WTVR-TV

WTVR-TV is a CBS-affiliated television station serving the Richmond, Virginia, market. It broadcasts on virtual channel 6 and is owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. The station operates from studios on West Broad Street in Richmond's West End, while its digital transmission facilities are located near Bon Air alongside facilities associated with PBS member stations WCVE-TV and WCVW. WTVR began broadcasting on April 22, 1948, after Wilbur Havens's Richmond Broadcasting Company obtained the channel 6 license. It was the first television station to sign on in Virginia and one of the earliest stations south of Washington, D.C. The station initially operated from a converted bus garage that had also housed Havens's radio operation. It joined NBC shortly after launch and, during Richmond's early television era, carried programming from several national networks, including NBC, CBS, ABC, and DuMont. The station's network history is unusually broad. After losing NBC to WXEX-TV, now WRIC-TV, in 1955, WTVR briefly became a primary CBS affiliate, then operated as an ABC affiliate before returning to CBS in 1960. As a result, it is one of the relatively small number of American stations that have served as a primary affiliate of all three original major commercial networks: NBC, CBS, and ABC. Its long head start in Richmond helped it become the market's dominant station for much of its first three decades. Ownership changed several times. Havens sold the station and associated radio properties to Roy H. Park Communications in 1966. Park later merged with Media General in 1997, but contemporary federal cross-ownership rules prevented Media General from retaining WTVR alongside its Richmond newspaper interests. The station was therefore transferred to Raycom Media. A proposed 2008 sale to Sinclair Broadcast Group was not approved, and Raycom instead exchanged WTVR, together with cash, for WBRC in Birmingham in 2009. WTVR then became part of Local TV LLC, which was acquired by Tribune Company in 2013. Following Tribune's proposed but abandoned merger with Sinclair, Nexstar Media Group acquired Tribune Media in 2019. Because Nexstar already owned Richmond ABC affiliate WRIC-TV, WTVR had to be divested. The E. W. Scripps Company agreed to purchase the station, and the transaction closed on September 19, 2019. The acquisition marked Scripps's entry into Virginia broadcasting. WTVR's core business is local television broadcasting. Its programming includes CBS network content, locally produced news, weather, sports, public-service coverage, and syndicated or digitally distributed programming. The station has also operated local features and community initiatives such as For Kids' Sake, Paws for Pets, Battle of the Brains, and CBS 6 Xtra, a weather-oriented service distributed through digital television, cable, and broadband platforms. The station has maintained a substantial local-news operation and was a ratings leader in Richmond until the late 1980s, when WWBT overtook it in several measures. Since then, WTVR has commonly competed with WRIC-TV for second place in local-news ratings. Its newsroom received industry recognition, including RTNDA News Operation of the Year honors in consecutive years. WTVR has also produced news programming for other stations, including a short-lived half-hour newscast for Tribune-owned WDCW in Washington, D.C., from 2016 to 2018. WTVR completed the United States digital television transition in 2009. It ended analog broadcasting on VHF channel 6 and continued digitally on UHF channel 25 while retaining virtual channel 6. The end of analog transmission also ended the station's former ability to provide an audio signal that could be heard at 87.7 MHz on some FM receivers. In 2022, the station began hosting a subchannel associated with WUPV after WUPV converted a signal to ATSC 3.0. WTVR remains an active regional broadcast brand centered on news, weather, emergency information, CBS programming, and community…

