WALV-CD
| Indianapolis, Indiana United States |
|
|---|---|
| Branding | MeTV Indianapolis (general) Channel 13 Eyewitness News (WTHR news rebroadcasts) |
| Slogan | Indiana's News Leader (WTHR news rebroadcasts) |
| Channels | Digital: 46 (UHF) Virtual: 46.1 & WTHR-DT 13.2 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | 46.1 Cozi TV |
| Affiliations | Cozi TV NBC (Alternate) |
| Owner | Dispatch Broadcast Group (Videohio Inc.) |
| First air date | March 28, 1988 |
| Call letters' meaning | W Alive |
| Former callsigns | W27AR (1988–1995) WALV-LP (1995–2002) WALV-CA (2002–2012) |
| Former channel number(s) | Analog: 27 (UHF, 1988–2002) 50 (UHF, 2002–2012) |
| Former affiliations | Independent (1988–2000) SkyTrak Weather Network (2000–2013) |
| Transmitter power | 14.9 kW |
| Class | DC |
| Facility ID | 70161 |
| Transmitter coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Public license information: | Profile CDBS |
| Website | www.wthr.com |
WALV-CD, virtual and UHF digital channel 46, is a Cozi TV-affiliated television station located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The station is owned by the Dispatch Broadcast Group, and is a sister station to NBC affiliate WTHR (channel 13). The two stations share studio facilities located on North Meridian (south of I-65) in downtown Indianapolis; WALV-CD maintains transmitter facilities located near Ditch Road and West 96th Street (near I-465) in Carmel.
Even though WALV operates a digital signal of its own, the low-powered broadcasting radius does not reach the entire Indianapolis market. Therefore, the station is simulcast over WTHR's second digital subchannel in order to reach the entire market. This signal can be seen on virtual and UHF digital channel 13.2, broadcasting from a transmitter near Ditch Road and West 96th Street in Carmel. On cable, WALV-CD is available (through the WTHR-DT2 feed) on AT&T U-verse channel 50, Bright House Networks channel 60 and digital channel 357 and Comcast Xfinity digital channel 250.
Contents
History
Early history
The station first signed on the air on March 28, 1988 as W27AR, broadcasting on UHF channel 27; originally operating as an independent station, the station changed its call letters to WALV-LP in 1995. It has been owned by Dispatch Broadcast Group as a sister station to WTHR since its inception. In 2000, WALV was converted into a local weather service operated by WTHR – branded as the "SkyTrak Weather Network" (in reference to the weather branding that WTHR has used since it resumed using the Eyewitness News format for its newscasts in 1995).[1] The station moved to UHF channel 50 in 2002, at which time, it was granted permission by the Federal Communications Commission to upgrade its license to Class A status as WALV-CA.
Under its format as the "SkyTrak Weather Network," the station aired local and regional weather information for much of the day, along with replays of WTHR's noon and 6:00 p.m. newscasts and five-minute news updates that aired throughout the day; WALV also aired the second hour of the Saturday edition of Today in lieu of WTHR (which that station pre-empted in order to run an expanded morning newscast), as well as a variety of programs (most of which were aimed at children) that are designed to meet the FCC's educational programming guidelines, including replays of WTHR's long-running quizbowl program Brain Game. After ending its news share agreement with WNDY-TV (channel 23) in 2005 upon that station's purchase by LIN TV Corporation – owners of then CBS affiliate WISH-TV (channel 8, which assumed production responsibilities for WNDY's 10:00 p.m. newscast after the sale was announced) – WTHR began producing First Forecast for WALV, a nightly eight-minute weather segment that aired at 10:00 p.m. seven nights a week.
As a Cozi TV affiliate
In March 2013, WALV-CD affiliated with the classic television and lifestyle network Cozi TV, dropping most of the ancillary programming from its schedule as a result – although it retained the second hour of Weekend Today on Saturday mornings. The station also began airing a nightly rebroadcast of WTHR's 11:00 p.m. newscast at midnight, a primetime rebroadcast of the syndicated talk show Dr. Phil each weeknight, as well as a limited number of infomercials pre-empting Cozi TV programming in select timeslots. On February 24, 2014, when WTHR expanded its weekday morning newscast to 4:00 a.m., the station moved NBC's early morning newscast Early Today to WALV-CD in the former timeslot that the program had aired on channel 13.[2][3] Occasionally as time permits, WALV-CD may air other NBC network programs whenever WTHR is unable to in the event of extended breaking news or severe weather coverage.
Digital television
Digital channel
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46.1 | 480i | 16:9 | WALV-CD | Main WALV-CD programming / Cozi TV |
Analog-to-digital conversion
WALV shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 50, in 2012. The station flash-cut its digital signal into operation on UHF channel 46. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its physical UHF digital channel 46, instead of its former analog-era UHF channel 50; with the switch, Dispatch Broadcast Group received FCC permission to modify the station's call letters to WALV-CD.
Newscasts
On-air staff
Current on-air staff
- Anchors[5]
- Andrea Morehead - weeknights at midnight
- Jennie Runevitch - weekends at midnight
- John Stehr - weeknights at midnight
- SkyTrak Weather Team[5]
- Angela Buchman (AMS Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at midnight
- Sean Ash (NWA Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekends at midnight
- Sports team[5]
- Dave Calabro - sports director; Sunday-Thursdays at midnight
- Jason Spells - sports anchor
- Richard Nye - weeknight sports reporter
- Reporters[5]
- Jeremy Brilliant - general assignment reporter
- Sandra Chapman - investigative reporter ("13 Investigates")
- Carrie Cline - general assignment reporter
- Steve Jefferson - CrimeBeat reporter
- Kris Kirschner - general assignment reporter
- Emily Longnecker - general assignment reporter
- David MacAnally - general assignment reporter
- Matt McCutcheon - general assignment reporter
- Mary Milz - CityBeat reporter
- Kevin Rader - political reporter
- Bob Segall - investigative reporter ("13 Investigates")
- Anne Marie Tiernon - health reporter
- Rich Van Wyk - education reporter
References
- ↑ Channel 13 to launch weather network, Indianapolis Business Journal, October 25, 1999. Retrieved June 19, 2014 from HighBeam Research.
- ↑ WTHR Expands Morning Newscast, TVSpy, January 31, 2014.
- ↑ WTHR Adds 30 Min. To Early News, To Start At 4, TVNewsCheck, February 3, 2014.
- ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WALV
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Meet the Team
External links
- www.wthr.com - WTHR official website
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WALV-CD
