WDBJ

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WDBJ
Roanoke / Lynchburg, Virginia
Branding	WDBJ7
Slogan	Your Hometown Station
Channels	7 (VHF) analog, 18 (UHF) digital
Affiliations	CBS My Network TV
Owner	Schurz Communications (WDBJ Television, Inc.)
Founded	October 3, 1955
Former affiliations	None
Website	wdbj7.com/

WDBJ is the CBS television network affiliate serving the Roanoke-Lynchburg television market. It transmits its analog signal on VHF channel 7 and its digital signal on UHF channel 18. It's owned by Schurz Communications of South Bend, Indiana. Its transmitter is located in Roanoke.

The station first went to the air on October 3, 1955 under the ownership of the Times-World Corporation, owners of the morning paper The Roanoke Times, and the afternoon Roanoke World-News along with WDBJ-AM 960, the second-oldest radio station in Virginia. It is Roanoke's third-oldest station and has always been a CBS affiliate.

Times-World was forced to sell off its broadcasting properties in 1969 and WDBJ-TV was sold to its current owner, Schurz Communications.

WDBJ has been the highest-rated station in Roanoke for most of its history.

Contents 1 History 2 Promos and Slogans 3 My Network TV & News 7 at Ten 4 The Weather Deck 5 Personalities 6 On The Internet 7 External links

[edit] History

WDBJ Television began in the Mountain Trust Bank Building in downtown Roanoke when the station first signed on the air in 1955. The antenna was located at a temporary spot on Mill Mountain. In 1956, WDBJ-TV moved to the Times-World Building and a transmitter building and tower were erected on Poor Mountain allowing the station to reach a much larger audience throughout central and southwest Virginia.

The television station grew during the late 1950's and soon plans were drawn for new studio facilities at the corner of Brandon and Colonial Avenues in southwest Roanoke. The television station moved to the state-of-the-art building in the summer of 1961. After 41 years of operation on Colonial Avenue, WDBJ-TV moved into a new digital facility.

On June 14, 2000, demolition of the old Best Products Building began, and construction of new digital facility for Your Hometown Station® continued for almost two years. On April 20, 2002 WDBJ Television began broadcasting out of its new home on Hershberger Road near Interstate 81 in northwest Roanoke. Today, in addition to the Hershberger Road facility and the Poor Mountain transmitter site, WDBJ 7 operates local newsrooms in Lynchburg , Blacksburg and Richmond .

[edit] Promos and Slogans

Its tagline is "Your Hometown Station". In the 1980s, the channel did a series of spots for its programming featuring the popular "Ernest", portrayed by Jim Varney.

[edit] My Network TV & News 7 at Ten

On September 5, 2006, WDBJ launched News 7 at Ten & My Network TV in the viewing area.

News 7 at Ten brings a new format to WDBJ's other newcasts. Providing "anchor movement" to a different set after each commercial break.

[edit] The Weather Deck

In August of 2006 WDBJ 7 Skytracker Team added the "Weather Deck" This deck provides a forecast for viewers as the weather forcasters are actually outside. This deck consists of weather equipment and a chroma key wall.

[edit] Personalities

A key to WDBJ's rating success has been the continuity of its on-air team, which is not the norm in local news especially for a market of Roanoke-Lynchburg's size. Lead news anchor Keith Humphry has held the position since around 1980 after serving as the night and weekend anchor for a few years. (In the Roanoke-Lynchburg market, newcast ratings tend to be much higher at 6 PM than 11 PM.) Likewise, Robin Reed has been the lead weathercaster since the early 1980s. Sportscaster Mike Stevens joined WDBJ in the 1980s and became the lead sports anchor in the early 1990s. Senior reporter Joe Dashiell has been at WDBJ since the 1970s and was the longtime Richmond bureau correspondent.

The following is a list of WDBJ's current on-air personalities.

• Susan Bahorich - Reporter/Weekend Morning Anchor (Sunday)
• Aleesha Chaney - Reporter
• Joe Dashiell - Senior Reporter
• Hollani Davis - 6 & 11 P.M. Weekend Anchor
• Rachel Depompa - New River Valley Bureau Chief
• Leo Hirsbrunner - Mornin' & Noon Weathercaster
• Jean Jadhon - 5:00 & 6:00 p.m. Anchor
• Keith Humphry - 6:00 p.m. Anchor
• Bob Grebe - Mornin' Co-Host
• Alex Lawson - Reporter
• Grant Kittelson - Sports Anchor/Reporter
• Kimberly McBroom - Mornin' & Noon Anchor
• Justin McLeod - Reporter
• Robin Reed - Chief Weathercaster
• Holly Pietrzak - New River Valley Reporter
• Steve Smallshaw - Lynchburg Bureau Chief
• Natasha Ryan - 10:00 p.m. & 11:00 p.m. Anchor
• Mike Stevens - Sports Director
• Joy Sutton - Health Reporter/Weekend Morning Anchor (Saturday)
• Brent Watts - 10:00 p.m. Weathercaster
• Travis Wells - Weekend Sports Anchor
• Jay Webb - Weekend Mornings Weathercaster
• Jennifer Wishon - Richmond Bureau Chief

[edit] On The Internet

WDBJ provides users with an up-to-date website that includes headlines including news, sports, and weather.

[edit] External links

• WDBJ website
• RabbitEars.Info: Roanoke-Lynchburg Stations
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WDBJ

Broadcast television in the Roanoke market  (Nielsen DMA #68)
WDRG 2 (IND) - WDBJ 7 (CBS) (My Network TV on DT2 "7Too") - W08CW 8 (PBS) - WSLS 10 (NBC) - WSET 13 (ABC) - WBRA 15 (PBS) - WTLU 19 (IND) - WWCW 21 (FOX) (The CW on DT2) - WDRL 24 (Ind) - WFXR 27 (FOX) - WPXR 38 (i) - WRKV 43 (IND) - W49AP 49 (TBN)

CBS Network Affiliates in the state of Virginia
WTKR 3 (Norfolk) - WTVR 6 (Richmond) - WDBJ 7 (Roanoke) - WCAV 19 (Charlottesville)
See also: ABC, CW, Fox, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS, and Other stations in Virginia