On January 1, 2012, WBTV switched the subchannels for This TV and Bounce TV, due to a contractual obligation to carry Bounce TV on the station's second subchannel. WBTV reunited members of WBT Radio's "Briarhoppers" for a television reunion show. By WSBTV.com News Staff March 01, 2023 at 10:29 pm EST 2 arrested while sleeping at Ga. gas station after doing drugs with child in backseat, deputies say Deputies found meth and heroin in the car . Traffic. WBTV begins a year-long focus "For Kids Sake". WBTV shut down its analog signal, over VHF channel 3, on June 12, 2009, the official date in which full-power television stations in the United States transitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. In fact, its dominance was so absolute that it was once said the dials of most Charlotteans' television sets were "rusted on channel 3. WBT radio long hosted live country music. Prior to joining in 2004, evening anchor Maureen O'Boyle, a Charlotte native and graduate of West Charlotte High School, served as anchor of the syndicated newsmagazines A Current Affair and Extra. WBTV and Charlotte Memorial Hospital team up for the first "Health Matters" medical show. The mindset may get even more difficult as time goes on, with people cooped up at home. The updated "WBTV Morning Report" premieres with anchors Lori Ogilvie and Jim Patterson. Locally originated programming this week is "signed" for the deaf. Due to North Carolina's status as a college basketball hotbed and local teams North Carolina and Duke being mainstays in the tournament, NCAA tournament games are consistently among the highest-rated programs in the market during playoff season. WBTV, the Charlotte Radio Appliance Association, the Charlotte News and The Charlotte Observer host a TV preview gathering at the Charlotte Armory for anyone interested in seeing the new thing called "television". After "Top O' The Day" ends its run the "WBTV News at Noon" begins on this day. Marshall Scott's piloting skills are given credit for both men to be able to "walk away" from the crash. From 2010 onward, the package was branded as the ACC Network. Hurricane Hugo strikes the Carolina coastline and moves inland while retaining its Hurricane force winds to batter Charlotte and the Western Piedmont of NC and the Upstate section of SC. The helicopter uses aviation fuel, rather than jet fuel. WBTV News returns to the 6:30pm time slot with the first local 6:30pm news in Charlotte for that time period in a "stand-alone" format. Find out what former NEWS9 anchor Allison Latos has been up to since leaving the station. [14][15] As was the case with Raycom, WBTV became Gray's second-largest station by market size, after Cleveland's WOIO/WUAB. Witnesses also claim that Tayag, a pilot with over 20 years of experience, deliberately steered the falling helicopter into the grass to avoid crashing into nearby buildings or onto the Interstate itself, which was crowded with Thanksgiving week traffic at the time. TV-1 is now renamed The Feezor Studio in memory of Betty Feezor. Raycom had produced ACC basketball games in partnership with Jefferson-Pilot/Lincoln Financial since 1982. This was in part due to being the only reliably viewable station in town for nine years, as well as the station's long tradition of strong local news coverage. Within a few months, WBTV's late-evening newscast lost the lead at 11 p.m. to channel 9, and it would not regain first place in that timeslot until 2004. WBTV's weather radar was previously shown on its third subchannel, but the subchannel itself was removed prior to the digital transition. The third subchannel resumed operations upon the launch of Bounce TV on September 26, 2011. 5 TV market in the country, according to the 2020-21 . The signal is bounced to the top of the Wilder Building, then to the transmitter tower on Spencer Mountain. WBTV broadcasts a telethon for Char-Wheels. It is the first production model of this newer recorder. WBTV is Charlotte's first TV station to use mounted cameras on towers throughout the city for LIVE sky views of highway traffic, skyline shots and weather scenes. During the month of the letter writing campaign WBTV received 372,000 letters from viewers in the Carolinas. WBTV presents the first local Live Color program. Her career started at WBOY in Clarksburg, WV and then she went to WFMZ in Allentown, PA less than a year later. WBTV forms "Spearhead", a local television series consisting of ideological and philosophical programs. "The Carolina Camera" premieres on WBTV News. The studio address, One Julian Price Place, is named in honor of the executive who effectively founded Jefferson Standard/Jefferson-Pilot through an early-20th century merger. The first television station in the Carolinas, and among the first few in the southeastern United States to do so. Those rights passed to Lincoln Financial after its merger with Jefferson-Pilot in 2006. The show was known at various times as Tiny Town, Whistle Stop, Fred Kirby's Little Rascals and Kirby's Corral. WBTV begins transmitting color test patterns, the first television station in the southeastern United States to do so. A drug-free party for high school seniors in the WBTV viewing area. Wacky weatherman Mark Mathis was fired as cohost of FOX News Rising at the end of August 2010, leaving FOX Charlotte for the second time. The popularity of a series of specials commemorating the station's 25th anniversary in 1974 led to a long-running program, Those Were the Years, hosted by Mike McKay and featuring episodes of classic television shows such as Dragnet, You Bet Your Life and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. WBTV announces that it will