WCAV is a CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on virtual and UHF channel 19 from a transmitter on Carters Mountain south of Charlottesville. The station can also be seen on Comcast Xfinity channel 6 and in high definition on digital channel 806. Owned by Gray Television, WCAV is a sister station to low-powered ABC affiliate WVAW-LD (channel 16) and Class A Fox affiliate WAHU-CD (channel 27). All three stations share studios on 2nd Street Southeast in downtown Charlottesville.
History[]
WCAV began broadcasting on August 15, 2004 becoming the market's first CBS affiliate and first station to mount a challenge against established NBC affiliate WVIR-TV. Previously, the analog UHF channel 19 allocation was considered to bring Richmond a primary WB station. That area had lacked such an affiliation since the switch of WUPV to UPN in 1997.
Before WCAV's sign-on, Charlottesville had been one of the few markets in the Eastern Time Zone without a CBS affiliate. The area had previously received CBS programming on cable from Richmond's WTVR-TV and Washington, D.C.'s WUSA. When it launched, WCAV immediately replaced WUSA on local cable systems.
During 2007, the station first swapped analog cable channel allocations with WTVR. After that, the Richmond station moved to the digital tier. Shortly after WCAV's sign-on, owner Gray Television signed on ABC affiliate WVAW-LP on UHF channel 16. That station was formerly a low-powered repeater (on UHF channel 64) of Harrisonburg's WHSV and it replaced that station on Charlottesville-area cable systems. In early 2005, the two stations were joined by new Class A Fox affiliate WAHU-CA on UHF channel 27.
Since 2006, the three have been the official flagships of University of Virginia sports. The station is not related to the former WCAV-FM (now WKAF-FM) in Brockton, Massachusetts.
On June 17, 2013, the WAHU Fox 27 simulcast on WCAV 19.3 was upgraded to high definition.
On October 1, 2018, Ion Television was added on 19.4.
| TV stations in Commonwealth of Virginia |
|---|
| WTKR, Hampton Roads/Norfolk WDBJ, Roanoke |
| TV stations in Commonwealth of Virginia |
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| WVBT, Hampton Roads/Norfolk WFXR/WWCW-DT2, Roanoke |
| TV stations in Commonwealth of Virginia |
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| WPXV, Hampton Roads/Norfolk WPXR, Roanoke |
| TV stations in Charlottesville area |
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| WVAW-LD 16 (ABC) WCAV 19 (CBS) WAHU-CD 27 (Silent) WVIR 29 (NBC) WHTJ 41 (PBS) WVPY 51 (PBS) |