WRIC-TV
Encyclopedia
WRIC-TV, virtual channel
8 (digital channel 22), is the ABC
-affiliated television station for the Richmond, Virginia
market. It is owned by Young Broadcasting. The station is licensed
to nearby Petersburg
, while its studios are just off the Powhite Parkway extension (State Route 76) in the Arboretum office park in western Chesterfield County
. Syndicated
programming on WRIC includes: Wheel of Fortune
, Jeopardy!
, Dr. Phil and The 700 Club
.
On June 12, 2009, WRIC-TV ended its analog broadcast and its digital signal remained on its pre-transition digital channel 22. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers continue to display WRIC-TV's virtual channel
as 8.1.
affiliate. It was originally licensed to Petersburg and was owned by Thomas Tinsley along with WLEE radio
. Channel 8's transmitter was located in the Bermuda Hundred area of eastern Chesterfield County. Originally, it didn't cover Richmond nearly as well as did WTVR-TV
(channel 6) and WRVA-TV (channel 12, now WWBT
). The main studios were located in Petersburg. At first, a Richmond sales office was located at WLEE's studios on West Broad Street in Richmond; later, satellite studios were established just off Midlothian Turnpike in Bon Air
, a suburb of Richmond.
The station swapped affiliations with channel 12 in 1965 and became and ABC affiliate. It has been with that network ever since. In 1968, the station (along with sister station WLEE-AM) was sold to Nationwide Communications
. In 1969, a fire destroyed its original Petersburg studios. For a few weeks, the station had to broadcast from its transmitter, then set up temporary offices and studios in a vacated store in Petersburg. The station later moved in a brand new facility on Crater Road that it named Blandford Manor. In 1981, Nationwide sold off sister station WLEE-AM.
WXEX's call letters were changed on April 23, 1990 to WRIC-TV and the station moved its studios to the current location in Chesterfield County. However, it is still licensed to Petersburg; unlike the other stations in the market, it identifies as "Petersburg/Richmond." Nationwide would sell all three of its ABC-affiliated television stations, including WRIC, to Young Broadcasting
in 1993.
The station's owner, Young Broadcasting, went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009. The station was part of a bankruptcy auction scheduled for July 14, 2009 but cancelled at the last minute. On July 22, a bankruptcy judge approved a plan in which Young's secured lenders would take over the company and outsource the management of seven of its 10 stations, including WRIC, to Gray Television
. Final approval of the deal from the Federal Communications Commission
is still pending.
On September 28, 2011, WRIC-TV became the third commercial station (behind WWBT and WTVR) in Richmond to broadcast local news in high definition.
On November 1, 2011, WRIC-TV ceased to carry The Country Network on the station's 8.2 sub-channel.
8 News Stormtracker Weather
Sports team
Reporters
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....
8 (digital channel 22), is the 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...
-affiliated television station for the Richmond, Virginia
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...
market. It is owned by Young Broadcasting. The station is licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to nearby Petersburg
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
, while its studios are just off the Powhite Parkway extension (State Route 76) in the Arboretum office park in western Chesterfield County
Chesterfield County, Virginia
Chesterfield County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. In 2010, its population was estimated to be 316,236. Chesterfield County is now the fourth-largest municipality in Virginia . Its county seat is Chesterfield...
. 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 WRIC includes: Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
, Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
, Dr. Phil and The 700 Club
The 700 Club
The 700 Club is the flagship news talk show of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing in syndication throughout the United States and Canada. In production since 1966, it is currently hosted by Pat Robertson, Terry Meeuwsen, Kristi Watts, and Gordon P. Robertson, two of whom will host on any...
.
Digital programming
WRIC-DT broadcasts on digital channel 22.| Virtual channel |
Physical channel |
Video | 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,... |
Name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.1 | 22.1 | 720p 720p 720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan... |
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 ... |
WRIC-DT | Main WRIC-TV programming / ABC HD |
On June 12, 2009, WRIC-TV ended its analog broadcast and its digital signal remained on its pre-transition digital channel 22. Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers continue to display WRIC-TV's 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....
as 8.1.
History
The station began operation in 1955 as WXEX-TV, an NBCNBC
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. It was originally licensed to Petersburg and was owned by Thomas Tinsley along with WLEE radio
WLEE
WLEE is a News/Talk formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Richmond, Virginia, serving Metro Richmond. WLEE is owned and operated by Davidson Media Group....
. Channel 8's transmitter was located in the Bermuda Hundred area of eastern Chesterfield County. Originally, it didn't cover Richmond nearly as well as did WTVR-TV
WTVR-TV
WTVR-TV, virtual channel 6, is a CBS television affiliate based in Richmond, Virginia owned by Local TV, the broadcasting arm of Oak Hill Capital Partners...
(channel 6) and WRVA-TV (channel 12, now WWBT
WWBT
WWBT is the NBC-affiliated television station for Richmond, Virginia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter at its studios on Midlothian Turnpike in the city. Owned by Raycom Media, the station operates CW affiliate WUPV through a shared services...
