WTVA
Encyclopedia
WTVA is the NBC
-affiliated television station
for Northern Mississippi
and Northwestern Alabama
licensed to Tupelo, Mississippi
. It broadcasts a high definition
digital signal on VHF channel 8 (or virtual channel
9.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter on County Road
70 in Woodland, Mississippi
. The station can also be seen on Cable One
channel 5 and Comcast
channel 6. There is a high definition feed provided on Cable One digital channel 465 and Comcast digital channel 1006. Locally-owned, WTVA operates ABC
affiliate WKDH
and Fox affiliate WLOV-TV
through separate local marketing agreement
s (LMAs).
Although each station has its own General Manager
and owner in accordance with Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) policy, the LMAs create a unique situation where three major network outlets are controlled by one entity. All three stations share studios on County Road
681 in Saltillo, Mississippi
. Syndicated
programming on WTVA includes Wheel of Fortune
, The Dr. Oz Show
, Dr. Phil
, and Inside Edition
among others.
. While FamilyNet is offered locally on Comcast, it is the national feed, rather than the feed from WTVA. The main difference between the two is WTVA's FamilyNet feed simulcasts WTVA's news programming, as well as showing repeats of the long-running "Mornin'" show with local celebrity Kay Bain.
, an engineering graduate of Mississippi State University
, who had helped build NBC-owned station WNBW (now WRC-TV
) in Washington D.C.. While serving as Technical Director at WHEN-TV (now WTVH
) in Syracuse, New York
in the early-1950s, he dreamed of bringing a television station to Tupelo where he had spent most of his childhood. Spain applied for a license in 1953 which was granted by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) in 1956.
The station first signed-on March 18, 1957
with the call letters WTWV an aired an analog signal on VHF channel 9. Its equipment (antenna, transmitter, cameras etc.) were all hand-built in Spain's garage, backyard, and basement in Syracuse. He hoped to parlay his good relations with NBC officials into getting his new station an affiliation with the network. However, several NBC executives believed Tupelo was not a desirable place for a local station because of its rural location dozens of miles away from cities such as Memphis, Tennessee
and Birmingham, Alabama
that already had affiliates.
Nonetheless, they told Spain that if he could figure out a way to obtain a network signal, he could carry it. Spain allegedly negotiated under-the-table deals with WMC-TV
in Memphis and set up a network of microwave
relays and repeater
systems to carry the WMC-TV signal to Tupelo. Station engineers then switched to and from the signal when network programming aired. This setup, necessary in the days before satellites, enabled WTWV to bring NBC programming to Northeastern Mississippi and Northwestern Alabama
. The station also carried a secondary affiliation with ABC.
In the mid-1960s, WTWV was approached about becoming a full ABC affiliate. Spain, who was still receiving "bootleg" NBC programming, told NBC executives that ABC was willing to pay him. This prompted NBC to negotiate a formal deal with Spain and WTWV formally became an NBC affiliate. It still carried some ABC programming in off-hours until WVSB (now WLOV) in nearby West Point
began operating in 1983. Between 1972 and 1980, WTWV's signal was rebroadcast for viewers in East-Central Mississippi on a satellite WHTV (now WMDN
) in Meridian
. After becoming a separate entity, that station has operated primarily as a CBS affiliate and was sold to Meridian Media (now Waypoint Media) in January 2008. WTWV built a brand-new tower in 1970s that not only brought a city-grade signal to Columbus for the first time, but gave the station one of the largest coverage areas in the country.
On July 4, 1979, it changed its call letters to WTVA in honor of Tupelo's recognition as the first Tennessee Valley Authority
city in the Southeast
. The WTWV call sign was later used on WFRQ, a radio station in Mashpee, Massachusetts
, unrelated to the current WTVA. The station is still locally-owned by the Spain family today. Frank Spain served as CEO
of WTVA, Inc. until his death on April 25, 2006. He continued to visit the station regularly well into his 70s. His wife Jane has assumed the CEO position and continues the Spain family ownership. The outlet was the first commercial television station
in Mississippi to devote its entire morning broadcast schedule to educational programming
. The station also made history as the first in Mississippi to broadcast a live basketball game.
