WSET-TV

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WSET-TV
Lynchburg / Roanoke, Virginia
Branding	ABC13
Slogan	The Heart of Virginia/Coverage You Can Count On
Channels	13 (VHF) analog, 34 (UHF) digital
Affiliations	ABC
Owner	Allbritton Communications Company
Founded	February 8, 1953
Call letters meaning	W Television SET
Former callsigns	WLVA-TV (1953-1977)
Former affiliations	CBS (secondary 1953-1955)
Website	www.wset.com/

WSET-TV is the ABC television network affiliate in Lynchburg-Roanoke, Virginia. It transmits its analog signal on VHF channel 13 and its digital signal on UHF channel 34. It is owned by the Allbritton Communications Company. Its transmitter is located near Thaxton, Virginia.

WSET-TV signed on the air for the very first time on February 8, 1953 with the call sign WLVA-TV (W-Lynchburg-VirginiA), under the ownership of Lynchburg Broadcasting, and was Roanoke's second television station -- WSLS was the first on-air. During the 1950s, the station split the ABC network affiliation with NBC affiliate WSLS-TV channel 10. The station changed its call letters to the current WSET-TV in 1977.

WSET's main local news programming (ABC 13 News) is primarily aimed at the eastern half of the Roanoke-Lynchburg market, focusing on areas such as Lynchburg and Danville. In 2005, it was one of only two ABC affiliates in the Eastern Time Zone to air ABC's World News Tonight at 7 PM rather than 6:30; WSB-TV in Atlanta is the other. However, WSET has returned the national program to the 6:30pm time slot, shifting its regional broadcast to the 7:00pm viewing time.

[edit] Once And Again controversy

On March 11, 2002, WSET pre-empted an episode of Once and Again which contained a scene in which two female characters kiss one another, and ran a prime-time infomercial instead.^[1] WSET was the only ABC affliate to pre-empt the episode. The decision, which station management refused to explain, provoked condemnation from GLAAD^[2] and praise from Jerry Falwell.^[3]

1. ^ "ABC Affiliate Pulls 'Once and Again' Episode", zap2it.com, 2002-03-12. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
2. ^ "Lynchburg ABC Affiliate Refuses to Air Once and Again", glaad.org, 2002-03-13. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
3. ^ Jerry Falwell, "A hero in our midst", worldnetdaily.com, 2002-03-16. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.

[edit] External links

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

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)

ABC Network Affiliates in the state of Virginia
WHSV 3 (Harrisonburg) - TV3 Winchester 3 (WHSV-DT3) (Winchester/Harrisonburg) - WRIC 8 (Petersburg) - WSET 13 (Lynchburg) - WVEC 13 (Hampton) - WVAW-LP 16 (Charlottesville)
See also: CBS, CW, Fox, MyNetworkTV, NBC, PBS, and Other stations in Virginia