WVAW-LD

WVAW-LD
Charlottesville, Virginia United States

Branding	ABC 16 (general) CBS 19 News (newscasts)
Slogan	Where Charlottesville News Comes First
Channels	Digital: 16 (UHF) Virtual: 16 (PSIP)
Subchannels	16.1 ABC
Affiliations	ABC
Owner	Gray Television (Gray Television Licensee, LLC)
First air date	1979 (1979)
Call letters' meaning	VA (Virginia postal abbreviation)
Sister station(s)	WCAV, WAHU-CD, WHSV-TV, WSVF-CD
Former callsigns	W64AO (1979–2004) WVAW-LP (2004–2009)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 64 (UHF, 1979–2004) 16 (UHF, 2004–2009)
Transmitter power	15 kW
Height	324 m
Facility ID	4687
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

WVAW-LD is the low-powered ABC-affiliated television station for Charlottesville, Virginia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 16 from a transmitter on Carters Mountain. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 3 and in high definition on digital channel 803. Owned by Gray Television, WVAW is sister to CBS affiliate WCAV 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

What is now WVAW-LD originally began in 1979 on analog UHF channel 64 with the call sign W64AO. The station was a low-powered repeater of WHSV, which was the area's default ABC affiliate even though Richmond's WRIC-TV puts a strong signal into Charlottesville. In 2004, W64AO moved to UHF channel 16, gained the WVAW-LP call letters, and became the market's first ABC affiliate not long after WCAV signed-on. However, it was still officially licensed as a translator station according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

In early 2005 after the launch of WCAV and WVAW, Gray Television launched a third station in the area, Fox affiliate WAHU-CA. Since 2006, the three have been the official flagships of University of Virginia sports. WVAW was temporarily taken off-the-air by a fire on its transmitter tower at the top of Carters Mountain on November 9, 2006. The signal was restored on November 13. On December 28, WVAW moved to Comcast channel 3.

Of all of the Richmond and Washington 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 and WTVR-TV. WUSA is not on digital cable nor is any other district station. Other Comcast systems north and west of Charlottesville do pick up Washington and Richmond locals either on the main tier or digital lineup. On October 27, 2009, WVAW's digital transmitter had a glitch over-the-air. The signal was put on WAHU-DT2 for a short time and the problem was fixed a day later.

Digital television

Digital channel

Channel	Video	Aspect	PSIP Short Name	Programming^[1]
16.1	720p	16:9	ABC16	Main WVAW-LD programming / ABC

Analog-to-digital conversion

WVAW shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 16, on February 16, 2009, and "flash-cut" its digital signal into operation on UHF channel 16.^[2] It also changed its calls to the current WVAW-LD with "LD" standing for low-powered digital.

Programming

Syndicated programming on the station includes: Inside Edition, Ellen.

Newscasts

WVAW and its sister stations employ the largest television news team dedicated exclusively to the Charlottesville market. While WVIR dedicates some staff to adjacent areas, WVAW focuses its coverage solely on the counties that comprise the Charlottesville viewing area. 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.

References

↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WVAW
↑ "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

ABC Network Affiliates in the Commonwealth of Virginia

WHSV 3 (Harrisonburg) TV3 Winchester 3 (WHSV-DT3) (Winchester/Harrisonburg) WRIC 8 (Petersburg) WSET 13 (Lynchburg) WVEC 13 (Hampton) WVAW-LD 16 (Charlottesville)

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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