WNCN
Encyclopedia
WNCN is the NBC
affiliate television station in the Triangle region of North Carolina
(the Raleigh
-Durham
-Fayetteville
DMA
), broadcasting on digital channel 17. It is licensed
to Goldsboro
, but its studios are just outside of downtown Raleigh. The station is carried on cable channel 6 in Raleigh, cable channel 2 in Durham and Chapel Hill
, channel 10 in Wilson, Fayetteville and Southern Pines, channel 13 in Goldsboro, channel 9 in Carrboro, and cable channel 7 in most other places, including Cary
. WNCN's transmitter is located in Auburn, North Carolina
.
the rest of the day. WYED was the first (and only) television station of Beasley Broadcasting Group, which was owned by George Beasley who got his start in 1961 by signing on radio station WPYB
radio in nearby Benson, North Carolina
. Studios were located in Clayton
, along with a 1550 feet (472.4 m) tower nearby broadcast 2.6 million watts of power. In 1992, WYED added cartoons and syndicated talk and game shows. While the station could be seen clearly in Raleigh and Durham, it couldn't be seen as clearly in the far western and northern reaches of the Triangle.
In 1994 the Outlet Company
of Providence, Rhode Island
bought the station, and on January 1, 1995, changed its call letters to the current WNCN (North Carolina's News). The new WNCN increased its signal to 5 million watts, boosting its coverage area to the entire Triangle. The station also added more sitcoms and first-run syndicated shows. It began to carry programming from the WB Television Network, which launched in January 1995.
A month later, NBC signed a long-term affiliation deal with Outlet. Outlet had very good relations with NBC; it owned two of NBC's strongest affiliates, WJAR-TV in its home city and WCMH-TV
in Columbus, Ohio
. Channel 17 immediately began to run NBC programming pre-empted by the network's existing affiliate, WRDC-TV
(channel 28), which had been one of NBC's lowest-rated affiliates for several years. NBC had been looking for a way to get on another station for some time, especially since WRDC frequently preempted its programming. WNCN completely replaced WRDC as the Triangle's NBC station in September after WRDC's affiliation contract ran out, sending the WB affiliation to WRAZ (channel 50). It also moved into the former studios of WLFL-TV (channel 22) in North Raleigh.
Outlet sold its broadcasting holdings to NBC in 1996. Of note, this resulted in WNCN becoming NBC's first UHF owned-and-operated station since the 1950s. During that decade the network briefly owned WBUF-TV (later to become PBS
station WNED-TV
) in Buffalo, New York
and the then-WNBC-TV in New Britain, Connecticut
, the latter of which reacquired as WVIT
in 1997.
WNCN is the fourth station in the Triangle to have a primary affiliation with NBC. NBC had first aired on WTVD
(channel 11) from 1954 to 1956, then WRAL-TV
(channel 5) from 1956 to 1962. After WRAL became a full-time ABC
affiliate in 1962, WTVD shoehorned CBS
and NBC onto its schedule until 1968, when WRDC-TV signed on that year as WRDU-TV. (Channel 28 was also known as WPTF-TV, from 1978 until 1991.) When WNCN became a full NBC affiliate, it marked the first time that network's full schedule had aired in the Triangle since WRAL added ABC part-time in 1959.
In 2000, WNCN abandoned its 1550 feet (472.4 m) tower in Clayton for a 2000 feet (609.6 m) perch on an arm of Capitol Broadcasting Company
's new digital candelabra tower eight miles (13 km) closer to Raleigh. WNCN-DT signed on at UHF channel 55 at the same time. The station had to get a waiver from the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) to do this, as FCC rules require a station's transmitter to be no further than 15 miles (24.1 km) from its city of license.
After becoming an NBC station, WNCN began identifying itself as "NBC 17". Even now, the station almost never uses its call letters on-air, except during legal IDs. When WNCN was owned by NBC Universal, it was one of three network-owned stations on the UHF dial (alongside KNSD
in San Diego and WVIT
in Hartford) and was also one of two network-owned and operated stations in the Raleigh-Durham market (alongside ABC-owned WTVD, which continues to be owned by The Walt Disney Company
).
On January 9, 2006, NBC Universal
announced it was putting WNCN up for sale along with WVTM-TV
in Birmingham, Alabama
and the other two former Outlet stations, WJAR and WCMH. On April 6, 2006, it was announced that Media General
would acquire these stations. This made WNCN a sister station to WNCT-TV
in Greenville
. The sale was finalized on June 26, 2006. http://www.mediageneral.com/press/2006/june26_06.htm
In early December 2006, WNCN's website, was redesigned; they credited Media General in their copyright notices, and were no longer operated by Internet Broadcasting
. WVTM's website followed suit on December 11, 2006, with WCMH's redesigned website launching on December 14.
