WAVY-TV

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WAVY-TV
Portsmouth/Norfolk/Newport News/Virginia Beach, Virginia
Branding	WAVY TV 10 (general) WAVY News 10 (newscasts)
Slogan	10 On Your Side
Channels	Digital: 31 (UHF)
Subchannels	10.1 NBC
Affiliations	National Broadcasting Company
Owner	LIN TV Corporation (WAVY Broadcasting, LLC)
First air date	September 1, 1957
Call letters’ meaning	the word "Wavy," possible reference to the Navy and Hampton Roads Naval Shipyards
Sister station(s)	WVBT
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 10 (1957-2009)
Former affiliations	ABC (1957-59)
Transmitter Power	1000 kW
Height	280 m
Facility ID	71127
Transmitter Coordinates	36°49′14″N 76°30′41″W / 36.82056°N 76.51139°W / 36.82056; -76.51139
Website	www.wavy.com

WAVY-TV is the NBC affiliate serving the Norfolk/Portsmouth/Newport News, Virginia television market (DMA). The station is located and licensed in Portsmouth, and its transmitter is located in Suffolk, Virginia. The station broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 31. It is a sister station to the area's Fox affiliate, WVBT.

[edit] Digital television

On June 12, 2009 at 9 AM, WAVY-TV left channel 10 and continues to broadcast on channel 31 when the analog to digital conversion completed.^[1]

[edit] History

WAVY-TV began operation on September 1, 1957. It was owned by Tidewater Teleradio along with WAVY radio (AM 1350, now WGPL). The channel originally signed on as an ABC affiliate, but swapped affiliations with then-NBC affiliate WVEC-TV in 1959 due to its radio sister's long affiliation with NBC radio. In 1968, it became the second station owned by LIN Broadcasting, who still owns the station today. (WAND in Decatur, Illinois was the very first station owned by LIN, but was sold off outright to a new owner in November 2007.)

[edit] Newscasts

WAVY airs 30 hours of local news a week. It also began producing a nightly 10pm newscast for WVBT in 1998. It was the first station in the market to air a 5:30 a.m. newscast 1992^[2] and started a 5:00 p.m newscast in 1989 and 5:30 p.m. newscast in 1994.

WAVY is known for being the first Hampton Roads station to use a helicopter to cover local news. The station introduced "Chopper 10" in 1982. The current Chopper 10, a Bell 206 Longranger, has been used by WAVY since 2000. ^[3] Other firsts include being the first station in the market to broadcast digitally (starting in 2001). On Monday July 21st, 2008 at noon, WAVY became the first station in the market (along with LIN-owned WVBT) and first in their station group to produce a high-definition newscast. This is in contrast to rival WVEC's news being produced in 16:9 digital widescreen.^[4]

[edit] On-Air Personalities

[edit] Anchors

• Alveta Ewell, 6:00 and 11:00
• Andy Fox, Saturday morning
• Kerri Furey, morning and noon
• Stephanie Harris, 5:30
• Lori Crouch, weekend 6:00 and 11:00
• Nicole Livas, 5:00 and 5:30
• Don Roberts, morning and noon
• Tom Schaad, 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00
• Melanie Woodrow, Sunday morning

[edit] Weather Anchors

• Jon Cash, weekday morning and noon
• Cheryl Nelson, weekend evenings
• Don Slater, weekday evenings
• Jeremy Wheeler, weekend mornings

[edit] Sports Anchors

• Ahmed Fareed, fill-in
• Bruce Rader, weekdays
• Chris Reckling, weekend

[edit] Reporters

• Allyson Blair
• Katie Collett
• Lori Crouch, Investigator
• David Culver, Web Reporter
• Andy Fox, Political
• Stephanie Harris, Health
• Eric Harryman
• Ava Hurdle
• Art Kohn, Photojournalist
• Oren Liebermann
• Mary Kay Mallonee
• Jason Marks
• Derrick Rose
• Cheryl Tan, Traffic
• Melanie Woodrow, Military
• Kay Young

