WSKY-TV

WSKY-TV
Manteo, North Carolina-Hampton Roads, Virginia United States

Branding	SKY4
Channels	Digital: 9 (VHF) Virtual: 4 (PSIP)
Subchannels	4.1 Independent 4.2 Escape 4.3 Laff
Affiliations	Independent
Owner	Lockwood Broadcast Group (Tidewater TV, LLC)
Founded	March 9, 2001
First air date	October 19, 2001 (2001-10-19)
Call letters' meaning	the word SKY, named for its original owner, SKY Broadcasting Inc.
Former channel number(s)	Analog: 4 (VHF, 2001–2006) Digital: 4 (VHF, 2006–2010)
Transmitter power	70 kW
Height	306 m
Facility ID	76324
Transmitter coordinates	36°31′15″N 76°18′15″W / 36.52083°N 76.30417°W / 36.52083; -76.30417
Licensing authority	FCC
Public license information:	Profile CDBS
Website	www.sky4tv.com

WSKY-TV, which was launched in October 2001, is a full-power/full-market television independent station serving the Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, VA television market (DMA) and the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

The station, which is part of the Hampton Roads market, broadcasts on digital channel 9 and is licensed to Manteo, North Carolina. Its analog transmitter was located in Powells Point, North Carolina on the WCXL tower. WSKY-TV was the last station in the US to be licensed as an analog, VHF low-band channel.

The history of WSKY-TV can be traced as early as 1995, when the FCC invited filings for a license to operate a television station in Manteo on channel 4. Six groups applied for the license.^[1]

WSKY-TV is carried on Cox Communications Hampton Roads, Hampton Roads' on channel 4, as well as 2 Charter systems in the DMA, Adelphia and Time Warner Cable services and Dish Network. On January 1, 2009, DirecTV removed the channel from its lineup following a failure to reapply for "must-carry" status.^[2] It was added back to the Directv lineup on January 1, 2012. Before its fall 2001 launch, channel 4 on Cox Cable housed LNC or Local News on Cable, WVEC-TV's 24-hour cable news television station. When WSKY launched, LNC moved up to channel 5 on Cox Cable lineups.

Despite the callsign and branding of "SKY 4", it is not affiliated in any way with British Sky Broadcasting of the United Kingdom, nor its parent company, 21st Century Fox (which also owns the Fox network).

During the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, WSKY-TV aired two weeknight 11 o'clock newscasts from CBS affiliate WTKR during that station's coverage of the basketball tournament. WTKR did broadcast late newscasts at Midnight when the coverage concluded.^[3]

On July 15, 2013, Lockwood Broadcast Group announced it would be acquiring 51% of WSKY-TV pending FCC approval.^[4] The sale was finalized on November 25.^[5]

Digital signal and tower collapse

The station's analog signal signed-off in late November 2006, as its digital signal was to sign-on from a new tower in Camden County, NC. WSKY had some challenges covering the Northern most area of the metro (Williamsburg, Newport News, Hampton) on its analog signal; which was to be remedied with its new digital tower.

Between 6 and 7 a.m. on the morning of March 2, 2007, in high winds during storms moving through the area, WSKY-DT's tower collapsed, also destroying the transmitter building. The tower was three weeks away from completion. ^[6]^[7]

The tower was rebuilt and finished in November 2007. WSKY-DT started broadcasting a test pattern on November 24, 2007.^[8] WSKY-DT started regular broadcasts on November 27, 2007.

Digital television

Digital channels

The station's digital channel is multiplexed:

Channel	PSIP Short Name	Video	Aspect	Programming^[9]
4.1	WSKY-DT	1080i	16:9	Main WSKY-TV programming
4.2	Escape	480i	4:3	Escape
4.3	Laff	480i	4:3	Laff

Analog-to-digital conversion

WSKY-TV discontinued regular programming on its analog signal, over VHF channel 4, in November 2006.^[10] The station's digital signal moved to VHF channel 9, in mid-May 2010, using PSIP to display WSKY-TV's virtual channel as 4 on digital television receivers.

