WSLS-TV

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WSLS-TV

Roanoke, Virginia
Branding	WSLS 10
Slogan	On Your Side
Channels	Analog: 10 (VHF) Digital: 30 (UHF)
Affiliations	NBC Weather (on DT2)
Owner	Media General (Media General Communications Holdings, LLC)
First air date	December 11, 1952
Call letters’ meaning	Shenandoah Life Station (reference to original owner)
Former affiliations	Secondary: ABC (1952-1955) CBS (1952-1953)
Transmitter Power	316 kW (analog) 950 kW (digital)
Height	610 m (analog) 592 m (digital)
Facility ID	57840
Transmitter Coordinates	37°12′3.1″N, 80°8′53″W
Website	www.wsls.com

WSLS-TV, channel 10, is the NBC-affiliated television station in Roanoke, Virginia. Its transmitter is located on Poor Mountain in Roanoke County. The station is owned by Media General who also owns local newspapers The News & Advance and Danville Register & Bee. WSLS has studios on Third Street in Roanoke.

1 History
2 Station profile
3 News team
4 Former personalities
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

The station first signed on the air on December 11, 1952. It is the oldest surviving station in the state of Virginia west of Richmond. WSLS was owned by the Shenandoah Life Insurance Company along with WSLS radio (610 AM, now WVBE; and 99.1 FM, now WSLQ).

The station originally carried programming from all three major networks: NBC, CBS and ABC. It lost ABC when WLVA-TV (now WSET-TV) signed on from Lynchburg in 1953. WSLS and WLVA shared CBS until WDBJ-TV signed on in 1955 and took the affiliation. By the late-1950s, WSLS had fallen to second place behind WDBJ.

Examples of locally produced programming in the late-1960s included: Echo, Klub Kwiz (a competitor to WDBJ's Klassroom Kwiz), Ebb and Andy, Spectrum, Glen Howell, Cactus Joe, and Profile.

In 1969, WSLS-AM-FM-TV were purchased for $7.5 million dollars by Roy H. Park of Ithaca, New York. The all time high station staff number of 120 began to be reduced to around 50 for "budgetary reasons". However, the station fell further behind WDBJ in the ratings in part because WDBJ had a larger news department. Park had to sell off the radio stations in 1972 due to FCC restrictions on cross-ownership.

In 1979, disgruntled employees unionized 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 was the first unionization of a television station in the commonwealth of 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 that was 30 to 40% higher and 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.

The feud between employees and management got to the point that long distance telephone calls (inevitably to the union) were prohibited. Only station management was allowed to post material on the bulletin board and an armed guard had to be hired. Eventually, 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."

When WSET modernized its news department in 1977, WSLS quickly responded by opening a Lynchburg Bureau. Still, viewership problems worsened when WSET moved to the number 2 spot in the late-1970s. In addition, the station's on-air look was somewhat primitive. Videotape was reused very often causing quality to suffer, and the station's transmitter had not been significantly upgraded since sign-on (aside from converting to color from black-and-white). A new transmitter was eventually dedicated in 1981.

By the late-1980s, staff numbers rebounded to 75 and viewership began to increase. By 1987, WSLS had regained the runner-up position and has remained there ever since.

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 newscast did not catch on with viewers at first but the ratings took off when it moved to 5 P.M. in 1992. This prompted WDBJ to launch a 5 o'clock newscast of its own in 1993. Initially, WSLS beat WDBJ at 5 which was the first time that WSLS had beaten WDBJ in any timeslot in decades. However, as WDBJ built an audience, it overtook WSLS for the lead at that time. First News remained at 5 P.M. on WSLS until September 21, 1998 when it moved back to 5:30. Yet another shift came in February of 2002 when the 5:30 newscast was once again moved back to 5 o'clock. In August of 2004, WSLS added a 5:30 newscast to the existing 5 and 6 P.M. shows, creating the first 90 minute evening news block in the 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 for several years afterward but the phrase "Leading the Way" was added to various promotional efforts.

