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WJLA-TV

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WJLA-TV channel 7 is the ABC television affiliate in Washington, D.C.. It is the flagship station of the Allbritton Communications Company, which also operates local cable station News Channel 8. The two stations share broadcast facilities in Arlington, Virginia and WJLA-TV's transmitter is located in the Tenleytown section of Washington.

History

On October 3, 1947, the District of Columbia's second television station began broadcasting as WTVW, owned by the Washington Star along with WMAL radio (630 AM and 107.3 FM, now WRQX). It was the first high-band VHF station (channels 7-13) to begin operations in the United States. A few months later, the station renamed itself WMAL-TV after its radio sisters.

WMAL radio had been an affiliate of the NBC Blue Network since 1933, and remained with the network after it was spun-off by NBC and evolved into ABC. However, channel 7 started as a CBS station since ABC hadn't gotten into television yet. When ABC launched its television network in 1948, WMAL-TV became ABC's third primary affiliate. It continued to carry some CBS programming until WOIC-TV (later WTOP-TV and now WUSA) signed on in 1949.

In 1976, Texas businessman Joseph L. Allbritton, the owner of Washington-based Riggs Bank, purchased the Star along with the WMAL stations. As a condition of the purchase, Allbritton had to break up the newspaper/broadcast combination, which the Federal Communications Commission was seeking to prohibit under its "one-to-a market" rule. WMAL-TV was separated from its radio sisters when ABC purchased WMAL-AM-FM in March 1977. Upon the radio transfer, channel 7 changed its call letters to the current WJLA-TV after Allbritton's initials since July 2, 1976. Allbritton then sold the Star to Time, Inc. in February 1978.

Rumors abounded from the mid-1990s onward that ABC might buy WJLA, thus reuniting it with its former radio sisters. However, ABC recently announced it was selling most of its radio properties, including WMAL and WRQX, to Citadel Communications, and there is virtually no likelihood that ABC will purchase the station. Even so, WJLA is still an ABC affiliate to this day under Allbritton because the company has had a unique affiliation deal with the network.

After WJZ-TV in Baltimore switched to CBS in 1995, WJLA became ABC's longest-tenured affiliate.

In 2007, WJLA became the last station in the market to launch a news helicopter, when it launched "NewsChopper 7" for morning traffic reports and breaking news reports.

Ratings

Despite its newspaper roots, WJLA's newscasts have long rated third in the market, behind WUSA and WRC-TV.

The station scored a major coup in 1999, when it hired Maureen Bunyan, former longtime anchorwoman at WUSA. In 2003, Leon Harris, formerly of CNN, joined the station as an anchor. In 2004, WJLA hired Bunyan's former anchor desk partner, Gordon Peterson; they have since been reunited for the 6:00 p.m. news.

These personnel moves, combined with WUSA's recent troubles, have led to a resurgence in the ratings, and it currently leads at 5:00 p.m. It currently has the largest news team in the Washington area. As the flagship station of the Allbritton chain, WJLA provides national news headlines for other Allbritton-owned stations.

Logos and idents

Since 1970, WMAL-TV/WJLA has used a variation of the Circle 7 logo, which has long been associated with ABC affiliates. From 1970 to 2001, WMAL/WJLA used its own version of the Circle 7 logo, with the "7" modified to accommodate the circle. This version was probably the longest continuously used numeric logo in Washington's television history. The only real modification came in 1998, after it began calling itself ABC 7 on-air and added the ABC logo to the left. In 2001, WJLA adopted the standard version of the Circle 7 logo, which looks strikingly similar, to ABC O&O WABC-TV in New York City, re-fueling speculation that ABC would buy the station. Ironically, WJLA is the largest ABC affiliate to use the Circle 7 that is not an ABC owned-and-operated station; also, its sister station KATV in Little Rock, Arkansas has used the standard Circle 7 since the 1960s, longer than all WJLA versions combined.

