WVIR-CD

Last updated
WVIR-CD
WVIR.png
KECA & WVIR 2024.svg
Channels
BrandingWVIR 29; 29 News
Programming
Affiliationssee WVIR-TV
Ownership
Owner
WVIR-TV
History
First air date
August 31, 1998(25 years ago) (1998-08-31)
Former call signs
  • WADA-LP (1998–2005)
  • WAHU-CA (2005–2009)
  • WAHU-LD (2009–2011)
  • WAHU-CD (2011–2019)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog: 55 (UHF, 1998–2005), 27 (UHF, 2005–2009)
  • Digital: 40 (UHF, 2009–2019)
Call sign meaning
Virginia
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 47705
Class CD
ERP 15 kW
HAAT 314.1 m (1,031 ft)
Transmitter coordinates 37°59′4.2″N78°28′51.1″W / 37.984500°N 78.480861°W / 37.984500; -78.480861
Links
Public license information
Website www.29news.com

WVIR-CD (channel 35) is a low-power, Class A television station in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It is a translator of dual NBC/CW+ affiliate WVIR-TV (channel 29) which is owned by Gray Television. WVIR-CD's transmitter is located on Carters Mountain south of Charlottesville; its parent station maintains studios on East Market Street (US 250 Business) in downtown.

Contents

History

The station began its life as charter Pax TV affiliate WADA-LP on August 31, 1998. It first aired an analog signal on UHF channel 55 and later moved to UHF channel 27. In late-March 2005, owner Tiger Eye Broadcasting sold the station to Gray Television who proceeded to change the call letters to WAHU-CA. The station became a Fox affiliate and was integrated with CBS affiliate WCAV (channel 19) and ABC affiliate WVAW-LP (channel 16). Prior to WAHU's affiliation switch, Fox was available on cable from WTTG in Washington, D.C. That station was considered the default affiliate for the market and is still seen on cable due to "significantly viewed" status from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). (Pax TV's successor, Ion Television, returned to the market on October 1, 2018, on WCAV's fourth subchannel.) Since 2006, the three stations have been the flagship of University of Virginia sports.

Logo used by WAHU-CD2 as a MyNetworkTV affiliate Wahu dt2 2008.png
Logo used by WAHU-CD2 as a MyNetworkTV affiliate

On December 28, 2006, WAHU launched its digital signal on UHF channel 40. While providing an over-the-air standard definition Fox feed on its first digital subchannel, the station began airing a dedicated MyNetworkTV channel on a new second one. Following this addition, the station shifted several programs to the digital subchannel. Prior to the addition of WAHU-DT2, the network was added on September 5, 2006 as a secondary affiliation on the main channel. As part of the launch, Comcast moved WTTG from channel 9 to channel 18 in order to give WAHU the lower channel location.

On March 14, 2008, the station changed its call letters to WAHU-LD with "LD" meaning low-power digital. [2] Also on the date, along with other television stations in Virginia, WAHU-LD2 aired the Virginia High School League championship basketball tournament for the first time. On February 18, 2009, it began broadcasting in high definition over-the-air. On March 13 and 14, WAHU-LD2 (and other stations in the state) aired the Virginia High School League basketball championships for a second time. On September 7, 2009, This TV started airing on WAHU-LD2. On January 3, 2011, the station changed its calls again to WAHU-CD with "CD" meaning Class A low-power digital. [3]

In late 2018, WAHU-CD2 ended its affiliation with MyNetworkTV to take MeTV full-time.

Gray announced the sale of WCAV and WVAW-LD to Lockwood Broadcast Group on March 4, 2019. The sale was concurrent with Gray's purchase of rival WVIR-TV from Waterman Broadcasting. WAHU-CD was not included in the sale and would be retained by Gray as a sister station to WVIR-TV. [4] [5] [6]

Gray took WAHU-CD silent on April 1 to begin moving its equipment out of the shared Newsplex facility. The Fox, MeTV, and AccuWeather affiliations were included in the sale to Lockwood and moved to WCAV and WVAW-LD. [7]

As Gray's purchase of WVIR was held up by legal challenges, delaying construction of a new co-located transmitter, WAHU-CD returned to the air with Fox on August 23 with an interim facility from its previous location. Because the Fox feed on WCAV began using virtual channel 27 when WAHU-CD went silent, it began using virtual channel 35. [8]

On October 8, 2019, the station changed its callsign to WVIR-CD when the legal challenges were cleared and the sale to Gray closed. [9] Later that month, it converted to a translator of WVIR-TV. WVIR-CD preserved UHF reception in the core of the market when WVIR-TV moved to VHF channel 2, which is difficult to receive indoors, in 2020.

