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{{short description|CBS affiliate in Richmond, Virginia}} |
{{short description|CBS affiliate in Richmond, Virginia}} |
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{{For|the public broadcaster |
{{For|the public broadcaster known as TVR|Romanian Television}} |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}} |
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{{Infobox broadcast |
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{{Infobox television station |
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| call_letters = WTVR-TV |
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| callsign = WTVR-TV |
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| city = Richmond, Virginia |
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| city = Richmond, Virginia |
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| station_logo = WTVR6.png |
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| logo = WTVR6.png |
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| image_size = 200px |
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| image_size = 200px |
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| station_slogan = ''Working for You'' ''(newscasts)''<br>''The Weather Authority'' ''(weather)'' |
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| branding = CBS 6 |
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| station_branding = CBS 6 ''(general)''<br>''CBS 6 News'' ''(newscasts)'' |
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| digital |
| digital = 23 ([[UHF]]) |
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| virtual = 6 |
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| virtual = 6 ([[Program and System Information Protocol|PSIP]]) |
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| affiliations = {{ubl|'''6.1:''' [[CBS]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}} |
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| other_chs = |
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| country = United States |
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| affiliations = {{ubl|'''6.1:''' [[CBS]]|'''6.2:''' [[Antenna TV]]|'''6.3:''' CBS6 Xtra}} |
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| airdate = {{start date and age|1948|04|22|p=y|br=yes}} |
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| network = |
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| location = [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]]–[[Petersburg, Virginia]] |
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| country = United States |
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| callsign_meaning = Television Richmond |
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| founded = |
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| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 6 ([[VHF]], 1948–2009)|'''Digital:''' 25 (UHF, until 2020)}} |
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| airdate = {{start date and age|1948|04|22|p=y}} |
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| owner = [[E. W. Scripps Company]] |
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| enddate = |
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| licensee = Scripps Broadcasting Holdings [[LLC]] |
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| location = [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]]/[[Petersburg, Virginia]] |
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| former_affiliations = {{ubl|[[NBC]] (1948–1955)|CBS (secondary 1948–1955, primary 1955–1956)|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (secondary 1948–1956, primary 1956–1960)|[[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]] (secondary, 1948–1956)|[[NTA Film Network|NTA]] (secondary, 1956–1961)}} |
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| callsign_meaning = '''T'''ele'''V'''ision '''R'''ichmond |
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| erp = 410 kW |
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| former_callsigns = |
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| haat = {{convert|346|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} |
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| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:'''|6 ([[very high frequency|VHF]], 1948–2009)}} |
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| class = |
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| owner = [[Tribune Broadcasting]]<br>''(sale pending to [[Nexstar Media Group]]; to be resold to the [[E. W. Scripps Company]] thereafter<ref name="nxsttrco1">{{cite web|url=https://www.nexstar.tv/nexstar_agrees_to_acquire_tribune/|title=Nexstar Media Group Enters into Definitive Agreement to Acquire Tribune Media Company for $6.4 Billion in Accretive Transaction Creating the Nation’s Largest Local Television Broadcaster and Local Media Company|publisher=[[Nexstar Media Group]]|date=December 3, 2018|accessdate=December 3, 2018}}</ref><ref name="nxsttrco2">{{cite web|url=http://www.tribunemedia.com/nexstar-media-group-enters-into-definitive-agreement-to-acquire-tribune-media-company/|title=Nexstar Media Group Enters Into Definitive Agreement To Acquire Tribune Media Company|publisher=[[Tribune Media]]|date=December 3, 2018|accessdate=December 3, 2018}}</ref><ref name="tvnc-nexstarspinoffs">{{cite web|title=Nexstar Selling 19 TVs In 15 Markets For $1.32B|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/232391/nexstar-selling-19-tvs-in-15-markets-for-1-32b/|author=Mark K. Miller|website=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheck Media|date=March 20, 2019}}</ref>)'' |
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| facility_id = 57832 |
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| licensee = WTVR License, [[Limited liability company|LLC]] |
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| coordinates = {{coord|37|30|45.6|N|77|36|4.8|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}} |
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| sister_stations = |
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| licensing_authority = [[FCC]] |
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| former_affiliations = {{ubl|[[NBC]] (1948–1955)|CBS (1948–1956; secondary until 1955)|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (1948–1960; secondary until 1956)|[[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]] (secondary, 1948–1956)|[[NTA Film Network|NTA]] (secondary, 1956–1961)}} |
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| website = {{URL|https://wtvr.com/}} |
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| effective_radiated_power = 410 [[kilowatt|kW]]<br>392 kW ([[construction permit|CP]]) |
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| HAAT = {{convert|347|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}<br>{{convert|346|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} (CP) |
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| class = [[digital terrestrial television|DT]] |
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| facility_id = 57832 |
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| coordinates = {{nowrap|{{coord|37|30|45|N|77|36|5|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}}}<br>{{nowrap|{{coord|37|30|45|N|77|36|5.8|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}}} (CP) |
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| licensing_authority = [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]] |
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| homepage = {{URL|https://wtvr.com/}} |
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}} |
}} |
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'''WTVR-TV''' |
'''WTVR-TV''' (channel 6) is a [[television station]] in [[Richmond, Virginia]], United States, affiliated with [[CBS]] and owned by the [[E. W. Scripps Company]]. Its studios are located on West Broad Street on Richmond's [[West End (Richmond, Virginia)|West End]], and its transmitter is located in [[Bon Air, Virginia|Bon Air]] near the studios of [[PBS]] member stations [[WCVE-TV|WCVE-TV and WCVW]].<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=&arn=&state=&city=&chan=0.0&cha2=69&serv=&type=&facid=&asrn=1018227&list=0&ThisTab=Results+to+This+Page%2FTab&dist=&dlat2=&mlat2=&slat2=&NS=N&dlon2=&mlon2=&slon2=&EW=W&size=9|title=TV Query Results |
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|access-date=September 12, 2023}}</ref> WTVR-TV's [[WTVR TV Tower|former transmitter]] is located behind the station's studio, and only [[WTVR-FM]] broadcasts from that tower today. It still remains as part of WTVR-TV's history. |
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WTVR-TV is one of only a few stations in the country to have been affiliated with all three of the [[Big Three (American television)|original major American television networks]]. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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===Early history=== |
===Early history=== |
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When the channel 6 license in Richmond came up for bids before the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC), it was assumed that the license would go to either [[Larus and Brother Company]], owner of [[WRVA (AM)|WRVA]], or Richmond Newspapers, owner of [[WRNL]], since they were considered Virginia's leading broadcasters. However, for reasons that remain unknown, neither station submitted a bid. The only applicant was |
