WVEC

WVEC is the ABC affiliate television station for the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, which includes Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News, and the surrounding area. It is licensed to Hampton, with its main studio in downtown Norfolk. Its transmitter is located in Suffolk, Virginia. The station broadcasts on channel 13, and is owned by the Belo Corporation.

Digital television

In 2009, WVEC-DT left digital channel 41 and moved to channel 13 when the analog to digital conversion was completed.

On November 8, 2010, WVEC added ABC's Live Well Network on channel 13.2.

History

The station began operations on September 19, 1953, on UHF channel 15 as an NBC affiliate.^[1] It was co-owned originally by Hampton businessman Thomas P. Chisman and several other stockholders, along with WVEC radio (1490 AM, now WXTG; and 101.3 FM, now WWDE-FM). The station switched affiliations to ABC in 1959, when WAVY-TV took the NBC affiliation two years after signing on. During the late 1950s, WVEC-TV was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network.^[2]

In those days, UHF stations were not as successful as VHF stations, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) did not yet make requirements for television sets to have UHF tuners. So on November 13, 1959,^[3] WVEC-TV moved to its current location on VHF channel 13. Four years later, the channel 15 position would be occupied by current PBS affiliate WHRO-TV.

In 1980, Chisman sold the station to Corinthian Broadcasting,^[4] a unit of Dun & Bradstreet. At the time of the sale, it was the last locally owned and operated "Big Three" station in Hampton Roads. Four years later, Dun sold Corinthian to Belo, which owns the Dallas Morning News and WFAA-TV in its home city.

In 1997, WVEC (along with The Virginian-Pilot and Cox Communications) launched LNC4 (now LNC5), a 24-hour local cable news television channel, featuring repeats of WVEC newscasts and a live 10:00 PM newscast. It is carried by Cox Communications on channel 5 within Hampton Roads. "Pilot 13-News at 10" ceased production on January 30, 2009, however, the partnership with the Virginian-Pilot is expected to continue on a lesser level.

On January 12, 2008, WVEC started producing local newscasts in digital widescreen 16x9. Though not truly high definition, the digital widescreen broadcasts are rescanned and up-converted from standard definition to 1080i before transmission to match the ratio of HD television screens.^[5]

Eastern Shore Translators

There are two low-powered translators of WVEC that are located in the Eastern Shore of Virginia and are municipally-owned by Accomack County rather than Belo. ^{[6] [7]} WVEC and Belo does not own and operate any translators in the Greater Hampton Roads area.

• W34DN Channel 34 Onancock
• W48DO Channel 48 Craddockville

Branding and image

Spirit of Hampton Roads

In the late 1980s, WVEC introduced its most well-known promotional campaign, "The Spirit of Hampton Roads" - a campaign which has been customized and used by several other Belo Corporation stations (most notably the originator, WFAA-TV's "Spirit of Texas" campaign). The campaign was revamped in September 1992 with a new logo and song composed by Nashville-based 615 Music. WVEC originally dropped it in 1996 and replaced it with another slogan, "Working for You". "The Spirit of Hampton Roads" would finally return in 2003 on New Year's Eve. WVEC phased out the "Spirit" image for the second time in 2008.

News staff

In 1978 upon the resignation of news anchor Tony Burden, WVEC hired ABC News correspondent Jim Kincaid as its main news anchor.^[8] Kincaid's signature became his "Jim's notes," short commentaries which ended the station's nightly newscasts. Compilations of these essays were published in several books authored by Kincaid, including "Notes from Elam," referring to the small town in Prince Edward County, Virginia, where his farm was located. During the Vietnam War, Kincaid was a war correspondent for ABC. He returned to Vietnam in 1994 and reported from the same locations he had covered in the 1960s, producing an award-winning documentary and series of news stories. Kincaid retired from WVEC in 1997. He died in July, 2011. ^[9]

Another well known news anchor for WVEC was Terry Zahn, who was hired from WAVY-TV in 1994.^[10] Zahn was very active with the American Cancer Society and helped establish the Relay for Life in the area. He produced two videos about Relay for Life which were distributed nationally, and served as chairman of the local Relay, which at the time was the largest in the U.S. Zahn was diagnosed with bone cancer in 1997 and died in January 2000.^[10] Each year, the American Cancer Society presents the Terry Zahn Award to a supporter of the Relay for Life.

