WHSV-TV
Encyclopedia
WHSV-TV, channel 3 is an ABC
affiliate television station for the Harrisonburg, Virginia
, market. WHSV News 3, as it is known on-air, is owned by Gray Television
and has its transmitter located west of the town of Stanley
on Massanutten Mountain. It serves 14 counties in the Shenandoah Valley
of Virginia and West Virginia
.
In addition to its main digital signal, WHSV operates three digital subchannels: a Fox-affiliated subchannel, a My Network TV-affiliated subchannel, and another ABC-affiliated subchannel aimed toward nearby Winchester, Virginia
.
WHSV has two main locations, in Harrisonburg, Virginia
, the main newsroom, and in Staunton, Virginia
, the Augusta County Newsroom.
WHSV News Daybreak has also received recognition as one of the top ten most-watched morning news shows in the United States.
WHSV simulcasts its digital signal on channel 42, also called WHSV-TV, which is licensed to Harrisonburg, but located on Signal Knob near Strasburg, Virginia
and serves the Winchester
/Front Royal
area. WHSV also broadcasts on a low powered translator called W40AS in Moorefield, West Virginia
. W40AS is owned by Valley TV Cooperative, INC instead of Gray Television
.
. The station restored the signal the following Friday however, because several translator stations in communities such as Bergton
that are owned by local cooperatives and county governments were unable to convert their transmitters to reconvert the digital signal into analog form, along with viewers who could receive the Channel 3 signal well on analog, but not at all digitally.
The station ended its analog signal on June 12, 2009, the new, federally-mandated date.
The station's digital signal is retained at channel 49 following the digital transition; however the station can tune to channel 3 using PSIP.
WHSV has a construction permit for a digital fill-in translator on Channel 51 in Staunton
.
and FM 100.7, now WQPO
). The station was a primary NBC
affiliate, with secondary CBS
and ABC affiliations. The station also carried DuMont
programs.
It was the only commercial station between Richmond and Roanoke
until WVIR-TV
signed on from Charlottesville in 1973.
Although it was owned by one of Virginia's leading broadcasters, WSVA-TV operated on a shoestring budget. Station engineers switched to and from the signals of the three network affiliates in Washington, D.C.
because it was unable to afford direct network feeds.
http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=whsv It didn't air local programs (except for news) until 1956. It dropped CBS in 1963.
In 1965, the WSVA stations were sold to James Gilmore, Jr., a Michigan
businessman. Under Gilmore's ownership, the station became a primary ABC affiliate in 1968—an unusual move since it was the only station in its market; ABC was not nearly on par with CBS and NBC at the time. It picked up The Today Show from 1968 to 1975 (when Good Morning America
debuted), but only aired the second hour of the show since the station didn't sign on until 8 a.m. (a practice that continued well into the 1970s). On occasion, engineers forgot to switch over for local breaks, resulting in channel 3 airing the local breaks from WMAL-TV (now WJLA-TV
) in Washington, which provided the ABC feed over the network lines to WSVA.
In 1975, the Federal Communications Commission
ruled that if a market had only one FM radio station, one AM radio station and one television station, they could not be owned by the same person. In the same year, channel 3 dropped the remaining NBC programs from its schedule. Gilmore sold WSVA-TV to Benedek Broadcasting
in 1976, and the station assumed its current calls, WHSV. Under Benedek, the station was finally able to buy a network feed.
In the early 1990s, the station started its weekday newscast at noon.
Until 1999, WHSV’s main studio was located along U.S. Route 33
, west of Harrisonburg. Construction of a new broadcast facility in downtown Harrisonburg began in 1998. WHSV relocated to its new home in the spring of 1999.
