WCNC-TV: Difference between revisions
Tag: Reverted |
Undid revision 1109959415 by 172.92.204.120 (talk) Not according to the cited source |
||
Line 71: | Line 71: | ||
Final approval of the sale was secured at the end of April 1980, when Westinghouse agreed to furnish $400,000 in grants and affirmative action programs in exchange for the withdrawal of a license renewal challenge by local civil rights groups; the [[Federal Communications Commission]] did find in their favor when it said the station did not employ enough minorities, renewing WRET-TV's license for a half-term of 18 months.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gallman |first=Vanessa |date=May 1, 1980 |title=Rights Deal Will Permit WRET Sale |page=1D |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45712317/rights-deal-will-permit-wret-sale/ |access-date=December 17, 2020 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329010330/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45712317/rights-deal-will-permit-wret-sale/ |archive-date=March 29, 2021 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Some of the funds went to improve the journalism school at the historically Black [[Johnson C. Smith University]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gist |first=Rosalyn |date=August 21, 1980 |title=Black groups to split 1st gift from WRET |page=1B |work=The Charlotte News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45712299/black-groups-to-split-1st-gift-from-wret/ |access-date=December 17, 2020 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=March 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328182202/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45712299/black-groups-to-split-1st-gift-from-wret/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
Final approval of the sale was secured at the end of April 1980, when Westinghouse agreed to furnish $400,000 in grants and affirmative action programs in exchange for the withdrawal of a license renewal challenge by local civil rights groups; the [[Federal Communications Commission]] did find in their favor when it said the station did not employ enough minorities, renewing WRET-TV's license for a half-term of 18 months.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gallman |first=Vanessa |date=May 1, 1980 |title=Rights Deal Will Permit WRET Sale |page=1D |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45712317/rights-deal-will-permit-wret-sale/ |access-date=December 17, 2020 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329010330/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45712317/rights-deal-will-permit-wret-sale/ |archive-date=March 29, 2021 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Some of the funds went to improve the journalism school at the historically Black [[Johnson C. Smith University]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gist |first=Rosalyn |date=August 21, 1980 |title=Black groups to split 1st gift from WRET |page=1B |work=The Charlotte News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45712299/black-groups-to-split-1st-gift-from-wret/ |access-date=December 17, 2020 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=March 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328182202/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45712299/black-groups-to-split-1st-gift-from-wret/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
||
Westinghouse changed the station's call letters to WPCQ-TV, representing "People of the Carolinas and Queen City", on |
Westinghouse changed the station's call letters to WPCQ-TV, representing "People of the Carolinas and Queen City", on October 13; the station branded as "Q36". The move came alongside a major programming reshuffle and an increase in effective radiated power from 1.3 to 2.5 million watts.<ref>{{FCC letter|hcards=yes|callsign=WCNC-TV|letterid=86763}}</ref> The newscasts were moved from 6 and 11 pm to 5:30 pm and 12:30 am, and several new magazine shows were added,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wolf |first=Mark |date=October 13, 1980 |title=Channel 36 Unveils New Name, New Look Under New Owners |page=17A |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45712261/channel-36-unveils-new-name-new-look/ |access-date=December 17, 2020 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=March 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328182202/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45712261/channel-36-unveils-new-name-new-look/ |url-status=live }}</ref> as was a Friday night public service-concept game show called ''Quibble'', which was soon demoted to Saturdays.<ref>{{cite news|title=WPCQ-TV Demotes Its Pubservice 'Quibble'|page=76|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=May 20, 1981|id={{pq|1438317670}} }}</ref> The early newscast was then moved back to 6 pm, but WCCB, airing reruns of ''[[Good Times]]'', drew 13 percent of the audience in May 1982 compared to the 2 percent that watched the WPCQ-TV newscast; the station was, again, losing money.<ref name="foothold">{{Cite news |last=Mildenberg |first=David |date=July 7, 1982 |title=WPCQ clawing for foothold over local rivals |page=8A, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45712960/ 9A] |work=The Charlotte News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45712974/ |access-date=December 18, 2020 |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=March 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328182217/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45712974/wpcq-clawing-for-foothold-over-local/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Westinghouse's inability to make channel 36 more competitive surprised even local rivals, who had expected the company to do more with the station.{{r|foothold}} |
||
{{Quote box |
{{Quote box |
Revision as of 03:34, 13 September 2022
![]() | |
| |
---|---|
Channels | |
Branding | WCNC Charlotte; WCNC Charlotte News |
Programming | |
Affiliations |
|
Ownership | |
Owner |
|
History | |
First air date | July 9, 1967 |
Former call signs |
|
Former channel number(s) |
|
Independent (1967–1978) | |
Call sign meaning | "Charlotte, North Carolina"[2] |
Technical information[3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 32326 |
ERP | 857 kW |
HAAT | 592.2 m (1,943 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 35°20′49.4″N 81°10′14.2″W / 35.347056°N 81.170611°W |
Translator(s) |
|
Links | |
Public license information | |
Website | www |
WCNC-TV (channel 36) is a television station in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, affiliated with NBC. The station is owned by Tegna Inc. WCNC-TV's studios are located in the Wood Ridge Center office complex off Billy Graham Parkway (Route 4), just east of the Billy Graham Library in south Charlotte, and its transmitter is located in north-central Gaston County.
Channel 36 was established as an independent television station in 1967 and was run by Ted Turner throughout the 1970s. The station became Charlotte's NBC affiliate in 1978 and has generally been its third-rated television station since.
