WTAP-TV

WTAP-TV is a full-power television station licensed to Parkersburg, West Virginia, serving viewers in the Parkersburg-Marietta market across parts of West Virginia and southeastern Ohio. The station broadcasts on virtual channel 15 and is primarily affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Gray Media and operates alongside low-power sister stations WOVA-CD, a Fox and CW+ outlet, and WIYE-LD, a CBS affiliate. The stations share facilities on Market Street in downtown Parkersburg, officially designated One Television Plaza, while WTAP’s transmitter facilities are located in Warren Township, Ohio. WTAP began broadcasting on Veterans Day in 1953. Like many early UHF stations, it initially carried programming from several major networks, including NBC, ABC, CBS, and DuMont. Geographic conditions strongly influenced its development. The rugged terrain of the Appalachian Plateau and the substantial distance between Parkersburg and north-central West Virginia prevented WTAP from functioning as part of a proposed larger regional television market with WJPB-TV in Fairmont. Instead, Parkersburg and the surrounding Mid-Ohio Valley developed as a separate market. WTAP remained the area’s only full-power commercial television station based in Parkersburg. The station retained secondary ABC and CBS affiliations until 1970, when it became an exclusive NBC affiliate. Its long-standing local identity has been built around news, weather, sports, public-service coverage, and NBC network programming. WTAP has historically maintained an unusually substantial newsroom for a small market. It broadcasts multiple local newscasts during the week and has developed a strong ratings position, supported by the station’s near-central role in a market where cable and satellite services have traditionally supplemented the limited number of local over-the-air outlets. WTAP passed through several ownership groups during its early history, including the Zanesville Publishing Company, which helped keep the station operating during a financial crisis in the 1950s, and a later group of local businessmen. Benedek Broadcasting acquired the station in 1980. Following Benedek’s bankruptcy and asset sales, Gray Television purchased WTAP in 2002; Gray later became Gray Media. The station became West Virginia’s first NBC affiliate to provide the network’s programming in high definition in 2004 and upgraded its local news production to high definition in 2011. WTAP also experimented with digital multicast services. In 2006 it launched digital subchannels carrying Fox and UPN programming. After UPN and The WB were replaced by the new CW network, one of the services shifted to MyNetworkTV. In 2012 the Fox and MyNetworkTV services moved to separate low-power stations, leaving WTAP’s related digital channels temporarily unused; by 2018, those channels had returned as simulcasts of sister stations. WTAP has been an all-digital broadcaster since 2009. Since the 1990s, it has generally emphasized its call letters rather than a network-and-channel-number brand, reflecting the importance of cable and satellite distribution in its coverage area.

WTAP-TV signed on in Parkersburg on November 11, 1953, becoming the area’s first full-power commercial television station. It operated on UHF channel 15 at a time when UHF broadcasting faced technical and audience disadvantages compared with VHF. Its earliest schedule included programming from NBC, ABC, CBS, and DuMont, although NBC was its principal network affiliation. Early plans envisioned WTAP and WJPB-TV in Fairmont serving a much larger portion of West Virginia. That plan proved impractical because the stations were approximately 70 miles apart and the Appalachian terrain significantly limited UHF signal propagation. Parkersburg and the Mid-Ohio Valley consequently developed as a distinct television market. WTAP remained the only full-power commercial station located in Parkersburg, while cable systems supplemented its local service with stations from Columbus and the Huntington-Charleston and Clarksburg markets. The station’s initial facilities were located on West Seventh Street near Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital. Ownership changed several times. The Zanesville Publishing Company acquired an interest and helped stabilize the station when it approached failure in the mid-1950s. A group of local businessmen later owned it before Benedek Broadcasting acquired WTAP in 1980. In summer 1990, WTAP moved from West Seventh Street to a former industrial research building on Market Street. The facility received the official address One Television Plaza after a local station personality promoted the renaming of the final block of Market Street. WTAP continued to carry ABC and CBS programs on a secondary basis until 1970, when it became a sole NBC affiliate. Its local news operation grew into the station’s principal competitive asset. Despite serving a relatively small and largely rural market, WTAP invested heavily in reporting, weather, production, and newsgathering. It became known for strong local ratings and for producing more news than might ordinarily be expected from a market of its size. The station also established a bureau in Marietta, Ohio, to support coverage across the Mid-Ohio Valley. Benedek Broadcasting filed for bankruptcy in the early 2000s, and Gray Television purchased WTAP in 2002. Gray’s later acquisition of WSAZ-TV in Huntington made the two stations corporate sisters, but WTAP retained its independent local newsroom rather than replacing its newscasts with WSAZ programming. In 2004, WTAP became the first NBC affiliate in West Virginia to provide NBC network programming in high definition. The station expanded its digital role in 2006 by launching subchannels for Fox and UPN. When UPN and The WB were replaced by The CW, WTAP’s UPN service became a MyNetworkTV outlet. WTAP completed its transition to digital-only broadcasting in February 2009. In 2011 it converted its local newscasts to high definition. In 2012, Fox and MyNetworkTV moved to low-power sister stations, while WTAP’s related digital channels were later used as simulcasts of those services. WTAP continues to operate as a Gray Media NBC affiliate, combining network programming with local news, weather, community coverage, and digital services.