). The main studios were located in Petersburg. At first, a Richmond sales office was located at WLEE's studios on West Broad Street in Richmond; later, satellite studios were established just off Midlothian Turnpike in Bon Air
Bon Air, Virginia
Bon Air is a census-designated place in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. The population was 16,366 at the 2010 census. The community is considered a suburb of the independent city of Richmond in the Richmond-Petersburg region, and shares a post office with Richmond...
, a suburb of Richmond.
The station swapped affiliations with channel 12 in 1965 and became and ABC affiliate. It has been with that network ever since. In 1968, the station (along with sister station WLEE-AM) was sold to Nationwide Communications
Nationwide Communications
Nationwide Communications Inc. was a media subsidiary of the Nationwide Insurance Company, which operated from 1946 until 1997. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Communications owned and operated a variety of radio and television stations across the United States until it sold off all its radio...
. In 1969, a fire destroyed its original Petersburg studios. For a few weeks, the station had to broadcast from its transmitter, then set up temporary offices and studios in a vacated store in Petersburg. The station later moved in a brand new facility on Crater Road that it named Blandford Manor. In 1981, Nationwide sold off sister station WLEE-AM.
WXEX's call letters were changed on April 23, 1990 to WRIC-TV and the station moved its studios to the current location in Chesterfield County. However, it is still licensed to Petersburg; unlike the other stations in the market, it identifies as "Petersburg/Richmond." Nationwide would sell all three of its ABC-affiliated television stations, including WRIC, to Young Broadcasting
Young Broadcasting
New Young Broadcasting Holding Co, Inc. is an owner of 14 television stations in 11 United States media markets. The company was formerly known as Young Broadcasting Inc. and was the outgrowth of the ad representation/invest firm Adam Young, Inc. which was founded in 1944 by Adam Young and is...
in 1993.
The station's owner, Young Broadcasting, went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009. The station was part of a bankruptcy auction scheduled for July 14, 2009 but cancelled at the last minute. On July 22, a bankruptcy judge approved a plan in which Young's secured lenders would take over the company and outsource the management of seven of its 10 stations, including WRIC, to 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...
. Final approval of the deal from 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...
is still pending.
On September 28, 2011, WRIC-TV became the third commercial station (behind WWBT and WTVR) in Richmond to broadcast local news in high definition.
On November 1, 2011, WRIC-TV ceased to carry The Country Network on the station's 8.2 sub-channel.
News team
Anchors- Juan Conde - weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m.
- Morgan Dean - weekend mornings; also weeknight 5, 5:30 and 6 p.m. reporter
- Christina Feerick - weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m.
- Amy Lacey - weekday mornings Good Morning Richmond (5-7 a.m.) and 9 a.m.
- A.J. Lagoe - weekdays at noon, investigative reporter
- Amie McLain - weekday mornings Good Morning Richmond (5-7 a.m.) and 9 a.m.
- Lindsey Henley Martin - weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.
- Kerri O'Brien - weeknights at 5, 5:30 and 6 p.m.; also 11 p.m. reporter
8 News Stormtracker Weather
- John Bernier (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; member, 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...
) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m. - Matt DiNardo (AMS Certified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast MeteorologistCertified Broadcast Meteorologist is a rating for meteorologists given by the American Meteorological Society.The Certified Broadcast Meteorologist program was established to raise the professional standard in broadcast meteorology and encourage a broader range of scientific understanding,...
Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings Good Morning Richmond (5-7 a.m.), 9 a.m. and noon - Paul Milliken (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - meteorologist; weekend mornings, also Monday and Tuesday morning traffic reporter
- Jason Myers (member, AMS; member, NWA) - meteorologist; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m., also general assignment and Wednesday-Friday morning traffic reporter
Sports team
- Phil Orban - sports director; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.
- Yianni Kourakis - news and sports video journalist/reporter
Reporters
- Darragh Copley - video journalist/general assignment reporter
- Nate Eaton - general assignment reporter
- Catherine Hawley - video journalist/general assignment reporter
- Josh Landon - general assignment reporter
- Laura Morris - weekday morning reporter
- Veronica Rohrmoser - video journalist/general assignment reporter
- Kim Schumacher - general assignment reporter
- Katelyn Sherwood - video journalist/general assignment reporter
- Mark Tenia - video journalist/general assignment reporter
Former on-air staff
- Tracy Butler - meteorologist (now with WLS-TVWLS-TVWLS-TV, virtual channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The station operates their full power digital operations on UHF channel 44, with their digital fill-in translator on VHF channel...
in Chicago) - Matt LauerMatt LauerMatthew Todd "Matt" Lauer . is an American television journalist best known as the host of NBC's The Today Show since 1997. He was previously a news anchor in New York and a local talk-show host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Richmond...
- host of "PM Magazine" (1980s; now with NBC NewsNBC NewsNBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
and host of Today) - Mara MacDonaldMara MacDonaldMara MacDonald is an American television reporter, known for her recent work at NBC affiliate WDIV-TV, owned by Post-Newsweek Stations in Detroit, Michigan.A native of the Detroit area, MacDonald is a graduate of the Detroit Country Day School...
- reporter