History
Prior use of channel 36 in Charlotte
The first station to operate on UHF channel 36 in Charlotte signed on the air January 5, 1954, as WAYS-TV;[4] that station was sold and changed its call letters to WQMC-TV on January 24, 1955.[5] Charlotte's second television station, WAYS-TV/WQMC-TV did not make any headway against WBTV (channel 3) because television set manufacturers were not required to include UHF tuning capability at the time; this would not change until Congress passed the All-Channel Receiver Act in 1961. It ceased operations in March 1955.[6] A plan to return it to the air as WUTV under reconstituted ownership in 1957 was unsuccessful, but it aired educational programming from 1961[7] to 1963.[8] Cy Bahakel bought the station in 1964 and returned it to the air as WCCB, which broadcast on channel 36 before moving to UHF channel 18 in November 1966.[9]
Charlotte Telecasters era
The current incarnation of channel 36 signed on the air on July 9, 1967, as WCTU-TV.[10] Dr. Harold W. Twisdale, a dentist from Charlotte, and Washington, D.C.-based engineer David L. Steel were the leaders of the original ownership group, operating as Charlotte Telecasters Inc. (The station had intended to take the call letters WCTI, but citing potential confusion, local educational station WTVI successfully objected;[11] the U stood for UHF.[12]) WCTU was North Carolina's first independent station, beating Hickory-based WHKY-TV (channel 14) to the air by eight months.
Twisdale and Steel were the lead investors in other planned UHF stations; though construction permits were never built for stations in Memphis and Richmond and the group lost out on channel 28 in Durham, WCTU-TV and WATU-TV (later WAGT) in Augusta, Georgia, made it to air. WATU-TV was a profitable operation; in comparison, debts incurred in starting WCTU-TV would prompt Twisdale to shelve his Memphis and Richmond plans.[13]
WCTU was initially a low-budget independent station operating about eight hours a day from 3 pm to 11 pm. It ran a lineup of some very old movies, westerns, some comedy shows from the early 1950s, and public affairs shows.[14] The station, which operated from studios on Hood Road in the Hickory Grove neighborhood of Charlotte, had very modern equipment for the time and broadcast some shows and movies in color, as well as all of its local programming in color.[15]
The station hit hard times financially in 1969. In July, equipment supplier Ampex filed two lawsuits seeking $1.3 million from WCTU-TV for failing to pay for products it had purchased.[16] Film distributor National Telefilm Associates had also sued channel 36 for $80,000 for breaching a film rental contract.[17] That September, a court placed WCTU into receivership,[18] though it continued to broadcast.[19] Stating that "we feel there have been combined forces which hinder our operation", Twisdale foreshadowed a years-long antitrust case against the Jefferson-Pilot Corporation, owner of WBTV, which was not fully dismissed until 1977.[20]
The Turner turnaround
![refer to caption](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Ted_Turner_smoking_a_cigar.jpg/162px-Ted_Turner_smoking_a_cigar.jpg)
Channel 36 found a buyer in February 1970: Ted Turner, who purchased WCTU through Turner Broadcasting of North Carolina for $1.25 million. Turner had scouted out buying equipment from the bankrupt station but decided instead to buy the whole operation.[21] At the time, he owned just one other television property, Atlanta's WJRJ-TV, as well as three radio stations in other southeastern cities.[22] Turner renamed the station WRET-TV—using the initials of his full name, Robert Edward Turner III—in July[23] and instituted a new and expanded program lineup in August.[24] Just two programs, wrestling and the music video program The Now Explosion, were retained.[24]
Turner's new Charlotte station was not an immediate success. Programming costs were high relative to ratings. The station had just one on-air personality: announcer Bob Chesson, who as "Dead Ernest" hosted the station's block of horror films.[25] One Saturday morning in February 1972, Turner appeared on the station to appeal for contributions from viewers, saying that channel 36 had not broken even since he had purchased it.[26] The station drew $53,000 in donations, enough to help pay its bills, and also received interest from several new advertisers.[27] WRET-TV became a typical UHF independent, airing a lineup of cartoons, sitcoms, older movies, and a heavy slate of sporting events.[28] It was among the early carriers of The 700 Club, produced by the Christian Broadcasting Network;[29] at one point, the Charlotte area accounted for 15 percent of CBN's pledge contributions.[21]
By 1975, buoyed by a stronger film library, WRET-TV had emerged as the country's fifth-best independent station of 65 nationwide in audience share, per an analysis by Television/Radio Age, and was making a profit.[21] After five years of being independently operated from the rest of his Turner Communications Group, that company absorbed WRET-TV and its parent company later that year.[30] Late that year, Turner was making plans to uplink one of its two stations nationwide for distribution to cable providers. While Turner preferred to uplink his Atlanta flagship, by then renamed, WRET-TV was a backup in the event that the Federal Communications Commission did not relax rules that prevented the existence of superstations in top-25 television markets.[31] Channel 36 ended the year by announcing plans to repay the viewers whose contributions had saved it four years prior,[32] doing so in February 1976.[33] 3,600 contributors, who each had sent in from 25 cents to $200, received checks returning their money—with interest—from Turner.[34]
