This is an accepted version of this page
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| Channels | |
| Branding | ABC 7;7 News On Your Side |
| Programming | |
| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | October 3, 1947 (78 years ago) (1947-10-03) |
Former call signs |
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Former channel numbers |
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Call sign meaning | Joe L. Allbritton (founder ofAllbritton Communications, former owner of station) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 1051 |
| ERP | 52kW |
| HAAT | 235.6 m (773 ft) |
| Transmitter coordinates | 38°57′1″N77°4′47″W / 38.95028°N 77.07972°W /38.95028; -77.07972 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | wjla |
WJLA-TV (channel 7) is atelevision station inWashington, D.C., affiliated withABC. It is one of twoflagship stations ofSinclair Broadcast Group (alongside dualFox/MyNetworkTV affiliateWBFF [channel 45] inBaltimore), and is alsosister toWoodstock, Virginia–licensedlow-powered,Class ARoar stationWDCO-CD (channel 10) and localcable channelWJLA 24/7 News. WJLA-TV's studios are located on Wilson Boulevard in theRosslyn section ofArlington, Virginia, and its transmitter is located in theTenleytown neighborhood ofnorthwest Washington.
The District of Columbia's third television station began broadcasting on October 3, 1947, as WMAL-TV, owned by theWashington Star, along with WMAL radio (630 AM, nowWSBN, and 107.3 FM, nowWLVW).[2] It was the firsthigh-band VHF television station (channels 7–13) in the United States. WMAL radio had been an affiliate of theNBC Blue Network since 1933, and remained with the network after it was spun off by NBC and evolved into ABC. However, channel 7 started as aCBS station since ABC had not yet established its television network. When ABC launched on television in 1948, WMAL-TV became ABC's third primary affiliate; the station continued to carry some CBS programming until WOIC (channel 9, nowWUSA) signed on in 1949. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with theNTA Film Network.[3]
In 1975,Houston businessmanJoe Allbritton, the owner of the now-defunct Washington-basedRiggs Bank, purchased a controlling interest in theStar's media properties, which by that time also includedWLVA radio andWLVA-TV inLynchburg, Virginia; andWCIV inCharleston, South Carolina.[4] As a condition of the purchase, Allbritton was given three years to break up the Washington newspaper/broadcast combination, which theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) was seeking to prohibit under the tightening of itsconcentration of media ownership policy.[5] WMAL-TV was separated first from its radio sisters when ABC purchased WMAL radio in March 1977.[6] As FCC regulations at the time prevented separately-owned stations from sharing the same call sign, WMAL-TV became WJLA-TV on June 6, after Allbritton's initials.[7][2] In April 1977, Allbritton negotiated a deal to trade the station toCombined Communications Corporation in return forKOCO-TV inOklahoma City,[8] but called off the deal due to last-minute complications despite receiving FCC approval.[9] Allbritton instead sold theWashington Star toTime Inc. in January 1978 (the paper would shut down in 1981), and retained WJLA-TV and the Lynchburg and Charleston television stations for what would eventually becomeAllbritton Communications.[10]
Rumors abounded from the mid-1990s onward that ABC might buy WJLA-TV, effectively reuniting it with its former radio sisters. Indeed, in the summer of 1998, ABC's corporate parentThe Walt Disney Company discussed a possible acquisition of Allbritton Communications, but a sale agreement failed to materialize.[11] ABC eventually sold most of its radio properties, including WMAL and its FM sister station (by then WRQX), toCitadel Broadcasting Corporation in June 2007. Even so, WJLA remained an ABC affiliate under Allbritton's ownership because the company had an exclusive affiliation deal with the network. AfterWJZ-TV inBaltimore switched to CBS in 1995, WJLA-TV became ABC's longest-tenured television affiliate.
In August 2002, Allbritton merged News Channel 8 with WJLA-TV's news department, resulting in some staff layoffs. The unified entity moved into an office complex in the Rosslyn section of Arlington. News Channel 8 was originally based inSpringfield, Virginia.[12]
As of July 2008, WJLA-TV had an independent weather channel, Weather Now, under meteorologist Doug Hill. Until July 28, 2008, WJLA-TV offered Local Point TV on 7.2 featuring five-minute video segments created by area residents. Abby Fenton, the station's Director of Community Relations said in an interview withBroadcasting & Cable media industry magazine that "the station likes the 'Local Point' programming and is pondering where else it might fit". Retro Television Network ("Retro TV") replaced Local Point TV.[13]
In late October 2008, WJLA-TV began simulcasting on local low-powered stationWWTD-LP; the station continued to broadcast an analog feed of WJLA-TV after the digital transition. In late July 2009, WJLA-TV dropped its locally produced "WeatherNow" channel forThe Local AccuWeather Channel on its second subchannel under the "Doug Hill's WeatherNow" brand. On March 13, 2012, WJLA-TV dropped the Local AccuWeather Channel in favor of forecasts from their own meteorologists. With that, the name of the channel was slightly changed to "ABC7's WeatherNow".
