View source for WVUE-DT

{{short description|Fox affiliate in New Orleans}}
{{for|the defunct television station which served the Philadelphia market|WVUE (Wilmington, Delaware)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign = WVUE-DT
| city =
| logo = WVUE-DT Logo.png
| logo_size = 225px
| image = WVUE-DT2 Bounce New Orleans.png
| image_size = 175px
| branding = Fox 8
| digital = 29 ([[UHF]])
| virtual = 8
| translators = W30EZ-D [[Slidell, Louisiana|Slidell]]
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''8.1:''' [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}
| owner = [[Gray Television]]
| licensee = Gray Television Licensee, [[LLC]]
| location = [[New Orleans, Louisiana]]
| country = United States
| airdate = {{start date and age|1953|11|1|p=y}}
| last_airdate =
| callsign_meaning = "Vue" is the [[French language|French]] word for "View"
| sister_stations =
| former_callsigns = {{ubl|WJMR-TV (1953–1959)|WVUE (1959–2009)}}
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 61 (UHF, 1953–1956), 20 (UHF, 1956–1959), 13 ([[VHF]], 1959–1962), 12 (VHF, 1962–1970), 8 (VHF, 1970–2008)|'''Digital:''' 8 (VHF, 2008–2010)}}
| former_affiliations = {{ubl|[[CBS]] (1953–1957)|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (secondary 1953–1957, primary 1957–1996)}}
| erp = 850 [[Watt|kW]]
| haat = {{convert|290|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id = 4149
| coordinates = {{coord|29|57|14.9|N|89|56|58.3|W|type:landmark_scale:2000|display=inline, title}}
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
| website = {{URL|https://www.fox8live.com/}}
}}
'''WVUE-DT''' (channel 8) is a [[television station]] in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], United States, affiliated with the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] network. Owned by [[Gray Television]], the station maintains primary studios on [[Norman C. Francis Parkway]] in the city's [[Gert Town]] section, with a secondary studio within the [[Benson Tower (New Orleans)|Benson Tower]] in downtown New Orleans;<ref name="WVUEDowntownStudio1">{{cite web|url=http://www.woodwarddesignbuild.com/projects/wvue-fox-8-at-benson-tower/|title=WVUE Fox 8 at Benson Tower | work=Woodward Design+Build|access-date=November 5, 2013}}</ref><ref name="WVUEDowntownStudio2">{{cite web|url=http://www.neworleanssaints.com/news-and-events/article-1/State-of-the-Art-Production-Studio-Opening-Adjacent-To-The-Mercedes-Benz-Superdome/5af6a92c-fcff-4af0-be2e-b4a3e1fd8be8|title=State-of-the-Art Production Studio Opening Adjacent To The Mercedes-Benz Superdome|date=August 16, 2012|publisher=[[New Orleans Saints]]|access-date=November 5, 2013}}</ref> its transmitter is located on Magistrate Street in [[Chalmette, Louisiana]].
==History==
===Early years with ABC and CBS===
The station first signed on the air on November 1, 1953, as WJMR-TV. Founded by Supreme Broadcasting Co., a locally based company run by lawyer Chester F. Owens (who served as the company's president),<ref>{{cite news|title=New Orleans TV: What does the Sinclair-Tribune mega-merger mean for local viewers?|url=http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2017/08/what_does_the_sinclair-tribune.html#incart_2box_tv|author=Mike Scott|newspaper=[[The Times-Picayune]]|date=August 10, 2017|access-date=August 11, 2017}}</ref> it was the second television station in the New Orleans market, signing on six years after [[WDSU-TV]], and the third in Louisiana only seven months after [[Baton Rouge]]'s [[WAFB]]. Originally broadcasting on UHF channel 61, it was moved to channel 20 on July 20, 1955.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110726193609/http://www.davidgleason.com/Archive%20BC/BC%201956/Broadcasting%201956%209%203.pdf Broadcasting] September 3, 1956.</ref> It originally operated as a primary [[CBS]] affiliate, while splitting [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] programming in off-hours with WDSU-TV. During 1957 and 1958, WJMR-TV had simulcast its signal on [[VHF]] channel 12, using the call sign KK2XFW.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120531172711/http://www.mcsittel.com/html/tvg-gc.htm Gulf Coast Edition]}}</ref> When [[WWL-TV]] (channel 4) signed on in September 1957, WWL took over the CBS affiliation because of [[WWL (AM)|WWL radio]]'s longtime affiliation with the [[CBS Radio|CBS Radio Network]], allowing WJMR to upgrade its ABC affiliation to full-time.
The station moved to VHF channel 13 on January 13, 1959, and subsequently changed its call letters to WVUE on February 1. The station moved to channel 12 on September 6, 1962, to accommodate [[Biloxi, Mississippi]], ABC affiliate [[WLOX]] onto channel 13, which would launch nine days later. [[Sony Pictures Television|Screen Gems]], the television arm of [[Columbia Pictures]], acquired the station from Supreme Broadcasting in 1965. On June 8, 1970, at 8&nbsp;p.m., it made a highly publicized switch of channel positions with the city's [[PBS]] member station, [[WYES-TV]], and moved to VHF channel 8, during an airing of the 1954 [[feature film|movie]] ''[[The Naked Jungle]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=New Orleans stations to trade channels|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/70-OCR/1970-05-25-BC-OCR-Page-0050.pdf|periodical=Broadcasting|page=50|date=May 25, 1970}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = WVUE Channel 8 News Collection |url = http://library.uno.edu/specialcollections/inventories/319.htm |access-date = February 22, 2016}}</ref> This was done to give WVUE a greater [[broadcast range|broadcast signal range]]; while on channel 12, it had operated at relatively low power to avoid interfering with the signal of [[Jackson, Mississippi]]'s [[WJTV]], which had also broadcast on channel 12.<ref>WYES, WVUE Stations Change Channel Numbers, ''[[The Times-Picayune]]'', June 10, 1970.</ref> The channel 61 allocation was later assigned to [[WLPN-LP (defunct)|WLPN-LP]] (which operated from 1989 to the late 2000s) and the channel 20 allocation was assigned to religious station [[WHNO]] (which signed on in October 1994).
[[Image:Wvue8012974.png|thumb|75px|1970–79 WVUE logo.]]