Barbara Ciara was the 5pm and 11pm co-anchor from 1988 until 2000 when she left for cross-town WTKR.

On March 7, 2003, former investigative reporter, Craig Civale, and former general assignment reporter, Michelle Louie were engaged during a live segment of "Joe's Job" on 13News Daybreak. Michelle was filling in for fellow reporter, Joe Flanagan, where she was to visit a jewelry shop. During a live shot, out pops Craig Civale with ring in hand, where he proposes to Michelle. They both, at the time, had been dating for 5 years. They were married in September 2004.^[11]

Current on-air staff

Former on-air staff

• Sharyn Alfonsi, reporter from 1995-97; currently with ABC News
• Doug Aronson,Chief Investigative Reporter from 1998 until 2005.^[12][13] Also worked for WAVY.
• Kathy Barnstorff, weekend anchor from 1983-1989, Peninsula reporter from 1978-1998. Now media relations specialist at NASA Langley Research Center. ^[14]
• Judith Baroody, reporter and anchor in the 1970s and early 1980s. Now Minister Counselor of Public Affairs, US Embassy, Paris^[15]
• Kathryn Barrett, medical reporter, who started as "Tidewater Evening" anchor spent 26 years from 1982-2008. Now free-lancer. ^[16]
• Andria Borba, reporter from January 2007 until March 2009. Now at KTXL in Sacramento, CA.^[17]
• Wayne Carter, Anchor/Reporter 2004-2010, now at WWL-TV in New Orleans, LA.^[18]
• Thomas P. Chisman, WVEC's founder, died in 1991.^[19]
• Craig Civale, investigative reporter from 2003–2006, left WVEC in January 2007 to join WFAA in Dallas, TX.^[20]
• Barbara Ciara, worked there for two stints, first in the early 1980s until leaving for WAVY in 1983; returned in late 1988 and stayed until 2000, now at WTKR.^[21] Was President of the National Association of Black Journalists from 2007-2009. Elected interim President of Unity: Journalists of Color in 2009.^[22]
• Simeon Coxe, reporter specializing in off-beat stories in the 1970s and 80s. Lead singer for the 1960s and 1990s Silver Apples.
• Mark Craft, reporter and contributing correspondent to "Focus" newsmagazine from 1979-81. Now staff vice-president of executive communications at WellPoint.^[23]
• Jane Gardner, health reporter/anchor from 1979–1990. Moved to WTKR-TV as anchor from 1990–1998. Now retired. ^[24]
• Bonita (Billingsley) Harris, weekend anchor and reporter from 1992-2003. Now works for the Norfolk Sheriff's Office.^[25][26]
• Sheldon Ingram, reporter from 1988-92, now at WTAE in Pittsburgh.^[27]
• Jim Kincaid, hired from ABC News in 1978, served as anchor from 1978-96,^[28] retired in 1997. (deceased)
• John Miller, news anchor and news director in the 1970s and 1980s, morning and noon anchor in the 1990s. Elected Virginia state senator in November 2007^[29]
• Shannon Sims, reporter/anchor from 2006-2011, now with WKEF/WRGT in Dayton, Ohio.
• Patrick Terpstra, reporter from 2006-2011, now with Capitol News Connection in Washington, D.C.
• Stan Verrett, now an anchor at ESPN and ESPNEWS, also worked for rival WAVY.
• Terry Zahn, hired from WAVY in 1994, served as anchor until death from bone cancer in January 2000.
• Hank Plante, Emmy & Peabody Award-winning broadcaster, now retired in Palm Springs, CA.

Programs produced by WVEC

• Dialogue- 30 minute public affairs program hosted by WVEC news anchor Lasalle Blanks. Airs Sunday mornings at 5:30am.

See also

• LNC 5 a defunct Local News Channel.

External links

• WVEC Website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WVEC
• Query TV Fool's coverage map for WVEC
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WVEC-TV

References