Roanoke TV Stations

[tripinva]

At the request of some members in the New England TV forum...

WSLS-10 (NBC) is cutting analog power on September 11 to ship half their transmitter to WJHL in Johnson City, TN. WSLS is staying on their UHF channel (30), WJHL is moving their digital from 58 back to 11, and they want to reuse WSLS's transmitter for WJHL.

WDRL's sale to Jerry Falwell for $6 million fell through, a new deal to sell to Living Faith Ministries (of WLFG/WLFB/WAGV) for $5.25 million has been filed with the FCC. My guess is that unlike the deal with Falwell, which would have kept the station at least somewhat independent, WDRL would probably begin a full simulcast of WLFG when the sale closes.

W60BM in Rustburg, repeating WCVE in Richmond, is still on the air.

WDRG-LP 2 in Lynchburg is for sale, asking $200,000. Can anyone actually even see this station?

WSET-DT is currently lacking HD and the RTN subchannel. They're awaiting replacement equipment, apparently stuff failed.

WWCW-TV/DT will sign off completely for a few days in December to replace their antenna and feed line with new equipment. When it signs back on, the digital will go from 186.3 kW to 916 kW, and the analog will be at much lower power. My guess is that just the new equipment will greatly improve the signal of the digital station.

WBRA-DT 3 was granted their maximization CP, they're going from 7.25 kW DA to 9.8 kW ND. They plan to waste their money on this first, and then when that fails, go UHF later on.

If there are any other questions, let me know...

- Trip

 

[FRM-Yankey]

At the request of some members in the New England TV forum...

WSLS-10 (NBC) is cutting analog power on September 11 to ship half their transmitter to WJHL in Johnson City, TN. WSLS is staying on their UHF channel (30), WJHL is moving their digital from 58 back to 11, and they want to reuse WSLS's transmitter for WJHL.

WDRL's sale to Jerry Falwell for $6 million fell through, a new deal to sell to Living Faith Ministries (of WLFG/WLFB/WAGV) for $5.25 million has been filed with the FCC. My guess is that unlike the deal with Falwell, which would have kept the station at least somewhat independent, WDRL would probably begin a full simulcast of WLFG when the sale closes.

W60BM in Rustburg, repeating WCVE in Richmond, is still on the air.

WDRG-LP 2 in Lynchburg is for sale, asking $200,000. Can anyone actually even see this station?

WSET-DT is currently lacking HD and the RTN subchannel. They're awaiting replacement equipment, apparently stuff failed.

WWCW-TV/DT will sign off completely for a few days in December to replace their antenna and feed line with new equipment. When it signs back on, the digital will go from 186.3 kW to 916 kW, and the analog will be at much lower power. My guess is that just the new equipment will greatly improve the signal of the digital station.

WBRA-DT 3 was granted their maximization CP, they're going from 7.25 kW DA to 9.8 kW ND. They plan to waste their money on this first, and then when that fails, go UHF later on.

If there are any other questions, let me know...

- Trip Thanks trip. you are a man of knowledge of this DMA area and thanks again for your time. Justin D.
PS I thought there was a license for ch 60 in roanoke according to the FCC Roanoke query?

 

[tripinva]

There was an application to put a TV station on channel 60 in Roanoke, but it was dismissed in 2003.

- Trip

 

[fortmill]

I seem to remember there was actually a CP issued for channel 60 in Roanoke back in the mid 90s. Of course, the station was never built, and eventually deleted. Trip, I have another question for you---why is WDBJ-DT using only 400kw? It seems that would put them at a big disadvantage with WSLS-DT and some of the other stations. I would think Roanoke will be one of those markets where some viewers are in danger of losing some/all of their OTA coverage after Feb 9. Not so much in your area in southside Va, but those areas north and west of Roanoke are VERY rugged and not so great for UHF reception....