Columbia Pictures sold WVUE to [[Oklahoma City]]–based [[Gaylord Broadcasting Company]] in 1977. In March 1983, [[Belo Corporation|A. H. Belo Corporation]] announced its intention to acquire the station;<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 6, 1983|title=Dallas firm pacts for WVUE-TV in N.O.|page=44|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref><ref name="oklahoman-saletobelo">{{cite news |title=Belo Corp. to Buy Gaylord TV Station WVUE |url=https://oklahoman.com/article/2018626/belo-corp-to-buy-gaylord-tv-station-wvue |access-date=January 17, 2022 |work=[[The Oklahoman]] |date=March 25, 1983}}</ref> no formal sale agreement was reached, and by May the deal was off (Belo would go on to acquire WWL-TV in 1994 and [[WUPL]] in 2007).<ref name="b-nosaletobelo">{{cite news |title=Changing Hands |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1983/BC-1983-05-30.pdf#page=60 |access-date=January 17, 2022 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]] |date=May 30, 1983 |page=60}}</ref> WVUE started broadcasting 24 hours a day in June 1986, becoming the last commercial television station in New Orleans to transition to a round-the-clock schedule.<ref>On the Air, The Times-Picayune, June 3, 1986</ref> When Gaylord Broadcasting began a gradual paring down of its station group in 1987 (which would not be completed until 1999), WVUE was sold to the Burnham Broadcasting Company.
===Fox affiliation===
{{further|1994–1996 United States broadcast television realignment}}
On December 18, 1993, the [[Fox NFL|Fox Broadcasting Company]] outbid [[NFL on CBS|CBS]] for the rights to the [[NFL]]'s [[National Football Conference]] television package.<ref>{{cite web|title=CBS, NBC Battle for AFC Rights // Fox Steals NFC Package|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4205316.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105135152/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4205316.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 5, 2012|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|publisher=[[Hollinger International]]|via=[[HighBeam Research]]|date=December 18, 1993}}</ref> In March 1994, Fox partnered with minority-owned communications firm [[Savoy Pictures]] (which would serve as majority partner) to form [[SF Broadcasting]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Fox, Savoy buying stations together; network will have 58% interest in SF Broadcasting|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-15238178.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140619121116/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-15238178.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 19, 2014|periodical=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|date=March 21, 1994}}</ref> On August 25, 1994, the company bought WVUE, [[WALA-TV]] in [[Mobile, Alabama]], and [[KHON-TV]] in [[Honolulu, Hawaii]], for $229 million; fellow sister station [[WLUK-TV]] in [[Green Bay, Wisconsin]], was sold to the company one month earlier in a separate $38 million deal, which for a time, was challenged by an FCC petition filed by [[NBC]] alleging that the deal violated foreign investment limits for U.S. broadcasters<ref>{{cite news|title=COMPANY NEWS; Fox Adds 3 Network-Affiliated Stations|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/27/business/company-news-fox-adds-3-network-affiliated-stations.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 27, 1994 |access-date=May 9, 2014|last1=Meisler |first1=Andy }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Company Town Annex|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-29-fi-21366-story.html|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=July 29, 1994|access-date=May 9, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=NBC ASKS FCC TO PUT BRAKES ON FOX'S EXPANSION PLANS|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/378144/NBC-ASKS-FCC-TO-PUT-BRAKES-ON-FOXS-EXPANSION-PLANS.html?pg=all|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512221600/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/378144/NBC-ASKS-FCC-TO-PUT-BRAKES-ON-FOXS-EXPANSION-PLANS.html?pg=all|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 12, 2014|newspaper=[[The Deseret News]]|via=[[The New York Times|New York Times News Service]]|date=September 27, 1994|access-date=May 9, 2014}}.</ref> (the only Burnham station exempted from the deal was [[KBAK-TV]] in [[Bakersfield, California]], which was spun off to Westwind Communications, a company founded by several former Burnham executives). As part of the deal, Fox signed a long-term agreement, in which the network would affiliate with SF's four "[[Big Three (American television)|Big Three]]" network affiliates, beginning in the fall of 1995. Fox originally planned to own a minority voting stock in SF Broadcasting; however, in 1995, Fox opted against holding a voting interest (which would have resulted in the stations being counted against the FCC's station ownership total), although it would retain an ownership stake. The transaction was completed in the summer of 1995.
WVUE-TV affiliated with Fox on January 1, 1996, ending its 43-year affiliation with ABC, which moved to [[WGNO]] (channel 26); New Orleans's original Fox affiliate, [[WNOL-TV]] (channel 38), took WGNO's former [[The WB|WB]] affiliation (that network had been affiliated with WGNO for just shy of a year prior to the switch, due to that station's owner, [[Tribune Broadcasting]]'s partial ownership interest in The WB). Of the former Burnham stations that switched to Fox, WVUE was the only one involved in the deal that was an ABC affiliate: WALA (once again a sister station after multiple ownership changes), WLUK (now owned by the [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]]) and KHON (now owned by [[Nexstar Media Group]]) had previously been affiliated with NBC.
Because of Fox's acquisition of television rights to the National Football Conference, the switch resulted in channel 8 becoming the unofficial "home" station for the [[New Orleans Saints]], carrying many of the team's Sunday afternoon road games. WWL-TV had aired most of the Saints' games beginning in [[1970 New Orleans Saints season|1970]], when CBS assumed rights to the NFC upon the [[AFL–NFL merger|merger of the American Football League and the National Football League]]; when CBS lost the NFC broadcast rights to Fox in 1994, the Saints telecasts resided on WNOL-TV for the following [[1994 New Orleans Saints season|two]] [[1995 New Orleans Saints season|years]]. In addition to WVUE, the team's regular season games televised over-the-air locally are split primarily between WWL-TV (for select games televised by CBS in which the Saints play against an [[American Football Conference|AFC]] opponent; CBS also had the rights to [[Super Bowl XLIV|the Saints' lone Super Bowl appearance]]), WGNO (through over-the-air rights to the [[Amazon Prime Video]]'s ''[[Thursday Night Football]]'' package), WDSU (through [[NBC Sunday Night Football|NBC's rights to Sunday prime time and select playoff games]] as well as its local broadcast rights to ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' contests during occasions when a game involving the Saints is scheduled) and preseason games (which, as of 2019, are produced by Gray's sports division [[Raycom Sports]]).<ref name=saints-raycomsports>{{cite web|title=New Orleans Saints, Raycom Media announce partnership|url=http://www.neworleanssaints.com/news-and-events/article-1/New-Orleans-Saints-Raycom-Media-announce-partnership/3ddaf389-6872-4c41-bc19-40b5d9b20130|website=New Orleans Saints|access-date=December 24, 2015}}</ref> WVUE also gave local coverage to two Super Bowls, [[Super Bowl XXXVI|XXXVI]] and [[Super Bowl XXXI|XXXI]], both of which were held at what is now the [[Caesars Superdome]].