In 1976 and 1977, channel 36 became an even more aggressive buyer of programming, grabbing local rights to Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman from WSOC-TV and stepping in to run CBS coverage of NBA basketball when WBTV passed on the package; it also aired other network shows that Charlotte's affiliates preempted. It was airing on 148 cable systems in the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Virginia.[35] However, WRET-TV remained a laggard in news and public affairs programming. Its 15-minute sign-off newscast—the only such program on the station—was read by Bill Tush from headquarters in Atlanta and fed to Charlotte by telephone.[36]
From independent to NBC affiliate
In 1977, ABC announced that it had lured away WSOC-TV, a former NBC affiliate, to be its new outlet in the Charlotte market beginning July 1, 1978, replacing WCCB-TV. That decision set off a two-station showdown between WCCB and WRET for the NBC affiliation in Charlotte.[37] WCCB was seen as the favorite; unlike WRET, it had a functioning news department.[38] Sources at NBC were said to see channel 36 as their last option behind WCCB, with its stronger signal, and long-dominant WBTV, which the network was trying to woo from CBS to no avail.[39]
Turner, however, promised NBC they would spend $2.5 million on station improvements if the network moved its programming to WRET. Of that total, $1 million would go towards starting a full news department within one year; the proposed expansion would employ 22 people, compared to 26 at WSOC and 12 at WCCB.[40] On April 29, news broke that channel 36 had been selected for the NBC affiliation, with the network preferring it to WCCB based on Turner's turnaround record with the station and his ownership of the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks.[41][11] With the decision, WCCB became an independent station.[42]
Two months after assuming the NBC affiliation, WRET launched its first newscasts in September, under the banner of "Action News"; Robert D. Raiford was the station's first news anchor.[43][44] The main news was presented at 7 pm, but the different time slot failed to attract viewers. Where WBTV had a 52 share and WSOC a 23 for their 6 pm newscasts, WRET could only pull a 5.[45] Bob Wisehart of the Charlotte News described WRET's news operation as "spend[ing] a great deal of effort going no place at all".[45] The same could have been said of the station, which was said to be barely breaking even after the switch.[46]
Group W era
Turner's ambitious and mostly successful ownership of the station would not last much longer after obtaining the NBC affiliation. By 1979, Turner was in the process of starting CNN, and he announced he would sell channel 36 to help raise the capital needed for the new venture.[47] On May 16, 1979, the sale of WRET-TV to Westinghouse Broadcasting (also known as Group W) was announced for $20 million, setting a then-record for a single UHF television station.[48] The news of a purchase by Group W, owner of regarded television and radio stations in other cities, was initially met with glee by the WRET-TV staff. Two station employees who had been looking for new jobs elsewhere decided to stay when the sale was announced.[46] In 1984, Reese Schonfeld, who co-founded CNN with Turner, would note that by providing the collateral against which Turner obtained money for CNN in the WRET-TV purchase, Westinghouse financed the start of CNN and then of its own short-lived Satellite News Channel two years later.[49]
Final approval of the sale was secured at the end of April 1980, when Westinghouse agreed to furnish $400,000 in grants and affirmative action programs in exchange for the withdrawal of a license renewal challenge by local civil rights groups; the Federal Communications Commission did find in their favor when it said the station did not employ enough minorities, renewing WRET-TV's license for a half-term of 18 months.[50] Some of the funds went to improve the journalism school at the historically Black Johnson C. Smith University.[51]
Westinghouse changed the station's call letters to WPCQ-TV, representing "People of the Carolinas and Queen City", on October 13; the station branded as "Q36". The move came alongside a major programming reshuffle and an increase in effective radiated power from 1.3 to 2.5 million watts.[52] The newscasts were moved from 6 and 11 pm to 5:30 pm and 12:30 am, and several new magazine shows were added,[53] as was a Friday night public service-concept game show called Quibble, which was soon demoted to Saturdays.[54] The early newscast was then moved back to 6 pm, but WCCB, airing reruns of Good Times, drew 13 percent of the audience in May 1982 compared to the 2 percent that watched the WPCQ-TV newscast; the station was, again, losing money.[55] Westinghouse's inability to make channel 36 more competitive surprised even local rivals, who had expected the company to do more with the station.[55]
We spent a million dollars a year, 80 percent of it on the news, promoting the station since we took it over in 1980. But we never got over a 1 or 2 percent rating.
Laurence Freiberg, president of the television station division of Group W, on the 1982 downsizing of WPCQ-TV's local news operation[56]
In August 1982, the station made another programming change, this time attracting considerable national attention: it dropped its low-rated early evening newscast.[57] When it axed that program, it also decided to cease carrying the NBC Nightly News. This prompted NBC officials to shop the Nightly News to Charlotte's other stations, including WBTV.[56] The station continued with its noon newscast, as well as short news capsules throughout the day and occasional news specials.[58] Station officials blamed WPCQ-TV's signal, which—despite the power increase—was not strong enough to reach outer areas of the market that got better signals from WXII-TV in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and WIS-TV in Columbia, South Carolina.[56] John J. Spinola, the general manager of the station, admitted that he was "pretty well encircled by NBC affiliates".[59]
If this is Westinghouse's idea of how to run a television station, you wish they'd have stayed in the refrigerator business.