[edit] Chopper 10 pilot

• John Massey

[edit] Former on-air personalities

• Doug Aronson, reporter during the 1990s, later moved to WVEC.
• Betty Ann Bowser, reporter, co-anchor in the 1960s. Later worked for WTAR-TV during the 1960s and early 1970s, then worked as a correspondent for CBS News (1973-86) as well as PBS's NewsHour (1986-present)
• Monique Braxton, reporter 1989-1995. Now at WCAU in Philadelphia.
• Rich Brenner, sports anchor in the 1970s.
• Christy Carlo, morning co-anchor from 1996 until 2000. formerly at Imus in the Morning and MSNBC under birth name Christy Musumeci.
• Carolyn Castleberry (née Anderson), was a reporter/morning anchor and later noon/5/5:30 co-anchor at WAVY from 1990 until 2004; now a co-host of the CBN produced series, "Living the Life".^[5]
• John Castleberry, Carolyn's husband; was a weekend sports anchor during the 1980s until 1993. Later worked at WTKR. Most recently hosted a daily radio show on 102.1 The Game WXTG-FM.^[6]
• Barbara Ciara, weekend co-anchor from 1983 until 1988, when she left for WVEC. Now working at WTKR.^[7] as well as President of the National Association of Black Journalists
• Patty Culhane, military reporter from 2000 until 2006. Now at NBC News.
• Mike Deeson, weekend anchor, political reporter and talk show host in the 1970s and early 80s. Now the senior reporter for WTSP-TV in Tampa, where he has worked since 1982.^[8]
• Don DeIulio, morning traffic reporter from 1989 until 2007.
• Lloyd Dobyns, news co-anchor in the 1960s with Vern Jones. Later a correspondent and anchor with NBC News (1969-1986) where he hosted the news magazine Weekend from 1974-1979. Winner of a Peabody Award.^[9]
• Chris Francis, sportscaster from 2000 to 2004. Now at WDJT-TV in Milwaukee.
• Rhonda Glenn, weather reporter, talk show host and anchor in the 1960s and 70s. Golf commentator for ABC (1978- ). 1st full-time national TV network female sportscaster (ESPN, February 6, 1981). Amateur golfer and author of dozens of magazine articles and books on the sport. Manager of Communications for the USGA.
• Bob Grip, weekday evening anchor during the early 1980s, now at WALA in Mobile.
• Shelley Harrell, also known as Shelley Roupas; anchor/reporter 1996-99. Also, anchor/reporter with KFMB in San Diego 2000-2002.
• Carol Hoffman, was a reporter/morning anchor from 1985 until leaving for WVEC in 1996.
• Hillary Howard, former weekend meteorologist during the late 1980s, now a talk show host for WWWT in Washington, D.C.
• Vern Jones, news co-anchor with Lloyd Dobyns in the 1960s.
• Lisa Joyner, formerly at The Best Damn Sports Show Period, currently host of TV Guide Channel's inFANity. ^[10]
• Bud Kaatz, sports anchor in the 1960s and 70s. Now with AmerUs Life Insurance Company in Scottsdale, Arizona.
• Sandra Kelly, anchor during the late 1970s before moving to WTKR. Now associate rector at Tampa's St. John Episcopal Church.^[11]
• Tina Kim, reporter from 2006-2007. Now living in Boston.
• Dick Lamb, Hampton Roads radio personality; was at WAVY during the 1970s.
• Jim Lawrence, fill-in meteorologist from 1991 until 1995, weekend evening meteorologist from 1995 until 2007, now at WNKY in Bowling Green, Kentucky.^[12]
• Bill Logan, consumer reporter until 1990. Now at WFTS-TV in Tampa.
• Mindy Lentz, reporter/weekend anchor from 2001 to 2003.
• Irene Maher, weathercaster and health reporter until 1985. Left for WFLA-TV in Tampa.
• Mac McManus, "Poop Deck Pappy" during the 1950s and 1960s, later was a weekday morning anchor on weekday morning news/entertainment program "Tidewater Today" until 1989 (died in 2001)
• Lowell Melser, reporter until 2004. Now reporter at WBAL-TV in Baltimore.^[13]
• Krystle Meachem, reporter/weekend anchor from 1998 to 2001.
• Starr Merritt, anchor in the 1960s. Later reported for WVEC.
• Pete Michaud, weekend/fill-in sports anchor in the late 1980's and early 1990s. Also called play-by-play for the Hampton Roads Admirals.
• Cathy Midkiff Lewis, anchor until 1987. Now host of "HearSay with Cathy Lewis" on WHRV-FM and What Matters on WHRO.
• Diana Morgan, anchor-turned-actress, seen in series such as JAG, The Bold and the Beautiful, Babylon 5 and The West Wing and films such as Titanic.
• David Nelson, anchor from 2003-2007.
• Adam Owens, reporter from 2004-2007. Now reporter at WRAL-TV in Raleigh.
• Charles Pugh, anchor/reporter in the 1990s. Now weekend anchor at WJBK-TV in Detroit.
• Leanne Rains, co-anchor until 1993, later went to WTKR. Now running LeAnne Rains & Co. Media Services.
• Thomas Roberts, consumer reporter/weekday afternoon co-anchor during late 1990s, former anchor at CNN Headline News, now a correspondent for The Insider.
• Joel Rubin, anchor and political reporter from 1976 to 1991, later hosted WVEC's "On the Record" until 2008.^[14]
• Jim Smith, meteorologist until the early 1980s (preceded Don Slater). Died in 1995.
• Les Smith, weekend co-anchor from 1985 until 1992. 5pm co-anchor from 1992 until 1993 and 5:30, 6pm, and 11pm co-anchor from 1993 until resignation in 2007. Later anchor at WTKR.^[15]. Now a reporter for News 12 New Jersey. ^[16]
• Cynthia Smoot, anchor/reporter in the 1980s. Now at WTVT in Tampa.
• Marny Stanier, weekend meteorologist. Left for The Weather Channel in April 1987.
• Greg Starddard, weekend anchor, 5pm anchor, reporter, 1995-1997, left for WBFF FOX-45 Baltimore, now at AAA Mid-Atlantic as a Public and Government Affairs Specialist ^[1]
• Stan Verrett, now an anchor at ESPN and ESPNEWS, also worked for WVEC.
• Rona Williams, reporter from 2000-2005. Now working in Pharmaceutical Sales.
• John Wilson, anchor in the 1970s. Now anchor at WTVT in Tampa.^[17]
• Kelly Wright, now at Fox News Channel.
• Fred Yco, meteorologist from 1998-2003. Was dropped from the WAVY lineup while in the midst of personal legal problems. ^[18]
• Terry Zahn, joined as reporter and weekday anchor in 1981, became lead anchor in 1984, left in 1993 and joined WVEC in 1994, where he served as lead anchor until his death in 2000.

[edit] Programming produced by WAVY-TV

• WAVY News 10
• Battle of the Brains
• Kid Talk
• The Bottom Line

WAVY also produces several specials throughout the year, including a hurricane special and other 10 On Your Side specials such as phone-in helplines. WAVY also carries the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.

[edit] External links

• WAVY-TV
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WAVY
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WAVY-TV

[edit] References