WTAP-TV (channel 15) is a
television station
A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity, such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the eart ...
in
Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States, affiliated with
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
. It is owned by
Gray Television alongside two
low-power stations:
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
affiliate
WOVA-LD
WOVA-LD (channel 22) is a low-power television station in Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States, affiliated with Fox and The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Television alongside NBC affiliate WTAP-TV (channel 15) and low-power CBS affiliate ...
(channel 22) and
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
affiliate
WIYE-LD
WIYE-LD (channel 26) is a low-power television station in Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside NBC affiliate WTAP-TV (channel 15) and low-power Fox affiliate WOV ...
(channel 26). The three stations share studios on Market Street (official address is One Television Plaza) in downtown Parkersburg; WTAP-TV's transmitter is located in
Independence Township, Ohio.
History
The station signed on on
Veterans Day
Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than d ...
1953. WTAP aired an
analog
Analog or analogue may refer to:
Computing and electronics
* Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable
** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals
*** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...
signal on UHF channel 15 and, early in its life, aired programming from all four major networks of the time—NBC,
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
, CBS and
DuMont. Then as now it was a primary NBC affiliate. WJPB-TV in
Fairmont (channel 35, now sister station
WDTV
WDTV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Weston, West Virginia, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for North-Central West Virginia. It is owned by Gray Television alongside Clarksburg-licensed dual Fox/ CW+ affiliate W ...
on channel 5) launched four months later and took on exactly the same affiliation. Original plans called for WTAP to join WJPB and turn the Parkersburg and Clarksburg areas into one giant television
market
Market is a term used to describe concepts such as:
*Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand
*Market economy
*Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market
Geography
*Märket, an ...
. However, the area is a very rugged
dissected plateau
A dissected plateau is a plateau area that has been severely eroded such that the relief is sharp. Such an area may be referred to as mountainous, but dissected plateaus are distinguishable from orogenic mountain belts by the lack of folding, ...
and neither station's signal was strong enough to carry across the terrain. Additionally, Parkersburg and Fairmont are apart, and UHF stations do not carry very well across long distances.
As a result, WTAP currently remains the only full-power
commercial station based in Parkersburg. The only other outlets licensed to the city are the aforementioned low-power Fox and CBS affiliates, and outlying
translators
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...
of
West Virginia Public Broadcasting
West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) is the public television and radio state network serving the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is owned by the West Virginia Public Broadcasting Authority, an agency of the state government that holds the li ...
and the
Trinity Broadcasting Network
The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) is an international Christian-based broadcast television network and the world's largest religious television network. TBN was headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, until March 3, 2017, when it sold its ...
. By the mid-1950s, it was obvious that
Clarksburg–
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* ...
–Fairmont and Parkersburg–
Marietta were going to be separate markets. However, WTAP retained secondary affiliations with ABC and CBS until 1970, when it became a sole NBC affiliate.
As it was the sole commercial station in town, area cable systems have long piped in stations from outlying markets. Suddenlink's system in
Washington County, Ohio
Washington County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 59,711. Its county seat is Marietta. The county, the oldest in the state, is named for George Washington. Was ...
(home to Marietta) supplements the area with stations from
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
, as does the Parkersburg–Marietta
DirecTV
DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. I ...
feed. CAS Cable and Suddenlink's systems in
Wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...
and
Pleasants counties in West Virginia supplement coverage with stations from the
Huntington–
Charleston market.
The station's first studios were on West 7th Street in downtown Parkersburg near
Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital. It had a number of owners in its early days including the
Zanesville
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 census, down from 25,487 as of the 2010 census. Historically the state capit ...
Publishing Company which bailed WTAP out when it almost went off-the-air in the mid-1950s. It held ownership for about a decade until a group of local businessmen bought the station. The station was acquired by
Benedek Broadcasting
Benedek Broadcasting was a television broadcasting company, 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. ...
of
Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Hoffman Estates is a village in Illinois, United States. The village is located primarily in Cook County, with a small section in Kane County. It is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 52,530.
The village now serves a ...
in 1980. The West 7th Street facilities were also home to
WTAP-AM 1230 until the
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...
was spun off and sold to a separate entity. In summer 1990, WTAP-TV moved to its present studios in a former industrial research building. A long-time WTAP on-air personality, Glenn Wilson, suggested and got Parkersburg's approval to rename the last block of Market Street "Television Plaza". As a result, the new building was given "One Television Plaza" as its official
mailing address.
After Benedek declared
bankruptcy and sold most of its stations in 2002, WTAP was bought by Gray Television. In 2004, it was the first NBC affiliate in West Virginia to offer
high definition programming from the network.