Mark Wolf, TV/radio columnist, The Charlotte Observer[60]
"Q36" became known for frequent preemptions of NBC network fare, including the soap opera Texas,[61] coverage of the 1984 Democratic National Convention,[62] and network sporting events.[63] It also delayed the David Brinkley-hosted NBC Magazine to midnight to air its own Action News Magazine.[61][59] Even Westinghouse's own productions were not guaranteed an audience on the station; after two years of WPCQ-TV airing Hour Magazine, it moved to WBTV in 1982.[64]
Seeing little positive progress with WPCQ-TV, Westinghouse soon chose to use the station's low expectations to their advantage elsewhere in the company. Westinghouse had long extensively promoted from within and thus used WPCQ as the equivalent of a "farm team". Its more promising on-air personalities merely treated WPCQ as a stepping stone towards promotion to Group W's well-regarded heritage radio and television stations outside Charlotte.[55] When a union strike at the company's New York City all-news station WINS left it without announcers, Westinghouse sent WPCQ anchor Raiford there as part of a team of 20 employees from other Group W stations to keep it running.[65] Talent often left for vacancies elsewhere in the company, such as when sports director Lou Tilley moved to Boston to become the weekend sports anchor at WBZ-TV.[66] Amanda Davis, who had anchored the news three years for WPCQ-TV, became a correspondent for Group W's Satellite News Channel after turning down an offer to report for its Baltimore station, WJZ-TV.[67]
A new Odyssey
Odyssey Partners, a New York investment partnership headed by Michael Finkelstein, acquired WPCQ-TV in 1984 after four years of Westinghouse ownership.[68] For Westinghouse, the move was about focusing on major markets and shedding a station that was estimated to have lost $5 million in four years;[68] Charlie Hanna, writing in Variety the year before, noted that Westinghouse had seemed to lose its "gung-hoism" for the station.[59] Mark Wolf, television and radio columnist for The Charlotte Observer, would note that elements that Group W had used successfully elsewhere had failed to make a dent against two formidable and entrenched competitors in Charlotte, and that the company seemed to lack other ideas when its typical plans did not work.[69]
When the sale closed in February 1985, Odyssey immediately announced the restoration of the NBC Nightly News to the station's schedule.[70] Later that year, talk began of the potential return of local newscasts when station general manager Stan Rudick said that channel 36 was conducting market research on the idea.[71] The station had reason to get back in the news game, as Charlotte was being cited as a potential market for NBC to move its affiliation.[72] In February 1986, the station announced it would return to producing evening newscasts.[73]
Following a $2 million investment, 5:30 and 11 pm news programs began airing September 8, 1986, anchored by former Atlanta newsman John McKnight and Karen Adams.[74] Ratings were low but exceeded the levels of Action News in the Group W era.[75] The original "36 News" early evening newscast expanded to an hour and became "News 36" in May 1988 in what amounted to a soft reboot of the operation.[76] The revamp brought a string of new faces, notably including weekend sports anchor Hannah Storm.[76]
Odyssey also implemented a technical overhaul for WPCQ-TV. In 1987, the station bought land north of Dallas to build a new tower near those owned by WBTV and newly built WJZY[77] and filed to increase power to the maximum 5 million watts.[78] After surviving an attempt by NBC to move its affiliation from channel 36,[79] in which NBC attempted to court both Charlotte VHF stations[80] and the new WJZY,[81] the new tower and stronger signal were activated in September 1988, giving WPCQ-TV signal parity with other Charlotte stations.[82]
Providence Journal
The Providence Journal Company (ProJo) purchased WPCQ-TV in 1988 for $30 million, marking its fourth television station purchase.[83][84] ProJo immediately set out to build a new identity for the station. After initially pursuing the call letters WPJB-TV, formerly used by the Journal's Providence radio stations,[85] the station instead became WCNC-TV (for "Charlotte, North Carolina"[2]) on September 3, 1989. That same day, the station split its 5:30 p.m. news hour into two half-hour newscasts, and it also moved to cable channel 6 on most area systems.[86] The station also built new studios, costing $6.5 million,[87] on Billy Graham Parkway in the Wood Ridge office complex, where it would be joined by the new headquarters of the NBC News Channel affiliate service,[88][89] which general manager John Hayes had successfully lured to Charlotte.[90] ProJo also sprung for a new satellite truck, the only one in the market, and overnight ratings for the Charlotte market.[87] The early months of NBC Nightside, an NBC News Channel production, came from the new WCNC set.[87] Despite all the improvements, WCNC's news remained firmly in third.[91]
Beginning in 1996, the station was branded on-air as "NBC 6", in reference to its cable channel location; it quietly shed that moniker to go by its call letters in 2004, seeking to avoid potential confusion in ratings diaries.[92]
Belo ownership
Two veteran anchors are gone, news ratings are perennially low and national consultants say the NBC affiliate is among the network's most dubious underachievers.
Erik Spanberg, Charlotte Business Journal, on the state of WCNC-TV at the time of the Belo purchase[93]
In 1996, the Belo Corporation bought the Providence Journal Company.[94] The station suffered from two anchor departures in just over a week in early 1997 as Belo completed the purchase; meanwhile, its newscasts were still in third place.[95] Under new general manager Richard Keilty, WCNC lured Sonja Gantt, formerly of WBTV, back to the market from a stint in Chicago.[96] The station also got a new $200,000 news set as Belo sought to raise the station from its perennial cellar.[97]
The next year, Ray Boylan, a longtime meteorologist at WSOC-TV, unretired and did on-air reports on WCNC, while the station also hired Terri Bennett, who had been in the running to replace him on channel 9 but was passed over.[98] Boylan and Bennett were backed up by the station's purchase of a new Doppler radar and other weather equipment.[98] However, not all of the talent changes made were positively received; the ouster of Beatrice Thompson, who had been Charlotte's first full-time Black anchor at WBTV in the 1980s, led to protests by some viewers who felt she had been forced out because of her race.[99]
Boylan retired in December 2000.[100] The station showed momentum in local news ratings in the early 2000s, particularly in mornings and at 11,[101] and between 2000 and 2002, it produced a 10 p.m. newscast for WB affiliate WFVT-TV.[102]
