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WTKR
Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Portsmouth/Newport News, Virginia
Branding	NewsChannel 3
Slogan	Taking Action...Getting Results
Channels	Analog: 3 (VHF) Digital: 40 (UHF)
Affiliations	CBS (secondary until 1953)
Owner	Local TV, LLC (Local TV Virginia License, LLC)
First air date	April 2, 1950
Call letters’ meaning	Dual meaning: * Television Knight Ridder (former owners) * tribute nod to WTAR (rhyming scheme)
Former callsigns	WTAR-TV (1950–1981)
Former channel number(s)	4 (1950–1952)
Former affiliations	Primary: NBC (1950–1953) Secondary: DuMont (1950–1955) ABC (1950–1957)
Transmitter Power	100 kW (analog) 950 kW (digital)
Height	299 m (analog) 377 m (digital)
Facility ID	47401
Transmitter Coordinates	36°48′58.1″N 76°27′55.4″W / 36.816139, -76.465389 (analog) 36°48′31.8″N 76°30′11.3″W / 36.808833, -76.503139 (digital)
Website	www.wtkr.com

WTKR is the CBS affiliate serving the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, officially known as the Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News DMA. The station is licensed to Norfolk and broadcasts on channel 3. Its transmitter is located in Suffolk, Virginia; studios are located in Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Newport News. WTKR is owned by Local TV, LLC.

Digital television

The station's digital channel. In 2009, WTKR will leave channel 3 and move to channel 40 when the analog to digital transition is complete.

High Definition Television

WTKR is scheduled to begin producing and airing its local newscasts in high definition on Sunday, January 11, 2009, with the 11:00pm newscast.^{[citation needed]}

History

The station began operation on channel 4 on April 2, 1950 as WTAR-TV, Virginia's second television station. It was a primary NBC affiliate, with secondary affiliations with CBS, ABC, and DuMont. It was owned by the Virginian-Pilot along with WTAR-AM, Virginia's first radio station. It moved to channel 3 in 1952. When WVEC-TV signed on a year later as an NBC affiliate, WTAR became a primary CBS affliliate, retaining its secondary ABC and DuMont affiliations (DuMont folded two years later). WTAR became solely affiliated with CBS in 1957, when WAVY-TV signed on as the ABC affiliate (WAVY and WVEC would swap affiliations in 1959 making the latter station the ABC affiliate). When the Virginian-Pilot reorganized its various holdings as Landmark Communications in 1969, WTAR-AM-FM-TV became the flagship stations.

WTKR logo from 1998 to 2002. This logo kept the 3 from the previous 1995-98 logo, but revised the "NewsChannel" branding.

Over the years, the station expanded its news operation to include about 30 hours of local news production per week. It also produced PM Magazine from the late 1970s to mid-1980s.

After the FCC tightened its ownership restrictions, Landmark sold its Hampton Roads television holdings. WTAR-TV went to Knight-Ridder in 1981. WTAR AM radio was still owned by Landmark, so Knight-Ridder changed the station's calls to WTKR. The new calls reflected the new ownership and also sounded similar to the old ones. WTKR was purchased by Narragansett Television in 1989, and by The New York Times Company in 1995. WTKR's current owner, Local TV, acquired the station on May 7, 2007.

Branding and Image

Weather Titles

• TV-3 WeatherVision/TV-3 Forecast Center (1994–1995)
• Live Neighborhood Radar (1995–1998)
• Storm Team 3 (1995–1998)
• Triple Doppler Radar/Triple Doppler Forecast Center (1998–2007)
• Live VIPIR Radar/Live VIPIR Forecast Center (2007-Present)

News Personalities

Anchors

• Domonique Benn, weekend morning/reporter
• Juliet Bickford, 5:00pm
• Barbara Ciara, 5 and 5:30pm/"Taking Action" reporter
• Bianca Martinez, 6:00pm and 11:00pm
• Sara Morris, weekend 6:00pm and 11:00pm
• Laila Muhammad, weekday mornings and noon
• Patrick Rockey, weekday mornings and noon (also meteorologist)
• Kurt Williams, 5:30pm, 6:00pm, and 11:00pm

Weather

• Mike Harvey, chief meteorologist, weekday evening
• Vanessa Murdock, Saturday morning & weekend evening
• Patrick Rockey, morning and noon (also anchors)
• Blaine Stewart, Sunday morning

Sports

• Ted Alexander (weekend sports anchor, Locker Room host)

