WAHU-CD
|
  | |
| Charlottesville, Virginia United States | |
|---|---|
| Branding |
WAHU Fox 27 (general) MeTV Charlottesville (on DT2) |
| Slogan |
Charlottesville Newsplex Where Charlottesville News Comes First |
| Channels |
Digital: 40 (UHF) (to move to 35 (UHF)) Virtual: 27 (PSIP) |
| Subchannels |
27.1 Fox 27.2 MyNetworkTV/MeTV |
| Translators | WCAV-DT 19.3 (UHF) Charlottesville |
| Affiliations | Fox (2005–present) |
| Owner |
Gray Television (Gray Television Licensee, LLC) |
| First air date | August 31, 1998 |
| Call letters' meaning | pronounced "wahoo" (unofficial nickname for UVA Cavaliers) |
| Sister station(s) | WCAV, WVAW-LD, WHSV-TV, WSVF-CD |
| Former callsigns |
WADA-LP (1998–2005) WAHU-CA (2005–2009) WAHU-LD (2009–2011) |
| Former channel number(s) |
Analog: 55 (UHF, 1998–2005) 27 (UHF, 2005–2009) |
| Former affiliations | Pax (1998–2005) |
| Transmitter power |
15 kW 14.9 kW (CP) |
| Height | 320 m (1,050 ft) |
| Class | CD |
| Facility ID | 47705 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 37°59′3″N 78°28′52″W / 37.98417°N 78.48111°W |
| Licensing authority | FCC |
| Public license information: |
Profile CDBS |
| Website | newsplex.com |
WAHU-CD is a low-powered, Class A Fox-affiliated television station licensed to Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 40 (or virtual channel 27 via PSIP) from a transmitter on Carters Mountain south of Charlottesville. The station can also be seen on Comcast Xfinity channel 9 and in high definition on digital channel 805. Owned by Gray Television, WAHU is a sister station to CBS affiliate WCAV (channel 19) and low-powered ABC affiliate WVAW-LD (channel 16). All three stations share studios, known as the "Charlottesville Newsplex", on 2nd Street Southeast in downtown Charlottesville.
The Newsplex stations have a resource sharing alliance with sister station WHSV-TV in Harrisonburg, and some behind-the-scenes operations are shared between them. WAHU's primary channel is simulcast in high definition on WCAV's third digital subchannel (on virtual and UHF channel 19.3) from the same transmitter site.
History
The station began its life as Pax TV affiliate WADA-LP on August 31, 1998. It first aired an analog signal on UHF channel 55 and later moved to UHF channel 27. In late-March 2005, owner Tiger Eye Broadcasting sold the station to Gray Television who proceeded to change the call letters to WAHU-CA. The station became a Fox affiliate and was integrated with WCAV and WVAW. Prior to WAHU's affiliation switch, Fox was available on cable from WTTG in Washington, D.C. That station was considered the default affiliate for the market and is still seen on cable due to "significantly viewed" status from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Since 2006, the three stations have been the flagship of University of Virginia sports.
On December 28, 2006, WAHU launched its digital signal on UHF channel 40. While providing an over-the-air standard definition Fox feed on its first digital subchannel, the station began airing a dedicated MyNetworkTV channel on a new second one. Following this addition, the station shifted several programs to the digital subchannel. Prior to the addition of WAHU-DT2, the network was added on September 5, 2006 as a secondary affiliation on the main channel. As part of the launch, Comcast swapped WAHU's first cable location with WTTG. This moved WAHU to channel 9 in what is widely considered a preferential location.
On March 14, 2008, along with other television stations in Virginia, WAHU-LD2 aired the Virginia High School League championship basketball tournament for the first time. It also changed call letters to WAHU-LD with "LD" meaning low-power digital.[1] On February 18, it began broadcasting in high definition over-the-air. On March 13 and 14, WAHU-LD2 (and other stations in the state) aired the Virginia High School League basketball championships for a second time. On September 7, 2009, This TV started airing on WAHU-LD2. On January 3, 2011, the station changed its calls again to WAHU-CD with "CD" meaning class-A low-power digital.[2]
Digital television
Digital channels
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
| Channel | Video | Aspect | PSIP Short Name | Programming[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.2 | 480i | 16:9 | 19NOW | AccuWeather Network |
| 27.1 | 720p | 16:9 | FOX27 | Main WAHU-CD programming / Fox |
| 27.2 | 480i | 4:3 | MYCVILL | MyNetworkTV & MeTV |
Analog-to-digital conversion
WAHU shut down its analog signal, over UHF channel 27, on February 16, 2009. The station "flash-cut" its digital signal into operation UHF channel 40.[4] Through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display the station's virtual channel as its former UHF analog channel 27.
Newscasts
WAHU and its sister stations employ the largest television news team dedicated exclusively to the Charlottesville market. While WVIR dedicates some staff to adjacent areas, WAHU focuses its coverage solely on the counties that comprise the Charlottesville viewing area. As the primary station in the "Charlottesville Newsplex" operation, WCAV airs the most newscasts. WAHU airs an hour-long extension of Good Morning Charlottesville weekday mornings at 7 and nightly prime time newscasts at 10 that competes with CW affiliate WVIR-DT3. All shows, except the extension of Good Morning Charlottesville on WAHU, are streamed live on the "Charlottesville Newsplex" website.
References
- ↑ http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=167154
- ↑ http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=47705&Callsign=WAHU-CD
- ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WAHU-CD
- ↑ "DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and the Second Rounds" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2012-03-24.