WSET-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WSET-TV
city =
station_
station_slogan = The Heart of Virginia
Coverage You Can Count On
station_branding = ABC 13
analog = 13 (VHF)
digital = 34 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = ABC
RTN
(Digital only, starting April 2008)
network =
founded =
airdate = February 8, 1953
location = Lynchburg/Roanoke, Virginia
callsign_meaning = NeWSET 13
former_callsigns = WLVA-TV (1953-1977)
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Allbritton Communications Company
licensee = WSET, Inc.
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = CBS/ABC (1953-1954)
effective_radiated_power = 302 kW (analog)
200 kW (digital)
HAAT = 625 m (analog)
568.4 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 73988
coordinates = coord|37|18|54.6|N|79|38|5.1|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.wset.com/ www.wset.com]

WSET-TV is the ABC television network affiliate for the Roanoke/Lynchburg, Virginia market. The station is licensed to Lynchburg, and transmits its analog signal on VHF channel 13 and its digital signal on UHF channel 34. It is owned by the Allbritton Communications Company. Its transmitter is located near Thaxton, Virginia. WSET is one of the only stations in the market that does not transmit in stereo. WSET will add programming from the Retro Television Network, owned by Equity Media Holdings Corporation on a digital subchannel starting April 2008. [ [http://ir.emdaholdings.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=274891 Equity Media Holdings Corporation - RTN Announces Expansion to Roanoke] ]

History

WSET-TV signed on the air for the very first time on February 8, 1953 as WLVA-TV (W-Lynchburg-VirginiA), under the ownership of Lynchburg Broadcasting, who also owned WLVA-AM. It was the first station in Virginia to operate at full power. It was originally a CBS affiliate with a secondary ABC affiliation, but took on a full-time ABC affiliation in 1954--Virginia's first. This may have seemed unusual for a two-station market, especially one of Roanoke/Lynchburg's size. However, WDBJ-TV (channel 7) was originally slated to sign on in early 1954. When channel 7's debut was pushed back a year due to short-spacing issues with WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, South Carolina; channel 13 was forced to share CBS with NBC affiliate WSLS-TV for almost a year. In the late 60's, current ABC World News Tonight anchor Charles Gibson was a reporter/anchor for the station.

Lynchburg Broadcasting sold WLVA-AM-TV to the Washington Star Company in 1965. Joe L. Allbritton bought the "Star" in 1976. Allbritton sold off the company's non-television assets, including WLVA-AM, in 1977, and WLVA-TV changed its calls to WSET to coincide with its new branding, "NeWSET-13."

WSET long provided spotty coverage of Roanoke and the New River Valley, most likely because it is short-spaced to WLOS-TV in Asheville, North Carolina. However, it activated a new transmitter in Thaxton (halfway between Roanoke and Lynchburg) in 1983, providing a city-grade signal to Roanoke for the first time. An effort to move the transmitter had been rejected by the FCC in 1970.

WSET's main local news programming ("ABC 13 News") is primarily aimed at the eastern half of the Roanoke-Lynchburg market, focusing on areas such as Lynchburg and Danville. In 2005, it was one of only two ABC affiliates inthe Eastern Time Zone to air ABC's "World News Tonight" at 7 PM rather than 6:30; WSB-TV in Atlanta is the other. However, WSET has returned the national program to the 6:30pm time slot, shifting its regional broadcast to the 7:00pm viewing time.

For years, WSET failed to carry World News Now, instead running America's Store. WSET started airing World News Now in 2002. In addition, WSET does not carry Power Rangers Jungle Fury on Saturday Mornings as part of ABC Kids due to lack of E/I content. WSET airs Live From Liberty in its place.

"Once And Again" controversy

On March 11, 2002, WSET pre-empted an episode of "Once and Again" which contained a scene in which two female characters kiss one another, and ran a prime-time infomercial instead. [" [http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271|74528|1|,00.html ABC Affiliate Pulls 'Once and Again' Episode] ", zap2it.com, 2002-03-12. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.] WSET was the only ABC affiliate to pre-empt the episode. The decision, which station management refused to explain, provoked condemnation from GLAAD [" [http://www.glaad.org/publications/archive_detail.php?id=323&PHPSESSID=f Lynchburg ABC Affiliate Refuses to Air Once and Again] ", glaad.org, 2002-03-13. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.] and praise from Jerry Falwell. [Jerry Falwell, " [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=26861 A hero in our midst] ", worldnetdaily.com, 2002-03-16. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.]

News/Station Presentation

Newscast Titles

*"WLVA-TV News" (1953-1964)
*"The Jack Martin Report" (1964-1971)
*"Channel 13 News" (1971-1977)
*"NeWSET 13" (1977-1987; presented on air as "News 13" from 1977 until 1980)
*"NewsCenter 13" (1987-1990)
*"News 13" (1990-2001)
*"ABC 13 News" (2001-present)

References

External links

* [http://www.wset.com/ WSET website]
* [http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=wset RabbitEars.Info: Roanoke-Lynchburg Stations]
*TVQ|WSET
*BIA|WSET|TV|TV