Although WTVA operates WLOV and WKDH through local marketing agreements (LMAs), each station has its own station manager and owner in accordance with FCC policy. WTVA, Inc. also previously owned and operated KTFL
in Flagstaff, Arizona
. During the majority of the time KTFL was broadcasting, it carried programing from FamilyNet
which is currently seen on WTVA's second digital subchannel
. KTFL's transmitter was licensed as the most powerful television station its own market
. On July 24, 2008, WTVA began its digital service on VHF channel 8 but is mapped via PSIP to virtual channel 9. By comparison, sister station WLOV broadcasts network programming in high definition over a low-powered digital transmitter. It is likely the allowable power levels on channel 8, WTVA's post-transition digital channel, will be severely limited due to potential interference to other stations.
. Currently known as WLOV News at Nine, this broadcast can be seen for thirty minutes. It began to have competition on September 8, 2008 when WCBI added a weeknight-only half-hour newscast on its second
digital subchannel (which had just affiliated with new Fox sister network MyNetworkTV
three days earlier). On April 20, 2009, WTVA became the first station in the market and second in the state to upgrade local news to high definition.
Compared nationwide, it was the smallest market outlet that made the change. WLOV News at Nine would not be included in the upgrade until June 22. WTVA-DT2 simulcasts the main channel's weeknight newscasts at 5 and 6. WKDH
does not offer any WTVA-produced newscasts and largely serves as a "pass-through" for automated network and syndicated programming. However, that station does offer a second airing of three public affairs
shows produced by this station: West Point of View, Community Edition, and Focus.
The Weather Authority Meteorologists
Sports (both seen on Friday Night Fever)
Reporters
Photographers
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 Northern Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
and Northwestern Alabama
Northwest Alabama
Northwest Alabama is a subdivision of the North Alabama region, and includes the cities of Decatur, Florence, Russellvile, and their surrounding areas in the state of Alabama. The county inclusion varies, usually only consisting of the Decatur Metropolitan Area and Florence-Muscle Shoals...
licensed to Tupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo is the largest city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. It is the seventh largest city in the state of Mississippi, smaller than Meridian, and larger than Greenville. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city's population was 34,211...
. 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 VHF channel 8 (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....
9.1 via PSIP) from a transmitter on County Road
Chickasaw County, Mississippi
-National protected areas:* Natchez Trace Parkway * Tombigbee National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 19,440 people, 7,253 households, and 5,287 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile . There were 7,981 housing units at an...
70 in Woodland, Mississippi
Woodland, Mississippi
Woodland is a village in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 159 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Woodland is located at ....
. The station can also be seen on Cable One
Cable One
Cable ONE is a United States cable service provider and subsidiary of The Washington Post Company, functioning as its own self-contained corporation within its parent company. The company's name and current focus dates back to 1997; prior to that time the company was known as Post-Newsweek Cable...
channel 5 and 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...
channel 6. There is a high definition feed provided on Cable One digital channel 465 and Comcast digital channel 1006. Locally-owned, WTVA operates 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 WKDH
WKDH
WKDH is the ABC-affiliated television station for Northern Mississippi and Northwestern Alabama licensed to Houston, Mississippi. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 45 from a transmitter on County Road 70 in Woodland, Mississippi. The station can also be seen on Comcast...
and Fox affiliate WLOV-TV
WLOV-TV
WLOV-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Northern Mississippi and portions of West Alabama licensed to West Point, Mississippi. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 16 from a transmitter on County Road 70 in Woodland, Mississippi. The station can also be seen...
through separate local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
s (LMAs).
Although each station has its own General Manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
and owner in accordance with 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...