Key Personalities

Current staff

WJLA-TV Anchors

  • Maureen Bunyan, Weeknights 6 and 11 p.m.
  • Leon Harris, Weeknights 5 and 11 p.m. and co-host of "Capital Sunday"
  • Doug McKelway, Good Morning Washington and ABC 7 NEWS @ NOON
  • Gordon Peterson, Weeknights 6 p.m. and "Inside Washington" Host
  • Alison Starling, Good Morning Washington and ABC 7 NEWS @ NOON
  • Arch Campbell, Weeknights @ 6, ABC 7 NEWS Entertainment Reporter

NewsChannel 8 Anchors

  • Bruce DePuyt, NewsTalk Live host
  • Cheryl Conner, weekends
  • Melanie Hastings, afternoons
  • Beverly Kirk, evenings
  • Dave Lucas, mornings and middays, also "Capital Golf Weekly" Host
  • Alisa Parenti, weekends
  • Stephen Tschida, evenings

WJLA-TV and NewsChannel 8 Reporters

  • Lisa Baden, GMW Traffic Reporter
  • Natasha Barrett ,
  • Brad Bell, Prince George's County Bureau Chief
  • Matt Brock
  • Pamela Brown
  • Arch Campbell
  • Leslie Cook
  • Rebecca Cooper
  • Jennifer Donelan
  • Sam Ford, DC Bureau Chief
  • Dr. Kathy Fowler, Medical Reporter
  • Horace Holmes
  • Suzanne Kennedy
  • Nikole Killion, covers Prince George, Calvert, and Charles counties
  • Greta Kreuz, Montgomery County Bureau Chief
  • Jay Korff
  • Sarah Lee
  • Andrea McCarren, I-Team reporter
  • Ross McLaughlin, 7 On Your Side investigator
  • Aru Pande
  • Julie Parker
  • Gail Pennybacker
  • Scott Thuman, also Weekend Morning Anchor
  • Dave Willingham, NC8 Traffic Reporter

WJLA-TV and NewsChannel 8 Weather Forecasters

  • Adam Caskey: Meteorologist
  • Doug Hill: WJLA-TV Chief Meteorologist
  • Alex Liggitt: Weather Producer
  • Kyle Osborne: NewsChannel 8 Weatherman
  • Ron Riley: NewsChannel 8 Weatherman
  • Joe Witte: WJLA-TV Meteorologist
  • Brian van de Graaff: WJLA-TV Meteorologist
  • Dave Zahran: Weekend Morning Weatherman

WJLA-TV and NewsChannel 8 Sports Personalities

  • Tim Brant, WJLA-TV Weeknight Sports Anchor/Reporter
  • Glenn Harris, NewsChannel 8 Sports Anchor/Reporter/"Sports Talk" host
  • Greg Toland, WJLA-TV Weekend Sports Anchor/Reporter

