WLTZ
Encyclopedia
WLTZ is the NBC
-affiliated television station
for the Chattahoochee
Valley of West-Central Georgia
and East-Central Alabama. Licensed to Columbus, Georgia
, it broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on UHF channel 35 (or virtual channel
38.1 via PSIP) from its studios on NBC 38 Drive in the Vista Terrance section of South Columbus
(official address is Buena Vista Road in Columbus). The station can also be seen on Knology
and Mediacom
channel 8 as well as Charter
channel 13. There is a high definition feed offered on Charter digital channel 713, Mediacom digital channel 808 and Knology digital channel 903. Syndicated
programming on WLTZ includes Family Feud
, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
, Dr. Phil
and The Jerry Springer Show
among others.
. Known on-air as The CW Ga-Bama, this can also be seen on Knology channel 9, Mediacom channel 12 and Charter digital channel 109. WLTZ-DT2 receives all programming through The CW Plus
.
The station signed-on October 29, 1970
as WYEA and aired an analog signal on UHF channel 38. It was branded on-air as "YAY-TV" and featured promotions showing a cheerleader with pompoms. WYEA was originally owned by Huntsville, Alabama
broadcaster Charles Grisham and his company, Gala Broadcasting. It brought a full NBC affiliate to Columbus after a full decade
in which CBS
outlet WRBL
and ABC
affiliate WTVM
had shared NBC programming, which usually aired at times when the primary networks' programming was not shown. Like most UHF start-ups during this time, WYEA began with several handicaps.
First, like almost all other United States
television markets
with one or two dominant VHF stations, the Columbus area had strong-established preferences for either WRBL or WTVM. It also had to deal with established NBC stations WSB-TV
in Atlanta (later WXIA-TV
after an affiliation change in that market), WALB
in Albany, Georgia
and Montgomery, Alabama
's WSFA
all of which provided at least Grade B coverage of the outlying areas of the market.
In fact, Grisham attempted unsuccessfully to legally block WSFA's plans to build a new tower fearing it would cut into WYEA's market share. Later in the 1970s, WYEA became the flagship station of Aflac
's broadcast operations (a locally-based insurance company). The outlet added the -TV suffix to its call sign on January 23, 1979. In 1981, Aflec sold the station to J. Curtis Lewis (owner of WJCL-TV-FM
in Savannah, Georgia
, WLTX
and WNOK
-FM in Columbia, South Carolina
and WSTZ-FM
-AM in Jackson, Mississippi
).
On August 31 of that year, the station changed its calls to the current WLTZ and became known on-air as "Z 38". In May 2007, Lewis sold the station (his last remaining one) to SagamoreHill Broadcasting. Although the official DTV transition
was moved from February 17, 2009 to June 12, WLTZ ceased analog transmission at noon on February 17. On April 2, 2009, it was announced The CW would discontinue its relationship with Pappas Telecasting-owned WLGA
and WLTZ joined the network on April 27 adding it to a new second digital subchannel
. WLGA then became an Independent and began syndicated show. It eventually ceased operations in June 2010 after being unable to broadcast the format in the market.
. Columbus broadcast veteran and former nightclub
owner Al Fleming
was once anchor of these newscasts as was Richard Elliot (later of WRBL and WSB-TV
). After shutting down its news operation, WLTZ offered syndicated shows with brief news updates taped in advance that ran for three minutes in length. In November 2007, the station brought back weeknight newscasts at 6, 7, and 11 in partnership with the Independent News Network
(INN) in Davenport, Iowa
. Originally, the early evening shows aired in traditional half-hour formats while the late newscast was shown in an update
format.
On May 29, 2008, WLTZ became the first station in Columbus and third in Georgia to upgrade local news to high definition. The change came after INN added HD capabilities to its centralized studios. In a report in the Macon, Georgia
Telegraph
, it was announced the centralized news service filed for Chapter 7
bankruptcy
on December 31, 2008 and would end all productions (including those for WLTZ) by January 9, 2009. However, a later report in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
on January 6 indicated this station's newscasts would not be affected by the bankruptcy filing. In April 2010, WLTZ replaced the 7 O'Clock Report with Alabama First News. Unlike the other two weeknight broadcasts, the show focused on Eastern Alabama because that state, which is in the Central Time Zone
, is an hour behind Georgia. Therefore, this was the only local newscast catering to viewers on the Alabama side of the market airing at 6.