On November 28, 1995, one month before WVUE affiliated with Fox, Silver King Communications (operated by former Fox executive [[Barry Diller]]) announced that it would acquire Savoy Pictures;<ref>{{cite news|title=STARTING OFF ON THE GROUND FLOOR DILLER BUYING HOME SHOPPING NETWORK, SAVOY PICTURES|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-25027821.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924191523/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-25027821.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 24, 2015|author=Russ Britt|newspaper=[[Daily News of Los Angeles]]|date=November 28, 1995|access-date=May 9, 2014}}</ref> at the time of the purchase, Silver King's existing stations had mainly been affiliates of the [[Home Shopping Network]] (both Silver King and HSN were later acquired by [[USA Networks]]). The sale of WVUE and the other SF stations was approved and finalized in March 1996, with its other assets being merged into the company that November. On [[April Fools' Day|April 1]], 1998, Silver King subsequently sold the stations to [[Emmis Communications]] for $307 million in cash and stock, as part of a sale of its major network affiliates in order to concentrate on its formerly HSN-affiliated [[independent station]]s.<ref>{{cite news|title=COMPANY NEWS; EMMIS BROADCASTING TO BUY TV STATIONS FOR $397 MILLION|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/01/business/company-news-emmis-broadcasting-to-buy-tv-stations-for-397-million.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 1, 1998|access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref> On May 15, 2005, Emmis Communications announced that it would sell its 16 television stations, including WVUE, in order to concentrate on its radio properties.<ref>{{cite web|title=Emmis To Turn Off TV, Stay Tuned to Radio|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/news-articles/emmis-turn-tv-stay-tuned-radio/106936|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|agency= Reed Business Information|date=May 15, 2005}}</ref>
===Hurricane Katrina===
[[Image:NOLAFox8DavisParkway.jpg|right|thumb|200px|WVUE's studio, March 2007.]]
After [[Hurricane Katrina]] struck [[Greater New Orleans]] on August 29, 2005, WVUE temporarily moved its operations to the studios of sister station WALA-TV in Mobile, Alabama. WVUE's facility on [[Norman C. Francis Parkway]] (Jefferson Davis Parkway before 2020) is located in a low-lying part of New Orleans that was badly flooded [[Levee failures in Greater New Orleans, 2005|due to the levee failures]] caused by Katrina. The damage that was caused to the building was so severe that Emmis released much of the station's on-air staff from their [[non-compete clause]]s, allowing them to seek employment outside of the market without penalty. Soon, [[meteorologist]] Crystal Wicker left for [[Indianapolis]] ABC affiliate [[WRTV]], where she began work on October 3.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050919/COLUMNISTS04/509190430/1006/NEWS01 |title=Roselyn Bakeries still listed|access-date=September 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113101543/http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050919/COLUMNISTS04/509190430/1006/NEWS01|archive-date=January 13, 2016}}</ref> Weekend meteorologist Jeff Baskin went to [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Oregon]]'s [[KOIN-TV]]; reporter Summer Jackson went to [[Chicago]] to work at [[Chicagoland Television|CLTV]], while reporter Kerry Cavanaugh took a job at [[WBAL-TV]] in [[Baltimore]].
Following the storm, WVUE presented a rotating 15-minute newscast that was streamed on its website and was produced out of WALA's studios, slowly restoring the station's regular schedule as developments faded and reconstruction on WVUE's news operations continued. WVUE later resumed its over-the-air broadcasts from a low-power transmitter as an alternate site, which provided a reduced signal that did not reach most of the market; the station's analog signal was upgraded to full power on September 19, 2005, from its transmitter facility in [[Chalmette]], which had flooded during the storm.<ref>[http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/news-articles/wvue-full-power/69460 WVUE at Full Power], ''Broadcasting & Cable'', September 20, 2005.</ref> In mid-June 2006, construction of the station's permanent news set and weather center was completed. Before then, a temporary news set and newsroom were set up in the station's production room. Station manager Vanessa Oubre said that remodeling/reconstruction of the rest of the building was expected to be completed by November 2006. The sale of the station was also affected and was delayed for two years because of the rebuilding; Emmis had intended to divest all its television assets by the start of 2007, but retained ownership of WVUE in the interim until a buyer was found.
