View source for WXLV-TV

{{Short description|Television station in Winston-Salem, North Carolina}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox television station
| callsign = WXLV-TV
| city = Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| logo = WXLV-TV (2021).svg
| logo_upright = 1
| logo_alt = A white, somewhat futuristic 45 in white with blue trim with the ABC logo to the left
| branding = ABC 45
| digital = 29 ([[UHF]])
| virtual = 45
| affiliations = {{ubl|'''45.1:''' [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]{{r|rei}}|''for others, see {{section link||Subchannels}}''}}
| owner = [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]]
| licensee = WXLV Licensee, [[LLC]]
| location = {{ubl|[[Winston-Salem]]–[[Greensboro]]–|[[High Point, North Carolina]]}}
| country = United States
| airdate = {{start date and age|1979|9|22|p=y|br=y}}
| callsign_meaning = XLV = [[Roman numeral]] 45
| sister_stations = [[WMYV]]
| former_callsigns = {{ubl|WGNN-TV (1979–1980)|WJTM-TV (1980–1984)|WNRW (1984–1995)}}
| former_channel_numbers = '''Analog:''' 45 (UHF, 1979–2009)
| former_affiliations = {{ubl|[[Independent station|Independent]] (1979–1986)|[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] (1986–1995)|[[UPN]] (secondary, 1995–1996)}}
| erp = 990 [[kW]]
| haat = {{convert|576|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
| facility_id = 414
| coordinates = {{coord|35|52|2.6|N|79|49|25.4|W|type:landmark_scale:2000}}
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
| website = {{URL|https://abc45.com/}}
}}

'''WXLV-TV''' (channel 45) is a [[television station]] licensed to [[Winston-Salem, North Carolina]], United States, serving as the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] affiliate for the [[Piedmont Triad]] region. It is owned by [[Sinclair Broadcast Group]] alongside [[Greensboro]]-licensed [[MyNetworkTV]] affiliate [[WMYV]] (channel 48). The two stations share studios on Myer Lee Drive (along [[U.S. Route 421 in North Carolina|US 421]]) in Winston-Salem; WXLV-TV's transmitter is located in [[Randleman, North Carolina|Randleman]] (along [[I-73]]/[[U.S. Route 220 in North Carolina|US 220]]).

Channel 45 went on the air in 1979 as WGNN-TV, a Christian-oriented TV station. It was sold to Television Corporation Stations—later renamed [[TVX Broadcast Group]]—in 1980 and changed its call sign to WJTM-TV, becoming the Triad's first general-entertainment [[independent station]]. After a gunman killed the general sales manager in 1984, TVX renamed the station WNRW, incorporating his initials. WNRW became the market's first [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate in 1986; TVX then sold it to [[Act III Broadcasting]] in 1986 in order to acquire a station in the adjacent [[Raleigh]] market. Act III combined the station's schedule and programming with Greensboro independent WGGT in 1991, creating a simulcast.

In 1995, as a result of regional ABC affiliate [[WGHP]] switching to Fox, channel 45 became an ABC affiliate under new WXLV call letters and began broadcasting local news programming. It also picked up a secondary affiliation with [[UPN]], which became channel 48's primary programming when the simulcast was split the next year. Sinclair acquired WXLV in 1998. The station's local newscasts failed to make headway against the established stations in the Triad. Sinclair shuttered the local news department in January 2002. Since then, Sinclair has implemented smaller-scale news programs for the station, first as part of the [[News Central (American TV program)|News Central]] service, then with cable news channel News 14 Carolina (later [[Spectrum News North Carolina]]) and since 2021 with local reporters and anchors at a Sinclair station in Texas.

