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WRDW-TV, channel 12, is a CBS-affiliated television station located in Augusta, Georgia, USA. WRDW-TV is owned by Atlanta-based Gray Television, and also provides digital subchannels for MyNetworkTV on channel 12.2 and The Country Network on channel 12.3. While the station is licensed to Augusta, its studio/office and transmitter facilities are located across the Savannah River in South Carolina, respectively in North Augusta and Beech Island.

WRDW-TV shares call letters with WRDW (AM) in Augusta and WRDW-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, both owned by Beasley Broadcast Group and unrelated to the television station.

History

WRDW-TV commenced operations on February 14, 1954; it is the second-oldest television station in Augusta. The station was originally owned by Radio Augusta, the parent company of the original WRDW radio (1480 AM). WRDW-TV has been Augusta's CBS affiliate for its entire history, owing to its radio sister's long affiliation with the CBS Radio Network. However, it shared ABC with then-NBC affiliate WJBF (channel 6). In 1956 Radio Augusta was purchased by the Morris family, publishers of the Augusta Chronicle.

On September 1, 1967, WJBF switched its primary affiliation to ABC, and began splitting NBC with WRDW-TV. This was unusual, but WJBF's namesake owner J.B. Fuqua wanted to get that station in line with two ABC affiliates he had just purchased, located in Evansville, Indiana and Fargo, North Dakota.

When WATU (channel 26, now WAGT) appeared as the market's third station in late 1968, NBC allowed WRDW-TV and WJBF to keep their secondary NBC affiliations. This situation mostly shut WATU out of access to network programming, thereby forcing it to go dark in 1970. Channel 12 continued to split NBC with WJBF until WATU resumed broadcasting in 1974 with a primary NBC affiliation. At that time, channel 12 finally became a full-time CBS station.

In 1960 the Morrises exited Augusta broadcasting, with WRDW-TV being sold to what would eventually become Rust Craft Broadcasting. (Channel 12 and 1480 AM continued to share the WRDW call letters until the early 1980s, when the radio station was sold by entertainer and Augusta native James Brown; it is now WCHZ). Magazine publisher Ziff-Davis purchased Rust Craft in 1979. Channel 12 was sold along with then sister stations in Saginaw, Michigan, Rochester, New York, Chattanooga, Tennessee and Steubenville, Ohio to Television Station Partners in 1983. Television Station Partners sold off all of its stations in early January 1996, with WRDW going to Gray Communications Systems (now Gray Television).

Digital Television

The station's digital signal is multiplexed. WRDW-TV previously carried weather information on 12.3. It was replaced with The Country Network in January 2011.

News operation

In local newscast ratings, WRDW mostly placed 2nd for much of its history up against rival WJBF. Recently, WRDW and WJBF usually traded first and second place in news time slots, while WAGT almost always placed third. In recent 2011 ratings, however, longtime rival WRDW displaced WJBF as the ratings leader in most time slots.

The station's newscasts were updated in 2004 with new graphics from Cinemagic. A new state-of-the-art news set soon followed in early-2005 built by designer Gil Jiminez. On August 17, 2010, WRDW launched local newscasts in 16:9 enhanced definition widescreen becoming the first area station to do so. With the upgrade came new HD-ready graphics. Although not truly high definition, broadcasts match the ratio of HD television screens.

On January 24, 2011, WRDW launched local newscasts in high definition with the midday newscast. It is the first station in the area to do so. With the launch came a brand new logo and brand new high definition graphics, similar in style to the previous 16:9 enhanced definition widescreen graphics that debuted just 4 months before, but fully animated.

WRDW-TV had the longest-running news anchor team in the market with Richard Rogers and Laurie Ott seen weeknights at 6 and 11. The two were together on-air from the mid-1990s until September 2007 when Laurie Ott left to pursue other career opportunities. Unlike most CBS affiliates in the Eastern Time Zone, WRDW does not offer news weeknights at 5:30.

Newscast titles

• 12 Country News (1970s)
• Action News (1974–1982)
• Channel 12 Eyewitness News (1982–1992)
• 12 News (1992–1998)
• News 12 (1998–present)

Station slogans

• "Channel 12, the Color Station" (early-1970s)
• "Action News: Where the Action Is" (mid-1970s)
• "The Best is Here on Channel 12" (late-1970s)
• "Keep Your Eye on Eyewitness News" (early-1980s)
• "Where the News Comes First"/"Your 24-Hour News Source" (1992–1998)
• "Your News Station" (1998–2002)
• "On Your Side" (2002–present)

News team

Anchors

• Meredith Anderson - weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.
• Katie Beasley - weeknights at 5 p.m.; also Columbia County reporter
• Jessica Dill - weekday mornings News 12 This Morning and News 12 Midday
• Sheli Muniz - weekend evenings; also multimedia journalist
• Richard Rogers - weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.
• Chris Thomas - weeknights at 5 p.m.; also Richmond County reporter

Storm Team 12

• Shane Butler (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and NWA Seal of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.
• Vicki Graf - meteorologist; weekend evenings
• Tim Strong - meteorologist; weekday mornings News 12 This Morning and weekdays at noon

Sports team (both seen on Operation Football Live)

• Kevin Faigle - sports director; weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m.
• Jake Young - sports anchor; weekend evenings, also sports reporter

Reporters

• Trishna Begam - weekday morning reporter
• Israel Butler - multimedia journalist
• Christie Ethridge - multimedia journalist
• Justin Fabiano - multimedia journalist
• Hope Jensen - multimedia journalist
• Chad Mills - Aiken County reporter
• Liz Owens - "On Your Side" reporter
• Laura Warren - multimedia journalist

Contributors

• Kim Beavers - Eating Well With Kim
• Neil Gordon - Buzz on Biz; also host of News 12 LawCall
• Candye Smith - Give It 4Ward
• Vic Hawk - Attorney, News 12 LawCall

Notable former staff

• Tom Campbell - anchor/reporter 1995-2011, now deceased
• Bob Smith - chief meteorologist emeritus 1977-2010

References

1. "Seven TVs win FCC approval; Augusta gets its first grants." Broadcasting - Telecasting, September 21, 1953, pg. 48.
2. "WRDW-AM-TV sold Friday to newspaper for $1 Million." Broadcasting - Telecasting, December 5, 1955, pg. 7
3. "WJBF (TV) goes primary ABC." Broadcasting, August 14, 1967, pg. 52.
4. "Changing Hands." Broadcasting, February 8, 1960, pg. 77.
5. "Brown gets 2d station." Broadcasting, February 17, 1969, pg. 10
6. "In Brief." Broadcasting, July 4, 1977, pg. 21.
7. "Ziff spins off four TV's to Pompadur." Broadcasting, July 26, 1982, pg. 31.
8. WRDW News 12 at 11 Open
9. WRDW 1998 Montage
10. About News 12

External links

• WRDW-TV "News 12"
• WRDW-TV mobile
• WRDW-DT2 "My 12"
• Template:TVQ

• CBS affiliates
• MyNetworkTV affiliates
• Gray Television
• Television stations in Augusta, Georgia
• CBS network affiliates
• Channel 12 digital TV stations in the United States
• Television channels and stations established in 1954
• Television stations in Georgia (U.S. state)