When the channel 6 license in Richmond came up for bids before the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC), it was assumed that the license would go to either [[Larus and Brother Company]], owner of [[WRVA (AM)|WRVA]], or Richmond Newspapers, owner of [[WRNL]], since they were considered Virginia's leading broadcasters. However, for reasons that remain unknown, neither station submitted a bid. The only applicant was auto parts dealer Wilbur Havens and his Richmond Broadcasting Company, which already owned WMBG (AM 1380) and WCOD (98.1 FM). FCC approval was a mere formality, and WTVR debuted on April 22, 1948.<ref>{{cite news|title=WTVR (TV) to Start April 22, Channel 6|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1948/1948-04-19-BC.pdf#page=26|access-date=November 26, 2014|agency=Broadcasting|date=April 19, 1948|page=26}}</ref> It was the first television station to sign on in the state of Virginia, and the first south of [[Washington, D.C.]] It became an [[NBC]] affiliate June 1, 1948.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gov. Tuck Speaks At WTVR Inaugural|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1948/1948-04-26-BC.pdf#page=41|access-date=November 29, 2014|agency=Broadcasting|date=April 26, 1948|page=41}}</ref> For many years, it used a colorized version of its original ID slide to open newscasts. Then, as now, the station operated from a converted bus garage on West Broad Street, where WMBG had been based since 1939. |
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As it was one of the last stations to get a construction permit before an FCC-imposed freeze on new permits, WTVR was the only station in town until 1955. It carried programming from all four networks of the time—NBC, CBS, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] and [[DuMont Television Network|DuMont]]—but was a primary NBC affiliate. In 1953, WTVR switched to its current tower, a self-supporting {{convert|840|ft|m|0|adj=on}} tower near its studios. The tower has long been reckoned as a fixture of the Richmond skyline. |
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In 1953, WTVR activated its tall tower, located adjacent to its West Broad studios. The {{convert|843|ft|m|sp=us|adj=on}} ({{convert|1049|ft|m|sp=us|adj=on}} above [[sea level]]) tower is considered part of the Richmond skyline, and can be seen for several miles around Richmond. WTVR used a graphical version of the tower in its news opens for several years in the 1980s and early 1990s. |
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Channel 6 finally got competition in 1955, when WXEX-TV (channel 8, now [[WRIC-TV]]) signed on from neighboring [[Petersburg, Virginia|Petersburg]] and took the NBC affiliation. WTVR then had a brief stint becoming a primary CBS affiliate; this ended in 1956 when Larus-owned WRVA-TV (channel 12, now [[WWBT]]) signed on and took the CBS affiliation due to WRVA radio's long history as a [[CBS News Radio|CBS radio]] affiliate. WTVR then carried on as an ABC affiliate until 1960, when CBS cut a new deal with Havens due to channel 12's low ratings. WTVR has been with CBS ever since and is one of the few stations in the country to have been a primary affiliate of all of the "Big Three" networks, like WWBT locally. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the [[NTA Film Network]].<ref name="Boxoffice7">{{Citation|title=Require Prime Evening Time for NTA Films |journal=Boxoffice |page=13 |date=November 10, 1956 |url=https://issuu.com/boxoffice/docs/boxoffice_111056-1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090614204506/http://issuu.com/boxoffice/docs/boxoffice_111056-1 |archive-date=June 14, 2009 }}</ref> Although Richmond Broadcasting was nowhere near as large as Larus and Richmond Newspapers, WTVR's eight-year head start allowed it to become the ratings leader in Richmond for the better part of its first three decades on the air. |
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Havens sold WTVR, WMBG, and WCOD to [[Roy H. Park]] Communications in 1966, earning a handsome return on his original $500 investment when he started WMBG in 1927. After taking ownership of the properties, the radio stations adopted the TV station's "WTVR" call letters. When Park died in 1993, the company's assets were sold to a [[Lexington, Kentucky]] group of investors that sold the radio properties separately to various owners, with WTVR-AM-FM going to Clear Channel (now [[iHeartMedia]]) in 1995. WTVR-FM is now owned by [[ |
Havens sold WTVR, WMBG, and WCOD to [[Roy H. Park]] Communications in 1966, earning a handsome return on his original $500 investment when he started WMBG in 1927. After taking ownership of the properties, the radio stations adopted the TV station's "WTVR" call letters. When Park died in 1993, the company's assets were sold to a [[Lexington, Kentucky]] group of investors that sold the radio properties separately to various owners, with WTVR-AM-FM going to Clear Channel (now [[iHeartMedia]]) in 1995. [[WTVR-FM]] is now owned by [[Audacy, Inc.|Audacy]], who acquired iHeartMedia's Richmond stations in 2017, while the AM station, bought by [[Salem Communications]] in 2001 and programmed as [[Christian radio|Christian]] [[Talk radio|talk]], was later sold by Salem and is now [[Spanish language in the United States|Spanish]] [[religious broadcasting|religious]] station [[WBTK]]. The WMBG call letters are currently used on an [[WMBG|AM radio station]] in [[Williamsburg, Virginia]]. |
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WTVR began suffering in the ratings in |
WTVR began suffering in the ratings in 1994 when [[NFL on CBS|CBS]] lost the rights to broadcast [[National Football League]] games to [[NFL on Fox|Fox]] (CBS returned to NFL broadcasting in 1998). However, it recovered by the turn of the century and since then has been a solid runner-up, sometimes waging a spirited battle for second place with WRIC in news ratings. |
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===Raycom ownership=== |
===Raycom ownership=== |
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Park merged with [[Media General]], successor to Richmond Newspapers, in May 1997. However, Media General could not keep WTVR alongside its flagship newspaper, the ''[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]'', because FCC rules of the time did not allow cross-ownership of newspapers and television stations in the same market. As a result, Media General swapped WTVR to [[Raycom Media]] in exchange for [[WJTV]] in [[Jackson, Mississippi]], its [[ |
Park merged with [[Media General]], the successor to Richmond Newspapers, in May 1997. However, Media General could not keep WTVR alongside its flagship newspaper, the ''[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]'', because FCC rules of the time did not allow cross-ownership of newspapers and television stations in the same market. As a result, Media General swapped WTVR to [[Raycom Media]] in exchange for [[WJTV]] in [[Jackson, Mississippi]], its [[semi-satellite]] [[WHLT]] in [[Hattiesburg, Mississippi]], and [[WSAV-TV]] in [[Savannah, Georgia]], two months later. |
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WTVR was the only CBS station between Richmond and [[Roanoke, Virginia|Roanoke]] until [[WCAV-TV]] signed on in [[ |
WTVR-TV was the only CBS station between Richmond and [[Roanoke, Virginia|Roanoke]] until [[WCAV-TV]] signed on in [[Charlottesville]] in 2004. |
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Local features and community programs have included "For Kids' Sake", "Paws for Pets", and ''[[Battle of the Brains]]'' and a 24-hour weather news channel called "CBS 6 Xtra" broadcast on broadband, digital cable, and digital sub-channel 6.2 in the area. The station carried Raycom's 24/7 music television format "The Tube" on WTVR-DT3 until its shutdown on October 1, 2007. In March 2011, WTVR-DT3 became the new home of CBS 6 Xtra, while 6.2 carries [[Antenna TV]] (see below). |
Local features and community programs have included "For Kids' Sake", "Paws for Pets", and ''[[Battle of the Brains]]'' and a 24-hour weather news channel called "CBS 6 Xtra" broadcast on broadband, digital cable, and digital sub-channel 6.2 in the area. The station carried Raycom's 24/7 music television format "The Tube" on WTVR-DT3 until its shutdown on October 1, 2007. In March 2011, WTVR-DT3 became the new home of CBS 6 Xtra, while 6.2 carries [[Antenna TV]] (see below). |
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===Swap to Local TV; Tribune ownership; aborted |
===Swap to Local TV; Tribune ownership; twice-aborted sales to Sinclair=== |
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[[File:Wtvr logo.png|200px|thumb|WTVR-TV's first logo as "CBS 6," versions of which were used from October 2003 until April 2015. The "6" has been used in WTVR's logos since the late 1980s.]] |
[[File:Wtvr logo.png|200px|thumb|WTVR-TV's first logo as "CBS 6," versions of which were used from October 2003 until April 2015. The "6" has been used in WTVR's logos since the late 1980s.]] |
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On November 12, 2007, Raycom Media announced its intention to purchase the television broadcasting and production properties of [[Lincoln Financial Media]], including rival WWBT. |
