WVLT-TV
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| Knoxville, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
| Branding | Local 8, Volunteer TV (general) Local 8 News (newscasts) MyVLT (DT2) |
| Slogan | Taking Action for You |
| Channels | Digital: 30 (UHF) Virtual: 8 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | 8.1 CBS 8.2 MyNetworkTV |
| Affiliations | CBS |
| Owner | Gray Television (Gray Television Licensee, LLC) |
| First air date | October 1, 1953 |
| Call letters' meaning | VoLunTeer State |
| Former callsigns | WSKT-TV (1953-1954) WTVK (1954-1988) WKXT-TV (1988-1997) |
| Former channel number(s) | 26 (UHF analog, 1953-1988) 8 (VHF analog, 1988-2009) |
| Former affiliations | Primary: CBS (1953-1956) ABC (1956-1979) NBC (1979-1988) Secondary: ABC (1953-1956) DuMont (1953-1956) DT2: UPN (2003-2006) |
| Transmitter power | 398 kW (digital) |
| Height | 551.3 m (digital) |
| Facility ID | 35908 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 35°59′44″N 83°57′23″W / 35.99556°N 83.95639°W |
| Website | local8now.com/ |
WVLT-TV (VHF channel 8) is the CBS television network affiliate station serving Knoxville, Tennessee, the 58th DMA in America according to Nielsen Media Research. The station is owned and operated by Gray Television and has its transmitters located in Knoxville, with studios on the city's westside near I-40/I-75. Syndicated programming on WVLT-TV includes The Dr. Oz Show, Entertainment Tonight, and The Andy Griffith Show, while syndicated programming on WVLT-DT2 includes Seinfeld, The Office, and Extra. Overnight, from 12 a.m. to 9 a.m, the subchannel simulcasts The Jewelry Channel.
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History [edit]
WVLT-TV debuted on October 1, 1953 as WSKT-TV on channel 26. It was Tennessee's first UHF station, and the second television station in East Tennessee. The station was a CBS affiliate, but also shared ABC programming with WROL-TV, now WATE-TV, which signed on a few hours before WSKT.
Channel 26 found the going difficult at first, since television manufacturers weren't required to build in UHF tuning capability at the time. Viewers needed an expensive converter to watch WSKT, and even then the picture quality was marginal at best. In addition, most of eastern Tennessee is very mountainous, and UHF signals at the time usually did not carry very well over rugged terrain. In 1954, the station's original owners sold the station to South Central Communications, a radio company in Evansville, Indiana, who changed its calls to WTVK.
When WBIR-TV signed on in 1956 and took the CBS affiliation, WTVK became a full-time ABC affiliate. However, it spent most of the next 20 years as a very distant third in the ratings. While this was due in part to ABC being a much weaker network (it wouldn't be on par with CBS and NBC in terms of programming until the 1970s), another problem was the terrain issue. Many viewers didn't get a clear signal from channel 26 until cable arrived in Knoxville in the 1970s. In fact, many viewers got a better signal from WLOS-TV (channel 13) in Asheville, North Carolina; WLOS' transmitter is located almost 118 miles east of Knoxville.
In 1979, the station changed its affiliations from ABC to NBC, swapping affiliations with WATE-TV. By this time, ABC had become the highest-rated network in the country, and was seeking to affiliate with stronger stations. Under the circumstances, ABC jumped at the chance to move its programming to long-dominant WATE-TV. Even as NBC dominated the ratings in the 1980s, channel 26 stayed in the local ratings basement. However, it did win the rights to broadcast a daily one-hour show from the 1982 World's Fair, held in Knoxville. The program was hosted by Jim Hess and Jim Hampton and featured news updates with WTVK news anchors including Melinda Kramer.
In 1988, the station returned to CBS, swapping affiliations with WBIR-TV; shortly afterward the station changed its calls to WKXT-TV and moved to channel 8, one of the last remaining VHF channel allocations in the U.S. It became one of the few stations in America to have been a primary affiliate of all "Big 3" networks. Soon after the move to the VHF band, South Central sold the station to a local ownership group. Channel 8 changed its callsign again to WVLT-TV in 1997 after Gray Television bought the station in 1996.
In 1998, when CBS regained National Football League rights, they became the American Football Conference broadcaster. WVLT has aired Tennessee Titans (formerly Oilers) games since.