===Purchase by Tom Benson===
On May 5, 2008, Emmis Communications announced an agreement to sell the station to the Louisiana Media Company, a media group founded by [[Tom Benson]] (owner of the city's two major league sports franchises, the NFL's New Orleans Saints and the [[NBA]]'s [[New Orleans Pelicans]]) for $41 million.<ref>[http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/news-articles/saints-owner-grabs-wvue/84640 Saints Owner Grabs WVUE], ''Broadcasting & Cable'', May 5, 2008.</ref> Benson stated that he planned for the new company to acquire several radio and television stations nationwide and to be involved in movie production. The FCC approved the sale on July 14, 2008, with the transfer being finalized four days later on July 18.<ref>[http://broadcastengineering.com/eng/emmis-sells-wvue-tv-completes-tv-divestiture Emmis sells WVUE-TV, completes TV divestiture], ''[[Broadcast Engineering]]'', July 23, 2008.</ref> In August 2012, WVUE opened a secondary studio facility (branded as the "Window on New Orleans") on the second floor of the [[Benson Tower (New Orleans)|Benson Tower]] in downtown New Orleans (overlooking [[Champions Square]] and the [[Mercedes-Benz Superdome]]) that was utilized for the station's weekday morning newscast and for coverage of sports events.<ref name="WVUEDowntownStudio1"/><ref name="WVUEDowntownStudio2"/> When [[Hurricane Isaac]] struck the area in August 2012, the station provided a web stream of the station's storm coverage to [[Shreveport]] ABC affiliate [[KTBS-TV]], which carried WVUE's stream over digital subchannel 3.3, to provide information for area evacuees who relocated to the [[Ark-La-Tex]] region.<ref>[http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/station-station/nola-stations-web-stream-doubles-shreveport-stations-multicast/66623 NOLA Station's Web Stream Doubles As Shreveport Station's Multicast], ''Broadcasting & Cable'', August 29, 2012.</ref>
===SSA with and eventual outright sale to Raycom===
In October 2013, [[Retirement Systems of Alabama]] (RSA) stated in its newsletter, ''The Advisor'', that [[Raycom Media]] (a company which RSA invests in), would purchase WVUE for $55.6 million.<ref>[http://www.wdsu.com/news/local-news/new-orleans/group-claims-purchase-of-wvue-tv-pending/-/9853400/22319254/-/kw0h7az/-/index.html "Group claims purchase of WVUE TV pending"], WDSU, October 7, 2013.</ref> A spokesperson for Tom Benson called ''The Advisor'' item "inaccurate" and that the station was not for sale;<ref name=tnoa-wvuenotforsale>{{cite news|last=Monteverde|first=Danny|title=Alabama-based Raycom media said to be purchaser of WVUE|url=http://theadvocate.com/news/neworleans/neworleansnews/7260863-123/alabama-based-raycom-media-said-to|access-date=October 8, 2013|newspaper=[[The New Orleans Advocate]]|date=October 8, 2013}}</ref> RSA [[CEO]] David Brenner called the report a "mistake."<ref name=tnoa-wvuenonsale>{{cite news|last=Monteverde|first=Danny|title=Group says report that Raycom is in talks to buy Fox 8 is a 'mistake'|url=http://theadvocate.com/news/7266230-123/group-says-report-that-raycom|access-date=October 8, 2013|newspaper=[[The New Orleans Advocate]]|date=October 8, 2013}}</ref> However, on November 20, 2013, Raycom announced that it would begin operating WVUE under a [[shared services]] agreement (SSA) to take effect on December 16; under the agreement, Benson remained WVUE's owner and retained the station's license, but most of WVUE's staff became Raycom employees; Louisiana Media president Joe Cook, who relinquished his additional duties as the station's general manager, commented that the deal would allow WVUE to benefit from the regional presence that Raycom provides;<ref name=nola-raycomssa>{{cite web|title=WVUE enters into shared-services agreement with Raycom Media|url=http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2013/11/wvue_enters_into_shared-servic.html|work=NOLA.com|access-date=November 20, 2013}}</ref><ref>[http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/local-tv/raycom-works-out-shared-services-deal-wvue-new-orleans/125070 Raycom Works Out Shared Services Deal For WVUE New Orleans], ''[[Broadcasting & Cable]]'', November 20, 2013.</ref> the Alabama-based station group has a well-established presence in the [[Southeastern U.S.]], including ownership of three other stations in Louisiana (in Baton Rouge, [[KPLC|Lake Charles]] and [[KSLA-TV|Shreveport]]). Upon the takeover, former WWL-TV [[news director]] Sandy Breland was appointed as WVUE's vice president and general manager, joining other WWL and [[Belo Corporation|Belo]] alumni among its staff.<ref name=nola-vueraycom/>
The partnership stemmed from a near-acquisition of the station by Raycom, which had been one of several companies to make offers for the station. However, Benson was not prepared to sell WVUE completely, leading to the negotiation of the SSA. Raycom president Paul McTear also noted that the story in ''The Advisor'' was the result of human error, and that there was not a deal to acquire the station. Benson had considered expanding his broadcast holdings into other nearby markets, but noticed that Raycom had a presence in all of the markets he considered.<ref name=nola-vueraycom>{{cite web|title=Harry Connick Jr. may be a player in the 10 p.m. race between WWL, WVUE – both under new management|url=http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2014/01/harry_connick_jr_may_be_a_majo.html#incart_river|work=Nola.com|date=January 16, 2014 |access-date=January 22, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Raycom Deal to Acquire WVUE New Orleans Appears to be Off the Table|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/news-articles/raycom-deal-acquire-wvue-new-orleans-appears-be-table/127641|magazine=Broadcasting & Cable|date=October 9, 2013|access-date=May 10, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Reports of WVUE's Sale To Raycom are Greatly Exaggerated|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/station-station/reports-wvues-sale-raycom-are-greatly-exaggerated/124735|magazine=Broadcasting & Cable|date=October 8, 2013|access-date=May 10, 2014}}</ref>
On February 6, 2017, Louisiana Media Company exercised the option to sell WVUE's license assets to Raycom.<ref>{{cite web|title=Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1753377&Service=DT&Form_id=314&Facility_id=4149 |website=CDBS Public Access|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]|access-date=April 4, 2017}}</ref> Two months later on April 4, Raycom formally announced that it would purchase WVUE from the Louisiana Media Company for $51.8 million.<ref>{{cite web|title=Raycom Buys WVUE New Orleans For $51.8M|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/102939/raycom-buys-wvue-new-orleans-for-518m|author=Harry A. Jessell|website=TVNewsCheck|date=April 4, 2017|access-date=April 4, 2017}}</ref> Benson would continue to retain a stake in WVUE.<ref>{{cite web|title=Louisiana Media Company sells majority interest of WVUE FOX 8 to Raycom Media|url=http://www.fox8live.com/story/35063934/louisiana-media-company-sells-majority-interest-of-wvue-fox-8-to-raycom-media?clienttype=generic&mobilecgbypass|publisher=WVUE FOX 8|date=April 4, 2017|access-date=April 4, 2017}}</ref> Raycom management and Benson finalized the sale on August 8.<ref>[http://www.fox8live.com/story/36091663/raycom-media-completes-purchase-of-wvue-from-tom-benson Raycom Media completes purchase of WVUE from Tom Benson], WVUE-DT, August 8, 2017, Retrieved August 9, 2017.</ref> Benson died several months later, on March 15, 2018; the Benson estate continued to maintain the minority stake in WVUE.
