WAWS - News Operation

News Operation

WAWS's original venture into local newscasts was in the early-1990s through a news share agreement with then-ABC affiliate WJKS (at the time owned by Media General). That station produced a nightly prime time broadcast at 10 known as Fox 30 First Coast News (not related to the current shared First Coast News operation seen on WTLV and WJXX). After WJKS shut down its news department on December 29, 1996, the WAWS shows were dropped. The station established its own in-house news department one day later on December 30, 1996 and began airing nightly 10 o'clock and weeknight 11 o'clock shows (the latter broadcast would eventually be moved to 10:30).

Through the years, more newscasts would be added weeknights at 6:30 (on sister station WTEV in the late-1990s), weekday mornings, and weekdays at 4 (discontinued in 2007). After WTEV's switch from UPN to CBS in 2002, that station expanded local news offerings from WAWS's existing news department essentially taking over primary newscast production from this station. Initially, the station maintained certain primary personnel (such as news anchors) that would only appear on WAWS. In addition, there was separate branding, graphics packages, and news sets used to distinguish the two outlets and retain separate on-air identities. On WTEV, the 6:30 broadcast was canceled (it had been off-the-air for a couple of weeks before the affiliation switch) and replaced by a full slate of weekday morning (effectively "moved" over from WAWS), weekday noon, and weeknight newscasts as well as weekend broadcasts.

The stations hired Mark Spain (previously news anchor of First Coast News at 7 on WJXX) and he debuted as a news anchor for Fox 30 News at 10 on August 27, 2007. Ironically, the station also hired First Coast News weekday morning traffic reporter Michelle Jacobs just weeks earlier (she would eventually return to WTLV and WJXX in October 2008). Shortly after she left, WAWS hired Julie Watkins (who previously worked at First Coast News before moving on to WFTV in Orlando) as a weekend meteorologist.

On April 13, 2009, WAWS and WTEV completely revamped the two separate news departments. The outlets merged the operations into one entity and adopted the popular Action News branding presumably to compete with the First Coast News title used on rivals WTLV and WJXX (owned by the Gannett Company). The transition to new branding also introduced entirely new sets (WAWS still featured a separate one for its nightly prime time broadcast), on-air graphics, weather department, and website. On January 31, 2010, WAWS and WTEV became the second local news operation in Jacksonville that upgraded to high definition (the first was WJXT back on January 14, 2009). This was followed on February 1 by WTLV and WJXX after that shared operation completed an HD upgrade.

At some point in time, WTEV's weekday morning show began to be simulcasted on WAWS. Corresponding with the change, Action News This Morning was expanded to a full two-hours (from 5 until 7) as seen on other big three network affiliates. A two-hour extension of the show (from 7 until 9) would eventually be added to WAWS while WTEV airs The Early Show. Following a national trend, this station debuted an extra thirty minute segment of the weekday morning show at 4:30. This portion (known as Action News Early Morning) is not simulcasted on WTEV since it offers the CBS Morning News in the time slot.

WAWS received updated branding and introduced new graphics, music, and logos on September 19, 2010 in an effort to be separate from WTEV. A variation of its logo is in the typical style found on Fox owned-and-operated stations and some affiliates nationwide. However, the trademark searchlights are noticeably absent from the station's logo unlike other stations using the graphics licensed from News Corporation Digital Media (Fox-affiliated sister stations KOKI-TV and KLRT-TV also omit the searchlights within their logos, that are similar to that used by WAWS). When it comes to national coverage, WAWS usually carries Fox News while WTEV provides CBS News. During weather forecast segments, the stations use a live NOAA National Weather Service Doppler weather radar based at the agency's Local Forecast Office near Jacksonville International Airport.