Benedek went bankrupt in 2002, and most of its stations, including WHSV, were bought by Gray Television. A 5pm weekday newscast was also added in that same year. At that time, a new set was constructed in the station's Augusta County Newsroom in Staunton
. The streetside set featured a window overlooking Downtown Staunton along West Frederick Street. The 5pm weekday newscast became WHSV’s first newscast to originate from the Augusta County Newsroom. In October 2003, WHSV began originating its 5pm newscast from both Harrisonburg and Staunton. WHSV's 6pm weekday newscast also originated from both Staunton and Harrisonburg for a brief period in the spring of 2004. During that time, WHSV’s 6pm weekday newscast featured three anchors. The three-anchor, dual-city format was abandoned after a few months.
WHSV purchased its first microwave live truck in 2004. Prior to that, the station relied on rented equipment for remote broadcasts. Since 2004, WHSV has purchased additional microwave equipment for use by its news department.
Also in 2004, WHSV’s parent company, Gray Communications, launched WCAV
in Charlottesville. WHSV management played a major role in the launch of WCAV, providing managerial, sales, and human resources support. Several members of WHSV’s news and production staff transferred to WCAV following its launch in August 2004. Also that year, WHSV's Charlottesville translator was broken off as a separate ABC affiliate, WVAW.
WHSV’s Harrisonburg and Augusta County news studios underwent a dramatic overhaul in April 2006 with the addition of new sets and studio camera equipment. WHSV newscasts were broadcast from a temporary studio in the Harrisonburg newsroom during the two week construction period. New sets debuted at 5am on April 24, 2006. At that time, portions of WHSV’s previous set, which was used from 1999 until 2006, were donated to nearby Turner Ashby High School
.
News Director Van Hackett announced his retirement from the station in 2006. Hackett served as WHSV’s news director from December 2003 until August 2006. Hackett was succeeded by former TV-3 reporter Ed Reams, who left a job at WDSU
in New Orleans, LA to return to the Shenandoah Valley
. On July 21, 2006, popular weather anchor Jay Webb left after six years with the station. Webb accepted a job with WDBJ
in Roanoke, VA. Webb enjoyed a week long send-off from his on-air colleagues before his final WHSV broadcast on July 21.
During the late summer and early fall of 2006, WHSV underwent major technical upgrades to make way for the station’s new digital subchannels. A large tower was built behind the station’s Harrisonburg studios to accommodate the additional satellite receivers needed for WHSV’s Fox
and MyNetworkTV
ventures. WHSV’s main analog transmitter was replaced during the week of August 31, 2006. Broadcasts were only available to viewers with cable while the transmitter was being replaced.
On October 30, 2006, WHSV dropped longtime 5:30 pm program The Andy Griffith Show in favor of a 5:30 pm newscast anchored by recently promoted Melanie Lofton
. This coincided with the debut of a new logo for the station and updated newscast graphics. While the logo itself was new, elements of a previous graphics package were retained. WHSV also began branding itself as "WHSV News 3" during newscasts. On November 27, 2006, WHSV dropped Gari Communications' "Making a Difference" in favor of 615 Music's "News One" as its news open music.
Over the Thanksgiving
2006 weekend, the WHSV.com and the TV3Winchester.com websites received a huge makeover. Most of the Gray Communications stations have adopted this new website layout.
Until WVIR-TV
signed on from Charlottesville in 1973, channel 3 was the only commercial television station between Richmond
and Roanoke
. It opened a translator on channel 64 in Charlottesville in 1979. In 2004, the Charlottesville translator became a separate station, WVAW-LP on channel 16.
On Wednesday, January 16, 2008, WHSV announced that their three major networks, WHSV, The Valley's FOX, and My Valley, would be available on the Direct TV lineup.
On Monday, April 7, 2008, the WHSV 5pm and 5:30pm newscasts consisted of a three-anchor lineup with Melanie Lofton
, Bob Corso, and meteorologist Tracy Turner. This new format came along with a new arrangement of the newscast.
WHSV has also added a Facebook and Twitter account displaying the latest local news. TV-3 Winchester has done the same.
and the Cooters Garage Band.
Weather team
Sports team
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 television station for the Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...
