- WGAL
Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WGAL
city =
station_
station_slogan = Coverage You Can Count On
station_branding = WGAL 8 (general)
News 8 (newscasts)
analog = 8 (VHF)
digital = 58 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations =NBC NBC Weather Plus (DT2)
network =
founded =
airdate =March 18 ,1949
location = Lancaster - Harrisburg -
York -Lebanon, Pennsylvania
callsign_meaning = none (assigned by FCC)
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers = 4 (1949-1952)
owner =Hearst-Argyle Television
licensee = WGAL Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc.
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = All secondary:CBS (1949-1963)
ABC (1949-1963)
DuMont (1949-1956) [ http://members.aol.com/jeff99500/1952tv.html]
effective_radiated_power = 110 kW (analog)
907 kW (digital)
HAAT = 419 m (analog)
393 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 53930
coordinates = coord|40|2|4.1|N|76|37|6.5|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.wgal.com/ www.wgal.com]WGAL is the
NBC television affiliate serving the Lancaster/Harrisburg/York (Susquehanna Valley) region ofPennsylvania . It broadcasts its analog signal on channel 8, and its digital signal on channel 58. Its studio facilities are located in Lancaster, itscity of license . Its transmitter is located inHallam, Pennsylvania . WGAL News 8WeatherPlus is offered on its digital station.History
WGAL-TV began operations on
March 18 ,1949 on channel 4, as the fourth television station in Pennsylvania and the first outsidePhiladelphia (beating WDTV, nowKDKA-TV , in Pittsburgh, which began operations in November of that year). It was owned by the Steinman family, owners of WGAL radio (1490 AM) and Lancaster's two major newspapers, the "Intelligencer Journal " and the "Lancaster New Era ." At the time, Lancaster was the smallest city in the country with a television station.fact|date=February 2008Its first formal program, shown on
March 22 , was to a group ofRCA executives, television dealers and radio station personnel at the Stevens House Hotel in downtown Lancaster.In 1952 WGAL increased its power from 1,000 to 7,200 watts. Under this new grant, the station was required by the FCC to move to channel 8 to prevent interference with
WRC-TV in Washington. That change took place onDecember 31 ,1952 .On
January 1 ,1954 WGAL presented its first color television broadcast, theTournament of Roses Parade .WGAL has always been an NBC affiliate, but also carried some programs from
CBS , DuMont, and ABC until 1963, when Nielsen made the Lancaster and Harrisburg-York areas a single market. As the only VHF station in the market, it has been the market leader for many years. It may also be the market leader because of its past owners being local major newspapers, as is common for many #1 stations of a particular market in the USA.The Steinmans also launched WDEL-TV in
Wilmington, Delaware around the same time as WGAL's launch, but sold that station off in 1955. Over the years, the Steinmans purchased two more television stations (KOAT in Albuquerque, which they sold off in 1969, and WTEV-TV in Providence), as well as several radio stations and newspapers.The Steinmans sold both of their television stations to Pulitzer Publishing in 1979. Under Pulitzer's ownership, in 1985 WGAL became the first television station in Pennsylvania to broadcast in stereo, beating much larger stations in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Pulitzer sold its entire television division, including WGAL and KOAT, to
Hearst-Argyle Television in 1999. The sale closed on March 18, the station's 50th anniversary. In 2005 WGAL adopted a Hearst-styled logo somewhat similar to fellow Hearst stationsWBAL-TV inBaltimore, Maryland andWTAE-TV inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania , but containing old elements. WGAL also airs thePennsylvania Lottery televised nighttime drawings live 7 nights a week and the livePowerball on Wednesdays and Saturdays. WGAL-TV is the #1 station in the country (Top 50 markets) in terms of audience share for the 6AM and 6PM News. [Nielsen Media Research May 2006 Adults 25-54 Audience share]Digital TV
The station's digital signal is multiplexed:
Post-analog shutdown
After the analog television shutdown and digital transition, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009 http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf] , WGAL will move its digital broadcasts back to its present analog channel number, 8. [http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101256508&formid=387&fac_num=53930 CDBS Print ] ]
External links
* [http://www.wgal.com/ WGAL Homepage]
*TVQ|WGAL
*BIA|WGAL|TV|TVReferences and footnotes
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