===Sale to Gray Television===
On June 25, 2018, less than a year after the full acquisition of WVUE by Raycom, [[Atlanta]]-based [[Gray Television]] announced it had reached an agreement with Raycom to merge their respective broadcasting assets (consisting of Raycom's 63 existing owned-and/or-operated television stations, including WVUE, and Gray's 93 television stations) under the former's corporate umbrella. The cash-and-stock merger transaction valued at $3.6 billion–in which Gray shareholders would acquire preferred stock currently held by Raycom–resulted in WVUE gaining new [[sister station]]s in nearby markets, including CBS/ABC affiliate [[KNOE-TV]] in [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]] and NBC/CBS affiliate [[KALB-TV]] in [[Alexandria, Louisiana|Alexandria]], in addition to its current Raycom sister stations. The combined company is in every Louisiana market except for Lafayette as a result.<ref>{{cite press release|title=GRAY AND RAYCOM TO COMBINE IN A $3.6 BILLION TRANSACTION|url=https://www.raycommedia.com/gray-and-raycom-to-combine-in-a-3-6-billion-transaction/#amnewsers|website=[[Raycom Media]]|date=June 25, 2018}}</ref><ref name="graycom">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/114556/gray-to-buy-raycom-for-36-billion|title=Gray To Buy Raycom For $3.6 Billion|last=Miller|first=Mark K.|work=TVNewsCheck|date=June 25, 2018|access-date=June 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Gray Buying Raycom for $3.6B|url=https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/gray-buying-raycom-for-3-6b|author=John Eggerton|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|date=June 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Gray Acquiring Raycom For $3.65B, Forming No. 3 Local TV Group|url=https://deadline.com/2018/06/grey-acquiring-raycom-for-3-65-billion-forming-no-3-local-tv-group-1202416667/|author=Dade Hayes|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=June 25, 2018}}</ref> The sale was approved on December 20,<ref>[https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/fcc-ok-with-gray-raycom-merger "FCC OK with Gray/Raycom Merger"], [[Broadcasting & Cable]], December 20, 2018, Retrieved December 20, 2018.</ref> and was completed on January 2, 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gray.tv/uploads/documents/pressreleases/Press%20Release%20re%20Completion%20of%20Raycom%20Acquisition.pdf|title=Gray Completes Acquisition of Raycom Media and Related Transactions|publisher=[[Gray Television]]|date=January 2, 2019|access-date=January 3, 2019}}</ref>
In December 2023, WVUE announced it had purchased a four-story, {{convert|37,000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} building at 3900 Howard Avenue that currently houses Pontchartrain Housing Corporation. The station plans to "create a state-of-the-art digital television media center" at the new property in time for the [[NFL]]'s [[Super Bowl LIX]], an event in February 2025 that Caesars Superdome will host and Fox and WVUE will broadcast. The station's current home 1025 S. Norman C. Francis Parkway, just seven blocks away, is being acquired by the neighboring [[Xavier University of Louisiana]] as part of an expansion of the school's programs.<ref>[https://www.nola.com/news/business/wvue-tv-moving-to-new-digs-along-i-10-in-new-orleans/article_70e8ec04-a057-11ee-abd8-87d6ecd16c68.html "WVUE-TV moving to new digs along I-10 in New Orleans,"] from NOLA.com, December 20, 2023</ref><ref>[https://www.fox8live.com/2023/12/21/wvue-fox-8-is-moving-new-building/ "WVUE Fox 8 is moving to a new building,"] from WVUE-DT (Fox8Live.com), December 20, 2023</ref>
On December 30, 2023, Gray reached an agreement with the New Orleans Pelicans to air 10 games on the station during the [[2023–24 New Orleans Pelicans season|2023–24 season]].<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.wafb.com/2023/12/31/wafb-will-televise-10-this-seasons-pelicans-games/|title=WAFB will televise 10 of this season’s Pelicans games|publisher=[[WAFB]]|date=December 30, 2023|access-date=December 30, 2023}}</ref> On August 6, 2024, it was reported that the Pelicans had signed a multi-year agreement to move all of its regionally-televised games to WVUE beginning in the [[2024–25 New Orleans Pelicans season|2024–25 season]], moving from [[Bally Sports New Orleans]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Clark|first=Christian|url=https://www.nola.com/sports/pelicans/pelicans-ditching-diamond-sports-and-partnering-with-gray-tv-bally-fox/article_42c09898-5445-11ef-afc3-93a0362ca182.html|title=Pelicans ditch Bally Sports, enter partnership with local station for new TV deal|work=NOLA.com|date=August 6, 2024|access-date=August 6, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Clinkscales |first=Jason |date=2024-08-07 |title=NBA’s Pelicans Latest to Leave Diamond Sports for Free TV |url=https://www.sportico.com/business/media/2024/new-orleans-pelicans-drop-diamond-sports-tv-1234792499/ |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=Sportico.com |language=en-US}}</ref> On September 17, Gray announced the formation of the "Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network", which would be on a new subchannel of WVUE.<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.fox8live.com/2024/09/17/new-orleans-pelicans-gray-media-bringing-games-gulf-coast-markets/ |title=New Orleans Pelicans and Gray Media bringing games to Gulf Coast markets |work=Fox 8 |date=September 17, 2024 |access-date=September 17, 2024}}</ref>
==Programming==
WVUE-DT currently carries the majority of the Fox network schedule, though like most news-heavy Fox stations, it delays the network's Saturday late night hour by a half-hour due to a 10&nbsp;p.m. newscast. Channel 8 has aired Fox's prime time, late night, news, [[Fox Kids|children's]] and [[Fox Sports (United States)|sports]] programming since it joined the network in January 1996; the only regular exception has been ''[[Fox NFL Kickoff]]'', which WVUE has declined carriage of since the Sunday [[pre-game show]] and ''[[Fox NFL Sunday]]'' lead-in moved to Fox from [[Fox Sports 1]] in September 2015, due to its existing commitment to carry the "official" New Orleans Saints pregame show ''Saints Pre Game Live'' on Sunday mornings during the NFL regular season (the program is not carried at all in the New Orleans market, as Fox has not secured a substitute outlet among the market's minor network affiliates—either [[The CW|CW]] owned-and-operated station WNOL-TV (channel 38) or [[MyNetworkTV]] affiliate [[WUPL]] (channel 54)—to carry ''Fox NFL Kickoff'').<ref>{{cite web|title=Fox NFL Kickoff Debuts In Most, But Not All of the Country on Fox|url=http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/fox-nfl-kickoff-debuts-in-most-of-the-country-on-fox.html|author=Ken Fang|website=Awful Announcing|date=September 13, 2015|access-date=May 5, 2016}}</ref>
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the station consistently ranked at a distant third place in the ratings behind WWL-TV and WDSU-TV, even as ABC topped the national ratings for a time in the mid-1970s. One of the primary reasons for WVUE's third-place position was the station's heavy preemptions of network programs. For example, during much of the 1970s, WVUE preempted portions of ABC's daytime [[soap opera]] lineup and aired [[westerns]], [[animated cartoon|cartoons]] and off-network [[sitcom]]s in their place. Additionally, WVUE did not carry many of the network's [[Saturday morning cartoon]]s, as well as ''[[American Bandstand]]''. WVUE also preempted ABC's late night programming, which prior to the 1979 debut of ''[[Nightline]]'', consisted of movies and reruns of prime time series. Viewers in the New Orleans [[media market|market]] that wanted to see most of ABC's full schedule could watch the network's other affiliates in surrounding markets: WRBT (now [[WVLA]]) and later [[WBRZ]] from Baton Rouge, west of New Orleans, to WLOX from Biloxi, to the east, or to [[WAPT]] from Jackson, to the north. Under Gaylord's ownership, WVUE reinstated ABC's entire lineup of daytime soaps to its schedule in the fall of 1978. In spite of ownership changes and programming modifications, WVUE was still unable to improve its standing in the ratings and largely wouldn't until it became a Fox affiliate.
