WSLS-TV

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WSLS-TV is the NBC network affiliate serving the Roanoke-Lynchburg, Virginia television market. It transmits its analog signal with 316,000 watts of video power on VHF channel 10, and its digital signal on UHF channel 30 using a microwave link KIL-45 on 7.0623 gHz. It is owned by Media General. Previously, a translator station W02AE was employed. WSLS' transmitter is located on Poor Mountain in Roanoke County, Virginia.

WSLS-TV
Roanoke / Lynchburg, Virginia
Branding	NewsChannel 10
Slogan	On Your Side
Channels	10 (VHF) analog, 30 (UHF) digital
Affiliations	NBC
Owner	Media General
Founded	December 11, 1952
Call letters meaning	Shenandoah Life Station (reference to original owner)
Former affiliations	ABC (secondary: 1952-1953); CBS (secondary: 1952-1955)
Website	www.wsls.com/

Contents 1 History 2 Original Programming 3 Controversy 4 Firsts 5 Ownership History 6 Former News Personalities 7 Former Weather Personalities 8 Former Sports Personalities 9 Newscasts 10 News Themes 11 Newscast Titles 12 Image Campaigns/Slogans (Incomplete) 13 Station Logos 14 Weather Broadcast Images 15 News Set Images 16 Personalities Through the Years 17 Test Patterns 18 References 19 External links

[edit] History

WSLS first signed on the air on December 11, 1952, under the ownership of Shenandoah Life Insurance Company. It is the oldest surviving station in Virginia west of Richmond. During the 1950s, the station split the ABC affiliation with WLVA-TV (now WSET-TV) Channel 13.

While WSLS was the only television station in Roanoke from 1952-1955, the introduction of WDBJ ushered in a long history of competition. By the late 1950s, WDBJ’s ratings had reached the level of WSLS’. Throughout the following decades, WDBJ established a dominance that continues to this day. In a 1980 inverview, WDBJ’s former General Manager John Harkrader attributed WDBJ's dominance to the fact “that we stemmed from a news organization [the Roanoke Times-World newspaper] and we’ve been committed to news coverage ever since.”

In 1969, WSLS was purchased for $7.5 million (1969 dollars) by Roy H. Park of Ithaca, NY. The all time high staff number of 120 began to be reduced to around 50 for “budgetary reasons.”

Arbitron Ratings featured in a September/October 1975 edition of the Roanoker Magazine had WSLS almost 50,000 viewers short of WDBJ in a two-way race. For the 6PM “Action News” broadcast, only 34,500 viewers tuned in (27% in the Roanoke Metro Area). At 11PM, WSLS netted only 23,500 viewers compared to WDBJ’s 40,000. As a result, the cost of a 30 second advertisement during WSLS’ evening newscast was about 95 dollars, about 90 dollars less than a similar slot on WDBJ. Instead, WSLS focused on the time slot from 4-6 pm by airing strong syndicated reruns such as Andy Griffith, Gomer Pyle, Gilligan’s Island, Batman, and Truth or Consequences. At 7-8pm, WSLS offered Family Affair, and Adam-12. The reason for the diminished news ratings was a result of WDBJ having more manpower. Other notable programs included Phil Donahue, Ironside, Sanford and Son, and Little House on the Prairie.

When WSET modernized its news department in 1977, WSLS quickly responded by opening a Lynchburg bureau. Still, viewership problems worsened when WSET attained the number 2 spot in the late 70s.

By 1979, disgruntled employees felt the need to unionize with the BRAC (Brotherhood of Railway, Airline and Steamship Clerks, Freight Handlers, Express and Station Employees) after the removal of profit sharing plans, medical coverage, personal holidays, and cumulative sick leave. This reflected the first unionization of a television station in Virginia. At the time, 46% of the employees made minimum wage or less, while interns were unpaid. Only one individual made over $10,000 annually. By comparison, the other television stations paid their employees an average wage 30-40% higher, with more benefits. Though the accusations of low morale are unquantifiable and perhaps biased, company policy against socializing with other members of the local media was unpopular with some members of the station. Other factors included outdated equipment; in 1979 the transmitter was the original one used since 1952, and video tape was recycled to the point that quality was hurt.