On October 30, 2009, WCNC broke the record for most Halloween costume changes during a local news program, with 11 costumes worn by the station's anchor team (Jeff Campbell, Colleen Odegaard, and Larry Sprinkle, as well as producer Natalie Ridley) were involved in setting the record during its weekday morning newscast that day.[103]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/32/NBC_Charlotte.png/220px-NBC_Charlotte.png)
In 2008, after referring to itself simply with its call letters and using the slogan "Carolinas' News Connection", WCNC changed its branding to "NewsChannel 36", citing its over-the-air channel number and the coming arrival of digital television.[104] In 2012, the station's branding was changed once again to "NBC Charlotte"; this time, the reasoning for the change was that few people actually watched the station over-the-air or on satellite on virtual channel 36.[105]
Gannett/Tegna ownership
On June 13, 2013, the Gannett Company announced that it would acquire Belo for $1.5 billion.[106] The sale was finalized on December 23.[107] Investments made by Gannett in WCNC after the Belo purchase included the conversion of newscasts to high definition and a new computer system for the newsroom.[108]
On June 29, 2015, Gannett split in two, with one side specializing in print media and the other side specializing in broadcast and digital media. WCNC was retained by the latter company, named Tegna.[109]
Newscasts
![refer to caption](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/RNC_Sunday_LukeRussert_%287867814770%29.jpg/294px-RNC_Sunday_LukeRussert_%287867814770%29.jpg)
WCNC-TV presently broadcasts 40½ hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 6½ hours each weekday, and four hours each on Saturdays and Sundays); in addition, the station produces the hour-long entertainment and lifestyle program Charlotte Today, which airs weekday mornings at 11:00 am and was started in 2010.[110]
After a solid, if low-rated, start under Turner's watch,[44] the news department was severely hamstrung by Group W's bargain-basement approach to running the station. Group W immediately dropped the station's weekend evening newscasts and moved the 11 pm newscast to 12:30 am before canceling it altogether in 1981. The early evening newscast was shifted between the 5:30 and 6 pm timeslots until the fall of 1982, when it was canceled as well. For the remainder of Group W's ownership, the station's only remaining local news programming consisted of a half-hour newscast at noon, hourly cut-ins, five-minute local inserts during Today, a weekly magazine program, and occasional specials.[58]
After Odyssey Partners bought the station, the noon newscast was discontinued in the spring of 1985. In September 1986, WPCQ relaunched a full-fledged news department.[74] At first, the station scheduled its early-evening newscast for 5:30 pm, knowing at the time that it could not hope to compete with WBTV and WSOC-TV at 6 pm. In 1988, WPCQ expanded the 5:30 newscast to one hour and added a 6:00 pm newscast on weekends.[76] After becoming WCNC, the station added a distinct 6 pm newscast to the weeknight schedule.[86] Under Belo, the station expanded further into new timeslots in the late 1990s, including a 5:00 am morning show, unusual at the time.[111]
In 1999, the station's news department was chronicled in the five-part PBS documentary series Local News.[99] That same year, WCNC entered into a news share agreement with then-Fox affiliate WCCB to take over production of that station's 10:00 p.m. newscast, shortly after WSOC-TV ended its agreement to produce the program after WCCB announced it would launch its own news department. After WCCB's in-house news operation launched in 2000, WCNC began airing a 10:00 p.m. newscast on WB affiliate WWWB (channel 55, now WMYT-TV), which ran until the program was canceled due to low ratings in 2002.[112] The station won a Peabody Award in 2003, the first for a Charlotte television station in 27 years, for an investigation into dental care through Medicaid[113] and attracted notice in the market for its award-winning ways.[114]
![refer to caption](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Alma_Adams_being_interviewed_-_2019.jpg/187px-Alma_Adams_being_interviewed_-_2019.jpg)
For much of the 2000s, WCNC had waged a spirited battle with WBTV for second place behind WSOC-TV, though it would later return to a distant third place in most timeslots as the performance of the NBC network in the late 2000s and poor daytime syndicated offerings dragged it down.[115] This continued in the February 2016 sweeps, when its evening newscasts drew barely half the viewership of WBTV.[116]
In late 2005, WCNC debuted the Charlotte market's first 4:30 pm newscast, creating a two-hour local news block from 4:30 to 6:30 pm.[117] In 2007, the station phased out its longtime 6News brand and rebranded itself as "WCNC, Carolinas' News Connection". In August 2008, it rebranded once again to NewsChannel 36, marking the first time in 12 years that WCNC had used its over-the-air channel number in its branding. Beginning in September 2008, WCNC aired news at 4:00 pm, with Judge Judy at 4:30; in January 2012, the 4:00 news expanded to an hour and the noon news shrank from an hour to 30 minutes.[118]
On May 18, 2009, WCNC began broadcasting its local newscasts in 16:9 widescreen standard definition; this change came alongside the revamping of the station's on-air news graphics. A conversion to full high definition followed on June 28, 2014.[108]
Notable current on-air staff
- Sarah French – anchor[119]
Notable former on-air staff
- Heather Childers – weekend anchor (1992–1995; Fox News Channel, now Newsmax TV as of late 2020)[120]
- Amanda Davis – reporter (1979–1982; later at SNC as a correspondent in Washington, D.C. (1982–1983), WAGA in Atlanta (1986–2013), and WGCL in Atlanta (2015–2017); passed away on December 27, 2017)[67]
- Allen Denton – anchor (1996–2000; later at KUSI-TV in San Diego)[121]
- Doug McKelway – reporter (1980–1982; later at WRC-TV and WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C.; now at Fox News Channel)[122]
- Bob Raiford – anchor and talk show host (1978–1986; later on The John Boy and Billy Big Show), deceased 2017[43]
- Hannah Storm – sports anchor (1988–1989; later at NBC Sports and on The Early Show on CBS, now with ESPN)[76]
- Beatrice Thompson – general assignment reporter (1988–1989)[99]
- Beth Troutman – news anchor (2015–2017)[123]
Technical information
Subchannels
The station's signal is multiplexed:
Channel | Video | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
---|---|---|---|---|
36.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WCNC-HD | Main WCNC-TV programming / NBC |
36.2 | 480i | Crime | True Crime Network | |
36.3 | CourtTV | Court TV | ||
36.4 | Quest | Quest | ||
36.5 | Twist | Twist | ||
64.4 | Laff | Laff (WAXN-TV) |
Prior subchannel offerings from WCNC have included NBC Weather Plus[125] and the Live Well Network.[126]
WCNC-TV was added to Charlotte's ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) deployment on WAXN-TV on July 7, 2021.[127] As part of the change, WAXN's 64.4 subchannel of Laff was placed on WCNC-TV's multiplex, keeping it available in ATSC 1.0 format.
