WALB

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WALB
city =
station_
station_slogan = Leading the Way for South Georgia
station_branding = WALB-TV
WALB News 10
analog = 10 (VHF)
digital = 17 (UHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = NBC
NBC Weather Plus (DT2)
network =
founded =
airdate = April 7, 1954
location = Albany, Georgia
callsign_meaning = ALBany
former_callsigns = WALB-TV (1954-2003)
former_channel_numbers =
owner = Raycom Media, Inc.
licensee = WALB License Subsidiary, LLC
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = Both secondary:
ABC (1954-1956)
DuMont (1954-1955)
effective_radiated_power = 316 kW (analog)
800 kW (digital)
HAAT = 297 m (analog)
272 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 70713
coordinates = coord|31|19|53|N|83|51|43|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.walb.com/ www.walb.com]

WALB channel 10 (Mediacom channels 3 & digital 810), is the NBC television affiliate in Albany, Georgia, (DMA 146) serving the southwestern part of the state. It is currently owned by Raycom Media. Prior to 1998, the station was the flagship for Gray Communication Systems' broadcasting group (which still has administrative offices in Albany today). The station began on December 25, 1954, as the television arm of radio station (WALB-AM), which had operated since 1941. Its main studios are located at 1709 Stuart Avenue in Albany. When the station's studios were built in 1953, Stuart Avenue was a dirt road running through a pecan grove. WALB's transmitter is located near Doerun, Georgia.

Until 1983, WALB doubled as the NBC affiliate for Tallahassee, Florida. Although WTWC-TV has been Tallahassee's NBC affiliate since then, WALB still provides city-grade coverage to much of the Georgia side of the Tallahassee market and grade B coverage to Tallahassee itself.

tation timeline

*1941: Began as radio station WALB-AM
*1954: Began as NBC affiliate WALB-TV
*1976: Fire destroyed main broadcasting facilities, but did not damage station offices. Began broadcasting the next day from a shop building on the premises.
*1994: The Flood of 1994, resulting from record breaking rainfall from Tropical Storm Alberto. Causing the deaths of 33 people (31 in Georgia/2 in Alabama). A total of 78 counties were declared disaster areas (55 in Georgia, 10 in Alabama, 13 in Florida). 50,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes, 18,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. Rainfall was in excess of 20 inches in many areas. WALB stayed on the air with non stop, 24 hour coverage to alert citizens and provide the vital link between the public and government agencies.
*1998: Ownership sold from Gray Communications Systems "(now Gray Television)" to Cosmos Broadcasting, which later became Liberty Corporation.
*2001: Began broadcasting digital television (DT) signal.
*2005: A new set was built which replaced the old set used for at least twelve years.
*2005: WALB 24-7 Weather (now WALB/NBC Weather Plus) was launched. This station gives continuous forecasts for up to 30 cities around Southwest Georgia.
*2006: WALB officially sold from Liberty Corporation to Raycom Media after the 2005 acquisition of Liberty by Raycom.
*2006: During demolition of WFXL's Television Tower, WALB's 1000 foot (305 m) tall tower was destroyed on June 7th.
*2007: Construction began on the new 1,000 foot (305 m) TV tower that will hold both WALB and WFXL's Analog and Digital Antennas.
*2007: WALB News 10 launched "WALB's Most Wanted" to showcase some of south Georgia's most wanted fugitives.
*2007: The new WALB/ WFXL mega- tower began broadcasting on July 3 at 11:35 P.M.

Current News Personalities

Anchors

*Ruthie Garner, Morning and Noon Anchor
*Karla Heath-Sands, Morning and Noon Anchor/ Host of Dialogue
*Dawn Hobby, 5 & 6 p.m. Anchor
*Ben Roberts, 5, 6 and 11 p.m. Anchor
*Jim Wallace, Reporter/Anchor
*Karen Cohilas, Reporter/Anchor
*Len Kiese, Weekend Anchor/ Reporter

Reporters

*Jennifer Emert, General Assignment Reporter
*Alicia Eaken, Valdosta Bureau Reporter
*Joe Courson, "10 Country" Reporter
*Cade Fowler, Morning and Weekend Reporter
*Delivrine Registre, General Assignment Reporter
*Christian Jennings, General Assignment Reporter
*Wainwright Jeffers, General Assignment Reporter

Meteorologists

*Yolanda Amadeo, Chief Meteorologist
*Chris Zelman, Morning and Noon Meteorologist
*Jay Polk, Weekend Meteorologist

ports

*Robert Hydrick, Sports Director
*Joey Donia, Weekend Sports Anchor/ Sports Reporter