The feud between employees and management got to the point that long distance telephone calls (inevitably to the union) were prohibited; only management was allowed to post material on the bulletin board, and an armed guard had to be hired. Inevitably, through union negotiations, the situation between employees and management did improve. Former co-anchor Ed McIntyre quipped, “They’re trying to run a Cadillac operation on a Honda budget. They just don’t have the equipment or the people.”

By the late 80s, staff numbers rebounded to 75, and viewership began to increase. November 1987 Arbitron ratings showed WSLS' 4-6pm viewership ranked 28% of the ADI, and 31% in the Roanoke-Lynchburg metro area, only slightly behind WDBJ (34%), and well ahead of WSET (19%). From 4-6pm in 1988, programming included The Judge, Love Connection, Divorce Court, and the People’s Court.

As viewers returned to the station, WSLS began to try new things. In 1989, the station debuted “First News at 5:30.” The program was solo-anchored by John Carlin and included live feature segments from a field reporter. The 5:30 newscast was the first attempt by WSLS to provide early evening news coverage prior to the traditional 6:00 news. The newscast failed to catch on with viewers and consistantly ranked behind re-runs of The Andy Griffith Show on WDBJ. In the Spring of 1992, WSLS moved “First News” to 5:00 pm and began airing the syndicated program “Cops” at 5:30. The move proved to be more successful and prompted WDBJ to launch a 5:00 newscast of its own on November 1, 1993. “First News” was victorious, beating the new “News 7 at 5” in total viewers for the November 1993 sweeps period. WSLS lost its first place title within a year as WDBJ built an audience of its own and took over the 5:00 time-slot. “First News” remained at 5pm on WSLS until September 21, 1998, when the 5:00 newscast moved back to 5:30 and re-runs of “Friends” began airing at 5:00 pm. Yet another shift came in February of 2002 when the 5:30 newscast was once again moved back to 5:00. In August of 2004, WSLS added a 5:30 newscast to the existing 5:00 and 6:00 pm newscasts, creating the first 90 minute evening news block in the history of the Roanoke/Lynchburg TV market.

In 1992, WSLS launched “The Spirit of Virginia” campaign. The centerpiece of the campaign was a music video-style commercial that featured WSLS news anchors interacting with the community as a country music themed “Spirit of Virginia” song played in the background. The commercial ended with an unidentified man singing and playing a guitar on a mountaintop. The unidentified man was presumed to be the person singing the “Spirit of Virginia” theme, but was actually a janitor at the station. The actual “Spirit of Virginia” theme was composed by a commercial music company and included a customized news music theme, which the station used during its newscasts. During the “Spirit of Virginia” period, the station subscribed to a more “down home” news philosophy that included more features and a stronger emphasis on soft, community oriented news.

WSLS dropped “The Spirit of Virginia” song and news music in September of 1995. That fall, the station revamped the look and focus of the station, shedding the “down home” philosophy in favor of a more hard-news approach. “The Spirit of Virginia” slogan was retained, but the phrase “Leading the Way” was added to various promotional efforts.

In 1996, WSLS was approached by the owners of Roanoke’s Fox affiliate, WFXR, on the topic of a “news sharing agreement.” The deal would allow WSLS to produce a 10:00 pm newscast for WFXR. WFXR originally attempted to form a news partnership with WDBJ, but a deal was never formed. “The Fox 10:00 News” with Frances Scott and John Carlin premiered on October 28, 1996.