==As an independent station and Fox affiliate==
===WGNN-TV and WJTM-TV: Establishment===
In February 1976, Good News TV Network filed with the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) for a [[construction permit]] to build a new commercial TV station in Winston-Salem, which the commission granted in August 1977.<ref name="hc">{{Cite web|url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/api/download/attachment/55ea56f3-0e31-4b9e-cd52-dc1439d1b0fd|title=FCC History Cards for WXLV-TV|publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]]}}</ref> Good News TV had been formed after the local Calvary Baptist Church voted to set aside $139,000 ({{Inflation|US|139000|1976|fmt=eq|r=-3}}{{Inflation/fn|US}}) for the construction of the proposed outlet; one of the directors was [[Stuart Epperson]], the founder of [[Salem Communications]].<ref name="Wins760528">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122425510/religious-tv-station-formed/|date=May 28, 1976|page=24|first=Howard|last=Carr|title=Religious TV Station Formed|newspaper=Winston-Salem Journal|location=|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 7, 2023|archive-date=April 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407034531/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122425510/religious-tv-station-formed/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Fri --> The station was originally proposed to operate on a non-commercial basis with Christian religious programs and some secular classic films, though it eventually decided to accept some commercial advertising. Delays in equipment delivery and installation pushed the station's start from 1978 back into 1979;<ref>{{Cite news|title=Another Station Slated|url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/another-station-slated/qkqwxgfgwyhzditxxngofopgpxtagagp_wma-gateway001_1679329383697|page=D13|date=January 11, 1979|work=Greensboro Daily News|first=Jerry|last=Kenion|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=March 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322074752/https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/another-station-slated/qkqwxgfgwyhzditxxngofopgpxtagagp_wma-gateway001_1679329383697|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Gree790530">{{Cite news|url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/station-hopes-june/rsgcftggdsxpyyzbqimekaaukmezdixa_wma-gateway014_1668581927263|date=May 30, 1979|work=Greensboro Daily News|first=Jerry|last=Kenion|title=Station Hopes For June|page=A12|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=March 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322074751/https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/station-hopes-june/rsgcftggdsxpyyzbqimekaaukmezdixa_wma-gateway014_1668581927263|url-status=live}}</ref> the station also had to settle a payment dispute with an equipment installer.<ref name="Wins790825">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122701294/contract-dispute-settled/|date=August 25, 1979|page=13|first=Jesse|last=Poindexter|title=Contract Dispute Settled|newspaper=Winston-Salem Journal|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 12, 2023|archive-date=April 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412003657/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122701294/contract-dispute-settled/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Sat --> From a transmitter on the [[Winston Tower|Wachovia Building]] in Winston-Salem and studios on its top floor,<ref name="Wins790529">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122679862/plans-many-religious-tv-shows-station-m/|date=May 29, 1979|pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122679892/new-tv-station-may-be-broadcasting-soon/ 2]|title=Plans Many Religious TV Shows: Station May Be Operating Soon|newspaper=Winston-Salem Journal|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 12, 2023}}</ref><!-- Tue -->{{r|Gree790530}} program testing for WGNN-TV began on September 22, 1979.<ref name="Wins790925">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122752559/religious-station-begins-operation/|date=September 25, 1979|page=3|title=Religious Station Begins Operation|newspaper=Winston-Salem Journal|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 12, 2023|archive-date=April 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412201131/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122752559/religious-station-begins-operation/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Tue --><ref>{{Cite news|date=October 1, 1979|url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/new-station-testing/kvrkgejogkrluevflcfpmuysnhjnwhfc_wma-gateway003_1668883752639|page=A12|title=New Station Testing|work=Greensboro Daily News|first=Jerry|last=Kenion|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=March 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322074751/https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/new-station-testing/kvrkgejogkrluevflcfpmuysnhjnwhfc_wma-gateway003_1668883752639|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="FB84">{{Cite web|title=WJTM-TV|page=666|work=Television Factbook|date=1984|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1984-TV-Factbook/TV-Factbook-1984-NEB-USVI.pdf|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=January 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131092751/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1984-TV-Factbook/TV-Factbook-1984-NEB-USVI.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Shortly before going on air, Good News TV Network had sold the construction permit for the station to a subsidiary of Piece Goods Stores, a chain of fabric stores in Winston-Salem.<ref>{{cite news|id={{ProQuest|1014688678}}|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1979/BC-1979-07-30.pdf|date=July 30, 1979|page=56|title=Changing Hands|work=Broadcasting|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=January 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131031303/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1979/BC-1979-07-30.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Piece Goods had stepped in when Good News TV Network ran out of cash to put the station on the air. The proprietors of Piece Goods, twin brothers Dudley and John Simms, also appeared on air giving editorials that were strongly conservative in character.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/tv-station-reflects-brothers-philosophy/ofkqofbdacgmzvcyflfptluojtfzitsx_wma-gateway013_1679329892302|pages=F-1, [https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/brothers-stay-tune/rmqbegjwzsryjacwlxkmjlswufpyfkav_wma-gateway001_1679330061331 F-5]|title=TV Station Reflects Brothers' Philosophy|first=Jim|last=Jenkins|work=Greensboro Daily News|date=September 7, 1980|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=March 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322074752/https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/tv-station-reflects-brothers-philosophy/ofkqofbdacgmzvcyflfptluojtfzitsx_wma-gateway013_1679329892302|url-status=live}}</ref> The station's programming turned out to be more middle-of-the-road than the religion-heavy, family-friendly lineup once advertised, including films with sexual mentions and violence, as the Simms brothers sought to make channel 45 profitable.<ref name="Wins800213">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122752607/good-news-tv-is-now-boldly-out-to-make/|date=February 13, 1980|page=27|first=John|last=Byrd|title='Good News' TV Is Now Boldly Out to Make a Profit|newspaper=Winston-Salem Journal|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=April 12, 2023}}</ref><!--Wed--> However, the station never attracted more than one percent of the audience.{{r|Gree800904}}