Viewers in those areas also have access to stations from Dothan
and Montgomery
offering broadcasts geared for the Central Time Zone. The format change for WLTZ's show was made in conjunction with sister stations WNCF
and WBMM
in Montgomery after those outlets expanded their news department and agreement with the Independent News Network. Full thirty minute newscasts now air weeknights at 9 and 10 that feature WLTZ's reporters covering Eastern Alabama since Montgomery and Columbus have coverage areas bordering each other. At some point in Fall 2011, WLTZ's weeknight show at 7 was moved to 11 while still remaining known as Alabama First News. Therefore, NBC 38 News at 6 solely focuses on Columbus and other areas in Georgia while the late news (now 35 minutes in length) offers coverage specifically from the greater Auburn
, Phenix City
and Opelika
areas in Alabama.
In addition, there are now local news and weather cut-ins on weekday mornings during Today from 7 until 11 (at :25 and :55 past the hour). The news anchor, meteorologist, and sports anchor are provided by the centralized news operation and other personnel from INN can fill-in as necessary. WLTZ maintains local reporters who contribute relevant West-Central Georgia and East-Central Alabama content. All of the broadcasts (except for the news cut-ins on weekday mornings which air live) are recorded in advance and originate from INN's facility on Tremont Avenue in Davenport. Like all CW Plus affiliates in the Eastern Time Zone, WLTZ-DT2 offers the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz
on weekdays from 6 until 9.
Other anchors
Reporters
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...
-affiliated television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
for the Chattahoochee
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
Valley of West-Central Georgia
Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area
The Columbus, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of four counties in Georgia and one county in Alabama, anchored by the city of Columbus...
and East-Central Alabama. Licensed to Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
, it broadcasts a high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
digital signal on UHF channel 35 (or virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
38.1 via PSIP) from its studios on NBC 38 Drive in the Vista Terrance section of South Columbus
South Columbus, Georgia
South Columbus, or the southside, as locals refer to it as, is a district in Columbus, Georgia, situated just below financial district of Downtown Columbus, and just above the United States Army post Fort Benning. It is mainly the military-houseing area of Columbus...
(official address is Buena Vista Road in Columbus). The station can also be seen on Knology
Knology
Knology Inc. is a cable company that formed in 1994 by ITC Holding Company, Inc, a telecommunications holding company in West Point, Georgia that also founded Internet service provider Mindspring. In late 1994, shortly after Knology's inception, two employees made a $600,000 investment to make...
and Mediacom
Mediacom
Mediacom is a cable television and communications provider in the United States. Founded in July 1995, it serves primarily smaller markets in the Midwest and Southern United States. Formerly a publicly traded firm, it went private in a $600.0 million transaction in March 2011 and is, as of 2011,...
channel 8 as well as Charter
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
channel 13. There is a high definition feed offered on Charter digital channel 713, Mediacom digital channel 808 and Knology digital channel 903. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
programming on WLTZ includes Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
, The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, Dr. Phil
Dr. Phil (TV series)
Dr. Phil is a reality/talk television show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil debuted on September 16, 2002...
and The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries...
among others.
Digital programming
The station operates the area's CW affiliate on a second digital subchannelDigital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
. Known on-air as The CW Ga-Bama, this can also be seen on Knology channel 9, Mediacom channel 12 and Charter digital channel 109. WLTZ-DT2 receives all programming through The CW Plus
The CW Plus
The CW Plus is a group of primarily digital sub-channels, analog, and non-broadcast cable television outlets for the CW Television Network, for markets below the top 99 television media markets in the United States....