In 1996, WSLS was approached by Grant Broadcasting System II, the owner of Roanoke’s Fox affiliate combo WFXR / WJPR, on the topic of a "news sharing agreement". The deal would allow WSLS to produce a 10 P.M. newscast for the Fox stations. The stations originally attempted to form a news partnership with WDBJ but a deal was never formed. The Fox 10 O'Clock News with Frances Scott and John Carlin premiered on October 28, 1996. Since September 18, 2006, the newscast has also been airing on the second digital subchannels of WFXR / WWCW that have CW affiliation.

A new chapter in the life of WSLS began on January 1, 1997 when Media General acquired 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, as the station aired commercials stating: "On April 14, Channel 10 will go off the air forever." WSLS re-launched itself as NewsChannel 10 during the 5 P.M. newscast on April 14.

While the new NewsChannel 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 NewsChannel 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 Robin Reed on WDBJ 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. The title of "chief meteorologist" was brought back with the addition of weathercaster Ros Runner in 2007.

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 that, 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 Shenandoah Life and the WSLS radio stations. Shenandoah Life had moved out in 1969. TYhe radio stations followed in 1972 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-1990s 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. Chief Meteorologist Chuck Bell was dismissed later in the year and 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.

A renewed emphasis was placed on local news in the early part of the 21st century, particularly in the eastern and southern portions of the Roanoke / Lynchburg market. In the spring of 2001, two additional news bureaus were established: one in Martinsville and one in Bedford. The Martinsville bureau was intended to cover Henry County, Pittsylvania County, Halifax County, and the independent cities that lied within those areas. The Bedford Bureau covered Bedford County, Campbell County, Amherst County, and the independent cities of Lynchburg and Bedford. Both bureaus were manned by an individual reporter/photographer. In 2004, personnel from the two bureaus were moved to the offices of the Lynchburg News and Advance and the Danville Register and Bee respectively. The move came as part of a Media General effort to converge its newspaper and television properties as a single newsgathering entity. Today, a single WSLS reporter, Aimee Norton, is responsible for covering the Lynchburg, Bedford and Southside areas from the offices of the Lynchburg News and Advance.

Today, WSLS operates Roanoke's ION Televison network affiliate WPXR. In 2007 the on-air branding was changed to "WSLS 10 On Your Side", dropping the NewsChannel name. Later in the year, the station updated the studio set, as well as the graphics leading up to the high definition launch.

The station's second digital subchannel was recently relaunched as the Live VIPIR Channel. It provides 24 hours of current conditions, forecasts, and specialty segments. Previously, WSLS-DT2 aired a continuous image of "Live VIPIR 10".

[edit] Station profile

[edit] Newscast titles

1964 - Eyewitness News
1969 - The Six O'Clock News
1970s and 1980s - Action News 10
1985-1988 - Eyewitness News 10
1988-1997 - Channel 10 News
1997-2007 - NewsChannel 10
2007-present - WSLS 10 On Your Side

[edit] Image Campaigns / slogans

1980s - "Roanoke's First Television Station"
1985 - "The Switch is On To...WSLS"
Late 1980s - "Hello"
1989 to 1991 "Where the News Comes First"
1992 to 2003 - "The Spirit of Virginia"
1997 to 2003 - "Working For You"
2003 to present - "On Your Side"

[edit] Newscast Music

Hello News, Frank Gari (1982-1988)
WSLS 1988 News Theme, JDK Music (1988-1989)
Real News, Killer Tracks (NJJ Music / HLC) (1989-1992)
WSLS 1992 News Theme, JDK Music (1992-1995)
Signature, Stephen Arnold Music (1995-1997)
Counterpoint, Stephen Arnold Music (1997-2003)
News Matrix, Stephen Arnold Music (2003-2006)
Media General Station Group Package, JDK Music (2006-Present)

[edit] Station firsts

WSLS was Southwest Virginia's first television station.
The first full color broadcast in Roanoke on March 1, 1967.
The first station with remote broadcast in Roanoke.
WSLS was first to use video tape in Roanoke.
First station to "Feed Network" (distribute live, locally produced programming that aired over the entire NBC network).
First station to stream online live during the Virginia Tech Massacre.
First local station to broadcast news in high definition on October 31, 2007.