On May 1, 2012, WJLA-TV announced it would add the Disney/ABC-ownedLive Well Network to digital subchannel 7.3 on July 1, 2012, replacing RTV.[14][15] WJLA-TV began carryingMeTV, a competing classic digital broadcast TV network on March 1, 2013, on WJLA-TV's second subchannel,[14] replacing WeatherNow.
On May 1, 2013, reports surfaced that Allbritton was planning to sell its television stations so it could put more of its focus on running its political websitePolitico.[16] Allbritton announced nearly three months later that it would sell all of its stations toSinclair Broadcast Group for $985 million.[17] After nearly a year of delays, the deal was approved by the FCC on July 24, 2014.[18] The deal was finalized on August 1, 2014.[19]
The station's second digital subchannel was an initial but secondary affiliate of theAmerican Sports Network with its first broadcast on August 30, 2014.[20] The station switched its subchannels over to Sinclair's owned digital networks,Charge! on .2,Comet on .3 andTBD on .4.[21] WJLA-TV rebranded NewsChannel 8 as WJLA 24/7 News on Tuesday July 24, aligning it further with the call letters of its broadcast station, WJLA-TV.[22]
Since 1970, WMAL-TV/WJLA-TV has used a variation of theCircle 7 logo, which has long been primarily associated with ABC affiliates located on Channel 7. From 1970 to 2001, WMAL-TV/WJLA-TV used its own version of the logo, with the "7" modified to accommodate the circle. In 1984, it saw a minor update with rounded ends on the "7" being modified to use sharp, straight edges, like the logo later used byAustralia'sSeven Network. This version of the logo was probably the longest continuously used numeric logo in Washington's television history. The only real modification came in 1998, after it began calling itself "ABC 7" on-air and added the ABC logo to the left side. In 2001, WJLA-TV adopted the standard version of the "Circle 7" logo, refueling speculation that ABC would purchase the station, a deal that would never come to pass. WJLA-TV is the largest ABC affiliate to use theCircle 7 that is not an ABCowned-and-operated station. In addition, sister stationKATV inLittle Rock, Arkansas, has used the standardCircle 7 since the 1960s, longer than all WJLA-TV versions combined.
Beginning in September 1984, WJLA-TV became the Washington-area affiliate forAtlantic Coast Conferencefootball and men'sbasketball along asyndicated network that was operated byJefferson-Pilot Communications and eventually jointly produced withRaycom Sports. These games later moved toWDCA (channel 20).
In the2014 season, WJLA-TV began to air additional college football games through Sinclair's American Sports Network.[20]
In2015,D.C. United ofMajor League Soccer reached a new multi-year deal with Sinclair Broadcast Group to broadcast all of the team's regionally televised matches on WJLA-TV and NewsChannel 8 (now WJLA 24/7 News), succeedingCSN Mid-Atlantic.[23] Television coverage of United games moved back to NBC Sports Washington in 2021, and stayed there until all MLS live coverage went toMLS Season Pass in 2023.
In2002, as part ofABC's NBA coverage, selectedWashington Wizards games began airing on WJLA, succeedingWRC-TV. With the loss of NBA broadcast rights toNBC, select Wizards games will be moved back to WRC-TV beginning in2025. WJLA-TV aired select regular season and postseason (Stanley Cup Playoffs)Washington Capitals games from2000 until2004 and has aired selectedStanley Cup Playoff games of the Capitals since2022.
WJLA-TV presently broadcasts a total of 34 hours, 55 minutes of locally produced newscasts each week (with 6 hours, 35 minutes each weekday; and one hour each on Saturdays and Sundays). The station has the largest news team in the Washington area, which includes around 40 on-air staff members. As the flagship station of the Allbritton Communications station group, WJLA-TV provided all news reports for the Allbritton station group via its news-gathering service.