In 1980, Piece Goods sold 85 percent of WGNN-TV and operational control to the Television Corporation of North Carolina, a company controlled by investors from the [[Hampton Roads]] area of Virginia. After [[WTVZ]] in [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], it was the second station to be owned by Television Corporation Stations (abbreviated TVX and later changed to [[TVX Broadcast Group]]). The Simms brothers disappeared from the airwaves, while TVX announced it would seek better programming and build a more powerful transmitter facility on Sauratown Mountain.<ref name="Gree800904">{{Cite news|title=Channel 45 To Seek More Viewers Under New Owners|date=September 4, 1980|url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/channel-45-seek-more-viewers-under-new-owners/oatlaoewjydkcfdgbqkdevkmgzdjyzpn_wma-gateway011_1679329821945|pages=D-1, [https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/channel-45-sale-approved-fcc/bfqfhsimirqwqpdwfqqlooiuynxwlmpo_wma-gateway012_1679329771137 D-4]|work=Greensboro Daily News|first=Jerry|last=Kenion|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=March 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322074752/https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/channel-45-seek-more-viewers-under-new-owners/oatlaoewjydkcfdgbqkdevkmgzdjyzpn_wma-gateway011_1679329821945|url-status=live}}</ref> The call letters were changed to WJTM-TV{{efn|For John Trinder and Tim McDonald, the executive vice president and president of TVX.{{r|Gree840607}} After WJTM-TV became WNRW, TVX built [[KASN|KJTM-TV]] in [[Pine Bluff, Arkansas]], in 1986.}} on October 20, 1980,{{r|hc}} as TVX sought to bring to Winston-Salem the programming style that had made WTVZ immediately competitive in Norfolk.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/ch-45-changes-format/mznanuxhxpnwttobrjrodxrloieilebl_wma-gateway003_1679329965859|page=A12|title=Ch. 45 Changes Format|date=October 27, 1980|work=Greensboro Daily News|first=Jerry|last=Kenion|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=March 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322074752/https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/ch-45-changes-format/mznanuxhxpnwttobrjrodxrloieilebl_wma-gateway003_1679329965859|url-status=live}}</ref> Immediately, and even before the transmitter move to Sauratown in April 1981, ratings ticked up slightly; at the same time, the studios moved to their present site.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/big-men-little-tv-station-two-mavericks-out-save-channel-45/cbhwqtndbrmtpkapvnkaitximosdqdyp_wma-gateway012_1679330134494|title=Big Men At Little TV Station: Two Mavericks Out To Save Channel 45|page=G1|date=January 11, 1981|work=Greensboro Daily News|first=Jerry|last=Kenion|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=March 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322074753/https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/big-men-little-tv-station-two-mavericks-out-save-channel-45/cbhwqtndbrmtpkapvnkaitximosdqdyp_wma-gateway012_1679330134494|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=WJTM in new station, using higher-watt antenna|date=April 24, 1981|page=D2|work=Greensboro Record|url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/wjtm-new-station-using-higher-watt-antenna/yaiwgnzshuqjvdwuvqpetkxvqldgbycq_wma-gateway011_1679118357060|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=March 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322074753/https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/wjtm-new-station-using-higher-watt-antenna/yaiwgnzshuqjvdwuvqpetkxvqldgbycq_wma-gateway011_1679118357060|url-status=live}}</ref> Even as TVX took over, Piece Goods found itself facing lawsuits for debts the station had owed to a bank prior to the sale.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/bank-sues-tv-companies/rwxtycvcwbsphvnwzrsvzzxcnweyagdk_wma-gateway003_1679330782131|title=Bank Sues TV Companies|page=A8|work=Greensboro Daily News|date=May 23, 1981|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=March 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322075253/https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/bank-sues-tv-companies/rwxtycvcwbsphvnwzrsvzzxcnweyagdk_wma-gateway003_1679330782131|url-status=live}}</ref>