WTVR-TV traces its origins to Richmond Broadcasting Company, controlled by auto-parts dealer Wilbur Havens. When the Richmond channel 6 license was offered, established local broadcasters did not submit applications, leaving Havens as the sole applicant. The Federal Communications Commission approved the application, and WTVR began broadcasting on April 22, 1948. It was Virginia's first television station and one of the earliest stations operating south of Washington, D.C. The station initially operated from a converted bus garage on West Broad Street, a facility previously used by Havens's WMBG radio operation. WTVR joined NBC on June 1, 1948, but its early schedule included programs from multiple networks. Because it launched years before competing Richmond-area television stations, it enjoyed a significant first-mover advantage. WTVR became a major local source of entertainment, news, and public information while television ownership expanded across central Virginia. A major change came in 1955 when WXEX-TV, now WRIC-TV, began broadcasting from nearby Petersburg and took Richmond's NBC affiliation. WTVR then briefly became a primary CBS affiliate. In 1956, WRVA-TV, now WWBT, began operations and obtained the CBS affiliation because of the long relationship between its associated radio station and CBS. WTVR consequently operated as an ABC affiliate until 1960, when CBS reached a new agreement with Havens. The station has remained with CBS since that time. Its sequence of primary affiliations with NBC, CBS, and ABC makes it an unusual example of a station that served all three original major commercial networks. Havens sold WTVR and the related WMBG and WCOD radio properties to Roy H. Park Communications in 1966. The radio stations adopted the WTVR call letters, creating a broader local media identity around the television station. After Park's death in 1993, the company's assets were sold to a Lexington, Kentucky investment group, which later separated the radio properties from the television station. Park Communications merged with Media General in May 1997. Media General could not retain WTVR alongside its Richmond newspaper interests because federal rules then restricted common ownership of newspapers and television stations in the same market. WTVR was exchanged to Raycom Media in July 1997 for stations including WJTV, WHLT, and WSAV-TV. Raycom later sought to acquire rival Richmond station WWBT through its purchase of Lincoln Financial Media. Because both WTVR and WWBT were among the market's leading stations, Raycom chose to retain WWBT and divest WTVR. Sinclair Broadcast Group announced an intended purchase of WTVR in 2008, paired with a planned sale of WRLH-TV. The transaction was not approved under regulatory conditions connected to Raycom's ownership situation. Raycom instead completed a 2009 exchange with Local TV LLC, transferring WTVR and cash in return for WBRC in Birmingham. Local TV subsequently moved WTVR's website to the Tribune Interactive platform and later to a WordPress-based system used across the group. Tribune Company acquired Local TV's stations in a transaction announced in 2013 and completed later that year. During Tribune ownership, WTVR produced a half-hour newscast for sister station WDCW in Washington, D.C., from 2016 through September 2018. That program ended amid cost reductions associated with the failed Sinclair-Tribune transaction. Tribune's proposed sale to Sinclair was eventually abandoned after substantial regulatory scrutiny. Nexstar Media Group then agreed in 2018 to acquire Tribune Media. Nexstar already owned Richmond ABC affiliate WRIC-TV, so ownership rules required WTVR to be sold. Scripps announced its agreement to acquire the station in March 2019, and the transaction closed on September 19 of that year. WTVR became Scripps's first station in Virginia. The station's news operation was Richmond's ratings leader until the late 1980s, after which WWBT generally moved ahead in local news performance. WTVR has since competed particularly with WRIC for the market's second position. It received professional recognition, including consecutive RTNDA News Operation of the Year awards. Its community and local-interest programming has included For Kids' Sake, Paws for Pets, Battle of the Brains, and CBS 6 Xtra, a weather-oriented service distributed through digital and cable platforms. WTVR ended analog broadcasting on VHF channel 6 on June 12, 2009, retaining virtual channel 6 through a digital signal on UHF channel 25. Before the transition, the analog signal's audio could be heard by some listeners at 87.7 MHz, a feature that ended with the digital conversion. The station later adjusted its digital facilities and, in 2022, began carrying a subchannel connected with WUPV's ATSC 3.0 transition. WTVR remains an active CBS station serving Richmond and nearby Virginia communities.

1. 2022ATSC 3.0-related subchannel arrangement begins

   WTVR begins hosting WUPV's 65.2 subchannel after WUPV adopts ATSC 3.0 transmission.

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2. 2019Scripps acquisition closes

   WTVR becomes part of the E. W. Scripps Company on September 19.

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3. 2015Newsroom named for Stephanie Rochon

   WTVR names its newsroom for former weeknight anchor Stephanie Rochon.

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4. 2013Tribune ownership begins

   Tribune completes its acquisition of Local TV's station portfolio, including WTVR.

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5. 2009Local TV ownership begins

   Raycom transfers WTVR to Local TV LLC in an exchange involving WBRC and cash.

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6. 2009Analog broadcasting ends

   WTVR shuts down its analog VHF channel 6 signal and continues digitally with virtual channel 6.

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7. 1997Station moves to Raycom Media

   Following the Park Communications and Media General combination, WTVR is exchanged to Raycom because of cross-ownership restrictions.

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8. 1966Havens sells station to Park Communications

   WTVR and associated radio properties are sold to Roy H. Park Communications.

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9. 1960Permanent CBS affiliation begins

   WTVR returns to CBS after an intervening period as an ABC affiliate.

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10. 1955NBC affiliation ends

    WXEX-TV signs on and takes the Richmond area's NBC affiliation.

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11. 1948WTVR launches

    WTVR begins broadcasting on April 22 as Virginia's first television station.

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12. 1948NBC affiliation begins

    The station joins NBC on June 1, shortly after its launch.

