WVUA-CA

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WVUA-CA / WUOA
Wvua logo.jpg
Northport/Tuscaloosa, Alabama
City of license Tuscaloosa
Branding This is WVUA (general)
WVUA News (newscasts)
Slogan Your Home Team and
Alabama's Home Team
(used interchangeably)
Channels Analog: WVUA: 7 (VHF)
Digital: WUOA: 6 (VHF)
Virtual: 23 (PSIP)
Subchannels (see article)
Translators WDVZ-CA 3 Greensboro
WJMY-CA 25 Demopolis
Affiliations This TV
Owner University of Alabama
(The Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama)
Founded 1998 (as WJRD)
First air date WVUA: 2002
WUOA: 2004
Call letters' meaning WVUA:
Voice of the
University of
Alabama
(named after the radio station)
WUOA:
University Of< Alabama
Former callsigns WVUA: WJRD-LP (1998-2001)
WUOA: WLDM (2001-2005)
Former channel number(s) Analog:
WVUA:
49 (1998-2001)
WUOA:
23 (2001-2009)
Former affiliations Pax TV (1998-2002)
America One (2002-2008)
Transmitter power WVUA: 0.43 kW
WUOA: 26 kW
Height WVUA: 183 m
WUOA: 395 m
Facility ID WVUA: 70429
WUOA: 77496
Transmitter coordinates

WVUA Tuscaloosa:
33°9′36″N 87°30′54″W / 33.16°N 87.515°W / 33.16; -87.515

WUOA Birmingham:
33°29′2″N 86°48′20.7″W / 33.48389°N 86.80575°W / 33.48389; -86.80575 (WUOA)
Website WVUA

WVUA-CA, channel 23, is a Class A commercial television station owned by the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama, affiliated with This TV. The station is licensed to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with studios on the university's campus. It operates within the university's College of Communication and Information Sciences, drawing on the resources of its Department of Telecommunication and Film.[1]

WVUA's primary transmitter is low power. WUOA-DT is the station's full power repeater, located atop WIAT's mast in Birmingham. Even though the station operates a full power repeater, it is still classified as a Class A station because of its low power channel 7 primary signal in Tuscaloosa.

WVUA is a commercial station because it relies mostly on advertising from outside sources for funding; this makes WVUA one of only two commercial television stations in the U.S. owned by a public institution. WVUA has a full-time, paid staff, including station and sales executives, anchors, production staff and a news director. The station relies heavily on UA students who act as on-air staff, production staff, and sales assistants.

Contents

[edit] Digital television

Channel Video Aspect Programming
23.1 720p 16:9 Main WVUA-CA programming (HDTV)
23.2 480i 4:3 Main WVUA-CA programming (SDTV; simulcast of 23.1)
23.3 Alabama Public Radio (audio only)
23.4 XPoNential Radio (audio only)

Because it was granted an original construction permit after the FCC finalized the DTV allotment plan on April 21, 1997 [2], WUOA did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station. Instead, on June 12, 2009, the end of the digital TV conversion period for full-service stations, WUOA was required to turn off its analog signal and turn on its digital signal (called a "flash-cut"). The University was granted a construction permit for WUOA to move to channel 6, and through PSIP it is seen on channel 23.

WVUA, as a low-power station, is currently exempt from a mandatory turn-off of its analog signal.

[edit] History

The station began in 1998 as WJRD on Channel 49, bringing local news coverage to west Alabama for the first time since WDBB (17) and WCFT (33) shifted focus to the Birmingham area. It affiliated with the Pax Network shortly after it signed on, remaining affiliate with the network until 2002.

A $1 million gift from the family of legendary University of Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant allowed the university to acquire WJRD in 2001. After moving its operations onto the university campus, the station adopted the call sign WVUA in January 2002. Although the station is owned by UA, it remains financially independent from the University.

In addition to repeaters in Greensboro (WDVZ-CA Channel 3) and Demopolis (WJMY-CA Channel 25 and WJMY-LD Channel 22), WVUA's signal is carried by cable operators Comcast in Tuscaloosa and Charter Communications and Bright House Networks in Birmingham.

In November 2004, Channel 23 LLC filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to donate its full-power station, WLDM, to the university. Today WUOA-DT broadcasts on digital channel 6 from atop Red Mountain and covers the whole Birmingham DMA. WUOA is also carried by virtually all Birmingham DMA cable companies. WUOA is a repeater of WVUA and can be found on channel 23.

In 2006, WVUA was added to the Birmingham local stations lineup for both Dish Network and DirecTV, adding a substantial number of potential viewers.

In late 2008, WVUA/WUOA began a partial affiliation with This TV.

[edit] News operation

Unlike most low-power or Class A television stations, WVUA-CA produces its own local newscasts. The station produces 13½ hours of local newscasts each week (2½ hours on weekdays, and a half-hour on Saturdays and Sundays). It does not carry a local morning newscast, instead airing the nationally-syndicated morning news program The Daily Buzz weekday mornings from 5 to 8 a.m. The station aired a midday newscast until the hour-long late afternoon newscast, First at Four, was introduced.