, market. WHSV News 3, as it is known on-air, is owned by Gray Television
Gray Television
Gray Television, Inc. is a communications company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with administrative offices in Albany, Georgia.Established in 1946 by James H...
and has its transmitter located west of the town of Stanley
Stanley, Virginia
Stanley is a town in Page County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,326 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Stanley is located at ....
on Massanutten Mountain. It serves 14 counties in the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
of Virginia and West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
.
In addition to its main digital signal, WHSV operates three digital subchannels: a Fox-affiliated subchannel, a My Network TV-affiliated subchannel, and another ABC-affiliated subchannel aimed toward nearby Winchester, Virginia
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
.
WHSV has two main locations, in Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...
, the main newsroom, and in Staunton, Virginia
Staunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
, the Augusta County Newsroom.
WHSV News Daybreak has also received recognition as one of the top ten most-watched morning news shows in the United States.
WHSV simulcasts its digital signal on channel 42, also called WHSV-TV, which is licensed to Harrisonburg, but located on Signal Knob near Strasburg, Virginia
Strasburg, Virginia
Strasburg is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States, which was founded in 1761 by Peter Stover. It is the largest town, population-wise, in the county and is known for its pottery, antiques, and Civil War history...
and serves the Winchester
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
/Front Royal
Front Royal, Virginia
Front Royal is a town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was 13,589 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Warren County.-Geography:Front Royal is roughly west of Washington, D.C....
area. WHSV also broadcasts on a low powered translator called W40AS in Moorefield, West Virginia
Moorefield, West Virginia
Moorefield is a town in Hardy County, West Virginia, USA. Moorefield is the county seat of Hardy County. It was originally chartered in 1777 and named for Conrad Moore, who owned the land upon which the town was laid out...
. W40AS is owned by Valley TV Cooperative, INC instead of Gray Television
Gray Television
Gray Television, Inc. is a communications company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with administrative offices in Albany, Georgia.Established in 1946 by James H...
.
Digital television
The station's digital signal, on UHF 49, is multiplexed. WHSV originally planned on ceasing its analog broadcasting of February 17, 2009, the original deadline of the federally-mandated digital conversionDTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...
. The station restored the signal the following Friday however, because several translator stations in communities such as Bergton
Bergton, Virginia
Bergton is an unincorporated community located in Rockingham County, in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is located in George Washington National Forest, northeast of Timberville near the state border with West Virginia.-History:...
that are owned by local cooperatives and county governments were unable to convert their transmitters to reconvert the digital signal into analog form, along with viewers who could receive the Channel 3 signal well on analog, but not at all digitally.
The station ended its analog signal on June 12, 2009, the new, federally-mandated date.
The station's digital signal is retained at channel 49 following the digital transition; however the station can tune to channel 3 using PSIP.
| Channel | Programming | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Main WHSV programming (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... ) |
|
| 3.2 | The Valley's FOX WHSV-DT2 The Valley's FOX is the Fox-affiliated television station for Harrisonburg, Virginia. The station is a second digital subchannel of ABC affiliate WHSV-TV which is owned by Gray Television.... (Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... ) |
The Fox affiliate for the Shenandoah Valley owned and operated by WHSV. Available on 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... cable channel 192 in Harrisonburg and DirecTV DirecTV DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ... . |
| 3.3 | TV3 Winchester TV3 Winchester TV3 Winchester is an ABC and This TV affiliate serving the Winchester, Virginia, area. The station is owned by Gray Television, which also owns WHSV-TV, TV3 Winchester's parent station; the station is also available over-the-air on WHSV's DT3 subchannel out of Harrisonburg... (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... /This TV This TV This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies.... ) |
On March 5, 2007, WHSV launched "TV3 Winchester", an ABC affiliate for Winchester, Virginia Winchester, Virginia Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census... . The station is a joint project between WHSV and Shenandoah University Shenandoah University Shenandoah University is a comprehensive private university located in Winchester, Virginia in the United States. It has an enrollment of approximately 3,800 students across more than ninety programs in six schools: College of Arts & Sciences, Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business, Shenandoah... . Along with Winchester, the station serves Frederick, Clarke, Warren, and Shenandoah counties in Virginia. The station also shows This TV This TV This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies.... programming during the overnight hours. Although the station transmits an over-the-air signal on WHSV's DT3 digital subchannel, it can only be seen on cable in its primary coverage area. |
| 3.4 | My Valley WHSV-DT4 My Valley is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Harrisonburg, Virginia. The station is a fourth digital subchannel of ABC affiliate WHSV-TV which is owned by Gray Television.... (MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation... ) |
The MyNetworkTV affiliate for the Shenandoah Valley owned and operated by WHSV. Available on Comcast cable channel 2 in Harrisonburg and Direct TV. |
WHSV has a construction permit for a digital fill-in translator on Channel 51 in Staunton
Staunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
.