begin transmissions of color test patterns in May of this year. Most ACC games that were not televised by WBTV aired on either WJZY (channel 46) or WMYT-TV (channel 55). WBTV News makes the switch to color news film. WBTV originates Edward R. Murrow's interview with Charlottean Harry Golden for the CBS Network program, "Person to Person.". Reception reports were received from cities as far away as 150 miles. WBTV opens the "Western Bureau" in Morganton with reporters Steve Ohnesorge and Cecile Bost. An awards program to honor the highest ideals and achievements in the field of public services in the United States. Also this month, WBTV and area TV set dealers hold a contest for the 100,000th television set purchased in the coverage area. The cash-and-stock merger transaction valued at $3.6 billionin which Gray shareholders would acquire preferred stock currently held by Raycomresulted in WBTV gaining new in-state sister stations, including NBC affiliates WECT in the Wilmington, North Carolina market and WITN-TV in the Washington-Greenville market, in addition to its current Raycom sister stations. WBTV also originates another CBS "Person to Person" program with Edward R. Murrow and former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Secretary of State James F. Byrnes. easier, and happier," former WBTV journalist Maddie Garnder . Watch Live; Latest Video; News; First Alert Weather; Calendar; WBTV Investigates; On Your Side Tonight; QC Life; Sports; WBTV News. WBTV underwrites the cost of the trip for the Oratorio Singers of Charlotte to sing at the National Christmas Tree Lighting at the White House, at the invitation of President Johnson. Many of WBTV's evening newscasts and sports specials originate from the site of the Super Bowl in Houston, Texas. Patterson was killed in a single-car accident in Charlotte in 1986; Kirby died in 1996 at age 85. WBTV received one of the last construction permits issued before the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) "freeze" on new television licenses, which lasted until the Commission released its Sixth Report and Order in 1952. By Joe Marusak. [9][10][11][12] The sale was approved on December 20,[13] and was completed on January 2, 2019. WBTV's only competition in its early years came from a UHF station on channel 36, known as WAYS-TV and then WQMC-TV, which broadcast briefly from 1953 to 1955. WBTV increases power to the maximum allowed for channel 3 on the VHF dial - 100,000 watts. The helicopter is a total loss. This studio is the home of commercial productions and special live programming. WBTV does it first remote telecast from the Charlotte Coliseum, (now Bojangles' Coliseum) for the NCAA Eastern Regional basketball game. We, and yeahthe viewers especially are going to miss her. [20] Feezor's show was also carried on Richmond sister station WWBT after Jefferson-Pilot bought the station in 1968. WBTV begins local sponsorship of "The Jefferson Awards." The N A B adopts "American Values" as a nationwide project. Mathematically speaking, from December 1949 to July 1964 there have been 188 homes a DAY getting a television set. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Lincoln Financial retained Jefferson-Pilot's broadcasting division, which was renamed Lincoln Financial Media, with WBTV retaining its status as the flagship station.[3]. The truck carries three cameras, monitor and replay equipment, cables, lighting and spare parts. WGBA-TV wptv Join to Connect WJAC TV. WBTV was originally owned by the Greensboro-based Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company, owners of WBT (1110 AM), the city's oldest radio station and the first fully licensed station in the South. WBTV begins a major public service campaign on Diabetes awareness. When children's programs aren't considered, "Carolina Calling" is the 9th rated show in the USA for that time period. Two years later, after KPIX-TV in San Francisco became a CBS owned-and-operated station (due to owner Westinghouse Electric Corporation's merger with CBS), WBTV became the second longest-tenured affiliate that was not owned by the network, behind only Washington's WUSA. Before the arrival of the Carolina Panthers, WSPA was also known to air a different NFL game than what aired on WBTV, giving most Charlotte-area viewers a second option for NFL games. WBT General Manager Charles H. Crutchfield also eyes Spencer Mountain as the site for a possible television transmitter he is persuading company President Joseph M. Bryan to look into. WBTV premieres a locally produced newsmagazine called "Special Edition.". WBTV launches a year-long conservation project for the Carolinas called "Planet Earth". As of 2023, she is around 60 years old. WBTV and WBT personalities auction thousands of dollars of donated merchandise to Carolina viewers. At the end of the program, a winner of a new HD - TV is chosen from contest entries. Jefferson-Pilot sold WBTW in 1968 because WBTW provided a fairly strong grade B signal to the eastern portion of the Charlotte market, and neither station would have been able to expand their signals as long as Jefferson-Pilot owned both of them. Veteran Charlotte broadcaster Jim Patterson was the first person seen on the station, and remained employed there until his death in 1986. On June 25, 2018, Atlanta-based Gray Television announced it had reached an agreement with Raycom to merge their respective broadcasting assets (consisting of Raycom's 63 existing owned-and/or-operated television stations, including WBTV), and Gray's 93 television stations) under Gray's corporate umbrella. Fred is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and WCNC Charlotte