===1984 hostage situation and call sign change to WNRW===
On June 5, 1984, 32-year-old Ronnell Leverne Jackson drove to the studios of WJTM-TV in Winston-Salem. He fatally shot 48-year-old William Norbert Rismiller, the station's general sales manager, then kidnapped a secretary and took her to his great-aunt's house, where he lived. Having previously made an unsuccessful demand of the station, the hostage-taker agreed to surrender if Winston-Salem station [[WXII-TV]] apologized to him. Jackson believed that the two stations and the Christian television program ''[[The 700 Club]]'', which they aired, were spying on him through his TV set. It was found out that the home was subscribed to [[cable television]], and the cable system coordinated with WXII to have their personnel record a false apology, which was then played on tape over WXII's channel confined to the home's neighborhood [[Node (networking)|node]], resulting in the release of the secretary after more than six hours.<ref>{{Cite news|work=Greensboro News & Record|pages=A1, [https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/killing/flueylqdbgdhkcxsltdpgyklpwdwnllf_wma-gateway018_1679119227750 A7]|first=Ed|last=Williams|title=Gunman captive, hostage free after TV station 'apologizes'|date=June 6, 1984|url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/gunman-captive-hostage-free-after-tv-station-apologizes/aldzzyxvppjrffdmcpqgctvevluyuile_wma-gateway009_1679119150871|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=March 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322075254/https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/gunman-captive-hostage-free-after-tv-station-apologizes/aldzzyxvppjrffdmcpqgctvevluyuile_wma-gateway009_1679119150871|url-status=live}}</ref> Two days after the murder, TVX applied to change WJTM-TV's call sign to WNRW (William Norbert Rismiller, Winston-Salem), which became effective on June 25 and was accompanied by memorial advertising in such publications as ''[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1984/BC-1984-07-16.pdf|page=2|id={{ProQuest|1014712318}}|title=On June 25, 1984 WJTM-TV became WNRW-TV.|work=Broadcasting|date=July 16, 1984|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=January 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131024711/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1984/BC-1984-07-16.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> It also increased security at the station.<ref name="Gree840607">{{Cite news|work=Greensboro News & Record|page=C3|date=June 7, 1984|first=Julie|last=Gilberto|url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/faced-dangerous-gunman-station-workers-acted-heroically/ihcypwyijryfmfomgldcnxckfkcejezx_wma-gateway020_1679118621762|title=Faced with dangerous gunman, station workers acted heroically; Call letters would be memorial|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=March 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322075253/https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/faced-dangerous-gunman-station-workers-acted-heroically/ihcypwyijryfmfomgldcnxckfkcejezx_wma-gateway020_1679118621762|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Act III ownership and Fox affiliation===
TVX announced in August 1985 that it would acquire [[WLFL]], an independent station in [[Raleigh]], and that it expected to have to sell the smaller-market WNRW to complete the purchase, as the two stations had overlapping signals; FCC rules of the time generally prohibited ownership of stations that shared a portion of their coverage areas.<ref name="News850814">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121388297/wlfl-tv-to-be-sold-moved-to-raleigh/|date=August 14, 1985|pages=1C, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121388371/wlfl-tv-to-be-bought-by-va-firm/ 2C]|first=John|last=Byrd|title=WLFL-TV to be sold, moved to Raleigh|newspaper=The News and Observer|location=|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=March 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322075253/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/121388297/wlfl-tv-to-be-sold-moved-to-raleigh/|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Wed --> The FCC approved the WLFL transaction in February 1986 and gave TVX 12 months to divest itself of WNRW.<ref>{{Cite news|page=96|date=February 24, 1986|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1986/BC-1986-02-24.pdf|id={{ProQuest|1016911897}}|title=In Brief|work=Broadcasting|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=January 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131030344/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1986/BC-1986-02-24.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In November, TVX filed with the FCC to sell the station for $11 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|11|1986}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}{{Inflation/fn|US}}) to a new broadcasting group, [[Act III Broadcasting]], owned by television producer [[Norman Lear]].<ref>{{Cite news|id={{ProQuest|1285776049}}|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1986/BC-1986-11-17.pdf|date=November 17, 1986|title=Changing Hands|page=99|work=Broadcasting|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=January 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131025342/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1986/BC-1986-11-17.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> During 1986, WNRW also became the market's first [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate when the network launched on October 9, 1986.<ref>{{Cite news|pages=44–45|title=Fox network begins to take shape|work=Broadcasting|date=August 4, 1986|id={{ProQuest|963254490}}|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1986/BC-1986-08-04.pdf|access-date=March 11, 2023|archive-date=January 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127014659/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1986/BC-1986-08-04.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

As an independent station in the Triad, WNRW was not alone. In 1981, [[WMYV|WGGT]] had reactivated channel 48 from Greensboro. However, beginning at the end of 1986, that station began to fight through a years-long bankruptcy proceeding, burdened by expensive purchases of syndicated programming.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/turned-channel-48-general-manager-gene-bohi-can-he-turn-viewers/nsynidtbwxigdlcqtglmknjddjxjxoqa_wma-gateway014_1679334644657|title=Turned on to Channel 48: General manager Gene Bohi is, but can he turn viewers on?|first=Bradley|last=Johnson|work=Greensboro News & Record|pages=Triad Business Weekly 10–11|date=April 6, 1987|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=March 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322075254/https://www.genealogybank.com/newspaper-clippings/turned-channel-48-general-manager-gene-bohi-can-he-turn-viewers/nsynidtbwxigdlcqtglmknjddjxjxoqa_wma-gateway014_1679334644657|url-status=live}}</ref> It did not emerge from bankruptcy until July 1991; two months later, in September, WNRW and WGGT signed an agreement to simulcast almost all of the broadcast day, a combination billed as a "super station".<ref>{{Cite news|date=September 26, 1991|title=TV stations 45 and 48 agree to share programs to make 'super station'|work=Greensboro News & Record|first1=Donnell|last1=Stoneman|first2=Betty Joyce|last2=Nash}}</ref> WNRW–WGGT also became a secondary affiliate of [[UPN]] in January 1995.<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 19, 1995|page=D1|title=Lineups change with new networks|first=Leigh|last=Pressley|work=Greensboro News & Record}}</ref>