Early years
Channel 3 signed on October 6, 1953 as WSVA-TV (for We Serve Virginia Agriculture). It was owned by Frederick L. Allman and his Shenandoah Valley Broadcasting Corporation along with WSVA radio (AM 550WSVA
WSVA is a News/Talk/Sports formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Harrisonburg, Virginia, serving the Central Shenandoah Valley. WSVA is owned and operated by M. Belmont VerStandig, Inc.-History:...
and FM 100.7, now WQPO
WQPO
WQPO is a Contemporary Hit Radio formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Harrisonburg, Virginia, serving the Central Shenandoah Valley. WQPO is owned and operated by M. Belmont Verstandig, Inc.-History:...
). The station was a primary NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate, with secondary CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and ABC affiliations. The station also carried DuMont
DuMont Television Network
The DuMont Television Network, also known as the DuMont Network, DuMont, Du Mont, or Dumont was one of the world's pioneer commercial television networks, rivalling NBC for the distinction of being first overall. It began operation in the United States in 1946. It was owned by DuMont...
programs.
It was the only commercial station between Richmond and Roanoke
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
until WVIR-TV
WVIR-TV
WVIR-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, Virginia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter on Carters Mountain south of Charlottesville. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 4 and in high definition...
signed on from Charlottesville in 1973.
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....
because it was unable to afford direct network feeds.
http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=whsv It didn't air local programs (except for news) until 1956. It dropped CBS in 1963.
In 1965, the WSVA stations were sold to James Gilmore, Jr., a Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
businessman. Under Gilmore's ownership, the station became a primary ABC affiliate in 1968—an unusual move since it was the only station in its market; ABC was not nearly on par with CBS and NBC at the time. It picked up The Today Show from 1968 to 1975 (when Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
debuted), but only aired the second hour of the show since the station didn't sign on until 8 a.m. (a practice that continued well into the 1970s). On occasion, engineers forgot to switch over for local breaks, resulting in channel 3 airing the local breaks from WMAL-TV (now WJLA-TV
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...
) in Washington, which provided the ABC feed over the network lines to WSVA.
In 1975, the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
ruled that if a market had only one FM radio station, one AM radio station and one television station, they could not be owned by the same person. In the same year, channel 3 dropped the remaining NBC programs from its schedule. Gilmore sold WSVA-TV to Benedek Broadcasting
Benedek Broadcasting
Benedek Broadcasting is a former television broadcaster, who owned and operated 22 network-affiliated television stations throughout the United States, all affiliated with major television networks, serving mainly small and medium-size markets. The company was founded in the late 1970s by A...
in 1976, and the station assumed its current calls, WHSV. Under Benedek, the station was finally able to buy a network feed.
The 1990s and a new studio
Until 1999, WHSV’s main studio was located along U.S. Route 33
U.S. Route 33
U.S. Route 33 is a United States federal highway that runs northwest-southeast for 709 miles from northern Indiana to Richmond, Virginia, passing through Ohio and West Virginia en route. Although most odd-numbered U.S...
, west of Harrisonburg. Construction of a new broadcast facility in downtown Harrisonburg began in 1998. WHSV relocated to its new home in the spring of 1999.
