WTKR

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WTKR
city =
station_
station_slogan = Taking Action
station_branding = NewsChannel 3
analog = 3 (VHF)
digital = 40 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = CBS (secondary until 1953)
network =
founded =
airdate = April 2, 1950
location = Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Portsmouth/Newport News, Virginia
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns = WTAR-TV (1950–1981)
former_channel_numbers = 4 (1950–1952)
owner = Local TV, LLC
licensee = Local TV Virginia License, LLC
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = Primary:
NBC (1950–1953)
Secondary:
DuMont (1950–1955)
ABC (1950–1957)
effective_radiated_power = 100 kW (analog)
950 kW (digital)
HAAT = 299 m (analog)
377 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 47401
coordinates = coord|36|48|58.1|N|76|27|55.4|W|type:landmark_scale:2000 (analog)
coord|36|48|31.8|N|76|30|11.3|W|type:landmark_scale:2000 (digital)
homepage = [http://www.wtkr.com/ www.wtkr.com]

WTKR is the CBS affiliate serving the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, officially known as the Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News DMA. The station is licensed to Norfolk and broadcasts on channel 3. Its transmitter is located in Suffolk, Virginia; studios are located in Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Newport News. WTKR is owned by Local TV, LLC.

History

The station began operation on channel 4 on April 2, 1950 as WTAR-TV, Virginia's second television station. It was a primary NBC affiliate, with secondary affiliations with CBS, ABC, and DuMont. It was owned by the "Virginian-Pilot" along with WTAR-AM, Virginia's first radio station. It moved to channel 3 in 1952. When WVEC-TV signed on a year later as an NBC affiliate, WTAR became a primary CBS affliliate, retaining its secondary ABC and DuMont affiliations (DuMont folded two years later). WTAR became solely affiliated with CBS in 1957, when WAVY-TV signed on as the ABC affiliate (WAVY and WVEC would swap affiliations in 1959 making the latter station the ABC affiliate). When the Virginian-Pilot reorganized its various holdings as Landmark Communications in 1969, WTAR-AM-FM-TV became the flagship stations.

Over the years, the station expanded its news operation to include about 30 hours of local news production per week. It also produced "PM Magazine" from the late 1970s to mid-1980s.

After the FCC tightened its ownership restrictions, Landmark sold its Hampton Roads television holdings. WTAR-TV went to Knight-Ridder in 1981. WTAR AM radio was still owned by Landmark, so Knight-Ridder changed the station's calls to WTKR. The new calls reflected the new ownership and also sounded similar to the old ones. WTKR was purchased by Narragansett Television in 1989, and by The New York Times Company in 1995. WTKR's current owner, Local TV, acquired the station on May 7, 2007.

=Branding and

Weather Titles

*"TV-3 WeatherVision/TV-3 Forecast Center" (1994–1995)
*"Live Neighborhood Radar" (1995–1998)
*"Storm Team 3" (1995–1998)
*"Triple Doppler Radar/Triple Doppler Forecast Center" (1998–2007)
*"Live VIPIR Radar/Live VIPIR Forecast Center" (2007-Present)

News Personalities

Anchors

*Domonique Benn, weekend morning/reporter
*Juliet Bickford, 5:00pm (6:00pm, and 11:00pm while Bianca Martinez is on leave)
*Barbara Ciara, 5 and 5:30pm/"Taking Action" reporter
*Bianca Martinez, 6:00pm and 11:00pm (on maternity leave)
*Sara Morris, weekend 6:00pm and 11:00pm
*Laila Muhammad, weekday mornings and noon
*Patrick Rockey, weekday mornings and noon (also meteorologist)
*Kurt Williams, 5:30pm, 6:00pm, and 11:00pm

Weather

*Mike Harvey, chief meteorologist, weekday evening
*Vanessa Murdock, Saturday morning & weekend evening
*Patrick Rockey, morning and noon (also anchors)
*Blaine Stewart, Sunday morning

ports

*Ted Alexander (weekend sports anchor, "Locker Room" host)

Reporters and Other Current Personalities

*Domonique Benn (general assignment)
*Juliet Bickford (anchor/"Don't Waste Your Money")
*Barbara Ciara (anchor/reports for evening shows)
*Marie Coronel (morning/noon reporter)
*Kristen Crowley (traffic)
*Jeremy Crider (general assignment)
*Bonnie Johnson (traffic/Look What's Cookin')
*Mike Mather (Investigative)
*Bob Matthews (Virginia Beach)
*Pat McReynolds (general assignment)
*Sara Morris (general assignment)
*Vanessa Murdock (features)
*Laila Muhammad (anchor/general assignment)
*Jummy Olabanji (general assignment)
*Dan Rubin (weekends/Peninsula)
*Blaine Stewart (general assignment)
*Dan Tordjman (general assignment)

WTKR also uses reporters from Tribune's Washington, DC bureau, as part of a new management sharing agreement between Tribune and WTKR's parent company, Local TV, LLC.