A new chapter in the life of WSLS began on January 1, 1997, when Media General acquired Roy H. Park communications and became the station’s new owner. Changes began immediately as Media General executives charted a new course for WSLS. A new look and philosophy for WSLS was adopted from a successful model at WFLA-TV, Media General’s flagship station in Tampa, Florida. The launch of the new Media General version of WSLS began during the week of April 7-13, 1997, as the station aired commercials stating: “On April 14th, Channel 10 will go off the air forever.” WSLS re-launched itself as “News Channel 10,” during the 5pm newscast on April 14, 1997.

While the new “News Channel 10” maintained “The Spirit of Virginia” as its slogan, a new campaign called “10 Listens” was launched. Viewers were encouraged to set up a “10 Listens Community Forum.” The idea was to give viewers a chance to speak directly to WSLS news anchors and management about concerns facing their community. The forums yielded exclusive story ideas for WSLS and gave the station a chance to improve its image within the market. A combination of factors caused the station to eventually abandon the forum concept.

The launch of “News Channel 10” coincided with the debut of “Storm Team 10.” Media General’s idea for the “Storm Team” was to give weather a stronger emphasis in the larger news product. It was also believed that a “team” concept would make WDBJ's Chief Meteorologist Robin Reed look like a solo-act and thereby less credible. Under the “team” concept, no one weather anchor was to be more important than the other. The title of “chief meteorologist” was dropped and multiple weather anchors would often be seen presenting forecasts during the same newscast.

Media General made a significant investment in resources after purchasing WSLS. The first major investment was the purchase of a Satellite News Gathering (SNG) Truck in 1997. Prior to 1997, WSLS was forced to rent or borrow equipment from other stations for Satellite live shots.

Media General also began the process of renovating the WSLS studios in downtown Roanoke. The original WSLS building housed an insurance company and radio station in addition to the WSLS TV studios. By the 1990’s, the insurance company and radio station had long since moved out, but the building retained its original setup and many spaces were not being used. Plans were drawn up and the building was renovated in stages beginning in 1999. The renovation moved the station’s news department to a larger newsroom on the first floor adjacent to the news studio, while the old newsroom space on the second floor was remodeled for other uses by the station.

While improvements were being made by Media General, trouble behind the scenes prevented WSLS from making traction in the Roanoke/Lynchburg television ratings. The late 1990’s saw a continuous change of management, which led to competing philosophies and general unrest among employees. In 1998, longtime morning news anchor Dave Mellon was fired and replaced by current evening co-anchor, Karen McNew. Evening Meteorologist Chuck Bell was dismissed later in the year as longtime Sports Director Greg Roberts resigned. In 2000, popular evening co-anchor Barbara Gibbs was also dismissed for reasons that were never specified. The departures generated a great deal of negative publicity for the station.

Until 2005, WSLS also operated Roanoke's i network outlet WPXR-TV; its relationship was discontinued after Paxson dissolved all contracts with stations outside the Paxson family.

Today, WSLS newscasts remain in 2nd or 3rd place in overall viewers, households, and each of the key demographics targeted by the station. In the July 2006 Nielsen sweeps period, WSLS failed to win a single county in the Roanoke/Lynchburg market area during daily sampling.

[edit] Original Programming

During the 1950’s, heyday for local television innovation, WSLS produced several popular shows, such as ‘Cactus Joe,’ and ‘Uncle Looney.’ In fact, Cactus Joe’s sidekick was a dwarf called “Little-biddy-Pete.” In 1962, the ‘Ebb and Andy Show’ debuted, consisting of hillbilly characters and a group of local country musicians known as the ‘Tide Family.’ In the mid-70s, only one local community affairs program was aired, “Insight,” with Dody Matze. Though WDBJ produced more visible local programming, WSLS played 16 hours of local programming per week, two hours more than WDBJ. Today, the number of locally produced non-news shows is much lower, but public-affairs specials are not uncommon. In December 2005, the WSLS newsteam produced a special 30 minute special aimed at reducing teenage driving fatalities.

