WLOS - Programming

Programming

Despite being an ABC affiliate, WLOS has pre-empted a fair amount of network programming over the years. The station has been the home of popular syndicated game shows Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! since 1985. Prior to that, WYFF aired both programs. The station also produced a local children's show called Mr. Bill and Bozo starring now retired weathermen Bill Norwood and Bob Caldwell (who celebrated his 40th anniversary on the air at WLOS in June 2006). Another popular program on WLOS was Shock Theater, a Saturday afternoon series of black-and-white science-fiction movies from the Warner Brothers/Columbia Pictures/Universal Studios collections of the 1950s. This show was also hosted by Bill Norwood dressed as a Dracula-type character similar to the "Doctor Shock" character at WTVC-TV in Chattanooga of the same era. The channel began broadcasting 24 hours a day 7 days a week between late-2005 and early-2006 having previously signed-off early Saturday mornings from 5 to 6 after the late movie. It may still put up color bars for a few minutes if the movie ends early but otherwise airs paid programming.

WLOS also signed-off every weeknight until 1992 with the introduction of ABC News' overnight newscast World News Now. Later on, the station signed-off late Friday night/early Saturday morning and late Saturday night/early Sunday morning until the early-2000s. According to a particular sign-off clip from 1988, the sign-offs back then included the national anthem played by the Madison County, North Carolina high school band while the color bars afterwords said "Good Morning, 13 WLOS-TV, Asheville, North Carolina". After that, the sign-offs included Sandi Patty's rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner with a video of different people saluting the flag followed by shots of newspaper presses and people voting with ballots. These years used a color version of the Indian-head test pattern and in the center said "13 WLOS Asheville-Greenville-Spartanburg".

ABC programming that has been preempted on WLOS includes:

• Dark Shadows (a popular cult-favorite soap opera on ABC from 1966-1971, during the first year it was seen on one-day delay before it was removed in 1967. But it was cleared again on April 1, 1968)
• The Edge of Night (a soap opera broadcast on ABC from 1975-1984)
• Fudge
• One Life to Live (early years, replaced with reruns of The Flintstones, the station began clearing the program in 1973 and remained on the station until it ended on January 13, 2012) Peabo Bryson who sung the 1985-1991 theme song is a native of Greenville, South Carolina.
• Ryan's Hope (during the later years of the show)
• ABC Evening News (around the late-1960s to early-1970s replaced with I Love Lucy reruns but was cleared beginning in 1970)
• All American Girl (a sitcom featuring the first Asian family as main characters on a network program, WLOS did not clear this program during its entire run)
• Thunder Alley
• Mike and Maty (replaced by The Jerry Springer Show)
• Full House (some episodes)
• America's Funniest Home Videos (some episodes)
• Dinosaurs (some episodes)
• The Critic (some episodes, replaced with syndicated reruns of Murphy Brown or local programs)
• the first season of The Drew Carey Show (replaced with reruns of Murphy Brown, the station cleared Drew Carey in 1996)
• first three seasons of The View (replaced with The Jerry Springer Show, The View was cleared by WLOS in September 2000)
• a 2004 airing of Nightline which paid tribute to the soldiers killed in the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq (pre-empted on orders from the Sinclair Broadcast Group, seen instead on WHNS)
• a 2004 airing of the movie Saving Private Ryan (pre-empted on orders from the Sinclair Broadcast Group)
• WLOS is one of few ABC affiliates that do not clear the Litton's Weekend Adventure block on ABC every Saturday Mornings. This is the first time WLOS pre-empted an ABC network program on a permanent basis since the early 2000s. But one of the programs on the block Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin is seen instead on WMYA-TV in the Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville market on a day-behind basis.
• WLOS didn't air the ABC Sports coverage of the final day of the 2004 Deutsche Bank Championship on Labor Day due to airing that year's MDA Telethon. As a result, it was seen instead on WHNS (with ABC's consent). Ironically, Bill Haas who was in third place in that game happens to be a resident of Greenville, South Carolina.