Past Personalities

*Stacey Baca, weekend morning anchor from 1996 until 1998. Now at WLS-TV in Chicago. [http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=bios&id=3396477]
*Jason Barr, sports anchor/reporter until 2008, now anchor at WMBF-TV in Myrtle Beach.
*Dale Gauding, investigative reporter until leaving for WVEC in 1998.
*Ric Barrick, Weekend Meteorologist, now at WTVR-TV in Richmond, VA.
*Betty Anne Bowser, reporter, co-anchor in the 1960s and 70s. Later a correspondent for CBS News (1973-86) and PBS's "NewsHour" (1986-present). Former co-anchor of "30 Minutes", a news magazine program that won four Emmys, a DuPont-Columbia Award and a Peabody Award. [ [http://www.pbs.org/newshour/aboutus/bio_bowser.html The Online NewsHour: About Us | Betty Ann Bowser | PBS ] ]
*Wally Bruckner, sports anchor in summer 1985. Later worked in Richmond and at WRC-TV in Washington, DC.
*John Castleberry, sports anchor during the mid-late 1990s, previously weekend sports anchor at WAVY during the 1980s. Most recently hosted a daily radio show on 102.1 The Game WXTG. Husband of former WAVY anchor and "Living the Life" co-host Carolyn Castleberry.
*Glenn "Corey" Corillo, anchor during the late-80s to the mid-90s. Unsuccessfully ran against Virginia Beach mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf in spring 2000.
*Cory Curtis, sports director from 2006 to 2007, now at WKRN in Nashville.
*Nate Custer, longtime reporter from 1966 until retirement in 2005 [cite web | title = Another Hampton Roads legend to leave the airwaves | publisher = VARTV.com | url = http://www.vartv.com/archives05a.htm | accessdate = 2008-08-23] .
*Stacy Davis, reporter, weekend anchor, 2001 - 2008, now at WRAL-TV.
*Brian Farrell, reporter, weekend morning anchor, now at WVEC.
*Joe Flanagan, host of WTKR's PM Magazine from 1980 to 1985, now at WVEC.
*Jane Gardner, main co-anchor during the early-mid 1990s. Also co-hosted WTKR's "Live at 9" program in the mid-late 90s.
*Dale Gauding, investigative reporter until leaving for WVEC in 1998.
*Lisa Godley, reporter from 1997-2007; now runs her own video production company, Acacia Tree Productions, in Suffolk [cite web | title = About Us | publisher = Acacia Tree Productions | url = http://www.acaciatreellc.com/about.shtml | accessdate = 2008-08-18]
*Pete Grigsby, meteorologist from 1995 to 1999, now at KMBC in Kansas City.
*Jim Hale, sports reporter, anchor from late 80s to mid 90s. Was morning and noon anchor at WTVR-TV in Richmond from the late 90s until 2000.
*Dr. Duane Harding, chief weathercaster from 1990 until 1996; when he was fired. [ [http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1996/vp960116/01160263.htm CHANNEL 3 DISMISSES DUANE HARDING WTKR SAYS IT WON'T OFFER A NEW DEAL TO WEATHER FORECASTER AT END OF HIS CURRENT PACT IN JULY ] ]
*Kelly Harvey Jones, weekend anchor from 1999–2002, later went to WVEC.
*Michele Harvey, 11pm co-anchor from the mid-80s until 1990. Left for WSOC-TV in Charlotte. [http://asoundidea.com/Articles/copy/07-22-90.html]
*Brian Hill, meterologist in the 1980s-1990s, later went to WVEC.
*Rick Holmes, reporter from 1999 until 2007. Now at News 12 New Jersey.
*Ed Hughes, often called the Walter Cronkite of Hampton Roads, from 1967 (as WTAR) to his death from cancer in 2004.
*George Johnson, weekend sports anchor from 1998 until 2001. Left for WISC-TV in Madison, WI.
*Gene Kapp, started as a reporter in 1983, became 11pm co-anchor in 1987 until 1992, later a spokesman for CBN.
*Ann Keffer, anchor in the 1980s-1990s. Now hosts "ExploreHealth with Sentara", a 30-minute health show shown on WTKR Saturdays at 7:00pm [ [http://www.sentara.com/Sentara/HealthInfo/ExploreHealthWithSentara/Television/ ExploreHealth with Sentara on Television ] ] (the program is not produced by WTKR)
