WOAY-TV

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject.
Please help recruit one or improve this article yourself. See the talk page for details.
Please consider using {{Expert-subject}} to associate this request with a WikiProject

WOAY-TV

Oak Hill/Beckley/Bluefield, West Virginia
Branding	TV4 (general) NewsWatch 4 (newscasts)
Channels	Analog: 4 (VHF) Digital: 50 (UHF)
Affiliations	ABC
Owner	Thomas Broadcasting Company
First air date	December 14, 1954
Call letters’ meaning	WOAK, standing for OAK Hill was intended, but handwritten application was misread by FCC
Former affiliations	DuMont CBS UPN (secondary)
Transmitter Power	100 kW (analog) 600 kW (digital)
Height	226 m (analog) 200.1 m (digital)
Facility ID	66804
Transmitter Coordinates	37°57′26.7″N, 81°9′2″W
Website	www.woay.com

WOAY is a broadcast television station in southern West Virginia and locally owned by Thomas Broadcasting. It is licensed to the town of Oak Hill and It is affiliated with ABC.

[edit] History

WOAY took to the airwaves on December 14, 1954.

In previous decades, the station was known throughout the area for a very theatrical professional wrestling show that it produced itself with local "talent." However, this ended shortly after Thomas Broadcasting took over ownership in 1979, when the station's main studio, control room, office and transmitter building burned to the ground. The station's studio, control room and transmitter were relocated and rebuilt in the adjacent wrestling arena, where they remain today.

As for programming, WOAY clears the entire ABC schedule, with the exception of World News Now, which is available on cable systems throughout the area when WOAY signs off; and World News Sunday, which WOAY has long since pre-empted.

WOAY still signs-off every night, resuming at 6:00 a.m., making it a few in the country to still sign-off every night.

[edit] News readers and reporters

Bob Brunner: News Director, Reporter

Keke Vencill: 6 pm & 11 pm Anchor

Dan Toth: Sports Director

Ross Ellet: Chief Meteorologist

Kristin Sommer: Weekend Anchor, Reporter

Maria Chung: Weekend Weather, Reporter

Marty Longhi: Sports Anchor

Alycia Pence: Morning Weather

Erika Rieth: Noon Anchor, Reporter

Sarah Bloom: Reporter

Mike Pickett: Reporter