WTRF-TV
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WTRF-TV channel 7 is the CBS affiliate for the Wheeling, West Virginia/Steubenville, Ohio television market. It is owned and operated by West Virginia Media Holdings. It is licensed to Wheeling, with studios in downtown Wheeling and transmitter located in adjacent Bridgeport, Ohio. WTRF's signal is easily picked up in Wheeling and Steubenville, but in western Pennsylvania, a good antenna is needed for reception.
WTRF signed on for the first time on October 24, 1953. Its call letters came from two radio stations that the original owners had put on the air in 1947; they were sold off to finance the television station. WTRF was originally an NBC affiliate, but also carried some programming from ABC. In 1960, WTRF became the area's first station to use videotape rather than film. The station began phasing out ABC programs in the 1970s, in part because WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh was widely available in the area over-the-air and on cable.
On January 7, 1980; WTRF swapped network affiliations with WTOV-TV and became a CBS affiliate. NBC had struggled in the ratings for a number of years at the time, and WTRF wanted a stronger affiliation. At the same time, WTRF dropped all remaining ABC programming.
Once one of West Virginia's most respected stations, WTRF fell on hard times in the 1980s due to ownership instability. From the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, it went through three different owners. Adams Communications bought the station from Wesray Corporation in the mid-1980s, but ran into financial trouble and sold most of its stations, including WTRF, to a company headed by former Adams vice president Paul Brisette in 1991. Brisette himself was nearly brought down by financial issues, and merged his group with Benedek Broadcasting in 1996. West Virginia Media Holdings bought the station in 2002. Currently, WTRF is a distant second in the ratings, behind WTOV.
WTRF has also started a digital sub-channel, FOX Ohio Valley, available on digital channel 7.2. This service is available on the Comcast cable lineup as well as over-the-air. In addition to FOX's programming feed and syndicated content, FOX Ohio Valley is home to the Valley's only 10:00 newscast, which mirrors WTRF's news format.
Logos
News Team
- Mike Anthony - Sports Reporter
- Steven Centofanti- Weekend Anchor/Reporter
- Ashley Dougherty - Morning Weather Anchor
- Jerry Echemann - Reporter
- Dave Elias - Jefferson County Reporter
- Nate Fluharty - Morning Anchor/Reporter
- Jim Forbes - Managing Editor/Anchor at 5, 6 and 11
- Scott Nolte - Sports Director
- Stacy Rich - Morning Anchor/Reporter
- Dave Stingo - NASCAR Analyst
- Chris Stirewalt - Political Editor, The State Journal
- Leigh Ann Towne - Anchor at 5, 6 and 11
- Dr. Dave Walker - Evening Meteorologist
- D.K. Wright - Belmont County Reporter
- Jason Kratzwald - Weekend Meteorologist
External links
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