A redesigned website debuted in October 2010.
As part of the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, WNCN shut down its analog transmitter, on June 12, 2009 at 12:30 p.m., and moved its digital broadcast from channel 55 to channel 17.
WNCN launched a brand-new graphics package at the beginning of 2008, along with an expansive new high-tech set, including a state-of-the-art weather center. The remodel also included the debut of a new modern custom made newsroom.
The station began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition on August 14, 2010.
NBC 17 Precision Weather Team
Reporters
.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
affiliate television station in the Triangle region of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
(the Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
-Durham
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
-Fayetteville
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....
DMA
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
), broadcasting on digital channel 17. It is licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to Goldsboro
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Goldsboro is a city in Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 37,597 at the 2008 census estimate. It is the principal city of and is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The nearby town of Waynesboro was founded in 1787 and Goldsboro was...
, but its studios are just outside of downtown Raleigh. The station is carried on cable channel 6 in Raleigh, cable channel 2 in Durham and Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
, channel 10 in Wilson, Fayetteville and Southern Pines, channel 13 in Goldsboro, channel 9 in Carrboro, and cable channel 7 in most other places, including Cary
Cary, North Carolina
Cary is a large town and suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina in Wake and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located almost entirely in Wake County, it is the second largest municipality in that county and the third largest municipality in The Triangle after Raleigh and Durham...
. WNCN's transmitter is located in Auburn, North Carolina
Auburn, North Carolina
Auburn is an unincorporated community in Wake County, North Carolina, USA, just southeast of Raleigh. It lies about halfway between Garner and Clayton along Old Garner Road, a former alignment of US 70.-Landmarks:...
.
History
WNCN began life on April 11, 1988 as WYED-TV, a small station airing some children's programming during the morning such as Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and the Home Shopping NetworkHome Shopping Network
Home Shopping Network or HSN began in 1977 as a 24-hour/7 day a week home shopping television network televised via cable, satellite, and some terrestrial channels in the Philippines. HSN can also be shopped online at hsn.com...
the rest of the day. WYED was the first (and only) television station of Beasley Broadcasting Group, which was owned by George Beasley who got his start in 1961 by signing on radio station WPYB
WPYB
WPYB, 1130 AM, is a radio station in Benson, North Carolina—a small town between Raleigh and Fayetteville—that has a classic country music format....
radio in nearby Benson, North Carolina
Benson, North Carolina
Benson is a town located in Johnston County, North Carolina. The town lies at the intersection of Interstates 95 and 40. Each year Benson celebrates Mule Days the 4th Saturday of September, a festival that attracts over 60,000 people each year...
. Studios were located in Clayton
Clayton, North Carolina
Clayton is a town in Johnston County, North Carolina, United States. A very small portion of the town extends into Wake County. As of 2010, Clayton's population was 9,676 people. Since 2000, it had a population growth of 38.80 percent. Much of that growth can be attributed to the town's close...
, along with a 1550 feet (472.4 m) tower nearby broadcast 2.6 million watts of power. In 1992, WYED added cartoons and syndicated talk and game shows. While the station could be seen clearly in Raleigh and Durham, it couldn't be seen as clearly in the far western and northern reaches of the Triangle.
In 1994 the Outlet Company
The Outlet Company
The Outlet Company was a corporation based in Providence, Rhode Island, which owned holdings in both retail and broadcasting. The centerpieces of the group was its flagship Providence store and WJAR radio and television, also in Providence....
of Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
bought the station, and on January 1, 1995, changed its call letters to the current WNCN (North Carolina's News). The new WNCN increased its signal to 5 million watts, boosting its coverage area to the entire Triangle. The station also added more sitcoms and first-run syndicated shows. It began to carry programming from the WB Television Network, which launched in January 1995.
A month later, NBC signed a long-term affiliation deal with Outlet. Outlet had very good relations with NBC; it owned two of NBC's strongest affiliates, WJAR-TV in its home city and WCMH-TV
WCMH-TV
WCMH-TV, channel 4, is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, affiliated with the NBC television network and owned by Media General. The station's studios and transmitter are located in Columbus. NBC-4 broadcasts from its studio and office complex near the Ohio State University on Olentangy River...
in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. Channel 17 immediately began to run NBC programming pre-empted by the network's existing affiliate, WRDC-TV
WRDC-TV
WRDC, channel 28, is an affiliate station of MyNetworkTV in the Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville, North Carolina television market. The station is licensed to Durham, but its studios are in the Highwoods office park just outside downtown Raleigh...