Unlike the [[New World Pictures#New World Communications|New World Communications]]-owned stations that joined Fox around the same timeframe, the Savoy stations, including WVUE, carried Fox's children's programming on weekday mornings and afternoons as well as on Saturday mornings; the network later discontinued the Fox Kids weekday blocks in 2002, with the Saturday morning lineup remaining until its successor [[4Kids TV]] ended in December 2008.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fox outgrows kids programs|url=https://variety.com/2001/tv/news/fox-outgrows-kids-programs-1117855508/|author=Michael Schneider|periodical=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=November 7, 2001|access-date=August 13, 2009}}</ref> Ratings for Fox's programming had increased slightly from when the network was affiliated with WNOL; however, viewership for WVUE's newscasts remained well behind that of WWL-TV and WDSU. The station acquired additional syndicated talk shows to fill certain daytime slots where ABC programming formerly aired.
Beginning under Emmis, WVUE strengthened its syndicated programming inventory, including acquiring the local syndication rights to ''[[Wheel of Fortune (American game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]'' and ''[[Jeopardy!]]'' as part of a group deal with Emmis' Fox affiliates, a rarity for a Fox station (prior to airing on channel 8, the two shows aired for about two decades on WWL-TV).
===News operation===
WVUE-DT presently broadcasts 57 hours of locally produced newscasts each week (with 10 hours each weekday and {{frac|3|1|2}} hours each on Saturdays and Sundays); in regards to the number of hours devoted to news programming, it is the highest local newscast output of any television station in the New Orleans market and within the state of Louisiana. WVUE is the only station in the market that airs a local newscast at 5:30&nbsp;p.m., although it does not run a newscast at 6&nbsp;p.m. on weeknights. In addition, the station produces the sports discussion program ''The Final Play'', which airs Sundays at 10:30&nbsp;p.m.
The station had been an also-ran among the New Orleans market's television news outlets for many years; however, the station hired many well-known talent during the 1960s through the 1980s (some of whom had previously worked at WDSU and WWL-TV) including anchor Alec Gifford, weatherman [[Nash Roberts]] and sports anchor [[Buddy Diliberto]]. In 1968, Gifford—then the station's news director—hired Furnell Chatman as a general assignment reporter at WVUE, becoming the first [[African American]] reporter in the market; Chatman eventually made history as the first African American to anchor a newscast in Louisiana when he was appointed anchor of the station's noon newscast a few years later. In 1976, WVUE hired Lynn Gansar, who within a few years, was elevated from a reporter role to become the station's first female news anchor. On May 31, 1982, WVUE launched a half-hour 5&nbsp;p.m. newscast called ''Live At Five''; this program was revamped as ''Neighbors at Five'' during the late 1980s, in which anchors Margaret Dubuisson and Joe Giardina presented the newscast from various locations in New Orleans.
[[File:Lee Zurik and the crew of Louisana Purchased at the 73rd Annual Peabody Awards.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Lee Zurik accepts the Peabody Award for "Louisiana Purchased." He is joined on stage by the WVUE-TV and NOLA.com crew.]]
After WVUE became a Fox affiliate in January 1996, the station increased its news programming output from about 15 hours a week to nearly 25 hours, retaining all of its existing newscasts. The station initially retained its noon and 6&nbsp;p.m. newscasts, but opted air syndicated programming in the 5:30&nbsp;p.m. half-hour rather than expand its 5&nbsp;p.m. newscast to a full hour, a move that was atypical of the Big Three stations that switched to Fox during the affiliation switches that occurred between 1994 and 1996. The existing 10&nbsp;p.m. newscast was moved one hour earlier to 9&nbsp;p.m. and was expanded to one hour; however, ten months later in October 1996, it was split into separate half-hour newscasts at 9 and 10&nbsp;p.m., with off-network syndicated sitcoms filling the 9:30&nbsp;p.m. timeslot. This scheduling for the late evening newscasts continued until 2001, when the weeknight 9&nbsp;p.m. newscast reverted to an hour-long broadcast, and the 10&nbsp;p.m. newscast was dropped for a second time due to the lack of a strong program lead-in. Even after the weeknight broadcast expanded to one hour, atypical for most Fox stations that produce their newscasts in-house, the Saturday and Sunday editions of WVUE's 9&nbsp;p.m. newscast remained a half-hour in length; until those editions were expanded to one hour in 2012, WVUE had been among the largest Fox affiliates by market size to air its prime time newscast in such a fashion.