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A long-established Richmond television station positioned around CBS programming, local journalism, weather information, emergency coverage, and community-oriented service.

• CBS 6 local television serviceLocal broadcast television1948

  WTVR's primary service combines CBS network programming with locally produced news, weather, sports, public affairs, emergency information, and syndicated content. The service is distributed over the air across the Richmond market and through cable and other television providers in portions of Virginia.

• CBS 6 XtraWeather and digital multicast service

  CBS 6 Xtra was a weather-oriented service made available through broadband, digital cable, and a digital television subchannel. It formed part of WTVR's effort to extend local weather coverage beyond the main broadcast schedule.

• Digital multicast channelsDigital television2009

  WTVR operates a multiplexed digital television signal and has carried additional programming on digital subchannels. Its technical role expanded in 2022 when it began hosting a subchannel associated with WUPV's ATSC 3.0 conversion.

• For Kids' Sake

  Richmond, Virginia

  A WTVR local-interest and community feature focused on issues involving children and families.

  Outcome. The program is identified as part of the station's historical community-oriented programming.

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• Paws for Pets

  Richmond, Virginia

  A community feature centered on pets and animal-related local interest.

  Outcome. The feature formed part of WTVR's local programming portfolio.

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• Battle of the Brains

  Richmond, Virginia

  An educational or knowledge-focused local program associated with WTVR's community content.

  Outcome. The program is documented as one of the station's local features.

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• 2019WTVR is divested to ScrippsM&A

  Nexstar's acquisition of Tribune Media would have left it owning both WTVR and Richmond ABC affiliate WRIC-TV, which was not permitted under applicable FCC ownership rules.

  What changed. Scripps agreed to purchase WTVR as part of the divestitures connected with the Nexstar-Tribune transaction.

  Aftermath. The sale closed on September 19, 2019, making WTVR part of Scripps and giving Scripps its first Virginia station.

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• 2009Transition from analog to digital broadcastingGeneration change

  Federal policy required full-power United States television stations to end analog broadcasting.

  What changed. WTVR discontinued its analog VHF channel 6 signal and continued with a digital signal on UHF channel 25 while retaining virtual channel 6.

  Aftermath. The station lost the ability to provide its former 87.7 MHz analog audio service and moved digital transmission facilities to a shared tower near Bon Air.

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• 2008Raycom pursues divestiture of WTVRM&A

  Raycom's planned acquisition of rival WWBT created an ownership overlap because both stations ranked among Richmond's leading outlets.

  What changed. Raycom selected WTVR for divestiture and initially explored a sale to Sinclair, but that proposed transaction was not approved.

  Aftermath. Raycom ultimately transferred WTVR to Local TV LLC in 2009 through an exchange involving WBRC and cash.

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• 2022WTVR begins hosting WUPV ATSC 3.0 programming

  WTVR began hosting WUPV's 65.2 subchannel after WUPV converted to ATSC 3.0 broadcasting.

  Product launchProduct generation
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• 2019Scripps agrees to acquire WTVR from Nexstar

  Scripps announced that it would purchase WTVR as part of the station divestitures associated with Nexstar's acquisition of Tribune Media.

  M&A
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• 2019WTVR becomes part of Scripps

  The sale of WTVR to the E. W. Scripps Company closed on September 19, 2019.

  M&ALeadership change
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• 2018Sinclair terminates proposed Tribune acquisition

  Sinclair's proposed purchase of Tribune Media encountered regulatory obstacles and was terminated by Tribune, leaving WTVR's ownership transition unresolved until a later Nexstar transaction.

  M&ARegulation
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• 2013Tribune announces acquisition of Local TV stations

  Tribune Company announced and completed its acquisition of Local TV's stations, bringing WTVR into Tribune's station group.

  M&A
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• 2009WTVR transferred from Raycom to Local TV

  Raycom completed an exchange of WTVR and cash for WBRC, transferring WTVR to Local TV LLC on March 31, 2009.

  M&A
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• 2009WTVR completes analog-to-digital transition

  WTVR ended its analog channel 6 transmission under the nationwide digital television transition and continued using virtual channel 6 through its digital facility.

  RegulationProduct generation
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• 1960WTVR returns to CBS affiliation

  After periods associated with NBC and ABC, WTVR became a CBS affiliate again in 1960 and has retained that affiliation since then.

  Other
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• 1948WTVR signs on as Virginia's first television station

  WTVR began broadcasting from Richmond on April 22, becoming the first television station in Virginia and an early television outlet south of Washington, D.C.

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1. WTVR-TV
2. WTVR-TV official website