Past personalities

"* = Deceased"
*Sarah Baldwin,Reporter (Thomasville Bureau)
*Mark Williams,Anchor, News Director, Executive Producer (Now at WNBD-AM Radio)
*Mike Shiers, Weekend Sports Anchor/ Sports Reporter
*Chris Nisinger, Weekend Meteorologist (1998-2008)
*Nikki Gaskins, Morning Reporter/ Fill in Anchor (Now at the new NBC station, WMBF-TV, in Myrtle Beach, SC)
*Brent Soloman, General Assignment Reporter/Anchor (now at KLRT in Little Rock, AR)
*Greg Pallone, Anchor (Now at News 13 in Orlando)
*Mesha Chance, Anchor
*Andrea Ford meteorologist (Now at WJIZ 96.3 in Albany)
*Gil Patrick, Chief Meteorologist and long time host of Today in Georgia *
*Grady Shadburn,weathercaster/ host of WALB's "Captain Mercury Show" *
*Kristina Abernathy, meteorologist (Now at the Weather Channel)
*Tom Paylor, Weekend Meteorologist and News Photographer (1994-1995) (Now a commodity trader and meteorologist in Raleigh, NC)
*Reginald Jones, reporter ( Now at WTVY-TV)
*Kent Williams, Morning and Noon Meteorologist
*Terri Smith, meteorologist. Went to The Weather Channel
*Alan Sealls, meteorologist (Now at WKRG-TV)
*Patrick Core, meteorologist (Now at WDEF-TV)
*LeAnn Pope, meteorologist
*Dawson Mathis, anchor
*Jerry Cannady, Government reporter *
*Joe Sports, sports director
*Dave D'Marko, reporter (Now at WDTN Dayton, OH)
*Nicole Johnson, Reporter (Now at WCSC-TV)
*Kathryn Murchison, reporter/anchor (now at Albany Technical College)
*Mathew Palmer, news reporter/photographer (now at Delta Airlines)
*Ducky Wall, sports anchor
*Kevin McDermond,weekend sports anchor/reporter (now at WPMI-TV)
*Chris Smith, meteorologist (1996-1997, Now at WGCL-TV)
*Jeff Crum, meteorologist (Now At News 14 Carolina)
*Ashley Harper, Valdosta Bureau reporter
*Casey Jones, anchor/ reporter (Now At WJCL-TV)
*Joe Coffey, anchor
*Dave Nethers, reporter (Now At WJW-TV, Cleveland, OH)
*Greg Majewski, reporter (Now at WGCL-TV Atlanta)
*Chuck Bell, meteorologist (now at WRC-TV)
*Nancy Wright, anchor
*Lisa George, anchor/reporter (now at the Georgia Innocence Project)
*Yolonda Hawkins, reporter
*Jennifer Hulsey, reporter
*Tom Bryant, reporter *
*Mercer Merrill, weekend anchor/reporter (now at News 14 Carolina)
*Jocelyn Maner, reporter (now at WLTX-TV)
*Scott Hunter, reporter
*Brannon Stewart, reporter (now at The Birmingham News)
*Amanda Fitzpatrick, reporter, producer (now at WCSC-TV)
*Elaine Armstrong, reporter
*Mitch Kimbrell, reporter
*Steve Summers, reporter
*Lisa Smith, reporter
*Melissa Kill, Anchor/ reporter (now at WFXL-TV)
*Nicole Bailey, reporter
*Kristin Hill, reporter (now freelance talent/producer)
*Sloane Heffernan, reporter/anchor (Now At WRAL-TV)
*Kathryn Simmons, reporter (Now at Bay News 9)
*Stephen Ryan, Thomasville Bureau reporter
*Michelle Boudin, reporter/anchor (Now at WCNC-TV)
*Yvette Jones, anchor/reporter
*Joanna Hammer, reporter
*Angelique Proctor, reporter (Now at WAGA)
*Jan Saunderson, reporter
*Jackie Ryan, reporter
*Steve Bell, reporter/anchor (now at University of Georgia)
*Steve O'Brien, anchor/news director
*Chris Clark, reporter (retired in 2007 from WTVF, Nashville, Tenn.)
*Jay Barbree, reporter (now at NBC News)
*Greg Loyd, Valdosta Burea Chief (now a professor at Tallahasse Community College)
*Amy Allday-Brice, producer/reporter (now Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Professional)

New look

*In 2004, WALB gave its newscast a makeover, renaming itself from "NewsCenter 10" to "WALB News 10". They have also changed their logo as part of the graphic makeover. However, they kept the "little one, big zero" 10, which has been part of WALB's logo since the late-1970s, at the latest.
*WALB also changed its theme to The Tower composed by 615 Music.

Logo Gallery

Weather Forecast Titles

*Super Doppler 10 Forecast (1994-2004)
*24/7 Weather Forecast (current)

June 7, 2006: WALB / WFXL towers crash

On June 1, 2006, a CH-47 Chinook military chopper traveling from Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia to Fort Rucker in Alabama for a training mission crashed into a guy wire connected to WFXL's 1000 foot tall Doerun tower. As a result, Raycom acquired auxiliary transmitters and antennas for both WFXL and WALB, which were installed at the tower at WALB's studios in Albany until the new tower began broadcasting. [http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=4986005]

WALB's Television Tower was destroyed at 6:32 PM on Wednesday, June 7th, 2006 during an attempted demolition of WFXL's tower. Shown on live television, the demolition for WFXL's unrepairable tower placed WALB's tower in a delicate position. The initial destruction of WFXL's damaged tower went well until the final seconds when overlapping guy wires from the WFXL tower entangled with the guy wires of WALB's tower. [http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5002278] [http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5006920]

In early 2007, construction began on a new 1000-foot tower in Doerun, which will hold antennas for WALB and WFXL. The construction was finished in July 2007, and began broadcasting from the new mega-tower on July 3, 2007 at 11:35 P.M.

Trivia

* WALB was Al Roker's pick station on September 26, 2007.
* WALB's "Today in Georgia" was expanded to 2 hours from 5-7am on weekdays beginning September 10, 2007.
* One of WALB's cameras used in the station's early years is on display in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. in the science and technology exhibit.
* WALB was started by the Albany Herald as a radio station, WALB-AM, in May of 1941.
* Former WALB weekend sportscaster Kevin McDermond had a small part in the movie Facing the Giants. Fact|date=April 2007. In addition, Flywheel featured a fictitious WALB reporter named Hillary Vale..
* WALB was named the 2007 Class A TV Station of the Year by the Georgia Association of Broadcasters.
* WALB has two radar systems; Storm Cutter HD Radar Network and WALB 24/7 Radar.

External links

* [http://www.walb.com/ WALB Homepage]
* [http://www.raycommedia.com/ Raycom Media Homepage]
*TVQ|WALB
*BIA|WALB|TV|TV