On November 12, 2007, Raycom Media announced its intention to purchase the television broadcasting and production properties of [[Lincoln Financial Media]], including rival WWBT. Because WWBT and WTVR ranked as two of the four highest-rated stations in the Richmond market, FCC rules required one of the stations to be divested. Raycom decided to keep the higher-rated WWBT and sell WTVR to another owner.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6500245.html |title=Raycom Grabs Lincoln Financial Stations - 11 December 2007 2:44:00 PM - Broadcasting & Cable<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=November 12, 2007 |archive-date=November 16, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071116024218/http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6500245.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On June 24, 2008, [[Hunt Valley, Maryland]]-based [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]] announced its intent to purchase WTVR and sell local Fox affiliate [[WRLH-TV]] (channel 35), which it had owned since 1996.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sbgi.net/site_mgr/temp/Richmond%20sale%20buy_1w5r4syx.shtml |title=Sinclair Broadcast Group<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=June 24, 2008 |archive-date=June 28, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080628072706/http://www.sbgi.net/site_mgr/temp/Richmond%20sale%20buy_1w5r4syx.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the Justice Department, under provisions of a consent decree with Raycom Media, denied Raycom permission to sell WTVR-TV to Sinclair in August 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sbgi.net/site_mgr/temp/Richmond%20buy%20update_zf8czykj.shtml |title=Sinclair news release |access-date=August 28, 2008 |archive-date=September 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914024628/http://www.sbgi.net/site_mgr/temp/Richmond%20buy%20update_zf8czykj.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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On January 6, 2009, Raycom |
On January 6, 2009, Raycom resolved the ownership issue by trading [[WBRC]], the Fox affiliate for [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]] and $83 million to [[Local TV LLC]] in exchange for WTVR-TV. The transfer closed on March 31, 2009.<ref>{{cite news |work=Broadcasting & Cable|date=March 31, 2009|first=Michael|last=Malone |url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/local-tv-closes-wtvr-41618 |title=Local TV Closes on WTVR |access-date=April 1, 2009 }}</ref> As a result of the trade, Local TV owned Virginia's two largest CBS affiliates; it already owned [[WTKR-TV]], the CBS affiliate in [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], the market just to the east of Richmond. Local TV added Hampton Roads CW affiliate [[WGNT]] in 2010 after buying it from CBS. |
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For three months after the swap deal was completed, WTVR's |
For three months after the swap deal was completed, WTVR's website remained in the old Raycom-era format. This changed in late June 2009, a few days after WBRC relaunched its website, when WTVR migrated its website to the [[Tribune Company|Tribune]] Interactive platform used by the websites of other Local TV-owned stations. As of 2012, Local TV migrated its websites to [[WordPress.com]] VIP. On July 1, 2013, Local TV announced that its stations would be acquired by the Tribune Company.<ref name=ct-saletotribune>{{cite news|last=Channick|first=Robert|title=Acquisition to make Tribune Co. largest U.S. TV station operator|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-tribune-buying-local-tv-20130701,0,3402241.story|access-date=July 1, 2013|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=July 1, 2013|archive-date=July 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704152051/http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-tribune-buying-local-tv-20130701,0,3402241.story|url-status=dead}}</ref> The sale was completed on December 27.<ref>[http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?p=6470 Company Completes Final Steps of Transaction Announced in July] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228101139/http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?p=6470 |date=December 28, 2013 }}, Tribune Company, December 27, 2013</ref> |
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On August 21, 2015, WTVR's newsroom was named in honor of Stephanie Rochon, who anchored the weeknight newscasts from 1999 to 2014. Rochon had died that June after a long struggle with cancer.<ref> |
On August 21, 2015, WTVR-TV's newsroom was named in honor of Stephanie Rochon, who anchored the weeknight newscasts from 1999 to 2014. Rochon had died that June after a long struggle with cancer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wtvr.com/2015/08/21/watch-live-ceremony-dedicates-wtvr-newsroom-to-longtime-anchor-stephanie-rochon/ |title=WTVR Newsroom dedicated to longtime anchor Stephanie Rochon |date=August 21, 2015 |access-date=August 22, 2015 |archive-date=August 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822112022/http://wtvr.com/2015/08/21/watch-live-ceremony-dedicates-wtvr-newsroom-to-longtime-anchor-stephanie-rochon/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://wtvr.com/2015/08/21/stephanie-rochon-newsroom/ |title='She will always be a part of CBS 6:' Newsroom named in honor of beloved anchor Stephanie Rochon |date=August 21, 2015 |access-date=August 22, 2015 |archive-date=August 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150822121151/http://wtvr.com/2015/08/21/stephanie-rochon-newsroom/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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On May 8, 2017, Sinclair entered into [[Attempted acquisition of Tribune Media by Sinclair Broadcast Group|an agreement]] to acquire Tribune Media for $3.9 billion, plus the assumption of $2.7 billion in debt held by Tribune.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sinclair Broadcast Group Sets $3.9 Billion Deal to Acquire Tribune Media|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/sinclair-tribune-merger-station-group-1202416416/|first=Cynthia|last=Littleton|periodical=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=May 8, 2017|access-date=June 6, 2017|archive-date=June 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605120406/http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/sinclair-tribune-merger-station-group-1202416416/|url-status=live}}</ref> It intended to keep WTVR, selling WRLH and eight other stations to [[Standard General#Standard Media|Standard Media Group]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Sinclair Spins Off 23 TVs To Grease Trib Deal|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/113054/sinclair-spins-off-23-tvs-to-grease-trib-deal|first=Harry A.|last=Jessell|website=TVNewsCheck|date=April 24, 2018|access-date=April 25, 2018|archive-date=April 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425121326/http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/113054/sinclair-spins-off-23-tvs-to-grease-trib-deal|url-status=live}}</ref> The transaction was designated in July 2018 for hearing by an FCC [[administrative law judge]], and Tribune moved to terminate the deal the next month.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tribune Terminates $3.9 Billion Sinclair Merger, Sues Broadcast Rival|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/tribune-media-terminates-merger-agreement-with-sinclair-broadcast-group-1533810907|first=Joe|last=Flint|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|publisher=[[News Corp (2013–present)|News Corp.]]|date=August 9, 2018|access-date=August 9, 2018|archive-date=April 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405150030/https://www.wsj.com/articles/tribune-media-terminates-merger-agreement-with-sinclair-broadcast-group-1533810907|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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On May 8, 2017, [[Hunt Valley, Maryland]]-based [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]] – which has owned Fox affiliate [[WRLH-TV]] (channel 35) since 1996 – announced that it would acquire Tribune Media for $3.9 billion, plus the assumption of $2.7 billion in debt held by Tribune. Because Sinclair and Tribune each owned two television stations in the Richmond market, with WTVR and WRLH both ranking among the market's four highest-rated stations in total day viewership, the companies were required to sell one of the two outlets to an independently-operated station owner in order to comply with FCC local ownership rules.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sinclair Broadcast Group to buy Tribune Media for $3.9 billion plus debt|url=http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-tribune-sinclair-20170508-story.html|author=Stephen Battaglio|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|publisher=[[Tronc]]|date=May 8, 2017|accessdate=June 6, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sinclair Broadcast Group Sets $3.9 Billion Deal to Acquire Tribune Media|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/sinclair-tribune-merger-station-group-1202416416/|author=Cynthia Littleton|periodical=Variety|publisher=[[Prometheus Global Media]]|date=May 8, 2017|accessdate=June 6, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sinclair Broadcast to buy Tribune Media for $3.9 billion, giving it control over 215 local TV stations|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2017/05/08/sinclair-broadcast-to-buy-tribune-media-for-3-9-billion-creating-nations-largest-tv-station-group/|author=Todd Frankel|newspaper=The Washington Post|publisher=[[Jeff Bezos|Nash Holdings, LLC]]|date=May 8, 2017|accessdate=June 6, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Sinclair Broadcast nears deal for Tribune Media|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tribune-media-m-a-sinclair-exclusive-idUSKBN1830QH|author=Liana Baker|author2=Jessica Toonkel|agency=[[Reuters]]|date=May 7, 2017|accessdate=June 6, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The New Sinclair: 72% Coverage + WGNA|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/103905/its-official-sinclair-is-buying-tribune|author=Harry A. Jessell|author2=Mark K. Miller|website=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheck Media|date=May 8, 2017}}</ref> On April 24, 2018, in an amendment to the Tribune acquisition through which it proposed the sale of certain stations to both independent and affiliated third-party companies to curry the DOJ's approval, Sinclair announced that it would sell WRLH-TV and eight other stations – Sinclair-operated [[KOKH-TV]] in [[Oklahoma City]], [[KDSM-TV]] in [[Des Moines, Iowa|Des Moines]], [[WOLF-TV]] (along with LMA partners [[WSWB]] and [[WQMY]]) in [[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]]/[[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|Wilkes-Barre]] and [[WXLV-TV]] in [[Greensboro, North Carolina|Greensboro]]/[[Winston-Salem, North Carolina|Winston-Salem]]/[[High Point, North Carolina|High Point]], and Tribune-owned [[WPMT]] in [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]] and [[WXMI]] in [[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]] – to [[Standard General#Standard Media|Standard Media Group]] (an independent broadcast holding company formed by [[private equity firm]] Standard General to assume ownership of and absolve ownership conflicts involving the aforementioned stations) for $441.1 million. The transaction includes a transitional services agreement, through which Sinclair would have continued operating WRLH for six months after the sale's completion.