WCAV FM

WCAV

WCAV, channel 19, is the CBS-affiliated television station for Charlottesville, Virginia. The station's transmitter is located on Carters Mountain south of the city. WCAV is the flagship station of a cluster of Gray Television-owned television stations based in Charlottesville. This includes low-powered ABC affiliate WVAW-LP and Class A Fox affiliate WAHU-CA. All three stations broadcast out of shared studio facilities known as the "Charlottesville Newsplex" on 2nd Street Southeast in downtown Charlottesville. WCAV can be seen on Comcast cable channel 6 and is known on-air as CBS19.

Digital television

The station's digital signal is multiplexed:

Channel	Programming
19.1	main WCAV programming / CBS SD
19.2	CBS 19 Weather Now (The AccuWeather Channel)

The station was granted an original construction permit after the FCC finalized the DTV allotment plan on April 21, 1997. As a result, WCAV did not receive a companion channel for a digital television station. However, it does offer a digital signal in standard format identifying via PSIP as channel 19.1 broadcasting from WAHU's nearby digital transmitter. A high definition version of this signal is offered on Comcast digital cable channel 212. On or before February 17, 2009, which is the end of the digital television conversion period for full-service stations, WCAV will be required to turn off its analog signal and turn on its official digital signal (called a "flash-cut").

History

WCAV began broadcasting on August 15, 2004 becoming the market's first CBS affiliate and first station to mount a challenge against established NBC affiliate WVIR-TV. Previously, the channel 19 allocation had been considered to bring Richmond a primary WB affiliate. That area had lacked such an affiliation since the switch of WUPV to UPN in 1998. Charlottesville had previously received CBS programming on cable from Richmond's WTVR-TV and Washington D.C.'s WUSA. When it launched, WCAV immediately replaced WUSA on local cable systems. During 2007, WCAV first swapped analog cable channel allocations with WTVR. After that, the Richmond station moved to the digital tier. Shortly after WCAV's sign-on, owner Gray Television signed on ABC affiliate WVAW-LP on channel 16.

WVAW was formerly a low-powered repeater of Harrisonburg's WHSV (on channel 64) and WVAW replaced that station on Charlottesville-area cable systems. In early-2005, the two stations were joined by new Fox affiliate WAHU-CA on channel 27. Since 2006, the three stations have been the official flagships of University of Virginia sports. In June of 2006, the station received the runner-up award for "Outstanding News Operation" by the Virginia Association of Broadcasters. WWBT in Richmond was the winner in that category. In June of 2007, the station received the "Outstanding Sports Coverage" award for a commercial television station from the Virginia Association of Broadcasters. That same year, the station's web address finished runner up to WVEC in Norfolk for outstanding website. Beth Duffy, formerly of WVIR, returned to the airwaves on WCAV on April 16, 2007. The station is not related to the former WCAV-FM (now WKAF-FM) in Brockton, Massachusetts.

News operation

As the primary station in the "Charlottesville Newsplex" operation, WCAV airs the most newscasts. WVAW simulcasts the 6 A.M. hour of Good Morning Charlottesville and only airs local news on the weeknights at 7 o'clock. During the week at 11, WVAW simulcasts WCAV's newscast. There are no weekend local newscasts on WVAW. In addition, WAHU airs an hour long extension of Good Morning Charlottesville at 7 A.M. and a nightly 10 o'clock newscast. WAHU-DT2 "MYc'villeTV" rebroadcasts CBS 19 News at Noon at 1 o'clock. During the week, WCAV delays the CBS Evening News until 7 P.M. in favor of an extra half-hour of local news. WVAW airs Cavalier Sports Weekly on Sunday mornings at 10:30. It is repeated on WAHU-DT2 "MYc'villeTV" at 6 and on WCAV at 11:30 P.M. On September 21, 2007, WCAV launched The AccuWeather Channel on its second digital subchannel. Known on-air as CBS 19 Weather Now, it was added to Comcast digital cable channel 209 in December.

News team

Anchors

Hailey Frances - weekday mornings
Bo Sykes - weekday mornings and Noon
Beth Duffy - weekdays at Noon, 5, 5:30, 6, and 6:30
John Rodgers - weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6:30 and 10
Dan Schutte - weeknights at 6 and 11
Jeremy Settle - News Director seen on weeknights at 7
Cheryn Stone - weekends

reporter

Weather Authority Meteorologists

Travis Koshko (NWA Seal of Approval and AMS Member) - Chief seen on weekday mornings and at Noon
Brantley Ussery - weeknights
Stacy Berman - weeknights at 7 and 10
Myles Henderson - weekends

Sports

Marc Davis - weeknights at 6, 6:30, 7, 10,and 11
Matt Parsons - weekends

sports reporter

Reporters

Mark Tenia
Matt Holmes
Stephanie Satchell
Jennifer Black
Liz Palka
Bianca Spinosa

Former personalities

Tom Abbott - (Now at The Golf Channel)
Sarah Batista - (Now at WBTV-TV in Charlotte, NC)
Ric Barrick - (Now Director of Communications for the City of Charlottesville)
Rod Cowan - (Now at WHP-TV in Harrisburg, PA)
Elizabeth Donatelli - (Now at WAVE-TV in Louisville, KY)
Autria Godfrey - (NBA Wizards Game Night Host)
Katie Graham - (Now at WETM-TV in Elmira, NY)
Zach Heffner - (Playing for the Chicago Machine lacrosse team)
Whitney Holmes - (Now at WATE-TV in Knoxville, TN)
Bo Kane - (Now an actor in Hollywood)
Lauren Knight - (Now at KSBY-TV in Santa Barbara, CA)
Summer Knowles - (Now at KTVI-TV in St. Louis, MO)
Vanessa Murdock - (Now at WTKR-TV in Norfolk, VA)
Althea Paul - (Now at WINK-TV in Fort Myers, FL)
Kory Raftery - (Now at KSBY-TV in Santa Barbara, CA)
Philip Stewart - (Now at WJLA/Newschannel 8 in Washington, DC)
Marcus Washington - (Now at WTVF-TV in Nashville, TN)
Kris Budden - (Now at WBIR-TV in Knoxville, TN)
Lisa Ferrari - (Now director of events at The Alzheimer's Association of Charlottesville)
Christina Butler -(Unknown at this time)
J.W. Stehle - (Unknown)
Audrey Pernik - (Unknown)
J.W. Stehle - (Unknown)
Dave Strumpf - (Unknown)
Lindsey Ward - (Unknown)