View source for WWBT

{{Short description|TV station in Richmond, Virginia}}
{{distinguish|KQCW-DT{{!}}KWBT|WBTV|WBTW|WWTV}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{more citations needed|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign               = WWBT
| city                   = Richmond, Virginia
| logo                   = [[File:WWBT 12 On Your Side logo.svg|200px|class=skin-invert-image]]
| logo_size              = 200px
| image                  = MeTV WWBT.png
| image_size             = 175px
| branding               = {{ubl|12 On Your Side|MeTV Richmond ''(on DT2)''}}
| digital                = 10 ([[VHF]])
| virtual                = 12
| affiliations           = {{ubl|'''12.1:''' [[NBC]]|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}
| network                =
| country                = United States
| founded                =
| airdate                = {{start date and age|1956|4|29|p=y}}
| last_airdate           =
| location               = [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]]–[[Petersburg, Virginia]]
| callsign_meaning       = taken from sister TV station [[WBTV]] and former radio sister [[WBT (AM)]] in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]
| former_callsigns       = WRVA-TV (1956–1968)
| former_channel_numbers = {{ubl|'''Analog:''' 12 (VHF, 1956–2009)|'''Digital:''' 54 ([[UHF]], 2002–2009), 12 (VHF, 2009–2020)}}
| translators            = [[WRID-LD]] 12.6 (36.3 UHF) Richmond
| owner                  = [[Gray Television]]
| licensee               = Gray Television Licensee, [[LLC]]
| sister_stations        = [[WUPV]], [[WRID-LD]]
| former_affiliations    = {{ubl|[[CBS]] (1956–1960)|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (1960–1965)|[[The WB]] (secondary, 1999–2006)}}
| erp                    = 29 [[kW]]
| haat                   = {{convert|237|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| class                  =
| facility_id            = 30833
| coordinates            = {{coord|37|30|23|N|77|30|11|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority    = [[FCC]]
| website                = {{URL|https://www.12onyourside.com/}}
}}
'''WWBT''' (channel 12) is a [[television station]] in [[Richmond, Virginia]], United States, affiliated with [[NBC]]. It is owned by [[Gray Television]] alongside [[Ashland, Virginia|Ashland]]-licensed [[The CW|CW]] affiliate [[WUPV]] (channel 65). The two stations share studios on [[U.S. Route 60 in Virginia|Midlothian Turnpike (US 60)]] in Richmond, where WWBT's transmitter is also located.
[[WRID-LD]] (RF channel 36) operates as a [[low-power broadcasting#Television|low-power]] [[broadcast relay station#Broadcast translators|translator]] of WWBT's main 12.1 channel. WRID-LD uses virtual channel 12.6 for WWBT's programming.
WWBT is one of only a few stations in the country to have been affiliated with all three of the [[Big Three television networks|original major American television networks]].
==History==
In the 1950s, there was competition for the [[media market|market]]'s third television frequency. [[WTVR-TV]] had been on-the-air since 1948 while WXEX-TV (now [[WRIC-TV]]) had been on-the-air from [[Petersburg, Virginia|Petersburg]] since 1955. The main competitors for the [[analog television|analog]] VHF channel 12 license were [[Larus and Brother Company|Larus and Brother Tobacco Company]], owner of [[WRVA (AM)|WRVA]] (AM 1140) and WRVB-FM (94.5, now [[WRVQ]]) and Richmond Newspapers, owner of [[WRNL]] and forerunner of [[Media General]]. Larus later merged its application with Neighborhood Theaters' Richmond Television Corporation, assuming controlling interest. Both applicants had good records and were financially qualified, but RTVC won the license since it did not own a newspaper. At the time, the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) was concerned about co-ownership of newspaper and broadcast outlets and preferred separation.
[[File:Richmond Council of Churches, WRVA-TV.jpg|thumb|Religious broadcast on WRVA-TV, 1959]]
WRVA-TV signed-on for the first time on April 29, 1956, from a converted cow barn near the station's current facility. The studio and transmitter were located in what was then [[unincorporated area#United States|unincorporated]] [[Chesterfield County, Virginia|Chesterfield County]]; the area was not [[municipal annexation|annexed]] into the [[independent city (United States)#Virginia|independent city]] of Richmond until the early 1960s. Although this area was still largely rural at the time, it was more than suitable for future expansion. Additionally, Chesterfield County officials had already greenlighted a tall tower for the site.