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sinclair Spins Off 23 TVs To Grease Trib Deal|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/113054/sinclair-spins-off-23-tvs-to-grease-trib-deal|author=Harry A. Jessell|website=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheck Media|date=April 24, 2018|accessdate=April 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|title=Sinclair Enters Into Agreements to Sell TV Stations Related to Closing Tribune Media Acquisition|url=http://sbgi.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Tribune-Divest-Announcement-FINAL-4-24-18.pdf|publisher=Sinclair Broadcast Group|date=April 24, 2018|accessdate=April 25, 2018}}</ref><ref name="aa-saletohsh">{{cite news|title=Sinclair Revises TV Spinoff Plans For Tribune Deal, Announces Deals For Several Stations|url=https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/176083/sinclair-revises-tv-spinoff-plans-for-tribune-deal|website=All Access|date=April 24, 2018|accessdate=April 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Station Trading Roundup: 7 Deals, $571.7M|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/113254/station-trading-roundup-7-deals-5717m|website=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheck Media|date=May 1, 2018|accessdate=May 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Form of Transition Services Agreement|url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS_Attachment/getattachment.jsp?appn=101783773&qnum=5040©num=1&exhcnum=3|website=Federal Communications Commission|date=April 30, 2018|accessdate=May 2, 2018}}</ref> |
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===Sale to Nexstar Media Group and resale to Scripps=== |
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Less than one month after the FCC voted to have the deal reviewed by an [[administrative law judge]] amid "serious concerns" about Sinclair's forthrightness in its applications to sell certain conflict properties, on August 9, 2018, Tribune announced it would terminate the Sinclair deal, intending to seek other [[mergers and acquisitions|M&A]] opportunities. Tribune also filed a [[breach of contract]] lawsuit in the [[Delaware Chancery Court]], alleging that Sinclair engaged in protracted negotiations with the FCC and the DOJ over regulatory issues, refused to sell stations in markets where it already had properties, and proposed divestitures to parties with ties to Sinclair executive chair David D. Smith that were rejected or highly subject to rejection to maintain control over stations it was required to sell. The termination of the Sinclair sale agreement places uncertainty for the future of Standard Media's purchases of WRLH and the other six Tribune- and Sinclair-operated stations included in that deal, which were predicated on the closure of the Sinclair–Tribune merger.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tribune Terminates $3.9 Billion Sinclair Merger, Sues Broadcast Rival|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/tribune-media-terminates-merger-agreement-with-sinclair-broadcast-group-1533810907|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|publisher=[[News Corp (2013–present)|News Corp.]]|date=August 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Tribune Kills Sinclair Merger, Files Suit|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/220320/tribune-kills-sinclair-merger/|author=Mark K. Miller|website=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheck Media|date=August 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Tribune Media pulls out of Sinclair Broadcast merger|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-tribune-sinclair-merger-ended-20180809-story.html#|author=Christopher Dinsmore|newspaper=[[Baltimore Sun]]|publisher=[[Tronc]]|date=August 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Tribune Ends Deal With Sinclair, Dashing Plan for Conservative TV Behemoth|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/business/dealbook/sinclair-tribune-media.html|author=Edmund Lee|author2=Amie Tsang|newspaper=The New York Times|publisher=The New York Times Company|date=August 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Tribune Ends Deal with Sinclair, Files Breach of Contract Suit|url=https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/tribune-ends-deal-with-sinclair-files-breach-of-contract-suit|author=Jon Lafayette|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=NewBay Media|date=August 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Tribune withdraws from Sinclair merger, saying it will sue for ‘breach of contract’|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/08/09/tribune-withdraws-sinclair-merger-saying-it-will-sue-breach-contract/|author=Brian Fung|author2=Tony Romm|newspaper=The Washington Post|publisher=Nash Holdings LLC|date=August 9, 2018}}</ref> |
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On December 3, 2018, [[Irving, Texas]]–based [[Nexstar Media Group]]—which has owned ABC affiliate WRIC-TV (channel 8) since January 2017 (it had been [[Media General]]'s flagship station when that company merged with Nexstar)—announced it would acquire the assets of Tribune Media for $6.4 billion in cash and debt.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nexstar Buying Tribune Media For $6.4 Billion|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/226264/nexstar-buying-tribune-media-6-4-billion/|first=Mark K.|last=Miller|website=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheck Media|date=December 3, 2018|access-date=December 5, 2018|archive-date=December 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204005800/https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/226264/nexstar-buying-tribune-media-6-4-billion/|url-status=live}} |
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*{{cite web|title=Nexstar Confirms $4.1B Tribune Media Acquisition To Become Leading Local TV Station Owner|url=https://deadline.com/2018/12/nexstar-tribune-media-acquisition-1202512653/|first=Peter |last=White|first2=Dade|last2=Hayes|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Media Corporation|date=December 3, 2018|access-date=December 5, 2018|archive-date=December 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204130313/https://deadline.com/2018/12/nexstar-tribune-media-acquisition-1202512653/|url-status=live}} |
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*{{cite news|title=Nexstar to buy Tribune Media for $4.1 billion|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tribune-media-m-a-nexstar-media/nexstar-to-buy-tribune-media-for-4-1-billion-idUSKBN1O217Z|first=Arjun|last=Panchadar|first2=Sonam|last2=Rai|work=[[Reuters]]|date=December 3, 2018|access-date=December 5, 2018|archive-date=April 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405145605/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tribune-media-m-a-nexstar-media/nexstar-to-buy-tribune-media-for-4-1-billion-idUSKBN1O217Z|url-status=live}} |
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*{{cite web|title=Nexstar Announces Deal to Buy Tribune for $6.4B|url=https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/nexstar-announces-deal-to-buy-tribune-for-6-4b|first=Jon |last=Lafayette|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=NewBay Media|date=December 3, 2018|access-date=December 5, 2018|archive-date=April 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405084338/https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/nexstar-announces-deal-to-buy-tribune-for-6-4b|url-status=live}} |
