WTAP-TV

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WTAP-TV is the NBC television station in the Parkersburg, West Virginia-Marietta, Ohio market. It operates on UHF channel 15, and its digital channel 49. It came on the air on October 8, 1953 and began regular programming on November 11. It is affiliated with NBC; early in the station's life, however, it also aired programming from ABC and CBS.[link] It is owned by Gray Television. Its transmitter is located near Constitution, Ohio.

Original plans called for WTAP to join with WDTV and WBOY in Clarksburg, 70 miles to the east, and turn north-central West Virginia into a single television market. This market would have been one of the largest geographic markets in the country. However, northern West Virginia is very mountainous, and the UHF signal was not strong enough to make it across the terrain. As a result, WTAP is the only commercial station in town. The only other station licensed there is a translator of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

As it is the only commercial station in the market, cable television systems in Washington County, Ohio (home to Marietta) supplement it with the other Columbus stations and those in Wood and Pleasants counties in West Virginia supplement it with the other Huntington-Charleston stations.

In late 2005, Gray purchased Huntington's NBC affiliate, WSAZ-TV. This led to speculation that the station would scrap its separate news operation and simulcast WSAZ's newscasts. WSAZ has long had some of the highest rated newscasts in the country, and has always covered Parkersburg news events anyway. However, Gray has traditionally maintained separate operations at stations it owns in closely-located cities. Also, A.C. Nielsen recently named WTAP as the highest-rated NBC affiliate in the country--ahead of even WSAZ. This ranking is somewhat misleading, though, given that there are no other commercial stations in Parkersburg.

On Monday, April 10, 2006, the station began offering "FOX Parkersburg" on Charter Cable and CAS Cable channel 14 and "Your UPN" on Charter Cable and CAS Cable channel 5. On that date, WTAP also began broadcasting Your UPN over the air on digital channel 15.2 and FOX Parkersburg on digital channel 15.3. However, beginning in September 2006, UPN programming will be replaced by My Network TV programming.

To make these stations possible, WTAP has undergone a technical transformation in the past six months, carving two new control rooms about of space that previously used for storage, and installing entirely digital production and master control rooms.

External links

Broadcast television in the Parkersburg market [(Nielsen DMA #190)]
WTAP 15 (NBC/FOX/UPN) - W57AG 57 (PBS/WVPB)
Columbus, OH market stations on cable in the market
WSYX 6 (ABC) - WBNS 10 (CBS) - WOUB 20 (PBS)
Huntington/Charleston market stations on cable in the market
WSAZ 3 (NBC) - WCHS 8 (ABC) - WVAH 11 (FOX) - WOWK 13 (CBS)

NBC Network Affiliates in the state of West Virginia

WSAZ 3 () - WVVA 6 () - WBOY 12 () - WTAP 15 ()
See also: , , , , , and Stations in West Virginia

Fox Network Affiliates in the state of West Virginia

WVAH 11 () - WVFX 46 () - WTAP-DT 49.3 ()
See also: , , , , , and Stations in West Virginia

UPN Network Affiliates in the state of West Virginia
Note: Networks in parenthesis indicate affiliations starting September 2006.'''

WDTV-DT 6.2* (, ND) - "WQCW" 30 (, The CW) - WTAP-DT 49.2 (, My Network TV)
This is s cable-only station owned by the market's CBS station WDTV-TV. *The CW and My Network TV affiliations have already been decided in these markets.
See also: , , , , , and Stations in West Virginia