On January 9, 2011, their 11 p.m. newscast became the first in the Knoxville market to originate in high definition.[1] On April 20, 2013, WVLT will become the last station in the market to add a weekend morning newscast. [2]
Vol Network affiliation [edit]
In 2007, WVLT and the Vol Network, the broadcasting arm of the University of Tennessee's athletic department, entered into a new 10-year agreement for WVLT and MyVLT to be the exclusive home of all Vol TV Network programing in the Knoxville area. WVLT paid UT $4.95 million for the 10 year contract. This gives the two stations the exclusive rights to the weekly highlights shows featuring head football coach Derek Dooley, head men's basketball coach Cuonzo Martin, head women's basketball coach Pat Summit, and other UT athletic-related programs in the Knoxville market. With this, the Vol TV Network ended a 10-year relationship with NBC affiliate WBIR-TV.[1]
Digital television [edit]
Digital channels [edit]
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WVLT-DT | Main WVLT-TV programming / CBS |
| 8.2 | MYVLT | MyVLT |
WVLT-DT2 launched in 2003 as a UPN affiliate, branded as UPN Knoxville. It became a MyNetworkTV in September 2006. In early-2011, WVLT-DT2 began broadcasting in 720p widescreen and started airing syndicated programming in HD. MyNetworkTV programming on the subchannel, however, is still aired in SD 4:3 (as opposed to HD 16:9 on most MyNetworkTV stations), and is stretched to fill the 16:9 screen.
Analog to digital conversion [edit]
After the US analog television shutdown, which took place on June 12, 2009,[3] WVLT-DT remained on its current frequency, channel 30.[4] However, digital television with PSIP capability will display its virtual channel as 8.
News/station presentation [edit]
Newscast Titles [edit]
- First Edition News (1975-1977)
- Metro 26 News (1977–1981)
- NewsCenter 26 (1981–1986)
- WTVK NewsCenter (1986–1988)
- News 8 (1988–1997)
- NewsChannel 8 (1997–1998)
- Volunteer News (1998–2002)
- Volunteer TV News (2002–2011)
- Local 8 News (2011–present)
Station slogans [edit]
- The Valley's Own, News 8 (1988-early 1990s)
- In Touch with East Tennessee (1997–2002)
- Taking Action for You (2002–present)
This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.On-air staff [edit]
Current news anchors and reporters [edit]
News anchors [edit]
- Alan Williams - weeknights at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
- Amanda Hara - weeknights at 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
- Mark Packer - weekdays at 4:00 and weeknights at 5:00 p.m.
- Lauren Davis - weekdays at 4:00 p.m.
- Bob Yarbrough - weekday mornings on Local 8 News This Morning (4:30-7:00 a.m.) and weekdays at noon
- Michelle Silva - weekday mornings on Local 8 News This Morning (4:30-7:00 a.m.) and weekdays at noon
- Allie Spillyards - weekend mornings on Local 8 News This Morning (7:00-8:00 a.m.; starting April 20th); also multimedia journalist
- Lorena Estrada - Saturdays at 6:00, Sundays at 6:30 and weekends at 11:00 p.m.
- Conroy Delouche - Saturdays at 6:00, Sundays at 6:30 and weekends at 11:00 p.m.
Weather [edit]
- David Aldrich - Chief Meteorologist; weeknights at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.[5]
- Heather Haley - Meteorologist; weekday mornings on Local 8 News This Morning (4:30-7:00 a.m.) and weekdays at noon
- Mike Simon - Meteorologist; weekend mornings on Local 8 News This Morning (7:00-8:00 a.m.; starting April 20th) and Saturdays at 6:00, Sundays at 6:30 and weekends at 11:00 p.m.
Sports [edit]
- Rick Russo - Sports Director, weeknights at 6:00 and 11:00 p.m.
- Daryl Hobby - Weekend Sports Anchor and Reporter; Saturdays at 6:00, Sundays at 6:30 and weekends at 11:00 p.m.
- Jeff Archer - Sports Reporter
News reporters [edit]
- Lauren Davis
- Whitney Kent
- Lorena Estrada
- John Treanor
- Conroy Delouche
- Sharee Gilbert
- Kyle Grainger
- Hilary Magacs
Miscellaneous [edit]
- Walter Lambert (TV Chef)
- Shirley Nash-Pitts (Consumer Expert)
- Jan Charles Chef
Former on-air staff [edit]
- Adele Arakawa, (Main news anchor for KUSA-TV in Denver.)
- Ed Hooper (Author)
- Sam Brown (Anchor)
- Scott Blalock ( Retired WVLT 2009 ) Freelance Meteorologist at WVLT 2012-
References [edit]
- ^ http://www.volunteertv.com/home/headlines/WVLT_Volunteer_TV_announces_first-to-market_high_definition_news_and_local_programming_113190709.html
- ^ WVLT Adds Weekend Morning Newscast TVSpy, April 12th, 2013
- ^ http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf
- ^ CDBS Print
- ^ http://www.davidaldrich.com/index.php?itemid=319
External links [edit]
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WVLT-TV
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WVLT-TV
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