1. 2012Multicast affiliations move to sister stations

   Fox and MyNetworkTV services move from WTAP’s digital subchannels to WOVA-LD and WIYE-LD2.

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2. 2011Local news upgraded to high definition

   WTAP converts its local newscasts to high-definition production.

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3. 2009Digital-only broadcasting

   WTAP ends analog broadcasting as part of the United States digital television transition.

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4. 2006Digital multicast expansion

   WTAP launches digital subchannels carrying Fox and UPN programming.

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5. 2004Network programming moves to high definition

   WTAP becomes the first NBC affiliate in West Virginia to offer NBC programming in high definition.

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6. 2002Gray Television acquires WTAP

   Gray purchases the station after Benedek’s bankruptcy-related divestitures.

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7. 1990Move to One Television Plaza

   WTAP relocates to its current downtown Parkersburg facility, later formally addressed as One Television Plaza.

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8. 1980Benedek ownership begins

   Benedek Broadcasting acquires WTAP-TV.

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9. 1970Exclusive NBC affiliation begins

   WTAP drops its secondary ABC and CBS affiliations and becomes an exclusive NBC affiliate.

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10. 1953WTAP signs on

    WTAP begins broadcasting on UHF channel 15 in Parkersburg on Veterans Day, initially carrying programs from several networks with NBC as its primary affiliation.

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A locally focused NBC affiliate with a comparatively large and highly rated newsroom for a small television market.

• WTAP Local NewsLocal television news

  WTAP’s core local-news service covers Parkersburg, the Mid-Ohio Valley, and nearby southeastern Ohio communities. It includes scheduled newscasts, reporting, weather, sports, public-affairs coverage, and breaking-news updates. The station’s newsroom is notable for maintaining a substantial weekday schedule and a strong audience position despite the small size and rural character of its market.

• NBC network programmingNetwork television affiliation1953

  WTAP’s primary service is NBC programming distributed over its full-power channel 15 signal. The station has maintained a principal NBC relationship since its 1953 launch and an exclusive NBC affiliation since 1970.

• Fox Parkersburg News at 10Digital multicast local news

  A weeknight prime-time newscast created for WTAP’s Fox digital service. The program used the station’s local reporting operation while presenting a distinct presentation and graphics package.

• 2012Transfer of Fox and MyNetworkTV servicesStrategy

  WTAP’s parent group operated or developed separate low-power stations capable of carrying the secondary network services.

  What changed. Fox and MyNetworkTV moved from WTAP’s digital subchannels to WOVA-LD and WIYE-LD2.

  Aftermath. WTAP’s former subchannels were later used to simulcast sister-station programming.

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• 2006Launch of Fox and UPN digital subchannelsProduct launch

  Digital broadcasting created additional capacity for local stations to distribute multiple program services.

  What changed. WTAP added second and third digital subchannels for Fox and UPN programming and modernized its control and production facilities.

  Aftermath. The UPN service later became a MyNetworkTV service, while the affiliations eventually moved to low-power sister stations.

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• 1970Consolidation around NBCStrategy

  WTAP had carried ABC and CBS programming on a secondary basis in addition to its primary NBC relationship.

  What changed. The station ended its secondary network affiliations and became an exclusive NBC affiliate.

  Aftermath. NBC became WTAP’s enduring primary network identity and remains the foundation of its broadcast schedule.

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• 2012Fox and MyNetworkTV services move to low-power stations

  Fox and MyNetworkTV programming moved from WTAP’s digital subchannels to WOVA-LD and WIYE-LD2, leaving the former WTAP services dark for a period.

  Other
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• 2006WTAP adds Fox and UPN digital services

  The station launched second and third digital subchannels carrying Fox and UPN programming, supported by new digital production and master-control infrastructure.

  Product launch
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• 2006WTAP transitions a digital subchannel after the UPN-WB merger

  Following the creation of The CW, WTAP’s former UPN digital service shifted to MyNetworkTV.

  Product generation
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• 2002Gray Television purchases WTAP after Benedek bankruptcy

  Gray Television acquired WTAP during the disposal of most Benedek Broadcasting stations following Benedek’s bankruptcy.

  M&ABankruptcy
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• 1980Benedek Broadcasting acquires WTAP-TV

  Benedek Broadcasting purchased the Parkersburg station and operated it until the company’s financial difficulties led to later asset sales.

  M&A
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• 1970WTAP becomes an exclusive NBC affiliate

  The station ended its secondary ABC and CBS affiliations and adopted a sole NBC affiliation, formalizing the network identity it retains today.

  Other
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• 1953WTAP begins broadcasting in Parkersburg

  WTAP signed on as a UHF television station on Veterans Day, initially carrying programming from multiple national networks while maintaining a primary NBC relationship.

  Other
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1. WTAP-TV
2. WTAP-TV official website