On September 15, 2022, Grit was added to the channel lineup.

Technical information

Subchannels

This station rebroadcasts the subchannels of full-power WVIR-TV. [10]

Subchannels of WVIR-TV [11]
Channel Res. Aspect Short nameProgramming
29.1 1080i 16:9 NBC NBC
29.2 480i WNat WeatherNation TV
29.3 720p CW The CW Plus
29.4480iCrime True Crime Network
29.5Grit Grit
29.6The365 The365

Analog-to-digital conversion

WAHU shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 27, on February 16, 2009. The station "flash-cut" its digital signal into operation UHF channel 40. [12] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 27.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWNY-TV</span> CBS affiliate in Carthage, New York

WWNY-TV is a television station licensed to Carthage, New York, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Watertown area. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power, Class A Fox affiliate WNYF-CD. Both stations share studios on Arcade Street in downtown Watertown, while WWNY-TV and WNYF-CD's transmitters are located on the same tower along NY 126/State Street on Champion Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WIFR-LD</span> CBS affiliate in Rockford, Illinois

WIFR-LD is a low-power television station in Rockford, Illinois, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. The station is owned by Gray Television, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on North Meridian Road in Rockford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBME-CD</span> MeTV station in Milwaukee

WBME-CD, virtual channel 41, is a low-power, Class A MeTV owned-and-operated television station licensed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Owned by Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting, it is sister to CBS affiliate WDJT-TV, Racine-licensed independent station WMLW-TV and low-power Telemundo affiliate WYTU-LD. The stations share studios in the Renaissance Center office complex on South 60th Street in West Allis, while WBME-CD's transmitter is located in Milwaukee's Lincoln Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCAV</span> CBS/Fox affiliate in Charlottesville, Virginia

WCAV is a television station in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, affiliated with CBS and Fox. It is owned by Lockwood Broadcast Group alongside low-power ABC affiliate WVAW-LD. Both stations share studios on Rio East Court in Charlottesville, while WCAV's transmitter is located on Carters Mountain south of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVAW-LD</span> ABC affiliate in Charlottesville, Virginia

WVAW-LD is a low-power television station in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Lockwood Broadcast Group alongside dual CBS/Fox affiliate WCAV. Both stations share studios on Rio East Court in Charlottesville, while WVAW-LD's transmitter is located on Carters Mountain south of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVIR-TV</span> NBC/CW affiliate in Charlottesville, Virginia

WVIR-TV is a television station in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. Owned by Gray Television, the station has studios on East Market Street in downtown Charlottesville, and its primary transmitter is located on Carters Mountain south of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTAP-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Parkersburg, West Virginia

WTAP-TV is a television station in Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside two low-power stations: Fox affiliate WOVA-LD and CBS affiliate WIYE-LD. The three stations share studios on Market Street in downtown Parkersburg; WTAP-TV's transmitter is located in Independence Township, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNYF-CD</span> Fox affiliate in Watertown, New York

WNYF-CD is a low-power, Class A television station in Watertown, New York, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Carthage-licensed CBS affiliate WWNY-TV. Both stations share studios on Arcade Street in downtown Watertown, while WNYF-CD and WWNY-TV's transmitters are located on the same tower along NY 126/State Street on Champion Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMYS-LD</span> MyNetworkTV affiliate in South Bend, Indiana

WMYS-LD is a low-power television station in South Bend, Indiana, United States, affiliated with MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Weigel Broadcasting, and is sister to ABC affiliate WBND-LD and CW affiliate WCWW-LD. The stations share studios on Generations Drive in northeastern South Bend, while WMYS-LD's transmitter is located just off the St. Joseph Valley Parkway on the city's south side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHSV-TV</span> ABC/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Harrisonburg, Virginia

WHSV-TV is a television station in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside two low-power stations: Class A dual Fox/CBS affiliate WSVF-CD and dual NBC/CW+ affiliate WSVW-LD. The three stations share studios on North Main Street in downtown Harrisonburg, and operate a newsroom in Fishersville, serving Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County. WHSV-TV's transmitter is located at Elliott Knob west of Staunton.