Analog-to-digital conversion
WCNC-TV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 36, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate.[128] The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 22, continuing to use virtual channel 36.[129]
WCNC-TV moved its digital signal from channel 22 to channel 24 on September 6, 2019, as part of the FCC's spectrum reallocation process.[130][131][132]
Translators
WCNC-TV's signal is additionally rebroadcast over the following translators:[133]
See also
- Channel 6 branded TV stations in the United States
- Channel 24 digital TV stations in the United States
- Channel 36 virtual TV stations in the United States
References
- ^ Miller, Mark K. (February 22, 2022). "Tegna Selling To Standard General For $5.4 Billion". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Haight, Kathy (July 21, 1989). "$500,000 Pledge From WPCQ-TV Means JazzCharlotte Festival Lives". The Charlotte Observer. p. 5B. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WCNC-TV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "New Charlotte TV Station Goes On Air". The Charlotte Observer. January 6, 1954. p. 13-A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "WAYS-TV Changes Its Name To WQMC". The Charlotte Observer. January 25, 1955. p. 1-B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "WQMC Goes Off Air Temporarily". The Charlotte Observer. March 16, 1955. p. 1-B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Connah, Jr., Douglas (March 2, 1962). "Local Firm To Seek 3rd TV Station Here". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1-C. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Batten, James K. (May 9, 1963). "Schools To Build TV Unit". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1-B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "WCCB Changes Channels Tonight". The Charlotte News. November 1, 1966. p. 2A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "New Station Going On Air July 9". The Charlotte News. July 1, 1967. p. 12C. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Wister, Emery (April 29, 1978). "Station's lived Cinderella life". The Charlotte News. pp. 1A, 2A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Channel 36 Will Seek WCTU As Call Letters". The Charlotte Observer. May 17, 1966. p. 14A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jackson, Dot (August 20, 1969). "WTCU [sic] Owner Fights Debts To Stay On Air". The Charlotte Observer. p. 6C. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "WCTU-TV Goes On Air July 9 at 3". The Charlotte Observer. June 28, 1967. p. 4A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "WCTU-TV In Ultra Color". The Charlotte News. September 11, 1967. p. 2C. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Monts, Vivian (July 3, 1969). "WCTU TV Faces Suits". The Charlotte News. p. 5A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Flanders, Joe (August 18, 1969). "Financial Woes: Court Gives WCTU 30 Days". The Charlotte News. p. 1B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Flanders, Joe (September 16, 1969). "WCTU-TV Declared Insolvent". The Charlotte News. p. 2A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jackson, Dot. "Channel 36 In Receivership". The Charlotte Observer. p. 14A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Judge Throws Out Suit By Defunct TV Station". The Charlotte Observer. October 19, 1977. p. 3D. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Hanna, Charlie (February 9, 1975). "Charlotte's Cinderella Station Is Fifth-Ranking Independent". The Charlotte Observer. p. TV Week 1. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Doar, Harriet (February 12, 1970). "WCTU: Atlanta Firm Buys Charlotte TV Station". The Charlotte Observer. p. 23A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "WRET On Channel 36 Now". The Charlotte News. July 13, 1970. p. 3B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Channel 36 Begins New Slate Monday". The Charlotte Observer. August 16, 1970. p. 6G. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Eichel, Henry (February 13, 1972). "Will Channel 36 Survive?". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "WRET Asks Viewers' Loans To Stay On Air". The Charlotte Observer. February 6, 1972. p. 3B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Nets $53,000: WRET-TV Prospects 'Good' After Appeal". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1C. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hanna, Charlie (April 19, 1974). "Channel 36 Adding WFL To Sports-Crowded Lineup". The Charlotte Observer. p. 7B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Barnard, Warren (June 17, 1972). "Churches Question The Union Of 9 Christian Denominations". The Charlotte News. p. 4A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Atlanta Corporation Absorbs WRET-TV". The Charlotte News. July 28, 1975. p. 2B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "WRET May Go Nationwide". The Charlotte Observer. December 6, 1975. p. 2B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Barnard, Warren (December 29, 1975). "Channel 36 To Repay Viewers' Donations Soon". The Charlotte News. pp. 1B, 10B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Alridge, Ron (February 5, 1976). "WRET Plans To Pay Back Viewer Loans". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wister, Emery (February 6, 1976). "Even 25-Cent Lenders Happy To Get It Back". The Charlotte News. p. 1B. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Alridge, Ron (June 12, 1977). "WRET Is Big Story". The Charlotte Observer. p. TV Week 5. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Alridge, Ron (July 2, 1977). "Now, The WRET News From Atlanta". The Charlotte Observer. p. 16A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Alridge, Ron (September 29, 1977). "WRET-TV Or WCCB-TV – Just Where Will NBC Go?". The Charlotte Observer. p. 9B. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Alridge, Ron (January 26, 1978). "Soap Opera Star And Pickles Pitch in For Charity Drives". The Charlotte Observer. p. 19A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wisehart, Bob (March 15, 1978). "WTVI way short of goal". The Charlotte News. p. 15A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Alridge, Ron (April 25, 1978). "WRET Goes All Out To Woo NBC". The Charlotte Observer. p. 15A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wister, Emery (April 29, 1978). "WRET-TV joining with NBC". The Charlotte News. pp. 1A, 2A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Alridge, Ron (April 29, 1978). "WRET-TV Will Tune in to NBC Network". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Alridge, Ron (September 4, 1978). "WRET's 'Action News 36' Premieres Tonight at 7". The Charlotte Observer. p. 7B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Wisehart, Bob (September 11, 1978). "WRET news: good, but..." The Charlotte News. p. 11A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Wisehart, Bob (January 3, 1979). "Year's biggest local TV news: the affiliation switch". The Charlotte News. p. 13A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Wisehart, Bob (May 16, 1979). "Turner sells WRET". The Charlotte News. p. 1B. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Zoglin, Richard (May 12, 1979). "Ted Turner Turns 'Guilt' Into New TV Offensive". Atlanta Journal and Constitution. pp. 1-A, 9-A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Westinghouse pays record $20 million for U" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 21, 1979. pp. 34–35. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 8, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "A Sharper Irony" (PDF). Channels. September 1984. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Gallman, Vanessa (May 1, 1980). "Rights Deal Will Permit WRET Sale". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1D. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gist, Rosalyn (August 21, 1980). "Black groups to split 1st gift from WRET". The Charlotte News. p. 1B. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ FCC History Cards for WCNC-TV
- ^ Wolf, Mark (October 13, 1980). "Channel 36 Unveils New Name, New Look Under New Owners". The Charlotte Observer. p. 17A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "WPCQ-TV Demotes Its Pubservice 'Quibble'". Variety. May 20, 1981. p. 76. ProQuest 1438317670.