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</ref> Prohibited from owning both WTVR and WRIC, Nexstar had to sell one of the stations to a separate, unrelated company to address the ownership conflict.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nexstar To Spin Off $1B In Stations|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/226264/nexstar-buying-tribune-media-6-4-billion/|first=Harry A.|last=Jessell|first2=Mark K.|last2=Miller|website=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheck Media|date=December 3, 2018|access-date=December 5, 2018|archive-date=December 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204005800/https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/226264/nexstar-buying-tribune-media-6-4-billion/|url-status=live}}</ref> On March 20, 2019, the [[Cincinnati]]-based [[E. W. Scripps Company]] announced it would purchase WTVR from Nexstar upon consummation of the merger, marking Scripps' entry into Virginia, as part of the company's sale of nineteen Nexstar- and Tribune-operated stations to Scripps and [[Tegna Inc.]] in separate deals worth $1.32 billion. The sale was completed on September 19.<ref>[https://scripps.com/press-releases/scripps-closes-acquisition-of-eight-tv-stations-from-nexstar-tribune-merger-divestitures/ "Scripps Closes Acquisition of Eight TV Stations from Nexstar-Tribune Merger Divestitures"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225141145/https://scripps.com/press-releases/scripps-closes-acquisition-of-eight-tv-stations-from-nexstar-tribune-merger-divestitures/ |date=February 25, 2021 }}, [[E. W. Scripps Company]], September 19, 2019, Retrieved October 4, 2019.</ref><ref name="tvnc-nexstarspinoffs">{{cite news|title=Nexstar Selling 19 TVs In 15 Markets For $1.32B|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/232391/nexstar-selling-19-tvs-in-15-markets-for-1-32b/|first=Mark K.|last=Miller|newspaper=Tv News Check|publisher=NewsCheck Media|date=March 20, 2019|access-date=March 20, 2019|archive-date=March 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320194359/https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/232391/nexstar-selling-19-tvs-in-15-markets-for-1-32b/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Nexstar to Sell Stations to Tegna, Scripps for $1.32 Billion|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-20/nexstar-to-sell-19-stations-to-tegna-scripps-for-1-32-billion|first=Nabila|last=Ahmed|first2=Anousha|last2=Sakoui|website=Bloomberg News|publisher=[[Bloomberg, L.P.]]|date=March 20, 2019|access-date=March 20, 2019|archive-date=April 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413200225/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-20/nexstar-to-sell-19-stations-to-tegna-scripps-for-1-32-billion|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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==News operation== |
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===Pending sale to Nexstar Media Group and resale to Scripps=== |
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WTVR was the overall ratings leader in Richmond until the late 1980s, when WWBT surpassed it, mainly in local news ratings and due to strength from WWBT's affiliation with NBC and its top rated prime time lineup then. For most of the time since then, the station has waged a spirited battle with WRIC for second place. During the late 1980s, early 1990s and into the 2000s, WTVR won numerous awards, including the [[RTNDA]] News Operation of the Year for two consecutive years. |
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On December 3, 2018, [[Irving, Texas]]-based [[Nexstar Media Group]]—which has owned [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate [[WRIC-TV]] (channel 8) since January 2017—announced it would acquire the assets of Tribune Media for $6.4 billion in cash and debt. Nexstar is precluded from acquiring WTVR directly or indirectly, as FCC regulations prohibit common ownership of two or more of the four highest-rated stations in the same media market. (Furthermore, any attempt by Nexstar to assume the operations of WTVR through [[local marketing agreement|local marketing]] or [[shared services]] agreements may be subject to regulatory hurdles that could delay completion of the FCC and Justice Department's review and approval process for the acquisition.) As such, Nexstar will be required to sell either WTVR or WRIC to a separate, unrelated company to address the ownership conflict.<ref>{{cite web|title=Acquisition of Tribune Media Company|url=https://www.nexstar.tv/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Nexstar-Tribune-Investor-Presentation-FINAL-12-3-18.pdf|website=[[Nexstar Media Group]]|format=PDF|date=December 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Nexstar Buying Tribune Media For $6.4 Billion|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/226264/nexstar-buying-tribune-media-6-4-billion/|author=Mark K. Miller|website=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheck Media|date=December 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Nexstar Confirms $4.1B Tribune Media Acquisition To Become Leading Local TV Station Owner|url=https://deadline.com/2018/12/nexstar-tribune-media-acquisition-1202512653/|author=Peter White|author2=Dade Hayes|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Media Corporation|date=December 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Nexstar to buy WGN owner Tribune Media for $4.1 billion|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-nexstar-tribune-media-20181202-story.html|author=Gerry Smith|author2=Nabila Ahmed|author3=Eric Newcomer|agency=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg News]]|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|publisher=[[Tribune Publishing]]|date=December 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Nexstar to buy Tribune Media for $4.1 billion|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tribune-media-m-a-nexstar-media/nexstar-to-buy-tribune-media-for-4-1-billion-idUSKBN1O217Z|author=Arjun Panchadar|author2=Sonam Rai|agency=[[Reuters]]|date=December 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Nexstar Announces Deal to Buy Tribune for $6.4B|url=https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/nexstar-announces-deal-to-buy-tribune-for-6-4b|author=Jon Lafayette|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=NewBay Media|date=December 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=It’s Official: Nexstar Takes Tribune In Billion-Dollar Stock Deal|url=https://www.rbr.com/reuters-nexstar-gets-tribune-in-4-1b-deal/|author=Adam Jacobson|website=Radio-Television Business Report|publisher=Streamline-RBR, Inc.|date=December 3, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Nexstar To Spin Off $1B In Stations|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/226264/nexstar-buying-tribune-media-6-4-billion/|author=Harry A. Jessell|author2=Mark K. Miller|website=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheck Media|date=December 3, 2018}}</ref><ref name="nxsttrco1"/><ref name="nxsttrco2"/> On March 20, 2019, the [[Cincinnati]]-based [[E. W. Scripps Company]] announced it would purchase WTVR from Nexstar upon consummation of the merger, marking Scripps' entry into Virginia, as part of the company's sale of nineteen Nexstar- and Tribune-operated stations to Scripps and [[Tegna Inc.]] in separate deals worth $1.32 billion.<ref name="tvnc-nexstarspinoffs"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Nexstar to Sell Stations to Tegna, Scripps for $1.32 Billion|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-20/nexstar-to-sell-19-stations-to-tegna-scripps-for-1-32-billion|author=Nabila Ahmed|author2=Anousha Sakoui|website=Bloomberg News|publisher=[[Bloomberg, L.P.]]|date=March 20, 2019}}</ref> |
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On August 10, 2010, starting with the Noon newscast, WTVR became the second commercial station (behind WWBT) to broadcast local news in high definition. The change also came new graphics, music (an updated version of "The CBS Enforcer Music Collection" by [[Gari Media Group]]) and a new news set. On January 23, 2013, WTVR used on-air graphics that were also used on then sister station [[KDVR]], a [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate in [[Denver, Colorado]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151270217722426.461033.6860957425&type=3|title=Our new look at CBS 6 News|website=[[Facebook]] |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308091221/https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151270217722426.461033.6860957425&type=3 |archive-date=March 8, 2021 }} {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> until April 20, 2015, when they debuted new graphics and music ("Moving Forward" by [[615 Music]]) that are also used by sister station [[WTTV]] (which became a CBS affiliate in January of that year) in [[Indianapolis]]. These were changed to Scripps' standardized graphics package and custom-made music from Stephen Arnold Music, in September 2020, almost a year after the company bought the station. |
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Between 2016 and 2018, WTVR produced a half-hour newscast for then Washington, D.C., sister station [[WDCW]], with presentation originated from the former's studios, along with reporter's based in Washington. It was cancelled on September 28, 2018, after Tribune announced budget cuts amid the failed Sinclair transaction.<ref name="dcist-dcw50newsend">{{cite news |last1=Delgadillo |first1=Natalie |date=September 7, 2018 |title=D.C. Loses Another Local News Outlet As DCW50 News at 10 Folds |work=[[DCist]] |url=http://dcist.com/2018/09/dc_loses_another_local_news_outlet.php |url-status=live |access-date=September 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913095432/http://dcist.com/2018/09/dc_loses_another_local_news_outlet.php |archive-date=September 13, 2018}}</ref> |
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===Notable former on-air staff=== |
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*[[Cindy Hsu]] – reporter (now at [[WCBS-TV]] in [[New York City]]) |
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*[[Mark Ovenden (sportscaster)|Mark Ovenden]] – sportscaster, now at [[KDLT-TV]] in [[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]] |
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*[[Ukee Washington]] – weekend sports anchor (1978-1981), now at [[KYW-TV]] in [[Philadelphia]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/former-cbs-6-sports-anchors-part-2-april-27-2023|title=More former CBS 6 sports anchors share their most vivid Richmond memories|date=April 28, 2023 |access-date=September 12, 2023}}</ref> |
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*[[Bob Woodruff]] – reporter (1992–1994), former co-anchor of ''[[ABC World News]]'', now reporter for [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |
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==Technical information== |
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==Digital television== |
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=== |
===Subchannels=== |