(FCC) policy, the LMAs create a unique situation where three major network outlets are controlled by one entity. All three stations share studios on County Road
Lee County, Mississippi
-National protected areas:* Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site* Natchez Trace Parkway * Tupelo National Battlefield-History:On September 20, 1816, General Andrew Jackson, David Meriwether, and the Chickasaw Nation signed the Treaty of Chickasaw Council House in Lee County.Lee County was...
681 in Saltillo, Mississippi
Saltillo, Mississippi
Saltillo is a town in Lee County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 3,393 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Saltillo is located at ....
. 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 WTVA 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...
, The Dr. Oz Show
The Dr. Oz Show
The Dr. Oz Show is an American syndicated television talk show, hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and teaching professor at Columbia University who became famous for his appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show from 2004 until 2009....
, 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 Inside Edition
Inside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
among others.
Digital programming
On WTVA-DT2 is FamilyNetFamilyNet
FamilyNet is a broadcast television network owned by ComStar Media Fund and based in Atlanta, Georgia. The network was founded in 1979 as the National Christian Network, and took the name FamilyNet in 1988 under the ownership of Jerry Falwell. The channel was acquired by InTouch Ministries in...
. While FamilyNet is offered locally on Comcast, it is the national feed, rather than the feed from WTVA. The main difference between the two is WTVA's FamilyNet feed simulcasts WTVA's news programming, as well as showing repeats of the long-running "Mornin'" show with local celebrity Kay Bain.
| Channels (physical/virtual) | Name | 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,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.1/9.1 | WTVA-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 WTVA programming/NBC (HD) |
| 8.2/9.2 | WTVA-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 | FamilyNet (SD) |
| 8.3/9.3 | WTVA-DT3 | 480i | 4:3 | Me-TV (SD) |
History
This station was the brainchild of Frank K. SpainFrank K. Spain
Frank Kyle Spain was an American inventor and television engineer. He is best known for founding and building WTVA, an NBC affiliate in Tupelo, Mississippi....
, an engineering graduate of Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
, who had helped build NBC-owned station WNBW (now WRC-TV
WRC-TV
WRC-TV, channel 4, is an owned and operated television station of the NBC television network, located in the American capital city of Washington, D.C...
) in Washington D.C.. While serving as Technical Director at WHEN-TV (now WTVH
WTVH
WTVH is the CBS-affiliated television station for Central New York State licensed to Syracuse. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 47 from a transmitter in LaFayette. The station can also be seen on Time Warner and Verizon FiOS channel 5. There is a high definition feed...
) in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
in the early-1950s, he dreamed of bringing a television station to Tupelo where he had spent most of his childhood. Spain applied for a license in 1953 which was granted by 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...
(FCC) in 1956.
The station first signed-on March 18, 1957
1957 in television
The year 1957 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1957.-Events:*January 6 – Elvis Presley makes final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show....
with the call letters WTWV an aired an analog signal on VHF channel 9. Its equipment (antenna, transmitter, cameras etc.) were all hand-built in Spain's garage, backyard, and basement in Syracuse. He hoped to parlay his good relations with NBC officials into getting his new station an affiliation with the network. However, several NBC executives believed Tupelo was not a desirable place for a local station because of its rural location dozens of miles away from cities such as Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
and Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
that already had affiliates.
Nonetheless, they told Spain that if he could figure out a way to obtain a network signal, he could carry it. Spain allegedly negotiated under-the-table deals with WMC-TV
WMC-TV
WMC-TV is the NBC affiliate television station for the Memphis, Tennessee metropolitan area. The station serves roughly the western third of Tennessee, northwestern Mississippi, northeastern Arkansas and the southeastern corner of Missouri over the air on satellite and on various cable systems. Its...
in Memphis and set up a network of microwave
Microwave
Microwaves, a subset of radio waves, have wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...
relays and repeater
Broadcast relay station
A broadcast relay station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator , rebroadcaster , or repeater is a broadcast transmitter which relays, repeats, or reflects the signal of another radio station or television station, usually to an area not covered by the signal of the originating station...
systems to carry the WMC-TV signal to Tupelo. Station engineers then switched to and from the signal when network programming aired. This setup, necessary in the days before satellites, enabled WTWV to bring NBC programming to Northeastern Mississippi and Northwestern Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. The station also carried a secondary affiliation with ABC.