Channel 12 was initially a [[CBS]] affiliate due to WRVA's long affiliation with [[CBS News Radio|CBS Radio]]. That station was one of the broadcasting powerhouses of the South, but that success did not transfer to its television sister. For instance, WRVA radio's top anchorman took the same role with channel 12, but was fired within a year when the popularity he had generated over a decade on radio failed to transfer to television. Part of the problem was that Larus' desire to deliver a strong signal to all of Central Virginia resulted in a marginal signal in Richmond itself and several close-in suburbs. With channel 12 remaining stubbornly in third place, CBS opted to return to long-dominant WTVR in 1960. Since WXEX was already affiliated with NBC, WRVA was left with struggling [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]. Ratings improved in the next five years leading Larus to try to seek the NBC affiliation, a switch which occurred in 1965. Like its cross-town rival WTVR, it is one of the few stations in the country to have been a primary affiliate of all of the "Big Three" networks. From 1959 until 1969, it broadcast an in-house [[children's series]], ''[[Sailor Bob|The Sailor Bob Show]]''.
The station gradually came into its own, passing WXEX for third place. However, Larus ran the station on a shoestring. The studios had unpainted walls and concrete floors, while the offices were plain and painted in two shades of green. Much of the station's equipment was nearing the end of its useful life by the late 1960s.
In 1966, the family-owned Larus and Brothers (which had acquired full control of channel 12 in 1960) decided to split its various interests after longtime president William T. Reed died. However, the Larus and Reed families were very selective about potential buyers. They were only willing to sell to established broadcasters with a legacy of community service. Jefferson Standard Insurance Company of [[Greensboro, North Carolina]], emerged as the winner for WRVA-TV. It would have bought the radio stations as well, but at the time, the FCC normally did not allow common ownership of two [[clear-channel station]]s with overlapping nighttime coverage. Larus-owned WRVA's nighttime signal had a significant overlap with the signal of Jefferson Standard flagship [[WBT (AM)|WBT]] in [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]]. It soon became apparent that the FCC and Justice Department would frown on one company owning two Southern clear-channel stations that would have blanketed most of the eastern half of [[North America]] at night between them. As part of the application, Jefferson Standard requested a callsign change to the current WWBT, which occurred on November 28, 1968.
The new owners immediately went to work improving the station's look. Larus' spartan approach to running the station gave way to new equipment and a more modern studio. The news department, which had long operated in cramped space, was significantly expanded. The transmitter was reconfigured to improve reception closer in to Richmond. At the time of the sale, channel 12 was a solid runner-up to long-dominant WTVR. By the early 1980s, it was the highest-rated station in the market and one of the strongest NBC stations in the country. Also helping matters was NBC's rise in the ratings to become the #1 network as the 1980s went on. By this time, Jefferson Standard had changed its name to [[Jefferson-Pilot Corporation]].
WWBT added a secondary [[The WB|WB]] affiliation in 1999, airing WB programming in late-night hours as well as adding Kids' WB programming on weekdays and Saturdays (including the Daytime WB block that replaced weekday cartoons in 2006) in addition to the TNBC block. This ended on August 31, 2006, in anticipation of The WB and [[UPN]] merging to form [[The CW]]; that network affiliated with former UPN affiliate [[WUPV]]. On October 10, 2005, Jefferson-Pilot announced a merger with [[Lincoln Financial Group]]. The sale became final on April 3, 2006, with the Jefferson-Pilot stations assuming the new corporate name of [[Lincoln Financial Media]]. On November 12, 2007, that company announced the sale of WWBT along with its two other television stations and Lincoln Financial Sports to [[Raycom Media]] for $583 million. Raycom already owned rival station WTVR. Since the FCC does not allow one company to own two of the four largest stations in a market, Raycom opted to keep the higher-rated WWBT and put WTVR on the market.
On June 24, 2008, the [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]] announced its agreement to purchase WTVR and sell [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate [[WRLH-TV]].<ref>[http://sbgi.net/site_mgr/temp/Richmond%20sale%20buy_1w5r4syx.shtml Sinclair Broadcast Group<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> However, the [[United States Department of Justice]], under provisions of a consent decree with Raycom Media, denied that company permission to sell WTVR to Sinclair in August 2008.<ref>[http://www.sbgi.net/site_mgr/temp/Richmond%20buy%20update_zf8czykj.shtml Sinclair news release]</ref> As a result, Raycom sought and was eventually granted a temporary waiver for the purchase of WWBT to buy the company more time to find a suitable buyer for WTVR. The FCC approved the sale on March 25, 2008, and Raycom formally took control on [[April Fools' Day|April 1]]. WTVR was eventually traded to [[Local TV LLC|Local TV]] in exchange for [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate [[WBRC]] in [[Birmingham, Alabama]].