Benedek went bankrupt in 2002, and most of its stations, including WHSV, were bought by Gray Television. A 5pm weekday newscast was also added in that same year. At that time, a new set was constructed in the station's Augusta County Newsroom in Staunton
Staunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
. The streetside set featured a window overlooking Downtown Staunton along West Frederick Street. The 5pm weekday newscast became WHSV’s first newscast to originate from the Augusta County Newsroom. In October 2003, WHSV began originating its 5pm newscast from both Harrisonburg and Staunton. WHSV's 6pm weekday newscast also originated from both Staunton and Harrisonburg for a brief period in the spring of 2004. During that time, WHSV’s 6pm weekday newscast featured three anchors. The three-anchor, dual-city format was abandoned after a few months.
WHSV purchased its first microwave live truck in 2004. Prior to that, the station relied on rented equipment for remote broadcasts. Since 2004, WHSV has purchased additional microwave equipment for use by its news department.
Also in 2004, WHSV’s parent company, Gray Communications, launched WCAV
WCAV
WCAV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Charlottesville, Virginia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter on Carters Mountain. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 6 and in high definition on digital channel 212...
in Charlottesville. WHSV management played a major role in the launch of WCAV, providing managerial, sales, and human resources support. Several members of WHSV’s news and production staff transferred to WCAV following its launch in August 2004. Also that year, WHSV's Charlottesville translator was broken off as a separate ABC affiliate, WVAW.
Big changes
2006 was a year of significant change at WHSV. On February 27, 2006, WHSV’s weekday morning Daybreak newscast began airing at 5am instead of the previous 5:30. This coincided with the debut of new weather technology purchased from WSI Corporation.WHSV’s Harrisonburg and Augusta County news studios underwent a dramatic overhaul in April 2006 with the addition of new sets and studio camera equipment. WHSV newscasts were broadcast from a temporary studio in the Harrisonburg newsroom during the two week construction period. New sets debuted at 5am on April 24, 2006. At that time, portions of WHSV’s previous set, which was used from 1999 until 2006, were donated to nearby Turner Ashby High School
Turner Ashby High School
Turner Ashby High School is located in Bridgewater, Virginia in the Rockingham County Public School district.-History:Turner Ashby High School opened in the fall of 1956. It became the third consolidated high school in Rockingham County. Schools consolidated were Bridgewater, Dayton, and Mt. Clinton...
.
News Director Van Hackett announced his retirement from the station in 2006. Hackett served as WHSV’s news director from December 2003 until August 2006. Hackett was succeeded by former TV-3 reporter Ed Reams, who left a job at WDSU
WDSU
WDSU, virtual channel 6, is the NBC-affiliated television station for the New Orleans, Louisiana television market. It is owned by Hearst Television, which in turn is wholly owned by the Hearst Corporation. It broadcasts on UHF digital channel 43...
in New Orleans, LA to return to the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
. On July 21, 2006, popular weather anchor Jay Webb left after six years with the station. Webb accepted a job with WDBJ
WDBJ
WDBJ is the CBS television network affiliate station serving the Roanoke/Lynchburg television market. It transmits its digital signal on UHF channel 18. It is owned by Schurz Communications of South Bend, Indiana...
in Roanoke, VA. Webb enjoyed a week long send-off from his on-air colleagues before his final WHSV broadcast on July 21.
During the late summer and early fall of 2006, WHSV underwent major technical upgrades to make way for the station’s new digital subchannels. A large tower was built behind the station’s Harrisonburg studios to accommodate the additional satellite receivers needed for WHSV’s Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
and MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
ventures. WHSV’s main analog transmitter was replaced during the week of August 31, 2006. Broadcasts were only available to viewers with cable while the transmitter was being replaced.
On October 30, 2006, WHSV dropped longtime 5:30 pm program The Andy Griffith Show in favor of a 5:30 pm newscast anchored by recently promoted Melanie Lofton
Melanie Lofton
Melanie Lofton is an American television reporter and news anchor. She has worked for WHSV-TV in Harrisonburg, Virginia since July 2006. Shortly after being hired as the station's Weekend anchor, she was promoted to produce and co-anchor WHSV news at five.Lofton began her career as a reporter for...
