WVLA
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| WVLA | |
|---|---|
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| Baton Rouge, Louisiana | |
| Branding | NBC 33 WVLA Baton Rouge |
| Slogan | Your News Station |
| Channels | Analog: 33 (UHF) |
| Affiliations | NBC NBC Weather Plus (DT2) |
| Owner | White Knight Broadcasting, Inc. (Knight Broadcasting of Baton Rouge License Corporation) |
| First air date | October 16, 1971 |
| Call letters’ meaning | Vetter LouisianA (previous owner) |
| Sister station(s) | KZUP |
| Former callsigns | WRBT (1971-1987) |
| Former affiliations | ABC (1971-1977) Fox 1986-1991 (secondary) |
| Transmitter Power | 5000 kW (analog) 1000 kW (digital) |
| Height | 522 m (both) |
| Facility ID | 70021 |
| Transmitter Coordinates | |
| Website | www.nbc33tv.com |
WVLA ("NBC 33") is the local NBC affiliate for Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It transmits its analog signal on UHF channel 33, and its digital signal on UHF channel 34. The station is seen via satellite through DirecTV and Dish Network. It is owned by White Knight Broadcasting, and is sister station to the area's independent station, KZUP. WVLA also shares facilities and staff with WGMB and WBRL. WVLA's transmitter is located near Addis, Louisiana.
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[edit] History
The station signed on the air on October 16, 1971[1] as WRBT, an ABC affiliate. In the late 1970's ABC became the most watched network and was seeking out stronger stations in major markets to switch affiliations to, all the while NBC fell to third and last place in ratings. With Baton Rouge being one of those markets, WRBT traded the affiliation to WBRZ in exchange for NBC in 1977. It changed its calls to WVLA in 1987 after building a higher tower boosting its power to five million watts. The station was the first local station in Baton Rouge and the second station in Louisiana to broadcast in stereo after KLFY in Lafayette.
[edit] Digital Television
The station's digital channel:
Digital channels
| Channel | Programming |
|---|---|
| 33.1 / 34.1 | Main WVLA programming / NBC HD |
| 33.2 / 34.2 | NBC Weather Plus |
[edit] Newscast
WVLA used to air a 6 pm and a 10 pm newscast during the 1980s, but both newscasts were canceled in 1989, citing poor ratings. It also used to broadcast a one-hour 6 am newscast on weekdays, but it was canceled in January 2005.
The station's latest generation of newscasts debuted on January 8, 2007, with weeknight shows at 5 pm and 10 pm. 6 pm shows began airing on January 29, 2007. On August 28, 2007, WVLA launched a 30 minute newscast titled NBC 33 News Morning Edition, which airs weekdays at 6 am.
[edit] Staff
Anchors
- Valentina Wilson - 5, 6 & 10pm Newscasts
- Stone Grissom - 5, 6 & 10pm Newscasts
- Rachel Slavik - Morning Newscasts/Reporter
- Lauren Unger - Morning Newscasts/Reporter
Meteorologists
- Nelson Robinson - Chief Meteorlogist
- Jesse Gunkel - Morning Meteorologist
Reporters
- David D'Aquin
- Jon Fairbanks
- Kianga Kelley
Sports
- Cole Wright - Sports Director
- Chris Mycoskie
- Emily Turner
[edit] Former Staff
- Kiran Chawla
- Erin Cofiell - news reporter, now sports reporter at WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge
- Hilarie Courtney
- Robyn Ekings - anchor/managing editor, now at Louisiana Public Broadcasting
- Melanie Hebert - news anchor, now at WDSU-TV in New Orleans
- Jenny Heroman - anchor/producer, now at 1stCo, Inc. and EATEL 4 News (Ascension Parish and Livingston Parish, LA)
- Leo Honeycut
- Tony Lightfoot
- Pamela Matassa - anchor, now at Around Town TV Show on Cox 4 (Baton Rouge)
- Mike Rhodes
[edit] Programming
Baton Rouge Lagniappe is a Sunday morning public affairs program that airs at 6:30am and is hosted by Matt Kennedy. It features interviews with Baton Rouge community leaders about local issues and upcoming events. Topics include city development, education, career advice, arts and entertainment, and health and fitness. It also airs on WGMB, KZUP and WBRL.
[edit] David Letterman on WRBT
In 1983, station owner Cyril Vetter pulled Late Night with David Letterman from WRBT's schedule, replacing it with reruns of All in the Family, citing poor ratings. Because of that, 3500 college students from LSU petitioned to get Letterman back on the air. Vetter required each of the 3500 students to maintain a C average in order to bring back Letterman to the nighttime schedule. Eventually, the show made it back.
[edit] External links
- NBC 33 website
- Query the FCC's TV station database for WVLA
- BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on WVLA-TV
[edit] References
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