==WXLV-TV: ABC affiliate==
===Switch to ABC and news launch===
On May 23, 1994, as part of a deal between Fox and [[New World Pictures#New World Communications|New World Communications]], it was announced that High Point-based ABC affiliate [[WGHP]] (channel 8) would change from ABC to Fox. The deal left WNRW–WGGT as a Fox affiliate with an uncertain future once the network moved and ABC without an affiliate in the Triad. In the meantime, during the first season of the [[NFL on Fox]], the station took the step of allowing fans to vote by telephone on which [[National Football Conference|NFC]] football game it would telecast each week, a year before the [[Carolina Panthers]] first took the field. This was particularly unusual because Fox assigned games to stations; when the Greensboro ''[[News & Record]]'' interviewed the director of media relations for Fox Sports, he reacted, "They're doing what?"<ref>{{Cite news|title=NFL games on Fox 45: You get to make the call|page=C1|first=Larry|last=Keech|work=Greensboro News & Record|date=August 4, 1994}}</ref>

The timing of the affiliation switch in the Triad market was mostly driven by the station ownership juggling that New World had to conduct with WGHP. With 15 stations under option, New World was three stations over the 12-station limit then in force.<ref>{{cite news|date=October 13, 1994|title=TV station will still go to Fox—later|page=B5|first=Mark|last=Folk|work=Greensboro News & Record}}</ref> In February 1995, WGHP finally gave ABC its six months' notice of its plan to disaffiliate from the network, with WNRW–WGGT immediately earmarked as the new ABC affiliate in the market.<ref>{{cite news|date=February 22, 1995|title=Channel 8 plans Fox kickoff for fall|page=B5|first=Mark|last=Folk|work=Greensboro News & Record}}</ref>

The arrival of ABC to channels 45 and 48 came with plans to start a local newsroom. In May 1995, the station hired its first [[news director]],<ref>{{Cite news|title=Canadians to investigate taxation of some tobacco|page=B6|work=Greensboro News & Record|date=May 13, 1995}}</ref> and a total of 33 people—mostly from out of the market, with the notable exception of sportscaster Johnny Phelps—were hired to produce and present the station's newscasts.<ref>{{cite news|page=B2|title=Fox affiliate assembles news team|date=August 3, 1995|first=Leigh|last=Pressley|work=Greensboro News & Record}}</ref> As channel 45 staffed up its newsroom, the station was sold. In June, Act III Broadcasting merged with ABRY Broadcast Partners;<ref name="nyt-saletoabry">{{cite news|title=Norman Lear's Company Selling 8 TV Stations|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60612FD3B550C718EDDAF0894DD494D81|access-date=February 17, 2011|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 22, 1995}}</ref> the firm named Dan Sullivan, president of the TV division of [[Clear Channel Communications]], to run Sullivan Broadcasting, a joint venture with ABRY to manage the former Act III portfolio.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Flint|first=Joe|date=October 2, 1995|title=ABRY choice is clear; Sullivan to top Act III|url=https://variety.com/1995/tv/features/abry-choice-is-clear-sullivan-to-top-act-iii-99128559/|access-date=December 9, 2021|website=Variety|language=en-US|archive-date=January 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110041230/https://variety.com/1995/tv/features/abry-choice-is-clear-sullivan-to-top-act-iii-99128559/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Eleven years after the murder of William Rismiller, the station also sought to change its call letters in order to establish a new identity for the station as an ABC affiliate.<ref>{{Cite news|date=July 20, 1995|page=D3|title=Station may change its call letters|first=Leigh|last=Pressley|work=Greensboro News & Record}}</ref> After discussions with Rismiller's widow, the station announced it would change its call sign to WXLV-TV on September 3, 1995, the date it would become an ABC affiliate; simultaneously, plans were announced to establish a scholarship in his name and dedicate the newsroom in his memory. To obtain permission to share the WXLV call sign from its existing user, the [[WLHI|FM radio station]] at [[Lehigh Carbon Community College]] in Pennsylvania, it donated a used audio board.<ref>{{Cite news|date=August 24, 1995|title=WNRW changes station call letters|page=B2|first=Leigh|last=Pressley|work=Greensboro News & Record}}</ref>

Founding news director Chris Huston promised a focus on regional coverage and issues, hoping to leave aside a perceived focus on Winston-Salem, Greensboro, or High Point.<ref>{{Cite news|title=New ABC station makes news debut|page=B1|work=News & Record|first=Jim|last=Thompson|date=September 4, 1995}}</ref> However, despite ABC's strong national standing, viewers did not flock to WXLV's new 6 a.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. local newscasts. Where WFMY and WXII drew 28 and 25 percent of the news audience at 11, WXLV attracted just 5 percent.<ref>{{cite news|date=December 16, 1995|page=B1|title=Newscast off to slow start in ratings|first=Leigh|last=Pressley|work=Greensboro News & Record}}</ref> An 11:30 a.m. newscast was tested but failed to draw ratings and was canceled after 13 weeks.<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 30, 1997|page=City Life 4|first=Donald W.|last=Patterson|title=Changes under way at WXLV}}</ref>