.
| Channels (physical/virtual) | Name | Video Display resolution The display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by all different factors in cathode ray tube , flat panel or projection... |
Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35.1/38.1 | WLTZ-HD | 1080i 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels... |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... |
main WLTZ programming/NBC (HD) |
| 35.1/38.2 | WLTZ-DT2 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | "The CW Ga-Bama" (SD) |
History
1970 in television
The year 1970 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1970.For the American TV schedule, see: 1970-71 American network television schedule.-Events:...
as WYEA and aired an analog signal on UHF channel 38. It was branded on-air as "YAY-TV" and featured promotions showing a cheerleader with pompoms. WYEA was originally owned by Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
broadcaster Charles Grisham and his company, Gala Broadcasting. It brought a full NBC affiliate to Columbus after a full decade
Decade
A decade is a period of 10 years. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek dekas which means ten. This etymology is sometime confused with the Latin decas and dies , which is not correct....
in which 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...
outlet WRBL
WRBL
WRBL, virtual channel 3 , is the CBS-affiliated television station in Columbus, Georgia. The station is owned by Media General, with studios in Columbus...
and 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 WTVM
WTVM
WTVM is the ABC-affiliated television station for Columbus, Georgia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11 from a transmitter in Cusseta. The station can also be seen on Charter, Knology, and Mediacom channel 10...
had shared NBC programming, which usually aired at times when the primary networks' programming was not shown. Like most UHF start-ups during this time, WYEA began with several handicaps.
First, like almost all other United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television markets
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
with one or two dominant VHF stations, the Columbus area had strong-established preferences for either WRBL or WTVM. It also had to deal with established NBC stations WSB-TV
WSB-TV
WSB-TV, virtual channel 2.1 , is the ABC affiliate in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship television station of Cox Enterprises and its Cox Media Group subsidiary...
in Atlanta (later WXIA-TV
WXIA-TV
WXIA-TV, virtual channel 11.1 , is the NBC-affiliated television station in Atlanta, Georgia. Popularly known by its 11 Alive moniker, WXIA is owned by the Gannett Company in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate WATL...
after an affiliation change in that market), WALB
WALB
WALB is the NBC- and ABC-affiliated television station for Southwestern Georgia licensed to Albany. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter in Doerun along the Colquitt and Worth County line...
in Albany, Georgia
Albany, Georgia
Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area and the southwest part of the state. The population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the...
and Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
's WSFA
WSFA
WSFA is the NBC-affiliated television station for Central Alabama's Black Belt region licensed to Montgomery. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter in Grady along the Montgomery and Pike County line. The station can also be seen on Knology and Charter...
all of which provided at least Grade B coverage of the outlying areas of the market.
In fact, Grisham attempted unsuccessfully to legally block WSFA's plans to build a new tower fearing it would cut into WYEA's market share. Later in the 1970s, WYEA became the flagship station of Aflac
Aflac
Aflac Incorporated is the largest provider of supplemental insurance in the United States, founded in 1955 and based in Columbus, Georgia. In the United States, Aflac underwrites a wide range of insurance policies, but is perhaps more known for its payroll deduction insurance coverage, which pays...
's broadcast operations (a locally-based insurance company). The outlet added the -TV suffix to its call sign on January 23, 1979. In 1981, Aflec sold the station to J. Curtis Lewis (owner of WJCL-TV-FM
WJCL-FM
WJCL-FM , known as "Kix 96", is a radio station in Savannah, Georgia featuring country music. WJCL is a 100,000 watt FM station which serves as the secondary Emergency Alert System radio station for the region.-History:The station was founded by J...
in Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, WLTX
WLTX
WLTX, is the CBS-affiliated television station in Columbia, South Carolina. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 17 from a transmitter located in Lugoff, South Carolina. Syndicated programming on the station includes: The Andy Griffith Show, The Doctors, The Ellen DeGeneres...
and WNOK
WNOK
WNOK is a CHR radio station licensed to Columbia, South Carolina and serves the Columbia, South Carolina market. The Clear Channel Communications outlet is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast at 104.7 MHz with an ERP of 90 kW...