Prior to 2001, WJLA-TV's newscasts had long placed third in the market's news ratings, behind WUSA and NBC-ownedWRC-TV. The station hiredMaureen Bunyan, former longtime anchor at WUSA, and in 2003, formerCNN anchorLeon Harris joined the station as an anchor. In 2004, WJLA-TV hired Bunyan's former anchor desk partner,Gordon Peterson; and reunited the two as anchors for the 6 p.m. newscast. These personnel moves, combined with WUSA's recent ratings troubles, led to a resurgence in the ratings. In the May 2010 sweeps, it placed number one at 5 p.m. in total viewers, and in the 25–54 demo.
WJLA-TV became the second television station in the Washington, D.C. market (behind WUSA) to begin broadcasting its local newscasts inhigh definition on December 8, 2008. The upgrade included the introduction of a new on-air graphics package as well as minor changes made to the news desk for better viewing quality with high definition. Field reports andpromotions for WJLA-TV's newscasts continued to be broadcast instandard definition until the end of March 2013, when the station upgraded to HD field cameras for field shots and some news promotions.
On January 23, 2009, WJLA-TVlaid off 26 staff members, including several on-air reporters, due to financial constraints. The laid off reporters included Andrea McCarren,Sarah C. Lee, Alisa Parenti, Emily Schmidt, Jennifer Donelan, and weekend sports anchor Greg Toland. Most of the dismissals took effect immediately, but some were allowed to serve out their contracts. WJLA-TV also announced a 4.9% salary cut for all remaining staff and a halt to company contributions to 401(k) retirement plans.[24]
Post-acquisition, concerns began to emerge surrounding how Sinclair's historicright-wing slant may affect WJLA-TV's news coverage. After Sinclair took over the station, WJLA-TV began to air conservative commentaries by Sinclair executiveMark E. Hyman, along with stories from Sinclair's Washington bureau—all of which were critical of theObama administration. The station also partnered with the conservativeWashington Times to feature its weekly "Golden Hammer" award—highlighting "the most egregious examples of government waste, fraud and abuse", as a segment during its newscasts. WJLA-TV staff members felt that it was inappropriate for a station in Washington, D.C. to air stories that are critical of the federal government; one employee toldThe Washington Post that with these changes, the station may "lose the trust they built up with people over years and years. We've told people, 'We're just like you,' not, 'We're looking out for thetea party.'"[25]
WJLA-TV started producing the syndicated news program for Sinclair stations,The National Desk, on January 18, 2021. Locally, the program airs onWJLA 24/7 News, which is available over-the-air onWIAV-CD 58.2.
The station's signal ismultiplexed:
| Channel | Res. | Aspect | Short name | Programming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.1 | 720p | 16:9 | WJLA | ABC |
| 7.2 | 480i | Charge! | Charge! | |
| 7.3 | Comet | Comet | ||
| 7.4 | ROAR | Roar | ||
| 32.1 | 1080i | 16:9 | WHUT | PBS (WHUT-TV) |
| 32.2 | 480i | PBSKids | PBS Kids (WHUT-TV) |
WJLA-TV shut down its analog signal, overVHF channel 7, on June 12, 2009, the official date on which full-power television stations in the United Statestransitioned from analog to digital broadcasts under federal mandate. The station's digital signal relocated from its pre-transitionUHF channel 39 to VHF channel 7 for post-transition operations.[29] While 90% of the station's viewers received WJLA-TV's signal via cable or satellite, many of the over-the-air viewers had problems after the final transition. Some needed to rescan, and others needed a VHF antenna.[30] WJLA-TV applied on August 29, 2009, for special authorization by the FCC to increase itseffective radiated power (ERP) to 52 kW. The power increase was put into effect on September 18, 2009. WJLA-TV already ran 30 kW of ERP, which was higher than the other three VHF stations in the area: WUSA (12.6 kW),WBAL-TV (5 kW), and WJZ-TV (28.8 kW) (post transition power levels).[31]
Includes stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of Maryland | ||
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Broadcast television stations by affiliation in the Commonwealth ofVirginia | ||
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Includes stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of Virginia | ||
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Broadcast television stations by affiliation in the state ofWest Virginia | ||
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Includes stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of West Virginia | ||
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Broadcast television stations by affiliation in the Commonwealth ofPennsylvania | ||
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Includes stations in out-of-state TV markets, but reaching a portion of Pennsylvania | ||
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| CBS | ||
| Fox | ||
| NBC | ||
| The CW | ||
| Ion Television | ||
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| PBS | ||
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** Owned by third parties and operated by Sinclair through various operating agreements. *** Owned by Sinclair and operated byMarquee Broadcasting. JV Joint venture. | ||||||||||||||||||
