WRC-TV
WRC-TV,
"NBC4" is an
NBC owned and operated television station in
Washington, DC. Owned by
NBC Universal, the station broadcasts its analog signal on channel 4 and its
digital television signal on channel 48. Its transmitter is located in the
Tenleytown section of
Washington, DC.
The station signed on for the first time on
November 6,
1947 as WNBW-TV (
NBC
Washington). It traces its roots to experimental W3XNB in
1939. In
1954, it became WRC-TV, named after WRC-AM-FM which NBC-TV had long owned.
The 2nd presidential debate between candidates
John F. Kennedy and
Richard M. Nixon was broadcast from the station's studios on
October 7,
1960.
The earliest color
videotape in existence is a recording of the dedication of WRC's Washington studios on
May 21,
1958. As
Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke at the event, it was also the first time a president had been videotaped in color. [
1]
After the Dumont network (which owned
WTTG) went bankrupt in 1955, WRC-TV had became the only network
O&O station in Washington D.C. However, by 1986, News Corp., owners of the then close to signing on Fox Network purchased Metromedia (which owned
WTTG), making its 6 independent stations (WTTG is one of them)the first Fox O&O's.
Logos
Image:WNBW.jpg|Original WNBW logo from 1947Image:Wnbw.jpg|WNBW logo from 1948 to 1951Image:Wnbw50s.jpg|WNBW logo from 1951 to 1954Image:Wrc70s.jpg|WRC-TV logo from 1970 to 1975Image:Nbc4_75.jpg|WRC-TV logo from 1976 to 1979. WRC was sharing this logo with KNBC and WNBCImage:Wrc79.jpg|WRC-TV logo from 1979 to 1981Image:Wrc81.jpg|WRC-TV logo from 1981 to 1982Image:Wrc82.jpg|WRC-TV logo from 1982 to 1983Image:Wrc83.jpg|The first appearance of WRC's "trapezoid 4" logo, used for news from 1982 to 1988 and for other programming from 1983 to 1988. WRC used this ident from 1983 to 1984.Image:Wrc84.jpg|WRC-TV ident from 1984 to 1985Image:Wrc85.jpg|Second version of "trapezoid 4" logo, a silver version used from 1985 to 1988Image:Wrc86.jpg|WRC-TV ident from 1986 to 1988Image:Wrc88.jpg|WRC-TV ident from 1988 to 1989. The numeric "4" logo was used until the station became "NBC4" in 1995.Image:Wrc92.jpg|WRC-TV ident from 1989 to 1993Image:Wrc-tv.PNG|Current WRC-TV logoWRC-TV's studios are home to several notable programs. These include "
Meet the Press," the longest-running show in U.S. broadcast television history, which debuted on
November 6,
1947; and "
It's Academic," which premiered in
1961 and is the longest running game show in television history according to
the Guinness Book of World Records. "
Sam and Friends,"
Jim Henson's late-night precursor to "
Sesame Street" and "
the Muppet Show," got its start on WRC-TV on
May 9,
1955.
Newscasts
The station's radar is called "Digital Doppler XT".
Weekdays
*
News4 Today - 5:00-7:00AM
**Anchors: Barbara Harrison, Joe Krebs
**Weather: Tom Kierein
**Traffic: Jerry Edwards
*
News4 at 10AM - 10:00-11:00AM
**Same anchor team as
News4 Today*
News4 at 4PM - 4:00-5:00PM
**Anchors: Jim Handly, Pat Lawson Muse
**Weather: Veronica Johnson
*
News4 at 5PM - 5:00-6:00PM
**Anchors: Susan Kidd, Wendy Rieger
**Weather: Bob Ryan
**Sports: George Michael (M-Th)
*
News4 at 6PM - 6:00-7:00PM
**Anchors: Jim Vance, Doreen Gentzler
**Weather: Bob Ryan
**Sports: George Michael (M-Th)*
*
News4 at 11PM - 11:00-11:35PM
**Same anchor team as
News4 at 6PM* *Excluding Fridays. Dan Hellie anchors sports on Fridays.
Saturdays
*
News4 This Week (Community Affairs) - 5:30-6:00AM
*
News4 Saturday Today - 6:00-7:00AM & 9:00-10:00AM
**Anchors: Shannon Bream, Eun Yang
**Weather: Clay Anderson
*
News4 at 6PM - 6:00-6:30PM
**Anchor: James Adams
**Weather: Clay Anderson
**Sports: Dan Hellie
*
Redskins Report - 7:00-7:30PM (During the NFL season only)
*
Joe Gibbs Show - 7:30-8:00PM (During the NFL season only)
*
News4 at 11PM - 11:00-11:30PM
**Same anchor team as
News4 at 6PMSundays
*
America This Week - 5:30-6:00AM
*
News4 Sunday Today - 6:00-8:00AM & 9:00-10:00AM
**Anchors: Shannon Bream, Eun Yang
**Weather: Clay Anderson
*
The Chris Matthews Show (public affairs) - 10:00-10:30AM (Syndicated but originates from WRC-TV)
*
Redskins Game Plan - 11:30AM-Noon (During the NFL season only)
*
News4 at 6PM - 6:00-6:30PM
**Anchor: James Adams
**Weather: Clay Anderson
**Sports: Dan Hellie
*
News4 at 11PM - 11:00-11:30PM
**Same anchor team as
News4 at 6pm *
The George Michael Sports Machine - 11:30-Midnight (Syndicated but originates from WRC-TV)
Notable personnel from WRC-TV's history include:
*
Katie Couric, former reporter, later became host of NBC's "
The Today Show" and will soon become anchor of the
CBS Evening News.
*
Jim Vance, longtime main anchor and one of the first African-American news anchors in the U.S.
*
George Michael, host of the long-running "
Sports Machine"
*
Sue Simmons, one of the first female African-American news anchors in the U.S. She coanchored with Vance from
1975 to
1980, when she left for
WNBC-TV where she still is today.
*weatherman
Willard Scott, who went on to perform forecasting duties for the network's "
The Today Show".
*current Chief Meterologist
Bob Ryan, former president of the American Meteorological Society, and who has been named the #1 forecaster in the US
*anchor and health activist
Doreen Gentzler*
Steve Doocy, of Fox & Friends,was a feature reporter for NBC-TV's WRC station for six years.
*
Travel Through NBC4's History (2005). NBC4.com.
*
NBC4 official website*
WRC Wireless*
WRC Station Information