-FM in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
and WSTZ-FM
WSTZ-FM
WSTZ-FM is a classic rock music formatted radio station in Jackson, Mississippi, but is licensed to Vicksburg, Mississippi. WSTZ is owned by Clear Channel. WSTZ serves Jackson and surrounding area with an ERP of 85,000 watts....
-AM in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
).
On August 31 of that year, the station changed its calls to the current WLTZ and became known on-air as "Z 38". In May 2007, Lewis sold the station (his last remaining one) to SagamoreHill Broadcasting. Although the official DTV transition
DTV 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...
was moved from February 17, 2009 to June 12, WLTZ ceased analog transmission at noon on February 17. On April 2, 2009, it was announced The CW would discontinue its relationship with Pappas Telecasting-owned WLGA
WLGA
WLGA was a television station in Opelika, Alabama. The channel broadcast in digital on UHF channel 47. Its studios were located in Opelika, with its transmitter located in Cusseta, Georgia...
and WLTZ joined the network on April 27 adding it to a new second digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
. WLGA then became an Independent and began syndicated show. It eventually ceased operations in June 2010 after being unable to broadcast the format in the market.
News operation
The station's first attempt at a news department lasted from its inception in 1970 until 1993. Despite a credible effort, WLTZ's newscasts were never competitive enough against WTVM and WRBL to gain enough viewership and consistent ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. Columbus broadcast veteran and former nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
owner Al Fleming
Alexander Fleming (disambiguation)
Alexander Fleming was a Scottish biologist.Alexander Fleming may also refer to:*Alexander Fleming...
was once anchor of these newscasts as was Richard Elliot (later of WRBL and WSB-TV
WSB-TV
WSB-TV, virtual channel 2.1 , is the ABC affiliate in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship television station of Cox Enterprises and its Cox Media Group subsidiary...
). After shutting down its news operation, WLTZ offered syndicated shows with brief news updates taped in advance that ran for three minutes in length. In November 2007, the station brought back weeknight newscasts at 6, 7, and 11 in partnership with the Independent News Network
Independent News Network
For the consortium of non-profit investigative news organizations, see .The Independent News Network, also known as INN, is a television news service based in Davenport, Iowa. It syndicates "localized" news programs for television stations across the country with little budget for news...
(INN) in Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
. Originally, the early evening shows aired in traditional half-hour formats while the late newscast was shown in an update
Eleven @ 11:00
Eleven @ 11:00 is the title of the 11:00 p.m. newscast on many local television stations in the United States. The name is based on the fact that the newscast will run for at least eleven minutes before the first commercial break, a summarized weather forecast segment will air during that time, or...
format.
On May 29, 2008, WLTZ became the first station in Columbus and third in Georgia to upgrade local news to high definition. The change came after INN added HD capabilities to its centralized studios. In a report in the Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
Telegraph
The Telegraph (Macon)
The Telegraph, frequently referred to as the Macon Telegraph, is a McClatchy newspaper in Macon, Georgia, United States, and is the primary print news organ in Middle Georgia...
, it was announced the centralized news service filed for Chapter 7
Chapter 7, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 7 of the Title 11 of the United States Code governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States...
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
on December 31, 2008 and would end all productions (including those for WLTZ) by January 9, 2009. However, a later report in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
The Ledger-Enquirer is a McClatchy newspaper headquartered in Downtown Columbus, Georgia, in the United States. It was founded in 1828 as the Columbus Enquirer by Mirabeau B. Lamar, who later played a pivotal role in the founding of the Republic of Texas and served as its third President...
on January 6 indicated this station's newscasts would not be affected by the bankruptcy filing. In April 2010, WLTZ replaced the 7 O'Clock Report with Alabama First News. Unlike the other two weeknight broadcasts, the show focused on Eastern Alabama because that state, which is in the Central Time Zone
Central Time zone
In North America, the Central Time Zone refers to national time zones which observe standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC , and daylight saving, or summer time by subtracting five hours...
, is an hour behind Georgia. Therefore, this was the only local newscast catering to viewers on the Alabama side of the market airing at 6.