- ^ a b c Mildenberg, David (July 7, 1982). "WPCQ clawing for foothold over local rivals". The Charlotte News. p. 8A, 9A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Carolina NBC-TV Outlet Drops the Evening News". The New York Times. September 22, 1982. p. C24. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ Chapin, Catherine (August 19, 1982). "WPCQ TV Dropping News Shows". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1A, 10A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Charlotte U to drop NBC News" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 6, 1982. p. 41. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via World Radio History.
- ^ a b c Hanna, Charlie (July 6, 1983). "Programming Gamble Pays Off For Westinghouse's WPCQ-TV". Variety. p. 46. ProQuest 1438386014.
- ^ Wolf, Mark (September 20, 1982). "WPCQ Subs Profitable Reruns For Local and 'NBC Nightly News'". The Charlotte Observer. p. 15A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Wolf, Mark (April 19, 1982). "The Readers Write: Put 'Texas' On". The Charlotte Observer. p. 13A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wolf, Mark (July 30, 1984). "Reader: WPCQ Often Deprives Charlotte Readers Of Programs". The Charlotte Observer. p. 9A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wolf, Mark (April 24, 1982). "Local TV Stations Not Good Sports". The Charlotte Observer. p. 12A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Today On Television". The Charlotte Observer. September 6, 1982. p. 15A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wolf, Mark (March 19, 1982). "WPCQ News Anchor Replaces Striking New York Announcers". The Charlotte Observer. p. 11B. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Snow, Steve (May 20, 1982). "WPCQ's Lou Tilley moving to Boston TV station". The Charlotte News. p. 1B. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Wolf, Mark (October 11, 1982). "'WBTV On The Job' Campaign To Pair Jobs With Job-Hunters". The Charlotte Observer. p. 9A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Wolf, Mark (March 31, 1984). "N.Y. Investment Partnership Buying WPCQ-TV". The Charlotte Observer. p. 2C. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wolf, Mark (April 4, 1984). "What Worked With Other Stations Didn't Work For Group W's WPCQ". The Charlotte Observer. p. 5E. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Mildenberg, David; Van Hecke, M.S. (February 13, 1985). "Network news returning to WPCQ". The Charlotte News. pp. 1A, 3A. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Borden, Jeff (September 23, 1985). "WPCQ May Carry Local News; Manager Says It's Up To Viewers". The Charlotte Observer. p. 11A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Mermigas, Susan (August 5, 1985). "Affiliate raids: NBC targets markets for station swaps". Electronic Media. pp. 1, 32. Retrieved January 6, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Borden, Jeff (February 28, 1986). "WPCQ To Resume Local News Shows". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B, 2B. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Borden, Jeff (September 7, 1986). "WPCQ's News Gamble". The Charlotte Observer. p. TV Week 3. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Haight, Kathy (December 16, 1986). "WBTV's Evening News On Top Once More". The Charlotte Observer. p. 7B. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Borden, Jeff (April 2, 1988). "Changes in the Air At '36 News'". The Charlotte Observer. p. 17A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Borden, Jeff (April 18, 1987). "FCC Indecency Rating Expected To Have Little Effect On Charlotte". The Charlotte Observer. p. 2C. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Borden, Jeff (June 2, 1987). "WTVI Markets 'Homestretch' Program Nationally". The Charlotte Observer. p. 5B. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Borden, Jeff (March 12, 1988). "WPCQ Impatient For NBC Decision". The Charlotte Observer. p. 21A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Borden, Jeff (March 30, 1988). "WPCQ, NBC Sign 2-Year Contract". Charlotte Observer. p. 2B. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Mermigas, Diane (February 22, 1988). "NBC wins back Florida affiliate" (PDF). Electronic Media. pp. 1, 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Borden, Jeff (September 21, 1988). "Football Fans Make Voices Heard By Telephone Voting". The Charlotte Observer. p. 9C. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dykes, David (July 26, 1988). "Rhode Island Firm Buys Channel 36". The Charlotte Observer. p. 10A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Borden, Jeff (December 14, 1988). "Channel 36 Owners Find Station To Their Liking". The Charlotte Observer. p. 12A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Call Letters" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 17, 1988. p. 81. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via World Radio History.