===Sale to Gray Television===
On June 25, 2018, [[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 WWBT and WUPV, the latter of which is being acquired outright, and Gray's 93 television stations) under Gray'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 WWBT and WUPV becoming [[sister station]]s to CBS affiliate [[WDBJ]] and MyNetworkTV affiliate [[WZBJ]] in [[Roanoke, Virginia|Roanoke]], ABC affiliate [[WHSV-TV]] in [[Harrisonburg, Virginia|Harrisonburg]] and CBS affiliate [[WCAV]] in [[Charlottesville]], along with their low-power sister stations.<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|publisher=NewsCheckMedia|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|publisher=NewBay Media|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]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|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://tvnewscheck.com/article/top-news/227754/gray-closes-3-6-billion-raycom-merger/|title=Gray Closes On $3.6 Billion Raycom Merger|work=TVNewsCheck|publisher=NewsCheckMedia|date=January 2, 2019|access-date=January 3, 2019}}</ref><ref>[https://gray.tv/uploads/documents/pressreleases/Press%20Release%20re%20Completion%20of%20Raycom%20Acquisition.pdf "Gray Completes Acquisition of Raycom Media and Related Transactions"], [[Gray Television]], January 2, 2019, Retrieved January 2, 2019.</ref>
==News operation==
Channel 12 started offering local newscasts on the second day of broadcasting in April 1956. News department personnel initially worked out of cramped offices. Early on, however, the station gained prominence for covering local events live, years before WTVR and WXEX/WRIC began doing so. In the early-1970s, renovations at the studios allowed the channel's personnel to be expanded. News operations were expanded again into a new addition to the facilities in 1978. In the late-1980s, WWBT received a comprehensive on-air upgrade featuring an updated news set and graphics package. It was the first station in Richmond to use a satellite broadcasting truck called "LiveStar 12" and a helicopter identified as "Sky 12".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=8129383 |title=History of NBC12 - NBC12 News, Weather Sports, Traffic, and Programming Guide for Richmond, VA &#124; |access-date=September 21, 2010 |archive-date=March 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307090934/http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=8129383 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
On September 19, 1994, WWBT entered into a news share agreement with the areas Fox affiliate WRLH-TV (then owned by Abry Communications). This resulted in the area's first nightly prime time broadcast known as ''Fox News at 10''. On January 8, 2001, the weeknight show was expanded to a full hour. Friday nights at 10:45, there is a fifteen-minute sports highlight program that airs called ''Fox First Sports''. The prime time newscasts did not face competition until March 5, 2007, when WUPV launched a 35-minute weeknight show at 10 produced by WTVR. Weekend news on WUPV began October 20, 2007, and ended a year later on October 19. The final weeknight newscast on that channel was November 7. Three days later, WTVR management announced that the WUPV operation had been canceled due to high financial costs of production.
On March 23, 2007, "Sky 12" crash landed in a field in [[Rehoboth Beach, Delaware]], after it appeared to hit power lines.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=6271975 |title=Four Injured in Sussex County Chopper Crash &#124; |access-date=December 26, 2023 |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928010906/http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=6271975 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Two of the four passengers were taken to a local hospital for evaluation. The helicopter was being used for non-news purposes by owner Heloair. WWBT became the first station in Richmond to air local newscasts in [[high-definition television|high definition]] on July 27, 2008. Unlike rival WTVR (who upgraded to high-definition newscasts two years later and whose video is in true high definition both in the studio and in the field), the field video shown on WWBT is still in [[16:9]] [[enhanced definition]] [[widescreen]]. However, the WRLH shows were not initially included in the upgrade because that station lacked a modern [[master control]] to receive the newscast in HD; this lasted until September 2012 when that station upgraded its master control so that the WWBT newscasts and some syndicated programming on that channel are now shown in HD. On December 17, WWBT eliminated twelve positions citing poor economic conditions. Included in the [[layoff]]s were Sports Director Ben Hamlin, news anchor Gene Lepley, along with [[Henrico County, Virginia|Henrico]] and [[Hanover County, Virginia|Hanover]] counties reporter Rob Richardson.
After [[NBC Weather Plus]] shut down on [[New Year's Eve|December 31]], 2008, WWBT-DT2 switched to a local weather channel known as "NBC 12 First Warning Weather". It was replaced by MeTV on February 6, 2012. On January 5, 2009, WWBT began producing a weeknight newscast in high definition for WUPV called ''The CW News at 6:30'' originating from a secondary set. The show goes up against national newscasts seen on the Big Three networks. In addition to operating a [[weather radar]] of its own known as "First Warning Live Doppler" at its studios, the station also uses a live feed from the [[National Weather Service]] radar based at the Local Forecast Office on [[U.S. Route 460 in Virginia|US 460]] (General [[William Mahone|Mahone]] Highway/South County Drive) in [[Wakefield, Virginia|Wakefield]] next to the municipal airport.