In the mid-1960s, WTWV was approached about becoming a full ABC affiliate. Spain, who was still receiving "bootleg" NBC programming, told NBC executives that ABC was willing to pay him. This prompted NBC to negotiate a formal deal with Spain and WTWV formally became an NBC affiliate. It still carried some ABC programming in off-hours until WVSB (now WLOV) in nearby West Point
West Point, Mississippi
West Point is a city in Clay County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 12,145 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Clay County and the principal city of the West Point Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Columbus-West Point Combined Statistical...
began operating in 1983. Between 1972 and 1980, WTWV's signal was rebroadcast for viewers in East-Central Mississippi on a satellite WHTV (now WMDN
WMDN
WMDN is the CBS-affiliated television station for Meridian, Mississippi. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 24 from a transmitter at its studios on Crestview Circle south of downtown. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 5 and in high definition on digital...
) in Meridian
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It is the sixth largest city in the state and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...
. After becoming a separate entity, that station has operated primarily as a CBS affiliate and was sold to Meridian Media (now Waypoint Media) in January 2008. WTWV built a brand-new tower in 1970s that not only brought a city-grade signal to Columbus for the first time, but gave the station one of the largest coverage areas in the country.
On July 4, 1979, it changed its call letters to WTVA in honor of Tupelo's recognition as the first Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
city in the Southeast
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
. The WTWV call sign was later used on WFRQ, a radio station in Mashpee, Massachusetts
Mashpee, Massachusetts
Mashpee is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 14,006 as of 2010.For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Mashpee, please see the articles on Mashpee Neck, Monomoscoy Island, New Seabury, Popponesset, Popponesset Island,...
, unrelated to the current WTVA. The station is still locally-owned by the Spain family today. Frank Spain served as CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of WTVA, Inc. until his death on April 25, 2006. He continued to visit the station regularly well into his 70s. His wife Jane has assumed the CEO position and continues the Spain family ownership. The outlet was the first commercial television station
Commercial broadcasting
Commercial broadcasting is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship...
in Mississippi to devote its entire morning broadcast schedule to educational programming
Educational television
Educational television is the use of television programs in the field of distance education. It may be in the form of individual television programs or dedicated specialty channels that is often associated with cable television in the United States as Public, educational, and government access ...
. The station also made history as the first in Mississippi to broadcast a live basketball game.
Although WTVA operates WLOV and WKDH through local marketing agreements (LMAs), each station has its own station manager and owner in accordance with FCC policy. WTVA, Inc. also previously owned and operated KTFL
KTFL
KTFL was a religious television station in Flagstaff, Arizona, broadcasting locally on channel 4 as an affiliate of FamilyNet. The station was owned by WTVA, Inc. . The station signed off June 1, 2006, with its broadcasting license cancelled by the FCC.- External links :*...
in Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
. During the majority of the time KTFL was broadcasting, it carried programing from FamilyNet
FamilyNet
FamilyNet is a broadcast television network owned by ComStar Media Fund and based in Atlanta, Georgia. The network was founded in 1979 as the National Christian Network, and took the name FamilyNet in 1988 under the ownership of Jerry Falwell. The channel was acquired by InTouch Ministries in...
which is currently seen on WTVA's 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...
. KTFL's transmitter was licensed as the most powerful television station its own market
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...
. On July 24, 2008, WTVA began its digital service on VHF channel 8 but is mapped via PSIP to virtual channel 9. By comparison, sister station WLOV broadcasts network programming in high definition over a low-powered digital transmitter. It is likely the allowable power levels on channel 8, WTVA's post-transition digital channel, will be severely limited due to potential interference to other stations.