In late 2005 Gray purchased NBC affiliate
WSAZ-TV
WSAZ-TV (channel 3) is a television station licensed to Huntington, West Virginia, United States, affiliated with NBC. It serves the Charleston–Huntington market, the second-largest television market (in terms of geographical area) east of t ...
in Huntington making that station and WTAP sisters. On April 10, 2006, the station launched new second and third
digital subchannels to serve as the area's Fox and
UPN
The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...
affiliates, respectively. To make these services possible, WTAP underwent a technical transformation. It carved out two new digital high definition-ready control rooms from space previously used for storage. The station also installed entirely digital production and
master control
Master control is the technical hub of a broadcast operation common among most over-the-air television stations and television networks. It is distinct from a production control room (PCR) in television studios where the activities such as sw ...
rooms.
After UPN merged with
The WB
The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on terrestrial television, broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture be ...
to form
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
in September 2006, WTAP-DT3 transitioned from UPN to Fox's new sister network, MyNetworkTV. WTAP has been digital-only since February 17, 2009. On September 3, 2012, Fox and MyNetworkTV moved to WOVA-LD and WIYE-LD2 respectively, leaving DT2 and DT3 dark. As of 2018, the DT2 and DT3 subchannels returned to the air as
simulcast
Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simulta ...
s of WIYE and WOVA.
WTAP is carried on multiple cable systems (in roughly a radius of Parkersburg) stretching as far east as
West Union, West Virginia
West Union, incorporated July 20, 1881, is a town in Doddridge County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 669 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Doddridge County. The town is located along Middle Island Creek at ...
, as far south as
Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Point Pleasant is a city in and the county seat of Mason County, West Virginia, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. The population was 4,101 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Point Pleasant, ...
, as far north as
Guernsey County, Ohio
Guernsey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,438. Its county seat is Cambridge, and it is named for the Isle of Guernsey in the English Channel, from which many of the county's ear ...
, and as far west as
Athens, Ohio.
Programming
Syndicated programming
Syndicated programming on WTAP includes ''
Wheel of Fortune'', ''
Jeopardy!
''Jeopardy!'' is an American game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead given gene ...
'', ''
Inside Edition
''Inside Edition'' is an American news broadcasting newsmagazine program that is distributed in first-run syndication by CBS Media Ventures. Having premiered on January 9, 1989, it is the longest-running syndicated-newsmagazine program that is no ...
'' and ''
Dr. Phil'' among others. All four shows are distributed by
CBS Media Ventures
CBS Media Ventures, Inc. (formerly CBS Television Distribution, Inc. and CBS Paramount Domestic Television, Inc.) is an American television distribution company owned by CBS Studios, part of CBS Entertainment Group, a division of Paramount Glo ...
.
News operation
WTAP is one of the strongest NBC affiliates in the United States according to
Nielsen ratings. Over the years, its various owners have invested considerable resources in its news operation, resulting in a higher-quality product than conventional wisdom would suggest for what has always been a very small market (it is currently the 193rd market). It airs 4½ hours of news each weekday, a considerable amount for a station in a largely rural area of only 125,000 people. Its newscasts have more viewers than many other television stations in medium to large markets sharing audiences with up to three other affiliates.
After Gray Television bought WSAZ, there were rumors WTAP would scrap its news operation and simulcast newscasts from that station. WSAZ has long been available on cable in Parkersburg and its local newscasts, also among the highest-rated in the country, have always covered Parkersburg. However, Gray itself never considered shuttering WTAP's news department. In addition to WTAP's strong ratings performance, many of WTAP and WSAZ's stablemates are fairly close to each other while operating independently.
At some point in time after adding Fox, WTAP-DT2 began offering a 30-minute prime time newscast. Known as ''Fox Parkersburg News at 10'', the weeknight show mirrors local news seen on the main channel, except for slightly different graphics and unique features. The station became the first outlet in West Virginia to upgrade newscasts to high definition on May 29, 2011. In addition to its main studios, WTAP operates a bureau in Marietta, Ohio. Unlike most NBC affiliates in the
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small p ...
, the station does not air a full two-hour weekday morning show, half-hour newscast weeknights at 5:30 p.m. or local news Sunday nights at 6:00 p.m.
Notable former personalities
*
Irv Weinstein, director (mid-1950s)
Subchannels
The station's digital signal is
multiplexed
In telecommunications and computer networking, multiplexing (sometimes contracted to muxing) is a method by which multiple analog or digital signals are combined into one signal over a shared medium. The aim is to share a scarce resource - a ...
:
See also
*
Channel 15 virtual TV stations in the United States
*
Channel 49 digital TV stations in the United States The following television stations broadcast on Digital television, digital channel 49 in the United States:
* K49IT-D in Hagerman, Idaho, to move to channel 18
* K49KT-D in Bend, Oregon, to move to channel 36
* K49KV-D in Stemilt, etc., Washington, ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wtap-Tv
Television channels and stations established in 1953
1953 establishments in West Virginia
TAP-TV
NBC network affiliates
Gray Television