WCAV

WCAV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Charlottesville, Virginia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter on Carters Mountain south of the city. The station is the flagship of a cluster of Gray Television-owned stations based in Charlottesville. This includes low-powered ABC affiliate WVAW-LD and low-powered Fox affiliate WAHU-LD. All three share studios, known as the "Charlottesville Newsplex", on 2nd Street Southeast in Downtown Charlottesville. In addition, some behind-the-scenes duties are run alongside that of sister station WHSV-TV in Harrisonburg (which the "Newsplex" has a resource sharing alliance with). WCAV can be seen on Comcast channel 6 and is known on-air as CBS 19. Syndicated programming on the station includes: Entertainment Tonight, Judge Judy, Martha Stewart, and Rachael Ray. WCAV can also be seen on WVAW's second digital subchannel on UHF channel 16.2 from the same transmitter.

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Digital programming
Its signal is multiplexed.

[edit] History
Previous "Charlottesville Newsplex" logo.WCAV began broadcasting on August 15, 2004 becoming the market's first CBS affiliate and first station to mount a challenge against established NBC affiliate WVIR-TV. Previously, the analog UHF channel 19 allocation had been considered to bring Richmond a primary WB station. That area had lacked such an affiliation since the switch of WUPV to UPN in 1998. Charlottesville had previously received CBS programming on cable from Richmond's WTVR-TV and Washington D.C.'s WUSA. When it launched, WCAV immediately replaced WUSA on local cable systems. During 2007, the station first swapped analog cable channel allocations with WTVR. After that, the Richmond station moved to the digital tier.

Shortly after WCAV's sign-on, owner Gray Television signed on ABC affiliate WVAW-LP on UHF channel 16. That station was formerly a low-powered repeater (on UHF channel 64) of Harrisonburg's WHSV-TV and it replaced that station on Charlottesville-area cable systems. In early-2005, the two stations were joined by new Class A Fox affiliate WAHU-CA on UHF channel 27. Since 2006, the three stations have been the official flagships of University of Virginia sports. In June 2006, WCAV received the runner-up award for "Outstanding News Operation" by the Virginia Association of Broadcasters. WWBT in Richmond was the winner in that category. In 2007, the station received the "Outstanding Sports Coverage" award for a commercial television station from the Virginia Association of Broadcasters. That same year, Its web site was the runner up to WVEC in Norfolk for an outstanding website award.

Beth Duffy, formerly of WVIR, returned to the airwaves on WCAV on April 16, 2007. The station is not related to the former WCAV-FM (now WKAF-FM) in Brockton, Massachusetts. On September 21, WCAV launched the Local AccuWeather Channel on its second digital subchannel and live streaming video on its website. Known on-air as "CBS 19 Weather Now", it was added to Comcast digital channel 209 in December. Programming consists of local weather updates and national weather forecasts provided by AccuWeather. After performing a flash-cut, its broadcasts have been digital-only since February 16, 2009. Of all of the Richmond and Washington D.C. stations replaced on the main tier for the new Charlottesville ABC, CBS, and Fox affiliates only WTTG survived. On Comcast digital cable, Richmond channels include WRIC-TV and WTVR. WUSA is not on digital cable nor is any other district station. Other Comcast providers north and west of Charlottesville do pick up Washington and Richmond locals either on the main tier or digital lineup.

News operation
WCAV's news open.WCAV and its sister stations employ the largest television news team dedicated exclusively to the Charlottesville market. While WVIR dedicates a large portion of its staff to adjacent area, WCAV focuses its coverage solely on the counties that comprise the Charlottesville viewing area. As the primary station in the "Charlottesville Newsplex" operation, it airs the most local newscasts. WVAW simulcasts the second hour of Good Morning Charlottesville on weekday mornings and airs local news on its own weeknights at 7. Weeknights at 11, that station simulcasts WCAV. There are no weekend local newscasts on WVAW.

