WDBJ

**WDBJ** (digital channel 18, display channel ) is the CBS-affiliated station for the Roanoke/Lynchburg television market licensed to Roanoke, VA. It is owned by Schurz Communications and signed on for the first time on October 3, 1955. The station transmits from Poor Mountain with an Effective Radiated Power of 675,000 watts. It's transmitter is 606 meters above average terrain (1,184 meters above mean sea level, or 38 meters above ground level.) The station also operates translator station W04AG (physical channel 4) in Garden City, VA. W04AG broadcasts from Mill Mountain with an effective radiated power of 6 watts. It's transmitter is 593 meters above mean sea level, or 61 meters above ground level.

On September 14th, 2015, Schurz Communications announced that it would exit broadcasting and sell it's television and radio stations to Gray Television.

## Subchannels

 7.2
 7.3

## WDBJ-DT2

   WDBJ-DT2 is the MyNetworkTV affiliate for the Roanoke/Lynchburg television market. It is available on Cox Communications and Xfinity channel 19 (hence it's on air branding, "My19"). It is not available on DirecTV or Dish Network and doesn't have a high definition feed, although it broadcasts in 16:9 standard definition widescreen. It used to broadcast a 30 minute weekday 10:00 p.m. newscast produced by the main channel. It also rebroadcasts the main channel's 6:00-7:00 a.m. weekday newscast at 7:00-8:00 a.m. weekdays. At one point, the 10pm newscast was removed. However, the repeat of *Mornin'* still remains on the schedule. It can also be assumed that My19 will run newscasts preempted on the main channel as this has been done in the past.

## Local programming

### News Operation

The station currently produces (as of July 21, 2015) approx. 24 hours of local news per week (with approx. 20 hours total Monday-Friday and 2 hours each Saturday and Sunday). On weekdays, newscasts are seen at 5:00 a.m. for 2 hours, 12:00 p.m. for 30 minutes, 5:00 p.m. for 30 minutes, 6:00 p.m. for 30 minutes, and 11:00 p.m. for 35 minutes, on weekends, newscasts are seen at 8:00 a.m. for 1 hour, 6:00 p.m. for 30 minutes, and 11:00 p.m. for 35 minutes. It is the only local station with it's own news department that doesn't offer newscasts at 5:30 and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays. Instead, the station chooses to show The Andy Griffith Show at 5:30 and Wheel of Fortune at 7:00 p.m. Newscasts are broadcast in high definition.

### Other local programming

WDBJ currently produces The Joy Sutton Show. It is broadcast for 30 minutes on Sunday mornings at 11:00 a.m. and is rebroadcast on My19 at 6:30 p.m. It is an inspirational and informative talk show designed to help viewers live their best lives. WDBJ is the only major station in the market that doesn't have a local lifestyle-type program at 12:30 on weekdays. This is because CBS broadcasts the soap opera The Young and the Restless at that time in the Eastern Time Zone.

## On-Air Shootings

During *Mornin'* on August 26th, 2015, WDBJ reporter Allison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward were shot dead by former employee Vester Lee Flanagan II who went by the pseudonym "Bryce Williams." during an interview with Vicki Gardner,  Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce director at the Bridgewater Plaza in Moneta. Flanagan died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound later that day and Vicki Gardner survived with gunshot wounds to the back