*Sandra Kelly, anchor in the early 1980s. Previously at WAVY. Now associate rector at Tampa's St. John Episcopal Church. [ [http://www.vartv.com/archives04c.htm VARTV.com | News Archives - May & June 2004 ] ]
*Matt Keller, morning anchor from 2005 to 2007. Now at KGO-TV in San Francisco.
*Beverly Kidd, joined station in 1993 and was morning co-anchor from 1997 until 2001. Now at KTVK in Phoenix.
*Antwan Lewis, hired as a college intern in 1996, worked way up to reporter. Left in 2002 for KTVK in Phoenix. Now at WGN-TV in Chicago.
*Becky Livas, newscaster and talk show hostess/producer "People Places & Things", "3 In The Morning", 1971-1980 (then WTAR-TV). Now middle school teacher in Suffolk and cabaret/jazz singer at venues throughout Hampton Roads. Mother of WAVY & WVBT anchor Nicole Livas.
*Ross MacCallum, news and sports anchor from 1985 to 1992. Also worked at WAVY from 1993 to 1995.
*Lee Mahaffey, morning anchor from 2000 until 2002. Now anchor at WTVR-TV in Richmond.
*Paula Miller, reporter from 1984 until 1999. Now member of the Virginia House of Delegates. [ [http://www.electpaulamiller.com/ Welcome to Delegate Paula Miller's Web Site ] ]
*Regina Mobley, reporter from 1985 to 1992, now at WVEC.
*Gerald Owens, political reporter and anchor from 1995 until 1998. Now at WRAL-TV in Raleigh.
*Lou Paris, reporter and news director from 1976–1987. Returned to active duty in the U.S. Air Force. Now retired, living in Germantown, TN.
*Dave Parker, chief meteorologist from 1997 - 2006. Now at Sinclair Communications and Studio Center, Inc.
*Eric Philips, reporter from 1996-2002. Left for CNN.
*Ben "Sonny" Pulliam, news photographer from 1953 to 1996 (died in 2006).
*LeAnne Rains, main co-anchor from 1995 until 2001. Now known as LeAnne Rains-Benedetto.
*Tom Randles, main co-anchor from 1993 until 2005. Now weekend anchor at WSMV-TV in Nashville.
*Mike Rasnick, sports reporter during 70s and early 80s. Later at CBN.
*Bob Rathbun, sports anchor from 1990 until 1991. Now play-by-play announcer for Atlanta Hawks.
*Andy Roberts, chief weathercaster/announcer for over 35 years until 1990, continued to forecast on noon and 5pm newscasts until his retirement in 1992.
*Jeff Rucker, meteorologist on various newscasts from 1995 until 1999, now chief meteorologist at WAGT in Augusta, GA.
*Mike Simon, noon and 5:30pm meteorologist until 2003. Known as Mike Cuevas as chief meteorologist at WLOS in Asheville.
*Yvonne Simons, reporter. Now news director at KBCI-TV in Boise, ID.
*Les Smith, 5:30 pm anchor from April-June 2008. Smith left WTKR for unspecified reasons, similar to his departure from WAVY in April 2007.
*Stephanie Sy, fill-in anchor and military reporter from 2001 until 2003. Now reporter for ABC News.
*Cathleen Trigg, anchor/reporter from 1997-1999. Left for WPIX in New York.
*Lyn Vaughn, evening co-anchor from July 1999 until 2001 after 14 years with CNN Headline News.
*Bob West, "Points West" host 1980s-1990s. Retired after 34 years at WTKR. Now lives in Isle of Wight County, Va
*Tal White, Weekend weathercaster from 1994–1995, 1999-2002, Fill-in forecaster from 2003–2005, worked at WWBT in Richmond in between stints.

Tower

WTKR-TV transmission tower is located in northwest part of Suffolk, Virginia. WTKR (analog ch. 3) transmits with 100 kilowatts of power from an antenna located at a height of convert|981|ft|m. WTKR-DT (digital ch. 40) transmits with 950 kilowatts of power at a height of convert|1250|ft|m on a tower owned by ATC and co-located with WHRO, WTVZ and WPXV. It is the tallest antenna in southeastern Virginia.

External links

* [http://www.wtkr.com/ WTKR Homepage]
* [http://www.myspace.com/wtkr WTKR MySpace Page]
* [http://3onthego.com/ 3onthego.com]
*TVQ|WTKR
*BIA|WTKR|TV|TV

References