[edit] Controversy

WSLS was the home of talented but troubled meteorologist Marc Lamarre from 1998-2006. In December 2005, both Lamarre and fellow meteorologist Jamey Singleton seemingly disappeared from view, while a cavalcade of temporary personalities (WSNV-FM host Larry Dowdy, free lancer Josh Marthers, and eventual WSLS hire Patrick McKee) filled in for weeks. Though both returned to the station, Lamarre again disappeared in February 2006. At the same time, local rumors swirled about a drug overdose, and possible death of Lamarre. After some outcry and much speculation, the public officially became aware of his heroin dependency issue through a series of releases by station administration. Though Lamarre has completed rehabilitation, he will not return to the station, and is a witness in the trial of his former heroin dealer. It is not clear whether or not any criminal charges will be filed over Lamarre himself. Fellow meteorologist Jamey Singleton also publicly admitted to using heroin, but remained for a time at the station after successfully avoiding further substance abuse. In November 2006, Lamarre's heroin dealer was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

On 16 November 2006 Jamey Singleton was terminated after a nude photo of him surfaced on the the popular Internet networking site MySpace.com. Singleton had the picture removed within an hour of its surfacing, however several copies were e-mailed to associates at the station. According to the WSLS website, "The decision to terminate Jamey was made after he violated the morals clause of his contract, which stipulates that contracted employees not become involved in any situation that can be found to be offensive or out of line with community standards. The most recent incident involved an inappropriate photograph made public by way of e-mail."

[1] [2]

[edit] Firsts

• Southwest Virginia's First Television Station
• First Full Color Broadcast in Roanoke
• First with Remote Broadcast in Roanoke
• First to Use Video Tape in Roanoke
• First to “Feed Network” (distribute live, locally produced programming that aired over the entire NBC network)

[edit] Ownership History

• 1952-1969 : Shenandoah Life Insurance Company
• 1969-1997 : Park Broadcasting
• 1997-present : Media General