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The station's |
The station's signal is [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]: |
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{| class="wikitable" |
{| class="wikitable" |
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|+Subchannels of WTVR-TV<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WTVR#station |title=RabbitEars TV Query for WTVR |access-date=February 4, 2014 |archive-date=February 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221215948/http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WTVR#station |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]] |
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! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]] |
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! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]] |
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! scope = "col" | Short name |
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! scope = "col" | Programming |
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|- |
|- |
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! scope="row" | 6.1 |
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! [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]] |
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| [[1080i]] || rowspan=7|[[16:9]] || WTVR-HD || [[CBS]] |
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! [[Display resolution|Video]] |
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! [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]] |
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! [[Program and System Information Protocol#What PSIP does|PSIP Short Name]] |
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! Programming<ref>[http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WTVR#station RabbitEars TV Query for WTVR]</ref> |
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|- |
|- |
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! scope="row" | 6.2 |
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| 6.1 || [[1080i]] || [[16:9]] || WTVR-HD || Main WTVR-TV programming / [[CBS]] |
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| rowspan=6|[[480i]] || CBS6ANT || [[Antenna TV]] |
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|- |
|- |
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! scope="row" | 6.3 |
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| 6.2 || rowspan=2 | [[480i]] || rowspan=2| [[4:3]] || CBS6ANT || [[Antenna TV]] |
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| CBS6XTR || CBS6 Xtra ([[Independent station|Independent]]) |
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|- |
|- |
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! scope="row" | 6.4 |
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| 6.3 || CBS6XTR || CBS 6 Xtra |
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| CourtTV || [[Court TV]] |
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|- |
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! scope="row" | 6.5 |
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| ION || [[Ion Television]] |
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|- |
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! scope="row" | 6.6 |
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| Scripps || [[Scripps News]] |
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|- |
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! scope="row" | 6.7 |
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| HSN || [[HSN]] |
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|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6; border-top: 2px solid #003399;" |
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! scope="row" | [[WUPV|65.2]] |
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| 480i || 16:9 || Bounce || [[Bounce TV]] ([[WUPV]]) |
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|} |
|} |
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{{legend|#DFEBF6|Broadcast on behalf of another station}} |
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The station became a charter affiliate of |
The station became a charter affiliate of Antenna TV upon its launch in March 2011. It is carried on digital subchannel 6.2.<ref>[http://antennatv.tv/shows/antenna/affiliates/ Antenna TV Affiliates] {{webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20101127013332/http://antennatv.tv/shows/antenna/affiliates/ |date=November 27, 2010 }}</ref> Channel 6.3 had been carrying a loop of current weather maps and recorded weather forecasts until mid-2015 when it switched to live simulcasts of the station's newscasts with repeats of the most recent newscast airing when there wasn't a live newscast. The subchannel also airs required E/I programming on weekend mornings. |
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On April 11, 2022, WTVR-TV began hosting [[WUPV]]'s 65.2 subchannel, as a result of WUPV converting to [[ATSC 3.0]]; in turn, WUPV simulcasts WTVR-TV in the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/draftCopy.html?displayType=html&appKey=25076ff37efe1326017efe3382840061&id=25076ff37efe1326017efe3382840061&goBack=N |title=Licensing and Management System |publisher=Enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov |date=March 24, 2022 |accessdate=August 2, 2022}}</ref> |
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===Analog-to-digital conversion=== |
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WTVR-TV shut down its analog signal, over [[Very high frequency|VHF]] channel 6, in the late morning of June 12, 2009, after more than 60 years, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States [[Digital television transition in the United States|transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts]] under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 25.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-03-24 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archivedate=2013-08-29 |df= }}</ref> Through the use of [[Program and System Information Protocol|PSIP]], digital television receivers continues to display the station's [[virtual channel]] as its former VHF analog channel 6.1. Prior to the transition, the audio component of WTVR's analog channel 6 signal at 87.75 MHz had been heavily promoted as available to listeners tuning to 87.7 on a standard FM radio receiver. WTVR lost this benefit of the analog channel 6 allocation when analog transmission ended. WTVR ended its telecasts on analog channel 6 with "[[The Star Spangled Banner]]", featuring images of WTVR-TV's history and the [[Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima]]. |
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===Analog-to-digital conversion=== |
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==Programming== |
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WTVR-TV shut down its analog signal, over [[VHF]] channel 6, in the late morning of June 12, 2009, after more than 60 years, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States [[Digital television transition in the United States|transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts]] under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 25,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds |access-date=March 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 }}</ref> using [[virtual channel]] 6. Prior to the transition, the audio component of WTVR-TV's analog channel 6 signal at 87.75 MHz had been heavily promoted as available to listeners tuning to 87.7 on a standard FM radio receiver.{{cn|date=May 2024}} WTVR-TV lost this benefit of the analog channel 6 allocation when analog transmission ended. WTVR-TV ended its telecasts on analog channel 6 with "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]", featuring images of WTVR-TV's history and the [[Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima]]. WTVR-TV moved its digital signal from the tower it shared with former sister station WTVR-FM to a shared tower with PBS member stations WCVE-TV and WCVW as a result of the 2009 analog to digital conversion.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> |
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[[television syndication|Syndicated]] programming on WTVR includes ''[[The Ellen DeGeneres Show]]'', ''[[Steve (talk show)|Steve]]'', ''[[Access (American TV program)|Access]]'' and ''[[Extra (American TV program)|Extra]]'' among others. |
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==Out-of-market cable coverage== |
==Out-of-market cable coverage== |
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Outside of the Richmond market, WTVR is carried on [[cable television|cable]] in [[ |
Outside of the Richmond market, WTVR is carried on [[cable television|cable]] in [[Northern Virginia]] in [[Front Royal]] and [[Luray, Virginia|Luray]]. In central Virginia, it is carried on service providers in Charlottesville, [[Fredericksburg, Virginia|Fredericksburg]], [[Madison, Virginia|Madison]] and [[Staunton, Virginia|Staunton]]. In [[southside Virginia]] in [[Mecklenburg County, Virginia|Mecklenburg County]], WTVR is carried near the [[North Carolina]] state line in [[Bracey]] along [[Lake Gaston]]. It is also carried in [[Chase City]] and [[South Hill, Virginia|South Hill]]. |
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===Past cable coverage=== |
===Past cable coverage=== |
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In the 1970s and 1980s, WTVR was once received as far south in [[Halifax, North Carolina|Halifax]] and [[Enfield, North Carolina|Enfield]] in North Carolina. In southern [[Maryland]], WTVR was once carried in [[ |
