Area television viewers now have a new choice for their local news consumption thanks to WCAV, a CBS affiliate, which debuted its own Charlottesville nightly news show Nov. 8. The CBS station previously provided area news coverage from a non-Charlottesville affiliate.
The WCAV broadcasts feature local news, weather and sports. As the station grows, Station General Manager Roger Burchett said it plans to add other programs and features, although none are currently in the works.
"We'll certainly grow as we grow with the community, but there's no timeframe as of yet," Burchett said.
WCAV airs on channel 19 on broadcast television and channel 18 when viewed with Adelphia cable. Their local news program airs at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.
The program is still in the preliminary stages, as Burchett emphasized that officials consider the next few weeks of the show to be "soft intro" airings while they iron out kinks in the new system.
"We're on air, but we'd like everybody to know that these first two or three weeks there are going to be some glitches," Burchett said. "This is just a chance to work out some of the bugs and such -- we'll probably begin to send the promos out on the air and official rollout will probably be December 1. [What we're airing now is] like an on-air rehearsal."
The station is still under construction, and Burchett said the process of putting in place new technology has resulted in some setbacks.
"The technology is only in a few places in the country, so it offers us opportunities, but if we were to tell the public we're on the air then we'd also say for the next couple weeks to be patient with us," Burchett said.
The Charlottesville station also houses a new local ABC affiliate, WVAW. Its area news program is also in the works, but there is no planned debut as of yet.
Gray Television owns both the CBS and ABC affiliates.
Tracey Jones, vice president and general manager of the WHSV station in Harrisonburg, said it does not constitute a conflict of interest for Gray Television to own both affiliates.
"At least the FCC didn't think so," Jones said. "We had to file for licenses with the FCC and got them."
Burchett, who also is the general manager at the ABC affiliate, said when the ABC area news program premieres the stations' news teams will remain separate.
A representative from the Charlottesville NBC affiliate, NBC-29, which previously was the only broadcast station to air local news, declined to comment on the new CBS and ABC affiliates yesterday.
Regardless of new choices, some students said they probably will stick with the NBC-29 coverage.
"If I do watch the news, I usually watch NBC, and I'd probably just stick with the same," third-year College student Mercedes McQuillan said. "I've watched NBC since freshman year of high school and plus I like the Today show."
Burchett said the CBS team is more than ready to become a part of local Charlottesville coverage.
"We're pumped to be a part of this community," Burchett said. "We hope people will give us a chance."
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