News Channel 8
Encyclopedia
NewsChannel 8 is a regional cable television network
serving Washington, D.C.
, Northern Virginia
, and Suburban Maryland
. The cable station is seen in more than 1.1 million cable television homes. NewsChannel 8 is owned by Allbritton Communications, along with ABC
affiliate WJLA
. The station shares broadcast studios and offices with WJLA and Politico in Rosslyn in Arlington, Virginia. In addition, the channel operates two Maryland news bureaus (in Rockville
and Landover
), and one in Washington, D.C. The network was renamed to TBD TV on August 9, 2010, but reverted back to NewsChannel 8 in February 2011.
Through a fiber optic delivery system, the station targets programming and advertising to 3 separate geographical regions of the Washington Metro area. On September 5, 2006, Comcast
moved NewsChannel 8, at their request, to channel 28 on some of their systems to be next to co-owned WJLA on channel 27. However, as of December 16, 2010, the station remains on channel 8 on Comcast's Prince George's County, Maryland cable system; this may be because WJLA remains on Channel 7.
(Sundays at 7 p.m.) Also, the stations airs various local programs, including "NewsTalk" (a live daily call-in show featuring prominent newsmakers), "Capital Insider", "Let's Talk Live", "SportsTalk", "The Arch Campbell Show", and "Capital Golf Weekly". During overnights and weekends, it airs some paid programming as well.
NewsChannel 8 was once known for airing specific "Zone Reports" on weeknights to three separate geographical regions of the Washington Metro area. They included: "The Washington Report", with news that affects the District; "The Virginia Report", news from Northern Virginia; and "The Maryland Report", news from communities in suburban Maryland. The appropriate edition was fed to each of the cable systems in the region. The newscasts were all the same, except for the second segment (between the first and second commercial breaks), which was specifically tailored to each "zone." However, in 2009, the station ended this practice.
NewsChannel 8's programming features its own anchors and weathercasters, while sharing reporters with WJLA. On weekends, NewsChannel 8 and WJLA share the same on-air news team for the evening newscasts for both stations.
Current anchors/hosts
Weather team
Sports team
Reporters
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
serving Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Northern Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, and Suburban Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. The cable station is seen in more than 1.1 million cable television homes. NewsChannel 8 is owned by Allbritton Communications, along with ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate WJLA
WJLA-TV
WJLA-TV, channel 7, is the ABC affiliated television station in Washington, D.C.. It is the flagship station of the Allbritton Communications Company, which also operates local cable station NewsChannel 8. The two stations share broadcast facilities in the Rosslyn section of Arlington, Virginia...
. The station shares broadcast studios and offices with WJLA and Politico in Rosslyn in Arlington, Virginia. In addition, the channel operates two Maryland news bureaus (in Rockville
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
and Landover
Landover, Maryland
Landover is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, within the census-designated place of Greater Landover. The Prince Georges County Sports and Learning Complex is in Landover...
), and one in Washington, D.C. The network was renamed to TBD TV on August 9, 2010, but reverted back to NewsChannel 8 in February 2011.
Through a fiber optic delivery system, the station targets programming and advertising to 3 separate geographical regions of the Washington Metro area. On September 5, 2006, Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
moved NewsChannel 8, at their request, to channel 28 on some of their systems to be next to co-owned WJLA on channel 27. However, as of December 16, 2010, the station remains on channel 8 on Comcast's Prince George's County, Maryland cable system; this may be because WJLA remains on Channel 7.
Programming and live newscasts
When not airing newscasts, NewsChannel 8 shows ABC News programming including: Nightline (Tuesday - Saturday at 4:30 a.m., encore of previous night's show), ABC World News (encore daily at 9:30 p.m.), 20/20, and This WeekThis Week (ABC TV series)
This Week is ABC's Sunday morning political affairs program.The Sunday morning talk show has aired on Sunday mornings on ABC since 1981; the program is initially aired at 9:00 AM ET, although many stations air the program later, especially those in other time zones...
(Sundays at 7 p.m.) Also, the stations airs various local programs, including "NewsTalk" (a live daily call-in show featuring prominent newsmakers), "Capital Insider", "Let's Talk Live", "SportsTalk", "The Arch Campbell Show", and "Capital Golf Weekly". During overnights and weekends, it airs some paid programming as well.