(channel 28), which had been one of NBC's lowest-rated affiliates for several years. NBC had been looking for a way to get on another station for some time, especially since WRDC frequently preempted its programming. WNCN completely replaced WRDC as the Triangle's NBC station in September after WRDC's affiliation contract ran out, sending the WB affiliation to WRAZ (channel 50). It also moved into the former studios of WLFL-TV (channel 22) in North Raleigh.
Outlet sold its broadcasting holdings to NBC in 1996. Of note, this resulted in WNCN becoming NBC's first UHF owned-and-operated station since the 1950s. During that decade the network briefly owned WBUF-TV (later to become PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
station WNED-TV
WNED-TV
WNED-TV is a Public Broadcasting Service member Public televisionstation in Buffalo, New York. Owned by the Western New York Public Broadcasting Association, it broadcasts on digital channel 43 from studios in downtown Buffalo and a transmitter located in Grand Island, New York...
) in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and the then-WNBC-TV in New Britain, Connecticut
New Britain, Connecticut
New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately 9 miles southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 71,254....
, the latter of which reacquired as WVIT
WVIT
WVIT, virtual channel 30, is the NBC owned and operated television station for the state of Connecticut, licensed to New Britain. WVIT has its offices and studios located in West Hartford, and transmitter based in Farmington, Connecticut....
in 1997.
WNCN is the fourth station in the Triangle to have a primary affiliation with NBC. NBC had first aired on WTVD
WTVD
WTVD, channel 11, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, licensed to Durham, North Carolina. The station serves the areas of Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, and Fayetteville, known as the Triangle...
(channel 11) from 1954 to 1956, then WRAL-TV
WRAL-TV
WRAL-TV, virtual channel 5 , is a television station in Raleigh, North Carolina. WRAL-TV has been the flagship station of Capitol Broadcasting Company since its inception, and is currently the CBS affiliate for the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Fayetteville area, known collectively as the Triangle...
(channel 5) from 1956 to 1962. After WRAL became a full-time ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate in 1962, WTVD shoehorned CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and NBC onto its schedule until 1968, when WRDC-TV signed on that year as WRDU-TV. (Channel 28 was also known as WPTF-TV, from 1978 until 1991.) When WNCN became a full NBC affiliate, it marked the first time that network's full schedule had aired in the Triangle since WRAL added ABC part-time in 1959.
In 2000, WNCN abandoned its 1550 feet (472.4 m) tower in Clayton for a 2000 feet (609.6 m) perch on an arm of Capitol Broadcasting Company
Capitol Broadcasting Company
Capitol Broadcasting Company is a TV and radio broadcast company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They also own and operate the minor league baseball team, the Durham Bulls.-TV:*WRAL-TV 5...
's new digital candelabra tower eight miles (13 km) closer to Raleigh. WNCN-DT signed on at UHF channel 55 at the same time. The station had to get a waiver from the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) to do this, as FCC rules require a station's transmitter to be no further than 15 miles (24.1 km) from its city of license.
After becoming an NBC station, WNCN began identifying itself as "NBC 17". Even now, the station almost never uses its call letters on-air, except during legal IDs. When WNCN was owned by NBC Universal, it was one of three network-owned stations on the UHF dial (alongside KNSD
KNSD
KNSD is the NBC television station based in San Diego, California. It is owned by a joint venture of NBCUniversal and LIN TV . However, because NBCUniversal has majority control, KNSD is run as an NBC owned and operated station...
in San Diego and WVIT
WVIT
WVIT, virtual channel 30, is the NBC owned and operated television station for the state of Connecticut, licensed to New Britain. WVIT has its offices and studios located in West Hartford, and transmitter based in Farmington, Connecticut....
in Hartford) and was also one of two network-owned and operated stations in the Raleigh-Durham market (alongside ABC-owned WTVD, which continues to be owned by The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
).