News operation
In March of 2000, WTVA began producing a Sunday through Friday night prime time newscast on WLOV-TVWLOV-TV
WLOV-TV is the Fox-affiliated television station for Northern Mississippi and portions of West Alabama licensed to West Point, Mississippi. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 16 from a transmitter on County Road 70 in Woodland, Mississippi. The station can also be seen...
. Currently known as WLOV News at Nine, this broadcast can be seen for thirty minutes. It began to have competition on September 8, 2008 when WCBI added a weeknight-only half-hour newscast on its second
WCBI-DT2
WCBI-DT2 is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Northern Mississippi and Northwestern Alabama. The station is a second digital subchannel of CBS affiliate WCBI-TV owned by Morris Multimedia. Over-the-air, it broadcasts a standard definition digital signal on UHF channel 35.2 from a...
digital subchannel (which had just affiliated with new Fox sister network MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
three days earlier). On April 20, 2009, WTVA became the first station in the market and second in the state to upgrade local news to high definition.
Compared nationwide, it was the smallest market outlet that made the change. WLOV News at Nine would not be included in the upgrade until June 22. WTVA-DT2 simulcasts the main channel's weeknight newscasts at 5 and 6. WKDH
WKDH
WKDH is the ABC-affiliated television station for Northern Mississippi and Northwestern Alabama licensed to Houston, Mississippi. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 45 from a transmitter on County Road 70 in Woodland, Mississippi. The station can also be seen on Comcast...
does not offer any WTVA-produced newscasts and largely serves as a "pass-through" for automated network and syndicated programming. However, that station does offer a second airing of three public affairs
Public affairs (broadcasting)
Public affairs, a broadcasting industry term, refers to television programs which focuses on matters of politics and public policy. Among commercial broadcasters, such programs are often only to satisfy Federal Communications Commission regulatory expectations and are not scheduled in prime time...
shows produced by this station: West Point of View, Community Edition, and Focus.
Newscast titles
- 9 Alive News (1980s)
- WTVA News 9 (1980s-2009)
- WTVA News (2009-present)
Station slogans
- "The Spirit of Mississippi" (general, 1980s-2004)
- "Come Home To The Best, Only on Channel 9" (1988-1994)
- "Mississippi's News Channel" (1994–2004)
- "Your Digital Information Center" (2004–2006)
- "Live, Local, Latebreaking." (2006–present)
News team
Anchors- Robert Byers - weekday mornings
- Keegan Foxx - weekdays mornings and noon
- Terry Smith - Managing EditorManaging editorA managing editor is a senior member of a publication's management team.In the United States, a managing editor oversees and coordinates the publication's editorial activities...
seen weekdays at noon and weeknights at 6 (also Focus host) - Sunya Walls - weeknights at 5 and 10
- Craig Ford - Assistant News DirectorNews DirectorA news director is an individual at a broadcast station or network or a newspaper who is in charge of the news department. In local news, the news director is typically in charge of the entire news staff, including journalists, news presenters, photographers, copy writers, television producers,...
seen weeknights at 6 and 10 - Julee Brown - weeknights at 9
- C.J. LeMaster - weekends
- Kay Bain - Kay Bain's Saturday Mornin' Show host
- Stan Allen - West Point of View and Community Edition host
The Weather Authority Meteorologists
- Matt Laubhan (CBMCertified 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) - Chief seen weeknights - Dick Rice - Chief EmeritusEmeritusEmeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
and fill-in - Jennifer Watson - weekday mornings and noon
- John Dolusic - weekends
Sports (both seen on Friday Night Fever)
- Jim Holder - weeknights at 6, 9, and 10
- Drew Goldfarb - weekends and sports reporter
Reporters
- Susan Parker
- Drew Powell
- Justin Lewis
- Allie Ware
Photographers
- Wayne Hereford - fill-in news anchor
- Jeff Bryant - associate producer
- David Chimahusky
- Alvin Ivy