In the 1970s and 1980s, WTVR was once received as far south in [[Halifax, North Carolina|Halifax]] and [[Enfield, North Carolina|Enfield]] in North Carolina. In southern [[Maryland]], WTVR was once carried in [[Leonardtown]], [[St. Mary's County, Maryland|St. Mary's County]].<ref name="Cable Search">{{cite web|url=https://publicfiles.fcc.gov/find/WTVR-TV/page-offset-0/order-best-match/filter-none/|title=Search Entities & File Names|access-date=September 12, 2023}}</ref> |
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==News operation== |
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WTVR was the overall ratings leader in Richmond until the late 1980s, when WWBT surpassed it, mainly in local news ratings and due to strength from WWBT's affiliation with NBC and its top rated primetime lineup. For most of the time since then, the station has waged a spirited battle with WRIC for second place. During the late 1980s, early 1990s and into the 2000s, WTVR won numerous awards, including the [[Radio Television Digital News Association|RTNDA]] News Operation of the Year for two consecutive years. |
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On August 10, 2010, starting with the Noon newscast, WTVR became the second commercial station (behind WWBT) to broadcast local news in high definition. The change also came new graphics, music (an updated version of "The CBS Enforcer Music Collection" by [[Frank Gari|Gari Media Group]]) and a new news set. On January 23, 2013, WTVR used on-air graphics that were also used on sister station [[KDVR]], a [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate in [[Denver|Denver, Colorado]]<ref>https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151270217722426.461033.6860957425&type=3</ref> until April 20, 2015 when they debuted new graphics and music ("Moving Forward" by [[615 Music]]) that are also used by sister station [[WTTV]] (which became a CBS affiliate in January of that year) in [[Indianapolis]]. |
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===Notable former on-air staff=== |
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*[[Cindy Hsu]] - reporter (now at [[WCBS-TV]] in [[New York City]]) |
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*[[Mark Ovenden (sportscaster)|Mark Ovenden]] - Sportscaster, now at [[KDLT-TV]] in [[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]] |
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*[[Mike Wankum]] - Chief meteorologist in the early 1990s, now at [[WCVB-TV]] in [[Boston]] |
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*[[Bob Woodruff]] - reporter (1992–1994), former co-anchor of ''[[ABC World News Tonight|ABC World News]]'', now reporter for [[ABC News]] |
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==References== |
==References== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* [https://wtvr.com/ Official website] |
* [https://wtvr.com/ Official website] |
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* [https:// |
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19991002122535/http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Set/1459/tales17.html History of WWBT Television in Richmond] |
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* {{TVQ|WTVR-TV}} |
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* {{TV Fool|WTVR-DT}} |
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* {{BIA|WTVR|TV|TV}} |
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* [http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/AsrSearch/asrRegistration.jsp?regKey=119789 Entry of WTVR-TV Tower in FCC-database with height 257 metres] |
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{{Richmond TV}} |
{{Richmond TV}} |
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{{Richmond FM}} |
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{{CBS Virginia}} |
{{CBS Virginia}} |
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{{ |
{{ION Virginia}} |
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{{EWS CORP}} |
{{EWS CORP}} |
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{{Commons category|WTVR-TV}} |
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[[Category:1948 establishments in Virginia]] |
[[Category:1948 establishments in Virginia]] |
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[[Category:Antenna TV affiliates]] |
[[Category:Antenna TV affiliates]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:CBS affiliates]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Court TV affiliates]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:E. W. Scripps Company television stations]] |
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[[Category:Television |
[[Category:Ion Television affiliates]] |
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[[Category:Scripps News affiliates]] |
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[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1948]] |
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1948]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Television stations in Richmond, Virginia|TVR-TV]] |
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[[Category:Washington Redskins broadcasters]] |
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 | |
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|---|---|
| City | Richmond, Virginia |
| Channels |
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| Branding | CBS 6 |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | April 22, 1948 (76 years ago) (1948-04-22) |
Former channel number(s) |
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Call sign meaning | Television Richmond |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 57832 |
| ERP | 410 kW |
| HAAT | 346 m (1,135 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 37°30′45.6″N 77°36′4.8″W / 37.512667°N 77.601333°W / 37.512667; -77.601333 |
| Links | |
Public license information |
|
| Website | wtvr |
WTVR-TV (channel 6) is a television stationinRichmond, Virginia, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. Its studios are located on West Broad Street on Richmond's West End, and its transmitter is located in Bon Air near the studios of PBS member stations WCVE-TV and WCVW.[2] WTVR-TV's former transmitter is located behind the station's studio, and only WTVR-FM broadcasts from that tower today. It still remains as part of WTVR-TV's history.
WTVR-TV is one of only a few stations in the country to have been affiliated with all three of the original major American television networks.
When the channel 6 license in Richmond came up for bids before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), it was assumed that the license would go to either Larus and Brother Company, owner of WRVA, or Richmond Newspapers, owner of WRNL, since they were considered Virginia's leading broadcasters. However, for reasons that remain unknown, neither station submitted a bid. The only applicant was auto parts dealer Wilbur Havens and his Richmond Broadcasting Company, which already owned WMBG (AM 1380) and WCOD (98.1 FM). FCC approval was a mere formality, and WTVR debuted on April 22, 1948.[3] It was the first television station to sign on in the state of Virginia, and the first south of Washington, D.C. It became an NBC affiliate June 1, 1948.[4] For many years, it used a colorized version of its original ID slide to open newscasts. Then, as now, the station operated from a converted bus garage on West Broad Street, where WMBG had been based since 1939.
As it was one of the last stations to get a construction permit before an FCC-imposed freeze on new permits, WTVR was the only station in town until 1955. It carried programming from all four networks of the time—NBC, CBS, ABC and DuMont—but was a primary NBC affiliate. In 1953, WTVR switched to its current tower, a self-supporting 840-foot (256 m) tower near its studios. The tower has long been reckoned as a fixture of the Richmond skyline.
Channel 6 finally got competition in 1955, when WXEX-TV (channel 8, now WRIC-TV) signed on from neighboring Petersburg and took the NBC affiliation. WTVR then had a brief stint becoming a primary CBS affiliate; this ended in 1956 when Larus-owned WRVA-TV (channel 12, now WWBT) signed on and took the CBS affiliation due to WRVA radio's long history as a CBS radio affiliate. WTVR then carried on as an ABC affiliate until 1960, when CBS cut a new deal with Havens due to channel 12's low ratings. WTVR has been with CBS ever since and is one of the few stations in the country to have been a primary affiliate of all of the "Big Three" networks, like WWBT locally. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.[5] Although Richmond Broadcasting was nowhere near as large as Larus and Richmond Newspapers, WTVR's eight-year head start allowed it to become the ratings leader in Richmond for the better part of its first three decades on the air.
Havens sold WTVR, WMBG, and WCOD to Roy H. Park Communications in 1966, earning a handsome return on his original $500 investment when he started WMBG in 1927. After taking ownership of the properties, the radio stations adopted the TV station's "WTVR" call letters. When Park died in 1993, the company's assets were sold to a Lexington, Kentucky group of investors that sold the radio properties separately to various owners, with WTVR-AM-FM going to Clear Channel (now iHeartMedia) in 1995. WTVR-FM is now owned by Audacy, who acquired iHeartMedia's Richmond stations in 2017, while the AM station, bought by Salem Communications in 2001 and programmed as Christian talk, was later sold by Salem and is now Spanish religious station WBTK. The WMBG call letters are currently used on an AM radio stationinWilliamsburg, Virginia.
WTVR began suffering in the ratings in 1994 when CBS lost the rights to broadcast National Football League games to Fox (CBS returned to NFL broadcasting in 1998). However, it recovered by the turn of the century and since then has been a solid runner-up, sometimes waging a spirited battle for second place with WRIC in news ratings.
