WSAZ, the Gray Television-owned NBC affiliate serving the Charleston-Huntington, WV, market, announced July 11 the completion of the last phase of its conversion to HD broadcasting with the transition of production of its local newscasts to high definition.
“WSAZ is the only television station in the Charleston–Huntington TV market that is gathering and producing local news in full 1080i high definition,” said regional VP and general manager Don Ray.
Charleston and Huntington are separated by a distance of about 48mi. The station serves both communities by splitting its local news to allow viewers in both cities to watch local news designed for them. As a result, the transition to local HD news required a “tremendous investment,” Ray said. “Because of our commitment to both ends of the market, we had to spend twice as much money as other stations would,” he said.
According to a press release on the station’s website, ENG cameras, editors, production switchers, audio consoles and studio cameras replaced in the transition to HD local news were donated to West Virginia State University in Institute, WV, to support the institution’s communications curriculum.