- ^ a b Toppman, Lawrence (August 22, 1989). "WPCQ To Split News Hour in Half". The Charlotte Observer. p. 3B. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Funk, Tim (October 19, 1991). "Turning up the volume: WCNC sees glimmers of hope in its long battle for a bigger share of the TV market". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 7C, 9C. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Funk, Tim (September 26, 1990). "NBC Considers 'Headline News' Center For Charlotte". The Charlotte Observer. p. 8B. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Funk, Tim (September 27, 1990). "Overnight News Show From N.C.?". p. 3C. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Funk, Tim (January 3, 1992). "WCNC general manager to take charge of media company's 10 TV properties". The Charlotte Observer. p. 2D. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Funk, Tim (March 26, 1993). "5:30 p.m. newscast boosts WSOC ratings". The Charlotte Observer. p. 3E. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Spanberg, Erik (April 22, 2004). "Archived copy". Charlotte Business Journal. Archived from the original on June 18, 2004. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Spanberg, Erik (March 31, 1997). "News6 has Rosie future". Charlotte Business Journal. Archived from the original on June 15, 2004. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ Peterson, Iver (October 1, 1996). "Belo now a serious player in the print-TV merger game". The Charlotte Observer. p. 7C. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ McFadden, Kay (March 14, 1997). "WCNC newscaster Chris Clackum quits". The Charlotte Observer. p. 4C. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ McFadden, Kay. "WCNC lures Sonja Gantt back to Chicago as anchor". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1C, 7C. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ McFadden, Kay (October 26, 1997). "New owner, new hire, new set". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1F, 3F. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Smith, Dean (June 28, 1998). "Boylan's back on weather beat—at WCNC". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1E, 4E. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Washburn, Mark (September 30, 2001). "The TV news you don't see: Ratings, ethics and more: Documentary looks at workings of NBC6". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1H, 7H. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Perlmutt, David (December 30, 2000). "For Boylan, forecast is Florida retirement". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B, 5B. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Washburn, Mark (March 6, 2001). "WSOC on top of slippery slope". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1D, 2D. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Keveney, Bill (September 8, 2000). "WTVI 10 p.m. news will disappear after tonight". The Charlotte Observer. p. 3C. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "NewsChannel 36 morning team sets world record". WCNC-TV. November 18, 2009. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011.
- ^ "The Readers Write". The Charlotte Observer. September 6, 2008. p. 6E. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Washburn, Mark (October 6, 2012). "Struggles remain in the air for WTVI". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
- ^ "WCNC owner Belo selling to Gannett". The Charlotte Observer. Associated Press. June 13, 2013. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
- ^ "Gannett Completes Its Acquisition of Belo". TVNewsCheck. December 23, 2013. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
- ^ "Separation of Gannett into two public companies completed | TEGNA". Tegna. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
- ^ Bethea, April (December 14, 2012). "Radio's Ramona now on TV". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1B. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Early, Early News in N.C." (PDF). Mediaweek. September 14, 1998. p. 42. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2020 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Washburn, Mark (March 28, 2002). "WWWB kills its 10 p.m. newscast". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1D, 10D. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Washburn, Mark (May 22, 2004). "Media movers". The Charlotte Observer. p. 5E. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Washburn, Mark (May 26, 2007). "TV exec will leave WCNC post in August". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1D. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Washburn, Mark (December 1, 2007). "WCNC ratings fall for most news shows". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1E, 4E. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Washburn, Mark (March 2, 2016). "Historic sweep: WBTV wrestles the news ratings lead from WSOC". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ Washburn, Mark (October 29, 2005). "WCNC hopes more news, Geraldo snare viewers". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1D, 2D. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Washburn, Mark (January 27, 2012). "Sonja Gantt aims newscast in new direction". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ Miller, Mark K. (February 9, 2017). "Anchor Sarah French Joins WCNC Charlotte". TVNewsCheck. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
{{cite news}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; March 29, 2021 suggested (help) - ^ "Heather Childers bio". Fox News. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
- ^ Keveney, Bill (July 8, 2000). "WCNC-TV anchor Denton leaves for San Jose station". The Charlotte Observer. p. 4B. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wolf, Mark (January 9, 1982). "Coverage Of Race A Marathon Job". The Charlotte Observer. p. 16A. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kuperberg, Jonathan (October 19, 2015). "Bright Horizon Ahead For Charlotte and Its Stations". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ "RabbitEars TV Query for WCNC". Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
- ^ "Stations". Broadcasting & Cable. January 23, 2009. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ Jessell, Harry A. (February 22, 2011). "ABC's Multicast Play: All's Well With Live Well". TVNewsCheck. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ Egitto, Daniel (July 8, 2021). "These Charlotte TV stations upgraded broadcasts. Here's what that means for viewers". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ "Digital TV switch". The Charlotte Observer. June 12, 2009. p. 2D. Archived from the original on March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
- ^ "We've improved our over-the-air signal! Here's how to rescan your TV to keep watching WCNC Charlotte". WCNC-TV. August 5, 2019. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ "TV antenna not working? Local channels start changing frequencies soon". The Gaston Gazette. August 30, 2019. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ "Form 399: Incentive Auction Relocation Reimbursement Fund System". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. July 31, 2020. File Number: 0000028031. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ "List of TV Translator Input Channels". Federal Communications Commission. July 23, 2021. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
External links
- Television stations in Charlotte, North Carolina
- NBC network affiliates
- True Crime Network affiliates
- Court TV affiliates
- Quest (American TV network) affiliates
- Twist (TV network) affiliates
- Tegna Inc.
- Television channels and stations established in 1967
- Westinghouse Broadcasting
- Peabody Award winners
- 1967 establishments in North Carolina
- Former Gannett subsidiaries