After five years, the simulcast of channels 45 and 48 was unwound on September 1, 1996, when channel 48 regained separate programming as full-time UPN affiliate WUPN.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Trekkie fans' show gets hazy reception|page=B1|first=Jeri|last=Rowe|work=News & Record|date=August 21, 1996}}</ref>

===Sinclair acquisition; news department closure===
In 1998, Sinclair Broadcast Group bought Sullivan Broadcasting; it also assumed Sullivan's [[local marketing agreement]] to program WUPN on behalf of its owner, [[Mission Broadcasting]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Morgan|first=Richard|date=February 25, 1998|title=Sinclair closes Sullivan buyout|url=https://variety.com/1998/biz/news/sinclair-closes-sullivan-buyout-1117468107/|access-date=December 9, 2021|website=Variety|language=en-US|archive-date=December 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209023929/https://variety.com/1998/biz/news/sinclair-closes-sullivan-buyout-1117468107/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Triad ABC affiliate to get new owner|first=Peter|last=Krouse|work=Greensboro News & Record|page=B5|date=February 25, 1998}}</ref> Sinclair initially invested in the WXLV news operation. To save money, WXLV had discontinued its morning newscast in March 1997. After the sale to Sinclair, the company restored the morning news and bought new equipment for the station.<ref>{{Cite news|page=City Life 17|first=Jeri|last=Rowe|title=WXLV resurrects morning newscast|work=Greensboro News & Record|date=September 10, 1998}}</ref> New lead-in ''[[The Jerry Springer Show]]'' beat the other three stations' 5 p.m. newscasts and also helped the station lift its 6 p.m. news ratings slightly.<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 15, 1999|page=City Life 7|title=At 5 p.m., many tuning in Jerry Springer|work=Greensboro News & Record}}</ref>

However, as the station continued to make little progress at challenging the existing stations in the ratings, Sinclair cut back in the newsroom. In November 2000, the station discontinued its morning and weekend newscasts and laid off 10 full-time employees in hopes of focusing attention on its 6 and 11 p.m. broadcasts.<ref>{{Cite news|title=WXLV lays off 10 employees, axes two newscasts: The Triad's ABC affiliate gets smaller to attract a bigger news audience|date=November 16, 2000|page=B1|first=Jeri|last=Rowe|work=Greensboro News & Record}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|page=B3|first=Tim|last=Clodfelter|title=WXLV ends some news shows, lays off 10 people|work=Winston-Salem Journal|date=November 18, 2000}}</ref> A new news set and two new vehicles were acquired during the course of 2001, and WXLV-TV also hoped to move from Pilot Mountain to a site in Greensboro in hopes of adding 25,000 additional viewers. It needed the viewers: the station's 6 p.m. newscast was being outrated by reruns of ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]'' on [[WTWB-TV]]. It was not to be. On January 2, 2002, the station announced that it would air its last newscast on January 11, laying off another 35 employees. General manager Will Davis noted that the news department had not turned a profit in 2001 due to a soft economy and its low ratings.<ref>{{Cite news|pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-newscast/128809497/ A6]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-wxlv-pulls-plug-on-newsc/128809473/|first=Jamie|last=Kritzer|title=WXLV to pull plug on newscast: The ABC affiliate has consistently had the smallest audience among the area's four network affiliates during the past six years|work=Greensboro News & Record|date=January 3, 2002|access-date=July 24, 2023|archive-date=July 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725015526/https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-wxlv-pulls-plug-on-newsc/128809473/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|pages=B1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-abc-45-tv/128809583/ B6]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-abc-45-will-end-it/128809547/|work=Winston-Salem Journal|title=ABC 45 will end its news shows: Official says station was unable to make broadcasts profitable|first=Michael|last=Biesecker|date=January 3, 2002|access-date=July 24, 2023|archive-date=July 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725015528/https://www.newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-abc-45-will-end-it/128809547/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===News Central===
{{main|News Central (American TV program)|l1=''News Central'' (American TV program)}}

