WNCF

WNCF is the ABC-affiliated television station for Central Alabama's Black Belt area licensed to Montgomery. It broadcasts a high definitiondigital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter in Gordonville. The station can also be seen on Knology and Charter channel 4. There is a high definition feed offered on Charter digital channel 704 and Knology digital channel 901. Owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting, WNCF is sister to CW affiliate WBMM and the two share studios on Harrison Road in Montgomery. Syndicated programming on the station includes:Family Feud, Maury, Divorce Court, and The Rachael Ray Show. WNCF can also be seen on WBMM's second digital subchannel (UHF channel 22.2) from a transmitter in Fitzpatrick.

WNCF

Montgomery, Alabama
Branding	ABC 32 (general) ABC 32 News CW Montgomery (on DT2)
Channels	Digital: 32 (UHF) &WBMM-DT 22.2 (UHF)
Subchannels	32.1 ABC32.2 The CW
Owner	SagamoreHill Broadcasting (Channel 32 Montgomery, LLC)
First air date	March 12, 1964
Call letters' meaning	Where News Comes First (former slogan)
Sister station(s)	WBMM, WLTZ
Former callsigns	WCCB-TV (1954-1964)WKAB-TV (1964–1989) WHOA-TV (1989–1999)
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 32 (1964-2009) Digital: 51
Transmitter power	83 kW65 kW (WBMM-DT2)
Height	345 m341 m (WBMM-DT2)
Facility ID	72307 68427 (WBMM-DT2)
Transmitter coordinates	32°8′30.3″N86°44′42.2″W 32°8′30.3″N86°44′42.2″W (WBMM-DT2)
Website	wncftv.com

Digital programming

Although WBMM airs its own digital signal, it can also be seen on WNCF's second digital subchannel.

Channel	Name	Programming
32.1	WNCF-DT	main WNCF programming/ABC (HD)
32.2	WNCF-DT2	WBMM "CW Montgomery" (SD)

History

The station signed-on March 12, 1954 as WCCB-TV. It was the third station in Montgomery after WSFA and WCOV-TV. A fourth, Selma'sWAKA-TV, moved into the Montgomery market in the 1980s. The call letters were changed to WKAB-TV in 1964. The previous calls currently reside on a Fox affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina. The station has always been an ABC affiliate although it has gone through several owners including Bahakel Communications and Media General among others. The call sign has changed twice after it became WKAB. It became WHOA-TV (for "Heart of Alabama") in 1989 and most recently WNCF (for "Where News Comes First") in 1999.

The current call sign switch coincided with a short-lived return to the local news race. It originally aired a digital signal on UHF channel 51 from a transmitter at its studios. WNCF broadcasts have been digital-only since April 20, 2009.

News operation

Weeknight news top story title.

Although news anchors, meteorologists, and sports anchors were provided by the centralized news operation, WNCF maintained locally-based reporters at its studios who contributed to the INN updates. Sister station WBMM aired the nationally syndicated morning show The Daily Buzz on weekdays from 5 until 8 as well as a weeknight thirty minute prime time newscast called CW News at Nine established in January 2007 through a news share agreement with CBS affiliate WAKA. On April 16, 2010, WNCF expanded its partnership with the Independent News Network and launched full half-hour local broadcasts weeknights at 9 (on WBMM) and 10 in high definition.The station's attempt at offering local newscasts started in the 1980s, but the shows were never really competitive in local Nielsen ratings. Although full news operations were dropped in February 1999 (and again in 2003) after being unable to gain consistent viewership, WNCF continued airing a 90 minute weekday morning show starting at 5:30 known as Good Morning Montgomery. In August 2005, it partnered with the Independent News Network (INN) in Davenport, Iowa to produce news and weather updates. This included five minute cut-ins at :25 and :55 past the hour on weekday mornings from 7 until 9 during Good Morning America and a ten minute abbreviated newscast weeknights at 10.

A news share agreement was established between WNCF/WBMM and sister station NBC affiliate WLTZ in Columbus, Georgia to share resources when covering East Alabama. This is because Montgomery and Columbus have coverage areas bordering each other. All newscasts originate from INN's facilities on Tremont Avenue in Davenport and are taped in advance. WNCF's Good Morning Montgomery is streamed live on its website and stories from INN are published using Clickability with video posted online through Forscene. Unlike most ABC affiliates in the Central Time Zone, the station airs World News Tonight weeknights at 6 since it lacks a local newscast usually seen at that time.

Newscast titles

• First Edition News (1981-1982)
• WKAB-TV News (1982-1984)
• NewsWatch 32 (1984-1995)
• ABC 32 News (1995-February 1999, September 1999-2003, and outsourced August 2005-2012)
• Alabama News Network (2013-present)

Station slogans

• "The Heart of Alabama" (1989–2000)
• "If It`s WHOA-TV, It Must Be ABC" (1992-1993)
• "We Love TV, on ABC-32" (1998-1999)
• "Where News Comes First" (2000–2002)

News team

+ denotes personnel based at WLTZ

Anchors

• Michelle Arnold - news
• Nathan O'Leary - news and producer
• Pat Walker (NWA Seal of Approval) - Chief Meteorologist
• Jenny Ash - producer and fill-in meteorologist
• Kyle Dennis - fill-in meteorologist
• Ed Russo - fill-in meteorologist
• Jeremy Moss - weeknight sports and producer
• Roland Glembine - weeknight sports fill-in
• Alva Lambert - Good Morning Montgomery host
• Johnny Green - Good Morning Montgomery host
• Joe Hagler - Good Morning Montgomery host

Reporters

• Derrick Cunningham - "Manhunt Monday" segment producer
• Bob Gambacurta - "The Capitol Report" segment producer
• Phill Doherty - producer and fill-in news anchor
• + Olivia LaBorde - fill-in news anchor
• + Jeremy Babin - weeknight sports
• + Donyel Perry - photojournalist
• + Christina Chambers
• Morgan Hightower
• + Stefanie Tiso
• Lisa Blackwell

Logos

WHOA-TV logo of ABC's "It Must Be ABC" campaign from 1992

External links

• WNCF "ABC 32"
• WNCF mobile
• WBMM "CW Montgomery"
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WNCF