WDCO-CD is a low-power, Class A television station licensed to Woodstock, Virginia, United States, serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area with programming from the digital multicast network TBD. Owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, it is sister to ABC affiliate WJLA-TV and local cable channel WJLA 24/7 News. WDCO-CD's transmitter is located in Ward Circle in Washington's northwest quadrant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSVF-CD</span> Fox/CBS affiliate in Harrisonburg, Virginia

WSVF-CD is a low-power, Class A television station in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States, affiliated with Fox and CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside ABC affiliate WHSV-TV and low-powered dual NBC/CW+ affiliate WSVW-LD. The three stations share studios on North Main Street/US 11 in downtown Harrisonburg, and operate a newsroom in Fishersville, serving Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County. WSVF-CD's transmitter is located atop Massanutten Mountain. There is no separate website for WSVF-CD; instead, it is integrated with that of sister station WHSV-TV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WOVA-LD</span> Fox/CW affiliate in Parkersburg, West Virginia

WOVA-LD is a low-power television station in Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States, affiliated with Fox and The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Television alongside NBC affiliate WTAP-TV and low-power CBS affiliate WIYE-LD. The three stations share studios on Market Street in downtown Parkersburg; WOVA-LD's transmitter is located in Independence Township, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHPM-LD</span> Fox/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States

WHPM-LD is a low-power television station in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States, affiliated with the Fox network and owned by Waypoint Media. The station's studios are located on Mayfair Road in Hattiesburg, and its transmitter is located on Old Highway 11/Norton Road in unincorporated Lamar County south of US 98.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WIYE-LD</span> CBS/MyNetworkTV affiliate in Parkersburg, West Virginia

WIYE-LD is a low-power television station in Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside NBC affiliate WTAP-TV and low-power Fox affiliate WOVA-LD. The three stations share studios on Market Street in downtown Parkersburg; WIYE-LD's transmitter is located in Independence Township, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBGS-LD</span> Telemundo-affiliated LPTV station in Bowling Green, Kentucky

WBGS-LD is a low-power television station in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with the Spanish-language network Telemundo. Owned by Gray Television alongside ABC/Fox/CW+ affiliate WBKO, it also functions as a translator for the main subchannel of its full-power sister station. The two stations share studios on Russellville Road near Interstate 165 in Bowling Green, and both stations' transmitting facilities and shared tower space is located on KY 185 in unincorporated northern Warren County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFXF-LD</span> Television station in Alaska, United States

KFXF-LD, virtual channel 7, is a low-power primary MeTV and secondary MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station licensed to Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. Owned by Atlanta-based Gray Television, it is a sister station to NBC affiliate KTVF and Class A CBS affiliate KXDF-CD. The three stations share studios on Braddock Street in downtown Fairbanks, where KFXF-LD's transmitter is also located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFET-LD</span> Television station in Tennessee, United States

WFET-LD is a low-power television station licensed to Lewisburg, Tennessee, United States, and also serving Columbia. Owned by Gray Television, it is a translator of Nashville-based Telemundo affiliate WTNX-LD, and also functions as a repeater for its full-power sister station, NBC affiliate WSMV-TV. WFET-LD's transmitter is located on Cranford Hollow Road east of Columbia; its parent stations share studios on Knob Road in West Nashville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSVW-LD</span> NBC/CW affiliate in Harrisonburg, Virginia

WSVW-LD is a low-power television station in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Television alongside ABC affiliate WHSV-TV and Class A dual Fox/CBS affiliate WSVF-CD. The three stations share studios on North Main Street in downtown Harrisonburg, and operate a newsroom in Fishersville, serving Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County. WSVW-LD's transmitter is located atop Massanutten Mountain. There is no separate website for WSVW-LD; instead, it is integrated with that of sister station WHSV-TV.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WVIR-CD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "Call Sign History".
  3. ↑ "Call Sign History".
  4. ↑ Aycock, Jason (March 4, 2019). "Gray Television changing stations in Virginia". Seeking Alpha . Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Gray Television to acquire NBC 29 from Waterman Broadcasting". The Daily Progress. March 4, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. March 4, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Suspension of Operations and Silent Authority of a Digital Class A Station Application". FCC LMS. 5 April 2019.
  8. ↑ "Extension of a Construction Permit". FCC LMS. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  9. ↑ "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission . Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  10. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WVIR-CD
  11. ↑ "TV Query for WVIR". RabbitEars . Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  12. ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.