[edit] Former News Personalities

• Terry Leedom - anchor (1960s)
• Ted Stone - anchor (1970s, now Satellite Feed Coordinator and Special Projects Editor for WDBJ-TV)
• Ed McIntyre – co-anchor (late 1970s)
• Gayle Converse – co-anchor (late 70s)
• Mike Fuller – (late 1980s)
• Mark Chambers – (late 1980s)
• L. A. Mollinary – co-anchor
• Sean Hennessey - Reporter (1980's, now at WHDH-TV)
• David Schifter - Reporter (late 1980's, now a casting director based in based in Wilmington, North Carolina)
• Greta Evans - "Datebook" Host, "Reaching Out" Host and Public Affairs Director (1990's, died February 22, 2004)
• Monica Shuman – 6 and 11pm co-anchor (1984-1989)
• Mary Jo McClelland – 6 and 11pm co-anchor (1989-1991)
• Kalley King – 5, 6, and 11pm co-anchor (1991-1994)
• Lee Ann Necessary - 5, 6, and 11pm co-anchor (1995-1997), returned as 6 and 11pm co-anchor (2001-2003)
• Andrew Colton - Reporter (early 1990's, now at KTLK-FM)
• Helene Kramer - Weekend Anchor/Reporter (late 1980's-1992, now at Louisville Metro Police Department)
• Nola Woods - Weekend Anchor/Reporter (1992-1995)
• Vicki Damico - "Spirit of Virginia" Reporter (1993)
• Peter Cook - Weekend Anchor/Reporter (1995-1996)
• Dave Mellon - Morning Anchor (1980's-1998)
• Terry Tucker - Weekend/Morning Weather (1991-1997)
• Barbara Gibbs – 6 and 11pm co-anchor (1998-2000, now at WTVD-TV)
• Julie Bragg - Weekend Anchor/Health Team 10 Reporter (1996-1998) and 5:30 co-anchor/Health Team 10 Reporter (1998-1999) now at WTVR-TV
• Tracy McKinney - Reporter (1995-1997)
• Kris Lloyd - Reporter (1995-1998)
• Ted Oberg - Reporter (1996-1998, now at KTRK-TV)
• Jamie Holmes - Reporter (1996-1998, now at WPTV-TV)
• Scott Bryan - Reporter (1996-1998)
• Tiffany Bradbury - Entertainment Reporter (1997-2003, now Roanoke Fire/EMS Education Information Specialist)
• Ann Hillenbrand - Reporter (1997-1999)
• Sade Baderinwa - Reporter (1997-1999, now at WABC-TV)
• Samara Sodos - Reporter (1998-2000, now at WFLA-TV)
• Mary Frances Bragiel - Reporter (1998-2001, now at WBBM-AM)
• David Tate - NRV Reporter (1998-1999)
• Shae Crisson - Anchor/Reporter (1999-2001, now at WTVD-TV)
• Rebecca Stewart - Morning Anchor/Reporter (1999-2003, now at WTIC-TV)
• Jamie Muro - Reporter and Sports Anchor, now at WTNH-TV)
• Dawn Pellas - Reporter (1999-2003, now at WFTS-TV)
• Erin Barnhart - Reporter (2000-2003)
• Alicia Dean - Reporter (2000-2005, now PIO for Roanoke City Police Department as Aisha Johnson)
• Robin Lindner - NRV Reporter (2000-2004)
• John Adams - Reporter (2001-2004)
• Heidi Coy - Reporter (2001-2005)
• Karen Reese - Bedford/Lynchburg Reporter (2002)
• Tim Gehret - Danville Reporter (2002-2005)
• Dan Reany - Lynchburg Reporter (2003-2005, now at CBN)
• Melissa Martin - Reporter (2003-2006, now at WCNC-TV)
• Kerry McQuone - Reporter (2003-2005)
• Frances Scott - Reporter (1995) Weekend Anchor (1996) 10pm co-anchor (1996-1999)
• Jennifer Waddell - 10pm co-anchor (1999-2005 now at KGUN-TV)

[edit] Former Weather Personalities

• Marty Hall - weather (late 1960s)
• Jane Gardner - weather (mid 1970s) (whoever was anchor also presented the weather)
• Bobby Knight – weather (1970s-1980s)
• Stan Sweet – weather (late 1980s)
• Jon Cash – weather (to 1989, now at WAVY-TV)
• Lisa Fenderson - weekend weather (late 1980s-1991)
• Cindy Farmer - weather (mid 80's-1990, now at WGHP-TV)
• Dave Parker - weather (1990-1992)
• Bill Meck – chief meteorologist (1992 to 1995, now at WLEX-TV)
• Chuck Bell - chief meteorologist (1995-1998, now at WRC-TV)
• Sean Sublette – weekend and morning meteorologist (1995-2003, now at WSET-TV)
• Marc Lamarre - meteorologist (1998-2006)
• Jamey Singleton - meteorologist (1998-2006)

[edit] Former Sports Personalities

• Bill Walker - sports (late 1960s)
• Greg Roberts – sports director (1987-1998)
• Justin Ditmore – Weekend Sports Anchor (1992-1998) and Sports Director (1998-2006)
• Darren Triplett - Sports Reporter (late 1990's)
• Tom Booth - Sports Reporter (1998-2000)
• Eric Haubert - Weekend Sports Anchor (1999-2000, now at WNWO-TV)
• J.J. Davis - Weekend Sports Anchor (2000-2001, now at KPTM-TV)
• Jeanette Leftwich - Weekend Sports Anchor (2001-2005)

[edit] Newscasts

In 1964

"TV 10 Eyewitness News"

6:00 PM Weekday

"News Sports Beat"

11:00 PM Weekday

In 1975

“TV 10 Action News”