—===Former staff===

  • Donald Allen - Anchor/Reporter (1969-1974, deceased)
  • Lauren Ashburn - Reporter/Anchor (1996-2000, now at USA Today Live)
  • Gary Axelson - Reporter (1972-1984)
  • Jim Berry - Sports Anchor/Reporter (1981-1988, now at WFOR-TV in Miami)
  • Paul Berry - Anchor/Reporter (1971-1999, now in public relations [1])
  • Rea Blakey - Health Reporter (1988-2001, recently at CNN)
  • James Brown - Sports Reporter (1984, now at CBS Sports)
  • Mike "Buck" Buchanan - General Assignment Reporter (2004-2006, now at WTOP radio; father of WUSA reporter Doug Buchanan; has been seen doing opinion reports on WJLA.)
  • Jack Bowden - Reporter/Anchor - MD Bureau Chief 1990-1998 (retired)
  • Mike Cairns - Sports Reporter/Anchor (1992-2000, now a sports announcer for Cleveland State University in Cleveland)
  • Jim Clarke - Special Correspondent (1964-2003, retired)
  • Jack Conaty - National Correspondent (1980-1986, now at WFLD-TV in Chicago)
  • Carol Costello - Morning Anchor (1996-2001, now appears on CNN's Situation Room)
  • Chris Curle Farmer - Anchor/Reporter (1977-1980, retired in Florida)
  • Elliott Francis - Weekend Anchor/Reporter (1997-2007)
  • Charles Gibson, Anchor/Reporter (1970-1973, now an anchor for ABC's World News with Charles Gibson)
  • Jeff Gilbert - Meteorologist (1991-2001)
  • Chris Gordon - Anchor/Reporter (1980-1983, now at WRC-TV (NBC) in Washington, DC)
  • Mike Hambrick - Co-anchor (1992-1995, now news director at WTAP-TV in Parkersburg, WV)
  • Jim Harriott - Anchor (1989-1990, deceased)
  • John Harter - Reporter (1974-2006, retired)
  • Dan Henry - Meteorologist (1997-2002, now at KDFW-TV in Dallas)
  • Frank Herzog - Sports Director/Reporter (1983-1992, now at WTOP Radio)
  • Kerri Kazarba - Anchor/Reporter (1993-1994, now at KCPQ-TV in Seattle)
  • Dennis Ketterer - Meteorologist (1988-1995, now at WBOC-TV in Salisbury, Maryland)
  • Susan King - Anchor/Cover Story Reporter (1987-1997)
  • Christianne Klein, Weekend Anchor/Reporter (2005-2006, now an anchor and correspondent for ABC News)
  • Rene Knott - Sports Director (1992-2003, now at KSDK-TV in St. Louis)
  • Dan Lewis - Anchor (1981-1987, now at KOMO-TV in Seattle)
  • Josh Mankiewicz - Reporter (1980-1982, now at NBC News)
  • Kathleen Matthews - 5 p.m. Anchor/Capitol Sunday Co-Host/Reporter (1982-2006, wife of MSNBC's Chris Matthews, now works for Marriott Hotels but still an occasional contributor)
  • Melissa McDermott - Weekend Anchor/Reporter (1998-1999) (now a reporter/anchor for CBS News)
  • Lark McCarthy - Anchor/Reporter (1976-1984, formerly of WTTG)
  • Derek McGinty - Anchor/Reporter (1998-2000, now at WUSA-TV)
  • Chris McKendry - Sports Reporter/Anchor (1994-1996, now in same position for ESPN's SportsCenter)
  • Marilyn Mitzel - Health/Investigative Reporter (1984-1986)
  • Monica Pellegrini - Sports Reporter/Anchor (1992-1993, most recently in same position at WWOR in New York)
  • Renee Poussaint - Anchor/Reporter (1978-1992)
  • Gary Reals - General Assignment Reporter (1983-1990, now in same position at WUSA-TV)
  • Susan Roberts - Reporter (2000-2003, now at CBS News)
  • Dan Ronan - Reporter (1982-1989, now at WFAA-TV in Dallas)
  • Nancy Russo - Meteorologist (1987-1989)
  • Angela Russell - Weekend Anchor/Reporter (2003-2005, now at KYW-TV in Philadelphia)
  • Wes Sarginson - Anchor (1985-1988, now at WXIA-TV in Atlanta)
  • Jim Schaefer - Reporter/Producer (1993-2003)
  • David Schoumacher - Anchor/Reporter (1976-1988)
  • Kevin Schultze - Reporter (1996-2005)
  • Gary Shore - Meteorologist (1981-1983)
  • Dale Solly - Anchor/Reporter (1988-1993 and 1997-2002, deceased)
  • Alexandra Steele - Meteorologist (1999-2003, now in same position at The Weather Channel)
  • Dave Sweeney - Meteorologist (1985-1987, now at KOIN-TV in Portland, OR)
  • Henry Tenenbaum - Reporter (1987-1990, now at KRON-TV in San Francisco)
  • Fred Thomas - Anchor/Reporter (1967-1975)
  • Ruth Todd - Meteorologist/Anchor (1990-1992, now semi-retired in Salt Lake City)
  • Steve Udelson - Meteorologist (1988-1990, now at WSOC-TV in Charlotte, NC)
  • Mary Jo Walsh - Anchor/Reporter (1994-2000)
  • Del Walters - Co-anchor/Investigative Reporter (1985-2003, then to WMAR-TV (ABC) in Baltimore, MD until 2006)

See also

Template:Allbritton

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