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Are There Any Markets Where A Former UHF Station Leads in News?

G

Gregg

These days with digital TV, most viewers have no idea whether they're watching VHF or UHF TV. But in analog days, VHF stations (2 - 13) had a very big advantage over UHF (14+) stations because VHF signals were easier to receive and because VHF stations had likely been in the market longer.

Before digital TV became the norm, I don't believe there was any market that didn't have a VHF station as its news leader in ratings. Didn't matter which network it was affiliated with. Didn't matter how much money each station put into the news product. Every place I know of where VHF and UHF channels co-exist, the VHF stations were always ahead of the UHF in ratings for the early morning, midday, evening and late newscasts. (I remember 7 markets in the U.S. where there were no VHF analog stations: Fresno, Bakersfield, Wilkes Barre-Scranton, Peoria, Fort Bend, Fort Wayne and Youngstown, so those don't count.)

Now that most viewers don't know the real channel they're tuning in and most stations are really broadcasting on UHF, I wonder if any former analog UHF station leads in its market in even one newscast. I also wonder if habits are so ingrained that even where a station like WABC-TV NY, which elected to remain on VHF 7 and whose signal is troubled, isn't still leading with all its newscasts.


Gregg
[email protected].
 
WLTX in Columbia, SC is nipping at the heels of longtime market (state) leader WIS-TV. I'm not sure but they may have overtaken them in a couple timeslots. WIS is channel 10 and WLTX is channel 19.
 
I would think Fresno, CA as all the big stations were on UHF in the analog days. NBC-24, ABC-30 & CBS-47 with Fox-26 from Visalia.

When I moved to Fresno in 1991 to attend CSU Fresno I was surprised to get such a clean signal from 24 in my apartment just using a paper clip. Good times. ;)

BTW: Fresno had KAIL-7 which became a CW affiliate.
 
In Birmingham, WCFT-33/WJSU-40 (ABC) battles neck and neck for supremacy with WBRC-6 (Fox). WIAT-42 (CBS) ranks 3rd, and WVTM-13 (NBC) ranks 4th.
 
Evansville and Austin are special cases - both were one-V/multiple-U markets where the VHF station ended up with Fox and the "big three" all landed on UHF. I'm pretty sure the Us in both markets are more than fully competitive with "Fox 7" in each case.

In Birmingham, I believe "ABC 33/40" (WCFT/WJSU) is or has been leading against VHFs WBRC-6 (Fox) and WVTM-13 (NBC) as well. And Charlotte's WCNC-36 (NBC) has been a contender against WBTV-3 (CBS) and WSOC-9 (ABC), too.
 
Other UHF islands: Peoria IL, South Bend, NE PA (WNEP, the country's model news leader), (formerly) the Yakima-Tri Cities area of WA, and (almost) Austin (UHF leads, but KTBC was the only VHF in analog).

(Edit conflict: Austin was already mentioned. That's right, Evansville almost qualifies too.)
 
I thought WLKY-32 in Louisville was either first or second in the news ratings there, even in the analog days, against WHAS-11 (which broadcasts digitally on its old analog VHF assignment) and WAVE-3.

As for KAIL in Fresno, they were Channel 53 analog, but kept their digital signal on VHF 7.
 
Lexington/Danville, KY and Springfield, MA were other UHF-only markets.

Here in Hartford/New Haven, CT, the late news is often led by WTIC-TV (FOX) channel 61 of Hartford. The overall market leader, WFSB-TV (CBS) channel 3 of Hartford, usually wins at 6 pm. Until WTIC-TV increased their news presence (and went HD on news) in 2009-10, the war WFSB-TV waged was with WVIT-TV (NBC) channel 30 of New Britain/Hartford.

The present market also-ran is WTNH-TV (ABC) channel 8 of New Haven. They're always near the bottom of the news ratings in Hartford County, since their focus is more with greater New Haven and neighboring Fairfield County (which includes Bridgeport, Norwalk, Stamford and Danbury). WTNH-TV produces a 10 PM newscast for sister station WCTX-TV (MY) channel 59 of New Haven, which almost nobody watches. It should also be noted that WTNH-TV is still a VHF station today, moving from analog channel 8 to digital channel 10. The only notables for the station are 1- They were Connecticut's first TV station (1948) and 2- They were the first Connecticut TV station to sign a digital channel on.
 
In Austin, KVUE (ABC/24) is No. 1st, KXAN (NBC/36) is 2nd, KTBC (Fox/7) is 3rd and KEYE (CBS/42) is 4th. Fox is the only station that uses its channel number on the air. Been that way for a while now.
 
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