 

[tripinva]

I seem to remember there was actually a CP issued for channel 60 in Roanoke back in the mid 90s. Of course, the station was never built, and eventually deleted. Trip, I have another question for you---why is WDBJ-DT using only 400kw? It seems that would put them at a big disadvantage with WSLS-DT and some of the other stations. I would think Roanoke will be one of those markets where some viewers are in danger of losing some/all of their OTA coverage after Feb 9. Not so much in your area in southside Va, but those areas north and west of Roanoke are VERY rugged and not so great for UHF reception....

460 kW is roughly half the power of WSLS-DT, at 950 kW. That's only a 3 dB difference in signal, probably not enough to make a huge difference.

I think the reason is cost; WDBJ would likely have to install a second tube in order to make 1000 kW or whatever they'd ask for.

The better place to ask would probably be on AVSForum, where Alan Novitske, the engineer at WDBJ, visits about once per week.

- Trip

 

[mleach]

speaking of Roanoke TV....is WDBJ still the big station there? I remember hearing years ago that WDBJ's news was the highest rated newscast in all of Virginia. Still the case?

I was in Roanoke last year and while I was there I heard that a just a few years ago WSLS actually came very close to actually beating WDBJ in the news race only to run into a problem with two of their weatherguys over drugs. I know Jamie Singleton was one of them and the other was named Mark but I don't recall his last name. The latter was fired right off the bat and Singleton stayed a bit longer until he too was fired. Despite WSLS saying that Singleton was fired over a nude pic of him that appeared on the internet ( by a 3rd party ), to me I always believed there was a LOT more to that firing than just a "nude pic".

Could WSLS ever beat WDBJ in the news race in Roanoke? I would imagine being number one for sooooo long that would be pretty much an impossible task.

 

[Terry63]

You are speaking of Mark Lamarre,Singleton is working for a Cable access channel 12 in Franklin County now.WDBJ has just always looked more modern than WSLS and WSET,but their HD newscast are fairly close.WSET better get with the program,no pun intended.

 

[mleach]

You are speaking of Mark Lamarre,Singleton is working for a Cable access channel 12 in Franklin County now.WDBJ has just always looked more modern than WSLS and WSET,but their HD newscast are fairly close.WSET better get with the program,no pun intended.

Thanks !!!
I knew it was Mark someone LOL. Good to hear Singleton is working again.

I know the names Mark Lamarre and Jamie Singleton are somewhat "taboo" among websites. My co-worker last year emailed dcrtv.com a question about Jamie Singleton only to get an email back from them saying they will not post her email over "legal issues". I wonder what that was about? Was there some lawsuit between WSLS, Singleton and Lamarre we don't know about?

I know back in 2005 ( months before Singleton and Lamarre got canned from WSLS ) , Winchester, Virginia's website the now defunct Btvonlinemedia.com ( I don't think it was SVRTV quite yet ) did some blind item about having pics of two male on-air employees at a "Roanoke TV station" doing coke and herion and having sex together in a hot tub during Washington DC's gay sex event known as "Bear Invasion" at the Washington Plaza Hotel. I remember the story went something like "..we cant show you the 10 pics but if you were there at Bear Invasion you could ...NBC them..." Roanoke? 10? NBC? Thats WSLS !!!

I don't remember what WSLS did about that but I do remember because of that story "Bear Invasion" for 2006 was cancelled as a direct result.

 

[FRM-Yankey]

You are speaking of Mark Lamarre,Singleton is working for a Cable access channel 12 in Franklin County now.WDBJ has just always looked more modern than WSLS and WSET,but their HD newscast are fairly close.WSET better get with the program,no pun intended.

J. Singleton also has a weather column in the Franklin news post.....

 

[FRM-Yankey]

At the request of some members in the New England TV forum...

WSLS-10 (NBC) is cutting analog power on September 11 to ship half their transmitter to WJHL in Johnson City, TN. WSLS is staying on their UHF channel (30), WJHL is moving their digital from 58 back to 11, and they want to reuse WSLS's transmitter for WJHL.