Even after becoming a Fox affiliate, the station did not carry a newscast on weekday mornings throughout the 1990s; this changed in 2002, when WVUE debuted what was originally a two-hour morning newscast, airing from 6 to 8&nbsp;a.m. (which by 2005, expanded to three hours with the addition of an 8&nbsp;a.m. hour of the broadcast). In 2005, WVUE canceled its weeknight 6&nbsp;p.m. newscast and expanded its 5&nbsp;p.m. newscast to one hour; this was in concert with the station's acquisition of the popular Sony-distributed game shows ''Jeopardy!'' and ''Wheel of Fortune'', which the station chose to air together in an hour-long block during the 6 p.m. hour (news-producing stations in the [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]] and [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific]] time zones commonly schedule syndicated programs such as ''Jeopardy!'' and ''Wheel'' in the hour before network prime time, 7 to 8&nbsp;p.m. in those areas, though this is not very common with such stations in the [[Central Time Zone|Central]] and [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain]] time zones).
WVUE's news ratings slowly increased throughout the 2000s (particularly following the station's purchase by the Louisiana Media Company). By the middle of the decade, the station overtook WDSU for the #2 position in the local news ratings, placing behind WWL-TV in the 5&nbsp;p.m. timeslot. The station remained in second place through 2008 and a see-saw period followed. In May 2011, the station again ranked third in the 5&nbsp;p.m. time period. The station has consistently ranked third among the market's morning and afternoon newscasts with three or more local options since that time, while posting its best ratings at night. The station bests many network prime time shows during the 9&nbsp;p.m. hour (WVUE's ratings for its prime time newscast outperformed WNOL-TV and WUPL's newscasts—both produced by their respective duopoly partners, WGNO and WWL-TV—in the same timeslots, with both of those stations eventually cancelling those programs outright), and at 10&nbsp;p.m., WVUE has generally held second place in the market. In recent years, the station's news department has won several Regional [[Emmy Award]]s for its news coverage; it also won [[Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award|duPont–Columbia Awards]] for its breaking news coverage and investigative reporting in 2013 and 2014<ref>[http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/local-tv/klas-wxyz-wvue-win-prestigious-dupont-columbia-prizes/43822 KLAS, WXYZ, WVUE Win Prestigious DuPont-Columbia Prizes], ''Broadcasting & Cable'', December 19, 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/local-tv/five-stations-grab-dupont-columbia-awards-journalism/128053 Five Stations Grab duPont-Columbia Awards For Journalism], ''Broadcasting & Cable'', December 18, 2013.</ref> and a [[Peabody Award]] in 2013 for its investigation into campaign financing in Louisiana.<ref>[http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/louisiana-purchased-wvue-tv-new-orleans-and-nola.com 73rd Annual Peabody Awards], May 2014.</ref> In the November 2018 sweeps period, WVUE bested WDSU, WWL and WGNO in the local news race for the first time in ratings history. Aside from the Noon newscast, WVUE placed first in the ratings in every time period in which it broadcast a local newscast.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/article_14c3fb84-e2cd-5729-b632-8558fabb1d7d.html|title=WVUE-Fox 8 overtakes WWL in New Orleans' local news ratings race|author=Mike Scott|website=NOLA.com|date=November 26, 2018 }}</ref>
On April 29, 2007, WVUE became the first television station in New Orleans to begin broadcasting its local newscasts in [[High-definition television|high definition]]. In January 2010, WVUE underwent a major production upgrade that included the transition of field video to high definition, and the introduction of the first HD-based weather system in the New Orleans market. As of October 2014, WVUE and now WWL-TV are the only New Orleans area stations to broadcast its local newscasts in high definition; this is in contrast to WDSU and WGNO, all of which broadcast their newscasts in [[16:9]] [[widescreen]] [[standard definition]].
On February 1, 2010, WVUE expanded its weekday morning newscast to four hours, with the addition of an hour-long weather-based newscast at 5&nbsp;a.m. titled ''Fox 8 Morning Call'', the program was replaced in 2012 by a traditional local newscast during that hour. The station restored a 10&nbsp;p.m. newscast to its schedule after nine years on that same date; initially only airing as a test run, it was added to the schedule full-time on May 5, 2010, after former WWL-TV anchor Lee Zurik joined channel 8 as an anchor and investigative reporter.<ref>[http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2010/04/lee_zurik_to_anchor_9_pm_and_1.html Lee Zurik to anchor 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts for WVUE-TV], ''[[The Times-Picayune]]'', April 13, 2010.</ref> The 10&nbsp;p.m. newscast later expanded to weekend evenings in July 2010; as a result, WVUE became one of about a dozen Fox stations nationwide with a newscast in the traditional late news timeslot that airs seven nights a week. On May 23, 2011, channel 8 debuted an hour-long midday newscast that airs Monday through Fridays at noon.<ref>[http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2011/04/liz_reyes_to_anchor_new_midday.html Liz Reyes to anchor new midday newscast for WVUE-TV], ''The Times-Picayune'', April 14, 2011.</ref> This was followed on September 12 of that year, with the debut of an hour-long newscast at 4&nbsp;p.m.<ref>[http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2011/08/wvue_announces_4_pm_newscast_j.html WVUE announces 4 p.m. newscast, Jennifer Hale's move to sports], ''The Times-Picayune'', August 26, 2011.</ref>
In the summer of 2012, WVUE entered into a content partnership with ''[[The Times-Picayune]]'' in which the station and newspaper would collaborate on sports coverage. On June 27, 2013, this partnership was expanded to include news content (including collaborations on investigative reports and entertainment stories), breaking news updates and analysis occasionally provided by ''Times-Picayune'' reporters on WVUE's newscasts and the sharing of photo and video content; WVUE also began to provide weather forecasts for the newspaper and its companion website, NOLA.com.<ref>[http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/local-tv/wvue-new-orleans-times-picayune-extend-partnership/44109 WVUE New Orleans, 'Times-Picayune' Extend Partnership], ''Broadcasting & Cable'', June 27, 2013.</ref> On April 21, 2014, WVUE began airing its weekday morning newscast at 4:30&nbsp;a.m., expanding the program to {{frac|4|1|2}} hours.<ref>[http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2014/04/wvue_joins_430_am_news_race_pa.html WVUE joins 4:30 a.m. news race, parts ways with Gerry Vaillancourt], ''The Times-Picayune'', April 16, 2014.</ref> On September 10, 2018, WVUE debuted a 9&nbsp;a.m. newscast.