Main Evening Anchor, alongside Vanessa Ruffes. Since its completion in 1984, WBTV's signal has been transmitted from a 2,000-foot (610m)-high guy-wired aerial mast transmitter tower located in north-central Gaston County, North Carolina, which is also shared with former radio sister WLNK. Most all of the staff is on duty in the entire JPC chain of TV and Radio stations. Shortly before the television station went on the air, its call letters were modified from WBT-TV to WBTV. The journey starts with Sarah Batista, a single mom and former TV news reporter who left behind a decade-long career in 2013 to follow her "gut . Partners in this massive community service effort are CVS Pharmacies and the Salvation Army. WBTV welcomes CBS newsman Eric Sevareid to Charlotte as guest on "The Spearhead Group". WBTV is the first station in the United Stated to produce a weeknight newscast for a local PBS station, WTVI-TV. The FAA and NTSB began an investigation into the incident, only releasing their preliminary findings to the public; these and the RadarBox findings indicate the helicopter was initially traveling at 80 miles per hour (129km/h), and made three 360-degree turns just before it crashed.[18]. The permanent switchover occurred at 5:55am on June 12, 2009. The station first signed on the air on July 15, 1949. Make sure you make a point to watch her final newscast tonight at 7pm. Untitled Document News Anchors Bob Juback Meghan Miller Patsy Kelly Annette Peagler Aaron Rhody Melissa Meyers Manny Martinez Taylor Maresca Nicole Boone Reporters Maya Lockett Claire Purnell Taylo WBTV anchor Knowles dies at age 42: MARK WASHBURN Staff Writer WBTV anchor Bob Knowles died Tuesday, three years after he was diagnosed with a rare cancer that flared up again on his honeymoon two months ago. "The Betty Feezor Show" each weekday afternoon at 1:00pm is the third watched woman's show in the United States. WBTV begins consistently running test patterns from 12:00 noon to 7:00 pm. (He was one of the main news anchors on WBTV till he stepped down from the anchor desk in late 1974. Watch Live. In 1955, WBT and WBTV moved to a then state-of-the-art facility on a hill atop Morehead Street, where both stations are still based today. WBTV begins news at noon with "The Noon Report" hosted by Don Robertson and Pat Lee. Moving to6 to 7pm a year later. The FCC prohibits the stations' "Grade B" signals to overlap. WBTV presents a patriotic musical "Our Country Tis of Thee" with Ty Boyd, Pat Lee and Clara Lowry. Only women's shows in Chicago and Cincinnati have more viewers. WBTV's digital TV station, WBTV-DT Channel 23 is the first digital television station in the United States to broadcast at the fill power of one million watts. Cameron served as the station's top male anchor until his retirement on December 31, 2018. WBTV begins thepopular feature called "On The Square". WBTV broadcasts from Charlotte's first "Springfest." (Three cameras were used for the telecast. WBTV was purchased by Montgomery, Alabama based Raycom Media Inc. Kristi solo-anchors the weekend . Other notable on-air personalities include Western bureau chief Steve Ohnesorge, who started as a photographer at WBTV in 1975. Contests. Kamie . Bonanza Productions NBC's Revolutionsince Jul 2012 Fox 26/WECTTV6 Former TV News Anchor/Producer and Investigative Reporter2008 - 2010. The Charlotte television market is ranked 22nd in the United States. Introduction : Maureen O'Boyle is an American news anchor and presenter, WBTV's first programs aired that night. WBTV originates the broadcasts of "The Billy Graham Crusade" from the Charlotte Coliseum (now Bojangles' Coliseum). The merger coincided with the start of the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference basketball season. WBTV is allowed by the FCC - the first time ever - to film and then televise FCC court proceedings on the application for a license for another charlotte television station to start on Channel 9. The partnership was extended to football in 2004; Jefferson-Pilot/Lincoln Financial had been the sole producer of ACC football telecasts since 1984. In the evening, WBTV's 6:00pm "Early News" attracts more audience than 53 of the 81 local early evening news programs aired in the top 25 markets. The Jefferson Standard Convocation program brings nationally known speakers to Charlotte. And the WBTV Raleigh Bureau is expanded. (A series of reports aired in July of 1985 showing the results of the fund raising project.). The helicopter lost tail rotor control about 500 feet above farm land and Scott initiated an autorotation to bring the helicopter down in a controlled crash. "WBTV's Story Lady" premieres with Jackie Torrence. WBTV begins a new midmorning local live program called "Together.". After watching Eric Thomas and Al Conklin, she decided to go back to grad school at Mississippi State to become a Meteorologist. TV-2 is now renamed The McLean Studio in memory of Clyde McLean. Other former GMA stars who visited their old TV home included David Hartman, 80, who co-hosted the first show under its existing name in 1975, Joan Lunden, 65, his co-anchor in the '80s, and Josh . We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. In addition to Fred and Uncle Jim, viewers were treated to classic episodes of The Little Rascals (Hal Roach's Our Gang) as well as frequent appearances by the local bluegrass band The Br'arhoppers. North Carolina has a statewide "stay at home" order, which means people have to limit their travel to essential places. WBTV is making big changes to its morning and afternoon-evening news anchor teams, giving longtime station personalities Alex Giles and John Carter new roles.