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WTVA is the NBC television affiliate for the Tupelo-Columbus-West Point, Mississippi television market. The station is owned by Jane Spain, wife of WTVA founder Frank Spain. Its transmitter is located 2.1 miles northwest of Woodland, Mississippi.

History

WTVA originally began in an old schoolhouse on the outskirts of Tupelo. Owner Frank K. Spain, who had graduated from Mississippi State University at the age of 19, designed and hand-built the antenna, transmitter, cameras, and other ancillary equipment. The station first signed on the air on March 18, 1957, with the call letters WTWV. Though no formal agreement was decided upon for NBC affiliation at the time, executives at the New York-based network told Spain that if he could figure out how to obtain the signal, he could carry it. Many at NBC believed that Tupelo was not a desirable place for a local station because of its rural location, dozens of miles away from cities such as Memphis and Birmingham. Spain allegedly negotiated under-the-table deals with WMC-TV in Memphis, and set up a network of microwave relays and repeater systems to carry the WMC-TV signal to Tupelo. This network, necessary in the days before satellites, enabled WTWV to carry NBC programming.

In the mid-1960s, WTWV was approached about market affiliation with the ABC network. Spain, who was still receiving "bootleg" NBC programming, told NBC executives that ABC was willing to pay him. This prompted NBC to finally negotiate a deal with Spain, for WTWV to become the affiliate for the northeastern Mississippi area. Still, the station did carry some ABC programming in off hours until a new station in nearby West Point began operating on channel 27 in the 1980s. Ironically, WTVA now has an LMA with that station (see below).

The station adopted the WTVA callsign in 1979, named for Tupelo's recognition as the first Tennessee Valley Authority city in the Southeast. The WTWV callsign is now used on a radio station in Mashpee, Massachusetts, a station unrelated to the current WTVA.

Innovations

WTWV was the first commercial television station in Mississippi to devote the entire morning broadcast schedule to educational, or children's, programming. The station also made history as the first television station in Mississippi to broadcast a live basketball game.

Newscast titles

Weekday programs

  • The Morning Show (5:30 - 7:00 AM) - Variety show comprised of news, special guests on various topics, and the Morning Show Band, led by Kay Bain. The show is hosted by Terry Smith, with Kelli Cook providing news updates and John Dolusic giving periodic weather updates.
  • WTVA News Live at Noon (12:00 PM - 12:30 PM) - Anchored by Kelli Cook. John Dolusic provides Earthwatch weather forecasts.
  • WTVA News Live at Five (5:00 PM - 5:30 PM) - Anchored and produced by Guy Hornbuckle. Dick Rice provides Earthwatch weather forecasts and Jim Holder gives a look at the day's sports.
  • WTVA News Live at Six (6:00 PM - 6:30 PM) - Anchored by Kathy Powell and Craig Ford. Dick Rice provides Earthwatch weather forecasts and Marlin Williams gives a look at the day's sports.
  • WTVA News Live at Ten (10:00 PM - 10:35 PM) - Same format as the 6:00 PM newscast.

Weekend programs

  • Focus (3:00 PM - 3:30 PM) - Community events program hosted by Terry Smith.
  • WTVA News Live at Six (6:00 PM - 6:30 PM) - Anchored by Robert Byers and Andrea Murray. Scott Agner provides Earthwatch weather forecasts and Matt Wyatt gives a look at the weekend's sports. The 6:00 PM newscast only airs on Saturdays.
  • WTVA News Live at Ten (10:00 PM - 10:35 PM) - Same format as 6:00 PM newscast on Saturday. Airs Saturday and Sunday evenings.

High-Definition, Digital Television, and the FCC

Though WTVA indeed has a digital channel assigned to it, the station currently only broadcasts in analog. All NBC HD network programming is shown as 4:3 letterbox, such as Late Night With Conan O'Brien. At this time, the station does not have the ability to transmit digitally or in high-definition (its audio signal is mono as well). The only exception is WTVA's sister station, FOX affiliate WLOV, which broadcasts network programming in high-definition over an in-house HD transmitter. The transmitter's maximum range is unknown.

It is expected that the station will be required to make the changeover soon, as the FCC's deadline for nationwide affiliate conversion to HD is January 7, 2007.

"Bugs"

One criticism among some WTVA viewers is the use of an on-screen logo at a corner of a television screen, commonly-known as "bugs". WTVA, as well as WLOV and WKDH, has a bug in a corner at almost all hours of their broadcasting day, including commercials. Most stations that have a local bug use it only for news and syndicated programming, switching it off for commercials, infomercials or brokered programming, and network programming.

Affiliated stations

WTVA, Inc., the parent company that controls and manages WTVA, also controls and manages two other stations in the Tupelo-Columbus-West Point market. These stations are the FOX affiliate WLOV 27 and the ABC affiliate WKDH 45. WTVA, Inc. manages the other two stations through an LMA, or local marketing agreement. Each station has its own station manager and owner, in accordance with FCC policy.

References

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