Reporters and Other Current Personalities

• Domonique Benn (general assignment)
• Juliet Bickford (anchor/"Don't Waste Your Money")
• Barbara Ciara (anchor/reports for evening shows)
• Marie Coronel (morning/noon reporter)
• Kristen Crowley (traffic)
• Jeremy Crider (general assignment)
• Bonnie Johnson (traffic/Look What's Cookin')
• Mike Mather (Investigative)
• Bob Matthews (Virginia Beach)
• Pat McReynolds (general assignment)
• Sara Morris (general assignment)
• Vanessa Murdock (features)
• Laila Muhammad (anchor/general assignment)
• Jummy Olabanji (general assignment)
• Dan Rubin (weekends/Peninsula)
• Blaine Stewart (general assignment)
• Dan Tordjman (general assignment)

WTKR also uses reporters from Tribune's Washington, DC bureau, as part of a new management sharing agreement between Tribune and WTKR's parent company, Local TV, LLC.

Past Personalities

Ed Hughes and Jane Gardner from a 1996 news promo

Tom Randles and LeAnne Rains in 1996.

• Rick Amme, reporter 1979. Now president of Amme & Associates in NC.
• Stacey Baca, weekend morning anchor from 1996 until 1998. Now at WLS-TV in Chicago.^[1]
• Jason Barr, sports anchor/reporter until 2008, now anchor at WMBF-TV in Myrtle Beach.
• Dale Gauding, investigative reporter until leaving for WVEC in 1998. Now works in public relations/communications for Sentara Hospitals.
• Ric Barrick, Weekend Meteorologist, now at WTVR-TV in Richmond, VA.
• Betty Anne Bowser, reporter, co-anchor in the 1960s and 70s. Later a correspondent for CBS News (1973-86) and PBS's NewsHour (1986-present). Former co-anchor of 30 Minutes, a news magazine program that won four Emmys, a DuPont-Columbia Award and a Peabody Award.^[2]
• Wally Bruckner, sports anchor in summer 1985. Later worked in Richmond and at WRC-TV in Washington, DC.
• John Castleberry, sports anchor during the mid-late 1990s, previously weekend sports anchor at WAVY during the 1980s. Formerly hosted a daily radio show on 102.1 The Game WXTG. Husband of former WAVY anchor and Living the Life co-host Carolyn Castleberry.
• Glenn "Corey" Corillo, anchor during the late-80s to the mid-90s. Unsuccessfully ran against Virginia Beach mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf in spring 2000.
• Cory Curtis, sports director from 2006 to 2007, now at WKRN in Nashville.
• Nate Custer, longtime reporter from 1966 until retirement in 2005 ^[3].
• Stacy Davis, reporter, weekend anchor, 2001 - 2008, now at WRAL-TV.
• Patti DiVincenzo, reporter, 1988-1998, now a special projects producer at WSB-TV in Atlanta.
• Brian Farrell, reporter, weekend morning anchor, now at WVEC.
• Joe Flanagan, host of WTKR's PM Magazine from 1980 to 1985, now at WVEC.
• Jane Gardner, main co-anchor during the early-mid 1990s. Also co-hosted WTKR's "Live at 9" program in the mid-late 90s.
• Lisa Godley, reporter from 1997-2007; now at WHRO and runs her own video production company, Acacia Tree Productions, in Suffolk^[4]
• Pete Grigsby, meteorologist from 1995 to 1999, now at KMBC in Kansas City.
• Jim Hale, sports reporter, anchor from late 80s to mid 90s. Was morning and noon anchor at WTVR-TV in Richmond from the late 90s until 2000.
• Dr. Duane Harding, chief weathercaster from 1990 until 1996; when he was fired.^[5]
• Kelly Harvey Jones, weekend anchor from 1999–2002, later went to WVEC.
• Michele Harvey, 11pm co-anchor from the mid-80s until 1990. Left for WSOC-TV in Charlotte.^[6]
• Brian Hill, meteorologist in the 1980s-1990s, later went to WVEC.
• Rick Holmes, reporter from 1999 until 2007. Now at News 12 New Jersey.
• Ed Hughes, often called the Walter Cronkite of Hampton Roads, from 1967 (as WTAR) to his death from cancer in 2004.
• George Johnson, weekend sports anchor from 1998 until 2001. Left for WISC-TV in Madison, WI.
• Gene Kapp, started as a reporter in 1983, became 11pm co-anchor in 1987 until 1992, later a spokesman for CBN.
