ¹ KGWN / KSTF KKTV KMVT KNOE KNPL KOLN / KGIN KOSA KVLY ¹ KWCH / KBSD / KBSH / KBSL KWTX / KBTX KXII KYLX WAGM ¹ WCAV WCTV / WSWG WDBJ WECP WIBW WIFR WIYE WKYT / WYMT WRDW WSAW WSVF ¹ WTVY WVLT

The CW network affiliates ¹	KBTX KCWY KGWN / KSTF KJCT KNOE KSCW KSFY / KABY / KPRY KWTX KYCW KYLX WAGT WBKO WBXX WJHG WKYT WQCW WSWG WTOK WTVG WYMT

Fox network affiliates	KEVN KIIT KNDX / KXND KSVT KXII ¹ WAGM WAHU WBKO ¹ WLUC ¹ WOVA WSVF WZAW

MyNetworkTV affiliates ¹	KKTV KOSA KSNB KXII WAHU WCTV WECP WHSV WIBW WITN WRDW WSAW WSAZ WSWG WTOK WTVY WIYE WVLT

NBC network affiliates	KALB KCWY KFYR / KQCD / KMOT / KUMV KGNS KKCO KNOP KSNB KTUU KVLY KYTV WAGT WEAU WILX WITN WJHG WLUC WMTV WNDU WOWT WRGX WSAZ WTAP

Other Stations	TEL KGNS ¹ KKCO ¹ UNI KDCU ³ Ind. K17DL-D ⁴

Acquisitions	Benedek Broadcasting Hoak Media Schurz Communications

¹ These stations (except for KSCW & WQCW) broadcast these networks on their digital subchannels. ² Owned by Schurz Communications, Gray operates KSPR through a SSA. ³ Owned by Entravision Communications, Gray operates KDCU through a JSA. ⁴ Owned by Branson Visitors TV; Gray holds a 50.1% interest in this company.

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