While a full-scale news department was scrapped, a new corporate initiative at Sinclair put the restoration of news programming to its Triad stations on the table before 2002 had concluded.<ref>{{Cite news|date=October 31, 2002|first=Jamie|last=Kritzer|page=City Life 10|title=Evening news may return to WXLV|work=Greensboro News & Record}}</ref> The company launched News Central, a hybrid national-local news service designed to service Sinclair's stations that were not producing news. In July 2003, WUPN debuted its News Central newscast; as with others of its type, the newscasts combined local news coverage read by anchors in Winston-Salem with national news and weather from Sinclair's corporate headquarters in [[Hunt Valley, Maryland]]. In January 2004, a second News Central newscast debuted, this time an 11 p.m. broadcast for WXLV.<ref>{{Cite news|title=WXLV plans to launch newscast, share anchors: Triad viewers will have another choice for news by January: Channel 45|date=November 22, 2003|first=Jamie|last=Kritzer|page=B3|work=Greensboro News & Record}}</ref> The newscasts aired until August 10, 2005, when the newsroom was shut down and 22 people lost their jobs. At 10 p.m., the WUPN newscast attracted two percent of the audience compared with 15 percent viewing WGHP; the 11 p.m. newscast also attracted two percent of the audience, while 19 percent watched WXII and 16 percent watched WFMY.<ref name=tbj>{{cite news|title=Sinclair shuts down its Triad TV news broadcast|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2005/07/25/daily35.html|access-date=January 12, 2016|work=Triad Business Journal|date=July 29, 2005|archive-date=August 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816133913/http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2005/07/25/daily35.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Clodfelter |first=Tim |date=July 29, 2005 |title=WXLV and WUPN will end newscasts: News programs lagged far behind in ratings - 22 people to lose jobs |page=B2 |work=Winston-Salem Journal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-wxlv-and-wupn-will/135368558/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=November 18, 2023 |archive-date=November 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118014400/https://www.newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-wxlv-and-wupn-will/135368558/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===''News 14 Carolina/Time Warner Cable/Spectrum News on ABC 45''===
In February 2011, Sinclair resolved a [[retransmission consent]] dispute with [[Time Warner Cable]] (TWC) covering 28 stations in 17 markets, including WXLV-TV and WMYV; the group's carriage contract had lapsed, though no stations were temporarily removed. As part of the multiyear agreement, [[News 14 Carolina]], Time Warner Cable's local news channel, would begin producing 6:30 a.m. and 6 and 11 p.m. local newscasts for WXLV-TV beginning in 2012.<ref name=tvnc-dealreached>{{cite news|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/2011/02/02/48837/sinclair-twc-reach-retrans-deal|work=TVNewsCheck|title=Sinclair, Time Warner Reach Retrans Deal|access-date=March 10, 2011|archive-date=March 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322075254/https://tvnewscheck.com/uncategorized/article/sinclair-twc-reach-retrans-deal/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.news-record.com/content/2011/02/02/article/wxlv_to_resume_newscasts_as_twc_sinclair_reach_deal|title=WXLV to resume newscasts as TWC, Sinclair reach deal|work=[[News & Record]]|date=February 2, 2011|access-date=February 3, 2011|archive-date=February 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205135424/http://www.news-record.com/content/2011/02/02/article/wxlv_to_resume_newscasts_as_twc_sinclair_reach_deal|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=tbj-wxlvnews14>{{cite news|last=Covington|first=Owen|title=New [sic] 14 Carolina adding staff for new newscasts|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2011/07/29/new-14-carolina-adding-staff-for-new.html|access-date=December 30, 2011|newspaper=Triad Business Journal|date=July 29, 2011|archive-date=July 31, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731135244/http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2011/07/29/new-14-carolina-adding-staff-for-new.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The goal for the News 14 broadcasts, which were produced in Raleigh with Triad-area reporters and weather and sports from [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]], was to provide news programming for channel 45 while advertising the cable news service to non-Time Warner subscribers.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://tvnewscheck.com/uncategorized/article/wxlv-twc-share-and-share-news-alike/|first=Diana|last=Marszalek|title=WXLV, TWC Share And Share (News) Alike|date=February 21, 2012|work=TVNewsCheck|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=July 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704053620/https://tvnewscheck.com/uncategorized/article/wxlv-twc-share-and-share-news-alike/|url-status=live}}</ref> News 14 Carolina was renamed Time Warner Cable News North Carolina in 2013<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/cable-op-puts-timeinto-local-news-nets-44000|date=April 21, 2013|first=Michael|last=Malone|title=Cable Op Puts 'Time' Into Local News Nets|work=Broadcasting & Cable|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=May 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524121722/https://www.nexttv.com/news/cable-op-puts-timeinto-local-news-nets-44000|url-status=live}}</ref> and Spectrum News North Carolina in 2016.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Time-Warner-Cable-News-is-now-Spectrum-News-9234890.php|work=The Times-Union|location=Albany, New York|date=September 20, 2016|first=Larry|last=Rulison|title=Time Warner Cable News is now Spectrum News|access-date=March 22, 2023|archive-date=January 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109134107/http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Time-Warner-Cable-News-is-now-Spectrum-News-9234890.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