Park merged with Media General, the successor to Richmond Newspapers, in May 1997. However, Media General could not keep WTVR alongside its flagship newspaper, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, because FCC rules of the time did not allow cross-ownership of newspapers and television stations in the same market. As a result, Media General swapped WTVR to Raycom Media in exchange for WJTVinJackson, Mississippi, its semi-satellite WHLTinHattiesburg, Mississippi, and WSAV-TVinSavannah, Georgia, two months later.
WTVR-TV was the only CBS station between Richmond and Roanoke until WCAV-TV signed on in Charlottesville in 2004.
Local features and community programs have included "For Kids' Sake", "Paws for Pets", and Battle of the Brains and a 24-hour weather news channel called "CBS 6 Xtra" broadcast on broadband, digital cable, and digital sub-channel 6.2 in the area. The station carried Raycom's 24/7 music television format "The Tube" on WTVR-DT3 until its shutdown on October 1, 2007. In March 2011, WTVR-DT3 became the new home of CBS 6 Xtra, while 6.2 carries Antenna TV (see below).
On November 12, 2007, Raycom Media announced its intention to purchase the television broadcasting and production properties of Lincoln Financial Media, including rival WWBT. Because WWBT and WTVR ranked as two of the four highest-rated stations in the Richmond market, FCC rules required one of the stations to be divested. Raycom decided to keep the higher-rated WWBT and sell WTVR to another owner.[6] On June 24, 2008, Hunt Valley, Maryland-based Sinclair Broadcast Group announced its intent to purchase WTVR and sell local Fox affiliate WRLH-TV (channel 35), which it had owned since 1996.[7] However, the Justice Department, under provisions of a consent decree with Raycom Media, denied Raycom permission to sell WTVR-TV to Sinclair in August 2008.[8]
On January 6, 2009, Raycom resolved the ownership issue by trading WBRC, the Fox affiliate for Birmingham and $83 million to Local TV LLC in exchange for WTVR-TV. The transfer closed on March 31, 2009.[9] As a result of the trade, Local TV owned Virginia's two largest CBS affiliates; it already owned WTKR-TV, the CBS affiliate in Norfolk, the market just to the east of Richmond. Local TV added Hampton Roads CW affiliate WGNT in 2010 after buying it from CBS.
For three months after the swap deal was completed, WTVR's website remained in the old Raycom-era format. This changed in late June 2009, a few days after WBRC relaunched its website, when WTVR migrated its website to the Tribune Interactive platform used by the websites of other Local TV-owned stations. As of 2012, Local TV migrated its websites to WordPress.com VIP. On July 1, 2013, Local TV announced that its stations would be acquired by the Tribune Company.[10] The sale was completed on December 27.[11]
On August 21, 2015, WTVR-TV's newsroom was named in honor of Stephanie Rochon, who anchored the weeknight newscasts from 1999 to 2014. Rochon had died that June after a long struggle with cancer.[12][13]
On May 8, 2017, Sinclair entered into an agreement to acquire Tribune Media for $3.9 billion, plus the assumption of $2.7 billion in debt held by Tribune.[14] It intended to keep WTVR, selling WRLH and eight other stations to Standard Media Group.[15] The transaction was designated in July 2018 for hearing by an FCC administrative law judge, and Tribune moved to terminate the deal the next month.[16]
On December 3, 2018, Irving, Texas–based Nexstar Media Group—which has owned ABC affiliate WRIC-TV (channel 8) since January 2017 (it had been Media General's flagship station when that company merged with Nexstar)—announced it would acquire the assets of Tribune Media for $6.4 billion in cash and debt.[17] Prohibited from owning both WTVR and WRIC, Nexstar had to sell one of the stations to a separate, unrelated company to address the ownership conflict.[18] On March 20, 2019, the Cincinnati-based E. W. Scripps Company announced it would purchase WTVR from Nexstar upon consummation of the merger, marking Scripps' entry into Virginia, as part of the company's sale of nineteen Nexstar- and Tribune-operated stations to Scripps and Tegna Inc. in separate deals worth $1.32 billion. The sale was completed on September 19.[19][20][21]
WTVR was the overall ratings leader in Richmond until the late 1980s, when WWBT surpassed it, mainly in local news ratings and due to strength from WWBT's affiliation with NBC and its top rated prime time lineup then. For most of the time since then, the station has waged a spirited battle with WRIC for second place. During the late 1980s, early 1990s and into the 2000s, WTVR won numerous awards, including the RTNDA News Operation of the Year for two consecutive years.
On August 10, 2010, starting with the Noon newscast, WTVR became the second commercial station (behind WWBT) to broadcast local news in high definition. The change also came new graphics, music (an updated version of "The CBS Enforcer Music Collection" by Gari Media Group) and a new news set. On January 23, 2013, WTVR used on-air graphics that were also used on then sister station KDVR, a Fox affiliate in Denver, Colorado[22] until April 20, 2015, when they debuted new graphics and music ("Moving Forward" by 615 Music) that are also used by sister station WTTV (which became a CBS affiliate in January of that year) in Indianapolis. These were changed to Scripps' standardized graphics package and custom-made music from Stephen Arnold Music, in September 2020, almost a year after the company bought the station.
Between 2016 and 2018, WTVR produced a half-hour newscast for then Washington, D.C., sister station WDCW, with presentation originated from the former's studios, along with reporter's based in Washington. It was cancelled on September 28, 2018, after Tribune announced budget cuts amid the failed Sinclair transaction.[23]
The station's signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WTVR-HD | CBS |
| 6.2 | 480i | CBS6ANT | Antenna TV | |
| 6.3 | CBS6XTR | CBS6 Xtra (Independent) | ||
| 6.4 | CourtTV | Court TV | ||
| 6.5 | ION | Ion Television | ||
| 6.6 | Scripps | Scripps News | ||
| 6.7 | HSN | HSN | ||
| 65.2 | 480i | 16:9 | Bounce | Bounce TV (WUPV) |
The station became a charter affiliate of Antenna TV upon its launch in March 2011. It is carried on digital subchannel 6.2.[26] Channel 6.3 had been carrying a loop of current weather maps and recorded weather forecasts until mid-2015 when it switched to live simulcasts of the station's newscasts with repeats of the most recent newscast airing when there wasn't a live newscast. The subchannel also airs required E/I programming on weekend mornings.
On April 11, 2022, WTVR-TV began hosting WUPV's 65.2 subchannel, as a result of WUPV converting to ATSC 3.0; in turn, WUPV simulcasts WTVR-TV in the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard.[27]
WTVR-TV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 6, in the late morning of June 12, 2009, after more than 60 years, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 25,[28] using virtual channel 6. Prior to the transition, the audio component of WTVR-TV's analog channel 6 signal at 87.75 MHz had been heavily promoted as available to listeners tuning to 87.7 on a standard FM radio receiver.[citation needed] WTVR-TV lost this benefit of the analog channel 6 allocation when analog transmission ended. WTVR-TV ended its telecasts on analog channel 6 with "The Star-Spangled Banner", featuring images of WTVR-TV's history and the Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. WTVR-TV moved its digital signal from the tower it shared with former sister station WTVR-FM to a shared tower with PBS member stations WCVE-TV and WCVW as a result of the 2009 analog to digital conversion.[2]
Outside of the Richmond market, WTVR is carried on cableinNorthern VirginiainFront Royal and Luray. In central Virginia, it is carried on service providers in Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, Madison and Staunton. In southside VirginiainMecklenburg County, WTVR is carried near the North Carolina state line in Bracey along Lake Gaston. It is also carried in Chase City and South Hill.
In the 1970s and 1980s, WTVR was once received as far south in Halifax and Enfield in North Carolina. In southern Maryland, WTVR was once carried in Leonardtown, St. Mary's County.[29]
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Broadcast television in Central Virginia
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(*) – indicates station is in one of Virginia's primary TV markets
(**) – indicates station is in an out-of-state TV market, but reaches a small portion of Virginia
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