WXLV-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WXLV-TV
city = Winston-Salem
station_
station_slogan =
station_branding = ABC 45
analog = 45 (UHF)
digital = 29 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = ABC
network =
founded =
airdate = September of 1979
location = Winston-Salem / Greensboro /
High Point, North Carolina
callsign_meaning = XLV = Roman numeral 45
former_callsigns = WGNN-TV (1979-1980)
WJTM-TV (1980-1984)
WNRW (1984-1995)
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Sinclair Broadcast Group
licensee = WXLV Licensee, LLC
sister_stations = WMYV
former_affiliations = Independent (1979-1986)
Fox (1986-1995)
UPN (secondary, 1995-1996)
effective_radiated_power = 5,000 kW (analog)
750 kW (digital)
HAAT = 598 m (analog)
576 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 414
coordinates = coord|36|22|37.0|N|80|22|8.0|W|type:landmark_scale:2000 (analog)
coord|35|52|3.0|N|79|49|26.0|W|type:landmark_scale:2000 (digital)
homepage = [http://www.abc45.com/ abc45.com]

WXLV-TV, channel 45, it the ABC-affiliated television station for the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina that is licensed to Winston-Salem. Its analog transmitter is located west of Gap in Stokes County. The station's digital transmitter is located northeast of New Market along I-73 in Randolph County. Owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station is sister to MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYV. The two stations share studios on Myer Lee Drive east of Winston-Salem along I-40. Syndicated programming on WXLV includes: "Frasier", "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", "Deal or No Deal", "Family Feud", and "The Doctors". It is ABC's only UHF affiliate in North Carolina and can be found on cable channel 7 on most systems. WXLV's current numeric "45" is similar to that of Sinclair flagship WBFF in Baltimore.

History

The station signed on in September of 1979 as independent station WGNN-TV. It later changed its call sign to WJTM-TV. Over the years the station ran a general entertainment format consisting of cartoons, movies, sitcoms, and dramas. The station was bought by the TVX Broadcast Group in 1983 and changed its call letters to WNRW in 1984 in honor of one of its station employees who was murdered in that year. It became the market's Fox affiliate when the network premiered on October 9, 1986. During its Fox affliation, WNRW would be known on-air by either "Fox 45" or "TV 45". TVX sold off many of its smaller stations in 1988, including WNRW, which it sold to Act III Broadcasting. Meanwhile, one of channel 45's competitors, WGGT (now WMYV), filed for bankruptcy in the late-1980s and still had not emerged from it by 1991. At that time, Act III bought WGGT's programming which was moved onto WNRW's lineup. WGGT then began to simulcast WNRW creating a strong combined signal with over 60% overlap. This was known as the "Piedmont Superstation".

The simulcast continued after Act III was bought by Abry in 1993. It took on a secondary UPN affiliation when that network debuted on January 16, 1995. In September of 1995, when Fox acquired longtime ABC affiliate WGHP the ABC affiliation went to channels 45 and 48 and all Fox programming (including Fox Kids) went to WGHP. WNRW also changed its calls to the current WXLV-TV. In 1996, Sinclair acquired WXLV through its merger with Abry. It then had Glencairn purchase WGGT from Guilford Broadcasters. The WGGT simulcast of WXLV was discontinued and the two stations entered into a local marketing agreement (LMA) instead with all UPN programming moving to WGGT in 1997 (which resulted in that station receiving the WUPN-TV callsign). Since the Smith family (founders of Sinclair) owned most of Glencairn's stock, Sinclair effectively had a duopoly in the Triad. A similar situation existed in the Triangle where Sinclair owned WLFL and Glencairn-owned WRDC. Sinclair bought WUPN outright in 2000.

In early-2006, some viewers complained about WXLV's high definition signal not being carried on Time Warner Cable. However, the station noted that Sinclair's company wide policy is to not allow cable providers to carry their HD signals without compensation. With NASCAR on ESPN broadcasts during the Chase for the Nextel Cup on WXLV, there was a dilemma for Triad market which was regarded as the highest-rated NASCAR television market. However, in 2007, after Sinclair and Time Warner came to a compensation / retransmission deal nationwide, WXLV-DT and WMYV-DT began to be carried on Time Warner systems.

Newscasts

The station opened a news department after becoming an ABC affiliate. At one point, it aired local news on weeknights at 6 and 11 as well as on the weekends. There were also local weather cut-ins on weekday mornings during "Good Morning America". At one point, WXLV's sports department even produced a local high school sports show known as "Friday Night Football". The station had no luck whatsoever competing with WFMY-TV, WGHP, and WXII-TV. WXLV ended its weekday morning cut-ins and weekend newscasts in 2000. The news operation and weeknight broadcasts shut down entirely on January 11, 2002. The following year, sister station WUPN began airing a nightly 10 P.M. newscast featuring former WFMY anchor Frank Fraboni as well as national news, weather, and sports from Sinclair's "News Central". A newscast on WXLV, known "ABC 45 News Late Edition", aired at 11 P.M. from 2004 until 2005 which also featured the "News Central" format. Both newscasts were pulled by Sinclair due to poor ratings. WXLV and sister station KDNL in St. Louis are the only two ABC affiliates under Sinclair to have no newscasts to this day. "News Central" still provides WXLV with weather updates and forecasts during "Good Morning America" on weekdays. The segments feature weather anchor Tony Pagnotti.

Former news team

Anchors
*Karen Jarvis - weeknights at 6 and 11
*Tom Mustin - weeknights at 6 and 11
*Frank Fraboni - weeknights at 11
*McCall Pera - weekend anchor and reporter
*Jennifer Gladstone - national news
**now weekday morning anchor at WBFF
*Morris Jones - national news
**now Sinclair Chief National Correspondent

Meteorologists
*Rob Roseman - Chief seen on weeknights at 6 and 11
*Vytas Reid - Chief seen on weeknights at 11
**now Chief at WBFF
*Chris Runge - weekday mornings
*Chuck Bell
*Kristin Emery
*Megan Glaros
*Elizabeth Hart
*Scott Padgett

Sports
*Jim Connors - weeknights
*Jonas Schwartz - Director seen on weeknights at 11
*Lee Goldberg - weekends and reporter
**now at WCSH and seen on WLBZ and WPXT
*Mark Armstrong - weekends

Reporters
*Jon Leiberman - Washington Bureau Chief
*Mark Hyman - "The Point" segment producer
*Robert Hamilton - producer
*Denise Jackson - producer
*Donald Robinson - general assignment and sports
*Leonard Simpson
*Bridget Lowell
*Jennifer Block
*Ed McNeal
*Angela Starke
*Surae Chinn
*Tanya Rivera
*Brian Davis
*Len Stevens

Photojournalists
*Hoyle Koontz - Chief
*Jon Smith - Assistant Chief
*Steve Vollinger - sports
*Ron Atkins
*Richard Cisney
*Thomas Cormier
*Blanton Allen
*Courtney Davis
*Charles Barchuk
*Jennifer Schnabel

Logos

External links

* [http://www.abc45.com/ WXLV-TV/DT "ABC 45"]
* [http://www.my48.tv/ WMYV "My 48"]
*TVQ|WXLV-TV