====Notable former on-air staff====
* [[Bernard "Buddy" Diliberto]] – sports director/anchor (April 1966 – January 1981; later worked for [[WDSU]] and [[WWL (AM)|WWL AM/FM]]; died in 2005)
* [[Jennifer Hale (sportscaster)|Jennifer Hale]] – now with [[Fox Sports]]
* [[Jim Henderson (sportscaster)|Jim Henderson]] – retired sports broadcaster and former commentator and voice of the New Orleans Saints (2012–2018)
* [[Fred Hickman]] – sports director/anchor (2011–2015; died November 9, 2022)
* [[Arthel Neville]] – anchor/reporter (now with [[Fox News Channel]])
* [[Nash Roberts]] – station's first Chief Meteorologist (January 1974 – March 3, 1978; succeeded by [[Bob Breck]], previously at WDSU and later at WWL-TV; died in 2010)
* [[Norman Robinson (television news reporter)|Norman Robinson]] – anchor/reporter (1976–1978; later at WWL-TV and at [[WDSU]]; retired)
* [[Chris Rose (journalist)|Chris Rose]] – provided an editorial weekly on-air and online (former longtime contributor to ''The Times-Picayune'')
* [[Ron Swoboda]] – sports anchor (later at [[Cox Sports Television]])
* [[Leslie Sykes]] – anchor/reporter (now at [[KABC-TV]] in [[Los Angeles]])
==Technical information==
===Subchannels===
The station's signal is [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of WVUE-DT<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WVUE|title=RabbitEars TV Query for WVUE|website=rabbitears.info}}</ref><ref>https://www.fox8live.com/video/2024/10/14/pelicans-will-close-out-pre-season-gulf-coast-sports-network/</ref>
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 7.1
| rowspan=2| [[720p]] || rowspan=6|[[16:9]] || GCSEN || Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network
|-
! scope = "row" | 8.1
| FOX 8 H || [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 8.2
| rowspan=4| [[480i]] ||Bounce || [[Bounce TV]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 8.4
| Escape || [[Ion Mystery]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 8.5
| Oxygen || [[Oxygen (TV channel)|Oxygen]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 8.6
| StartTV || [[Start TV]]
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6; border-top: 2px solid #003399;"
! scope = "row" | [[WUPL|54.5]]
| 480i || [[4:3]] || Crime || [[True Crime Network]] ([[WUPL]])
|}
{{legend|#DFEBF6|Broadcast on behalf of another station}}
Digital subchannel 8.2 originally launched in 2007 as the Fox 8 Newschannel, a 24-hour news simulcast and rebroadcast service similar to WWL-TV's [[NewsWatch 15]] cable channel. On August 23, 2010, WVUE announced that it would carry the [[Retro Television Network]] on a digital subchannel;<ref name="tvnc-wvuertv">{{cite news|title=WVUE Adding Retro TV In The Big Easy|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/2010/08/23/44665/wvue-adding-retro-tv-in-the-big-easy|access-date=August 24, 2010|newspaper=TVNewsCheck|date=August 23, 2010}}</ref> that September, 8.2 switched to a mix of RTV programming on weekdays, as well as similar general entertainment programming on weekends. On November 11, 2011, WVUE signed an affiliation agreement with [[Bounce TV]]; the network replaced RTV on digital subchannel 8.2 on November 12, 2011.<ref>[http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/2011/11/11/55383/bounce-tv-adds-wvue-new-orleans Bounce TV Adds WVUE New Orleans], ''TVNewsCheck'', November 11, 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/news-articles/bounce-tv-moves-new-orleans-wvue/112609 Bounce TV Moves Into New Orleans With WVUE], ''Broadcasting & Cable'', November 11, 2011.</ref> In March 2012, WVUE became one of the first (if not the first) stations in the United States to create a managerial position for a subchannel, with the hiring of Curtis Pace as [[general manager]] of digital channel 8.2.<ref>[http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/local-tv/wvue-hires-gm-bounce-tv-subchannel/43375 WVUE Hires GM for Bounce TV Subchannel], ''Broadcasting & Cable'', March 21, 2012.</ref>
===Analog-to-digital conversion===
WVUE shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 8, on December 15, 2008, becoming the first New Orleans television station to cease analog transmission of its signal and exclusively broadcast a digital signal, and the second, after [[Telemundo]] affiliate [[KGLA-DT]] (channel 42, which signed on in June 2007 without a companion analog signal), to become a digital-only station prior to the June 12, 2009 [[Digital television transition in the United States|digital television transition]]. One week later on December 22, the station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition UHF channel 29 to VHF channel 8.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds |access-date=March 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 }}</ref> Due to reception problems that were reported by viewers following the transition, WVUE petitioned the FCC to move its digital signal back to UHF channel 29.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publicfiles.fcc.gov/tv-profile/wvue-dt |access-date=September 11, 2023|title=TV Station Information WVUE-DT}}</ref> The station opted to do this instead of increasing its transmitter power, which would have caused interference with Baton Rouge CBS affiliate WAFB (whose analog signal operated on VHF channel 9, where its digital signal operates post-transition).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/programming/fcc-allow-wvue-return-uhf-digital-channel/35299|title=FCC To Allow WVUE To Return To UHF Digital Channel |last=Eggerton |first=John |date=August 18, 2009 |work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]] |access-date=August 21, 2009}}</ref> WVUE resumed digital operations on UHF channel 29 on November 30, 2010.
After the Louisiana Media Company acquired WVUE from Emmis Communications, a high definition feed of the station's digital signal was finally added to [[Cox Communications]]' New Orleans system in August 2008, and to [[Charter Spectrum|Charter Communications]] systems in the Northshore and Tri-Parish area in that September (both Charter and Cox carry WVUE-DT on digital channel 708). WVUE's high definition feed has since been added to other cable providers in southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi, as well as in the New Orleans market on [[AT&T U-verse]].
==References==
{{reflist|3}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|WVUE}}
* {{Official website|http://www.fox8live.com/}}
{{New Orleans TV}}
{{Louisiana TV}}
{{Mississippi TV}}
{{Gray TV}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wvue-Dt}}
[[Category:1953 establishments in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Bounce TV affiliates]]
[[Category:Fox Broadcasting Company affiliates]]
[[Category:Gray Television]]
[[Category:Grit (TV network) affiliates]]
[[Category:Ion Mystery affiliates]]
[[Category:Ryman Hospitality Properties]]
[[Category:Start TV affiliates]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1953]]
[[Category:Television stations in New Orleans]]