WVUA has eventual plans to move its studio and news operations from Reese Phifer Hall to UA's New Digital Media Center which will be built in the north end zone of Bryant-Denny Stadium.[2]

The station relies heavily on University of Alabama students for news gathering and production. Student duties include:

  • Production
    • Studio Camera Operation
    • Teleprompter
    • Audio
    • Graphics
  • ENG
    • Videography
    • Reporting
    • Tape editing and rolling
    • Producing and writing
  • Sales
  • Commercial Production
  • Master Control Operation

[edit] News/station presentation

[edit] Newscast titles

  • WVUA News (2002–present)[3]

[edit] Station slogans

  • "Your Home Team" (2002–present)[3]
  • "Alabama's Home Team" (2008–present; secondary slogan)
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[edit] News team

[edit] Current on-air staff[4]

Current anchors

  • Terri Brewer - weeknights at 5 p.m.; also assistant news director
  • Lynn Brooks - weeknights at 5 and 6 p.m.; also news director
  • Phillip Coleman - weeknights at 6 p.m.
  • Matt McCoy - weekends at 10 p.m.
  • Danny Salter - weekdays at 4 and 4:30 p.m.
  • John Huddleston - weeknights at 10 p.m.

Weather team

  • Richard Scott - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 4, 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
  • Daniel Sparkman - weather anchor; weekends at 10 p.m.

Sports team

  • Gary Harris - sports director; weeknights at 5, 6 and 10 p.m.
  • John Huddleston - sports anchor (Crimson Tide Kick-off)
  • Todd Hoyer - sports anchor; weekends at 10 p.m.

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ "UA Facilities". Design and Construction Projects Report. http://www.uafacilities.ua.edu/pages/current.htm. Retrieved 12 November 2011. 
  3. ^ a b WVUA News at Six Open (new) 2010
  4. ^ "WVUA--bios". WVUA-CA. http://www.wvua7.com/bios. Retrieved 20 September 2010. 

[edit] External links
Schools and colleges
College of Arts and Sciences · Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration · College of Communication and Information Sciences · College of Education · College of Engineering · Honors College · College of Human Environmental Sciences · Capstone College of Nursing · School of Social Work · School of Law · College of Community Health Sciences · College of Continuing Studies
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Current coaches
Mitch Gaspard (Baseball) · Anthony Grant (Men's basketball) · Wendell Hudson (Women's basketball) · Patrick Murphy (Softball) · Sarah Patterson (Gymnastics) · Nick Saban (Football)
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Endowment: $515.2 million · Students: 30,252 · Faculty: 1,622
Stations

WBXA 2 (MTV2) • WBRC (6.1 Fox) • WVUA 7 (This TV) • WCIQ 7 / WBIQ 10 (PBS/APT) • WVTM (13.1 NBC, 13.2 Me-TV) • WOTM 19 (Ind.) • WTTO / WDBB (21.1/17.1 CW) • WUOA (23.1 This TV, 23.3 WUAL-FM/APR audio, 23.4 WXPN audio) • WJXS 24 (FamilyNet) • WBUN-CA 24 (Daystar) • W34BI (HSC) • WIAT (42.1 CBS, 42.2 Untamed Sports, 42.3 Weather) • WPXH (44.1 ION, 44.2 qubo, 44.3 ION Life) • WOIL 47 (Daystar) • W47DC (Ind/Rel.) • W55BJ (LeSea/GEB) • WBMA-LD / WCFT / WJSU (58.1/33.1/40.1 ABC, 58.2/33.2/40.2 Weather) • WTJP 60 (TBN) • WABM (68.1 MNTV)
Stations

WAKA (8.1 CBS, 8.2 SAP/DVS, 8.3 weather radar) • WSFA (12.1 NBC, 12.2 Bounce TV) • WCOV (20.1 Fox, 20.2 AccuWeather, 20.3 This TV) • WBMM (22.1 The CW, 22.2 ABC) • WJMY-CA 25 (This TV) • WKNI-LP 25 (A1) • WAIQ 26.1/WIIQ 41.1 (PBS/APT) • WBIH (29.1 IND) • WNCF (32.1 ABC, 32.2 The CW) • WFRZ-LP 34 (Worship/FN/INSP) • WETU-LP 39 (Ion) • WMCF (45.1 TBN) • WIYC (48.1 WeatherNation)
Other television stations in the state of Alabama

Dothan market: WJJN-LP 5 (Dothan, Ind.)
Huntsville market: WTZT 11 (Athens, A1)
Birmingham market: WBXA-CA 2 (Birmingham, MTV2) - WVUA-CA 7 / WUOA 23 (Tuscaloosa, This TV) - WOTM-LP 19 (Montevallo, Ind.) - WJXS-CA 24 (Sylacauga, FamNet) - WPXH 44 (Gadsden, Ion) - W49AY 47 (Birmingham, Ind./Rel.) - WTJP 60 (Gadsden, TBN)
Montgomery market: WJMY-LP 25 (Demopolis, This TV) - WBIH 29 (Selma, Ind.) - WFRZ-LP 34 (Montgomery, WS/FN/INSP) - WMCF 45 (Montgomery, TBN) - WIYC 48 (Troy, TCN)
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