WDRL's sale to Jerry Falwell for $6 million fell through, a new deal to sell to Living Faith Ministries (of WLFG/WLFB/WAGV) for $5.25 million has been filed with the FCC. My guess is that unlike the deal with Falwell, which would have kept the station at least somewhat independent, WDRL would probably begin a full simulcast of WLFG when the sale closes.

W60BM in Rustburg, repeating WCVE in Richmond, is still on the air.

WDRG-LP 2 in Lynchburg is for sale, asking $200,000. Can anyone actually even see this station?

WSET-DT is currently lacking HD and the RTN subchannel. They're awaiting replacement equipment, apparently stuff failed.

WWCW-TV/DT will sign off completely for a few days in December to replace their antenna and feed line with new equipment. When it signs back on, the digital will go from 186.3 kW to 916 kW, and the analog will be at much lower power. My guess is that just the new equipment will greatly improve the signal of the digital station.

WBRA-DT 3 was granted their maximization CP, they're going from 7.25 kW DA to 9.8 kW ND. They plan to waste their money on this first, and then when that fails, go UHF later on.

If there are any other questions, let me know...

- Trip

Trip, any thing new goin on in the Roanoke market?

 

[tripinva]

Well, let's see:

WSLS reduced power as scheduled. I wouldn't have noticed if not for the FCC filing.

WDRL is currently at even lower power on both analog and digital. Nobody could see it before, nobody can see it now. I keep meaning to call and ask when the flash-cut to 24 might happen. No word on the sale.

W60BM is still on the air.

WSET-DT got fixed a few days after the post. The station is now doing something weird; the bottom right corner of the 13 signal says "ANALOG" and the bottom right corner of the 34 digital signal says "DIGITAL." Not sure why they're doing that.

WWCW-TV/DT's antenna replacement has been pushed back to February at the earliest due to delays in installing equipment. If the weather doesn't permit it, the station plans to boost power on the current antenna to 500 kW or so, then replace the antenna as soon as possible.

WBRA-DT still hasn't been scheduled for tower work, last I heard a few weeks ago.

The only really new addition to the list is to say that for about a week in the last three months, WDBJ-DT was operating at low power due to losing a transmitter tube. It was quickly resolved.

- Trip

 

[FRM-Yankey]

There was an application to put a TV station on channel 60 in Roanoke, but it was dismissed in 2003.

- Trip

Check yesterday on DRL-DT it looks like they are sending their DT signal on 24. my converter box is picking it up on 2.1???

 

[tripinva]

I thought it had moved to 24 when my channel 41 signal went away, but I've never managed to keep it above about 5 dB consistently, now it's not even that strong.

Where are you? I ask because you must be one of about two people I know who can see WDRL-DT at all.

Seeing it on 2-1 only means that they've managed to further screw up an already screwed up stream. I've received it twice, the first time the PSIP was invalid so I sent an e-mail explaining what was wrong and how to fix it, and the second time I received it I found they'd taken my advice. No surprise that it might have gone down-hill.

- Trip

 

[FRM-Yankey]

I thought it had moved to 24 when my channel 41 signal went away, but I've never managed to keep it above about 5 dB consistently, now it's not even that strong.

Where are you? I ask because you must be one of about two people I know who can see WDRL-DT at all.

Seeing it on 2-1 only means that they've managed to further screw up an already screwed up stream. I've received it twice, the first time the PSIP was invalid so I sent an e-mail explaining what was wrong and how to fix it, and the second time I received it I found they'd taken my advice. No surprise that it might have gone down-hill.

- Trip

I am located in Wirtz VA in the plateau area with a clear shot at the lake DT13 is 100% and so is 21 (just recently). 24 (41) was about 88% still can get 50 analog even with no ant. My nothern exposer is hindered by some trees, 10.1 and 15.1 are a problem at times but 7, 27,38, are good. I also get analog 40 some snow but watchable.
Justin