During this time, the future ownership of WXLV came into question. On May 8, 2017, Sinclair entered into [[Attempted acquisition of Tribune Media by Sinclair Broadcast Group|an agreement]] to acquire WGHP owner [[Tribune Media]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Sinclair Broadcast Group Sets $3.9 Billion Deal to Acquire Tribune Media|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/sinclair-tribune-merger-station-group-1202416416/|first=Cynthia|last=Littleton|periodical=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=May 8, 2017|access-date=June 6, 2017|archive-date=June 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605120406/http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/sinclair-tribune-merger-station-group-1202416416/|url-status=live}}</ref> It intended to keep WGHP and WMYV, selling WXLV-TV and eight other stations to [[Standard General#Standard Media|Standard Media Group]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Sinclair Spins Off 23 TVs To Grease Trib Deal|url=http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/113054/sinclair-spins-off-23-tvs-to-grease-trib-deal|first=Harry A.|last=Jessell|website=TVNewsCheck|date=April 24, 2018|access-date=April 25, 2018|archive-date=April 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425121326/http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/113054/sinclair-spins-off-23-tvs-to-grease-trib-deal|url-status=live}}</ref> The transaction was designated in July 2018 for hearing by an FCC [[administrative law judge]], and Tribune moved to terminate the deal the next month.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tribune Terminates $3.9 Billion Sinclair Merger, Sues Broadcast Rival|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/tribune-media-terminates-merger-agreement-with-sinclair-broadcast-group-1533810907|first=Joe|last=Flint|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|publisher=[[News Corp (2013–present)|News Corp.]]|date=August 9, 2018|access-date=August 9, 2018|archive-date=April 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405150030/https://www.wsj.com/articles/tribune-media-terminates-merger-agreement-with-sinclair-broadcast-group-1533810907|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Return of in-house newscasts===
In anticipation of taking news production in house, the Spectrum News newscast ceased airing in 2019. Sinclair announced the return of local news to WXLV to air weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m. in January 2021.<ref>{{Cite news|title=ABC-45 resumes its nightly newscasts|page=1B|date=January 20, 2021|work=Greensboro News & Record}}</ref> The newscasts are produced out of [[San Antonio]] sister station [[KABB]] and featured KABB anchor Camilla Rambaldi until her departure from Sinclair in January 2024.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Avila-Garcia|first=Candice|date=December 30, 2023|title=Fox San Antonio anchor Camilla Rambaldi announces departure|url=https://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/article/camilla-rambaldi-fox-18580489.php|access-date=January 13, 2024|work=[[San Antonio Express-News|MySA]]|language=en-US}}</ref><!--Article mentions ABC 45 North Carolina--><ref>{{Cite web|last=Malone|first=Michael|date=January 3, 2024|title=KABB San Antonio Anchor Camilla Rambaldi To Step Down|url=https://www.nexttv.com/news/camilla-rambaldi-kabb-san-antonio-anchor-stepping-down|access-date=January 13, 2024|work=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|language=en-US}}</ref><!--WXLV Winston-Salem in North Carolina is mention in article-->

==Technical information==
===Subchannels===
WXLV-TV's transmitter is located in [[Randleman, North Carolina|Randleman]] (along [[I-73]]/[[U.S. Route 220 in North Carolina|US 220]]).{{r|FCC-LMS-414}} The station's signal is [[multiplex (TV)|multiplexed]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+Subchannels of WXLV-TV<ref name=rei>{{cite web|title=Digital TV Market Listing for WXLV|url=https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WXLV#station|website=[[RabbitEars]]|access-date=January 12, 2016|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063147/http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=WXLV#station|url-status=live}}</ref>
! scope = "col" | [[Digital subchannel#United States|Channel]]
! scope = "col" | [[Display resolution|Res.]]
! scope = "col" | [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect]]
! scope = "col" | Short name
! scope = "col" | Programming
|-
! scope = "row" | 45.1
| [[720p]] || rowspan="4" | [[16:9]] || WXLV HD || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|-
! scope="row" | 45.2
| rowspan="3" |[[480i]]
| ROAR || [[Roar (TV network)|Roar]]
|-
! scope = "row" | 45.3
| CHARGE || [[Charge! (TV network)|Charge!]]
|-
! scope="row" | 45.4
| TheNest || [[The Nest (TV network)|The Nest]]
|- style="background-color:#DFEBF6; border-top: 2px solid #003399;"
! scope = "row" | [[WMYV|48.1]]
| 720p || 16:9 || WMYV || [[MyNetworkTV]] ([[WMYV]])
|}
{{legend|#DFEBF6|Broadcast on behalf of another station}}

WXLV-TV and WMYV were the first stations in the market to convert to digital-only broadcast transmissions, shutting down on February 17, 2009.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Stations report smooth switch to digital|first=David|last=Nivens|work=High Point Enterprise|page=3B|date=February 19, 2009}}</ref> The station's digital signal remained on its pre-transition UHF channel 29, using [[virtual channel]] 45.<ref name="Analog to Digital">{{Cite web |date=May 23, 2006 |title=DTV Tentative Channel Designations for the First and Second Rounds |url=http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829004251/http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf |archive-date=August 29, 2013 |access-date=August 29, 2021 |publisher=Federal Communications Commission}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official website|https://abc45.com/}}

{{Piedmont Triad TV}}
{{ABC North Carolina}}
{{ABC Virginia}}
{{SBGI}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wxlv-Tv}}
[[Category:1979 establishments in North Carolina]]
[[Category:American Broadcasting Company affiliates]]
[[Category:Charge! (TV network) affiliates]]
[[Category:The Nest (TV network) affiliates]]
[[Category:Sinclair Broadcast Group]]
[[Category:Roar (TV network) affiliates]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1979]]
[[Category:Television stations in the Piedmont Triad|XLV-TV]]
[[Category:TVX Broadcast Group]]