. This coincided with the debut of a new logo for the station and updated newscast graphics. While the logo itself was new, elements of a previous graphics package were retained. WHSV also began branding itself as "WHSV News 3" during newscasts. On November 27, 2006, WHSV dropped Gari Communications' "Making a Difference" in favor of 615 Music's "News One" as its news open music.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
2006 weekend, the WHSV.com and the TV3Winchester.com websites received a huge makeover. Most of the Gray Communications stations have adopted this new website layout.
Until WVIR-TV
WVIR-TV
WVIR-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, Virginia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter on Carters Mountain south of Charlottesville. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 4 and in high definition...
signed on from Charlottesville in 1973, channel 3 was the only commercial television station between Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
and Roanoke
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
. It opened a translator on channel 64 in Charlottesville in 1979. In 2004, the Charlottesville translator became a separate station, WVAW-LP on channel 16.
Today
On June 15, 2009, WHSV revamped its website, whsv.com.On Wednesday, January 16, 2008, WHSV announced that their three major networks, WHSV, The Valley's FOX, and My Valley, would be available on the Direct TV lineup.
On Monday, April 7, 2008, the WHSV 5pm and 5:30pm newscasts consisted of a three-anchor lineup with Melanie Lofton
Melanie Lofton
Melanie Lofton is an American television reporter and news anchor. She has worked for WHSV-TV in Harrisonburg, Virginia since July 2006. Shortly after being hired as the station's Weekend anchor, she was promoted to produce and co-anchor WHSV news at five.Lofton began her career as a reporter for...
, Bob Corso, and meteorologist Tracy Turner. This new format came along with a new arrangement of the newscast.
WHSV has also added a Facebook and Twitter account displaying the latest local news. TV-3 Winchester has done the same.
Voice of the Valley
Every year, WHSV sponsors a singing competition called "Voice of the Valley". The idea originated from former WHSV personality Jenealle Smith. WHSV shows finalist on WHSV News 3 at Noon all week of the Rockingham County Fair and have a one hour finale live from the fair. Personalities include Ben JonesBen Jones
Ben Jones may refer to:*Ben Jones , British actor*Ben Jones , British radio DJ*Ben Jones , Welsh soccer player*Ben Jones , English soccer player...
and the Cooters Garage Band.
Specials
- The Endzone (11:25pm to 12:05am, Friday Nights during high school football season)
- Sports X-tra is an online sports show produced by WHSV Sports. It covers the latest news and talk about sports happenings over the previous week.
- Light for Today is religious programming which airs on WHSV Sunday mornings at 11:30 AM. It is broadcast from People's Baptist Church in Harrisonburg and is produced by WHSV.
- Virginia Dream Centerstage is a music and variety show that occasionally airs on WHSV. It is produced and broadcast by WHSV.
Current on-air staff
News team- Jazmin Bailey - Daybreak Anchor
- Alyson Bruner - 5:00pm and 5:30pm Anchor
- Karen Campbell - Reporter & Weekend Anchor
- Todd Corillo - New This Morning & Noon Anchor
- Bob Corso - 5:00pm and 5:30pm Anchor
- Amanda Crawford - Daybreak Reporter
- Tom Dempsey - Daybreak Anchor
- Janelle Lilley - Reporter
- Melanie Lofton - 6:00pm and 11:00pm Anchor
- Kay Norred - News Director
- Litsa Pappas - Reporter
- Val Thompson - 6:00pm and 11:00pm Anchor
- Tim Wronka - Reporter
Weather team
- George Hirschmann - Chief Meteorologist/ 6:00pm and 11:00pm
- Jennifer Jacobs - Weekend Meteorologist & Reporter
- Josh Knight - Daybreak & Noon Meteorologist
- Aubrey Urbanowicz - 5:00pm Meteorologist & Reporter
Sports team
- JJ Davis - Sports Director & Weekday Sports Anchor
- Daren Stoltzfus - Weekend Sports Anchor & Reporter