On January 9, 2006, NBC Universal
NBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
announced it was putting WNCN up for sale along with WVTM-TV
WVTM-TV
WVTM-TV, channel 13, is the NBC-affiliated television station in the Birmingham-Anniston-Tuscaloosa-Gadsden, Alabama television market. The station is owned by Media General...
in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
and the other two former Outlet stations, WJAR and WCMH. On April 6, 2006, it was announced that Media General
Media General
Media General, Inc. is a media company based in the Southeastern United States. Its major properties include newspapers such as The Tampa Tribune, the Winston-Salem Journal, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch, as well as numerous television stations, such as flagship station WFLA-TV.The company was...
would acquire these stations. This made WNCN a sister station to WNCT-TV
WNCT-TV
WNCT-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Eastern North Carolina's Inner Banks licensed to Greenville. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 10 from a transmitter in Grifton along NC 118. The station can also be seen on Charter channel 6 as well as Time Warner...
in Greenville
Greenville, North Carolina
Greenville is the county seat of Pitt County and principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain and in 2008 was listed as the Tenth Largest City in North Carolina...
. The sale was finalized on June 26, 2006. http://www.mediageneral.com/press/2006/june26_06.htm
In early December 2006, WNCN's website, was redesigned; they credited Media General in their copyright notices, and were no longer operated by Internet Broadcasting
Internet Broadcasting
Internet Broadcasting , or IB, is a provider of Websites, content and advertising revenue solution to the largest and most successful media companies in the world. IB hosts over 70 local stations' sites, and co-produced NBCOlympics.com for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece and the 2006...
. WVTM's website followed suit on December 11, 2006, with WCMH's redesigned website launching on December 14.
Digital programming
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:| Channel | Video | Aspect Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of a shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimension. It may be applied to two characteristic dimensions of a three-dimensional shape, such as the ratio of the longest and shortest axis, or for symmetrical objects that are described by just two measurements,... |
Programming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17.1 | 1080i 1080i 1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels... |
16:9 16:9 16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ... |
Main WNCN programming / NBC |
| 17.2 | 480i 480i 480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC... |
4:3 | Antenna TV Antenna TV Antenna TV is an American digital broadcast television network, primarily featuring classic television series from the 1950s to the 1990s, along with some feature films. It is owned by Tribune Broadcasting, a division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company... |
| 17.3 | Universal Sports Universal Sports Universal Sports is an American television network that airs various sports, primarily those contested in the Olympic Games, including swimming, gymnastics, cycling, track and field, figure skating, skiing, bobsledding and triathlon.-Programming:... |
As part of the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, WNCN shut down its analog transmitter, on June 12, 2009 at 12:30 p.m., and moved its digital broadcast from channel 55 to channel 17.
News operation
Historically, WNCN's newscasts have rated third in the market behind WRAL and WTVD. However, they have been much more competitive than WPTF's various attempts at news programming ever were. WNCN has been on a path of growth in recent years. It was the first in the market to air a morning newscast at 4:30am--earlier than any other station in the Triangle. The station airs other newscasts at 6, 7 and 11pm.WNCN launched a brand-new graphics package at the beginning of 2008, along with an expansive new high-tech set, including a state-of-the-art weather center. The remodel also included the debut of a new modern custom made newsroom.
The station began broadcasting its local newscasts in high definition on August 14, 2010.
Station slogans
- A New Generation of News (1995)
- The One to Watch (late 1990s)
- Accurate, Balanced, to the Point (2007-present)
Current on-air staff
Current anchors- Melanie Sanders - weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.
- Penn Holderness - weeknights at 7 and 11 p.m.
- Sharon Tazwell - weekday mornings "NBC17 Today"
- Phil Sanchez - weekday mornings "NBC17 Today"
- Page Crawford - "Precision Traffic" Anchor "NBC17 Today"
- Kim Genardo - weekends at 6, 7, and 11 p.m.; also political reporter
NBC 17 Precision Weather Team
- Wes Hohenstein (AMSAmerican Meteorological SocietyThe American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 6, 7, and 11 p.m. - Jeremy Baker (AMS and NWANational Weather AssociationThe National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
Seals of Approval) - meteorologist; weekends at 6, 7, and 11 p.m. - Bill Reh (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekday mornings "NBC17 Today"
Reporters
- Jonathan Carlson - general assignment and investigative reporter
- Annette Newell - general assignment reporter
- Maggie Alexander - morning live reporter
- Jackie Faye - general assignment reporter
- Charlotte Huffman - general assignment reporter
- Justin Quesinberry - general assignment reporter
- Steve Sbraccia - general assignment reporter
- Todd Gibson - sports anchor/reporter
Notable former on-air staff
- Donna Gregory - anchor (now at NBC NewsNBC NewsNBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
/MSNBCMSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
) - Brooke HartBrooke Hart (journalist)Brooke Hart is a Washington, D.C.-based correspondent for NBC NewsChannel, NBC's affiliate news service. Her early morning live reports appear regularly on the local newscasts of many NBC affiliates across the country as well as occasionally on NBC's Early Today...
- anchor
.