7:25 AM Weekday

8:25 AM Weekday

12:30 PM Weekday

6:00 PM

11:00 PM

2:00 AM Signoff Report

In 2005

5:30 AM M-F “NewsChannel 10 Early Today”

6:00 AM M-F “NewsChannel 10 Today”

6:30 AM M-F “NewsChannel 10 Today”

12:00 PM M-F “NewsChannel 10 at Noon”

Juliet Bickford and Jeff Haniewich (Storm Team 10)

5:00 PM M-F “NewsChannel 10 at 5” John Carlin and Karen McNew

5:30 PM M-F “NewsChannel 10 at 5:30” Karen McNew and Jay Warren, Patrick McKee (Storm Team 10)

6:00 PM “NewsChannel 10 at 6:00” John Carlin and Karen McNew, John Appicello (sports)

10:00 PM "The Fox 21 27 10:00 News" John Carlin and Natiline Faunce NOTE:This newscast is seen on WFXR-TV.

11:00 PM “NewsChannel 10 at 11:00” John Carlin and Karen McNew, John Appicello (sports)

WEEKEND 6&11 Dawn Jeffries, Patrick McKee (weather), Chris Whitley (sports)

[edit] News Themes

• Hello News 1988-1989
• Real News 1989-1992
• The Spirit of Virginia (WSLS 1992) 1992-1995
• Signature 1995-1997
• Counterpoint 1997-2003
• News Matrix 2003-present

[edit] Newscast Titles

• 1964 - Eyewitness News
• 1969 - The Six O'Clock News
• 1970s and 1980s - Action News 10
• 1985 - 1988 - Eyewitness News 10
• 1988 to 1997 - Channel 10 News
• 1997 to Present - News Channel 10

[edit] Image Campaigns/Slogans (Incomplete)

• 1980s - "Roanoke's First Television Station"
• 1985 - "The Switch is On To...WSLS"
• 1989 - 1991 "Where the News Comes First"
• 1992 - 2003 - "The Spirit of Virginia"
• 2003 - present - "On Your Side"

[edit] Station Logos

Logo possibly used during the 1950s.	Logo possibly used during the 1960s.	Logo used during 1964	Logo used during the late 1960s
Logo used during most of the 1970s	Logo used during the 1980s	"Mountain 10" Logo used from 1989 to 1995.	"Spirit of Virginia" Image Campaign used throughout the Early 1990s
Logo used from 1995 to 1997.	Logo used from 1997 to 2003 after being purchased by Media General.	Current logo, 2003-present.

[edit] Weather Broadcast Images

1950s-era Weather Presenter

1960s-era Weather Presenter

Former Meteorologist Chuck Bell in 1996

Former Meteorologist Marc Lamarre in 2000 during a snow event

[edit] News Set Images

WSLS News Set in 1975

The Appearance of the WSLS Set in 2005. This is taken from the same angle as the 1975 photograph.

[edit] Personalities Through the Years

WSLS News Team in 1969

WSLS News Team in 1975 (unidentified talent)

WSLS News Team in 1987

[edit] Test Patterns

WSLS Original Test Pattern from the early 1950s

WSLS Test Pattern from 1993

[edit] References

• p26 May/June 1975 issue of the Roanoker Magazine
• "Channel 10's Decade of Decline" p18 Holiday 1979 issue of the Roanoker Magazine
• "Lights, Camera, News!" p32 March/April 1980 issue of the Roanoker Magazine
• "Roanoke Media Comparison" p19 February 1988 issue of the Roanoke Magazine
• Page C-4, Roanoke Times & World-News on Thursday, April 27, 1978

[edit] External links

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

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)

NBC Network Affiliates in the state of Virginia
WCYB 5 (Bristol) - WAVY 10 (Norfolk) - WSLS 10 (Roanoke / Lynchburg) - WWBT 12 (Richmond) - WVIR 29 (Charlottesville)
See also: ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, MyNetworkTV, PBS, and Other stations in Virginia