| Charlottesville/Harrisonburg, Virginia | |
|---|---|
| Branding | NBC 29 (general) NBC 29 HD News CW 29 (on DT3) |
| Slogan | Count on Us! |
| Channels | Digital: 32 (UHF) Virtual: 29 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels | 29.1 NBC 29.2 local weather 29.3 The CW |
| Translators | listed at below left |
| Owner | Waterman Broadcasting Corporation (Virginia Broadcasting Corporation) |
| First air date | March 11, 1973 |
| Call letters' meaning | VIRginia |
| Former channel number(s) | 29 (UHF analog, 1973-2009) 31 W31CE Bridgewater 28 W28BF Harrisonburg |
| Former affiliations | NBC Weather Plus (on DT2, 2007-2008) |
| Transmitter power | 1,000 kW |
| Height | 367.9 m |
| Facility ID | 70309 |
| Website | nbc29.com |
WVIR-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, Virginia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter on Carters Mountain south of Charlottesville. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 4 and in high definition on digital channel 211. Owned by the Waterman Broadcasting Corporation, WVIR has studios on East Market Street (US 250 Bus) in Downtown Charlottesville. Syndicated programming on the station includes: Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, Oprah, and Dr. Phil.
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On WVIR-DT2, Comcast digital channel 208, and live streaming video on its website is a 24-hour local weather channel. On WVIR-DT3 and Comcast channel 12 is the area's CW affiliate which gets all of its programming from The CW Plus. Repeater W41DT-D also offers WVIR's two subchannels.
| Channels | Video | Aspect | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | Main WVIR programming / NBC |
| 29.2 | 480i | 4:3 | WVIR-DT2 "NBC 29 Weather Plus" |
| 29.3 | WVIR-DT3 "CW 29" |
In addition to the main signal, WVIR can be seen on two translators. Analog W28BF Channel 28 and W31CE channel 31, is still listed with the Federal Communications Commission.[1][2]
| Call letters | Channel | City of license | Transmitter location |
|---|---|---|---|
| W30CT-D | 30 | Harrisonburg | Massanutten Peak |
| W41DT-D | 41 | Bridgewater | Elliott Knob |
It signed-on March 11, 1973 as the first television station based in Charlottesville and second outlet (after WHSV-TV) between Richmond and Roanoke. In 1986, Waterman Broadcasting purchased the station. Until August 15, 2004, it was the only outlet in the Charlottesville market affiliated with a major network with outside stations being seen on cable and over-the-air. On that date, WCAV signed-on becoming the area's first CBS affiliate and first station to mount a challenge against WVIR. On September 18, 2006, this channel launched a new second digital subchannel to be the area's CW affiliate. On September 13, 2007, WVIR began offering NBC Weather Plus on that digital subchannel resulting in The CW moving to a new third subchannel.
In December 2008, the national Weather Plus feed was shut down and a local weather channel programmed by WVIR was added in its place. The WVIR Dateline News set with former News Director/weeknight anchor Dave Cupp and meteorologist Robert Van Winkle were featured in the Dave Matthews Band video "Everyday" released in 2001. Its call letters were featured in an episode of Saturday Night Live on October 7, 2006. The station is featured in the 2007 film Evan Almighty. WVIR's broadcasts became digital-only effective at 12:30 in the afternoon on February 17, 2009. [3]
As part of the analog nightlight service, the station was required by the FCC to leave its analog signal on-air for two months after the end of digital transition at an estimated cost to the station of $20,000 to broadcast an endless loop of instructional video on digital converter box installation. This was interrupted daily to carry local newscasts. [4] Every year, WVIR holds an annual telethon to help raise money for University of Virginia Health System's Children's Hospital. The telethon, as part of the Children's Miracle Network, is held at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The broadcast consists of current and former WVIR on-air staff answering phones and talking to patients at the hospital.
WVIR-DT3 often pre-empts programming from The CW Plus in order to air local shows. This includes local news and Cristina's Court instead of Family Court With Judge Penny. During the week, Sex and The City normally shown at 10 on The CW Plus airs at 1:30 the next morning after all programs on The CW have ended for the day. On weekends, the same happens for Punk'd. In addition to WVIR, Comcast systems offer WWBT from Richmond on digital channel 194. It is sister station to fellow NBC affiliate WBBH-TV (company flagship) and ABC affiliate WZVN-TV (operated by Waterman through LMA). Both serve the Southwest Florida area and are based in Fort Myers.
WCAV and its sister stations employ the largest news team dedicated exclusively to the Charlottesville market. While WVIR dedicates some staff to adjacent areas such as Harrisonburg and Staunton (both technically part of a separate market), WCAV focuses its coverage solely on counties comprising the Charlottesville viewing area. On September 18, 2006 alongside the launch of The CW, a new nightly prime time newscast began airing on WVIR-DT3. Competing with a show on Class A Fox affiliate WAHU-CD (produced by WCAV), this was originally known as CW 29 News at 10 and featured a separate graphics package and news music theme.
Eventually, the broadcast was renamed NBC 29 News at 10 and began to mirror programs seen on the main channel. Like all CW Plus affiliates in the Eastern Time Zone, WVIR-DT3 offers the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz on weekday mornings from 6 until 9. On April 19, 2008, WVIR began airing newscasts in high definition becoming the first in the market to do so. The prime time shows on WVIR-DT3 were not included in the upgrade because the digital subchannel airs in standard definition.
In addition to its main studios, WVIR operates an Augusta County Bureau in The News Virginian newsroom (owned by Media General) on West Main Street/US 340 Bus in Waynesboro. There is also a sales office (serving the Shenandoah Valley) at Orchard Hills Square in Staunton along Lee Jackson Highway/US 11. Although the station does not operate a weather radar of its own, WVIR features live NOAA National Weather Service radar data from several regional sites. This is presented in a forecasting system on-air known as "Storm Team 29 Live Triple Doppler". It also offers local weather to computer users via the WeatherBug service. All weekday broadcasts except the prime time news at 10 are streamed live on WVIR's website. In September 2011, WVIR's weekday morning newscast was expanded to 2½ hours, running from 4:30-7 a.m.
Anchors
Storm Team 29
Sports team
Reporters
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