WVAW-LD

WVAW-LD is the low-powered ABC-affiliated television station for Charlottesville, Virginia. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 16 from a transmitter on Carters Mountain. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 3 and in high definition on digital channel 210. Owned by Gray Television, WVAW is sister to CBS affiliate WCAV and low-powered Fox affiliate WAHU-CD.

All three share studios, known as the "Charlottesville Newsplex", on 2nd Street Southeast in Downtown Charlottesville. In addition, some behind-the-scenes duties are run alongside that of sister station WHSV-TV in Harrisonburg (which the "Newsplex" has a resource sharing alliance with).

History

What is now WVAW-LD originally began in 1979 on analog UHF channel 64 with the call sign W64AO. The station was a low-powered repeater of WHSV, which was the area's default ABC affiliate even though Richmond's WRIC-TV puts a strong signal into Charlottesville. In 2004, W64AO moved to UHF channel 16, gained the WVAW-LP call letters, and became the market's first ABC affiliate not long after WCAV signed-on. However, it was still officially licensed as a translator station according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).