• Ann Keffer, anchor in the 1980s-1990s. Now hosts ExploreHealth with Sentara, a 30-minute health show shown on WTKR Saturdays at 7:00pm ^[7] (the program is not produced by WTKR)
• Sandra Kelly, anchor in the early 1980s. Previously at WAVY. Now associate rector at Tampa's St. John Episcopal Church.^[8]
• Matt Keller, morning anchor from 2005 to 2007. Now at KGO-TV in San Francisco.
• Beverly Kidd, joined station in 1993 and was morning co-anchor from 1997 until 2001. Now at KTVK in Phoenix.
• Antwan Lewis, hired as a college intern in 1996, worked way up to reporter. Left in 2002 for KTVK in Phoenix. Now at WGN-TV in Chicago.
• Becky Livas, newscaster and talk show hostess/producer "People Places & Things", "3 In The Morning", 1971-1980 (then WTAR-TV). Now middle school teacher in Suffolk and cabaret/jazz singer at venues throughout Hampton Roads. Mother of WAVY & WVBT anchor Nicole Livas.
• Ross MacCallum, news and sports anchor from 1985 to 1992. Also worked at WAVY from 1993 to 1995.
• Lee Mahaffey, morning anchor from 2000 until 2002. Now anchor at WTVR-TV in Richmond.
• Paula Miller, reporter from 1984 until 1999. Now member of the Virginia House of Delegates.^[9]
• Regina Mobley, reporter from 1985 to 1992, now at WVEC.
• Gerald Owens, political reporter and anchor from 1995 until 1998. Now at WRAL-TV in Raleigh.
• Lou Paris, reporter and news director from 1976–1987. Returned to active duty in the U.S. Air Force. Now retired, living in Germantown, TN.
• Dave Parker, chief meteorologist from 1997 - 2006. Now at Sinclair Communications and Studio Center, Inc.
• Eric Philips, reporter from 1996-2002. Left for CNN.
• Ben "Sonny" Pulliam, news photographer from 1953 to 1996 (died in 2006).
• LeAnne Rains, main co-anchor from 1995 until 2001. Now known as LeAnne Rains-Benedetto.
• Tom Randles, main co-anchor from 1993 until 2005. Now weekend anchor at WSMV-TV in Nashville.
• Mike Rasnick, sports reporter during 70s and early 80s. Later at CBN.
• Bob Rathbun, sports anchor from 1989 until 1991. Now play-by-play announcer for Atlanta Hawks.
• Andy Roberts, chief weathercaster/announcer for over 35 years until 1990, continued to forecast on noon and 5pm newscasts until his retirement in 1992.
• Jeff Rucker, meteorologist on various newscasts from 1995 until 1999, now chief meteorologist at WAGT in Augusta, GA.
• Mike Simon, noon and 5:30pm meteorologist until 2003. Known as Mike Cuevas as chief meteorologist at WLOS in Asheville.
• Yvonne Simons, reporter. Now news director at KBCI-TV in Boise, ID.
• Brian Sinkoff, sports anchor, 2001-2005. Now at WTMM-FM in Albany, NY.
• Les Smith, 5:30 pm anchor from April-June 2008. Smith left WTKR for unspecified reasons, similar to his departure from WAVY in April 2007.
• Stephanie Sy, fill-in anchor and military reporter from 2001 until 2003. Now reporter for ABC News.
• Cathleen Trigg, anchor/reporter from 1997-1999. Left for WPIX in New York.
• Lyn Vaughn, evening co-anchor from July 1999 until 2001 after 14 years with CNN Headline News.
• Bob West, "Points West" host 1980s-1990s. Retired after 34 years at WTKR. Now lives in Isle of Wight County, Va
• Tal White, Weekend weathercaster from 1994–1995, 1999-2002, Fill-in forecaster from 2003–2005, worked at WWBT in Richmond in between stints.

Tower

WTKR-TV transmission tower is located in northwest part of Suffolk, Virginia. WTKR (analog ch. 3) transmits with 100 kilowatts of power from an antenna located at a height of 981 feet (299 m). WTKR-DT (digital ch. 40) transmits with 950 kilowatts of power at a height of 1,250 feet (380 m) on a tower owned by ATC and co-located with WHRO, WTVZ and WPXV. It is the tallest antenna in southeastern Virginia.

External links

• WTKR Homepage
• WTKR MySpace Page
• 3inaction.com
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WTKR
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WTKR-TV

References

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