[edit] Station Logos

50s-60s.JPG Logo possibly used during the 1950s.	60s.JPG Logo possibly used during the 1960s.	WSLS 1964.jpg Logo used during 1964.	WSLS E70s.JPG Logo used from the late 1960s until 1974.
WSLS 1970s.jpg Logo used from 1974 through the mid 1980s, and intermittently from 1986-1988.	WSLS 1985.jpg Logo used from the mid 1980s to 1986.	WSLS89logo.jpg "Mountain 10" Logo used from 1988 to 1995.	WSLS 1993Image.jpg "Spirit of Virginia" image campaign used throughout the early 1990s.
WSLS 1995.jpg Logo used from 1995 to 1997.	Wsls 95.jpg Logo used from 1997 to 2003 after being purchased by Media General.	Wsls tv10.gif Logo used from 2003 to 2007.	WSLS 2007.jpg Current logo, since 2007
Wsls production.jpg Logo for "10x MEDIA".

[edit] News Set Images

WSLS 1975Set.jpg

WSLS news set in 1975.

WSLS 2005Set.jpg

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

[edit] Weather Broadcast Images

WSLS 1950sWeather.JPG

1950s-era weather presenter.

WSLS 1960sWeather.JPG

1960s-era weather presenter.

WSLS 1996Weather.jpg

Former meteorologist Chuck Bell in 1996.

WSLS 2000Weather.jpg

Former meteorologist Marc Lamarre in 2000 during a snow storm.

[edit] Personalities Through the Years

WSLS 1969Newsteam.jpg

WSLS News Team in 1969.

WSLS 1975Newsteam.jpg

WSLS News Team in 1975 (unidentified talent).

WSLS 1987Talent.JPG

WSLS News Team in 1987.

[edit] Test Patterns

WSLS 1952Test.jpg

WSLS original test pattern from the early 1950s.

WSLS 1993Test.jpg

WSLS test pattern from 1993.

[edit] News team

Anchors

Dawn Jefferies - weekday mornings
John Carlin - Managing Editor seen on weeknights at 5, 6, 10, and 11
Karen McNew - weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6, and 11 & Health Reporter
Jay Warren - weeknights at 5:30 & Senior Political Correspondent
Becky Freemal - weeknights at 10
TBD - weekends

Storm Team 10

Jeff Haniewich - Chief seen on weeknights
Patrick McKee - weekday mornings
Sandra Brogan - weekends

Sports

John Appicello - Director seen on weeknights at 6, 10, and 11 PM
Chris Whitley - weekends

Reporters

Bob Denton - political analyst
Rosa Duarte - New River Valley reporter
Angela Hatcher
Lindsey Ward
Scott Leamon
Lindsey Henley
Candice Nelson
Aimee Norton - Lynchburg/Southside reporter
Ashley Roberts - New River Valley reporter