NewsChannel 8 was once known for airing specific "Zone Reports" on weeknights to three separate geographical regions of the Washington Metro area. They included: "The Washington Report", with news that affects the District; "The Virginia Report", news from Northern Virginia; and "The Maryland Report", news from communities in suburban Maryland. The appropriate edition was fed to each of the cable systems in the region. The newscasts were all the same, except for the second segment (between the first and second commercial breaks), which was specifically tailored to each "zone." However, in 2009, the station ended this practice.
NewsChannel 8's programming features its own anchors and weathercasters, while sharing reporters with WJLA. On weekends, NewsChannel 8 and WJLA share the same on-air news team for the evening newscasts for both stations.
Current on-air staff (as of May 2011)
+ denotes personnel also seen on WJLACurrent anchors/hosts
- Katherine Amenta - weekday mornings Morning Report (5-8 a.m.)
- Natasha Barrett - weekdays "Let's Talk Live" (11 a.m.-12 p.m., repeats at 5 p.m.)
- Arch Campbell - host of The Arch Campbell Show; also WJLA entertainment reporter +
- Bruce DePuyt - host of NewsTalk (10-11 a.m., repeats at 4 p.m.)
- Pat Goss - host of Goss' Garage (Saturday mornings)
- Melanie Hastings - weekday mornings Morning Report (7-9 a.m.), "Let's Talk Live" (11-12 p.m., repeats at 5 p.m.)
- Morris Jones - weekdays NewsTrends (4:30 p.m.), TBD News (7 p.m., 10 p.m., repeated throughout the overnight); also host of Capital Insider (8 p.m.)
- Dave Lucas - weekdays Afternoon News (9:30 a.m., 12 p.m., repeated throughout the afternoon); also host of Capital Golf Weekly
- Caroline Lyders - Sunday evenings +
- Kathy Park - weekend mornings; also digital reporter
Weather team
- Steve Rudin (NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekend evenings + - Brian Van De Graaff (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings and midday + - Dave Zahren - meteorologist; weekend mornings +
- Joe Witte (AMS Seal Of Approval)- staff meteorologist
- Devon Lucie - Afternoon/Evening Fill In Meteorologist
Sports team
- Horace Holmes - sports anchor; weekend evenings +
- Britt McHenry - sports reporter
- David Aldridge - host of SportsTalk (Sundays) and The Donovan McNabb Show
- Tim Brant - co-host of Sports Talk (Mondays) +
- Glenn Harris - co-host of Sports Talk (Wednesday-Fridays)
- Alex Parker - co-host of Sports Talk (Tuesdays)
- Julie Parker - co-host of Sports Talk (Tuesdays)
Reporters
- Natasha Barrett - general assignment reporter +
- Brad Bell - Prince George's County Bureau chief
- Brianne Carter - general assignment reporter +
- Mike Conneen - general assignment reporter +
- Rebecca Cooper - national correspondent +
- Bruce Depuyt - general assignment reporter +
- Jennifer Donelan - general assignment reporter +
- Ben Eisler - general assignment reporter +
- Lisa FletcherLisa FletcherLisa Fletcher is an award winning American television journalist. She is an investigative reporter and news anchor who has covered stories around the world - both for ABC News as a correspondent and various major-market television stations, including most currently WJLA in Washington, DC.While...
- general assignment reporter + - Sam Ford - DC Bureau chief +
- Autria Godfrey (Thuman) - general assignment reporter +
- John Gonzalez - general assignment reporter +
- Glenn Harris - general assignment reporter + formerly with WHUR radio
- Melanie Hastings - general assignment reporter +
- Horace Holmes - general assignment and sports reporter +
- Suzanne Kennedy - general assignment reporter +
- Jay Korff - general assignment reporter +
- Dave Lucas - general assignment reporter +
- Jummy Olabanji - general assignment reporter +
- Kathy Park - general assignment reporter +
- Julie Parker - general assignment reporter +
- Gail Pennybacker - Fairfax County Bureau chief
- Courtney Robinson - general assignment reporter +
- Philip Stewart - general assignment reporter +
- Stephen Tschida - general assignment reporter +
- Kris Van Cleave - general assignment reporter +
- Jamee Whitten - weekday morning traffic reporter
- Tiffany Wilson - general assignment reporter +