WSLS-TV - News Operation

News Operation

In 1989, the station debuted First News at 5:30. The program was solo-anchored by John Carlin and included live feature segments from a field reporter. The newscast did not catch on with viewers at first but the ratings took off when it moved to 5 P.M. in 1992. This prompted WDBJ to launch a 5 o'clock newscast of its own in 1993. First News remained at 5 P.M. on WSLS until September 21, 1998 when it moved back to 5:30. Yet another shift came in February 2002 when the 5:30 newscast was once again moved back to 5 o'clock. In August 2004, WSLS added a 5:30 newscast to the existing 5 and 6 P.M. shows, creating the first 90 minute evening news block in the market. A half-hour 7 p.m. show was added in September 2009.

The 1997 rebranding of the station's news operation as NewsChannel 10 coincided with the debut of "Storm Team 10". Media General’s idea for the "Storm Team" was to give weather a stronger emphasis in the larger news product. It was also believed that a "team" concept would make Robin Reed on WDBJ look like a solo-act and thereby less credible. Under the "team" concept, no one weather anchor was to be more important than the other. The title of "chief meteorologist" was dropped and multiple weather anchors would often be seen presenting forecasts during the same newscast. The title of "chief meteorologist" was brought back with the addition of weathercaster Ros Runner in 2007.

Media General made a significant investment in resources after purchasing WSLS. The first major investment was the purchase of a satellite news gathering (SNG) truck in 1997. Prior to that, WSLS was forced to rent or borrow equipment from other stations for satellite live shots.

While improvements were being made by Media General, trouble behind the scenes prevented WSLS from making traction in the Roanoke / Lynchburg television ratings. The late-1990s saw a continuous change of management which led to competing philosophies and general unrest among employees. In 1998, longtime morning news anchor Dave Mellon was fired and replaced by current evening co-anchor Karen McNew. Chief Meteorologist Chuck Bell was dismissed later in the year and longtime Sports Director Greg Roberts resigned. In 2000, popular evening co-anchor Barbara Gibbs was also dismissed for reasons that were never specified. The departures generated a great deal of negative publicity for the station.

A renewed emphasis was placed on local news in the early part of the 21st century, particularly in the eastern and southern portions of the Roanoke / Lynchburg market. In the spring of 2001, two additional news bureaus were established: one in Martinsville and one in Bedford. The Martinsville bureau was intended to cover Henry County, Pittsylvania County, Halifax County, and the independent cities that lied within those areas. The Bedford Bureau covered Bedford County, Campbell County, Amherst County, and the independent cities of Lynchburg and Bedford. Both bureaus were manned by an individual reporter/photographer. In 2004, personnel from the two bureaus were moved to the offices of the Lynchburg News and Advance and the Danville Register and Bee respectively. The move came as part of a Media General effort to converge its newspaper and television properties as a single newsgathering entity. As of 2008, WSLS no longer has its own reporters stationed in Lynchburg and Danville. Between 2008 and 2012, coverage of these areas was maintained through shared content from its newspaper partners. When Media General sold its newspapers to World Media Enterprises in 2012, the partnership with WSLS ended and the station was forced to rely on its own resources to cover the eastern side of its market.

In 2007, the on-air branding was changed to "WSLS 10 On Your Side," dropping the NewsChannel name. Later that year, the station updated the studio set and graphics for the high definition launch. WSLS discontinued their weekday noon newscast in March 2010. It was replaced by a live interview and variety program called Our Blue Ridge. In 2011, Jay Prater was let go from the station and the show was canceled in favor of a new host and new name Daytime Blue Ridge. The "On Your Side" slogan was dropped in 2012. The station currently has no official marketing slogan, however the term "Making a Difference" is regularly applied to features within newscasts. WSLS currently ranks third in market for overall news/programing ratings and advertising revenue.