WAHU airs an hour long extension of Good Morning Charlottesville weekday mornings at 7 and a nightly 10 o'clock broadcast. On weeknights, WCAV delays the CBS Evening News until 7 in favor of an extra half-hour of local news. All broadcasts, except the extension of Good Morning Charlottesville on WAHU, are streamed live on the "Charlottesville Newsplex" website. WVAW airs Cavalier Sports Weekly on Sunday mornings at 10:30 with a repeat on WCAV at 11:30 and again twelve hours later on this station.

On September 20, 2010 Charlottesville Tonight started airing at 7:00 on CBS 19. CBS Evening News with Katie Couric went back to 6:30. Charlottesville Tonight is also broadcasted on ABC 16 at 7:00 as well.

News team
Anchors Weather Authority Meteorologists Sports Reporters
 * Bo Sykes - weekday mornings and Noon
 * Jim Hanchett - News Director seen weeknights at 5 and 5:30
 * Tiffani Sargent - weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6, and 11
 * Dan Schutte - weeknights at 6 and 11
 * John Rodgers - weeknights at 7 and 10
 * Tara Wheeler - weeknights at 7 and 10
 * Jennifer Black - weeknights
 * Carlos Vergara - weekday mornings
 * Carter Johnson - weekends (also reporter)
 * Travis Koshko (NWA Seal of Approval) - Chief seen weekday mornings and Noon
 * Brantley Ussery - weeknights from 5 to 6:30 and 11
 * Melanie Niemann - weekends
 * Marc Davis - Director seen weeknights at 6, 6:30, 7, 10, and 11
 * Matt Parsons - weekends and sports reporter
 * Jed Gamber - sports reporter and fill-in anchor
 * Jacquie Franciulli - news producer
 * Beth Duffy - Special Correspondent
 * Chris Stover
 * Jessica Jaglois
 * Rachel Ryan - producer
 * Stephanie Satchell
 * Ruth Showalter

Former on-air staff

 * Tom Abbott - now at The Golf Channel
 * Sarah Batista - now at WBTV-TV in Charlotte, NC
 * Ric Barrick - now Director of Communications for the Broward County, FL
 * Stacy Berman - now out of the TV business
 * Venton Blandin - now at WHNT-TV in Huntsville, AL
 * Kris Budden - now at WBIR-TV in Knoxville, TN
 * Christina Butler - now at WPMT-TV in Harrisburg, PA
 * Rod Cowan - now at WHP-TV in Harrisburg, PA
 * Elizabeth Donatelli - now at WAVE-TV in Louisville, KY
 * Lisa Ferrari - now Director of Events at the Alzheimer's Association of Charlottesville
 * Hailey Frances - now at KIAH-TV in Houston, TX
 * Autria Godfrey - now at Fox News Channel and Washington Wizards game night host
 * Michael Gorsegner - now at WPMT-TV in Harrisburg, PA
 * Katie Graham - now at WETM-TV in Elmira, NY
 * Zach Heffner - now playing for the Chicago Machine lacrosse team
 * Myles Henderson - now at WTKR-TV in Norfolk, VA
 * Stephanie Hockridge - now at WDAF-TV in Kansas City, MO
 * Whitney Holmes - now working in Public Relations
 * Matt Holmes - now in Atlanta, GA
 * Bo Kane - now an actor in Hollywood
 * Lauren Knight (Raftery) - now out of the TV business
 * Summer Knowles - now at WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach, FL
 * Vanessa Murdock - now at WTKR-TV in Norfolk, VA
 * Jummy Olabanji - now at WTKR-TV in Norfolk, VA
 * Althea Paul - now at WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach, FL
 * Kory Raftery - now with Pacific Gas and Electric Company
 * Jeremy Settle - now at WBRE-TV in Wilkes-Barre, PA
 * Philip Stewart - now at WJLA-TV and News Channel 8 in Washington D.C.
 * Dave Strumpf - now in Los Angeles, CA
 * Lindsey Ward - now at WSLS-TV in Roanoke, VA
 * Marcus Washington - now at WTVF-TV in Nashville, TN