[edit] Former personalities

Anchors and Reporters

George Chernault - 6PM anchor (1960s)
Charles Fishburne - anchor (1960s)
Terry Leedom - anchor (1960s)
Ted Stone - anchor (1970s, now Satellite Feed Coordinator and Special Projects Editor for WDBJ-TV)
Tom Hughes - anchor (1960s)
Lee Garrett - reporter (1960s)
Glenn Howell - reporter (1960s)
Ed McIntyre – co-anchor (late 1970s)
Gayle Converse – co-anchor (late 1970s)
Mike Fuller – (late 1980s)
Mark Chambers – (late 1980s)
Jeff Gillan - (late 1980s)
Peter Morrison - (late 1980s)
Ira Quillen - (NRV Reporter - Late 1980s)
Stefan Schetselaar - (Late 1980s)
Tom Gill - (Late 1980s)
L. A. Mollinary – co-anchor
Sean Hennessey - reporter (1991-1993, now at WCBS-TV)
David Schifter - reporter (late 1980s, now a casting director based in Wilmington, North Carolina)
Greta Evans - "Datebook" and "Reaching Out" Host, also Public Affairs Director (1990s, died February 22, 2004)
Monica Shuman – 6 and 11 PM co-anchor (1984-1989)
Mary Jo McClelland – 6 and 11 PM co-anchor (1989-1991)
Kalley King – 5, 6, and 11 PM co-anchor (1991-1994)
Lee Ann Necessary - 5, 6, and 11 PM co-anchor (1995-1997), returned as 6 and 11 PM co-anchor (2001-2003)
Andrew Colton - reporter (early 1990s, now at KTLK-FM)
Helene Kramer - weekend anchor / reporter (late 1980s-1992, now at Louisville Metro Police Department)
Nola Woods - weekend anchor / reporter (1992-1995)
Vicki Damico - "Spirit of Virginia" reporter (1993)
Rucks Russell - reporter (Early 1990s, now at KHOU-TV)
Ed Reams - New River Bureau Chief (1992-1993, now News Director at WHSV-TV)
Peter Cook - weekend anchor / reporter (1995-1996)
Dave Mellon - morning anchor (1980s-1998)
Barbara Gibbs – 6 and 11 PM co-anchor (1998-2000, now at WTVD-TV)
Julie Bragg - weekend anchor / health reporter (1996-1998) then 5:30 PM co-anchor / health reporter (1998-1999), now at WTVR-TV
Kelly Stern - New River Valley reporter (1995-1997)
Barron Johnson - reporter (1995-1997)
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, now in Office of University Relations at Radford University)
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 - New River Valley 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 - New River Valley reporter (2000-2004)
John Adams - reporter (2001-2004)
Heidi Coy - reporter (2001-2005)
Ann Howard - reporter (2001-2003)
Karen Reese - Bedford / Lynchburg reporter (2002)
Tim Gehret - Southside reporter (2002-2005 now at WCBD Charleston, SC)
Dan Reany - Lynchburg reporter (2003-2005, now at CBN)
Melissa Martin - reporter (2003-2006, now at WCNC-TV)
Kerry McQuone - reporter (2003-2005)
Tameika Hawkins - reporter (2004-2005)
Frances Scott - reporter (1995), weekend anchor (1996), WFXR / WWCW 10pm co-anchor (1996-1999, now at WSET-TV)
Jennifer Waddell - WFXR / WWCW 10pm co-anchor (1999-2005, now at KGUN-TV)
Natalie Faunce - WFXR / WWCW 10pm co-anchor (2005-2007, now at Ferrum College)
Manny Fantis - New River Valley Reporter (2006)
Britt Conway - reporter (2005-2007)
Denise Eck - reporter (2004-2007, now executive producer at KTKA-TV)
Jeremy Crider - reporter (2004-2007, now at WTKR)
Juliet Bickford - morning and noon anchor, consumer reporter (2002-2008, now at WTKR-TV)

Meteorologists/Weather Presenters

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, subsequently at WVVA-TV)
Jon Cash – meteorologist (until 1989, now at WAVY-TV)
Lisa Fenderson - weekend weather (late 1980s-1991)
Cindy Farmer - weather (mid 1980s-1990, now at WGHP-TV)
Dave Parker - weather (1990-1992, now at WTKR-TV)
Terry Tucker - weekend / morning weather (1991-1997)
Bill Meck – Chief Meteorologist (1992-1995, 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) now on a Franklin County, Virginia cable system
Johanna Calfee - weather (2006-2008)
Ros Runner - Chief meteorologist (2007-2008)