Logos

Logo from 2001-2003.
Logo in 2003
Logo from 2006-2009.
Logo from 2009-2013 .

References

↑ "TV station here could be reality". The Coastland Times. 7 September 1995. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
↑ http://hamptonroads.com/2008/12/directv-viewers-wskytv-channel-4-goes-dark
↑ http://www.dailypress.com/business/dp-biz_wtkr_0319mar19,0,1611931.story
↑ http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/68993/station-trading-roundup-4-deals-108m?ref=search
↑ https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101601777&formid=905&fac_num=76324
↑ "Major setback for WSKY-DT". VARTV.com. Retrieved 2007-03-02.
↑ "Broadcast tower under construction in Camden Co. collapses during storm". WAVY-TV. Retrieved 2007-03-02.
↑ Database Error
↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WSKY
↑ List of Digital Full-Power Stations

External links

Television stations in the Hampton Roads region, including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Newport News, Virginia

Reception may vary by location and some stations may only be viewable with cable television

Digital television	WUND (2.1 PBS, 2.2 Kids, 2.3 Explorer, 2.4 North Carolina) WTKR (3.1 CBS, 3.2 This TV) WSKY-TV (4.1 IND, 4.2 Escape, 4.3 Laff) WGBS-LD (7.1 Retro TV, 7.2 Infomercials, 7.3 Heartland) WAVY-TV (10.1 NBC, 10.2 Bounce, 10.3 GetTV) WVEC (13.1 ABC, 13.2 Justice, 13.3 MeTV) W14DC (14.1 HSN2) WHRO (15.1 PBS, 15.2 World, 15.3 Kids, 15.4 Create) WYSJ-CA 19 (Classic TV) WTPC-TV (21.1 TBN, 21.2 Church, 21.3 JUCE TV, 21.3 Smile, 21.4 Enlace, 21.5 Salsa) WVAD-LD (25.1 Daystar) WGNT (27.1 CW, 27.2 Antenna) WTVZ (33.1 MNTV, 33.2 ASN, 33.3 Comet, 33.4 Grit) WJGN-CD (38.1 NRB) WVBT (43.1 Fox) WPXV-TV (49.1 Ion, 49.2 qubo, 49.3 Ion Life, 49.4 Ion Shop, 49.5 QVC, 49.6 HSN)

Analog television	WVBN-LP 18 / WJHJ-LP 39 (The Walk TV)

Cable television	Cox 11

Defunct stations	WPEN-LP 68 (ind.) Local News on Cable WAVY Weather Station

Virginia broadcast television areas by city Bristol Bluefield Charlottesville Harrisonburg Norfolk Richmond Roanoke Washington, DC North Carolina broadcast television areas by city Asheville Charlotte Greensboro Greenville, NC Myrtle Beach, SC Norfolk, VA Raleigh Wilmington See also Salisbury TV

Other television stations in the state of North Carolina

Independent stations	WSKY 4 (Manteo) WHKY 14 (Hickory/Charlotte) WGSR-LD 47 (Reidsville) WAXN 64 (Kannapolis/Charlotte)

Other stations	WARZ-CD 34 (WHT, Smithfield) WRAY 30 (TCT, Wilson) WTNC-LD 40 (UniMás, Durham) WUVC 40 (UNI, Fayetteville) WHFL-CD 43 (Worship, Goldsboro) WLXI 43 (TCT, Greensboro)

See also ABC CBS CW Fox Ion MyNetworkTV NBC PBS Other stations in North Carolina

Lockwood Broadcast Group

ABC network affiliate	KAKE / KLBY / KUPK (Wichita) KTEN-DT3 (Sherman/Ada)

CW network affiliates	KTEN-DT2 (Sherman/Ada) WCWG (Greensboro) WHDF (Huntsville)

Independent station	WKNX (Knoxville) WSKY (Norfolk)

NBC network affiliate	KTEN (Sherman/Ada)

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