Viewers in those areas also have access to stations from Dothan
Dothan, Alabama
Dothan is a city located in the southeastern corner of the US state of Alabama, situated approximately west of the Georgia state line and north of Florida. It is the seat of Houston County, with portions extending into nearby Dale County and Henry County...
and Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
offering broadcasts geared for the Central Time Zone. The format change for WLTZ's show was made in conjunction with sister stations WNCF
WNCF
WNCF is the ABC-affiliated television station for Central Alabama's Black Belt licensed to Montgomery. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter in Gordonville. The station can also be seen on Knology and Charter channel 4. There is a high definition feed...
and WBMM
WBMM
WBMM is the CW-affiliated television station for Central Alabama's Black Belt licensed to Tuskegee. It broadcasts a digital signal on UHF channel 22 from a transmitter in unincorporated Southeastern Bullock County. The station can also be seen on Charter channel 14 and Knology channel 19...
in Montgomery after those outlets expanded their news department and agreement with the Independent News Network. Full thirty minute newscasts now air weeknights at 9 and 10 that feature WLTZ's reporters covering Eastern Alabama since Montgomery and Columbus have coverage areas bordering each other. At some point in Fall 2011, WLTZ's weeknight show at 7 was moved to 11 while still remaining known as Alabama First News. Therefore, NBC 38 News at 6 solely focuses on Columbus and other areas in Georgia while the late news (now 35 minutes in length) offers coverage specifically from the greater Auburn
Auburn, Alabama
Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama with a 2010 population of 53,380. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area...
, Phenix City
Phenix City, Alabama
Phenix City is a city and the county seat in Russell County in the U.S. state of Alabama. Portions of Lee County are addressed as Phenix City, 36870 ZIP code, for the sole purpose that Smiths Station does not have full incorporation to annex the area...
and Opelika
Opelika, Alabama
Opelika is a city in and the county seat of Lee County in the east central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. According to 2010 Census, the population of Opelika was 26,477...
areas in Alabama.
In addition, there are now local news and weather cut-ins on weekday mornings during Today from 7 until 11 (at :25 and :55 past the hour). The news anchor, meteorologist, and sports anchor are provided by the centralized news operation and other personnel from INN can fill-in as necessary. WLTZ maintains local reporters who contribute relevant West-Central Georgia and East-Central Alabama content. All of the broadcasts (except for the news cut-ins on weekday mornings which air live) are recorded in advance and originate from INN's facility on Tremont Avenue in Davenport. Like all CW Plus affiliates in the Eastern Time Zone, WLTZ-DT2 offers the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz
The Daily Buzz is a nationally syndicated breakfast television news and infotainment program. The show is produced by Fisher Communications and is owned and distributed by ACME Communications; it is broadcast every weekday morning from studios at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida...
on weekdays from 6 until 9.
Newscast titles
- WYEA Nightly News (1970s)
- NewsCenter 38 (late 1970s–1993)
- NBC 38 News (outsourced, November 2007–present)
News team
News anchors and hosts- Sara Belsole - weekday morning cut-ins and reporter
- Amanda Decker - weeknights and producer
- Phil Doherty - producer and weeknight fill-in
- Ryan Bass - producer and weeknight fill-in
- Dee Armstrong - The Dee Armstrong Show and "Fixing It With Dee Armstrong" segment producer
- Dorothy Sherman - The Dee Armstrong Show
- Calvin Floyd - Calvin Floyd Live
- Stefanie Tiso- reporter and executive producer of The Dee Armstrong Show
- Miller Robson - mid-day cut-ins during Calvin Floyd Live
Other anchors
- Pat Walker (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) - Senior Meteorologist seen weeknights - Kyle Dennis - fill-in meteorologist
- Ed Russo - weekday morning cut-in meteorologist and fill-in
- Jeremy Moss - weeknight sports and producer
- Roland Glembine - producer and fill-in weeknight sports
Reporters
- Jeremy Babin - sports and "Scholar Athlete of the Week" segment producer
- Donyel Perry - photojournalist
- Christina Chambers
- Matt Lally