On January 16, 2012, WRLH-TV launched a new one-hour weekday morning newscast at 7 a.m. called ''Fox Richmond Morning News''.<ref>{{cite tweet|user=FoxRichmond|author=FOX Richmond|number=154981415728054273|date=January 5, 2012|title=FOX Richmond Morning News is coming January 16th @ 7am.  Get LOCAL news, weather and traffic coverage while the...}}</ref><!--As stated on the WRLH page, there is no better source for this--> The show goes up against the national morning newscasts' first hour and is anchored by WWBT's morning news team.
On September 11, 2023, WWBT launched two new weekday newscasts at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.12onyourside.com/2023/08/23/wwbt-adding-two-newscasts-sept-11/ |title=WWBT adds newscasts at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. |access-date=November 30, 2024 }}</ref> The 3 p.m. newscast is titled ''First Look at 3'' with the 7 p.m. show being called ''12 On Your Side Tonight''. With the new additions, WWBT produces more than 67 hours of local content each week.
===Notable former on-air staff===
*[[Campbell Brown (journalist)|Campbell Brown]] – formerly at [[CNN]]
*[[Spencer Christian]] – now at [[KGO-TV]] in [[San Francisco]]
*[[Herb Clarke (weatherman)|Herb Clarke]] (1956–1958) – later longtime weatherman at [[WCAU-TV]] in [[Philadelphia]]
*[[Doug Hill (meteorologist)|Doug Hill]] (1978–1980) – later at [[WJLA-TV]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], (deceased)
*[[Ryan Nobles]] – now at [[NBC News]]
==Technical information==
===Subchannels===
The station's signal is [[Multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of WWBT<ref>{{Cite web |title=Digital TV Market Listing for WWBT |url=https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=30833 |access-date=December 16, 2022 |website=[[RabbitEars.info]]}}</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" | 12.1
| [[1080i]] || rowspan=5|[[16:9]] || WWBT-DT || [[NBC]]
|-
! scope="row" | 12.2
| rowspan=4|[[480i]] || 12 MeTV || [[MeTV]]
|-
! scope="row" | 12.3
| H&I || [[Heroes & Icons]]
|-
! scope="row" | 12.4
|  Mystery || [[Ion Mystery]]
|-
! scope="row" | 12.5
| Crime || [[True Crime Network]]
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6; border-top: 2px solid #003399;"
! scope="row" | [[WUPV|65.1]]
| 1080i || 16:9 || WUPV-DT || [[The CW]] ([[WUPV]])
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6"
|}
{{legend|#DFEBF6|Broadcast on behalf of another station}}
Prior to February 6, 2012, WWBT aired a 24-hour local weather channel called  "NBC 12 First Warning Weather Plus". It has since been replaced with MeTV.
WWBT-DT5 signed on as a [[Justice Network]] affiliate as of April 7, 2020.
On April 11, 2022, WWBT began hosting [[WUPV]]'s 65.1 main channel, as a result of WUPV converting to [[ATSC 3.0]]; in turn, WUPV simulcasts WWBT in the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard.<ref>enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/draftCopy.html?displayType=html&appKey=25076ff37ecde2d2017ed547c85b04c1&id=25076ff37ecde2d2017ed547c85b04c1&goBack=N</ref>
===Analog-to-digital conversion===
WWBT shut down its analog signal, over [[VHF]] channel 12, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television station in the United States [[Digital television transition in the United States|transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts]] under federal mandate. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transition [[UHF]] channel 54, which was among the high band UHF channels (52-69) that were removed from broadcasting use as a result of the transition, to its analog-era VHF channel 12 for post-transition operations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the 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>
Following the switch, it applied to increase power to 26 [[kW]] stating in the application that more than 10,000 viewers complained of a sudden inability to receive the station's digital signal. The problem was especially pronounced with antennas located indoors. Although complaints came most prominently from certain heavily populated portions of the service area (including Western Richmond, [[Glen Allen, Virginia|Glen Allen]], [[Mechanicsville, Virginia|Mechanicsville]], and [[Hanover, Virginia|Hanover]]), these reception problems were not limited to specific regions within WWBT's service area. This was also not unique to this station as viewers of other stations that switched to high-VHF band channels for post-transition operation have reported reception problems.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[https://www.12onyourside.com/ WWBT "12 On Your Side"]
*[http://cwrichmond.revrocket.us/ WUPV "CW Richmond"]
{{Richmond TV}}
{{NBC Virginia}}
{{Gray TV}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wwbt}}
[[Category:1956 establishments in Virginia]]
[[Category:Gray Television]]
[[Category:Ion Mystery affiliates]]
[[Category:MeTV affiliates]]
[[Category:NBC affiliates]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1956]]
[[Category:Television stations in Richmond, Virginia|WBT]]
[[Category:True Crime Network affiliates]]